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laily Uar Mppl The University and Towns In Brief UNC Hospitals Needs Blood Platelet Donors The Platelet Donor Program at UNC Hospitals seeks donors with all blood types for patients requiring transfusions. Donors must be between the ages of 17 and 76, weigh at least 110 pounds, be in good health and be willing to offer two hours of their time. Hours for donations are from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday in Room 1020 East Wing. Interested persons should call 966- 2370 for more information or to sched ule an appointment Five-Year Study to Test Cancer-Finding Device Physicians from UNC’s School of Medicine will test more than 100 vol unteers who have a high risk of devel oping lung cancer with anew type of brochoscope. The LIFE device - light imaging flu orescence endoscope - will call atten tion to pre-cancerous cells and tumors by making them appear in shades of red or brown. Potential volunteers should be smok ers age 35 or above, smokers with a family history of lung cancer or people with a history of early-stage lung cancer. Volunteers should call 966-2531 or 966- 2533 for more information. Discussion to Examine Wilmington Race Riot The 1898 Wilmington Race Riot will be the topic of a free round-table dis cussion from 6:30 until 8:30 p.m. Friday at the Tate-Tumer-Kuralt Building on Pittsboro Street. UNC’s Institute of African American Research is sponsoring the event. Seeping Sewage Spill Found Pooling in Ditch A 200-gallon sewage spill was dis covered in a ditch at the end of Colony- Court on Monday. Orange Water and Sewer Authority crews responded to an odor complaint near the intersection of Franklin and Mallett streets. Sewage that had pooled in the ditch was pumped back into the downstream sanitary sewer system. A failed manhole structure was to blame for the spill - sewage seeped through the manhole base into the ground, reaching the storm drain sys tem about eight feet from the manhole. OWASA crews analyzed water sam ples downstream for contamination and notified the Division of Water Quality in Raleigh. Local Author to Share Perspective on Writing Author and Carrboro resident Lili Gray will discuss her novel, “before breakfast, a liar’s memoir,” 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. tonight in Barnes & Noble Bookstore in New Hope Commons, Durham. The book was the winner of the Triangle’s first 24-hour novel writing contest sponsored by Voices: A Creative Community in Raleigh. During Wednesday Night Write!, Gray will share her perspectives on the writing marathon and the 24-hour writ ing process as well as her experience as the winner. Smith, UNC Chancellor To Speak at Luncheons The Chapel Hill Senior Center will offer luncheons open to people of all ages from Nov. 9 to 13. Chancellor Michael Hooker will speak at Monday’s luncheon about his vision for the University, and Dean Smith will speak on Nov. 13. Reservations are required for the lunches, which begin at 11:30 a.m. Senior citizens pay sl, and other guests pay $4.75. Those who want to just hear the speakers may come at noon for no charge. The center is in Galleria Mall, 400 S. Elliott Road. Call 968-2070 for more information. Sports Injury Seminar To Cover Prevention Carrboro Recreation and Parks Department is sponsoring a seminar from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 17. The seminar will demonstrate stretching techniques and injury pre vention. The program is free to the public, but pre-registration is required. Registration began Monday. For more information call 968-7703. From Staff Reports Students Still Wary of Polls as Turnout Rises -ii—l - 1 I R • ft‘'***'!^Hr : ‘~ p ®R p JMN .# jd -7 —i— —.— DTH/DAVID SANDLER Student voters cast their ballots Tuesday afternoon at Fetzer Gymnasium. Bad weather did not deter voters on Election Day, which had one of the highest voter turnouts for a non-presidentiai election year. 2 Incumbents; Jacobs Sweep Commissioner Race By Rudy Kleysteuber and Jennifer Perkins Staff Writers Incumbent candidates Alice Gordon and Steve Halkiotis and challenger Barry Jacobs won the race for Orange County Board of Commissioners. Voters filled three seats on the board out of a choice of four candidates. Unofficial results at midnight showed that Gordon had received the most votes with 24,522 ballots cast. Jacobs was chosen by 23,687 voters, and Halkiotis also won a seat on the board with 22,712 votes. The fourth candidate, Libertarian Kirk Nelson, received 5,506 votes. Gordon, who has been on the board for eight years, said she wanted to con tinue working on two of her top priori ties - education and the environment. She said she supported improve ments of existing schools and construc tion of new schools. One of the principal environmental concerns of all four candidates was the regional landfill, which will reach capac ity in 2005.“1f something has to be front and center, it has to be encouraging peo- jfim'' i; ki*: itt 'lt " m^gfcii * ~ ’** "!Ff[ * jj®:^ DTH/DAVID SANDLER Rob Elliot puts the finishing touches on a car decorated with bumper stickers that urged voters to keep the environment in mind when casting their ballots Tuesday. Campus Green Vote sponsored the booth, which was located near the Pit. State House Candidates Enjoy Easy Victory By Vanessa Hastie Staff Writer While other candidates waited ner vously for election results Tuesday night. Rep. joe Hackney, D-Orange, and Verla Insko, D-Orange, had no doubts that they were winners. The candidates ran unopposed for the two open seats in the 24th District for the State House and will return to the N.C. General Assembly next year. Hackney and Insko said they had used the time that other candidates have spent campaigning in the past few months to focus on legislation and cur rent issues facing North Carolina. Neither, though, said they had aban doned the the election trail. Both candi dates spent Tuesday evening supporting other candidates. In addition to stationing herself at the Democratic Headquarters on election night, Insko also put signs up at local precincts for fellow party candidates. “There’s always a few polling places that get missed,” she said. Insko said she planned to introduce a number of bills next year, many of which would deal with educational and Elections '9B pie to buy less packaging and to empha size recycling,” Gordon said. She said she would also promote communication between officials and residents. “I think it’s really important for commissioners to communicate more with the people as far as what we are doing.” Jacobs, who worked for the past five years on the Orange Water and Sewage Authority Board of Directors, said the relationship between the board and cit izens was also a top priority. He will try to build more cooperation between commissioners and citizens and as well as between the board and other governmental bodies in the coun ty, he said. “I expect a lot of hard work,” Jacobs said. “1 think it’s a good group to be joining. “(It’s) a board that is follow ing tradition in Orange County,” he said. Higher teacher salaries and more funding for school programs is more important than building new schools, Jacobs said. “A good teacher and a com fortable, attentive student can function in any sort of setting.” Halkiotis has been a county commis sioner for 12 years and ran on a plat- VOTEMOBILE humanitarian issues. “Some issues we didn’t deal with this year will be chal lenges next year, depending on whether Democrats take over the House or not.” Insko said she had important goals in mind for her upcoming term, including low-income tax credit for workers, farm land preservation and outpatient bene fits. She said she also had many con cerns about education in the state, including keeping college tuition low. “Education is still one of my top pri orities,” she said. “I want to continue funding for technology and the Smart Start Program.” Smart Start is Gov. Hunt’s initiative for early childhood health and education. Hackney also said his accomplish ments depended on how many seats Democrats were elected to the House. “My goals will depend on who has leadership in the House,” he said. “Whoever is speaker will determine my role.” Hackney has served 18 years in the General Assembly. He worked on the Environmental Committee, where he pushed for clean air and water legisla tion. He has also been an advocate for domestic and educational issues and m c.. ■ ir — Jflggl Alice Gordon 24,522 votes 32.09 percent form of growth, quality public schools and safe drinking water. “I’m real appreciative to the good people of Orange County and the good students of UNC,” he said. “I pledge to do my best to be sure public schools get the attention they deserve, human ser vices are the finest in the state, our pub lic service departments are second to none.” During the campaign, he focused on county growth and environmental N.C. House, District 24 Results from Orange County precincts pi] Verla Insko, D 22,988 votes Joe Hackney, D 24,825 votes endorsed several drunk-driving bills. Insko has served one term in the General Assembly. Her previous expe rience includes serving on the Orange County Board of Commissioners and the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education, which she said had helped shape her opinions and concerns for the residents of North Carolina. The State & National Editors can be reached at stntdesk@unc.edu. By Levin Brown and Lindsey Emery Staff Writers Despite indications that Tuesday’s elections drew record turnouts, stu dents’opinions on voting remained div ided. Poll workers and preliminary press releases indicated this year’s voting crowd was larger than usual, and Bob Wendell, chief judge of the Country Club voting precinct - the Fetzer Gym poll location - said he had noticed the increased numbers. “Maybe it was because of Faircloth and Edwards, maybe they don’t like the mud-slinging going on, or maybe they just said, ‘Hey, it’s a lousy day outside, I’ll go vote,’” he said. Some students said it was their responsibility to vote because of the impact on the future of the community. Martha Williamson, a junior from Paris, said voting was an easy way for students to express their opinions. “If more students voted, then we could hold Congress accountable for what we want done,”she said. Others said voting should be a high Reaiß from Orange Couity predicts fj^ik Barry Jacobs 23,687 votes 30.99 percent Stephen Halkiotis 22,712 votes 29.72 percent issues. He strongly supported “rural buffers,” which create larger land-lot requirements outside of urban areas to discourage high-density development in rural spaces. “We can recycle all we want, but it costs money to process that stuff,” he said. “We need to go back to silverware that you wash and glasses that you wash.” Nelson, although not elected to the board, said he was pleased with the elec tion results. “I’m very grateful for the Pearson Elected to Fill Register of Deeds Spot Joyce Pearson has served as operations administrator for the Register of Deeds office for four years. By Robin Clemow Staff Writer Democrat Joyce Pearson pulled away early Tuesday night to defeat Republican opponent Judy Anderson, claiming about 70 percent of votes for the Orange County Register of Deeds race. Pearson received 22,289 votes, and Anderson claimed 9,501 votes. After learning the results, Pearson said she was excited about her new position and glad that the office would be filled with the most experienced can didate. “There’s no doubt in my mind that my experience will pay off, and I’m committed to serving the position weU,” she said. Pearson will replace retiring Betty' June Hayes, who has served as the Orange County Register of Deeds for 44 years. Hayes said she was not leaving because of dissatis faction with the position. “I’ve had a long, very wonderful career, and I just felt it was time to “There’s no doubt in my mind that my experience will pay off, and I’m committed to serving the position well. ” Joyce Pearson Newly Elected Register of Deeds go,” she said. Pearson has worked with Hayes for 11 years, and she has served as opera tions administrator for the Register of Deeds office for the past four years. Pearson said familiarity with the stan dard process of creating permanent records was essential to the duties of the register of deeds. These records include land deeds, marriage licenses, military discharges, death certificates and birth certificates. “I believe that knowledge of and experience in document recordation and the indexing processes as mandat ed by the General Statutes and the Wednesday, November 4, 1998 er priority than it seemed to be for most students and citizens. Participation in the 1996 presidential election hit an all-time low of 49 per cent, and this usually drops in non-pres idential election years. “It’s your civic duty to vote,” said Taylor Lea, a sophomore voter from Greenville. “I really can’t respect apa thetic individuals.” Despite the turnout and the enthusi asm shared by some, some students said they were either unwilling or unable to make their way to the polls. “I don’t have time to vote with every thing going on in my life,” said Melinda Worley, a sophomore from Raleigh. “To vote intelligently, I would have to sit down and study the platforms, and I just don’t have time for that.” Many voters said there was a lack of trustworthy information readily avail able to them on the candidates. “You never know who’s lying and who’s not,” Worley said. Some students found inconvenient poll sites deterred them from voting. Many out-of-state students found the See VOTERS, Page 6 Kirk Nelson 5,506 votes 7.20 percent support I received,” he said. “I think it’s a great result. I think it shows how many people in Orange County are dissatis fied with their current representatives.” During the race, Nelson focused on the issues of reducing Orange County government and cutting taxes. “I think the campaigns were certainly run along issue lines.” The City Editor can be reached at citydesk@unc.edu. Register of Deeds 100 percent of precincts reporting Judy Anderson, R 9,501 votes 29.89 percent Joyce Pearson, D 22,289 votes 70.11 percent North Carolina Association of Register of Deeds indexing standards are essen tial for effectively serving in this elected position,” Pearson said. Hayes said candidate Anderson, who could not be reached for comment Tuesday, had never worked in the office of the Register of Deeds. Anderson is currently pastor at the Redeem Church International of The Lord Jesus Christ. Pearson’s experience made her the best candidate to fill the position. Hayes said. “(Experience) is vital," she said. “The register of deeds is a low-pro file office, but it handles people’s documents from the time they are bom until the time they die.” Pearson said she would do her best to continue the wonderful service Hayes had maintained. She said she was elated to have the challenge and opportunity of serving as the new Register of Deeds. “(The Orange County Register of Deeds office) is recognized statewide for the standard of excellence, and I’m just committed to maintaining that and serv ing the citizens of Orange County,” Pearson said. “I’m very pleased and very, very grateful to all my supporters.” The City Editor can be reached at citydesk@unc.edu. 3
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