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®ltf Daily ®ar Uni W News/i Busine f <^■llos years of editorial freedom Serving the students and the University community since 1893 Police Plan Education, Not Arrests Chapel Hill police will not enforce the town's new panhandling ordinance until policies are developed. Bv Reynolds Richter Staff Writer Chapel Hill police do not plan on raiding downtown streets to enforce a recent panhandling ordinance, Capt. Greggjarvies said Wednesday. After the Chapel Hill Town Council passed a ban Monday on aggressive panhandling, sleeping on public bench es, panhandling near ATMs and bus stops, Jarvies said the department would orient its enforcement of the ordinance toward education. “We’re not going to go out there and harass people, we’re not going to go out there and spy on people, we’re not going to jump out from behind bushes,” he said. “Generally, the people panhan dling are well-known by the officers on the street. If the officer sees the subject hanging around an ATM on the street, he will observe and see if he’s panhan dling.” However, the law will go unenforced for the next few weeks, Jarvies said. “We haven’t yet developed all our enforcement policies,” he said. “Until we develop those protocol, we won’t be able to enforce the new ordinance.” The department has not added any officers to enforce the panhandling ordi nance. In the meantime, officers patrolling downtown will concentrate on educating Franklin Street panhan dlers about the new law by talking to them face-to-face, Jarvies said. “(Officers) know these individuals, they communicate with them daily, often just to know how they are doing.” He said the department might post information on the ordinance in the Inter-Faith Council Community House, a shelter on Rosemary Street. See ENFORCEABLE. Page 4 Late Night Session Saves Federal Funds for State By Umlr Tuncer Staff Writer The N.C. House and Senate passed an appropriations bill for federal money late Wednesday night - just minutes before the funding would have been withdrawn. North Carolina risked losing $25 mil lion in federal funds for welfare, crime and environmental programs if they did not pass the allocation bill for the grant by the Sept. 30 deadline. Though the vote was left to minutes before the deadline, the final outcome was a 104 in favor and one against. The result was close to unanimous Stuck Railroad Crossings Irk Police Carrboro's Main Street gate has become stuck at least five times during the past month, blocking motorists. By Rudy Kleystf.uber Staff Writer Better look twice before crossing the railroad tracks in Carrboro. Two railroad crossing gates in Carrboro -one on East Main Street and one on Estes Drive - have been mal functioning lately, often with unpre dictable results. Carrboro police officers say the Main Street gate has stuck in the down posi tion at least five times during the last month, requiring police officers to prop the gate up and direct traffic underneath it. The Estes Drive gate has suffered sim ilar problems, but less frequently. Officers’ hands were tied for more Funding Bill Faces Veto Pressure Some members of Student Congress oppose funding the UNC Investment Club’s spring trip to New York City. By Paul Hobson Assistant University Editor Student Congress’ Tuesday night decision to fund a campus group’s trip to New York City isn’t sitting well with some members. Nor is it sitting well with the student body president, who is considering veto ing the unusual request. sail” Wt —~— DTH/VICTORIA ECKENRODE John Negus, a technician installer for Life Safety Equipment Company Inc., moves tables in the area that will become Ram's Cafe. because there were a number of time sensitive issues that could not be put off any longer whether the legislators agreed or disagreed, said Rep. Russell Capps, R-Wake. Though partisan differences in poli tics are nothing new, several politicians said they were not accustomed to the manner in which the prelude to the late night vote unfolded. “There are one or two big issues that keep us apart,” said Rep. Billy Creech, R-Johnston. “But normally, it doesn’t take this long.” Sen. Howard Lee, D-Orange, said the upcoming elections probably weighed than an hour Friday afternoon when the Main Street gate would not open. “(When it was stuck), it occupied all the officers we had on the street,” Carrboro Police Capt. John Butler said. Two officers were needed to manual ly lift and secure the gate while another two officers directed traffic beneath it. “When this happens, we cuss a lot,” Butler said. “The only thing we can do is find some way to prop the arms up and direct traffic around them. It’s very aggravating, but there’s nothing we can do about it.” Butler said although police had to deal with the faulty gates, they were not allowed to fix them. “It’s Southern Railway’s property, and they have juris diction over it.” Norfolk Southern Railway Company owns and operates the gates, and Spokeswoman Susan Terpay said the company was looking into the cause of the problems at the Carrboro crossings. “When a signal is reported out, (the Two things control man's nature: instinct and experience. Blaise Pascal Thursday, October 1, 1998 Volume 106, Issue 88 Congress voted to give $3,150 to the UNC Investment Club to pay for trav el and lodging expenses for a spring trip to New York City. Finance Committee Chairman Ryan Schlitt opposed the bill, saying it broke with congressional tradition. “The trip is for personal benefit,” he said. “I don’t think it should be allowed.” Two current congress members and a former finance committee chairman posted messages Wednesday afternoon on congress’ listserv denouncing the bill. Student Body President Reyna Walters said she would decide in the next few days whether to veto the bill. “I’m concerned with the precedent a trip into the compro mise. “None of us want to be accused of losing federal money for North Carolina,” Lee said. “The rest of the budget can be worked on over a longer period of time.” Many mem bers of the House said they were dis appointed with N.C. Sen. Howard Lee, D-Orange, said the upcoming elections weighed into the positive outcome. report) goes in to one of the 24-hour hot lines that our (company’s) police depart ment maintains,” she said. A company employee is then dispatched immedi ately to make repairs, but travel and work can take a long time. Although the gate on Main Street malfunctions more frequently, Butler said the Estes Drive crossing was more dangerous because traffic crossed it at 45 mph, and the gate’s behavior was more erratic. “It’ll bounce up and down,” he explained. “Usually that doesn’t last long, but it can catch you by surprise. “We have had occasions where (the gates) have come down on cars,” Buffer said. “They’re made of wood, so they don’t do extensive damage. My understand ing is that Southern Railways takes care of any damages." Downtown traffic jams caused by stuck gates cause problems for com muters, but business-owners do not like this sets,” she said. “If this bill stands as it is now, what would pre vent me from starting a group tomorrow and say ing we wanted to go to the beach (and ask for fund ing)?” Walters said she wanted to meet with Investment Club President Erin Clark before Student Body President Reyna Walters might veto funding for a campus group's trip to New York City. Ram's Cafe Debut Delayed, Slated to Open Next Week Carolina Dining Services officials said they wanted to finish the main eating areas of Lenoir Dining Hall first. By Shannon Snypp Staff Writer Students anxiously awaiting late night coffee and treats will have to wait a bit longer since the completion of the Ram’s Cafe has been delayed once again. Director of Auxiliary Services Rut Tufts said he anticipated the Ram’s Cafe in Lenoir Dining Hall would open near the end of next week. The cafe will fea ture late night coffee and snacks for stu dents. Tufts said there were several rea sons for the Ram Cafe’s delayed debut, which was slated to open today. Debera Dobbelaere, co-service man ager for Lenoir, said Carolina Dining Services wanted to first complete Mainstreet Lenoir and Top of Lenoir to provide food for all of the students. She said since coffee was not enjoyed by everybody, the Ram’s Cafe was one of how long it took to come to a budget agreement. “I wish the timeline would have been followed and we could have adjourned by early July,” said Rep. Richard Moore, D-Cabarrus. “It seems the leadership has thrown the timeline out the window.” All parties involved Expressed a desire to put aside partisan differences before the final day of meetings. “The speaker agreed this morning that the House would not adjourn today until all opportunity was given to resolve the critical time-sensitive issues,” Speaker of the House Harold Brubaker, R-Randolph, said in a press release. | - jr~ " - Traffic passes over the railroad crossing on Main Street in Carrboro, right beside Carr Mill Shopping center. The gates have been malfunctioning. seem to mind. “When it happens, I think the cus tomers that are here find humor in it,” said Creed Spriggs, a manager at the Armadillo Grill, which faces the gate. deciding whether to veto. Schlitt said Congress paid travel and lodging expenses for student groups only if the trip was beneficial to the University as a whole, which was rare. “Some of the members of congress though it was vital to the group to make this trip,” he said. Although Walters said the trip would only benefit the Investment Club’s 21 members, Rep. Patrick Frye, Dist. 16, said it was essential to the group. “Not many groups have vital interests outside the campus,” he said. “I’m not worried about the precedent. I don’t believe there are many clubs whose interests lie outside the campus.” the last things to be finished. Tufts said another reason was having too few construction workers available to build the cafe by the deadline. At first, the con struction crew at Lenoir was just working at night, so as not to dis turb students dur ing the day, but that turned out to Director of Auxiliary Services Rut Tufts said the cafe had to pass inspections before it could open. be too slow of a process, he said. Asa result, extra workers were brought in, Tufts said. Another problem arose in the loca tion of the new crews. The crews, which worked during the day, were positioned so they would not disrupt the lunch crowd, he said. Saws and other equip ment were moved to the Ram’s Cafe, but once they were moved there, fur nishings of the cafe could not be installed due to lack of space, Tufts said. The cafe still awaits finishing touches. Rep. Dewey Hill, D-Brunswick, said legislative procrastination was nothing new and should not have been a real cause for concern. “We are not going to lose federal funding,” Hill said. “It always comes down to the wire.” Though the future of welfare spend ing remains unclear, the state legislators have assured N.C. residents that there will be no loss of federal funds. “It’s been a long time since we’ve convened this session,” Creech said. “It’s time to move on.” The State & National Editors can be reached at stntdesk9unc.edu. “I guess in some ways it could help business,” he said. The City Editor can be reached at citydesk@unc.edu. News/Features/Arts/Sports 962-0245 Business/Advertising 962-1163 Chapel Hill, North Carolina C 1998 DTH Publishing Corp. All rights reserved. Frye said many members supported the bill because two weeks ago, congress funded a UNC Mock Trial Club trip to Asheville, where members competed in fake court cases. The Trial Club has fewer members than the Investment Club, he said, but the trip was vital to the group’s survival. Schlitt said the bill would probably be vetoed. “Basically, in the past we have stayed away from funding qff-campus trips. I presently think there would be a veto on it, and I’m pretty confident there will be.” The University Editors can be reached at udesk@unc.edu. Orders were placed last week for coun ters and coffee-machine equipment, but they have yet to arrive, Dobbelaere said. Plumbing and electrical work still remains incomplete and the furniture needed to be installed, she said. However, Tufts said even after the completion of construction, there still was an inspection that needed to be passed, so the date was tentative. “It’s not that anybody’s doing some thing wrong or there’s some big secret; it’s just the care of work that is involved in the construction process,” Tufts said. Dobbelaere said the finished product would be well worth the wait. But some students are still grumbling about the delay of the opening. Students studying at all hours of the night would enjoy late-night coffee and snack breaks, said Joyce Chu, a senior from Cary. “Sometimes I’m studying at Davis (Library) until 12 o’clock, so it will be nice to be able to go get coffee on campus, instead of walking to Franklin Street Plus, I can take it back into Davis with me.” The University Editors can be reached at udesk@unc.edu. Obsession: By Helms An local filmmaker explores how Sen. Jesse Helms, R-N.C. continues to win re-election despite his restrictive views on the rights of homosexual men. See Page 5. piv£lsi©O s Ilf rirmJessV. C. <C. >r ~ iri\T fj&M Feds Fund Education Congress unanimously passed the Higher Education Act Reauthorization, which will increase federal aid to many college students by dropping interest rates for student loans and increasing Pell Grants. See Page A. Downing the Devils The second-ranked North Carolina field hockey team squeaked out a 3-2 win against No. 13 Duke on Wednesday night. See Page 13. Today’s Weather jL Mostly cloudy, Lower 80s * r \ Friday: Sunny; tower 70s.
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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