AltWeeklies Wire
Rich Kid, Poor Kid: Diversity Takes a Backseat in Wake Schoolsnew
If adopted, Wake County Board of Education member John Tedesco's plan would replace the current fluid system of school assignment zones and magnet schools with fixed community boundaries that would be, in all but name, separate districts in a fractured county.
The Dirt on Dry Cleaning: Durham Residents Concerned About Chemicalsnew

At One Hour Martinizing, workers labored over laundry using the chemical tetracholoroethylene, also known as perchloroethylene or perc, to expertly clean fine garments. But the solvent soaked into the grounds around the business and contaminated the soil and groundwater.
INDY Week |
Samiha Khanna |
01-21-2010 |
Environment
The Buck Stops Here: Chapel Hill Mulling the Culling of Deernew
Heeding calls from concerned residents, the Town Council on Monday directed the parks and recreation department to investigate curbing Chapel Hill's deer problem. Councilmembers said the department's proposal to cure the problem by distributing a pamphlet on deer-resistant plants and fences wouldn't solve anything.
INDY Week |
Joe Schwartz |
01-14-2010 |
Environment
City of Durham and Daniels Could Reach Settlement in Wrongful Convictionnew

When Erick Daniels was convicted as an adult, Karen Daniel, his mother, sought appeals and rallied anyone who would listen. More than a year since a Durham judge ruled Daniels was wrongfully convicted, Karen is still fighting for justice from city officials and the state.
INDY Week |
Samiha Khanna |
01-07-2010 |
Crime & Justice
The Wake School Board's Conservative Bloc Grabs Powernew
Three days after their tumultuous debut on the Wake County Board of Education, the four newly elected members were briefed by the board's attorney on local meeting protocols and requirements of the state's Open Public Meetings Law.
Tags: school board, politics
Two North Carolina Cities Wonder: Who's Watching the Cops?new
Alleged misdeeds at two local police departments raise the issue: Whose job is it to hold police accountable? Citizens in Durham and Chapel Hill have long been calling for better public oversight of the police in their towns, but the best way to do that is up for debate.
INDY Week |
Samiha Khanna and Joe Schwartz |
11-12-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Tears of a Clown: On the Glenn Beck Phenomenonnew

The ex-Top 40 disc jockey, recovering drug addict and alcoholic, convert to Mormonism and the National Rifle Association, is American popular culture at its most incomprehensibly weird and offensive. He's also a huge success, a hit, a phenomenon -- a star.
Mistaken Identity in Chapel Hill Hits Race Nervenew
Charles Brown was just walking home, being black on Rosemary Street on a Monday night in June when Chapel Hill police mistook him for the wrong man, handcuffed him and detained him for an hour.
INDY Week |
Joe Schwartz |
09-03-2009 |
Race & Class
Lessons from the Henry Louis Gates Casenew

Profiling appears to be a universal experience in nonwhite America. The clowns who toss coats and car keys are no Klansmen, of course, just grotesque boors who have no idea of the damage done when one brain-dead gesture robs another person of his dignity.
INDY Week |
Hal Crowther |
08-28-2009 |
Race & Class
Another Reason to Ditch Coal: The Ashnew
When wet coal-ash sludge dries, it becomes toxic dust. The particulates are so small that they can burrow deeply into the lungs.
INDY Week |
Lisa Sorg |
08-21-2009 |
Environment
Neo-Confederate Lawyer Kirk Lyons on What Could Be His Final Flag Casenew
For more than a decade, Lyons has been filing lawsuits that challenge restrictions on the display of the Confederate battle flag and its depiction—thus far—on T-shirts, cell phone covers, prom dresses and purses.
INDY Week |
Dick J. Reavis |
08-14-2009 |
Race & Class
'Material Support' Charges the Feds' Best Shot in Terrorism Casenew
Prosecutors have increasingly exploited the low threshold of proof necessary to convict suspected terrorists on "material support" charges -- with mixed results
INDY Week |
Matt Saldaña |
08-06-2009 |
Crime & Justice
In Raleigh, Muslims View FBI with Fear, Mistrustnew

Three days after FBI officials attended an open house at the Islamic Center in Raleigh, the feds arrested seven local Muslims on terrorism charges.
INDY Week |
Bob Geary |
08-06-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Why the Health Care Lobby Opposes the Public Optionnew

As a caravan rolled to Washington, Health Care for America Now's message about the incredibly complicated legislation had been reduced to one simple message: Whatever emerged, the bill must contain the strong public insurance option that Obama proposed -- and the private insurers, in league with the Republicans, were trying to kill.
Why is Andy Ives Biking Across America?new
The recent graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill and member of Bike and Build is biking cross-country to raise awareness for the affordable housing crisis in America.
INDY Week |
Shanae Auguste |
06-18-2009 |
Housing & Development