The Daily Dispatch - Thursday, February 4, 2010 by The Daily Dispatch

CMYK Same-sex adoptions in N.C.?

Attorney gives new life to old tavern

Virginia defeats N.C. State, 59-47

Public Records, Page 6A

Local News, Page 12A

Sports, Page 1B THURSDAY, February 4, 2010

Volume XCVI, No. 29

(252) 436-2700

Over 2,000 inspections by firemen Project aimed at reducing fire risk By DAVID IRVINE Daily Dispatch Writer

Fire Chief Danny Wilkerson has released results of the Fire Safety Home Inspection Project the Henderson Fire Department conducted in December. Beginning on Dec. 10 and continuing through Dec. 21, Henderson firefighters visited 6,411 homes. They were invited into 2,020 homes to do a fire safety inspection. At the other 4,391 homes, firefighters left door hangers on the front doors with contact information for the occupants to call if they would like a fire safety inspection. Smoke alarms are a first line of defense in protecting occupants in the case of a fire in the home. According to the National Fire Protection Association, three out of four deaths in home fires result from smoke inhalation and not from burns. That’s why firesafety.gov, the federal government’s web site for residential fire safety, says, “Get a smoke alarm,” adding, “a smoke alarm is critical for the early detection of a fire in your home and could mean the difference between life and death.” During Henderson’s Fire Safety Home Inspection Project, the firefighters installed 185 smoke alarms in homes they inspected. In addition, they replaced 478 nine-volt batteries in existing smoke alarms. Please see FIREMEN, page 12A

Index Our Hometown . . . . . 2A Business & Farm. . . . 5A Opinion . . . . . . . . . . 10A Light Side . . . . . . . . 11A Sports. . . . . . . . . . 1-4B Comics . . . . . . . . . . . 5B Classifieds. . . . . . . 6-8B

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Third arrest in target-shooting death 85-year-old man killed during walk By AL WHELESS Daily Dispatch Writer

Investigators arrested Tuesday the third target-shooter charged with involuntary manslaughter in the Sept. 4 gunshot death of 85-year-old John Thomas Satterwhite of 750 Tobacco Road. Vance County Sheriff’s depu-

ties — assisted by State Bureau of Investigation agents and Rocky Mount police officers — picked up Dennis Matthew McDermott II, 29, in a motel in the Gold Rock community in Nash County. McDermott, who lives in Rocky Mount, and two other men were indicted by a Vance County grand jury in the case in mid-December. The others are John Randy Woodlief, 30, of 390 S. Chavis Rd, Lot 6, in Kittrell and Darryl Craig Harting, 43, of Youngsville. They were arrested in late December.

Each of the defendants, including McDermott, was placed in the Vance County Jail, in lieu of $100,000 bond. All three are accused of accidentally killing Satterwhite while he was walking along a wooded path on his land. They were firing guns at plastic bottles on nearby property owned by someone else. According to Sheriff Peter White, Satterwhite was struck by a bullet about a quarter-mile from his home, and approximately 600 feet from where the three

men were firing shoulder-held weapons. The plastic bottles were lying on the ground between the shooters and Satterwhite, the sheriff said. White described the terrain as “very uneven.” The body was discovered by the victim’s 75-year-old wife, Dixie Williamson Satterwhite, after he had been gone from their house for about three hours. Contact the writer at awheless@hendersondispatch.com.

Vance County schools on two-hour delay Firefighting

agreement gets review County industries can pay Oxford for fire protection By WILLIAM F. WEST Daily Dispatch Writer

Daily Dispatch/ASHLEY STEVEN AYSCUE

School buses sit in a parking lot Wednesday morning at Aycock Elementary School. Vance County schools are on a twohour delay today after missing three days due to snow.

Granville: Don’t change liquor control County urges governor to leave sales in the hands of state and counties By WILLIAM F. WEST Daily Dispatch Writer

OXFORD — The Granville County Commission unanimously voted to write a letter to Gov. Beverly Perdue urging her to keep liquor sales in the hands of the state and the counties amid an anticipated legislative study of an Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) system hit hard by bad publicity. The commission acted after a presentation by County ABC Board Chairman Robert Rogers. Additionally, the commission without dissent authorized increasing the monthly county ABC board meeting pay of Rogers

and the other two county board members from $30 to $50. Rogers, of Butner, has served on the board since 1993, while Allen Thomas Nelson, of Stovall, has served on the board since 1994 and Robert T. “Rob” Williford II, of Oxford, has served on the board since 2002. The county has two ABC stores: One at 111 New College St. in central Oxford; the other near the Interstate 85/N.C. 56 interchange for Butner and Creedmoor. Rogers said the county ABC board is looking in the Wilton area in the bustling southeastern part of the county as a possible location for another store.

Rogers, speaking to the County Commission on Monday night, gave figures saying the county ABC system is No. 1 in inventory cost analysis, that is, in the turnover of products in the two stores. Rogers said the county ABC system, with a profit of 11.34 percent, ranked 20th of 159 ABC boards in profit percentage to revenues, 17th of 159 boards in operating cost analysis and 19th of 127 boards in profit percentages of mixed beverages. County voters in 2005 approved allowing sales of liquor by the glass. Fiscal Year 2008-09 liquor sales were $2,958,749, while Please see LIQUOR, page 3A

OXFORD — The City Commission’s Public Safety Committee is looking into Oxford’s mutual aid firefighting agreement with Granville County after city firefighters had to assist county volunteers with fighting a fire at Dill Air Controls. Oxford’s biggest employers are just outside the municipal boundaries, but they can pay 15 cents per $100 of assessed property valuation and receive fire protection from the city. An exception had been Dill, which opened a plant in 2005 in the former Lenox China plant off Williamsboro Street/Business U.S. 158 and near Interstate 85. Dill, which is owned by a Shanghai-based company, makes air valves and valve parts and products. The fire occurred Jan. 28, rural Antioch and Corinth firefighters responded and Corinth Fire Capt. Harry Wilkins called Oxford for help. City Manager Mark Donham said that, on Monday, Dill paid Oxford $7,800 for a year’s worth of fire protection. Donham in documents said there are outside Please see FIREFIGHTING, page 3A

Man charged after traffic stop, chase By DISPATCH STAFF

Details, 3A

Deaths Henderson Bonnie T. Currin, 62 Melvin W. Williamson, 62 Louisburg Octavius Burt, 27 Oxford Mary L. Compton, 75 Ruth N. Rogers, 75 William P. Thorpe, 66 Warrenton David M. Harrell, 67

Obituaries, 4A

Rakin Jaburr Henderson, 21, of 219 Lincoln St. was arrested early Wednesday by Henderson police following a traffic stop and a short foot chase. Police said a loaded handgun was found near where they appreHenderson hended Henderson, who was charged with: • Resist, delay and obstruct. • Assault on a government official. • Carrying a concealed weapon. He is being held in the Vance County jail in lieu of $2,000 bond, pending a court appearance on Please see CHARGED, page 3A

Daily Dispatch/ASHLEY STEVEN AYSCUE

Henderson Family YMCA celebrates

Vanessa Jones, chairman of the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce board of directors, Wayne Adcock, chief volunteer officer for the Henderson Family YMCA, and Woody Caudle, executive director of the Henderson Family YMCA, cut one of two cakes during a celebration Wednesday for the YMCA’s 30 years of service in Vance County and 20 years in their current location on Ruin Creek Road.

The Daily Dispatch

Local & State

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Deaths Octavius Burt

Bonnie T. Currin

Ruth N. Rogers

LOUISBURG — Octavius Burt, 27, of 16 Burt Lane, Louisburg, died Thursday, Jan. 28, 2010, in Warrenton. Funeral services will be conducted at 2 p.m. Friday at St. Stephens Missionary Baptist Church in Warrenton. The Rev. Junious Debnam, pastor, will officiate and burial will follow in the church cemetery. He is survived by his wife, Martie M. Burt; his stepdaughter, LaKaunte Weldon of the home; his mother, Merita Burt of Louisburg; his father, Joseph Stafford Jr. of Louisburg; his sister, Latasha Burt; and his stepbrother, Joseph Stafford Jr. The body will be on view today from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. at Boyd’s Funeral Service Chapel in Warrenton. Arrangements are by Boyd’s Funeral Service of Warrenton.

HENDERSON — Bonnie Twisdale Currin, 62, a resident of the Courtyard II on South Cooper Drive, died Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2010. Funeral arrangements will be announced by J.M. White Funeral Home.

OXFORD — Ruth Norman Rogers, 75, of 308 Person St., died Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2010, at the Granville Medical Center. She was a Granville County native. Memorial services will be conducted at 1 p.m. Friday at the Betts and Son Chapel, with eulogy by the Rev. Willie Darby. Services are by Betts and Son Funeral Home of Oxford.

Mary L. Compton OXFORD — Mary Belle Lunsford Compton, 75, of 203 Grove St., died Monday, Feb. 1, 2010, at N.C. Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem. A native of Granville County, she was the daughter of the late William King and Madie Weary Lunsford. She was of the Baptist faith and retired from Harriett and Henderson Yarns. Funeral services will be conducted at 11 a.m. Friday in the Eakes Funeral Chapel in Oxford by her nephew, Tony Boyd. Burial will be in Meadowview Memorial Park. Surviving are three daughters, Theresa Compton of Boone, Mary Brogden of Lewisville and Hollie Compton of Oregon; a son, Lewis Compton of Durham; a sister, Elizabeth Solomon of Semora; six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Leo R. Compton. The visitation will be Friday from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m., prior to the service, at the Eakes Funeral Home in Oxford. Arrangements are by Eakes Funeral Home of Oxford.

David M. Harrell WISE — David Martin Harrell, 67, of 206 Felts Road, Warrenton, died Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2010, at his home. Born in Pekin, Ill., on Jan. 11, 1943, he was the son of the late Malcolm M. Harrell and Isabelle Martin Harrell. He was a retired veteran of the United States Army serving during the Vietnam era. He spent his military career working in Military Intelligence. He was a member of the Woodland United Methodist Church in Woodland, Ill., and was an associate member of Jerusalem United Methodist Church in Wise. He was also a member of the National Rifle Association, the American Legion Post 296, and Ducks Unlimited. A remembrance service with Military Honors will be held at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at Jerusalem United Methodist Church by the Rev. Dr. John Bergland. He is survived by his wife, Carolyn Kelley Harrell of the home; a daughter, Christine H. O’Kelly of Palm Desert, Calif.; a stepson, Howard W. Leonard of Warrenton; two stepdaughters, Laura Connell of Littleton and Angela Hendley of Warrenton; two sisters, Myra Henry of Oklahoma City, Okla., and Retha Stout of St. Peters, Mo.; five grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. The family will receive friends immediately following the service at Jerusalem United Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 914, Henderson, N.C. 27536. Arrangements are by J.M. White Funeral Home.

William P. Thorpe OXFORD — William P. Thorpe, 66, of 3013 Tar River Road, died Thursday, Jan. 28, 2010, at his home. He was the son of the late Fred and Myrtle Thorpe. He attended the Franklin County schools. Survivors include a son, Bobby Guess of Oxford; two brothers, Melvin Thorpe of Kittrell and Alvin Thorpe of Oxford; and five sisters, Bessie Holloway and Mary Hunt, both of Oxford, Isabell Thorpe of Franklinton, Lula Lawrence of Boston, Mass., and Dorothy Daniel of Creedmoor. Funeral services will be conducted at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Betts and Son Funeral Home Chapel, with eulogy by the Rev. Walter S. Taylor. Burial will follow in the Hawkins Chapel Church cemetery. The viewing will be Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Services are by Betts and Son Funeral Home of Oxford.

Carolina Briefs N.C. deputy shoots teen who sheriff says had knife GREENSBORO (AP) — A North Carolina sheriff’s deputy called to help in a domestic dispute shot and killed a 17-year-old after officials say the teen approached him with a knife. Multiple media outlets reported that Christian Rook was pronounced dead Tuesday at Moses Cone Hospital in Greenville. Guilford County Sheriff BJ Barnes says Deputy Barry Glossan shot Rook once in the chest after he advanced on the officer while holding a kitchen knife. A knife was in the street near where Rook fell. Barnes says deputies went to the home after a report of an argument involving Rook and his brother. The News & Record of Greensboro said court records showed Rook spent 12 days in jail in December on charges of assault and battery, though it was not clear if Rook had been convicted.

Holdup suspects call cops for help with flat tire

HICKORY (AP) — Two North Carolina men suspected of holding up a convenience store were caught after police called to help change a flat tire recognized the men from surveillance videos. Multiple media organizations reported Wednesday that 31-year-old James Jennings of Claremont and 46-year-old Mark Franklin of Conover were each charged by Hickory police with one Melvin W. Williamson count of robbery with a dangerous weapon. HENDERSON — MelThey were scheduled vin Wayne Williamson, 62, for an initial court hearing of 124 Beverly Lane, died Wednesday. A jail official did not know if the men had Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2010, at Maria Parham Medical hired lawyers. Hickory Police spokesCenter. Funeral arrangewoman Libby Grigg says the ments will be announced men called officers because by J.M. White Funeral they knew patrol cars carried Home.

lug wrenches that could remove the flat tire on their car.

Plant near Va. line closing, to eliminate 40 jobs SPARTA (AP) — The closing of a plant near the North Carolina-Virginia state line will eliminate 40 jobs. The Winston-Salem Journal reported that Martin Marietta Composites said Tuesday it is closing its plant in Sparta that makes pedestrian bridge decks, commercial truck trailers and blast resistant panels. Chief financial officer Anne Lloyd says the company is dropping the product line because of a lack of demand. Employees will receive severance packages. Martin Marietta had taken over the plant in 2003.

N.C. to mandate monitoring of water at ash ponds CHARLOTTE (AP) — North Carolina environmental officials are ordering Duke Energy and Progress Energy to start checking groundwater around ash ponds at its coal-fired power plants for potentially toxic metals. The Charlotte Observer reported Wednesday that Duke has found contaminated groundwater near its ash ponds and regulators want to know if the problem has spread to neighboring sites. The North Carolina Division of Water Quality will for the first time make the state’s two largest electric companies test groundwater. Coal ash is left after coal is burned to generate electricity. The failure of a dam buried a Tennessee community in ash sludge in 2008, and state and federal enforcers are tightening their oversight.

Prosecutors ask to close case on museum shooter WASHINGTON (AP) — Prosecutors have asked a court to officially close the case of a man accused of fatally shooting a guard at the U.S. Holocaust Museum. James Wenneker Von Brunn, a white supremacist, died in January; a court filing Wednesday asks that the federal case against him be closed. The filing says that a medical examiner provided Von Brunn’s certificate of death and that he died naturally but as a result of a variety of medical conditions. Von Brunn was being held at the Federal Correctional Institution in Butner, N.C., when he died Jan. 6. He was there to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.

River’s mercury level may bar cement plant RALEIGH (AP) — North Carolina environmental official say the river near a proposed cement plant already is polluted with mercury and can’t tolerate any more from the factory. The News & Observer of Raleigh reported Wednesday that the head of the state water quality office said federal laws would prevent the issuing of a permit for a plant to put more mercury into an already contaminated river. State environmental regulators are considering water and air permits for the plant near Wilmington planned by Titan America. The cement maker was promised $4.5 million in incentives from the state and New Hanover County if it builds the plant and creates 160 jobs. The State Bureau of Investigation is probing whether political pressure was used to speed up state permits under former Gov. Mike Easley.

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The Daily Dispatch

A DAY ON WALL STREET 11,000

February 3, 2010

Dow Jones industrials

10,000 9,000 8,000

-26.30 10,270.55

Pct. change from previous: -0.26%

High 10,307.20

7,000

Low 10,231.93

February 3, 2010

2,400

Nasdaq composite

2,200

Probe expands to vehicle not part of the most recent recall By KEN THOMAS STEPHEN MANNING Associated Press Writers

and

WASHINGTON — Americans should park 1,400 their recalled Toyotas O N D J F 2,190.91 unless driving to dealers for High 2,194.53 Low 2,176.75 Pct. change from previous: +0.04% accelerator repairs, Trans1,200 portation Secretary Ray LaFebruary 3, 2010 1,100 Hood warned Wednesday Standard & 1,000 — then quickly took it back 900 Poor’s 500 800 — as skepticism of company 700 -6.04 fixes grew and the govern600 O N D J F 1,097.28 ment’s probe expanded to High 1,102.72 Pct. change from previous: -0.55% Low 1,093.97 other models in the U.S. and Japan. Questions now SOURCE: SunGard AP are being raised about the MARKET ROUNDUP 020310: Market Area Stocks charts show Dow, S&P 500, and brakes on Toyota’s marquee Nasdaq; stand-alone; 2c x 4 1/2 inches; Prius hybrid. x 114 mm; staff Krispy Kreme 2.80 Listed below are representative inter- 96 mm The Prius was not part of dealer quotations at All approximately Editors: figures as of: Louisiana 5:25:07 Pacific PM EST 7.42 the most recent recall, but 4NOTE: p.m. Wednesday from the fluctuations National afterLowes Figures reflect market close; may not match other AP content 22.11 Japan’s transport ministry Association of Securities Dealers. Lucent Tech. 3.52 ordered the company to Prices do not include retail mark-up, Pepsico 61.29 investigate complaints of mark-down or commission. Phillip Morris 19.78 Procter & Gamble 62.65 brake problems with the ACS 62.83 Progress Energy 39.26 hybrid. LaHood said his deATT 25.58 RF Micro Dev 4.09 partment, too, was looking Ball Corp. 51.54 Royal Bk Can 50.37 into brake problems. About BankAmerica 15.53 RJR Tobacco 54.11 100 complaints over Prius BB&T 27.80 Revlon 15.89 brakes have been filed in Coca-Cola 54.87 Sprint 3.60 the U.S. and Japan. CVS 32.42 Sun Trust 23.27 Harried dealers began Duke Energy 16.64 Universal 46.72 receiving parts to repair Exxon 66.60 Verizon Comm. 29.19 defective gas pedals in milFord 11.64 Vulcan 45.12 lions of vehicles and said General Elec. 16.68 Wal-Mart 54.27 they’d be extending their Home Depot 28.47 Wells Fargo 28.14 IBM 125.66 hours deep into the night Wendy’s 4.64 Johnson & Johnson 63.63 to try and catch up. Toyota Kennametal 25.49 Establis Delhaize 78.40 said that would solve the problem — which it said was extremely rare — of cars unaccountably accelerating. At a congressional hearOXFORD — The Vancemembership less productive, Granville Business Network contribute to the growth, coming, LaHood said his advice to an owner of a recalled will meet Feb. 11 at the munity and productiveness of Comfort Inn, 1000 Linden Ave. the network, and be employed Toyota would be to “stop (Hwy. 96) in Oxford. in their stated line of business driving it. Take it to a Toyota dealer because they Members meet on the secin a committed fashion. ond and fourth Thursdays of Meetings begin with open believe they have a fix for each month. The next meeting networking at 7:30 a.m., it.” His comments prompted will be Feb. 25 at the Hampton followed by introductions, new questions and rattled Inn, 385 Ruin Creek Road, passing of business cards, one Toyota stockholders, causHenderson. or more 10-minute member ing shares to plunge eight Business owners or profespresentations, an educational percent before they recovsionals are invited to attend discussion, and a brief business ered, declining six percent a meeting. Guests may visit meeting. for the day. three times, after which they Prospective visitors or LaHood later told reportmust submit an application for members can contact the ers, “What I said in there membership. president, Eddie Dickerson, was obviously a misstateTo become a member of at the Masonic Home for Chil- ment. What I meant to VGBN, candidates must prodren School of Graphic Arts at say ... was if you own one mote, sell or be involved with (919) 603-3910 or edickerson@ of these cars or if you’re in a line business not currently mhc-oxford.org, or contact the, doubt, take it to the dealer represented by the existing vice president, Virginia Clay and they’re going to fix it.” members, not compete with at (800) 648-5571 or virginia. Adding to Toyota’s woes, another member’s major line clay@smithbarney.com. LaHood said his departof business in such a way as For more information, visit ment had received new to make an existing member’s http://VGBN.net. complaints about electron1,800 1,600

VGBN meeting set for Feb. 11

ics and would undertake a broad review, looking beyond Toyota vehicles, into whether automobile engines could be disrupted by electromagnetic interference caused by power lines or other sources. Toyota has said it investigated for electronic problems and failed to find a single case pointing that direction. Toyota Motor Corp., in a statement, said if owners were experiencing problems with the accelerator pedal “please contact your dealer without delay. If you are not experiencing any issues with your pedal, we are confident that your vehicle is safe to drive.” Confusion came as the world’s No. 1 automaker dealt with fresh probes in the U.S. and Japan over the Prius, the best-selling gaselectric hybrid, and growing interest from congressional and other government investigators. Toyota has shut down several new vehicle assembly lines and is rushing parts to dealers to fix problems with the accelerators, trying to preserve a reputation of building safe, durable vehicles. Since October, Toyota first recalled about five million vehicles over problems with floor mats trapping gas pedals and now, in a recall announced Jan. 21, some 2.3 million vehicles amid concerns that gas pedals could become stuck or slow to return to the idle position. The latest recall involves 2009-10 RAV4 crossovers, 2009-10 Corollas, 2009-10 Matrix hatchbacks, 2005-10 Avalons, 2007-10 Camrys, 2010 Highlander crossovers, 2007-10 Tundra pickups and 2008-10 Sequoia SUVs. Lawmakers who are now digging into the recalls said they would also look into the Prius. Rep. Bart Stupak, chairman of the House

Energy and Commerce investigative subcommittee, said his panel would request a briefing from Toyota officials about the hybrid. New York Rep. Edolphus Towns, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, sought more information about the acceleration issue from Yoshi Inaba, chairman and CEO of Toyota Motor North America and asked the question on the minds of Toyota owners: “Is it safe to drive the Toyota models that have been recalled?” Towns’ committee, which is planning a Feb. 10 hearing, also wants more details on how Toyota handled complaints about pedal entrapment, reports of stuck accelerators and electrical problems. Other panels in the House and Senate also are planning hearings. Many consumer groups have questioned whether Toyota’s fix will work and have asserted it could be connected to problems with the electronic throttle control systems. Joan Claybrook, who formerly lead Public Citizen, a watchdog group, noted that Toyota told owners during last year’s recall to remove floor mats to keep the accelerator pedal from becoming jammed. “I don’t think that’s what the issue is. I think it has to be electronic when it slam dunks and takes off and goes 120 miles

an hour,” Claybrook said. LaHood, who plans to speak with Toyota President Akio Toyoda about the recalls, said the government is considering civil penalties against the carmaker. But he also said that it appeared “Toyota is making an all-out effort to do all that they can to fix these cars.” LaHood’s comments irked many dealers, who have been fielding calls from nervous customers for days. Most dealers are just getting the parts, a steel shim a couple of millimeters thick, to be inserted in the pedal assembly to address potential friction that could cause the pedal to stick. The secretary “has the best of intentions, but unfortunately we can’t fix 100 cars at the same time,” said Adam Lee, head of Lee Auto Malls and owner of a Toyota dealership in Topsham, Maine. “I’m sure he has the best of intentions but it may not be very constructive for us.” Earl Stewart, who owns a Toyota dealership in North Palm Beach, Fla., said LaHood’s comments “could instill panic.” Stewart was expecting to begin making repairs — at half an hour per vehicle — later Wednesday. “We’re leaving our service department open ‘til the last customer tonight,” he said. “After Ray LaHood’s statement, it might be all night.”

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Same-sex adoptions in N.C.? Supreme Court to weigh in By MIKE BAKER

Associated Press Writer RALEIGH — A bitter separation between North Carolina’s first openly gay lawmaker and her former domestic partner is converging into a defining case on whether same-sex couples in the state are allowed to adopt. North Carolina’s Supreme Court said last week it will hear arguments in the custody dispute between state Sen. Julia Boseman and Melissa Jarrell. The two had agreed to allow Boseman to adopt Jarrell’s biological child in 2005 — seeking “two legal parents” for the boy — but Jarrell now contends that the pact shouldn’t have been approved in part because the state does not allow same-sex adoptions. State laws don’t specifically address the matter. A variety of conservative groups opposed to same-sex adoptions plan to weigh in, and justices have allowed the groups to file briefs.

Rev. Mark Creech, executive director of the Christian Action League, said “rogue judges” who approved such adoptions have created chaos within the state’s system. He said judges were “legislating gay adoption from the bench” while taking the emphasis away from marriage. “The ruling opens up an opportunity for gay activists to challenge our marriage statutes because our law doesn’t allow these gay couples, who can now adopt children, to marry,” Creech said. It’s not clear whether the Supreme Court will explicitly rule on the samesex adoption issue, though any decision will have implications for whether gay couples can reach an adoption agreement. A three-judge panel at the Court of Appeals, in siding with Boseman last year, sidestepped the matter by arguing that the couple’s marital status was not important to resolving the case because the two simply agreed on a

standard direct-placement adoption while filing a motion to retain Jarrell’s rights as a parent as well. The adoption decree simply notes that Boseman is a “single female.” Lower court rulings have affirmed her right as a parent. Boseman’s attorneys have argued that the adoption was unremarkable. They noted in court briefs that adoption statutes simply seek the protection of the child’s “needs, interests, and rights.” Jim Lea, one of Boseman’s lawyers, said there’s no prohibition in statute’s preventing gay couples from adopting. “It’s an important issue to us because we certainly don’t want same-sex adoptions invalidated in any way,” Lea said. “Any fair interpretation of the statute allows for same-sex adoptions. It absolutely does.” Boseman, a Democrat from Wilmington, was first elected to the Legislature in 2004. She has said she will not run for re-election this year.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

VANCE COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE Arrests • Michael Anthonic Alexander, 48, of Dixie Drive, Kittrell, was served Feb. 2 with an order for arrest. Misdemeanor failure to appear on a charge of failure to comply with child support. Cash bond was set at $100. Court date Feb. 10. • Annie R. Kearney, 45, of 405 Cross Creek Road was served Feb. 2 with an order for arrest. Misdemeanor failure to

appear on a charge of failure to comply with child support. Cash bond was set at $300. Court date Feb. 10. • Tederal Monroe Harris, 33, of 292 Deer Chase Lane was served Feb. 2 with an order for arrest. Misdemeanor failure to appear on a charge of failure to comply with child support. Cash bond was set at $443. Court date Feb. 10. • Ardell Lamont Williams, 31, of Norwood Street was served Feb. 2 with an order for arrest.

Failure to appear on charges of driving while license revoked, no operator’s license, expired inspection and possession of drug paraphernalia. Secured bond was set at $4,500. Court date Feb. 22. • Steven McCoy Townes, 40, of 188 Holly Road was served Jan. 31 with an order for arrest. Misdemeanor failure to appear, 2 counts. Secured bond was set at $500. Cash bond was set at $126. Court dates Feb. 16 and March 22.

HENDERSON POLICE DEPARTMENT Arrests • Ardell Lamont Williams, 31, of 117 Old Norwood Drive was arrested Feb. 2. Misdemeanor resist, delay and obstruct. Secured bond was set at $2,000. Court date Feb. 22. In another report, subject was arrested Feb. 2. Misdemeanor assault on

a female. No bond. Court date Feb. 22. • George Rucker, 48, of 1012 Standish St. was served Feb. 2 with an order for arrest. Misdemeanor failure to appear. Secured bond was set at $1,116. Court date Feb. 16. • Christopher Rocky Maddox, 22, of 79 Pine Cone Lane was arrested Jan. 28. Felony posses-

sion with intent to manufacture, sell and deliver marijuana. Secured bond was set at $10,000. Court date Feb. 15. • Tamil Jamar Robinson, 19, of 801 Water St. was arrested Feb. 2. Felony discharging a handgun at an occupied building. Secured bond was set at $30,000. Court date Feb. 15.

( Look for it right here February 5th. )

DA seeks death for N.C. man in slaying of 3 GASTONIA (AP) — A North Carolina man charged with killing three women and dumping two victims’ bodies in the South Carolina woods last fall will face the death penalty if convicted. The Gaston Gazette reported Wednesday that prosecutors announced their intentions at a hearing for 47-year-old Danny Robbie Hembree Jr. Superior Court Judge

Timothy Patti appointed Hembree a second defense attorney. Hembree is accused of killing 17-year-old Heather Catterton and 30-year-old Randi Dean Saldana. Catterton’s body was found in October near Clover, S.C. Saldana’s burned remains were found in November near Blacksburg, S.C. Police say they also found evidence that

Hembree killed Deborah Ratchford in 1992. Police say Hembree knew all three women.

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Nation & World

The Daily Dispatch

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Haitian parents willingly gave children to U.S. Baptists By FRANK BAJAK Associated Press Writer

CALLEBAS, Haiti — Parents in this struggling village above Haiti’s capital said Wednesday they willingly handed their children to American missionaries who showed up in a bus promising to give them a better life — contradicting claims by the Baptist group’s leader that the children came from orphanages and distant relatives. The 10 Baptists, most from Idaho, were arrested last week trying to take 33 Haitian children across the border into the Dominican Republic without the required documents, according to outraged Haitian officials, who have called them child traffickers. An investigating magistrate was questioning the five men Wednesday after interrogating the women a day earlier. A district attorney will then determine whether to file charges, officials said. The Haitian parents told The

Associated Press they surrendered their children on Jan. 28, two days after a local orphanage worker acting on behalf of the Baptists convened nearly the entire village of about 500 people on a dirt soccer pitch to present the Americans’ offer. The orphanage worker, Issac Adrien, said he told the villagers their children would be educated at a home in the Dominican Republic so that they might eventually return to take care of their families. Many parents jumped at the offer. The village school had collapsed and their homes were destroyed in Haiti’s catastrophic Jan. 12 quake, and they had no money to feed the children, they said. Adrien said he brought the Americans to this mountain village where people scrape by growing carrots, peppers and onions. He told the AP he met their leader, Laura Silsby of Boise, Idaho, at a school in Port-auPrince two days earlier. Silsby said she was looking for

AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos

Sorianta Leantus, 27, holds her two-year-old daughter Magladeine, as she poses for a photo Wednesday in the mountain village of Callebas, Haiti Leantus, who is pregnant with her third child, gave up her first child, a 6-year-old daughter, to the American missionaries. homeless children, Adrien said, adding that he went that very day to talk to the parents in Callebas.

In a jailhouse interview Saturday, Silsby told the AP that most of the children had been delivered to the Americans by distant relatives, while some came from orphanages that had collapsed in the quake. The missionaries’ lawyer, Jorge Puello, told the AP on Wednesday “they willingly accepted kids they knew were not orphans because the parents said they would starve otherwise.” The parents of four children taken by Silsby said the Americans took down contact information for all the families and assured them that a relative would be able to visit them in the Dominican Republic. Silsby’s Central Valley Baptist Church in Meridian, Idaho, had begun planning last year to build an orphanage, school and church in Magante, on the northern coast of the Dominican Republic. Their plan was to work with U.S. adoption agencies to find “loving Christian parents” for Haitian and

Dominican children. When the quake struck, the church members decided to act immediately, renting a hotel in a nearby Dominican beach resort and hiring a bus to collect children from the disaster area. Adrien said he had no knowledge of the group’s larger plans; villagers said they were told none of their children would be offered for adoption. The children, ranging in age from 2 to 12, are now being cared for at the Austrian-run SOS Children’s Village in Portau-Prince. An official there, Patricia Vargas, said none of the children who were old enough to talk said they were parentless. “Up until now we have not encountered any who say they are an orphan,” she said. A Haitian-born pastor who apparently helped the Baptist group insisted Wednesday the Americans had done nothing wrong. Greg Bluestein in Atlanta contributed to this report.

2 dead, 8 hurt in vehicle crash into casino Jackson lawyer: Doctor Driver apparently suffered from a medical episode By KEN RITTER Associated Press Writer

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A speeding vehicle crashed through the entrance of a hotel in the southern Nevada resort town of Laughlin on Wednesday, killing two patrons, injuring at least eight others before it came got wedged at a bank of slot machines, authorities said. Investigators believe the 75-year-old male driver suffered a medical episode before the 9:30 a.m. crash at the Edgewater Hotel & Casino, police said. The vehicle “drove right through the glass doors at the front entrance, knocked over a bunch of slots like toys, and came to rest in the gaming area,” Bullhead City Fire Division Chief Bill Kinsey, incident commander for a mutual aid response from the Arizona city across the Colorado River.

He estimated that the vehicle came to rest about 35 feet inside the casino. “Slot machines were just everywhere, just wiped out, tumbled and tossed,” he said. One of the dead ended up a few feet from the back of the vehicle, Kinsey said. Another was wedged beneath the vehicle and some slot machines. Five people were taken to hospitals with unspecified injuries, and three others, including the driver, were treated at the scene for minor injuries, Las Vegas police Officer Barbara Morgan said. Las Vegas police cover most of Clark County, including Laughlin, a Colorado River resort about 100 miles south of Las Vegas. The driver of the silver Pontiac Vibe was being questioned, Kinsey said. Power was immediately shut off, and the casino area was evacuated. Kinsey said he didn’t think guests were told to evacuate the rest of the 1,200room hotel. Kinsey said he expected casino security videotapes

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would show every detail of the crash, including the car approaching from near Casino and Bruce Woodbury drives, and crashing through the glass doors. “Those poor people, just minding their own business, and they get plowed over by a vehicle,” Kinsey said. “I don’t think they ever saw it coming,” he said. Joe Magliarditi, casino chief operating officer, said he was told the vehicle plowed through the lobby after speeding down a 150-foot horseshoe-

shaped driveway toward the 26-story hotel on the Colorado River waterfront. “I’ve heard numbers from 60 miles per hour or higher,” Magliarditi said. Morgan said witnesses told police the vehicle approached the front of the hotel at “an extremely high rate of speed.” Police at the scene reported that alcohol or drugs did not appear to be factors in the crash, Morgan said. Associated Press writer Oskar Garcia contributed to this report.

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should face murder charge NEW YORK (AP) — The family attorney of Michael Jackson says an involuntary manslaughter charge against the pop singer’s personal physician would be insufficient. Brian Oxman calls the charge, with its maximum jail sentence of four years, “just a slap on the wrist.” Jackson’s death on June 25 came after Dr. Conrad Murray administered the powerful anesthetic propofol and two other sedatives, according to the Los Angeles County coroner’s

office, which ruled the death a homicide. Murray is ready to surrender to authorities if prosecutors file charges, according to his attorney, Ed Chernoff. Murray says nothing he gave the singer should have killed him. But Jackson attorney Oxman tells CBS’ “The Early Show” on Wednesday that Murray displayed recklessness in dispensing the drugs, warranting a second-degree murder charge.

Shotgun Raffle ticketS on Sale now foR $5.00 gupton’s Sporting goods 324 S. garnett St. Monday-Saturday and

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3 weekends January 23 thru February 7 Drawing Date will be February 13 at The Silo at 6:30 pm It will be a Meet & Greet event Sponsored by Vance County Republican Party

A Man Wakes Up... A man wakes up in the morning after sleeping on an advertised mattress, under an advertised blanket, in advertised pajamas. He will bathe in an advertised shower, wash with advertised soap, shave with an advertised razor, drink advertised coffee after his advertised juice and put on advertised clothes and accessories. He will ride to work in an advertised car, sit at an advertised workstation, utilize an advertised computer and write with an advertised pen. Yet this man hesitates to advertise saying advertising does not pay. Finally, when his unadvertised business goes under, he will then advertise it for sale. During these tough times The Daily Dispatch would like to help your business grow. Please contact a sales representative today and let us help design an advertising program for you.

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THE DAILY DISPATCH • THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2010 • 9A

ACTS* Facts

Boys & Girls Clubs of North Central North Carolina

Life Line Outreach, Inc. “A Safe Place To Be” P.O. Box 1632 • Henderson, NC 27536

Area Christians Together in Service

* The Kitchen Staff and volunteers at ACTS House served 222 meals. * The ACTS Staff gave out 8 boxes of groceries to a total of 7 families. * Hearts Haven served as a refuge for 3 women and 6 children. * The Court Advocacy Program gave legal assistance to 40 victims.

943-O W. Andrews Ave. Henderson, NC 27536 • 252-430-1871 The Boys & Girls Clubs of North Central North Carolina invites you to join us for an

Open House

Weekly Statistics

To support this important Christian Ministry send donations to ACTS • 305 S. Chestnut St. • Henderson, NC 27536 For additional information or to volunteer your time or services, contact Melvin Green, Executive Director @ (252) 492-8231

Thursday, February 11th • 3 p.m. – 6 p.m.

We sheltered 20 single women, 9 mothers and 12 children for a total of 41 residents, and served 861 meals.

LB Yancey Elementary School Site 311 Hawkins Drive, Henderson, NC 27536 Please join us to meet our staff and learn more about our programs. Refreshments will be served.

MEAT DEPARTMENT

PRODUCE DEPARTMENT

Boneless Boneless Boneless Boneless

FRUITS

TOP ROUND ROAST

LONDON BROIL ROAST

TOP ROUND STEAKS

TOP SIRLOIN STEAKS

Washington State Apples .............................. (Golden Delicious, Gala, Granny Smith, Fuji, Cameo and Red Delicious)

2 2 2 4 LB. Fresh

GROUND FRESH DAILY

LB.

CHOPPED SIRLOIN PATTIES

GROUND CHUCK OR GROUND ROUND

(Golden Delicious, Gala, Granny Smith, Fuji, Cameo, and Red Delicious Apples)

California Navel Oranges............................... 4 lb. bag $3.39 Florida Juice Oranges ..................................... 4 lb. bag $2.89 Florida Red Navels .......................................... 4 lb. bag $2.99 Florida Temple Oranges ................................. 4 lb. bag $3.39 Bananas .....................................................................49¢ lb.

LB. Fresh

FAMILY PACK

BOTTOM ROUND STEAKS

PORK PICNICS

2 3 2 1

$ 99 $ 39 $ 99 $ 29 LB. LB. LB. Boneless Boneless

LB.

STAPLE ITEMS

VEGETABLES

Medium Yellow Onions 3 lb. bag $1.69

Homegrown-Medium Sweet Potatoes .49¢ lb. or 5 lb. bag $1.99

FAMILY PACK FAMILY PACK

END CUT PORK CHOPS

PORK CHOPS

Russet Potatoes 5 lb. bag $1.49 10 lb. bag $2.49 20 lb. bag $4.89

ASSORTED CHICKEN PORK DRUMSTICKS CHOPS

3 3 2 1

Yukon Gold Potatoes 5 lb. bag $1.39 10 lb. bag $1.99 20 lb. bag $3.89

$ 99 $ 29 $ 79 $ 19 LB.

LB.

Our Frying Chickens and Chicken Parts are Delivered FRESH, PACKED IN ICE and NEVER FROZEN!

FAMILY PACK

CHICKEN THIGHS

LB.

$ 09 LB.

BULK MEAT PRODUCTS

TROUT FILLET

LB.

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White Potatoes 5 lb. bag $1.49 10 lb. bag $2.49 20 lb. bag $4.89

SLICED CHEESE

5 LB. PKG, 200 SLICES

2 17

$ 69 $

Red Potatoes 5 lb. bag $1.99 10 lb. bag $3.49 20 lb. bag $6.89

99 EA.

EA.

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New Crop Washington State Apples .....................99¢ lb.

$ 79 $ 89 $ 99 $ 79 LB.

3 lb. bag

California Carrots 2 lb. bag .99¢ Florida Tomatoes $1.19 lb. Cabbage .49¢ lb. Because of extremely cold weather in Florida, vegetable prices are high and product is relatively scarce. However, we will try to have some of whatever is available.

FRESH MEATS - CUT and PACKAGED IN OUR MEAT DEPARTMENT FROZEN BULK PRODUCT DISPLAYED IN A 40’ SELF SERVICE FREEZER

GROCERY DEPARTMENT

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NAPKINS & TABLECOVERS, FOOTBALL SHAPED CHIPS, DIPS, PLATTERS AND THREE SECTIONED SERVERS. MOBILES AND BANNERS • GREAT SALSA AND DIPS

Remember our wide selection of BEER and WINE when planning your

NEW CROP Navy Beans .99¢ lb. Clear Frying Oil 35 lb. container $22.95 NEW CROP Blackeye Peas $1.49 lb. NEW CROP Pinto Beans $1.09 lb. Peanut Oil 35 lb. container $39.49

SUPERBOWL CELEBRATION.

Non-alcoholc varieties of both are available, as well. Don’t forget our ten percent discount on cases drawn from existing stock. Enjoy!

FROM THE FREEzER

Vegetables Freshly Prepared - Homemade Freshly Prepared - Homemade Cajun Chicken Salad Ham Salad

$ 99

Made using only the Tender White Meat pulled from Freshly Cooked Chicken Breasts, Mayonnaise, Pickle Relish, Celery, Jalapeño Peppers, Cajun Seasoning, Cayenne Pepper, and White Pepper

LB.

$ 19

Made using Boiled Ham, Pickle Relish, Mayonnaise, and Pepper

LB.

Freshly Prepared - Homemade Pepper & Broccoli Pasta

Freshly Prepared - Homemade Carrot & Raisin Salad

Made using Shell Pasta, Fresh Broccoli, Red, Green & Yellow Peppers and Peppercorn Parmesan Dressing.

Made using Carrots, Pineapple, Raisins, Mayonnaise, and Sugar

$ 29 LB.

$ 89 LB.

Need a meal in a hurry? You’ll find the Hot Entrees, Vegetables, and Casseroles prepared in the Country Market Kitchen and displayed in our Hot Foods Case are extremely delicious.

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In 20 lb (Bulk) Boxes Other Bulk Frozen Vegetables Also Available in:

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The Country Market Lunch Counter

(Freshly Prepared Foods - Ready To Go) All of our Lunch Counter selections are Freshly Prepared in the Country Market Kitchen or Deli using only Fresh Ingredients.

Chef & Combination Salad Plates Also Available

This Week’s Friday Only Special will be

This Week’s Saturday Only Special will be

Freshly Prepared Kielbasa Sausage

Bonesucking® Barbecue Pork Ribs

with Peppers & Onions

69 LB.

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We Have Fresh Macaroon Coconut in the Deli Refrigerated Case.

Freshly Cooked Turnip Greens

Freshly Cooked Broccoli Casserole

The Salads and Hot Foods You See In Our Deli Counters Are Prepared Fresh Daily in the Country Market Kitchen.

Turnip Greens, Water, Salt, Sugar, Onion, Red Pepper, Spices, Smoke Flavor, Garlic Powder, and Spices.

Broccoli, Water, American Cheese, Bread Crumbs, Swiss Cheese, Cream, Salt, Butter and Spices.

CMYK 10A

Opinion

The Daily Dispatch

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Thursday, February 4, 2010

Census reflects confusion

Editorial Board: James Edwards, Publisher • jedwards@hendersondispatch.com Luke Horton, Editor • lhorton@hendersondispatch.com Don Dulin, News Editor • ddulin@hendersondispatch.com Linda Gupton, Features Editor • lgupton@hendersondispatch.com 304 S. Chestnut St./P.O. Box 908 Henderson, N.C. 27536 PHONE: 436-2700/FAX: 430-0125

Daily Meditation But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. Matthew 5:22

Our Opinion

Celebrating our YMCA

When one thinks of the top attributes of Henderson and Vance County — the lake, our medical center and the community college, just to name a few — the Henderson Family YMCA has to be placed near the top of the list of the great things we have going for us. We were reminded this week of just how fortunate we are to enjoy the benefits of a full-service YMCA in a community our size. With dozens of supporters, members, board representatives, volunteers and staff on hand Wednesday, Woody Caudle, the YMCA’s executive director for the past 11 years, cut a ribbon and several cakes and served a healthy lunch to celebrate 20 years since the opening of the expanded facility on Ruin Creek Road and 30 years since the official start of the local organization. From humble beginnings in a storefront office with programs offered at pools and in facilities around town, our YMCA embarked on an ambitious capital campaign more than two decades ago that led to the opening of an impressive 25,200-square-foot facility on Feb. 3, 1990. After two expansions in 1993 and 2000, our YMCA is now even more impressive — a 40,000-square-foot facility serving more than 10,000 people. The facility features a swimming pool, sauna, steam room, hot tub, wellness center, aerobics rooms, locker rooms, children’s gym, squash court, racquetball courts, multipurpose room, free weight center and walking track. The real story of the Y, of course, as Caudle noted Wednesday, is the people it serves. He related an occasion when he asked a young boy what “YMCA” stood for, hoping to get a response that somewhat resembled the answer of “Young Men’s Christian Association” in relation to the acronym. Instead, he got an honest assessment of the young man’s impression of what the YMCA was to him: a swimming pool. Caudle used the youngster’s comment to emphasize that what the Y is depends on why you’re there — it’s something different to nearly everyone who uses its services. It’s a place to exercise, a spot for relaxation, a facility for relieving stress. It’s a safe place for a child after school so he or she doesn’t have to go home to an empty house. It’s a place to learn values, to play basketball, to undertake therapy for recovery after a surgery or an accident. It’s an opportunity for many a young person to get a first job and perhaps develop an appetite for a career in working with children. For some people, it’s a social outlet – perhaps the only place they will come in contact with others during their day. Caudle was quick to recognize the “C” in “YMCA” in his closing remarks on Wednesday. He expressed his and the YMCA board’s pride in being a Christian organization. In a history of the local Y published in a special section in Sunday’s Dispatch, Caudle said, “The YMCA does not require a person to be a Christian to become a member, but it does require a person to respect the Christian values the YMCA promotes — caring, respect, honesty, responsibility and faith.” The doors of the YMCA are always open to all people and faiths as long as they remember and respect the values the YMCA promotes and practices, he said. We stand in salute of this valuable organization, its leaders, its staff, its volunteers and its contributors. Congratulations on 20 great years in this evergrowing facility, and congratulations on 30 years of working to make a difference in our community.

It is time to take another census, as we Americans do every 10 years, which means it is time again to argue about the census. If the census is designed to take a snapshot of our nation, the initial reaction looks like a family feud. In the upper heartland we have U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, who has called for a boycott of the census unless it includes a question about resident status. The Minnesota Republican has backed off that a tad, perhaps because the census determines how many members the House of Representatives will have. A low census response could cost Minnesota a congressional seat — like hers. Besides too many illegal immigrants already avoid the census precisely because they suspect that it is looking for the illegals that Bachmann wishes it really was looking for. If illegal immigrants were willing to respond truthfully to a straight-up question such as the one she suggests, we could have a census every year and put an end to illegal immigration. Dream on. More recently Bachmann has backed up a bit. She urges

her supporters to respond to the census but disclose no more information than the number of people living in their household. By her reading, that’s all the Constitution requires. “Enough is enough” to “government intrusion,” she said, on Glenn Beck’s Fox News show, where she also observed Clarence that the census was Page an early Tribune Media step in the Services process that led to internment camps for Japanese Americans during World War II. Maybe so, if you also think of shipbuilding as an early step to the slave trade. As you might be able to tell from her anxieties, Bachmann is the sort of conservative who asks you to trust her in our government because she doesn’t trust government. But the tea-party right is hardly alone when it comes to beating up on the census. There are black activists and intel-

lectuals, for example, who are upset that the form includes “Negro” among the choices for one’s race, along with “black” and “African American.” I am confident that none of those complaints is coming from the National Council of Negro Women or the United Negro College Fund — and I seriously doubt many objections are being voiced by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, either. Besides, if they think “Negro” sounds odd, consider this: a century ago, the classifications still included “mulatto,” “quadroon” and “octoroon.” Times and labels can change faster than the census can keep up. In fact, race labels have changed in every census for the past century, making it all the more difficult for social scientists and demographers to compare one decade to the next. The form’s categories are determined by the federal Office of Management and Budget, which makes sense it is intimately concerned with allocating government resources to people and places where it will do the most good. People in need of government help, you might think, would care

Letter Knowledge of history is crucial A wise one once observed that a knowledge of history is crucial to understanding, especially applicable to Haiti. Yet you gave us a glaring black racist attack on a respected white Christian because,

now get this, he cited history. Then, today, you gave us another black version of God’s scripture, that the only mission of God is helping others. A complete book, Deuteronomy 20, is devoted on how to wage war, plus guidance on military assembly of warriors, strategy and tactics, plus the Gideon prin-

ciple. God wiped out 185,000 members of an army threatening Jerusalem one night. This earthquake is another in an increased stream of world earthquakes predicted in scripture leading to God’s judgment and wipe out of one-third of the world population, those rejecting Jesus Christ, who is coming

more about how they’re being served than what they’re being labeled. But they still care a lot. In the 2000 census, for example, about 19 million people checked “Some other race” on the census form because they were not satisfied with the five categories offered. The vast majority were people of Hispanic origin, census officials say, who preferred to write-in more nationalistic labels such as “Mexican” or “Puerto Rican.” Census officials re-categorized as many of those race write-ins as possible into one of the five categories. In government nose counting, it appears, those who try to deny race will have one — or more — thrust upon them. Such confusion and contradictions at the edge of our racial frontiers has led some to call for doing away with racial categories on the census. Many of these folks are conservatives looking for a backdoor way to undermine affirmative action-type programs. Their complaint is legitimate, but as long as we really care about racial progress in this country we need yardsticks to measure it. Even if we stopped counting by race, it would not mean that race doesn’t count.

to the

Editor

soon. So, editors, you have work if you respect history. Blacks and Catholics have work to do to reject voodoo and recover Haiti. You asked for news tips, there’s one, from God. Don Bagby Macon

Other Views John Edwards embarrassed state Former U.S. Sen. John Edwards has a lot of apologizing to do. He’s embarrassed his state and his supporters. He’s humiliated his family and friends. Worst of all, he’s denied his own daughter by telling the world he was not the father of this innocent little girl, and concocting lies to make his case. And he did this while knowing she was his child, his own flesh and blood. If he had won the 2008 presidential election, the potential for blackmailing him over his extra-marital affair could have jeopardized national security. At the least, revelations about this affair and his dishonesty about it would have shamed the nation. With two books out that tackle the subject, Edwards has finally come clean on his paternity of Frances Quinn Hunter, the child he fathered with Rielle Hunter during their affair, and apologized “to all those I have disappointed and hurt.” But nothing he says beyond that — no explanation he offers — can have any credibility. Edwards has lied from the first day

that the story of his affair broke. He was lying as he presented himself to the world as a man dedicated to his wife, who is battling cancer, and his children. This raises questions about the veracity of everything else he said as he served this state in the U.S. Senate and, then, as he ran for president. Liars hurt a lot of people, and Edwards certainly did that. He hurt all of those around his family. Some day, when little Frances is grown and learns that her father first denied she was his, she will also be hurt. Edwards also hurt the people who believed in him and trusted him. Hundreds of North Carolinians, both people who knew him while he was a Raleigh lawyer and those who only met him after he entered politics, put their faith in him. As his campaign manager, Gary Pearce, said recently, Edwards owes all of those people an apology. These were conscientious people of all ages who gave his campaign money, who traveled across the country to work on his behalf and who gave much of their time, too. Most important, they put their hopes for this country in his care only to be betrayed by him. Finally, Edwards hurt all the good

people in politics because he reinforced a negative stereotype of politicians. Earlier this month, two political reporters published Game Change, a book about the 2008 campaign that included disturbing details about Edwards, his wife, Elizabeth, and the way they conducted their campaign. The embarrassment will only continue when his former aide, Andrew Young, publishes his memoir, with widespread distribution this weekend. Indications are that Young will provide even more detail about Edwards’ cheating. For all, it would be best if Edwards just disappeared. It’s unlikely that anyone will take his apology seriously or believe his contrition. Winston-Salem Journal

Southeast High-Speed Rail Corridor funding Some points regarding the wisdom of investing large sums of public money to improve intercity rail service: Track improvements benefit freight carriers as well as passenger operations. More capacity in rail corridors helps divert freight-hauling trucks

from highways. That lessens the need for costly highway construction and repair, and also contributes to improved air quality. The Southeast High-Speed Rail Corridor runs through the Triangle’s heart, extending to Charlotte in one direction and Washington in the other. To complete it will cost much more than the $520 million that North Carolina now is set to receive. But this infusion will give the project added momentum. The upshot, attainable perhaps over the next halfdozen years, could be passenger trains running between Raleigh and Charlotte in a little over two hours, and from Raleigh to D.C. in about four. That will sell tickets. And meanwhile, freight service would benefit as well. The United States has lagged badly in keeping its rail networks up to the standards common in other advanced countries. Strengthening those networks will mean jobs and a broader range of transportation choices for both goods and people. It’s a very practical approach that Obama is smart to endorse. The News and Observer

The Daily Dispatch

Dear Abby

News From The Light Side THURSDAY Morning / Early Afternoon 2/4/10

the root of the child’s failure will. — CAROL IN TEXAS

Today is Wednesday, Feb. 4, the 35th day of 2009. There are 330 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight: On Feb. 4, 1789, electors chose George Washington to be the first president of the United States. (However, the results of the balloting were not counted in the U.S. Senate until two months later.) On this date: In 1783, Britain declared a formal cessation of hostilities with its former colonies, the United States of America. In 1861, delegates from six southern states met in Montgomery, Ala., to form the Confederate States of America. In 1938, the Thornton Wilder play “Our Town” opened on Broadway. In 1941, the United Service Organizations (USO) came into existence. In 1945, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Josef Stalin began a wartime conference at Yalta. In 1974, newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst was kidnapped in Berkeley, Calif., by the Symbionese Liberation Army. In 1976, more than 23,000 people died when a severe earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5 struck Guatemala, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Ten years ago: In a case that produced a firestorm of outrage, Amadou Diallo, an unarmed West African immigrant, was shot and killed in front of his Bronx home by four plainclothes New York City police

Five years ago: The Massachusetts high court declared that gays were entitled to nothing less than marriage and that Vermontstyle civil unions would not suffice. A Senate rattled by a ricin attack began returning to regular business with no illnesses reported. One year ago: President George W. Bush proposed a record $3.1 trillion budget that included huge federal deficits. Harry Richard Landis, one of two known surviving U.S. veterans of World War I, died near Tampa, Fla. at age 108. Today’s Birthdays: Actor William Phipps is 87. Actor Conrad Bain is 86. Actor Gary Conway is 73. Movie director George A. Romero is 69. Rock musician John Steel (The Animals) is 68. Singer Florence LaRue (The Fifth Dimension) is 65. Former Vice President Dan Quayle is 62. Rock singer Alice Cooper is 61. Actor Michael Beck is 60. Actress Lisa Eichhorn is 57. Football Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor is 50. Rock singer Tim Booth is 49. Rock musician Henry Bogdan is 48. Country singer Clint Black is 47. Country musician Dave Buchanan (Yankee Grey) is 43. Actress Gabrielle Anwar is 39. Actor Rob Corddry is 38. Singer David Garza is 38. Actor Michael Goorjian is 38. Rock musician Rick Burch (Jimmy Eat World) is 34. Singer Natalie Imbruglia is 34. Rapper Cam’ron is 33. Rock singer Gavin DeGraw is 32.

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