| Blog and Media Roundup - Friday, October 29, 2010; News Roundup | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Oct 29 2010, 04:19 AM (432 Views) | |
| abb | Oct 29 2010, 04:19 AM Post #1 |
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http://www.heraldsun.com/view/full_story_news_durham/10085786/article-Prevention-of-violent-deaths-focus-of-group?instance=main_article Prevention of violent deaths focus of group The Herald Sun 10.28.10 - 10:24 pm INFORMATION More information is available at www.injuryfreenc.ncdhhs.gov online. By KEITH UPCHURCH kupchurch@heraldsun.com; 419-6612 DURHAM -- Preventing as many violent deaths as possible -- including suicides -- is a top goal of N.C. Violent Death Reporting System, its director told members of the Religious Coalition for a Nonviolent Durham on Thursday. Scott Proescholdbell runs the statewide surveillance system that collects detailed information on violent deaths in North Carolina. They include homicides, suicides, unintentional firearms deaths, legal intervention (such as police shootings) and deaths for which intent could not be determined. In most North Carolina counties, he said, suicide is the leading cause of violent death -- but not in Durham, where homicides are at the top. Between 2004 and 2008 in Durham County, figures shows there were 146 homicides (58 percent), 97 suicides (38 percent), one unintentional firearm death (less than 1 percent), six deaths from legal interventions (2 percent) and four deaths of undetermined intent (2 percent). Other figures for Durham County show: - Males were 2.5 times more likely to die from self-inflicted injuries than females and 6.5 times more likely to die from homicides than females. - Patterns of suicide and homicide differed by race. Suicide victims were more likely to be white than black or other racial groups. Whites had 9.8 suicides per 100,000 population compared to 4.8 suicides per 100,000 population in blacks. - In contrast, blacks had 22.6 homicides per 100,000 population as opposed to whites, who had 4.8 homicides per 100,000 population. The Violent Death Reporting System gets its information from death certificates and medical examiner and law enforcement reports. The goal, Proescholdbell said, is to help researchers, legislators and community interest groups -- like the Religious Coalition -- to develop strategies to reduce violent deaths. "We try to make a complete picture of the violent deaths that the state is experiencing, Proescholdbell said. In recent years, he said, "we have a better picture of what happened. Ten years ago, if you asked me about homicide and suicides, I could tell you their race and gender, but I couldn't tell you the circumstances. I couldn't tell you that there was a toxicology report that had a suspicion of alcohol. Now we can." He said his group's partnership with the Durham community is one he'd like to copy in other parts of the state, with the ultimate goal being to reduce all types of violent crime by identifying populations at risk. Thursday's meeting also included a tip of the hat to Jim Bjurstrom, deputy chief of the Durham Police Department who is retiring next month after 28 years of service. In a sometimes-emotional tribute, speakers recalled how Bjurstrom once brought cookies to a crime victim, and worked as an advocate for children traumatized by violence and for the mentally ill. Marcia Owen, director of the Religious Coalition, presented Bjurstrom a framed "peaceful presence" award. "He has a peaceful presence," Owen said. "He has no enemies, and works to resolve problems." The tribute ended with a standing ovation. |
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| abb | Oct 29 2010, 04:21 AM Post #2 |
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http://www.heraldsun.com/view/full_story_news_durham/10085826/article-Wagstaff-conducts-write-in-candidacy?instance=main_article Wagstaff conducts write-in candidacy The Herald Sun 10.28.10 - 10:30 pm By Ray Gronberg gronberg@heraldsun.com; 419-6648 DURHAM -- Former City Council and school board member Jackie Wagstaff is attempting a political comeback, via a write-in bid for a seat on the county soil and water board. Durham Board of Elections Director Mike Ashe said Wagstaff had posted herself outside at least one early-voting site and distributed "a sample ballot kind of thing" urging people to support her. "She's been telling voters, 'Vote for me and write in my name,'" Ashe said. One of Wagstaff's erstwhile opponents, incumbent Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor Ray Eurquhart, joined Ashe in confirming the report. He said a few of his supporters had called him while he was on a trip out of state to warn that Wagstaff was campaigning. Eurquhart was unruffled by the challenge. "That's her right, and that's that," he said. "I'm on the ballot, and we'll just wait until the vote's counted. If she wins, she wins." His reference to the ballot alluded to the fact that he and fellow incumbent Robert Rosenthal are the only candidates who actually filed for a place on the elections board's printed ballots. There are two seats up for grabs. Wagstaff early Thursday afternoon was outside the Board of Elections office on West Corporation Street, one of the three early-voting sites Ashe and his staff are operating up until this weekend. She deflected a question about whether she was running for the soil and water board, saying that she was just trying to help give President Barack Obama "some good help in Washington" by campaigning for congressional Democrats. "There's always a rumor that's running around. That's the way Durham is," Wagstaff said. "Durham is full of rumors." She was giving a few, evidently friendly voters a sample ballot, photocopied on white paper. One who received a copy stopped briefly to talk to another candidate. The paper she'd received from the former councilwoman clearly had Wagstaff's name on one of the write-in lines for the soil and water board. The leaflet also appeared to suggest a so-called "single-shot" vote for Wagstaff. Neither of the vote bubbles next to Eurquhart's or Rosenthal's name was filled in. The bubble next to the write-in for Wagstaff was. The soil and water board oversees the work of a county department that's responsible for an assortment of stream cleanup, stream preservation and drainage-control programs. The normally low-profile group has been a springboard for other local politicians. Chapel Hill Town Councilman Ed Harrison, Durham County Commissioner Brenda Howerton and former Durham City Councilman Frank Hyman all got their first taste of elective-office service on Durham's soil and water board. "The movement in the Durham district, starting in the early 1990s, was to make itself more of an urban district while keeping up the rural stuff," Harrison said, explaining how board policy changed while he and Hyman were members. "The rural activity began having an urban angle into it, because it moved more strongly into farmland protection." Eurquhart ran and won election to the board in 1994, basically as a replacement for Hyman, and has served ever since. Rosenthal first ran in 2002. Members serve four-year terms. Write-in candidates customarily have a tough time getting elected. To be competitive, they have to convince a lot of people to go to the extra trouble involved in casting ballots for a person not actually on the ballot. Rosenthal and Eurquhart ran unopposed in 2006, each pulling down more than 24,500 votes. Wagstaff's political career, meanwhile, imploded following the 2002 discovery that she'd falsified two city check requests for a nonprofit she headed so it could hire a bus company to take inner-city children on trips to amusement parks. The discovery surfaced after she'd won election to the school board. She took her seat on that board amid controversy that never truly ebbed until she was beaten for re-election in 2006. She's made one other attempt at elective office, running against Mayor Bill Bell in 2005. Wagstaff finished third in that year's city primary, taking 4.4 percent of the vote. |
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| abb | Oct 29 2010, 04:22 AM Post #3 |
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http://www.heraldsun.com/view/full_story/10084078/article--Good-for-Durham-?instance=hs_guest_columnists 'Good for Durham' The Herald Sun 10.28.10 - 07:37 pm By Harriet Hopkins Guest columnist Durham has a great candidate for Superior Court judge in Michael O'Foghludha. Durham needs strong, thoughtful judges. I support Mike O'Foghludha for Superior Court because I want the best for Durham. When Superior Court judges Ronald Stephens and Kenneth Titus announced their retirement at the end of their terms, several well-respected attorneys and judges recruited Mike to run. During his almost 30 years of practicing law in a wide range of civil and criminal cases, Mike has earned an impeccable reputation due to his commitment to excellence, fairness, respectful dealing and integrity. Mike accepted the challenge to run because he loves Durham. He attended Durham Public Schools at Rogers Herr and Hillside. His wife, Linda, was born and raised in Durham. Their two sons have been students in DPS. He is a Duke grad and attended UNC School of Law, graduating near the top of his class in 1982. I have known him since our college years, and we were in the same law school class. I can vouch for his fine character and integrity. Mike has extensive legal experience including work as a Legal Services attorney, as a public defender in Fayetteville and as a trial lawyer in complex civil cases. He is managing partner of his law firm, Pulley, Watson, King & Lischer P.A. in Durham. Mike has appeared at all levels of court, including the N.C. Supreme Court, the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, and he is licensed to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court. Mike's commitment to Durham is borne out by his community involvements. He has served as mentor to many newly licensed lawyers and has been a longtime member of the Access to Justice Campaign, a fundraiser for legal services for the poor. He oversees the firm's many community projects, such as the annual Christmas for the Troops event and Bike Head First, a program which raises awareness about bike safety and distributes 100 free helmets and two bikes. The firm has constructed a Habitat for Humanity house and is a sponsor of the N.C. Brain Injury Association. Mike also serves on the board of the Durham Center for Senior Life, one of the many organizations in which he is active. I know that Mike will be good for Durham and our justice system. He has the common sense to separate the serious from the frivolous, the compassion to render firm yet effective judgments, the intelligence and experience to consider any issue fully before rendering a decision, and the temperament to oversee the judicial process. With Mike, the public will get an experienced, level-headed, and respectful judge who will apply the law fairly regardless of stature, economic status, race, religious preference or any other classification that can be divisive. Michael is as good as his word, and those who come in contact with him -- even on opposing sides of his cases -- trust and know that. As a judge, Mike will bring these values to the bench and ensure that every citizen will be heard when he or she comes before the court. Mike cares about the issues facing our community and I have no doubt that he will be a tireless, strong advocate for the judicial system, and for the community at large. Mike has received an admirable array of endorsements, which speak to his reputation for fairness and integrity. Groups that rarely agree on any issue agree on Michael. The Durham People's Alliance, the Friends of Durham, the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People, the Durham County Republican Party, and the North Carolina Association of Women Attorneys, among others, have either endorsed or recommended Mike for Superior Court judge. Durham has a long tradition of excellence on our Superior Court bench. Let's continue this tradition by electing Mike O'Foghludha as one of Durham's Superior Court judges. It's best for Durham. You get three votes. Make sure one is for Mike. Harriet Hopkins, a practicing attorney in Durham, is campaign manager for Mike O'Foghludha. |
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| abb | Oct 29 2010, 04:26 AM Post #4 |
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http://justice4nifong.blogspot.com/2010/10/mystery-of-isleys-promotion-is.html Thursday, October 28, 2010 The mystery of Isley’s promotion is elementary In the Sunday, October 17, 2010 edition of The News & Observer, was a front page, below the fold, article titled, “Isley’s climb at SBI followed his claim of racism.” Evidently Mark Isley’s claim had teeth, and in accordance with terms of a 2005 settlement which was reached after he filed a discrimination complaint against the SBI, he was promoted with a wage increase. Mark Isley is an African American SBI agent who played an integral part in the successful incarceration of mentally impaired Floyd Brown, who was held in limbo for years awaiting a trial that never materialized. The article, by staff writers Mandy Locke and Joseph Neff, was in strict compliance with the paper’s PAPEN (Protect All Prosecutors Except Nifong) Policy, as it never once mentioned the name of the prosecutor responsible for the handling of Mr. Brown’s case, Anson County prosecutor Michael D. Parker. Now the question posed by the N & O writers concerns the mysteries of how SBI agent Mark Isley’s career "soared" while evidence mounted that he fabricated a confession that forced a disabled man to be locked away at a mental hospital for 14 years. After putting on my “Sherlock Holmes cap,” and making a few deductions, the answer is, well, elementary. The key to this puzzle has to do with the timeline. The investigative reporting in this article is a little sloppy and vague, with attempts to mislead the reader. In early 2004, Mr. Isley had been employed by the SBI for approximately 15 years… the length of time spent as a supervisor of field agents is unclear. At some point during his employment he began to complain about discriminatory practices in the SBI which had prevented him and other African Americans from advancing in the ranks. Now the N & O, without giving dates, stated that Isley began complaining months after attorneys for Floyd Brown began registering complaints about Isley’s work. The importance of this statement is to dispel any “cause and effect” relationship. However, I believe that Mr. Isley’s complaints about racial discrimination preceded those against him by Brown’s attorneys. The timing is a critical issue here. Why in spring of 2004 would one look into Isley’s handling of Brown’s case? The facts concerning Floyd Brown had not changed since he was first charged and held in a mental hospital in 1993. He was severely retarded and, according to mental health experts, could not have dictated a confession which Isley allegedly wrote word for word. This so-called confession was the only thing tying Brown to the crime, as no forensic or physical evidence linking Brown to the murder could be established. The defense attorneys were aware of this, as was Anson prosecutor Michael D. Parker. But everyone, including the media, was content to allow Brown to languish in the mental hospital because he was disenfranchised, poor, and an African American… in accordance with the state’s tenet of “selective justice based on Class and Color.” So, evidently there seemed to be no movement in Brown’s situation until nearly a decade later… around the time Mark Isley began complaining about being discriminated against by being passed over for promotion by other less qualified white SBI applicants. Then, all of a sudden and out of the clear blue Floyd Brown’s attorneys request Isley’s personnel records from the SBI and began making allegations of misconduct against him. There was no indication that any complaints were made against the prosecutor who was actually responsible for Brown being held in custody without a trial, Michael D. Parker. It can also be deduced from the newspaper article that the SBI and Mr. Isley did not see eye to eye regarding his complaints, as he was forced to eventually file a racial discrimination claim against the SBI. It can also be deduced, from the settlement which included a promotion and pay raise for Isley, that his claim of racial discrimination had substance, a matter that the media has chosen to gloss over. In addition to settling with Isley, the agency was forced to pay Isley’s attorney fees, and the SBI later issued a revised policy regarding the promotion process and incorporated increased minority hiring and recruitment. After being dealt a significant blow by Mr. Isley’s complaint, it is not a stretch to come to the realization that Mr. Isley did not hold a favored agent status within the state agency. This is a situation which usually engenders retribution… and what better way to knock Mr. Isley down a peg or two than to bring to the fore earlier acts of possible serious misconduct, of which the agency had been aware since the beginning. Now, David Rudolf, a Charlotte criminal defense attorney who filed a civil suit on behalf of Floyd Brown and is smacking his lips at the thought of his percentage of a potential humongous award in court, was quick to criticize SBI agent Mark Isley. He was quick to blame Isley for Brown being held for fourteen years in a mental hospital without a trial. I have not heard a disparaging word coming from the mouth of Mr. Rudolf about the prosecutor, Michael D. Parker. Parker was the person in charge of the Brown case, and he knew, or should have known, about the legitimacy, or lack thereof, of Brown’s so-called written confession. Parker was also the person who refused mental health staff requests to allow Mr. Brown to have lunch with his sister and to leave for several hours to attend the fair. Parker was also the person who maliciously interfered with living arrangements which had been painstakingly made by state social workers for Brown in an assisted living facility. But, again, there apparently are no complaints from Attorney Rudolf about Mr. Parker’s conduct. I only used the newspaper article as a source for analyzing its topic of Isley’s complaint, his promotion, and the Brown case, so my conclusions, which follow, are mostly based on educated supposition. They are as follows: (1) Attorneys on both sides of the murder charge against Brown knew that the so-called confession allegedly obtained by Isley was bogus, but it was the only thing that the prosecution had with which to hold Brown; (2) Floyd Brown definitely had ineffective counsel at his original trial; (3) the North Carolina SBI agency practiced racial discrimination with regards to promotions at the time that Isley first complained about it; (4) the sudden emergence of complaints by Brown’s attorneys about Isley, including the request to see his personnel records, was directly related to Isley’s complaints of discrimination; (5) as pointed out in The News & Observer, Isley’s promotion was related to his settlement regarding complaints of racial discrimination in the SBI; (6) the media reporting on the Floyd Brown case adhere to the PAPEN Policy, and are scapegoating Mark Isley; and (7) the problems Mark Isley now face are a result of his complaints against the SBI. Keep in mind that Prosecutor Michael D. Parker is in good standing with the North Carolina State Bar... as are Tom Ford (Gregory Taylor), Bill Wolfe (James Arthur Johnson), and David Hoke (Alan Gell). And Mike Nifong is the only prosecutor to be disbarred by the North Carolina State Bar since its inception in 1933 - a travesty of justice... something that defies logic and is definitely not elementary. |
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| abb | Oct 29 2010, 04:28 AM Post #5 |
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http://www.dukechronicle.com/article/grad-student-arrested-burglary-sun Grad student arrested for burglary Sun. By Chronicle Staff October 29, 2010 A Duke graduate student was arrested Sunday for first-degree burglary, The Herald-Sun reported Tuesday. Sam Payton, a former Duke lacrosse player pursuing a master of business administration at the Fuqua School of Business, was arrested early Sunday morning after the Durham Police Department responded to a 4:10 a.m. call in the 2400 block of West Campus Boulevard. The residents of the home said they did not know Payton when police arrived, police spokeswoman Kammie Michael told The Herald Sun. Payton was released later that day from the Durham County Jail on a $30,000 secured bond. Payton’s lawyer, Bob Ekstrand, said in a statement that his client’s the arrest was a misunderstanding. “My client made the mistake of attempting to enter what he believed to be his friends’ house after a night out with his friends. This unfortunate mistake no doubt alarmed the homeowner and the police, and for that he is terribly sorry. But it did not involve any criminal activity—he was not driving a car and no one was injured. We hope to resolve this matter promptly with all involved, who will have our full cooperation.” |
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| abb | Oct 29 2010, 04:30 AM Post #6 |
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http://www.dukechronicle.com/article/media-sues-unc-over-public-record Media sues UNC over public record By Chronicle Staff October 29, 2010 A coalition of North Carolina news organizations filed suit Thursday against several top UNC officials for access to public records in the university’s investigation of the school’s football program. Officials from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have refused to provide records related to the ongoing investigations into improper relationships with professional agents and academic misconduct since August, citing the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, a federal student privacy law, according The Daily Tar Heel. “Our perception is that the university is using FERPA as a blanket excuse to withhold any information about students that might be relevant,” said Daily Tar Heel Editor-in-Chief Sarah Frier, a senior, in an interview with The Chronicle. The DTH is one of the organizations filing suit against UNC. The Daily Tar Heel joined with The (Raleigh) News & Observer and six other publications to file the lawsuit in Orange County Superior Court. The suit names UNC Athletic Director Dick Baddour, head football coach Butch Davis, Director of Public Safety Jeff McCracken and Chancellor Holden Thorp as defendants. Thorp said he was “disappointed” by the lawsuit in a statement released Thursday. “The University is 100 percent committed to complying with our obligations under public records laws,” Thorp said in his statement. “We recognize the media’s legitimate interest in the football story, but we can’t ignore federal and state law with regard to confidential student and personnel records.” The suit seeks the release of unredacted phone records for the university-issued cell phones of Davis, Baddour and former associate coach John Blake; employment information for tutors hired by UNC and documents pertaining to former tutor Jennifer Wiley; internal documents associated with UNC’s investigation; parking tickets issued to 11 UNC football players; names of those who provided benefits to players and records of which players receive scholarships, according to The Daily Tar Heel. Frier said the DTH has been considering filing a lawsuit “in recent weeks.” “We had a couple of weeks of talking with the university trying to clarify our position and their position to see if they can see our side without a lawsuit, but they’re sticking,” Frier said. The DTH is represented by Amanda Martin, who serves as counsel for the North Carolina Press Association and for reporters and editors at more than 200 publications. Other news organizations named as plaintiffs in the suit include the Charlotte Observer, News 14 Carolina, a cable TV station operated by Time Warner Entertainment-Advance/Newhouse Partnership; WTVD Television; Capitol Broadcasting; the Associated Press and Media General Operations. |
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| abb | Oct 29 2010, 04:37 AM Post #7 |
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http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/10/29/767587/media-outlets-sue-for-unc-records.html Published Fri, Oct 29, 2010 02:00 AM Modified Fri, Oct 29, 2010 04:49 AM Media outlets sue for UNC records The News & Observer, The Charlotte Observer and other media organizations sued top UNC-Chapel Hill officials Thursday in an attempt to get records related to the two-pronged NCAA investigation of the football program. The suit represents a collision between two legal arguments - while universities in North Carolina and elsewhere argue that federal student privacy laws prohibit them from releasing certain records, media organizations say they are overstepping their legal bounds to keep from disclosing particular documents. The N&O and other plaintiffs believe the records being sought are public under North Carolina law, which states that records, documents and other information generated by state agencies and institutions such as UNC-CH should be - with limited exceptions - made public. In the past week, national media associations have written letters to Congress and adopted resolutions citing concerns over the use of the student privacy law to withhold public documents. "I think these issues are arising more frequently and we probably need to be on the record that it's bad business and we oppose it," Mac McKerral, former Society of Professional Journalists president and head of the organization's resolutions committee, said in a prepared statement about an Oct. 13 resolution. In the case of UNC, officials have declined for months to turn over many documents related to the investigations into academic misconduct by football players and ties between former assistant head football coach John Blake and NFL agents, according to the suit. "There is evidence here of serious violations - UNC players accepting benefits from agents and academic misconduct," said John Drescher, executive editor of The News & Observer. "UNC has said it wants to get to the bottom of these problems in its football program. The best way to do that is to release these records. Without that, there will continue to be a cloud of doubt about UNC's investigation and whether the university really got to the bottom of the wrongdoing." Among the records being sought by The News & Observer and others, are: Phone numbers from bills of telephones issued to and used by Richard Baddour, UNC-CH athletics director; Butch Davis, UNC head coach; and, Blake, the former assistant coach and chief recruiter who resigned under fire amid the probe. Names, employment dates and salaries of all individuals employed as tutors and or mentors for UNC-CH athletes since January 2007, including any documents mentioning Jennifer Wiley, the former tutor and a focus of the probe. Any parking tickets issued by UNC-CH to 11 players. Any documents or records of any investigation conducted by the university related to any misconduct by a UNC-CH football coach, any football players, any sports agents, any boosters and any academic tutors. And the names of individuals and organizations that provided improper benefits to any UNC football players. University officials have maintained that many of the records being sought are private, citing federal laws put in place years ago to prevent the public disclosure of student grades and other private records. "The university is entrusted with lots of confidential information about our students," Leslie Strohm, UNC-CH vice chancellor and general counsel, said in a statement. "They and their families expect us to hold that information in confidence because it's required by federal law and because it's the right thing to do. A football player has the same basic privacy rights as any student on campus." Chancellor Holden Thorp, one of four UNC-CH officials named in the suit, said he was disappointed. In a statement, Thorp noted that additional staff had been hired to help review and respond to public records requests related to the issue. One public records officer had spent more than 600 hours over the past three and a half months working to fill those requests, according to the statement including comments from Strohm and Thorp. "The university is 100 percent committed to complying with our obligations under public records laws," Thorp said in his statement. "We recognize the media's legitimate interest in the football story, but we can't ignore federal and state law with regard to confidential student and personnel records." The News & Observer and Charlotte Observer, both McClatchy newspapers, joined with the DTH Media Corp., which publishes the UNC-CH student newspaper The Daily Tar Heel; News 14 Carolina, a cable TV station operated by Time Warner Entertainment-Advance/Newhouse Partnership; WTVD Television; Capitol Broadcasting; The Associated Press; and, Media General Operations. The suit names Thorp, Baddour, Davis and Jeff McCracken, head of the UNC-CH public safety department. Baddour said Thursday that he, too, was disappointed by the suit, that he is willing to turn over any of his business phone records. He also added that despite the problems revealed about the football program and Blake, he stands behind Davis as head coach. "I felt like when we hired him, he was a tremendous fit," Baddour said Thursday. "He is absolutely the right person for this job and to make the necessary fixes." NCAA investigators have been looking at the UNC football program since this summer. Initially the probe focused on whether players had received improper benefits from agents. But the inquiry was expanded to include possible academic violations involving a tutor. In all, 14 players have missed some or all of the season. Three players are no longer eligible to play in college: Marvin Austin, Greg Little and Robert Quinn, all projected to be selected in next spring's NFL draft. Last week, the NCAA said that Little and Quinn had lied to its investigators and that the players took trips, jewelry and more worth a combined $10,000. The NCAA banned them from college play after receiving reports from UNC. UNC said Austin accepted more than $10,000 in improper benefits and kicked him out of the program without submitting information about him to the NCAA. Last Friday, after an earlier threat of lawsuit, UNC released heavily redacted documents that provided some insight into benefits being provided by agents to players, a practice forbidden by the NCAA. The agents, according to the documents, are accused of securing hotel rooms for players and providing wristbands that gave them access to a South Florida pool party. Until the documents were released, the NCAA and UNC had declined to say who provided the benefits. UNC switched course after continued efforts by The N&O and the Observer to force their release. In the documents, Chris Hawkins, a former UNC-CH player, was described as a "runner," or someone who introduces players to agents. Todd Stewart, who is believed to be from Washington, D.C., was described in one of the NCAA violation letters as a prospective agent because of "self-identified ties with a financial advising firm" and as someone who booked hotel rooms for players. Also identified was Michael Katz, director of marketing and client services for Rosenhaus Sports, which has the largest number of NFL clients. Two of the NCAA violation letters said Katz provided the wristbands that granted access to a pool party. The documents did not say more about that, including specifically whether that action triggers a violation. Previous reports have shown Austin and Little at a South Florida pool party. On Thursday, the university released documents that identified a jeweler in South Florida accused of providing one player with diamond "bling." The NCAA has refused to release records on the agents, saying it doesn't have jurisdiction over them. The N.C. Secretary of State's office enforces a state agent-registration law, and the state agency has acknowledged opening a criminal probe that could lead to felony charges. Staff writer Ken Tysiac contributed to this report. anne.blythe@newsobserver.com or 919-836-4948 |
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| abb | Oct 29 2010, 04:47 AM Post #8 |
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http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/politics&id=7751712 Clerk of Court race turns ugly Thursday, October 28, 2010 RALEIGH (WTVD) -- Wake County Clerk of Court candidate Jan Pueschel doesn't mince words. The Republican has caused a stir with allegations in an e-mail from her campaign. In it, she accuses incumbent Clerk of Court - Democrat Lorrin Freeman - with "disregard for a state law that could have aided in Eve Carson's murder." Carson was the UNC student body president killed in 2008 by Demario James Atwater. He pleaded guilty to her murder earlier this year. Atwater appeared in a Wake County courtroom days before the murder for a probation violation hearing. But his paperwork was sent to the wrong court and his case was continued - allowing him out on the streets. Pueschel alleges that Freeman has a legal responsibility under state law. "That law says that anytime a matter comes before the court, that the clerk must produce the file," she told ABC11. Freeman admits there was a paperwork mix-up, but vehemently denies it led to Carson's murder. "It's absolutely untrue. It's inaccurate. There was nothing that my office did that day that would have changed the fact that Demario Atwater was able to walk out of the courthouse that day," she said. "I think it's really tragic that Ms. Pueschel has decided to use a very terrible situation to further her political career," she continued. But Pueschel sticks by her statement. "If she thinks something probably would have happened, I'm not going to dispute that. But if he had appeared in the right court, a Superior Court judge could have increased his bail," she told ABC11. Despite the strong allegations - Pueschel says she doesn't blame Freeman for Carson's murder. Both women will fight for the job right down to Tuesday's election. "I will assure them that the laws will be followed and the procedures will be in place so that files are not lost," said Pueschel. "We've built a very good reputation over the past four years of working hard to serve the people of Wake County. We've had a lot of great success," said Freeman. |
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| abb | Oct 29 2010, 04:48 AM Post #9 |
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http://dukefactchecker.blogspot.com/2010/10/bombshell-potti-co-author-says-their.html Thursday, October 28, 2010 ✔✔✔✔✔ BOMBSHELL -- Potti co-author says their research has no validity!!!!! ✔✔✔✔✔ ✔✔✔✔✔ ✔✔✔✔✔ Fact Checker has learned that Dr. Joseph Nevins -- co-author with Dr Anil Potti of many important cancer journal articles -- has asked the Journal of Clinical Oncology to retract the key paper in their research. This is the worst possible news: Potti's research is as fake as his credentials!! Devastating news for the University and its crown jewel, Duke Health. Nevins, Barbara Levine Professor of Breast Cancer Genomics and director of the Center for Applied Genomics and Technology at DUKE, has been mum so far as scandal engulfed the work that he and Potti did. He did not comment publicly when Duke found this fall that Potti had big lies on his resume, including a faked Rhodes Scholarship. But tonight, the bombshell. Nevins put it all on the table in a letter to the editor of the cancer journal. The key Nevins-Potti article is a 2007 paper entitled "Pharmacogenomic Strategies Provide a Rational Approach to the Treatment of Cisplatin-Resistant Patients With Advanced Cancer." Nevins: the data we presented in the paper does not support the conclusions that we gave identifying thru genome study what medicines will work best in specific patients with specific cancers. That is a paraphrase. No direct quotes are yet available. Some of the same data that Nevins denounced tonight was used by Duke last winter in a internal investigation (with outside consultants). That review cleared Potti!!!! FC has reported -- but Duke has not confirmed -- that its secret investigation was led by Dr. John Harrelson, professor of orthopedic surgery and associate professor of pathology. A Deputy Fact Checker reports he is a double Dukie, Trinity '61 and MD '64, who also stayed on at Duke to train on the House Staff. He is now retired. The heat will be on him and others, including Vice Deans reporting to Medical School dean Nancy Andrews, who signed off on the Harrelson report, to explain how they managed to endorse Potti's research when they held their supposedly thorough review. Tonight, there is still the mystery -- why Potti's data could not be duplicated. What reason does Nevins believe? Error? Fraud? It's hold your breath time. To its credit, Duke immediately notified the outside experts conducting a new, complete, unfettered review of this mess. The experts are from the prestigious Institute of Medicine, "an independent non profit that works works outside of government to provide unbiased and authoritative advice to decision makers and the public." Established in 1970, the IOM is the health arm of the National Academy of Sciences, which was chartered under President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. FC has previously expressed confidence in a rigorous, no-stone-unturned review, and endorsed the efforts of Duke chancellor Dzau to bring in the IOM. FC has learned that beyond the one journal article that Nevins asked to be retracted, he is scrutinizing other research involving Potti. At this hour nothing is known about the reaction of the string of other people who joined Potti in his various articles, or in his lab. This would seem to be a vindication of the work of researchers at MD Anderson Comprehensive Cancer Center, U of Texas, Houston, who have been questioning Potti for years. More on this later. These researchers, who stood steadfast in the face of assault by Duke, are heroes! How will Duke by responding to this latest crisis? FC information: FC has learned first, it will keep Potti on the payroll, suspended from the faculty, from research and seeing patients until all investigations are over. The Institute of Medicine Review is expected to take 18 months.Then there is a separate Duke review of faculty misconduct. This clown should be fired forthwith. If the administration cannot bring itself to do it, the Trustees should direct it. The faculty of this school should revolt. Any stakeholder who loves Duke should revolt. What about Potti's patients? While new patients were barred, previously enrolled patients are continuing to be treated according to Potti's bum science!!! Expect Duke -- facing HUGE HUGE malpractice lawsuits -- to contend "we do not believe that patients were endangered through their participation in these studies." Fact Checker and Deputies are assigned. Keep watching this space for developments. |
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| abb | Oct 29 2010, 11:12 AM Post #10 |
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http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/10/29/768881/duke-scientist-requests-retraction.html Published Fri, Oct 29, 2010 11:43 AM Modified Fri, Oct 29, 2010 11:46 AM Duke scientist requests retraction of cancer research work One of the Duke scientists who collaborated with Dr. Anil Potti on cancer research has requested a retraction of the work in a major scientific journal - a significant blow to both Duke and its lab. Joseph Nevins, a professor and director of Duke's Center for Applied Genomics and Technology, sent a letter to the editors of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, a leading publisher of scientific findings in cancer research, calling for a full retraction of work he and Potti submitted in 2007. Efforts to reach the journal editors are underway. The work, which claims to establish a genetic basis for predicting which cancer patients will respond best to different treatments, has been questioned for at least a year, when scientists elsewhere tried to reproduce it and could not. In addition, the other scientists found numerous errors, requiring published corrections. The problems have raised concerns about clinical trials at Duke that were based on the research. About 100 area patients were enrolled in three studies, which Duke halted briefly last year amid allegations that the science behind them was faulty. They resumed the trials after a review of the work, but stopped them again this fall as the controversy escalated. Duke officials have said those patients are not in harms way, because they were given standard treatments. Potti has been on paid leave since last summer when allegations arose he padded his resume and published shoddy science. Duke officials this fall confirmed that Potti had embellished his credentials, falsely claiming to have been a prestigious Rhodes Scholar. Duke officials said an investigation into his scientific work continues; he remains on staff. |
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| abb | Oct 29 2010, 11:13 AM Post #11 |
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http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/10/29/768830/gov-perdue-expected-to-name-new.html Published Fri, Oct 29, 2010 11:01 AM Modified Fri, Oct 29, 2010 11:28 AM Gov. Perdue names Gilchrist as new Highway Patrol commander Gov. Bev Perdue today appointed Lt. Colonel Michael W. Gilchrist as head of the N.C. Highway Patrol. Gilchrist, a Plymouth native, has served on the patrol since 1986. Prior to his promotion, he was second-in-command to Col. Randy Glover. Glover resigned after 10 months on the job. During his tenure, there were several embarrassing disclosures about misconduct by troopers under his command. Glover had been a trooper for more than 30 years and was a long-time friend and supporter of the governor. His resignation came nine days after Perdue held a press conference to back Glover and say she had full confidence in his ability to bring change to the agency. Shortly after Glover's resignation, a spokeswoman for Perdue said she was "open-minded" about hiring someone from outside the patrol or even from out-of-state. |
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| MikeKell | Oct 29 2010, 11:40 AM Post #12 |
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Still a Newbie
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note that none of this is attributed which I take to mean the newsobserver folks stole every word of this from FactChecker. They didn't get it from the journal, and they didn't get the story from Duke. Just as before, the snooze/disturber folks are trolling websites and re-writing stories AS IF they had done the original investigation. sorry approximation for journalism. You can do better, Sarah, really. Just my opinion, of course. |
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| abb | Oct 29 2010, 06:35 PM Post #13 |
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http://blogs.newsobserver.com/campusnotes/duke-student-likely-alone-during-fall-that-led-to-death Cause of Duke student death still unknown Submitted by eferreri on 10/29/2010 - 13:19 Bookmark and Share Tags: Campus Notes | Andrew Everson | Andrew Ryan Everson | Drew Everson | Duke University | East Campus | East Campus Union Note: This blog post has been updated (1:50 p.m.) Duke senior Drew Everson was most likely alone when he fell early last Friday and suffered injuries that would prove fatal. And there are no indications of foul play. That's about all the information released thus far as Duke University investigates the circumstances of Everson's untimely death. He was found last Friday morning near a stairwell behind a dining hall on Duke's East Campus. He lived in an off-campus apartment nearby. He was hospitalized and died two days later. A short statement from Duke spokesman Michael Schoenfeld issued Friday in response to inquiries from the News & Observer reads: “At this time, all the evidence indicates that the death of Duke student Drew Everson was a tragic accident. We are still awaiting the results of the medical examiner's report, which will take several weeks. Current information suggests he fell sometime after 3 a.m. Friday morning in a staircase that leads to a service area behind the East Campus Union. There are no indications that anyone was with him at the time of the fall, and there is no evidence he was the victim of a crime.” In a subsequent interview Friday, Schoenfeld said Duke police enlisted the help of the Durham Police Department's forensics unit to examine the scene where Everson was found Friday morning. "They have looked at the evidence available and have come to the conclusion that this was not a crime," he said. "This was a tragic accident." Everson had been out with friends at Satisfaction, a Main Street bar and restaurant, the night before, according to one of Everson's fraternity brothers. But it isn't clear what happened after he left. He was hospitalized Friday and died Sunday. His death prompted a massive outpouring of grief this week on the Duke campus, where Everson was described as bright, popular and funny with a rare ability to bring people together. A Wednesday memorial service in Duke Chapel drew more than 1,000 mourners. Everson's family moved around a good bit when he was young. He went to high school in Greenville, S.C. Read more: http://blogs.newsobserver.com/campusnotes/duke-student-likely-alone-during-fall-that-led-to-death#ixzz13nI3y48Y |
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