Cover

• The best prospect for a solution to North Carolina’s medical liability “crisis” may be to wait and see whether President Bush will be able to force some action out of Congress. Page 1

North Carolina

• Federal documents indicate that the N.C. Department of Transportation’s Currituck-to-Corolla passenger ferry service that was to begin May 1 this year was doomed from the start. Page 4

Education

• Knowledge Network Solutions has petitioned the Office of Administrative Hearings to review the award of a $27 million contract to improve students’ reading that the Department of Public Instruction awarded to a rival firm. Page 6
• North Carolina policymakers and educators are debating ways to combat what they call a teacher-shortage “crisis” in the state, but a new report from the John Locke Foundation questions the extent and source of the problem. Page 6
• The North Carolina State Board of Education continued to wrestle with test scores and end-of-grade reports in an effort to resolve a number of vexing accountability issues. Page 7
• Lindalyn Kakadelis writes that if the education of our children is indeed the bedrock of our society, then we ought to work to protect the accuracy and legitimacy of that education. Page 7

Higher Education

• According to Jon Sanders, the study of Western civilization used to be a rite of passage for the university-educated, but now it is an afterthought at best, consigned to the shadows of the curriculum as universities pursue trendy multiculturalism.” Page 11
•George Leef of the Pope Center for Higher Education wonders, “do we really need ‘Latino’ studies?” Page 11
• The results of Election 2004 nationally and in North Carolina point to more government-backed tuition subsidies and increased spending in other higher-education spending. Page 12
• Jon Sanders writes that as part of his campaign litany of the woes brought upon Americans by George W. Bush, John Kerry cited rising college costs, which are up dramatically since the president took office. Page 13

Local Government

• Two North Carolina communities face different challenges in their downtown communities, with Greensboro’s center city becoming an after-hours hot spot and Chapel Hill dealing with a flagging downtown that attracts fewer visitors and businesses. Page 16
• Many cities use tax incentives and other gimmicks to attract large companies to their areas, but a recent study indicates that large companies might not boost economic growth, and in fact, may displace other businesses. Page 16
• An interview with George Mason University law professor Michael Krauss. Page 17

Learning Curve

• A review of the book Absolutely American: Four Years at West Point by David Lipsky. Page 18
• Reviews of the books The Power of Productivity: Wealth, Poverty, and the Threat to Global Stability by William W. Lewis, and Is the Market Moral? A Dialogue on Religion, Economics and Justice by Rebecca M. Blank and William McGurn. Page 19

Opinion

• Paul Chesser writes that North Carolina Sen. John Edwards was expected to deliver Southern electoral votes for the Democratic presidential ticket, but he failed miserably, and wasn’t close to a difference-maker in any state. Page 20
• Soon after President Bush’s victory on election day, newspapers around the nation and state cried for Bush to “unify a divided nation,” but the media itself continually tries to foment unrest. Page 20
• Editorials on the growth of political conservatism in North Carolina and on how taxpayer-funded museums should teach history. Page 21

Parting Shot

• Paul Chesser, a lifelong Boston Red Sox fan, delivers an analogy between the wasteful spending of the vanquished New York Yankees and the failures of big government policy. Page 24