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Blog and Media Roundup - Tuesday, January 27, 2009; News Roundup
Topic Started: Jan 27 2009, 05:55 AM (1,305 Views)
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http://heraldsun.southernheadlines.com/durham/4-1081216.cfm

Alleged killer -- out on bond -- busted for drugs, firearms
By KEITH UPCHURCH : The Herald-Sun
kupchurch@heraldsun.com
Jan 27, 2009

DURHAM -- Police have arrested a Durham man who was out on bond on a murder charge, and charged him with drug trafficking and weapons offenses.

Michael Anthony Hudson Jr. was arrested Jan. 17 by members of the Durham Police Department's Major Crimes Unit, according to police spokeswoman Kammie Michael. Hudson was charged with four counts of trafficking in cocaine, two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and several other drugs charges. He also was arrested on a warrant charging him with larceny of a motor vehicle.

Officers confiscated two firearms, 147 grams of cocaine (powder and cocaine base), marijuana and four Percocet, a prescription drug for moderate to severe pain.

He remained in the Durham County Jail on Monday under a bond of $1,001,000.

Hudson is accused in the December 2005 fatal shooting of 24-year-old Michael Bailey of Wiggins Street, who was was killed on Keystone Place.

Hudson's trial on the murder charge had been scheduled for November of last year, but was postponed. No new trial date has been set, a court spokeswoman said.

Police said two men got out of a Ford Expedition in December 2005 and fired several shots that struck the victim.

Officers later spotted the Expedition and chased it from downtown Durham through Trinity Park and Forest Hills and finally onto Cornwallis Road, where it crashed into a fence near the Durham Freeway.

Another man, Dyshun Tyreek Johnson, 20, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the case in November and was sentenced to 151 to 191 months in prison by Superior Court Judge Kenneth C. Titus, a spokeswoman for the Durham County Clerk of Superior Court's office said.

Johnson had been declared mentally unfit to stand trial, and the charge was dismissed in August, but he was later found competent and pleaded after the charge was reinstated. He was represented by Durham attorney Woody Vann.

Assistant District Attorney Mitchell Garrell said others charged in the death were:

- Dominique Arrington, 19, who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 94-122 months in prison.

- Dezmond Williams, 23, who pleaded to accessory after the fact to voluntary manslaughter. He got a suspended sentence of 10-14 years after serving about eight months of an active sentence, Garrell said.

- Korrie Harris, 23, who pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact to voluntary manslaughter and received a suspended sentence of 19-23 months.
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http://heraldsun.southernheadlines.com/durham/4-1081214.cfm

Commissioners OK $3.1M school funding cut
BY MATTHEW E. MILLIKEN : The Herald-Sun
mmilliken@heraldsun.com
Jan 27, 2009

DURHAM -- Durham's Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved a $3.1 million reduction to Durham Public Schools funding Monday.

The matter occupied only five minutes of meeting time but represented the result of two weeks of talks between County Manager Mike Ruffin and Superintendent Carl Harris and their staffs. The cut represents a 3 percent reduction in what had been a $110 million county appropriation to the schools, which also get $300 million from state and federal sources.

The agreement the two reached Friday morning was confirmed on a 3-0 vote by commissioners. Chairman Michael Page was traveling and did not attend the meeting, while Commissioner Joe Bowser left the room and missed the vote because has a bad cough.

Vice Chairman Ellen Reckhow, who ran Monday's meeting in place of Page, praised the arrangement. "I want to thank the county manager and the school superintendent for coming up with an approach that preserves the funding for the students in the classroom," Reckhow said.

Ruffin sought a 3 percent reduction in all outside agency funding, which was what all charities and city departments got. District officials asked for a lesser amount; they suggested $1 million and signaled their intent to accept an in-between compromise figure, which commissioners told Ruffin to discuss. But the schools ultimately agreed to forgo the full amount after a way was found to cut it without affecting jobs, salaries, classroom instruction or extracurricular programs.

That's being done by deleting from the budget $2,671,267 in lottery funds that had not yet been committed to any project and by reducing the capital outlay budget by $410,595. The county originally appropriated $2.37 million for school capital spending.

The first move has no real impact, because the lottery money may be spent next year, but the second one will affect some projects scheduled to be undertaken this year.

Bowser said he favored the school budget cuts and would have voted for them even if no compromise had been found. "By state law, we have to do whatever we have to to balance the budget," the commissioner said. "The information the manager gave me gave me no choice."

The cuts are part of an effort to eliminate a revenue shortfall that was projected earlier this month to be $14.2 million. However, Ruffin once again sounded a warning Monday that the funding gap is likely to grow even larger.

Although Ruffin's package of budget cuts is essentially a done deal, formal action will need to be taken at future board meetings once various budget and contract amendments have been prepared for their approval.
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http://heraldsun.southernheadlines.com/durham/4-1081215.cfm

At-risk youths offered hand up
BY MATTHEW E. MILLIKEN : The Herald-Sun
mmilliken@heraldsun.com
Jan 27, 2009

DURHAM -- Durham's Board of County Commissioners unanimously endorsed two grant applications meant to help at-risk youth Monday night.

Also Monday, a commissioner asked for a campaign to be mounted to inform county residents of a housing repair fund.

By 4-0 votes -- Chairman Michael Page was traveling -- commissioners gave their support to applications for grants of $100,000 and $200,000 a year.

The smaller grant will help establish a program to fight truancy, while the larger one is meant to fund services for potential or actual gang members. Each grant, if awarded by the Governor's Crime Commission, would run for two years.

"Our goal is to wrap these youth who face great hurdles in terms of getting through school, getting jobs, becoming productive members of the Durham community -- our goal is to wrap those youth in such a way that they get the support that they need year-round," Barker French said on behalf of the entities applying for the grants.

The applicant, the Durham At-Risk Youth Collaborative, is an alliance of four programs meant to serve youngsters thought to be potential public school dropouts.

The programs are the Restoration Institute for Leaders, which helps students stay on track by passing courses in summer school; the African American Male Leadership Academy, which provides tutoring and mentoring throughout the school year; PROUD, an after-school program providing "socialization and anger-management coaching"; and YO:Durham, a job training program that offers 36-week-long paid internships.

The collaborative intends to expand by allying with other programs that are open to being transparent and having their effectiveness measured and evaluated, French said.

Lavonia Allison, chairwoman of the of Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People, warned that a description of youth to be served by the intervention program as potential gang members would deter youngsters who need help from entering the program.

Later Monday, Commissioner Becky Heron pressed a city official for changes to a housing program.

Heron was addressing Mike Barros, the director of the city's Department of Community Development, who administers a joint city-county program funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The commissioner's beef was that not enough is being done to promote the existence of the program, which helps repair dilapidated residences, outside the city limits.

Barros acknowledged the need for improving outreach, noting that a HUD report had stated the same thing. He said that while the program hadn't been advertised in the past because funds were so limited -- about $250,000 annually -- outreach plans would be shared with county commissioners sometime over the coming weeks.

In other business Monday, commissioners unanimously voted to accept a Federal Aviation Administration grant for $792,000. The money will be used to upgrade the surface, markings, shoulder, circuitry and lighting of a runway at Raleigh-Durham International Airport.

Two FAA grants worth nearly $4.7 million have already been awarded to the runway project.
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http://www.newsobserver.com/2932/story/1383178.html


Published: Jan 27, 2009 12:30 AM
Modified: Jan 27, 2009 05:19 AM
Probation surveillance officer Mark Hornsby must get approval to search.
Staff Photo by Ethan Hyman
Mark Hornsby, who has gotten good reviews in the past, works in Harnett County. Police in the area say he is so effective at supervising criminals on probation that some offenders have moved out of the county to get away from him.
Staff Photo by Ethan Hyman
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Bosses hamstring probation officer's searches
They clamp down after an offender complains
Joseph Neff, Staff Writer Comment on this story
DUNN - For 10 years, Mark Hornsby has worked the night shift as a probation surveillance officer, confiscating guns and drugs, nabbing offenders on the lam, at times juggling a double workload. He has earned rave reviews from his superiors.

But last year, probation managers wrote a disciplinary letter that tied Hornsby's hands when it came to doing his job. His offense: He conducted a search in Harnett County of a convicted drug dealer who was on probation in Sampson County.

When the suspect complained that Hornsby was harassing him, Hornsby's boss called the search unlawful because the suspect was not under Hornsby's supervision. She forbade Hornsby to conduct searches without first getting permission from his direct supervisor.

Hornsby said this has cramped his work. From midafternoon to midnight, he makes curfew checks, looks for absconding probationers and collects drug samples. His searches have been cut by more than half, he said.

Warrantless searches are an essential probation tool; judges routinely order offenders to submit to warrantless searches as a condition of their sentences. Officers look for weapons or illegal drugs.

James Fullwood, who oversees probation in Harnett and 21 other counties in eastern and central North Carolina, did not return phone calls for comment. Joyce James, the probation manager for Harnett, Johnston and Lee counties, declined to discuss the disciplinary order she issued in the case.

Department of Correction spokesman Keith Acree declined to discuss the case, saying it was a personnel matter.

"We expect our officers to know and follow our policies and the law regarding searches," Acree said in a statement. "All searches are to be documented in the offender's probation record and appropriate action taken on what is found."

State law says probationers must "submit at reasonable times to warrantless searches by a probation officer ... for purposes specified by the court and reasonably related to his or her probation supervision."

Lavee Hamer, chief counsel at the Department of Correction, said state law does not limit searches to a specific officer or office.

"The goal is to encourage people to remain lawful, or discourage them from breaking the law," said Hamer, who would not discuss Hornsby's case. "Is he engaged in criminal activity? That violates probation."

The News & Observer, in a series published in December, found many cases in which probation officers weren't doing their job. Officers failed to check on offenders for months or years, failed to file arrest warrants on wayward probationers and didn't equip offenders with electronic tracking devices as ordered. At least 50 current and former probation officers have contacted The News & Observer since the series was published; all complained of mismanagement or incompetence. All refused to speak publicly, fearing loss of their jobs.

Hornsby is a rarity because he agreed to speak on the record.

He seems to fit the description of "good old-fashioned probation work" put forth by Gov. Beverly Perdue in December: "Get into people's faces who are on probation or on parole and remind them they are on the streets because they signed a contract, a compact if you will, to work and stay off drugs and alcohol and stay out of trouble and to come home by a certain time. And to those folks who are breaking down that system, I want their bodies put back in jail."

Glowing evaluations

Hornsby, a probation officer since 1998, earns $34,614 a year. He spent 10 years as a prison guard, where he became skilled at finding contraband. He quickly used this knack in probation, locating illegal drugs on a probationer during his initial training in June 1998.

His job evaluations were glowing for the next 10 years. He was voted Probation Officer of the Year in 2007 by his colleagues in Harnett, Johnston and Lee counties.

Hornsby said he builds rapport with his probationers, who tip him off if another offender is carrying drugs or weapons. He also worked closely with Dunn police.

"I'd love to have a whole office full of Hornsbys," said Lynwood Rains, who ran the Harnett County probation office before he retired in 2007. "He was aggressive, and that's what we need."

Rains and Dunn police pointed out that Hornsby volunteers almost daily with Dunn's Police Athletic League, mentoring children and teenagers and teaching them how to box.

Leaving Hornsby's turf

But police had no kind words for Elijah Neighbors, who has accrued a long list of convictions in Harnett County: possessing drug paraphernalia in 2000, selling cocaine in 2001, 2002 and 2006, and larceny in 2001.

Neighbors, who also spells his name Nabors, pleaded guilty in Harnett County in 2006 to four felonies and was put on probation for three years. Neighbors moved to Sampson County, just a few miles from Dunn.

Several offenders have moved from Dunn out of county or to other parts of Harnett County just to get out of Hornsby's turf, according to Lt. Jimmy Page, a narcotics officer in Dunn.

Neighbors was assigned to a Sampson County probation officer, Karen Joyner.

In May 2007, Dunn police contacted Joyner to say Neighbors was again selling drugs in Dunn, a violation of his probation, according to a letter from Dunn police to probation officials.

"PO Joyner told me on 3 separate occasions that Harnett Probation could search NABORS since he was on intensive probation," wrote Sgt. A.J. Poppler.

"PO Joyner's reply was, 'Absolutely yes, he is on Intensive Probation and can be search anywhere in North Carolina.' "

In February 2008, Joyner said that Neighbors had tested positive for marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamine on three occasions, Poppler wrote.

"However, it was not to be discussed or 'she would be fired for telling me,' '' Poppler wrote. "I asked her 'why ... is NABORS not revoked?' "

On March 25, 2008, Hornsby said he received a tip that Neighbors was carrying drugs. Hornsby found him sitting behind the wheel of his car at an apartment complex. A man in the passenger seat jumped out and ran away. Hornsby waited with Neighbors until police arrived, so they could witness the search. Hornsby said he found marijuana residue in the glove box.

Neighbors complained to probation officials.

Supervisor's action

James, Hornsby's supervisor, deemed the search unlawful because Neighbors was not on Hornsby's caseload nor on probation in Harnett County. Hornsby did not get permission from Joyner -- the Sampson probation officer -- for the search, James put in the official written warning. And Hornsby made no records of the search.

Hornsby refused to sign the official warning. The law doesn't limit searches to the supervising officer, he said. What's more, he said he discussed Neighbors with Joyner on three different occasions, and she urged him to search if he suspected criminal activity. During the investigation into Neighbors' complaint, James did not contact Dunn police, who had relayed reports of Neighbors' drug dealing to the Sampson County probation officer.

Hornsby said his one regret is not recording the search in Neighbors' probation records.

James typed the disciplinary notice May 23, 2008.

On that day, Dunn police arrested Neighbors and charged him with possession and sale of cocaine. The charges are pending.

joseph.neff@newsobserver.com or 919-829-4516

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http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/letters/story/1383056.html


Published: Jan 27, 2009 12:30 AM
Modified: Jan 27, 2009 06:03 AM

Stop the coddling
Comment on this story
Regarding recent stories about an increase in crime in Raleigh: Jane Perlov, the former Raleigh police chief, said crime begins with the small things. In the case of gangs, that means their dress, hair-dos, jewelry and weapons. Go back and start with correcting this behavior, and that will be the beginning of the fight on gangs. Then make the caretakers of the youths responsible, either by providing proper rearing and control or reporting to the authorities that they are unable to control the individual.

Please stop developing another program to educate these punks. Another program is not the answer. Put the child to work busting rocks and picking up litter instead of spray-painting graffiti on all the instructional signs in Southeast Raleigh.

The politically correct officials need to stop coddling gang members and criminals in general. Time and again these convicted felons are back on the streets doing their dirty work. Legislators, judges, lawyers and police are all to blame.

If the police succeed in running these criminals out of Tarboro Street, they will only show up on another street unless they are convicted and put in prison. It's not a complete solution, but it is a start from three generations of family breakdown.

Mary Lou Smith, Raleigh
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http://media.www.dukechronicle.com/media/storage/paper884/news/2009/01/27/News/Student.Allegedly.Assaulted.Over.The.Weekend-3599118.shtml

Student allegedly assaulted over the weekend
By: Shuchi Parikh
Posted: 1/27/09
An assault on a male student was reported on West Campus early Saturday morning, Duke University Police Department Maj. Gloria Graham confirmed Monday.

"We believe at this point all of the individuals involved were students," she said. "It wasn't any kind of a stranger situation."

The alleged victim has received medical care and was released Monday night, a friend of the student said.

Graham said it is unclear how severe the student's injuries were or how many people were involved in the alleged attack.

Police are awaiting more details from the individual and the witness who originally reported the alleged crime, Graham said. A call to DUPD was made at 4:15 a.m. Saturday to dispatch police officers to the Alumni House. Graham added, however, that the reported crime likely occurred at another location on or nearby West Campus, though she is unsure exactly where.

Dean of Students Sue Wasiolek said Student Affairs is in the process of getting in touch with the victim.

The alleged assault seems to have stemmed from an occurrence at a party, said Larry Moneta, vice president for student affairs.

"This appears to have been a situation where post an event there was some aggression-it wasn't [some] sort of a random assault," he added.

Graham declined to release a police report because information is being added and the investigation is ongoing.
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http://media.www.dukechronicle.com/media/storage/paper884/news/2009/01/27/News/Sec-Looks.Into.Steels.Comments-3599119.shtml

SEC looks into Steel's comments
By: Emmeline Zhao
Posted: 1/27/09
The Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating comments made by former Wachovia Corp. chief executive officer Robert Steel, chair of Duke's Board of Trustees and Trinity '73, on the bank's future the day before it considered a merger, The Wall Street Journal reported Jan. 23.

The probe has been under way for several weeks, but it remains unclear how much progress has been made, The Journal reported. A spokesperson for Steel told The Journal that he "always did his best to convey the position of Wachovia accurately."

John Heine, deputy director of SEC's Office of Public Affairs, declined to comment, citing commission regulations that prevent employees from confirming ongoing investigations.

The probe is examining comments made by Steel in an appearance on CNBC's "Mad Money" television show Sept. 15 that allegedly misled shareholders, according to The Journal.

"We have a great future as an independent company, but we're a public company, so we're going to do what's right for shareholders," Steel told the program's host Jim Cramer in response to a question about whether the bank would be sold. Steel added that Wachovia has "very exciting prospects when we get things right going forward."

The bank began negotiations with Citigroup Inc. the next day. Citigroup put forward a $2.16 billion deal that included government assistance. Wachovia was ultimately sold to higher bidder Wells Fargo & Co. for $12.7 billion, a deal that closed Dec. 31.

Under securities law, executives cannot knowingly mislead the public on the company's future, The Journal reported. Steel's innocence is contingent upon his knowledge of the company's progress when he was answering Cramer's question.

Still, Steel's statement is difficult to decode as the wording is crucial, said Campbell Harvey, the J. Paul Sticht professor of international business at Fuqua.

"With that 'but' in there, I think he's okay," Harvey said. "That is my opinion because when he said 'But we'll do what's right for shareholders,' that's basically saying, 'But we might have to sell the firm to maximize the value for shareholders.' Still, in terms of all the stuff that's going on today, this is a sideshow. It seems like there's not much of a case."
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Lee Baker is a member of the Group of 88

http://media.www.dukechronicle.com/media/storage/paper884/news/2009/01/27/News/History.Professor.Named.Director.Of.Writing.Program-3599116.shtml

History professor named director of Writing Program
By: Emmeline Zhao
Posted: 1/27/09
The Thompson Writing Program will see new leadership beginning July 1.

Kristen Neuschel, associate professor of history, has been named director of the program, Lee Baker, dean of academic affairs of Trinity College of Arts and Sciences, announced Monday. She succeeds current director Joseph Harris, associate professor of English.

As a member of the Writing Program's advisory board, Neuschel proposed the Writing in Disciplines program, an approach that helps students understand theories and ideas through writing in upper-level courses.

"She's been really a stalwart in the Writings in the Disciplines in the program for a number of years and has been involved in helping understand the program," said George McLendon, dean of the faculty of Arts and Sciences and dean of Trinity College. "One of the things Kristen brings coming in as a history professor... is a sense that helping all of our students learn how to optimize their written communication is a project that belongs to the whole university, not only those who are a part of the Writing Program."

Neuschel was selected after two years of searching, and she is "exactly the right person," McLendon said. Her goals for the program include adding more resources for faculty to diversify the options for writing courses.

"I'm very excited to take up this challenge. It is an honor because Duke's Writing Program is so well-known nationally," Neuschel said. "To be able to build on that and make it even more visible and make it more vibrant is going to be very exciting."

Harris has directed the program since its inception was approved in 1999 and was known as the University Writing Program until being named for former dean of Trinity College Robert Thompson in May 2008. Harris will be taking a sabbatical in hopes of drafting a book, he said, adding that he plans to continue teaching upon his return.

"It seemed like a good time to move on and do something else, I've had a great time in being the director of the Writing Program," he said. "I look forward to talking and working with [Neuschel] in the next few months to make [the transition] as smooth as possible."

During his term, Harris focused on building and strengthening the Writing 20 program that is now nationally known and recognized, Baker said.

Neuschel will be able to continue Harris' legacy in addition to developing the Writing in the Disciplines program, Baker added. The Writing Program also includes the Writing Studio.

Neuschel came to Duke's history department in 1982, with a focus on late medieval and early modern French and European studies. She will continue teaching after she begins her new position.

Neuschel's experience on the advisory board will be beneficial to her position as director, Baker said, because she is familiar with the program and is "the best person for the position."

"She really does care about the role writing plays, like the skill and the craft and the art and the creative aspects as well as the analytical aspects of writing and the role that plays in each of the students' lives," he said. "She has this really interesting way of being able to enable students to use writing to enhance not only the profession, but their life. And I think it's amazing, just to have her talk to you about what she really believes writing can do for each and every one of us, and have that sort of insight and skill and enthusiasm for people not only in Writing 20, but in the Writing Studio and writing in general."
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http://www.talkleft.com/wireservice?articleId=41201701&channelId=1180&buyerId=talkleftcom&buid=3042

Summary of Supreme Court actions Monday

Summary of actions by the Supreme Court on Monday

Staff
AP News

Jan 26, 2009 11:58 EST

On Monday, the Supreme Court:

_ Ruled that a man wrongly convicted and sent to prison for 24 years cannot sue the former Los Angeles district attorney and his chief deputy for violating his civil rights. The court said unanimously that decisions of supervising prosecutors, like the actions of prosecutors at trial, are shielded from civil lawsuits.

_ Ruled that police officers have leeway to frisk a passenger in a car stopped for a traffic violation even if nothing indicates the passenger has committed a crime or is about to do so.
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Locomotive Breath
Jan 27 2009, 08:24 AM
http://www.talkleft.com/wireservice?articleId=41201701&channelId=1180&buyerId=talkleftcom&buid=3042

Summary of Supreme Court actions Monday

Summary of actions by the Supreme Court on Monday

Staff
AP News

Jan 26, 2009 11:58 EST

On Monday, the Supreme Court:

_ Ruled that a man wrongly convicted and sent to prison for 24 years cannot sue the former Los Angeles district attorney and his chief deputy for violating his civil rights. The court said unanimously that decisions of supervising prosecutors, like the actions of prosecutors at trial, are shielded from civil lawsuits.

_ Ruled that police officers have leeway to frisk a passenger in a car stopped for a traffic violation even if nothing indicates the passenger has committed a crime or is about to do so.
No doubt, Nifong will seize on this one quickly. It seems that SCOTUS is telling us that the people in our society with the most power don't have to be accountable for abusing that power.

By giving its blessing to the frisk, the justices at SCOTUS are saying that all of us potentially are criminals, and it is up to the cops to find out just what kind of lawbreakers we really are.

:bill:
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Locomotive Breath

Bill Anderson
Jan 27 2009, 08:53 AM
Locomotive Breath
Jan 27 2009, 08:24 AM
http://www.talkleft.com/wireservice?articleId=41201701&channelId=1180&buyerId=talkleftcom&buid=3042

Summary of Supreme Court actions Monday

Summary of actions by the Supreme Court on Monday

Staff
AP News

Jan 26, 2009 11:58 EST

On Monday, the Supreme Court:

_ Ruled that a man wrongly convicted and sent to prison for 24 years cannot sue the former Los Angeles district attorney and his chief deputy for violating his civil rights. The court said unanimously that decisions of supervising prosecutors, like the actions of prosecutors at trial, are shielded from civil lawsuits.

_ Ruled that police officers have leeway to frisk a passenger in a car stopped for a traffic violation even if nothing indicates the passenger has committed a crime or is about to do so.
No doubt, Nifong will seize on this one quickly. It seems that SCOTUS is telling us that the people in our society with the most power don't have to be accountable for abusing that power.

By giving its blessing to the frisk, the justices at SCOTUS are saying that all of us potentially are criminals, and it is up to the cops to find out just what kind of lawbreakers we really are.

:bill:
Yes, Nifong may try, but many of his actions were outside the realm of his job description. Specifically - "managing" a police investigation.
Edited by Locomotive Breath, Jan 27 2009, 09:11 AM.
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Bill Anderson
Jan 27 2009, 08:53 AM
Locomotive Breath
Jan 27 2009, 08:24 AM
http://www.talkleft.com/wireservice?articleId=41201701&channelId=1180&buyerId=talkleftcom&buid=3042

Summary of Supreme Court actions Monday

Summary of actions by the Supreme Court on Monday

Staff
AP News

Jan 26, 2009 11:58 EST

On Monday, the Supreme Court:

_ Ruled that a man wrongly convicted and sent to prison for 24 years cannot sue the former Los Angeles district attorney and his chief deputy for violating his civil rights. The court said unanimously that decisions of supervising prosecutors, like the actions of prosecutors at trial, are shielded from civil lawsuits.

_ Ruled that police officers have leeway to frisk a passenger in a car stopped for a traffic violation even if nothing indicates the passenger has committed a crime or is about to do so.
No doubt, Nifong will seize on this one quickly. It seems that SCOTUS is telling us that the people in our society with the most power don't have to be accountable for abusing that power.

By giving its blessing to the frisk, the justices at SCOTUS are saying that all of us potentially are criminals, and it is up to the cops to find out just what kind of lawbreakers we really are.

:bill:
Bill,

check out the thread on this decision over in the other topic. Actually good news for us.
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http://media.www.dukechronicle.com/media/storage/paper884/news/2009/01/27/News/Financial.Aid.Initiative.Nets.308.Million-3599111.shtml

Financial Aid Initiative nets $308 million
Campaign falls short of need-based aid target
By: Zachary Tracer
Posted: 1/27/09
Against a backdrop of continuing problems for the American economy, Duke's Financial Aid Initiative surpassed its $300 million fund-raising goal, University officials announced Monday.

At the Dec. 31 conclusion of the campaign, $308,483,325 had been raised from 4,364 donors for the creation of an endowment for student aid.

"We were very pleased to hit the goal, especially because in a tough economy, financial aid is more important than ever," said Susan Ross, assistant vice president for the initiative. "This undergirds the financial aid budget at a time when it is absolutely going to get higher every year."

The initiative surpassed fundraising goals set for both athletic scholarships as well as graduate and professional scholarships. It fell $4 million short, however, of the $230 million it set out to raise for undergraduate need-based aid.

Ross attributed the initiative's failure to reach this goal to the economic recession.

"It was the most ambitious goal of all that we set back at the beginning... and we came very, very close," she said. "If the economy was better, we would have hit that one as well."

The University's spending on need-based aid for undergraduates has increased from $42.5 million at the start of the initiative in 2005 to an estimated $63 million this year, according to the initiative's Web site.

Duke expects to increase overall financial aid spending by 17 percent in fiscal year 2009, according to the University's 2007-2008 financial statement, despite losing nearly a fifth of the value of its endowment this year. The University spent $177.8 million in 2008 on aid to graduate and undergraduate students, according to the financial statement.

Alison Rabil, assistant vice provost and director of Financial Aid, said she expects the demand for financial aid funds to increase in the coming year due to the recession, though the Class of 2013 has not yet been admitted.

It is unclear what proportion of the University's financial aid spending will be paid for by the initiative's endowment, because the amount of money available depends on the endowment's returns, explained Michael Schoenfeld, vice president for public affairs and government relations. Endowments typically spend a small percentage of their financial gains each year.

"There is little doubt that over the long haul the new endowments will grow and be instrumental in meeting student need," Peter Vaughn, executive director of Alumni and Development Communications, wrote in an e-mail. "In the short term, particularly in the current conditions, the new endowments' contribution will be limited."

Still, those involved with the initiative said that regardless of the state of the economy, Duke will continue to conduct need-blind admissions and meet every student's demonstrated financial needs.

"If it turns out, in the financial analysis, that Duke is going to have to scale back on certain things, it's not going to be the financial aid program," Rabil said.

The state of the economy has also raised questions as to whether donors will be able to fulfill their pledged contributions to the campaign. Duke has already received $235 million and is scheduled to receive the remaining $73.6 million over the next five years, Ross said. Some donors have asked for more time to pay, but no donors have canceled their pledges, she added.

Trustee Emerita Sally Robinson, co-chair of the Financial Aid Initiative Development Committee and Woman's College '55, attributed the willingness of donors to contribute, despite their financial losses, to their personal connections to the University.

"All the people who would give when their investments are down are, first of all, people who love Duke," she said.
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sceptical

http://durhamwonderland.blogspot.com/2009/01/newest-promotion-for-group-of-88er.html

Another Group of 88 member becomes a Dean of Humanities at Duke :pu:
Edited by sceptical, Jan 27 2009, 12:47 PM.
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abb
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http://www.ktvu.com/news/18571210/detail.html#-

Embattled Oakland Police Chief Tucker Resigns

Monday, January 26, 2009 – updated: 9:33 am PST January 27, 2009
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Embattled Oakland police chief Wayne Tucker, whose force has been rocked by a drug search warrant scandal and an FBI investigation, has resigned from his post.

At a morning news conference, Tucker announced he would resign effective Feb. 28. Tucker said the decision was his own and that he was not asked by Mayor Ron Dellums to step down.

"It is with regret that I accept Chief Tucker's resignation," Dellums told the media.

Tucker cited conflicts with the Oakland City Council as the primary reason for his resignation. The announcement came less than 24 hours after the embattled chief refused to comment on the status of his job at Dellums "State Of The City" address Monday night.

Dellums said during his address that the perception on Oakland streets is that some officers are not being held accountable for their actions.

"That perception is reality and it has to change," said Dellums.

But that change, for right now anyway, apparently does not include the chief. A department spokesman flatly denied that the chief's resignation had happened.

"The mayor has not asked for the chief's resignation and the chief has not given his resignation. And that is it," said Oakland Police information Officer Jeff Thomason at the address.

However, acting City Adminstrator Dan Lindheim said the chief has previously indicated he would be willing to step down if it's in the best interest of the department.

"I think it's a continuous debate in his mind," explained Lindheim. "Is he more effective by being the chief or is he more effective by getting out of the way?"

Criticism of the department has been simmering, but reached a boil in recent days after KTVU and the Chauncey Bailey Project revealed that the FBI is investigating the Oakland Police Department.

Among the allegations is that Captain Ed Poulson, current head of police internal affairs, is suspected of kicking a man nine years ago so severely that the man later died. He allegedly then got other officers to cover up his actions.

And while that did not occur on Chief Tucker's watch, some city council members have indicated they no longer have confidence in Chief Tucker and they want him to resign.

City Council President Jane Brunner, who was knocked to the ground by a television cameraman who was chasing Tucker, said there was "a very significant rumor" that Tucker will resign but she said she's been assured by city officials that Tucker hasn't offered to resign and Dellums hasn't asked him to resign.

"If I could read the tea leaves, he [Tucker] won't resign," Brunner said.

However, she said she and fellow City Council members Larry Reid, Desley Brooks and Pat Kernighan will hold a news conference at City Hall on Tuesday to talk about their concerns about Tucker and the Police Department.
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