WHITNEY ISENHOWER

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Local bands rally behind relief effort

By WHITNEY ISENHOWER | September 23

Not every concert for a good cause has to feature Bono. Famed Triangle artists and bands from as far as San Diego are scheduled to play a benefit concert Saturday at Cat's Cradle for victims of Hurricane Katrina. Pop rock to hard rock acts will help raise proceeds for the American Red Cross and Music Maker Relief Foundation Inc., a Durham-based nonprofit dedicated to helping Southern musicians. Music Maker has set up a fund specifically to help the afflicted New Orleans artists.

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Bush: Katrina won't spur tax hikes

By WHITNEY ISENHOWER | September 20

Tax hikes won't be an option to offset rebuilding funds for the Gulf Coast, President Bush said in a speech Friday. Bush said some of the money for the monumental effort - estimated to cost $200 billion - would have to be found in cuts to other programs, though he did not offer specifics. The post-Katrina rebuilding comes at a time when the budget deficit already is increasing.

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Experts say rush to regulate fuel costs will do little

By WHITNEY ISENHOWER | September 15

The temporary gas shortages and nationwide price spike brought on by Hurricane Katrina are spurring some lawmakers to take action. Several proposals put forward in the U.S. House and Senate are designed to combat the post-Katrina price jump and minimize the impact of similar situations in the future. Many experts, however, said more regulation would do little to improve gas scarcity. "I am just very skeptical that any government control won't just make things worse," said Ed Erickson, professor of economics at N.C. State University.

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Classic acts hark the sound

By WHITNEY ISENHOWER | September 12

University pride was mixed with world-renowned and local classical talents at the Saturday as part of the opening of the renovated Memorial Hall. "A Classical Opening" featured violinists Itzhak Perlman and Pinchas Zukerman, who played with the North Carolina Symphony as conducted by guest maestro Leonard Slatkin. Before the symphony performed, lifetime achievement awards were given to University alumni who have made contributions to the campus art world.

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Festival not short of new talent

By WHITNEY ISENHOWER | August 31

For one local filmmaker, the movie “Deliverance” is significant for more than its “squeal like a pig” line. Emily Marroquin, a Durham lawyer, was inspired to make an environmental short film after she saw the Burt Reynolds’ classic. Marroquin showcased “One Less Car,” a 3-minute film about the effect of automobiles on the Triangle’s landscape, in the Flicker film festival at Cat’s Cradle on Monday.

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Bill allows campus arts venues to serve alcohol

By WHITNEY ISENHOWER | July 21

Wine and beer soon could make their way into the hands of theater patrons and concertgoers on campus. An N.C. Senate bill would allow UNC-system arts centers to sell alcohol during events. The bill would not allow hard alcohol to be sold, nor would it apply to athletic facilities. A version of the bill went to the Senate on Tuesday, but the bill’s primary sponsor, Sen. Charlie Dannelly, D-Mecklenburg, said one Senator still needed to review some aspects of the bill that he felt were unclear.

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House approves Umstead reforms

By WHITNEY ISENHOWER | July 21

University markets in North Carolina are one step closer to being available to students, employees, alumni and local communities. Amendments to the Umstead Act passed Tuesday in the N.C. House by a vote of 113-6 and are now in the Senate Commerce Committee. But the Senate will take no further action on the bill until budget issues are finalized. The 1929 Umstead Act prohibits UNC-system schools from competing with businesses in the private sector.

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Exploring the supernatural

By WHITNEY ISENHOWER | July 14

For the first time, tourists might not be so upset if an unexpected guest shows up on their vacation. True believers, skeptics and some people just looking for a good time inhabited the Carolina Inn on Saturday, searching for evidence of an afterlife. Ghost hunters Christopher Moon and his parents Dennis and Paulette Huff — all of whom work for the Colorado-based Haunted Times Magazine — shared their knowledge of the supernatural with skeptics and believers at the Carolina Inn — which some say is a haunted location.

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BOG adds four new members to roster

By WHITNEY ISENHOWER | July 14

In the midst of a critical period of change for the UNC system, the Board of Governors is welcoming four new faces to its ranks. Fred Mills, Irvin Roseman and David Young will take on four-year terms, and Charles Hayes will fill a vacated term that ends in 2007. The N.C. House elected the officials, along with four returning members, in late June, and they officially became members July 1. The new members face a number of issues currently in front of the board — specifically the search for a new UNC-system president.

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Bush reaffirms dedication to Iraq

By WHITNEY ISENHOWER | June 30

FORT BRAGG — One year after the United States officially handed over sovereignty to Iraq, President Bush reaffirmed his commitment to freedom and vowed to continue fighting terrorism. Bush defended his decision to employ U.S. troops to stop terrorism and implement democracy in Iraq on Tuesday night in Fort Bragg in a speech commemorating the hand over. The President spoke to about 700 ranked soldiers and airmen from the N.C. military base. “Our mission is clear,” Bush said. “We’re hunting down the terrorists.