Friday, February 29, 2008

$1 million pledged to Tryon Palace

Philanthropist Mariam Cannon Hayes (of Cannon Mills fame) recently bequeathed $1 million to New Bern's historic Tryon Palace, site of the first permanent capitol of colonial North Carolina and home to the royal governor.

Hayes died in August at age 91.

"The Tryon Palace money will help build a $60 million historical education center at the facility, palace Director Kay Williams said," according to the Charlotte Observer.

"The gateway in the new building will be named for Hayes' parents, textile magnate Charles A. Cannon and his wife, Ruth, and will feature information about the family's philanthropy. In the 1930s and 1940s, Ruth Cannon helped start the reconstruction of the palace, which had burned in 1798.

"Williams had discussed a donation with Hayes for several years. Construction on the education center will begin in June, and it should open in April 2010 in time for New Bern's tricentennial.

" 'She agreed the project was valuable and wanted to do something to honor her parents' involvement,' Williams said. 'In a way ... (the bequest) is a fitting memorial to her as well. It's a gift to history in North Carolina, her parents and a gift for education.' ..."

Hayes also pledged $3.5 million to UNC-Charlotte, $1million each to Davidson College and Queens University, $500,000 to the Blowing Rock Community Center and $600,000 for the Jeff Gordon Children's Hospital at Carolinas Medical Center-NorthEast in Concord. She also bequeathed, according to the Observer, $200,000 for a scholarship fund at Cannon School, an independent school in Concord. She forgave the debt on the 2005 sale of a Beechcraft Baron airplane to her nephew, William Cannon Jr.

"And she left her Blowing Rock property, worth an estimated $2.2 million, to the Appalachian State University Foundation.

"She gave her Concord home to the Cannon Foundation. The house, valued at $413,170 according to her estate inventory, was built in 1907 and will serve as the foundation's new home, Executive Director Frank Davis said."

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

N.C. Aquarium folks feeling a little 'froggy'

Jannette Pippin of the Jacksonville Daily News recently wrote an interesting article stating that the N.C. Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores is celebrating the "Year of the Frog" by "joining in a global campaign to promote amphibian conservation and to make the public aware of a crisis at hand."

According to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and its partners in the yearlong initiative, frogs and their fellow amphibians are rapidly disappearing.

"There are 6,000 known species of amphibians in the world. Two thousand to 3,000 of them are at risk of extinction in our lifetime," said Windy Arey-Kent, education curator at the aquarium.

That makes now a good time to be frog-friendly, and the aquarium designated Valentine's Day as Kiss a Frog Day to gear up for a Leap Day kickoff of the Year of the Frog campaign at zoos and aquariums across the country.

All three of North Carolina's aquariums are AZA-accredited facilities and are participating in the campaign. ...

And whether or not you are a fan of the frog, there's good reason to keep them and their fellow amphibians around.

"They are bio indicators, and wherever there are a lot of amphibians, there is a healthy environment," Arey-Kent said. ...

North Carolina basketball report

Rankings (results through Sunday’s games)
RPI rankings, team (overall record, record vs. North Carolina teams)

3. North Carolina (26-2, 5-1)
Last week: 4
beat Davidson, UNC Asheville, N.C. State (2), Wake Forest
lost to Duke

A mea culpa followed by some self-promotion:

I lost my notes on Tyler Hansbrough, both on his play during the UNC-N.C. State game and how it was received by Mike Patrick and Jay Bilas. The dog ate my homework, and I’ll try to do better next time.

At The Washington Times, Patrick Stevens, our ACC basketball beat writer, and I are selecting the best players from each era of ACC basketball. First up is 1954-64.

Hansbrough: eighth in the country in points (23.4)

4. Duke (23-3, 4-1)
Last week: 3
beat N.C. Central, Davidson, N.C. State, North Carolina
lost to Wake Forest

Duke followed its first ACC loss of the season with another.

61. Davidson (20-6, 8-4)
Last week: 66
beat N.C. Central, Appalachian State, Western Carolina (2), Elon (2), UNC Greensboro (2)
lost to North Carolina, Duke, UNC Charlotte, N.C. State

Davidson, undefeated in the Southern Conference, moved ahead of State and Wake Forest this week, but the state of basketball in North Carolina isn’t good if the No. 3 team is 61st in the RPI rankings.

Stephen Curry: fifth in points (25.3), ninth in free throw percentage (.900)

Jason Richards: first in assists (8.0)

62. Wake Forest (16-9, 3-3)
Last week: 61
beat N.C. Central, Winston-Salem State, Duke
lost to UNC Charlotte, N.C. State, North Carolina

74. N.C. State (15-12, 4-4)
Last week: 60
beat Davidson, Western Carolina, N.C. Central, Wake Forest
lost to East Carolina, North Carolina (2), Duke

Technician, State’s student newspaper, did not produce a spoof of North Carolina’s student newspaper — a long-standing tradition on the date of the State-UNC basketball game in Raleigh.

As sports editor at Technician in 1993-94, let me make my feelings clear on this: It’s lame.

99. UNC Charlotte (15-11, 5-0)
Last week: 94
beat High Point, Appalachian State, Wake Forest, Davidson,
Gardner-Webb

143. UNC Wilmington (18-11, 2-1)
Last week: 140
beat N.C. Central, East Carolina
lost to UNC Greensboro

Vladimir Kulianin: second in field goal percentage (.667)

151. UNC Greensboro (15-11, 5-3)
Last week: 159
beat UNC Wilmington, Elon (2), Appalachian State, Western Carolina
lost to Appalachian State, Davidson (2)

154. UNC Asheville (15-8, 4-2)
Last week: 131
beat Campbell (2), Western Carolina, High Point
lost to North Carolina, High Point

Kenny George: first in field goal percentage (.706), fifth in blocks (3.95)

158. Appalachian State (16-11, 4-4)
Last week: 143
beat Campbell, UNC Greensboro, Elon, Western Carolina
lost to Charlotte, Davidson, Elon, UNC Greensboro

207. Gardner-Webb (14-13, 2-2)
Last week: 222
beat High Point, Campbell
lost to UNC Charlotte, Campbell

Thomas Sanders: eighth in rebounds (11.0)

223. N.C. A&T (9-13, 1-1)
Last week: 186
beat Winston-Salem State
lost to Winston-Salem State

244. Elon (10-16, 2-6)
Last week: 239
beat Western Carolina, Appalachian State
lost to Davidson (2), UNC Greensboro (2), Western Carolina, Appalachian State

249. High Point (10-13, 1-3)
Last week: 232
beat UNC Asheville
lost to Charlotte, Gardner-Webb, UNC Asheville

Arizona Reid: eighth in points (23.1)

Mike Jefferson: third in assists (7.1)

262. East Carolina (6-16, 2-1)
Last week: 258
beat N.C. State, N.C. Central
lost to UNC Wilmington

294. Western Carolina (8-18, 2-7)
Last week: 283
beat N.C. Central, Elon
lost to UNC Asheville, Elon, N.C. State, Davidson (2),
Appalachian State, UNC Greensboro

295. N.C. Central (2-23, 0-7)
Last week: 284
lost to Duke, Wake Forest, Davidson, Western Carolina,
UNC Wilmington, East Carolina, N.C. State

311. Winston-Salem State (8-15, 1-2)
Last week: 316
beat N.C. A&T
lost to Wake Forest, N.C. A&T

315. Campbell (9-16, 1-4)
Last week: 307
beat Gardner-Webb
lost to UNC Asheville (2), Appalachian State, Gardner-Webb

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Biltmore tops the list

Asheville's Biltmore House topped the list of most-visited museums and historic attractions in the state last year, according to a survey conducted by Carolina Publishing Associates. (Thanks to the Triangle Business Journal for the snippet.)

"The Asheville estate saw 1.12 million visitors in the year. It was the only state attraction to top the 1 million mark."

Coming in at No. 2 was Discover Place in Charlotte, with 792,500 visitors. The North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro was No. 3 with 752,000 visitors. The N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences ranked No. 4 with 694,800 visitors. And Fort Macon State Park's 620,000 visitors earned it the No. 5 spot in the survey.

The Matthews-based Carolina Publishing Associates publishes the annual Carolina Heritage Guide.

Monday, February 18, 2008

North Carolina basketball report

Rankings (results through Sunday’s games)
RPI rankings, team (overall record, record vs. North Carolina teams)

3. Duke (22-2, 4-1)
Last week: 2
beat N.C. Central, Davidson, N.C. State, North Carolina
lost to Wake Forest

All five of Duke’s starters fouled out in their loss to Wake Forest.

4. North Carolina (24-2, 3-1)
Last week: 3
beat Davidson, UNC Asheville, N.C. State
lost to Duke

North Carolina is down to its third-string point guard because of injuries to Ty Lawson (5.7 assists) and Bobby Frasor (2.1 assists). Quentin Thomas (32 assists, 18 turnovers in five games) is now the starter.

In literature, a protagonist is often haunted by an image, an object, a weakness. The thing haunts him, follows him and becomes a part of his fate.

For the Tar Heels, it’s injuries to their point guards:

Dick Grubar, 1969
Phil Ford, 1976 and 1977
Kenny Smith, 1984
Steve Hale, 1985
Derrick Phelps, 1994
Lawson, 2008

60. N.C. State (15-10, 4-3)
Last week: 47
beat Davidson, Western Carolina, N.C. Central, Wake Forest
lost to East Carolina, North Carolina, Duke

Big game this week: UNC at State, Wednesday at 7 p.m.

State has two chances to make the NCAA tournament: win out and win one more game in the ACC tournament or win the ACC tournament.

61. Wake Forest (16-8, 3-2)
Last week: 94
beat N.C. Central, Winston-Salem State, Duke
lost to UNC Charlotte, N.C. State

Jeff Teague had a dream, an awesome dream.

66. Davidson (18-6, 7-4)
Last week: 64
beat N.C. Central, Appalachian State, Western Carolina (2), Elon (2) UNC Greensboro
lost to North Carolina, Duke, UNC Charlotte, N.C. State

Stephen Curry is shooting 56.3 percent from 2-point range, 42.2 from 3-point range and 90.3 from the free throw line for a total shooting percentage of 188.8.

For some perspective, J.J. Redick shot 180.5 in his senior season. In the NBA last season, only Steve Nash (192.9) shot better.

Curry is fifth in the country in points (25.6) and ninth in free throw percentage.

Jason Richards: first in assists (8.1)

94. UNC Charlotte (14-10, 5-0)
Last week: 89
beat High Point, Appalachian State, Wake Forest, Davidson,
Gardner-Webb

131. UNC Asheville (14-7, 4-2)
Last week: 90
beat Campbell (2), Western Carolina, High Point
lost to North Carolina, High Point

Kenny George: first in field goal percentage (.706), fourth in blocks (4.00)

140. UNC Wilmington (17-10, 2-1)
Last week: 164
beat N.C. Central, East Carolina
lost to UNC Greensboro

Vladimir Kulianin: sixth in field goal percentage (.653)

143. Appalachian State (15-10, 4-4)
Last week: 126
beat Campbell, UNC Greensboro, Elon, Western Carolina
lost to Charlotte, Davidson, Elon, UNC Greensboro

159. UNC Greensboro (14-10, 4-2)
Last week: 168
beat UNC Wilmington, Elon (2), Appalachian State
lost to Appalachian State, Davidson

Kyle Hines: 10th in blocks (3.00)

186. N.C. A&T (9-11, 1-0)
Last week: 175
beat Winston-Salem State

222. Gardner-Webb (12-13, 2-2)
Last week: 230
beat High Point, Campbell
lost to UNC Charlotte, Campbell

232. High Point (10-11, 1-3)
Last week: 229
beat UNC Asheville
lost to Charlotte, Gardner-Webb, UNC Asheville

Arizona Reid: eighth points (23.4), fifth in rebounds (11.2).

Mike Jefferson: third in assists (7.2)

239. Elon (9-15, 2-6)
Last week: 251
beat Western Carolina, Appalachian State
lost to Davidson (2), UNC Greensboro (2), Western Carolina, Appalachian State

258. East Carolina (6-14, 2-1)
Last week: 237
beat N.C. State, N.C. Central
lost to UNC Wilmington

283. Western Carolina (7-17, 2-6)
Last week: 278
beat N.C. Central, Elon
lost to UNC Asheville, Elon, N.C. State, Davidson (2),
Appalachian State

284. N.C. Central (2-21, 0-7)
Last week: 276
lost to Duke, Wake Forest, Davidson, Western Carolina,
UNC Wilmington, East Carolina, N.C. State

307. Campbell (9-15, 1-4)
Last week: 286
beat Gardner-Webb
lost to UNC Asheville (2), Appalachian State, Gardner-Webb

316. Winston-Salem State (7-14, 0-2)
Last week: 222
lost to Wake Forest, N.C. A&T

Friday, February 15, 2008

Former UNC leaders not down with 49ers football

UNC Charlotte -- the fourth largest university in the state at around 17,000 students or so (and growing) -- wants to offer football as a sport by 2012. Former UNC system presidents C.D. Spangler and Bill Friday don't think that's such a good idea.

"This has been something disturbing to both of us," Spangler told the Charlotte Observer.

The decision is ultimately up to the university, but would probably require support from the "UNC Board of Governors because student fees are capped at 6.5 percent and in increase would be required to fund a football program."

Spangler said he and Friday have been reluctant to address university matters specifically, but that the football issue is important enough for them to speak up.

Spangler said he wanted to wait until the faculty meeting to talk about why he opposes football at the 61-year-old university, which has studied starting a team for the past year.

But Friday said college sports are becoming more about entertainment than education.

He said Thursday that he wants to present information from Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics reports on how high-level sports affect colleges and universities. He said he won't choose a side, but wants to make sure the faculty is informed of the potential cost of a football program on academics and other programs.

"The problems with college sports today are rather enormous," Friday said Thursday. "The commission is trying to make sure that the facts about this be known. That has not been the case in all too many instances up until now. There are campuses having to disband other sports to pay for the football and basketball programs."

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Quick hits: State dog does well and State to build plug-in cars

State dog hits the big time
"With nary a wild boar in sight, the sturdy Plott hound pranced beneath the New York City lights this week, its first appearance in the Westminster Kennel Club dog show," writes the News & Observer.

"The state dog of North Carolina, the Plott hound has a long history here, as the breed originated in the mountains in the 1750s. Named after the brothers who bred them, the Plott was designed for hunting boar and bear.

"But the country's largest dog registry, the American Kennel Club, did not add the breed to its rolls until 1998, said AKC spokeswoman Lisa Peterson. It took until 2007 for the breed to meet the AKC's criteria to be fully recognized. As part of the process, the breed needed 300 registered dogs with a three-generation U.S. pedigree. ..."

NCSU to house plug-in hybrid car program
"North Carolina State University will soon be home to a technology program aimed at advancing the use of plug-in hybrid vehicles," according to NBC17.com.

"Gov. Mike Easley announced the creation of the Advanced Transportation Energy Center on Tuesday. University officials will partner with Duke Energy Corp. and Progress Energy Corp., and Easley said General Motors Corp. may also join the program.

"Easley said the program will focus on developing better batteries and lighter vehicles so that cars can run only on electricity. Duke and Progress will help develop a grid so that people can plug in their cars while away from home. ..."

Monday, February 11, 2008

Utah lawmakers take shots at N.C., other Southern states

I realize that it's sort of second nature for Americans from one state to make fun of other states. Virginians pick on North Carolinians; North Carolinians pick on South Carolinians. (Do North Dakotans and South Dakotans go at each other as well?) There are, of course, those states that seemingly everyone picks on in one form or another: West Virginia. Mississippi. New Jersey. California.

The most embarrassed I've ever felt for another state, though, was at a national conference for local government associations when folks from Pennsylvania were describing their state as "Pittsburgh in the west, Philly in the east, and Alabama up the middle." That was not a compliment to the good people of Alabama (some of whom were in the audience).

I say all this to illustrate that it is common practice to rib one another about our respective states. Nothing wrong with that ... unless you're an elected state government official who happens to do this in public. For no good reason, mind you.

That's what has happened lately in the great state of Utah, according to the Associated Press.

If "any state should be sensitive to the problem of bashing another's reputation based on stereotypes, it ought to be Utah," writes the AP.

"But three weeks into their legislative session, lawmakers here have questioned the patriotism of Alabama and North Carolina on the floor of the House and have mocked Arkansas as an illiterate state on the Senate floor."

Utah state Sen. Darin Peterson, R-Nephi, "couldn't resist taking a seemingly irrelevant shot at Arkansas on Jan. 31 as he summed up discussion on a bill about the use of vehicles by Department of Corrections employees.

"Peterson was being corrected by Senate President John Valentine, R-Orem, that his bill had a fiscal note, but no fiscal impact.

" 'Thank you for that. But you know, as they say in Arkansas, literacy ain't everything,' Peterson said as several of his colleagues nervously laughed along."

Arkansas' education system was not the only education system in the South to come under attack from Utah lawmakers, though.

In a debate Friday over whether the House should pass a resolution encouraging school districts to give students Veterans Day off, Rep. Ken Sumsion, R-American Fork, suggested Utah's schools were more patriotic than their Southern counterparts.

Sumsion said that when he lived in Alabama and North Carolina, he was offended that school districts there didn't give students Memorial Day off, suggesting they declined to do so because of lingering resentment from the Civil War.

"Having been raised in Utah and kind of taught by my family to respect that day for what it stands for, I was really offended and taken back," Sumsion said. "Well, if you understand the history of where Memorial Day comes from, then you might understand what the issue was in these districts."

Memorial Day was declared an official holiday in May 1868, three years after the war ended and more than two years before the last Southern states were readmitted to the Union. ...

Still, it's not uncommon for Southern school districts to recognize Memorial Day as a holiday. That includes many districts in North Carolina, a state with some of the nation's largest military bases and numerous Memorial Day observances.


I, for one, am pleased that the AP pointed out the vast amount of support that North Carolina provides to the nation's military. Should we pay more attention to Memorial Day? Perhaps. But that's not for someone in Utah to decide.

North Carolina basketball report

Rankings (results through Sunday’s games)
RPI rankings, team (overall record, record vs. North Carolina teams)

2. Duke (21-1, 4-0)
beat N.C. Central, Davidson, N.C. State, North Carolina

Mike Krzyzewski has 796 wins, 106 short of Bob Knight’s record of 902. Krzyzewski is due to break his mentor’s mark sometime in January 2012.

But during an interview with ESPN’s Jay Bilas last week, Knight made it clear that while he had resigned from Texas Tech, he has not retired.

3. North Carolina (22-2, 3-1)
beat Davidson, UNC Asheville, N.C. State
lost to Duke

Here’s the deal with Tyler Hansbrough and Roy Williams: If Hansbrough, a mouth-breather from Poplar Bluff, Mo. (pop. 17,000) who is two years older than the other players in his class, and Williams, a lunatic on the sidelines who peppers his speech with such homespun phrases as “dadgummit” and “frickin,” were at N.C. State, they would derided as stereotypical in-bred hicks.

At Carolina, it’s considered cute. Hansbrough is a gritty, gutty player. He’s Psycho T! Williams is a discipline of Dean, born and bred right here in North Carolina, coaching the public school of record in his home state. Isn’t it cute?

Not really.

47. N.C. State (15-8, 4-3)
beat Davidson, Western Carolina, N.C. Central, Wake Forest
lost to East Carolina, North Carolina, Duke

Cardiac Pack, anyone?

State has won or lost four ACC games by a total of 10 points, beating Miami by two, Florida State by three, Wake Forest by two and giving one away to Georgia Tech by three points.

64. Davidson (16-6, 6-4)
beat N.C. Central, Appalachian State, Western Carolina (2), Elon (2)
lost to North Carolina, Duke, Charlotte, N.C. State

Stephen Curry is fifth in the country in points (25.0), and Jason Richards leads the nation in assists (8.1)

89. UNC Charlotte (14-8, 5-0)
beat High Point, Appalachian State, Wake Forest, Davidson,
Gardner-Webb

90. UNC Asheville (14-5, 4-1)
beat Campbell (2), Western Carolina, High Point
lost to North Carolina

At 7 feet, 7 inches, Kenny George is the tallest player in the country, and he’s learning to live with his size.

George ranks second in the country in field goal percentage (.708) and third in blocks (4.42).

94. Wake Forest (14-8, 2-2)
beat N.C. Central, Winston-Salem State
lost to UNC Charlotte, N.C. State

126. Appalachian State (14-8, 4-2)
beat Campbell, UNC Greensboro, Elon, Western Carolina
lost to Charlotte, Davidson

164. UNC Wilmington (15-10, 2-1)
beat N.C. Central, East Carolina
lost to UNC Greensboro

168. UNC Greensboro (13-9, 3-1)
beat UNC Wilmington, Elon (2)
lost to Appalachian State

175. N.C. A&T (8-10, 1-0)
beat Winston-Salem State

229. High Point (9-10, 0-3)
lost to Charlotte, Gardner-Webb, UNC Asheville

Mike Jefferson is second in the country in assists (7.3), and Arizona Reid is fourth in rebounding (11.2).

230. Gardner-Webb (11-13, 1-2)
beat High Point
lost to UNC Charlotte, Campbell

237. East Carolina (6-12, 2-1)
beat N.C. State, N.C. Central
lost to UNC Wilmington

251. Elon (7-14, 1-6)
beat Western Carolina
lost to Davidson (2), UNC Greensboro (2), Western Carolina, Appalachian State

276. N.C. Central (2-21, 0-7)
lost to Duke, Wake Forest, Davidson, Western Carolina,
UNC Wilmington, East Carolina, N.C. State

286. Campbell (9-13, 1-3)
beat Gardner-Webb
lost to UNC Asheville (2), Appalachian State

278. Western Carolina (6-16, 2-6)
beat N.C. Central, Elon
lost to UNC Asheville, Elon, N.C. State, Davidson (2),
Appalachian State

322. Winston-Salem State (6-12, 0-1)
lost to Wake Forest, N.C. A&T

Thursday, February 07, 2008

Quick hits: App State looks to Hickory, 'Tank' looks to give back

Appalachian State ponders Hickory campus
"Catawba County and Appalachian State University leaders discussed additional educational opportunities in the Hickory region, including the concept of a satellite campus, during a meeting last week," wrote the Hickory Daily Record.

"The hour-long discussion involved Appalachian’s Chancellor Ken Peacock and Chief of Staff Lorin Baumhover. The meeting centered on bringing more programs to area institutions now partnered with Appalachian, according to Catawba County Board of Commissioners Chairwoman Kitty Barnes.

" 'I think what (Appalachian and Catawba County leaders) are looking at is incremental building on what we are already offering,' Barnes said.

"Appalachian now offers a range of classes through the Hickory Metro Higher Education Center, oversees operation of the new North Carolina Center for Engineering Technologies and plans a teacher’s school at Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute, along with a nursing school at Western Piedmont Community College and Technical Institute. ..."

NFL star helps 'feed the children'
"Hundreds of Fayetteville children and their families now have food and supplies thanks to some hardworking football players including one local player who has made it to the NFL," says News 14 Carolina.

"E.E. Smith High School's football team tackles community service projects like any other task, by working together as a team. On Wednesday, they were joined by a special alumnus, Demarcus 'Tank' Tyler.

" 'I'm blessed to have the opportunity to come back and give back to my community,' said Tyler. 'You know, I've got to stay grounded and remember where I come from to move forward in my future.'

"Tyler has partnered with an international nonprofit group to help needy families in his hometown. There's 25 pounds worth of food in some of the boxes that were given out Wednesday and toiletries in others. Altogether, 'Feed the Children' plans to help out more than 400 families in just Wednesday’s one distribution. ..."