VOLUME 115, ISSUE 52
One-stop
voting to
hit N.C.
No preregistration needed
in new state voting system
BY REBECCA PUTTERMAN
STAFF WRITER
John Locke warned that apathy is the poison that
can make a democracy go sour.
Democratic representatives in the N.C. House rec
ognized this reality all too well when they drafted the
legislation to implement one-stop voting, where eligi
ble voters can register and vote all at once on election
day, a move they hope will encourage voter turnout
The bill was ratified July 12 and is likely to become
law sometime this week as expectations are high for
Gov. Mike Easley to sign the bill.
“The idea is that it would provide more opportuni
ties to get people involved in voting when it’s closer
to the election,” said Rep. Deborah Ross, D-Wake.
As the law stands now, registration is required 25
days in advance of an election.
Yet, Ross explains how young people, the demo
graphic least involved in elections, get involved and
motivated only days before an election when the media
coverage of the race is most exciting and hyped up.
Ross said 40 percent of unregistered voters in
North Carolina are between 18 and 25.
“States where there is a shorter period of time
between registration and voting have a much higher
turnout and particularly a much higher youth turn
out,” said Ross.
But the N.C. GOP is not so sure.
Republicans in the House have stood vehemently
against the legislation, arguing that the bill’s absence
of a requirement for photo identification at registra
tion sites opens the system up to terrorism, identity
theft, illegal aliens and fraudulence in general.
“Our purpose in opposing this bill is to protect
democracy. We cannot prdtect democracy if we have
people voting who should not be voting,” said Brent
Woodcox, press secretary for the N.C. GOP.
Rep. Verla Insko, D-Orange, finds the Republican
argument to be nothing more than a red herring.
While Woodcox argued that it’s not very difficult
to provide photo identification, such as a driver’s
license, Insko presented familiar cases in which
people lack any form of photo ID.
“It’s been shown that the photo ID would discrimi
nate against poor people and minorities. If they don’t
drive, they would have less ability to get a photo ID
than people with more means,” said Insko.
“It would decrease the participation among the
poor; those are the people we really need to have
participate,” she added.
SEE ONE STOP, PAGE 6
How to vote in One Stop
► Go to a designated registration/polling location.
► Photo ID is not necessary. Only a document confirming
your name and address is required.
► Visit www.sboe.state.nc.us for registration locations.
Pollution reduction for reservoir
Jordan Lake
> Nutrient Management Rule:
Commercial fertilizer application
must be done by trained profes
sionals or in accordance with an
approved plan.
5-year cost $63,000 for land
management community
> Agriculture Rule: The agricul
tural community must collectively
reduce levels of nitrogen and
phosphorous in its runoff.
5-year cost: $2.57 million for
agricultural community
> New Development Rule:
Developers must maintain the
land's ability to process storm
water runoff, and incorporate run
off filtration systems that remove
85% of the contaminants.
5-year cost: sl.ll million for
developers
>• Existing Development Rule:
Local governments must per-
online | claiMarheel.com
Promotion Opportunities UNC's
Employee Forum discussed internship
programs at their monthly meeting.
No Queen of Soul See why Ai
Green's replacement of Aretha Franklin at
Memorial Hall is just as good for UNC.
WEEKLY SUMMER ISSUE
Serving the students and the University community since 1893
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DTH/AUA DICKINSON
Fire Chief Dan Jones, Fire Chief Travis Crabtree, and Deputy Fire Chief Trey Mayo honor the United States flag during the graduation ceremony of the
Chapel Hill Fire Academy on Saturday afternoon. Graduates of the joint ceremony between Chapel Hill and Carrboro will work in one of the two towns.
Town graduates new fire, police classes
BY DAVIS WILLINGHAM
STAFF WRITER
Thirty-four proud men and women
had cause to celebrate on Friday the
13th as the Chapel Hill Fire and Police
training academies graduated their
most recent classes.
As emergency personnel are apt to
do, the graduates brushed aside any
fears about the day’s superstition and
maintained focus on their duties to the
community.
“I’m not superstitious at all. To me, it
was like any other day, but a great one,”
said Jaime Palacios, anew member of
the Chapel Hill Fire Department. He
added that he was “eager to go out and
start working.”
Twelve men comprised the police
form feasibility studies, develop
educational programs, and iden
tify nutrient reduction measures.
Municipalities and counties may
work together and share costs.
5-year cost $16.4 million for
local governments
>- Wastewater Discharge Rule:
Wastewater treatment plants must
follow stricter regulations of nutri
ent concentration in discharge,
which vary with the type of plant.
5-year cost $57.31 million for
local governments and private
industry
► Nutrient Strategy for State and
Federal Entities: Universities and
the Department of Transportation
must reduce erosive flows and
nutrient concentrations in runoff.
5-year owl: $58.5 million
for the state, the Department of
Transportation, and Universities
arts | page 8
Spoon full of sugar
Indie sensation Spoon's latest
album is a sparkling example
of their sound. But is it their
best album yet? Find out in this
week's review.
www.dailyta7heeX.com
PROTECT AND SERVE
Critics say plan
too expensive
BY DEVIN ROONEY
STAFF WRITER
A plan to improve water quality
in the impaired Jordan Reservoir
is now under public scrutiny.
The reservoir is a popular rec
reation spot and provides drink
ing water for 460,000 people in
North Carolina, but harmful lev
els of nutrients are threatening
the viability of the lake.
Many of the municipalities in
the watershed support improv
ing the water quality but are con
cerned about the costs of the plan
presented by the N.C. Division of
Water Quality. The plan places
most of the financial responsibil
ity on local governments.
The rules address runoff from
new and existing developments,
landscaping and agricultural
operations, state and federal enti -
|
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. . jmi
graduation class, while 22 men and
women graduated from the fire acad
emy.
Both ceremonies were family affairs,
with auditoriums filled with adoring
parents and spouses, as well as bab
bling babies whom, caught up in the
excitement of the day, were some of
the graduates’ most vocal supporters.
Love and camaraderie were also
apparent among the graduates and
their training leaders. Just like sib
lings, many of the teachers took play
ful verbal jabs at their students, but
not without showing appreciation for
the cadets’ dedication and persever
ance.
“You all probably thought you knew
how to drive when you got here. Well,
ties, as well as wastewater treat
ment discharge.
Many community members
who attended a public hearing on
the plan at the Carrboro Century
Center July 12 said the benefits of
the reservoir outweigh the costs of
improving water quality.
“Water is one of the necessities
of life,” said Rita Spina, vice presi
dent of the Chatham Citizens for
Effective Community.
“We already know that in the
not-too-distant future, it will
become a scarcity that people will
fight over.”
The plan’s aim is to reduce the
levels of nutrients that cause the
overgrowth of algae in the lake.
Certain species of algae pro
duce toxins which irritate human
skin and mucous membranes.
Algae also can be unsightly.
“Think green slime,” said
Elaine Kioso, executive director
of the Haw River Assembly.
SEE JORDAN LAKE, PAGE 6
dive I page .9
Harry Potter tribute
Read our comprehensive cover
age previewing the release
of the final installment of J.K.
Rowling's acclaimed Harry
Potter series.
you were wrong,” Chapel Hill Interim
Chief of Police Brian Curran said
regarding the trainees’ difficulties with
demanding driving coursework.
“But you’re all wonderful people,
and we are proud of you.”
Discussed frequently through
out the night was the diversity of
the giaduating classes. In addition
to three trained chefs, a jeweler, and
other eclectic previous work experi
ence, the Chapel Hill Fire academy
graduated Dr. Preston “Chip” Rich,
Chief of Trauma and Medical Care of
the University’s School of Medicine.
Dr. Rich said a trip to Waveland,
Mississippi during the cleanup of
Hurricane Katrina and the interaction
he had with “fantastic first respond
ers and EMS personnel” sparked his
desire to become a firefighter.
“It had been a childhood dream of
Aretha cancels, Al
Green now booked
BY ALEXANDRIA SHEALY
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
The Carolina Performing Arts
Series announced Monday that
Aretha Franklin, slated to head-
line in the sea
son-opening
concert Sept.
13 in Memorial
Hall, has can
celled her per
formance.
Replacing
The Queen of
Soul will be
highly regard
ed gospel, soul,
rhythm and
blues singer, Al
Green.
A Grammy
R&B pioneer Al
Green will be
performing
Sept. 13 in
Memorial Hall.
Lifetime Achievement Award
winner who holds nine additional
Grammies, Green is best known for
70s classics “Let’s Stay Together”
State I page 7
Price of war
Rep. David Price, D-N.C., intro
duced a bill that would rede
ploy U.S. combat troops out of
Iraq 120 days after being signed
into law.
THURSDAY, JULY 19, 2007
mine and I never had time to do it.
But, that experience moved me and
changed me in a lot of ways, and I
decided to go through the academy
and become a firefighter.”
Though it was difficult to balance
his job at the University as well as
the 18 weeks of fire training, he said
that “failure was not an option”, and
believes that he could not have done it
without the support of his family and
his colleagues.
“My family was initially worried
about me, but I think over time they
realized that even though it’s inher
ently an unsafe job, we make it as safe
as we possibly can,” Rich said.
He will be contracted by the town
of Chapel Hill and anticipates work
ing a couple of shifts each month,
SEE GRADUATION, PAGE 6
and “I’m Still In Love With You,”
among others.
The series has also committed
Jazz vocalist Lizz Wright to open
for Green.
“We wanted to find an artist that
would equal the stature of Aretha,
and, frankly, there aren’t many
of those people,” said Emil Kang
UNC’s executive director for the
arts.
“We only had a few options, and
we didn’t want to go off in a differ
ent direction.”
Kang said it took a less than a
week to book Green and Wright
once he was alerted that Franldin
had cancelled.
In lieu of the change, Carolina
Performing Arts has cancelled its
season-opening party for charity
that was to take place on the day of
Franklin’s performance. Refunds
SEE MEMORIAL HALL, PAGE 6
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