Cover

• Critics: Black got sweetheart deal on fine
• DAQ scrapped report after meeting with AG’s reps

North Carolina

• Despite abuses, Char-Meck expands school-lunch program, Page 5
• Inclusionary zoning on table in Charlotte? Page 6
• N.C. briefs, Page 6
• Are N.C. auto dealership closures being affected by politics? Page 7

Education

• What to do with unused school vexes Guilford County officials, Page 9
• Kristen Blair commentary: Kitchen table wisdom, Page 9
• Easley’s education legacy in trouble as fiscal problems grow, Page 10
• “Double-Dippers” on top of Char-Meck job-cut list, Page 11
• Wake parents look to other N.C. districts for alternatives, Page 12

Higher Education

• It’s summertime, and the reading is easy — and sometimes controversial for colleges, Page 13
• Campus briefs, Page 13
• Jane Shaw commentary: N.C. State scandal reveals aura of academic entitlement, Page 14
• Jay Schalin commentary: Actions of N.C. State chancellor were all too predictable, Page 15

Local Government

• City officials talking trash in Greensboro, Page 16
Town and County, Page 16
• “Welfare for local pols” bill stuck in neutral, Page 17
• Michael Lowrey commentary: “Benefits” of sports subsidies rarely add up, Page 17
• Winston-Salem dashes to bail out minor-league ballpark, Page 18
• Local Innovation Bulletin Board, Page 18
• Appeals court scraps drug tests of school system workers, Page 19

Learning Curve

• Movie review: Disney/Pixar’s Up a “beautiful, heroic tearjerker,” Page 20
• From the Liberty Library, Page 20
• Troy Kickler commentary: For Tar Heels, the fall of Fort Hatteras an embarrassing defeat, Page 21
• Book review: Censorship: The Threat to Silence Talk Radio, by Brian Jennings, Page 22
• Short Takes on Culture, Page 22
• Book review: The Reagan I Knew, by William F. Buckley Jr., Page 23

Opinion

• Paul Chesser commentary: Easley’s evasions should not surprise, Page 24
• Editorial: Name your price, Page 24
• John Hood commentary: State government’s twin deficits, Page 25
• Editorial: Fast way to the bottom, Page 25
• Editorial: Hot enough for ya? Page 25
• Derrick Nantz guest commentary: The ABCs of regulation, Page 26
• Michael Walden commentary: Why are we finally saving? Page 26
• Andy Taylor commentary: Bettering our state by thinking institutionally, Page 27
• Becki Gray commentary: How do you get to a balanced budget? Page 27

Parting Shot

• Easley and Campbell headed for a “dude-vorce” (a CJ parody), Page 28