Clemson picked to win ACC football; App expected to win SoCon

The Clemson Tigers are the preseason favorite to win the Atlantic Coast Conference's football championship this year, as predicted by members of the media.

Clemson was picked No. 1 in the (still ill-named) Atlantic Division. I'm guessing by looking at the preseason rankings that Clemson is expected to knock off Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship game. The Hokies are expected to leave the (equally ill-named) Coastal Division.

As far as N.C. teams go, UNC-Chapel Hill is expected to finish second in the Coastal, and Wake Forest second in the Atlantic. At the other end of the spectrum are Duke and N.C. State, who are expected to finish last in the Coastal and Atlantic, respectively.

In other football news, three-time national champ Appalachian State has been picked to win the Southern Conference ... again. The Mountaineers received eight of nine first-place votes in the preseason coaches poll.

Elon University was picked second, while Western Carolina was picked eighth.

Three-squared honored with highest civilian award in the state

I must admit: I've always thought the Order of the Long Leaf Pine was the highest civilian honor a North Carolinian could recieve, but according to this article, the North Carolina Award is such.

Nonetheless, nine folks were honored with the North Carolina Award on Tuesday. More than 200 North Carolinians have been selected as recipients since the award was first issued in 1964.

Gov. Mike Easley presented the awards for service in fine arts, literature, public service and science.

Here is a summary of the winners, from the N&O. (For more, click on the link above.)

SCIENCE: VINEY P. ANEJA
He has developed a research program in agricultural air quality that is recognized worldwide. In 2001, he was also appointed professor of environmental technology in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources.

PUBLIC SERVICE: JERRY C. CASHION
From 1974 to 2000, Cashion was research branch supervisor of what is now the Office of Archives and History in the state Department of Cultural Resources.

FINE ARTS: JAN DAVIDSON
Davidson has served as director of the John C. Campbell Folk School since 1992. Founded in 1925 at Brasstown in Clay County in the southwestern corner of the state, the school offers about 850 classes to more than 3,000 students in art forms such as blacksmithing, basketry, weaving, music, storytelling and writing.

FINE ARTS: ROSEMARY HARRIS EHLE
Ehle has supported the N.C. School of the Arts in Winston-Salem since 1967, and she serves on its board of visitors. Born in Ashby, Suffolk, England, Ehle grew up in India and was educated in England.
Ehle made her London debut in 1952 in "The Seven Year Itch." Her stage career included roles opposite Richard Burton, Peter O'Toole and Laurence Olivier. She received a Tony Award for her role as Eleanor of Aquitaine in "The Lion in Winter," a Golden Globe for her role in the television miniseries "Holocaust" and an Emmy for her role in "Notorious Woman." Most recently, Ehle has enjoyed popular acclaim as Aunt May in three Spider-Man movies. (Emphasis mine; who knew?)

PUBLIC SERVICE: HENRY E. FRYE
After graduating from law school at UNC-CH, Frye became the first African-American elected to the N.C. General Assembly in the 20th century. He served in the House of Representatives until 1980, when he was elected to the state Senate. In 1983, Frye was appointed to the state Supreme Court. His appointment as chief justice in 1999 made him the first African-American to lead the state's court system.

LITERATURE: WILLIAM E. LEUCHTENBURG
The author of more than a dozen books on 20th-century American history, Leuchtenburg is known for his scholarship on Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal. Leuchtenburg lives with his wife, Jean Anne, in Chapel Hill.

PUBLIC SERVICE: BURLEY B. MITCHELL JR.
In 1982, Mitchell was elected associate justice of the N.C. Supreme Court, where he later was named chief justice and served in that capacity for four years.
Mitchell remains in his hometown of Raleigh with his wife, the former Mary Lou Willet.

PUBLIC SERVICE: CHARLIE ROSE
In 1974, Rose began a long affiliation with Bill Moyers, collaborating on a number of PBS programs. A short stint in Dallas-Fort Worth led to a talk show in Washington, as well as acclaim for his interviewing skills. In 1983, CBS hired Rose to serve as host of "Nightwatch." "The Charlie Rose Show" premiered in 1991 with national distribution two years later. He kept his own show while also serving as a correspondent on "60 Minutes II."

SCIENCE: DARREL W. STAFFORD
Notable in his long career is Stafford's work that has enabled doctors to better regulate how patients respond to blood-clotting medications.

More basketball 'Tobaccolades': What is this, the 1980s?

A panel of 31 Division I college basketball coaches have dished out their votes on the preseason Top 25, and the North Carolina Tar Heels lead the way.

Carolina edged out UCLA and Memphis for the top spot in the country despite, ESPN.com writes, "the fact that the Bruins had two more first-place votes (12) than the Tar Heels (10). North Carolina had 739 points in the poll, followed by No. 2 UCLA with 734 and No. 3 Memphis with 731 points and 8 first-place votes."

Kansas and Georgetown round out the top five. The next five are Louisville, Tennessee, Michigan State, Indiana and Washington State.

The Duke Blue Devils come in at No. 11, followed by Marquette, Oregon, and then Gonzaga and Texas A&M, which both tied at No. 14.

Rick Barnes' Texas Longhorns claim No. 16, followed by Arizona, USC, Arkansas and Pittsburgh.

Stanford, Kentucky, Southern Illinois, N.C. State and Villanova complete the Top 25.