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| Blog and Media Roundup - Monday, Feb 16, 2009; News Roundup | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Feb 16 2009, 05:17 AM (791 Views) | |
| abb | Feb 16 2009, 05:47 PM Post #16 |
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http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1407948.html Published: Feb 16, 2009 03:09 PM Modified: Feb 16, 2009 03:12 PM Ted Vaden N&O public editor leaving for DOT By Bruce Siceloff, Staff Writer Comment on this story RALEIGH - Ted Vaden, The News & Observer's public editor, is ending his 32-year career at the newspaper to take charge of communications at the state Department of Transportation. Transportation Secretary Gene Conti announced Vaden's appointment today as deputy secretary for communications, a new post at DOT. DOT announced a hiring freeze last fall, but Conti received Gov. Beverly Perdue's approval for the new hire. As a deputy secretary, Vaden will direct communications policy and oversee about 20 employees including DOT's public information staff, at a salary of $117,000. The new position was recommended by a consultant as part of a department reorganization aimed at making DOT more efficient, transparent and accountable to the public. "DOT is an agency that has had its problems, and I see it as an interesting challenge to take on the communication function in addressing those problems," said Vaden, 61. "[Conti] has made it very clear he wants the department to be more open to the public, more accessible." Vaden served for 11 years as editor and publisher of The Chapel Hill News, an N&O subsidiary, before being appointed public editor in 2004. As the first person to hold that position, he monitored N&O coverage for fairness and accuracy and served as a readers' representative at the paper. In a weekly column, Vaden explained news decisions to readers and sometimes sided with critics who found shortcomings or imbalance in The N&O's coverage. "He is a fine, fine human being, and he's done a really good job as public editor and before that as publisher in Chapel Hill," N&O Publisher Orage Quarles III said of Vaden. "I'm going to miss our conversations. He's a really smart man." Quarles said he had not decided whether to appoint a successor after Vaden steps down as public editor at the end of the month. He said recently that a prolonged revenue slump will force staff reductions at The N&O later this year. Vaden, who is teaching a journalism class at Duke University this spring, will start on a part-time basis at DOT March 2 and move to full time in May. "Part of his primary focus will be on ensuring we receive broad public input into the decision-making process and communicate clearly and effectively with the public, government and business leaders on the department's goals and operations," Conti said today in a memo to DOT workers. Vaden lives in Chapel Hill with his wife, Betsy. They have three children. A native of Washington, D.C., he graduated from Washington and Lee University and earned a master's in journalism from the University of Missouri. He was a reporter for Congressional Quarterly for three years before joining The N&O in 1977. He served as business editor, metro editor and assistant managing editor and published three magazines for The N&O before taking charge of The Chapel Hill News from 1993 to 2004. bruce.siceloff@newsobserver.com or 919-829-4527 |
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| abb | Feb 16 2009, 05:48 PM Post #17 |
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http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1407971.html Published: Feb 16, 2009 03:37 PM Modified: Feb 16, 2009 03:49 PM Rodney Oldham Durham police looking for man charged with shooting teen in back From Staff Reports Comment on this story DURHAM - Durham police investigators are trying to locate Rodney Oldham, who has been charged with shooting a man last Tuesday afternoon on Cook Road. The 19-year-old victim told officers he was near the bus stop on Cook Road near Tripoli Drive when four men drove up in a car and one man got out. The man demanded the victim’s money, chased him on foot and shot him in the back. The victim remains hospitalized at Duke University Hospital. Earlier today investigators arrested three people – James Williams, 18, of South Alston Avenue, Mario Melvin, 17, of Glenbrook Drive and Andre Bond Jr., 18, of Glenbrook Drive – and charged them with attempted murder in this shooting. Williams, Melvin and Bond were all placed in Durham County Jail under $1 million bonds. Oldham, 18, frequents the areas of Truman Street and Fayetteville Street at Cook Road. Anyone with information on Oldham’s whereabouts is asked to call Investigator J.S. Smith at 560-4415, ext. 228 or CrimeStoppers at 683-1200. CrimeStoppers pays cash rewards for information leading to arrests in felony cases and callers never have to identify themselves. |
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| Kerri P. | Feb 16 2009, 06:31 PM Post #18 |
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http://www.wral.com/news/news_briefs/story/4549393/ Silver Alert issued for Durham man Posted: 14 minutes ago Durham, N.C. — The North Carolina Center for Missing Persons issued a Silver Alert for a missing Durham man Monday evening. Danyell J. Covington, 23, is believed to be suffering from dementia or some other cognitive impairment, authorities said. Covington was described as a black man, 5 feet, 5 inches tall and 140 pounds, with short, black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen on the 600 block of Piper Street in Durham. Anyone with information about Covington's whereabouts is asked to call K. A. Stewart at the Durham Police Department at 919-560-4582. |
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| Kerri P. | Feb 16 2009, 06:33 PM Post #19 |
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http://www.wral.com/news/news_briefs/story/4549389/ Judgment hearing set in Michelle Young wrongful death suit Posted: 20 minutes ago Updated: 9 minutes ago Raleigh, N.C. — A hearing has been set for March 16 to determine the monetary judgment in a wrongful death lawsuit involving the husband of a slain Wake County woman. In December, a judge ruled Jason Young was responsible for the Nov. 3, 2006, beating death of his wife, Michelle Young, who was found dead inside their home near Raleigh. No one has been charged in her death, but Jason Young has been named a suspect in the case. The civil judgment has nothing to do with guilt or innocence in the criminal case, but it means he won't be able to collect benefits from his wife's insurance policy. It also means Michelle Young's mother, Linda Fisher, of Sayville, N.Y., will be able to seek compensation that would go Michelle and Jason Young's daughter, Cassidy. The March 16 hearing is expected to determine how much. Earlier this month, Jason Young and Fisher reached a settlement in a custody case involving Cassidy. Under that agreement, he will share custody of the child with Michelle Young's sister, Meredith Fisher. |
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| Quasimodo | Feb 16 2009, 06:46 PM Post #20 |
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And they chose Vaden?
It will be forever the biggest thing for which he is remembered, that he was at the N&O during the attempted frame of three innocent students--"Scottsboro II"--and went right along with the lynch mob, IMHO. The N&O was one of the few institutions which might have helped turn the tide, and it declined that option.
On what basis does Quarles declare that someone is a "fine, fine human being"? There are so many things that a "fine, fine human being" would have done, and would not have done, during the frame, that I don't even know where to begin. Would a "fine, fine human being" have allowed three blatantly innocent students to be chased by a lynch mob led by a town prosecutor, without pulling out all the stops to try and halt the lynching? (He was no Zola.)
Duke students ought to have the dignity to boycott his classes. But I'm sure that he will find lots to talk about with his fellow professor, John Burness. |
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7:36 PM Jul 10