Cover

• Fraud found in lunch programs
• Roanoke Rapids resident sues Parton for fraud

North Carolina

• Veteran career fairs help servicemen transition to civilian life, page 4
• JLF analyst suggests climate commisison changes, page 4
• JLF report: AG’s experts’ TVA emissions data misleading, page 5
• Report: North Carolina’s annexation laws favor municipalities, page 5

Education

• Candidates wrestle with school choice, page 8
• Educators now question coed schools, classes, page 9
• Kristen Blair commentary: Writing a wrong, page 9
• U.S. K-12 prowess trails Third World, page 10
• Guilford officials seek best way to husband bond funds, page 11

Higher Education

• A tale of two university systems’ visions, page 12
• New study finds weaknesses in North Carolina’s higher ed, page 13
• Jay Schalin commentary: Moeser’s Second Term?
• Bats in the Belltower, page 14
• Freshmen in Colorado reading classics for frosh orientation, page 14
• Issues in Higher Education, page 15

Local Government

• High court rules against widow in tax case, page 16
• Notification problem forces land transfer tax off ballot, page 17
• Chad Adams commentary: Competing the right way, page 17
• Local Innovation Bulletin Board, page 18
• From Cherokee to Currituck, page 18
• Neighborhood fights high density of smart growth mandates, page 19

Learning Curve

• Book review: War and Decision by Douglas J. Feith, page 20
• Troy Kickler commentary: Studying commoners can teach us as much as studying kings, page 21
• Short Takes on Culture, page 22
• Book review: The Antitrust Religion by Edwin S. Rockefeller, page 22
• Book review: The Paradox of Tar Heel Politics by Rob Christensen, page 23

Opinion

• Becki Gray commentary: Government the wrong way, page 24
• Editorial: Easley’s drought power grab, page 24
• Editorial: Don’t panic on the drought, page 25
• Editorial: Just who’s being massaged? page 25
• John Hood commentary: Increased energy interest, page 25
• Michael Walden commentary: Inflation gauged by stats, not emotions, page 26
• Letters to the Editor, page 27

Parting Shot

• Gov. Easley’s confidential ‘Bucket List’ revealed (a CJ parody), page 28