Cover

• Roanoke Rapids Projects Tap Public Funds
• Most Partnerships Manage to Avoid Conflicts of Interest

North Carolina

• State Rep. Bill Faison Says He’s ‘Incidental’ Defender of Black
• Ballance Feted, Then Prison

Education

• Dropping Enrollment Doesn’t Bring Decrease in Adminstrators
• Kakadelis Commentary: NCEA Had Productive 2005
• Grassroots Baptists Assess Public Education
• What Works Best: As Arts Education Funding Shrinks, Others Stepping In

Higher Education

• Congressional Leaders Examine BCS System
• Committee Report on President of HCC Expected After Holidays
• FIRE Releases Thought-Reform Guide
• Leef Commentary: Mandatory Student Fees Should End
• Sanders Commentary: Top 10 Nuttiest Campus Events in 2005
• Maloney’s Documentaries Expose Liberal Bias in Higher Education
• Issues: Let’s Abandon Any Notion of Using Central Educational Planning

Local Government

• Study of Urban Transportation in NC Cites Revenue Needs
• Adams Commentary: Zoning vs. Planning
• Rental Cars New Tax Target
• Wilmington Convention Center on Hold Due to Lackluster Plan
• Mental Health Reform Rough Going in North Carolina

Learning Curve

• Book Review: “Living it Up at National Review”
• Book Review: “They Made America”
• Book Review: “The West’s Last Chance”
• Kickler Commentary: Anti-Federalist Willie Jones Was One of Nation’s Co-Founders

Opinion

• Wagner Commentary: Yes, Samantha, There Is a God
• Editorial: Triangle Gets Great News on Rail
• Editorial: Death-Penalty Polls Mislead
• Editorial: Food Fights an Absurd Waste
• Hood Commentary: Take Fantasy Out of State Budget
• Walden Commentary: Consumers Dictate ‘Creative Destruction”
• Sanera Commentary: Going Out to Eat? Let City Government Choose Your Restaurant
• Letter to Editor: Musings While on the Metro in Washington, D.C.

Parting Shot

• Jailhouse Crock: More Political Going-Away Parties (a CJ parody)