VOLUME 112, ISSUE 129 ST A T£ — 1 n 1 1 DTH/BRANDON SMITH N.C. Gov. Mike Easley is sworn in for his second term on Saturday in Raleigh. He stands with his wife, Mary, and son, Michael Easley Jr. Taxes could rise 10 percent New town center to add to burden BY RYAN C. TUCK CITY EDITOR Although this year’s revaluation of all the county’s real property will cause the property tax rate to decrease, Chapel Hill’s budget situa tion will push the tax rate right back up for its taxpayers. At Thursday’s Town Council planning retreat, Town Manager Cal Horton told the council that it might need to raise taxes by almost 10 percent to make up for this year’s budget shortfalls. TTie main reason is the yet-to be-constructed Town Operations Center on Millhouse Road where Chapel Hill's Public Works, Public Housing and Transportation departments eventually will relocate. The depart ments have operated on University owned land on the Horace Williams tract Mayor Kevin Foy wants citizen input on this year's budget. for about 20 years. The town has paid $1 a year to lease the land during that time. “If you live somewhere rent-free for 20 years and then suddenly get evicted, it changes the financial pic ture of your house,” said Chapel Hill Mayor Kevin Foy. Now, with the University want ing the land in order to plan for its future satellite campus, Carolina North, the town will have to find $2 million a year to fund the center. “It’s going to take a long time to absorb all the costs,” Foy said. “T\vo million is a lot of money.” The lease from the University is set to expire in 2006. Additional budget challenges include debt services from the issu ance of general obligation bonds authorized by voters in 2003, projected potential increases in employee medical costs and a slow economy. To help the town with its budget situation, the council has autho rized Horton to negotiate with MAXIMUS, a Raleigh management consulting firm. “Maybe we are already doing everything perfectly, but if not, these are the guys to tell us,” Foy said. At its Jan. 10 meeting, the coun cil authorized Horton to negotiate with MAXIMUS for a contract not to exceed SBO,OOO. The council also formed a citi zens’ advisory committee to help sort out the town's budget issues. “We really want their help and to look at our budget and say, ‘This is where you might increase revenue or where you might save money,’” Foy said. SEE BUDGET, PAGE 5 I g be INSIDE HOMECOMING UNC student and soldier Emran Huda returns to Chapel Hill after nine months spent in Iraq PAGE 3 Serving the students and the University community since 1893 Jfetlg (Tar Mttl “There is no other day in the life of this country that brings together so many people, justin coleman, intern, university united methodist church tin!* HBf V , . DTH/LAURA MORTON Brenda Brown sings during a march down Franklin Street in honor of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday morning. More than 100 people participated in the event, which kicked off with speeches by town officials, local clergy and NAACP members and ended with a church service. Town celebrates Rev. King Local groups rally for civil rights BY CATHERINE SHAROKY STAFF WRITER The recent decision to rename Airport Road as Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard provided an added level of significance to the celebra tion of King’s birthday as members of the community gathered Monday to reflect on King’s life. The event began at 9:30 a.m. out side the Franklin Street post office, with about 30 people who braved the bitter cold to hear speakers com Campaign breaches result in blanket warning BY STEPHANIE NEWTON STAFF WRITER With pens and paper fly ing, some candidates’ campaign staffs already have overstepped the boundaries of a fair fight dur ing this year’s election-signature fury. Heather Sidden, chairwoman of the Board of Elections, issued Monday a warning to all candi dates regarding two campaign infractions that were witnessed by both elections board members and nonboard members at the men’s basketball ticket distribu tion Saturday. One campaign worker was heard yelling the name of his candidate, an action that is not allowed until 21 days before the election. Another was witnessed offering a student a doughnut in exchange for his signature. “It’s a blanket warning,” Sidden said, noting that she hopes the message will serve as a reminder of the regulations presented dur www.dthonline.coin Easley eyes the economy INAUGURAL ADDRESS TARGETS CHANGING FACE OF THE STATE BY KAVITA PILLAI ASSISTANT STATE & NATIONAL EDITOR If his inaugural speech is any indication, Gov. Mike Easley’s second term of office will focus on educating North Carolinians to survive in the state’s changing economic situation. At the turn of the century, North Carolina faced challenges head on, he said. And to survive its move from memorate the legacy of King. Within an hour, the crowd swelled to more than 100 people as town officials, local clergy and mem bers of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People spoke of King’s message and its impact on the community. “There is no other day in the life of this countiy that brings together so many people,” said Justin Coleman, a ministerial intern at the University United Methodist Church. ing Thursday’s mandatory meet ing for those running for student office. Candidates have until Thursday to submit petitions to secure a position on the ballot. So far, they are meeting the chal lenge of acquiring hundreds of signatures. Those running for student body president and Carolina Athletic Association president need 800 each, while other can didates need anywhere from 20 to 350 signatures, depending on the race. “If you can’t get them, then it ends right there,” said Mark Longwill, a candidate for CAA president. All four student body president candidates have registered their campaigns as student organiza tions, allowing them to obtain student organization money and to create promotional campaign Web sites to run while soliciting SEE CAMPAIGN, PAGE 5 wm jSSISH old industries to new, citizens need to focus on new talents and skills. “Our full attention must be focused on the transition of our economy consistent with the edu cational demands of this global era,” he said. Easley was sworn in Saturday during an inaugural ceremony on the steps of the Archives and History-State Library building in King visited Chapel Hill on May 8, 1960, when he spoke at UNC’s Hill Hall and what is now the Hargraves Community Center.. Almost a half-century later, the mix of races, genders and ages repre sented in the crowd gave truth to Coleman’s words. Parents brought their children, tightly bundled in jackets and hats, to hear the words of the speakers and to join in the march. Members of the local organiza tion Elders for Peace held signs, while local union workers and rep resentatives held banners asking BL. *y tgM ■ y ■ DTH/BRIAN CASSELLA A campaign worker solicits signatures for a student body president candidate outside the Smith Center on Saturday morning during ticket distribution. Candidates are scrambling to garner 800 signatures by Thursday. SPORTS BREAKING OUT Tar Heel women’s basketball emerges from a close match with N.C. State to trounce Miami PAGE 16 Raleigh. The 54-year-old former attorney general and UNC gradu ate was accompanied by his wife, Mary, and son, Michael Easley Jr. The crowd was subdued with tem peratures near freezing, but Easley’s remarks drew frequent applause. The theme of his speech was optimism. The state must let go of its past and concentrate on the tasks at hand, he said. “Our people must have more knowledge to prevail. We will offer it,” he said. “Our state must expand its creative talent. We will produce it. And our people must have more for better benefits and coverage. “I grew up in Chapel Hill, and I remember when people used to demonstrate here,” said 58-year old Carlyle Poteat. “I feel like so many of the issues (King) spoke about are so relevant today.” As the march began, more signs with words of peace and friend ship including lines from King’s speeches were handed out. Marchers sang and clapped as they weaved down Franklin Street and along Rosemary Street, end- SEE CELEBRATION, PAGE 5 WEATHER TODAY Sunny, H 34, L 17 WEDNESDAY Rain/Snow, H 41, L 25 THURSDAY Showers, H 51, L 27 TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2005 skill to compete. We will provide it.” Those skills, he said, will aid North Carolinians as industries like tobacco and agriculture give way to banking and information technology. Easley said globalization creates a need for skilled labor, which will drive the state’s economy. His Council of State, which remains mostly intact from his previous term, also took oaths of office Saturday morning. After the ceremony, Attorney SEE EASLEY, PAGE 5 Speakers pursue a powerful message Students honor King on day off BY STEPHANIE NOVAK STAFF WRITER Many UNC students took time Monday to reinforce their beliefs and to prove that Martin Luther King Jr. did not die in vain. Students demonstrated their appreciation for the efforts of the civil rights activist Monday eve ning during the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Oratorical Contest, presented by the Kappa Omicron chapter of Delta Sigma Theta sorority Inc. Nine students answered the question: “Are we taking advantage of the promise that our forefathers worked so hard for?” Judges for the event, including a poet and a librarian at the Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History, named a first-place winner and a runner up based on creativity, delivery and the impact of the message. In their speeches, several stu dents said that African Americans have made progress but that there is still much that needs to be done. Mitch Baker, a senior commu nication studies major, based his first-place speech on a television commercial by Budweiser that asks, “What are you doing?” In his speech, which won him SIOO, Baker referred to Frederick Douglass, who escaped from slav ery and then took an active stance against oppression, as well as William Ellison, who bought his freedom and at the end of his life owned 63 slaves. “What are you doing with that freedom that you’ve been given?” Baker asked his audience. “Are / SEE KING, PAGE 5 a