Cover

• In September 2001, Gov . Mike Easley signed a “budget for education.” It began last summer as the “Education Revenue Act.” At least that is what legislators were calling it. Now hopes for education to remain a priority during North Carolina’s budget disaster are fizzling as officials look for ways to reduce many government programs — including those in education. Page 1

North Carolina

• North Carolina spends more than $14 million a year on salaries for state employees whose job is to provide the public information about its government. Page 4
• Ever-changing leadership and conflicting studies have contributed to perhaps the most confusing year yet for the Global TransPark in Kinston. Page 5

Education

• Assistant editor Sherri Joyner explores North Carolina’s unstable high-stakes test scores over the last few years. Page 6
• Locke Foundation intern Nathan Clark says the environmental miseducation of children extends beyond the science class and into all aspects of their curriculum. Page 7
• Lindalyn Kakadelis recently traveled to Italy, and says it is decentralizing its national education system. Page 7
• While scores on the state writing tests fell this year, a Forsyth County charter school with a large minority student population performed well. Page 7
• Nudged by tougher federal standards, the N.C. Board of Education is planning a wide range of changes for next year. Page 8

Higher Education

• The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill received several recommendations recently to improve its climate for gay and lesbian students. Page 10
• The U.S. Supreme Court is likely to review a ruling in favor of the University of Michigan’s use of racial preferences in admissions decisions. Page 11
• Five white professors have filed a lawsuit against Livingstone College in Salisbury, alleging the private black college discriminated against them. Page 11
• Mike Adams, assistant professor at UNC-Wilmington, says a new women’s resource center at the school advances a prochoice abortion agenda. Page 11
• In the latest incident of a nationwide problem, several December issues of the conservative student publication at Duke University were stolen. Page 12
• Assistant editor Jon Sanders explores the purpose and need for university freshman orientation programs. Page 13

Local Government

• Two highway projects are demonstrating possible means to address some of the state’s road problems. Page 14
• Assistant editor Erik Root reports that the power of homeowners associations is on the rise nationally and in North Carolina. Page 15
• An interview with Asheville City Councilman Dr. Carl Mumpower. Page 16

Learning Curve

• Reviews of the books Reassessing the Presidency, edited by John V. Denson, and the novel Doctored Evidence by Michael Biehl. Page 18
• Reviews of the books Love and Economics: Why the Laissez-Faire Family Doesn’t Work by Jennifer Roback Morse and A Nation of Cowards: Essays on the Ethics of Gun Control by Jeff Snyder. Page 19

Opinion

• Editorials on partisanship in the state legislature’s redistricting and budget fights and the last two troubling legislative sessions. Page 20
• Editorials on the higher education bonds and cleaning up corruption in the state Division of Motor Vehicles enforcement branch. Page 21

Parting Shot

• Fresh off his successful promotion of adorning Capitol statues in Carolina Hurricanes game jerseys, Gov. Mike Easley has his eyes set on another sports campaign. Easley’s newly formed sports promotion commission announced a new campaign to highlight the recent successes of a local middle school swim team. Page 24