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VOLUME 115, ISSUE 88 ASG president rescinds resignation BY ERIC JOHNSON SENIOR WRITER PEMBROKE Despite aformal assurance that he would resign by Oct. 6, Cole Jones surprised nearly everyone this weekend by announc ing that he will remain president of the UNC-system Association of FEBRUARY: assault with a deadly weapon and breaking and entering. FRIENDS SURVIVE FIRE Hurt roommates recover together BY DEBORAH NEFFA AND AMANDA YOUNGER STAFF WRITERS Kristin Pietrowicz woke up at 1:45 a.m. to find her green curtain a glowing shade of orange. She sprang out of bed after realizing that her Colonial Village at Highland Hills apartment building in Carrboro was being consumed by flames. “I was the first person to call 911,” said Pietrowicz, a 25-year old post-graduate student at UNC. “It was prob ably the scariest moment of my life.” There were neither fire alarms to warn residents nor INSIDE An uninjured student reacts to the destruction of her home. PAGE 6 sprinklers to tame the fire, which erupted Sept. 30 and displaced more than 20 residents. Pietrowicz dashed to her roommate’s bedroom to alert her of the ensuing danger. “If it wasn’t for Kristin, I’d prob ably still be in bed sleeping,” said Susan Thorne as she held hands with Pietrowicz, who was lying in a bed next to her at UNC Hospitals, Friday. UNC employee Gloria Ines Suarez died in the fire, but Pietrowicz and Thorne managed to escape with broken leg bones. Pietrowicz also suffered a spinal injury. “I’m still having nightmares about it,” said Thorne, 25, who teaches mathematics at Chapel Hill High School. With little time to react, Pietrowicz and Thorne grabbed their cats, Phoebe and Oscar, and rushed to the back porch where Drought prompts new effort State officials call for more intervention in driest areas BY STEPHANIE METZEN STAFF WRITER Orange County residents’ spiking water bills reflect the worsening N.C. drought, and agencies across the state are partnering to combat other effects. Gov. Mike Easley has called on state and municipal groups to brainstorm new ways that water supply and conservation can help the hardest-hit counties. More than half of North Carolina’s 100 counties, including Orange County, have entered the most severe category of drought —exceptional drought —and the rest are in less severe stages. Chris Razier, a public information officer for the N.C. Division of Pollution Prevention and Environmental Assistance, said current local measures such as trucking in water from other parts of the state and ask ing individuals to use less have proved ineffective. “Individual municipalities might ask residents to consume less,” Frazier said. “But that is not guaran teed to stop the drought.” Online | dailytarhed.com HONORED GUESTS The UNC Board of Visitors met Thursday and Friday. WHERE AM I? The town aims to add directional signs to help visitors navigate. SMART ATHLETES Faculty Council discusses academic standards for athletes. me lailg ®ar Urcl Student Governments while he for mulates an “exit strategy.” The move drew a sharp response from UNC-system administrators, who said a delay in Jones’ resig nation would damage the ASG’s reputation. During a meeting with system APRIL: the criminal charges shortly before the election. M - JH J • y ■ DTH/TRACI WHITE Best friends Susan Thome and Kristin Pietrowicz jumped 25 feet from their balcony after realizing that their Colonial Village at Highland Hills apart ment building in Carrboro was on fire. Pietrowicz said that she saw the balcony of their apartment burst into flames seconds after Thorne jumped. their only way out was to jump 25 feet to the ground. Pietrowicz moved toward the edge of the railing, desperately trying to convince a hesitant Thorne, who was on the phone with a 911 operator, to jump after her. After landing hard in the woods around the building, Pietrowicz said she was in intense agony. '* * i jj, DTH/ANTHONY HARRIS The fishing dock at University Lake is closed because of low water levels as a result of the N.C. drought. Jamie Kritzer, public information officer for the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, said his division is hosting regional forums on how to help drought-stricken communities. SEE DROUGHT, PAGE 4 City | page 5 BIG-BOX DEBATE Candidates for Carrboro offices discuss the merits of having a "big-box" store, weighing the economic benefits against potential problems. Serving the students and the University community since 1893 www.dailytarheel.com officials almost two weeks ago, Jones said he would step down in the face of continuing concerns about his lead ership and unease about his recent conviction for criminal assault. Kemal Atkins, the UNC system’s liaison to the ASG, was blunt when student officials phoned him on AUGUST: ing —and his other charges are dismissed. “I remember the pain of my feet, and my heel was out of my body,” she said. As she crawled away, Pietrowicz turned to see her roommate and childhood friend in mid-air as she followed suit. “She threw her phone into the woods and jumped down,” Pietrowicz said. “I swear to God, she didn’t even land yet, and the porch was already engulfed.” Saturday to discuss Jones’ change of heart. “The understanding that I think everyone left that meeting with was that Cole would resign and that new leadership would be in place by the board meeting Friday,” he said, referring to this week’s sched SEPT. 7: student body presidents vote 6 to 5 to recommend his resignation. “These are two very young, brave, courageous women,” said Dr. Selene Parekh, who operated on each of the women. Both are in stable condition and soon will be released from the hospital. Parekh said that the women will make a full recovery but that they will not be able to walk for three to four months. Pietrowicz and Thorne will Cambodian dancers perform Mozart BY ALEXANDRIA SHEALY ARTS EDITOR When Mozart composed “The Magic Flute” in 1791, he probably didn’t envision his opera being per formed by Cambodians dressed in tight golden outfits to the sounds of gongs and high-pitched xylophones. But if Mozart could’ve seen the Khmer Arts Ensemble perform “Pamina Devi: A Cambodian rigi Go to dailytar heel.com to see a photo slideshow of the event. Magic Flute” on Friday at Memorial Hall, he would have observed an exotic take on the classic opera just as unique as the original. Twenty-one dancers accompa nied by 10 musicians performed in Cambodian classical dance form, a style that has entertained university | page? FAMILY REUNION Thousands of families of UNC students descended on campus this weekend to take part in activities planned for the annual Family Weekend. uled meeting of the UNC-system Board of Governors. “To go back on that, I think you damage the credibility of the asso ciation.” Student officials are under pres- SEE ASG, PAGE 4 SEPT. 26: Afing time for president to be sworn in as the official student representative before the Oct. 12 BOG session. need more surgery on their legs and an intense rehabilitation regime of six months to one year. Thome said she will be staying in the area and recuperating in a friend’s home. She also said she plans to raise awareness for fire safety in the future. SEE RECOVERY, PAGE 4 \ Hjk , 'lm •- wm ' kVH \ msr BB V \j* DTH/TIMOTHY REESE Aspects of ‘Pamina Devi: A Cambodian Magic Flute* involved stylized combat between the queen's devotees and the krut, a garuda bird. the country’s royalty for thousands of years, to a standing ovation. The show was presented by Carolina Performing Arts. Cambodian classical dance is derived from Indian temple dances in the Hindu tradition. In “Pamina Devi,” dancers bent back their hands and feet in gestures used to this day in history OCT. 8,1999... Assistant basketball coach Phil Ford enters a rehabilitation center for alcohol abuse problems following an arrest for drunk driving in September. MONDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2007 ASG President Cole Jones is considering his options in advance of this week's BOG meeting. SATURDAY: on an “exit strategy,' UNC-system officials warn of damaged credibil ity for the ASG. Town mulls fire safety BY SARAH HALE STAFF WRITER In the early hours of Sept. 30, a fire swept through an apartment at Colonial Village at Highland Hills on BPW Club Road in Carrboro. The fire, which killed a UNC employee and injured several oth ers, has raised questions about fire prevention and safety issues. “It was tragic,” Chapel Hill Town Council member Laurin Easthom said. “It’s something that could happen in Chapel Hill. It could happen in Carrboro.” Carrboro Fire Chief Travis Crabtree said there are more than 100 buildings in Carrboro includ ing the demolished complex that are three or more stories tall, and most don’t have sprinkler systems. Crabtree said it is too early to speculate on how sprinklers could have changed the fire’s outcome, the cause of which is still unknown. But he said sprinkler systems have advantages. “Out of the gate the sprinkler system has already done its job before the residents would even wake up,” Crabtree said. The sprinklers are triggered by temperatures starting at 155 degrees, only slightly hotter than a trash can fire. Water then sprays directly at the source of the heat, usually put ting it out in 15 to 20 seconds. SEE FIRE RESPONSE, PAGE 4 convey emotions. But it wasn’t just the style of “Pamina Devi” that diverted from “The Magic Flute.” Sophiline Cheam Shapiro, the artistic director of the Khmer Arts Ensemble who cho reographed the piece, said even the SEE DANCE, PAGE 4 weather •' Sunny VF H 92, L 65 index police log 2 calendar 2 opinion 8 games 11 sports 12
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