Cover

• The North Carolina House and Senate approved a bill reallocating money from an $800 million bond package toward grants for localities to improve their water and sewer systems. Rep. Fern Shubert thinks the whole idea stinks. Page 1

North Carolina

• Gov. Mike Easley’s comments to the state Aug. 16 looked more like a commercial than a public service announcement. Page 4
• Catawba Valley residents have found themselves fighting for their property rights against the state government. Page 4
• The debate heats up in the General Assembly over the 31-page “Managed Care Patients’ Bill of Rights.” Page 5

Education

• N.C. legislators often claim that the state’s teachers are woefully underpaid, but a new study finds that isn’t the case. Page 6
• Paige Holland questions legislators’ educational and budgetary priorities. Page 7.
• Of the school board elections around the state this fall, the two largest districts could be in for some strategic changes. Page 7
• The NEA adopts a new policy regarding charter schools. Page 8
• Seahawks Academy in Seattle, part of the Communities in Schools program, is helping students stay in school. Page 9

Higher Education

• A new study found that North Carolina’s faculty at research universities remains competitive with other institutions. Page 10
• Some UNC-system bookstores may turn to privatization. Page 11
• Jon Sanders says a liberal-arts education is liberating. Page 11
• Formerly Baptist Wake Forest University offers an adolescent psychology course that requires viewing some curious films. Page 12
• The Sporting News uses dubious criteria to evaluate university athletic departments, including three N.C. schools. Page 12
• Debunking myths about North Carolina’s tuition aid program for students who attend private colleges and universities. Page 13
• Despite campaigning as an opponent of racial preferences, President Bush continues to defend a race-preferential program. Page 13

Local Government

• A UNC-Charlotte study found that devolution of welfare programs increased local innovation. Page 14
• Creative Loafing’s Tara Servatius wonders why studies to retrofit the Charlotte Coliseum were hidden from the city council. Page 15
• The James Madison Institute asserts the folly of public spending for building arenas. Page 16
• An interview with Winston-Salem Alderman Vernon Robinson. Page 16
• Pender County commissioners dig deep for schools, and Guilford County wants to implement arduous rezoning procedures. Page 17

Learning Curve

• Reviews of The Webster-Hayne Debate on the Nature of the Union and Solving Problems Without Large Government by George Liebmann. Page 18
• John Hood says that superhero comics are an unabashedly right-of-center cultural force. Page 19

Opinion

• Editorials on Elizabeth Dole and farm subsidies. Page 20
• Editorials on electoral reform and segregation. Page 21
• Richard Wagner recalls his experience with bias in the media. Page 22
• Michael Walden says a patient’s bill of rights throws economics out of whack. Page 23

Parting Shot

• Honey-do lists become a thing of the past under new North Carolina legislation. Page 24