VOLUME 113, ISSUE 51
Courts rule against UNC in fines case
N.C. SUPREME COURT ORDERS REVENUES TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS
BY THE NUMBERS
500 1.2
In millions, In millions,
dollars schools average dollars
could receive from UNC fines
10 4
Years of fines Years UNC has
potentially frozen revenue
affected from fines
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The George family of Chapel Hill anxiously awaits the start
of Monday’s Independence Day fireworks display in Kenan
Stadium. The annual celebration is co-sponsored by the
towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro, and was free and open to the
Gas prices soar on
July 4th weekend
Record average
prices at $2.14
BY KATHERINE HOLLANDER
STAFF WRITER
North Carolinians were forced
to push gas price worries to the
back of their minds as they flocked
to various Independence Day vaca
tion spots.
But prices are growing increas
ingly difficult to ignore.
According to a AAA Carolinas
press release, North Carolina’s gas
prices have risen 29 cents since
July 4, 2004.
Coincidentally, auto travel
increased by 2.5 percent in that
OTH/ISAAC SANDLIN
Brenton Burnette of Chapel Hill pumps gas Monday at the Kangaroo Fuel
Station in Carrboro. N.C. gas prices rose 28 cents on average since last year.
;STATE 8 NATION
; STUDENT RECORDS
: A plan by the Pentagon to expand archives of student records has some worried
about privacy rights and potential leaks of personal information. PAGE 2
WEEKLY SUMMER ISSUE
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BY JOSEPH R. SCHWARTZ
STATE & NATIONAL EDITOR
In an outcome with multimillion dollar
implications spanning across the state, the N.C.
Supreme Court ruled Friday that the UNC-sys
tem is among several state groups that owe pub
lic schools a backlog of civil penalty collections.
Mired in what officials have deemed a critical
budget year, UNC-Chapel Hill could be forced
to shell out 10 years’ worth of parking fines that
total more than $lO million.
Monies collected from speeding tickets' and
other criminal offenses traditionally have gone
to public schools, but Friday’s ruling extends to
several more violations once deemed remedial in
nature.
Among sums that now will be funneled to
public schools are fines collected by the N.C.
INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION
period.
Don Bryant, an employee of the
Buy & Go at Old Chapel Hill Road
and Garrett Road in Durham, said
he saw evidence of that increase.
“It doesn’t seem like the prices
kept people at home,” he said. “Friday
and Saturday were nonstop.”
According to the release, North
Carolina’s average for regular,
unleaded fuel reached $2,146
this weekend the highest in the
state’s history.
Tom Crosby, a AAA spokesman,
said North Carolina gas prices will
creep only higher as the summer
continues.
“Though a lot of travelers are
SEE GAS PRICES, PAGE 4
Serving the students and the University community since 1893
| . www.dthonline.com |
public. The half-hour event filled about a quarter of the stadium. As
Chapel Hill’s largest July 4th fireworks display, the event draws thou
sands from throughout the Triangle. Entertainment was provided
throughout the evening by the Black and Blue Band of Greensboro.
MUNICIPAL
ELECTIONS
Campaigns
are heating up
as candidates
prepare for local
elections on
November 8.
CARRBORO
1
Gist
■
Herrera
w
McDuffee
Nelson
Department of Transportation for overweight
vehicles, parking fines collected on UNC-system
school campuses and late tax fines.
But just how much money UNC and other
agencies will be forced to forfeit is still open to
debate.
The N.C. School Boards Association first filed
the lawsuit seeking the funds in 1998, and the
ruling can be applied retroactively to 1995.
Michael Crowell, the attorney representing
the schools, estimated that if all money were col
lected public schools would gamer an additional
SSOO million.
Still, officials on both sides of the issue say they
are unsure if all of the money can be recovered.
“We simply have to be practical and recog-
SEE PARKING, PAGE 4
2005 MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS
CHAPEL HILL ELECTIONS
Candidates get ready to tackle myriad issues in races
BY KATHY CHO
STAFF WRITER
Carolina North and downtown
development head the list of con
cerns that many candidates in
Chapel Hill’s municipal elections
hope to address.
As of Tuesday, five days after
filing opened, only Mayor Kevin
Foy had filed for the mayoral
election. Council members Ed
Harrison and Mark Kleinschmidt
and resident Laurin Easthom
have filed for a seat on the Chapel
Hill Town Council.
UNC sophomore Jason Baker
has said he will run for council
CARRBORO ELECTIONS
Two incumbent aldermen to face off in mayoral race
BY BRIANNA BISHOP
CITY EDITOR
Just under a week since filing
opened, the campaign for the Nov.
8 elections already is heating up for
incumbent aldermen.
As of Tuesday, Alex Zaffron
and Mark Chilton, both current
aldermen, have filed for mayor, an
open seat since Carrboro Mayor
Mike Nelson will not be seeking
another term.
Jackie Gist and John Herrera
have filed for re-election to the
Carrboro Board of Aldermen,
but Mayor Pro Tem Diana
McDuffee is not planning to
Mil 1 m
SPIELBERG'S SUMMER BLOCKBUSTER
“War of the Worlds" shows what happens when you
mix a good director and a crazy movie star. PAGE 7
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DTH/ISAAC SANDLIN
Officer J. Nutter issues a parking citation Tuesday outside Davis library.
A Friday court ruling orders ticket revenue to go to to N.C. public schools.
DTH/ISAAC SANDLIN
but has not filed yet. Resident
Robin Gutson said she intends to
ran but has yet to decide whether
to go for mayor or council.
Mayor Pro Tem Edith Wiggins
and council member Dorothy
Verkerk have both indicated that
they will not seek re-election in
the town’s elections Nov. 8.
Carolina North
The three incumbents on coun
cil voiced concern over the effects
of Carolina North UNC’s pro
posed satellite campus includ
ing the possible traffic increases.
defend her seat.
Mayoral candidates
Within a week of one another,
Chilton and Zaffron announced
their intention to run for the spot
that has been occupied by Nelson
for a decade.
Though the two candidates have
some similar platform compo
nents, they have proposed different
means for addressing the issues.
During his statement June
27, Chilton said he would like
to see the aldermen rewrite the
Northern Small Area Plan —a
THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2005
Firm aids
in search
for leader
Hope to find and hire new
system president by 2006
BY STEPHEN MOORE
STAFF WRITER
The next few weeks could hold dramatic changes
both within the UNC Presidential Search Committee
and in its methods for hiring the next UNC-system
president.
The committee has begun to define the informa
tion needed to find the next president.
In an effort to move its agenda forward, the com
mittee announced last week anew form of aid to the
search.
Baker-Parker Inc. of Atlanta was selected as the
consulting firm for the search and is charged with
expediting the selection process. The search commit
tee interviewed two other firms for the job.
Jerry Baker, co-founder of the firm and a veteran
of more than 600 nationwide searches, will lead the
work with the search committee.
Baker’s experience and knowledge of the search
process set him apart from the competition, said
Hannah Gage, search committee member.
“I think that when it came down to it, that not only
SEE PRESIDENT, PAGE 4
“All of us are affected by com
muting traffic going through,”
Harrison said.
They also stressed the impor
tance of anew zoning district that
would keep development in line
with the town’s restrictions and
environmental safeguards.
The project’s fiscal equity is
also essential to ensure Carolina
North does not burden the tax
payers, Foy said.
Baker said surrounding com
munities need more time to air
their feedback to the University’s
SEE CHAPEL HILL, PAGE 4
plan adopted in 1998 addressing
development and growth in the
Northern Study Area.
His reasoning was that the plan
attracts more expensive develop
ments and does not adequately
protect Bolin Creek.
“It’s just an unnecessary
source of uncertainty in the
Northern Transition Area,” he
said Tuesday.
But Zaffron disagreed with the
idea of completely rewriting the
current plan.
While he conceded that it does
SEE CARRBORO, PAGE 4
WEATHER
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CHAPEL HILL
Foy
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Harrison
Kleinschmidt
Verkerk
Wiggins
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