| Blog and Media Roundup - Wednesday, April 6, 2011; News Roundup | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Apr 6 2011, 05:28 AM (337 Views) | |
| abb | Apr 6 2011, 05:28 AM Post #1 |
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http://www.heraldsun.com/view/full_story_news_durham/12642166/article-Warrants-appear-to-back-murder-fears?instance=main_article Warrants appear to back murder fears 04.05.11 - 10:59 pm From staff and wire reports DURHAM -- New search warrants state alleged cult leader Peter Lucas Moses Jr. and Vania Rae Sisk are "directly involved in the murder of a juvenile and an adult," assumedly two missing Durham residents -- Jadon Higganbothan, 5, and Antoinetta McKoy. The warrants appear to back up search warrants from Colorado which showed last month that Durham detectives suspected both were murdered. Sisk had left Durham for Colorado earlier this year Sisk is the boy's mother, Moses is the leader of a religious group, the "Black Hebrews" to which Sisk and McKoy belonged. Tuesday's warrants were obtained by NBC17.com and WRAL.com. Those outlets reported that police recovered blood samples, bullets and bullet casings from the home at 2109 Pear Tree Lane in Durham that served as the headquarters of the religious group and where all four of the people named above once resided. The items were collected during several searches of the Pear Tree Lane home after Higganbothan and McKoy were reported missing. Jadon hasn't been seen since October, McKoy since December. NBC17.com and WRAL.com both said investigators found a bullet, shell casing and evidence of human blood inside the house. Some of the evidence was sent to an FBI lab for analysis, the warrant states. Colorado authorities said they became involved in the case in February when Durham police called to ask them where Jadon and Sisk might be. In an affidavit for search warrant by the Teller County Sheriff's Office in Colorado, Durham police said a confidential informant told them the boy and McKoy had been fatally shot by members of a church group called the Black Hebrews. Warrants stated that Sisk moved to the Colorado Springs area with fellow members of the religious sect. Sisk returned to Durham from Colorado in early March, and told police she left her son with an acquaintance in Durham on Feb. 20. Police said some of her statements were inconsistent. Moses was arrested on unrelated charges and released from Durham County Jail after posting a $1,500 bond in March. A warrant was filed for the arrest of Sisk on unrelated drug charges in March. Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Investigator Robinson at (919) 560-4440, ext. 29335 or CrimeStoppers at (919) 683-1200. |
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| abb | Apr 6 2011, 06:38 AM Post #2 |
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http://www.dukechronicle.com/article/kunshan-campus-takes-shape-amid-doubts Kunshan campus takes shape amid doubts By Lauren Carroll [3] April 6, 2011 As Duke Kunshan University moves forward, concerns about the risks involved with the endeavor continue to surface. Construction on the campus has progressed in recent months, yet the lack of certain details about funding, the campus’ surrounding environment, Chinese local support and the value of expanding globally have caused some to question the plans. Some faculty members are concerned about the magnitude of the anticipated multi-million dollar investment, but many recognize the benefit in establishing a global presence, said Craig Henriquez, Academic Council chair and a biomedical engineering professor. Until more faculty members are aware of the details of the endeavor—such as which professors will teach or research at DKU—many will remain skeptical of the project, he added. “Everyone is trying to get a handle of what the costs are,” Henriquez said. “[Currently], only a handful of faculty are involved, and the rest are wondering if it’s a good investment until they see it in action.” In a document released last month, administrators acknowledged the project’s potential financial risks, such as relying on philanthropic support, holding Kunshan accountable for its financial commitments and dealing with potential fluctuations in the size of Duke’s total investment. “We believe we understand the principal strategic and operational risks, though we acknowledge that there is always the risk of the unknown and the unanticipated,” the document, which was produced by the Office of the Provost and the Office of Global Strategy and Programs, states. Although the administration has put forth detailed investment plans, some aspects of long-term financing are still unclear to administrators themselves. Details of DKU’s potential initial enrollment and tuition costs are not concrete, Executive Vice President Tallman Trask said. He believes it is too early to predict how soon DKU will become self-sufficient through revenue generated by tuition. “The reality is, until [students] actually show up, if the numbers turn out to be more than expected, we’ll have to reconsider and go back to the faculty and Trustees with a different discussion,” Trask said. Kunshan and Duke will split operational cost subsidies for the first six years—with Duke covering 52 percent—and Kunshan will rent the campus to the University at no cost for 10 years. These agreements are expected to be renewed in the future under their current conditions, Trask said. The cost to the University throughout DKU’s first six years is expected to total $37 million in addition to the $5.5 million previously spent on design and construction oversight. The University will also draw a $13.3 million loan from central administrative funds for campus furnishings, Trask said. Because the investment comes shortly after the University cut funding from the Durham campus in light of the economic downturn, questions have arisen about the upcoming spending in China. “Over the last couple of years [the University has] had to cut $125 million, and now we are going to be sending a good amount of money to Duke Kunshan,” said political science professor Paula McClain at the March 24 Academic Council meeting. “But all of the money they take in will stay within that institution. Are we going to be squeezed even more?” Henriquez said faculty tend to get anxious when the University “experiments.” He added, however, that he has observed significantly less excitement from his colleagues about DKU than he expected. Faculty are concerned that they will not be able to continue Durham initiatives because of the costs of projects in Kunshan. “It’s hard to find people who are hyper-enthusiastic about this—that’s a little surprising to me,” he said. “[Enthusiasm is] not as evident as it should be at this point.” ‘Incalculable’ rewards Few Dukies in Durham have seen the campus’ development first hand, but one Kunshan local has visited the site and expressed confidence in the project. American investment company owner Virgil Adams has been investing in Kunshan for 15 years. He recently moved his company, New Frontier Investments, to the region because he believes it will eventually emerge as the “Chinese Silicon Valley.” Adams has been closely following DKU’s construction, occasionally tracking its progress in his blog, “My Kunshan.” Based on his experience as a developer in the region, he believes Duke’s decision to build a campus in China will induce “incalculable” rewards. Adams acknowledged that the initial budget might seem steep but said a prediction of DKU’s value in 20 years could vastly exceed believable expectations. “Any university that does not jump at an opportunity to be here is going to get left by the wayside of history,” he said in an interview. “I cannot imagine how Duke could make any money off this in the first five years, but in 20 years, this will have a phenomenal, immeasurable return on investment for Kunshan and Duke.... You can’t even imagine it—no one can.” Provost Peter Lange echoed the importance of establishing a global presence. The advantages are hard to see when working in a nation with a “complicated political landscape” like China, he said. “We need to remember this is a major strategic initiative for the University—it’s easy to lose sight in the thousands of details,” Lange said. “When one is evaluating risks, it’s always worthwhile to think about the risks of doing nothing.” ‘I’ll believe it when I see it’ In addition to observing DKU’s progress from afar, Adams was able to get a tour of the construction site last month—a privilege typically reserved for Duke administrators and Kunshan officials. When he first visited in late 2010, he said, there was almost no activity or indication that work was being done and he was skeptical that the project would be finished by its expected completion date of late 2012. When he visited again in March, his opinion changed. That time, construction crews had begun work on the school’s foundation and were constructing basements, he said. “[Last year], I said it doesn’t look like anything is going to open in the next three years,” he said. “This time, it was obvious work was being done.” When administrators first presented tentative plans for the Chinese campus, they anticipated that the first phase of construction would be completed sometime in 2011. Challenges such as finalizing agreements with a partner university contributed to the project’s delay. In January, the University established a partnership with Wuhan University, and if its appeal to the Chinese Ministry of Education to establish a campus is approved, DKU should be able to enroll students for Fall 2012 academic programs. Although the campus is making obvious strides in construction, Adams said Kunshan locals remain largely unaware of the project. He believes the limited publicity can be attributed to the many other large and fast-paced developments happening throughout the city, causing Duke to get “lost in the shuffle.” A lack of significant Duke presence contributes to the minimal Chinese public response, he added. “The credibility of the endeavor might get called into question, not in a negative way,” Adams said. “The Chinese are saying, ‘I’ll believe it when I see it.’” Additionally, DKU is not readily visible to many Kunshan citizens. Located near the Suzhou Industrial Park, the campus is about a 20-minute drive from downtown Kunshan and is surrounded by vacant land with business complexes on the other side of the empty lots, he said. Although largely industrial, he believes that this area is a smart place for Duke to invest because of significant research taking place nearby. “People are going to start up the future Google or Apple in Kunshan, and what’s the value of that investment?” Adams said. |
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| abb | Apr 6 2011, 06:44 AM Post #3 |
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http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/04/06/1107832/missing-boys-mother-is-focus.html Published Wed, Apr 06, 2011 06:09 AM Modified Wed, Apr 06, 2011 05:47 AM Missing boy's mother is focus BY JESSE JAMES DECONTO - Staff Writer Published in: Crime/Safety Related Stories Related Images DURHAM Police are investigating a mother and her boyfriend in the murder of her son and another woman who lived with them, according to a search warrant. Detectives found blood, a fired bullet, a shell casing and evidence of cleaning in the house at 2109 Pear Tree Lane in Durham, where police think the murders took place, the warrant says. Vania Sisk, Peter Lucas Moses Jr., missing 5-year-old Jadon Higganbothan and others lived there until recently. "Moses and Sisk were directly involved in the murder of a juvenile and an adult," according to the warrant application written by Detective Charles Sole. The warrant is the first information released by the Durham Police Department showing that detectives think Sisk and Moses were involved in the slaying of Sisk's son, Jadon, and a woman named Antoinetta McKoy. Until Tuesday, most of the public information about the case has come from search warrants issued by authorities in Colorado, where Sisk, Moses and others went after Durham police started investigating Jadon and McKoy as missing persons in February. Neither Moses nor Sisk has been charged with murder in North Carolina. However, according to the Colorado search warrant, an informant told police that Moses killed Jadon and that Sisk later shot McKoy at Moses' command. Durham police say Sisk told them she hadn't seen Jadon since Feb. 20, but a press release from Durham police indicates his last "confirmed sighting" was in October. Sisk reported leaving Jadon with an acquaintance in Durham on Feb. 20, according to Durham police. Sisk gave detectives multiple names for the person she says has Jadon: Charlene Keith on Danube Lane and Alicia Sanders or Sanderson on Roxboro Road. But the informant told Durham police that Moses wrapped the boy's body in plastic, put it in a suitcase and carried it to the attic of the home, according to the Colorado search warrant. The informant also said two women beat McKoy unconscious after she argued with Moses and flagged down a passerby outside the house. Moses then ordered Sisk to shoot McKoy. Moses, Sisk and LaRonda Smith carried her body outside and buried her, according to the search warrant. Sisk's family members and a Colorado detective say the individuals involved belong to a home-based religious group called the Black Hebrews. jesse.deconto@newsobserver.com or 919-932-8760 |
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| abb | Apr 6 2011, 06:46 AM Post #4 |
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http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/04/06/1107749/perdue-creates-panel-to-advise.html Published Wed, Apr 06, 2011 06:14 AM Modified Tue, Apr 05, 2011 10:16 PM Perdue creates panel to advise on judge nominees BY ROB CHRISTENSEN - Staff Writer Gov. Bev Perdue has created a nonpartisan panel to screen candidates for new judges, a move she said would reduce political influence and lead to higher caliber appointments on North Carolina's bench. Instead of following the normal path of appointing political supporters to the bench, Perdue will choose her judges from three nominees recommended by the N.C. Judicial Nominating Commission, which she formed by executive order Tuesday. "It is crucial that the people of North Carolina know those selected to serve on the bench are not only well qualified and fair, but also well respected by their peers and communities," Perdue said in a statement. "There is no place for politics when it comes to choosing the state's most honored and influential legal servants." Her decision came at the urging of the N.C. Bar Association, the chief voice of the state's legal community, which presented the commission plan to Perdue in December. The commission is also backed by the state's five former chief justices and won the support of groups such as the N.C. Center for Voter Education, which is trying to lesson political influence in the judiciary. "The governor is to be commended," said former Chief Justice Burley Mitchell, a Democrat from Raleigh. "Governors have always had the power to appoint anybody they want. She is volunteering to limit herself to the three nominations to a vacancy." I. Beverly Lake Jr., a Republican former chief justice from Raleigh, was supportive but more guarded. "Hopefully, we can get a more nonpartisan balance that will advise the governor," he said. "I have some qualms about the structure. But on the whole it is a step forward." Perdue will appoint eight lawyers and eight non-lawyers - and two who can be either - to the commission. All former chief justices will serve in an advisory capacity. StartingJuly 1, the commission will recommend candidates for the N.C. Supreme Court, N.C. Court of Appeals and Superior Court. The governor's executive order is part of a larger effort by the N.C. Bar Association to improve the selection of judges. Last week, a bar-backed constitutional amendment was proposed by state Sens. Dan Clodfelter of Charlotte and Fletcher Hartsell of Concord. The commission would recommend two nominees to the governor, the governor would appoint one, and the second one would run against the first in a primary. The winner would later face the voters in a retention election in which voters would be asked to approve or disapprove the judge. John Wester, a Charlotte lawyer who co-chaired the bar committee, said the public would probably have more confidence in a judge who had been screened by a committee. Wester said public knowledge about judicial candidates is low and voting in judicial elections drops off greatly. Several ideas about how to improve judicial elections are being debated in the legislature.. Several would return North Carolina to an older system. One bill would change the nonpartisan judicial elections to partisan elections. Another would end public financing for judicial elections. rob.christensen@newsobserver.com or 919-829-4532 |
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| abb | Apr 6 2011, 06:57 AM Post #5 |
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http://dukefactchecker.blogspot.com/2011/04/chronicle-discoveres-duke-folly-in.html Wednesday, April 6, 2011 Chronicle discovers Duke folly in Kunshan, does major story at last ✔ ✔ ✔ Fact Checker here. The following are comments on today's lead story in the Chronicle, but can also be read alone. ✔ Many of Professor Hernandez's comments are disappointing. He is chair of the Academic Council, the faculty senate, which waged a decades-long battle to gain a voice in university governance, culminating in the adoption of the Christie Principles. How can he be satisfied with the crumb the administration tossed the Council at its last meeting: 23 pages of a 47 page "Planning Guide for Kunshan? Why isn't he demanding release of the full document? Hernandez should be standing and demanding to know why on Kunshan -- unlike every other major initiative this University has undertaken since Terry Sanford -- why there was no intense period of collaboration with all stakeholders involved. He says faculty members are not as enthused as they should be at the moment. That's an understatement: there is a revolt against this folly. ✔ Dr. Trask is the smart one. He hedged and dodged when The Chronicle asked about the financial projections. This is a new university dedicated to educating Chinese in their own homeland; almost all of the income will be from tuition. And as Trask knows full well, buried in the 23 pages, there's word that a consultant that Duke itself hired has stated the "price point" is too high -- that is, we are trying to charge too much tuition and the result will be the entire house of cards collapses. Dr. Trask, release that consultant's report in full. You do it, before Fact Checker does. Dr Trask, FC calls upon you to put on a website ALL the changing financial promises from Kunshan. From the "free ride" that administrators dangled before us, to newer requirements that Duke put up 55 percent of operating deficits. From Zero cost to tens of millions. And while you are at it, Dr Trask, tell us how you can possibly feel reassured that after six years of deficits and ten years of free rent, Kunshan will renew rather than leaving Duke holding the bag. Or for that matter, what guarantee do we have of ANY Kunshan contribution to expansion of the original campus, as is planned? ✔ Vice President Jones is missing from today's story. Head of all of our global aspirations, I am still waiting for him to confirm or deny that he called Wuhan University a "weak" partner. In briefing the Academic Council, Jones mentioned three possibilities, and by process of elimination, FC believes Wuhan is the "weak" one -- chosen in desperation by the Brodhead Administration after a year long agreement with another school to be our sponsor shriveled. ✔ Dean Sheppard is missing from today's story. He is the driving force behind all of this absurdity. Yet with respect to Kunshan, we now know he is having behind the scenes, secret, clandestine negotiations with Shanghai. The reason: his premiere Cross Continent MBA and MMS in finance will not "work" if located in the backwater. And it is not only Kunshan. And Shanghai. Sheppard's list of places where he is planting Fuqua goes on and on -- 10 world cities all done in one swoop. London, Dubai, New Delhi, St. Petersburg, Kunshan, Shanghai, Nanjing. The new university vice president for global affairs, Greg Jones, visited Brazil recently, we believe the city of Sao Paulo. Then there is Seoul, where an executive education program is underway. And Johannesburg, for Global Academic Travel Experience (GATE) elective courses, and Global Consulting Practicums which have flown under the radar. Did someone say grandiose? And lest we forget, when President Brodhead addressed the faculty on internationalization in 2007, he cited with pride Fuqua's programs with the London School of Economics, the Goethe-University Frankfurt Faculty of Economics and Business, Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad, as well as nascent deals with the Faculty of Economics and Management at Tsinghua, China and the new Skolkovo Business School in Moscow. All of those have dropped off the radar. Failed. Cost millions. Though the dream behind them lives, described by Brodhead as "making Duke the hub in a wheel that connects the world’s main emerging economies." Did someone say grandiose? ✔ Now, to address whether money being spent on Kunshan is torn from the budget for Duke/Durham, the answer is yes. There is no separate money tree for Kunshan. Mr. Schoenfeld, here is a paragraph from a recent news release issued by your office on a Saturday morning -- and retracted Saturday afternoon. Why won't you tell FC the reason you edited out these words before re-posting on Sunday? "Duke's financial commitment to the project is not expected to affect other areas of the university, (Brodhead) said, even in the middle of ongoing budget tightening." ✔ I have never heard of Virgil Adams. He seems to have no connection with Duke whatsoever. Only God knows how he bubbled up and got into the Chronicle this morning. Adams compares Kunshan to the Silicon Valley, except he seems to forget one dimension. Silicon Valley was built on brains, innovation. Kunshan is merely a point of assembly for computers and other products, low-level repetitive work by un-educated people fleeing rural life, hoping for fulfillment in the cities, and finding vast disappointment and depression. It was rather interesting to find out that there has been little publicity about the Duke venture in Kunshan itself; I thought this was the city's future. In fact, as Kunshan's wages go up (and they have) sharks like Adams are being driven further into the vast center of China to exploit cheap labor. The much talk about success in Kunshan is the formula for its own death. ✔ ✔ Now President Brodhead, you are not going to escape this morning. Did you perhaps see the article in the Wall St Journal yesterday and other newspapers coast to coast, that China has swiped one of its leading artists off the streets. Not him alone, in the past few months "thousands" have simply disappeared. Can you explain, sir, how Duke Kunshan University will be an island of freedom left untouched by one of the most repressive governments on earth. ✔ And finally, Chronicle, with the buildings going up in Kunshan, finally, why don't you inquire about the working conditions and pay for the construction crews? And the locals who will be support staff for the new university when it is built. ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ Thank you for reading Fact Checker. Go Duke. and Go to Hell DKU. Posted by To reach Fact Checker at 1:23 AM |
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| kbp | Apr 6 2011, 09:37 AM Post #6 |
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This Kunshan matter resembles what I see as a part of an effort by many to jump into educating a specific mindest throughout the world ...with a cost of course.
Edited by kbp, Apr 6 2011, 09:37 AM.
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| cks | Apr 6 2011, 10:02 AM Post #7 |
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Why is it necessary for an American University to have a satellite campus overseas? If the purpose is to have a place where American students an go to have that "foreign learning experience" then students should enroll directly in a university operated by that particular country. Is it easy, no. Is it a rewardign experience, yes. For the record two of my children did so as did Mr. cks and I many, many years ago. If the purpose is to have a place for Duke professors to go and study - again, let them take a sabbatical and be in residence at a university run by that particular country (or inhabitants therein). I do not understand the purpose nor do I understand the enormous expense that a US university undertakes (one which is underwritten in part by the high fees paid by its student body) to maintain a foreign outpost. It seems to me that this is just another part of the PR campaigns that various institutions run - "look at us - we have a campus in China"! |
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| Payback | Apr 6 2011, 10:03 AM Post #8 |
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Where in China, I wonder, are the one or two folks who check my blog every day? Hmmmmm. |
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| abb | Apr 6 2011, 11:21 AM Post #9 |
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http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/04/06/1109579/legislators-propose-amendment.html Published Wed, Apr 06, 2011 11:18 AM Modified Wed, Apr 06, 2011 11:36 AM Legislators propose amendment to Racial Justice Act By Anne Blythe - Staff writer Four Republicans introduced a bill this week to amend the Racial Justice Act so anyone seeking relief under the law would have to show that prosecutors intentionally used race as a discriminatory factor in seeking the death penalty or selecting the jury to hear the case. The proposed amendment comes at a time when more than 150 death row inmates are seeking relief from their sentences under the two-year-old law. North Carolina is one of two states to offer inmates and defendants a chance to challenge their sentences or cases using statistics. The Racial Justice Act, which passed narrowly along party lines in August 2009, allows death row inmates and defendants in death penalty cases to challenge prosecutions on grounds of bias. It also allows judges to consider statistics and anecdotal trends of racial disparities in death sentences, as well as testimony, to change a death sentence to life in prison without parole. A judge also could consider the same kind of information to keep prosecutors from seeking capital punishment at the outset of a case. Death penalty critics lauded the act as a progressive step toward creating a more just justice system. Prosecutors, law enforcement organizations and victims rights groups were critical of the law, saying bias claims would be time-consuming and costly for a court system already burdened by a backlog of cases. The proposed amendment, titled "No Discriminatory Purpose in Death Penalty," was sponsored by Rep. Justin Burr, a bail bondsman from Albemarle; Rep. Sarah Stevens, a lawyer from Mt. Airy; Rep. Dan Ingle, a retired police chief from Burlington; and Rep. Paul Stam, a lawyer from Apex. The proposal would require the courts to find that prosecutors acted "with discriminatory purpose" in seeking the death penalty or selecting the jury. It would also require the courts to find that jurors acted "with discriminatory purpose" in determining guilt or innocence. Under the Racial Justice Act, inmates could have death sentences changed to life-terms without possibility of parole if they prove racial bias played a part in their prosecution or sentencing. “Supporters of this bill are calling it a reform,” Tye Hunter, Executive Director of the Center for Death Penalty Litigation, said in a prepared statement. “In truth, it is an attempt to destroy a promise made to the citizens of North Carolina that we would examine whether racial bias plays a role in our criminal justice system. Racial bias has, in fact, been revealed, and now they want to ignore the truth.” In bias claims filed last year by nearly all of North Carolina's death row inmates, lawyers cite findings from a study by Catherine Grosso and Barbara O'Brien, professors at the Michigan State University College of Law. The law professors' study of 5,800 cases eligible for the death penalty from 1990 through 2009 shows that more than 40 percent of the defendants on North Carolina's death row were sentenced to death by a jury that was either all white or included only one person of color. The researchers also found that in selecting juries, prosecutors statewide struck qualified blacks from the potential jury pool at more than twice the rate at which they struck whites. “Now that we have seen this evidence, we can no longer pretend that our courts are color-blind,” Hunter said. “We cannot ignore demonstrated racial discrimination in a system that decides who lives and dies.” Prosecutors contend that they do not consider race of defendants and victims when deciding to pursue capital punishment. They say they weigh many factors such as the severity of a crime and whether a victim's family supports or opposes the death penalty. anne.blythe@newsobserver.com or 919 836-4948 |
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| mike in houston | Apr 6 2011, 05:42 PM Post #10 |
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http://blogs.findlaw.com/blotter/2011/04/duke-lacrosse-accuser-crystal-mangum-stabs-man.html Duke Lacrosse Accuser Crystal Mangum Stabs Man? By Stephanie Rabiner on April 6, 2011 9:05 AM Crystal Mangum. She falsely accused Duke lacrosse players of rape, placing a black mark on many people's lives. She set fire to her ex-boyfriend's clothes, nearly burning down a house filled with children. And now? She's allegedly stabbed her live-in boyfriend with a kitchen knife. Repeatedly. Crystal Mangum was arrested early Sunday morning after a 911 caller identified her as having stabbed boyfriend Reginald Daye, reports The Smoking Gun. The attack is apparently the end result of a heated argument, reports ABC News. The victim, who was warned by a family member of Mangum's violent history, was stabbed in the chest multiple times and is currently being treated at a local hospital. Crystal Mangum is being held without bond at Durham County Jail, awaiting arraignment for felony assault with a deadly weapon charges, according to The Smoking Gun. We all know Miss Mangum from her involvement in the Duke lacrosse scandal. Will those events impact her trial? If Crystal Mangum goes to trial, prosecutors could potentially bring up the Duke lacrosse events to impeach her credibility in front of the jury. It may be found relevant in that she lied to police and prosecutors about the events, which calls into question anything she may say about her current motives. If Mangum pleads out, which is highly likely given that there was a witness, the Duke lacrosse mess will probably not factor into her punishment. However, her assault conviction for setting fire to her ex-boyfriend's clothing will likely be a major factor, as most prior convictions are. |
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| Kerri P. | Apr 6 2011, 08:06 PM Post #11 |
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http://www.wral.com/news/state/story/9398193/ NC voter ID mandate approved by House committee Posted: 3:51 p.m. today Updated: 14 minutes ago RALEIGH, N.C. — House Republicans pushed a voter identification bill through a committee Wednesday they say will discourage voter fraud, but opponents claim it could disenfranchise potentially hundreds of thousands of current voters. The House Election Committee voted along party lines 18-14 for a bill requiring potential voters to show one of eight forms of photo identification. County election boards would begin offering free voter identification cards, although state and federal funds would foot the bill for the card machines. Special ID cards issued by the Division of Motor Vehicles also would be offered for free. The bill would spend $600,000 on a public information campaign about the requirements, which would begin with 2012 elections. snip..... |
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| Kerri P. | Apr 6 2011, 08:08 PM Post #12 |
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http://www.wral.com/news/state/nccapitol/story/9398985/ NC House approves limits for leaders Posted: 5:05 p.m. today Updated: 6:49 p.m. today State lawmakers are in the process of ensuring more turnover in the corner offices on Jones Street. House members voted 72-47 Wednesday to tentatively approve a constitutional amendment that would allow lawmakers to serve as House speaker or Senate president pro tem for no more than four years. The issue is one of the top agenda items for the new Republican leadership. Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger has said he supports the idea. Opponents argued the measure shouldn’t be a constitutional amendment, but its supporters said that, if it wasn’t, then future General Assemblies could simply vote it down. Some Democrats said the limit should be eight years instead of four. Minority Leader Joe Hackney, a former House speaker, said capping leaders’ tenure at four years would put them “out of parity” with the governor, who can serve two consecutive four-year terms and then come back to serve again after one term out of office. Hackney, D-Orange, said he supports limiting leaders, but he doesn’t believe the change should be written into the state constitution. snip..... |
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| Kerri P. | Apr 6 2011, 08:10 PM Post #13 |
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http://www.wral.com/news/news_briefs/story/9399260/ Dorm robbery leads to UNC student's drug arrest Posted: 5:40 p.m. today Chapel Hill, N.C. — A University of North Carolina student has been arrested on drug charges during a police investigation of a robbery inside a dormitory. Dylan Michael D'Joseph, 19, of High Point, was charged Tuesday with underage possession of alcohol, possession of drug paraphernalia and maintaining a dwelling to sell controlled substances, according to arrest reports. Some UNC students told police they were robbed at gunpoint early Monday inside Morrison Residence Hall. Luther O'Neal Allison, 24, of Hillsborough, was arrested at the dorm and was charged with three counts of robbery with a dangerous weapon, assault by pointing a gun and resisting arrest. A second man, identified as Michael DeAngelo Williamson, 26, of Durham, fled on foot and is still being sought, police said. snip..... |
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