Raleigh
The Hunt Library
Today is one of those days I’m glad I’m in politics. I went to the groundbreaking for the James B. Hunt, Jr. Library on the Centennial Campus at N.C.State. There were tributes to Hunt and his contributions to North Carolina – especially for giving NCSU the land that become the Centennial Campus. …
Read MoreThe Beltline Divide
Inside the Beltline may be the place to live. But it wasn’t the place to be in Tuesday’s elections. One new school board member summed it up after Charles Meeker, Jim Goodmon and other prominent people spoke out for the diversity policy: “Do you know who cares about those people? People inside the…
Read MoreThe Politics of Resentment
Sometimes I hate to be right. Like on the Wake County school board races. But you could see it coming. Even supporters say the present board has been arrogant and high-handed. Exhibit A: One diversity supporter explained the election by saying, “It’s the result of people not knowing what the issues are.”…
Read MoreElection Outlier?
In 1993, Tom Fetzer’s election as mayor of Raleigh proved to be a portent of a national Republican tide the next year. Tomorrow’s Wake school board races could be the same for 2010. I haven’t seen any polling. But I have a bad feeling that the bad guys – the anti-diversity crowd – will win.…
Read MoreThe Raleigh City Election
First time candidate for City Council Champ Claris has spoken the tabooed words ‘Don’t build it downtown.’ Since Charles Meeker was elected Mayor (which seems like it was not long after General Sherman marched through Raleigh) Meeker’s been trying to turn downtown into the southern equivalent of the ‘Great White Way.’ It’s a mystery…
Read MoreThat Dog Won’t Hunt
Whenever a lady starts a sentence by saying with perfect politeness, I just wanted to point out…well, any male who’s dealt with southern women knows he’s in deep trouble. A very nice lady called from state government the other morning about a blog I wrote about the State Department of Transportation spending $29,000 to…
Read MoreN&O Gloating?
Two readers – who otherwise praise the N&O’s coverage of Easley/Stategate – ask whether the newspaper is guilty of excessive end zone celebration. They especially took issue with John Drescher’s column Saturday criticizing Bob Jordan, the interim trustees’ chairman. One said, “I just think it had a little bit of sitting on the…
Read MoreOpen Wide
When I was invited to talk about the state of N.C.State on this weekend’s Headline Saturday for WRAL and The N&O, I was prepared to get even more depressed about my alma mater. Instead, I left the studio this morning feeling good. The reason was the other panelist at the taping: Dr. Jim Martin,…
Read MoreBleeding Red
The Wolfpack Nation is angry. Angry at the Big Men On Campus who embarrassed N.C. State, angry at The News & Observer and angry at Mike and Mary Easley. Here is an up-to-the-minute guide to the venting: Jim Oblinger and Larry Neilsen. They proved, once again, that the coverup is always worse than…
Read MoreThe Gang That Wouldn’t Shoot Straight
George Wallace used to rail against âpointy-headed professors who canât park their bicycles straight.â The administrators at N.C. State couldnât get their stories straight. The result is national humiliation, the loss of three top leaders and piñata status in the middle of a state budget crisis. UNC President Erskine Bowles had it right…
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