Raleigh Telegram December 20, 2010

Serving Raleigh, North Carolina :: The State Capital & The City Of Oaks :: Raleigh’s Only Locally Owned, General Interest Newspaper :: December 27th, 2010

Cary High School Troubled By Three Student Suicides

By Olivia Barrow The Raleigh Telegram CARY - The Green Hope High School community is hurting. The public school in Cary suffered two student suicides during the 2009 - 2010 school year.

“Both of them were devastating to the school community and both of them were tragic,” said Principal Jim Hedrick in an interview with the Telegram earlier this year.

A junior hung himself in a tree less than 500 feet from his home in Cary in November of 2009. This year, a senior who played on the football team jumped off of a bridge on Cary Parkway in May, only a month before graduation. A third student also took his own life in a gunrelated incident in 2009.

[Editor’s Note: The Raleigh Telegram newspaper made an editorial decision not to include the names of the students mentioned in this article to protect the families of the deceased.]

Community members have begun to express concern that the deaths may signal a cultural problem at Green Hope that needs to be addressed.

Earlier this year, the Parent Teacher Student Association at Green Hope has launched a special safety committee called “Youth Suicide Awareness and Prevention” with the purpose of raising awareness about the problem of teen suicide, educating the Green Hope community about solutions and removing barriers that separate suicidal teens from help.

“One of the founding purposes of the PTA was to promote safety for children,” Liza Weidle, Green Hope PTSA Health and Safety Co-Chair, wrote in an e-mail to the Telegram earlier this year. “As the need presents, the GHHS PTSA responds with particular programs that benefit the greatest within our community.”

The body of the student who hung himself was found by a construction worker on November 12, 2009. The toxicology report revealed no drugs or alcohol, and the police ruled his death a suicide.

The student who jumped to his death off of a bridge in Cary was a senior nicknamed “Frenchy” for his heritage.

The student was 18 and had already been accepted to the engineering program at N.C. State University. He was going to graduate with honors and had played football for four years. Tall with a great sense of humor, he was a favorite to be around, say fellow students.

The toxicology report from the official autopsy results showed his blood had the presence of four different benzodiazepines, including diazepam, which is sold under the brand name Valium. His blood contained no alcohol.

Benzodiazepines are prescription drugs commonly used to treat anxiety

and panic disorders. They are not antidepressants and can sometimes cause or worsen depression. It is not known how the student obtained the drugs or why they were in his system. “[He] has touched my life so much even though I have only known him for four years,” said Andrew Shears in his eulogy for the student. Shears was a close friend of the student and played football with him all four years at Green Hope.

On May 9, 2010 at 8:21pm, the student posted a Facebook status that said “Im done with life. I cant deal with sh** anymore. Do not blame yourselfs it is only my fault. Goodbye. I love you all.”

The autopsy narrative says that he was reported missing at about the same time as the Facebook note appeared. His body was found under a bridge on the Cary Parkway shortly after midnight.

Coroners ruled his death as a suicide, but one source says at one point, police were investigating his death as a possible homicide, but that has not been confirmed. There were no witnesses, and the railroad beneath the bridge is a common site for gang graffiti. The student’s car was found near the scene and according to the autopsy report, his injuries were consistent with climbing over the highway fence and jumping.

Some parents have expressed concern to the Telegram off the record about drugs at Green Hope. Green Hope has an affluent student population and the school is sometimes referred to as “Green Dope,” a nickname reflecting the drug culture that some say exists.

One student told the Telegram that although students at Green Hope may have access to drugs and alcohol, they do not think the school has a problem.

Despite the nickname, research shows that Green Hope has less incidences -- or at least reported cases -of drug-related violations than other high schools in Cary.

As of the end of the 2009 - 2010 school year, there were only five reported drug violation incidents at Green Hope in the last two school years: two arrests, two citations, and one incident that required a counseling session.

In contrast, Cary High School had 12 incidents and Panther Creek had 20 drug-related incidents during the last two school years.

Although the details of the student’s death are still being examined, the memories from his life will be cherished forever by all of those who knew him.

“I know that in his life he has loved and touched so many people and he has been loved in returned by so many as well,” Shears said at the funeral for the popular student. “Saying goodbye to someone you love is not easy, but it’s not like you’re saying goodbye forever. No matter what, don’t forget he loved each and every one of you here.”

Family Video Of Amelia Earhart At Raleigh Airport Presents Mystery

In this still from a video by the Denmark family of Raleigh, Amelia Earhart (far left) can be seen breaking a bottle of champagne over an aircraft at the Raleigh Municipal Airport, although details are a mystery. Photo: James Denmark.

By Randall Gregg The Raleigh Telegram RALEIGH - Earlier this month, it was announced that a team of researchers had discovered a possible human bone fragment on Nikumaroro Island in the Pacific Ocean, close to where famed aviator Amelia Earhart disappeared in 1937. The fragments are among other artifacts, such as portions of a woman’s shoe and aluminum parts, that lead some to believe that she died on the island as a castaway after her plane ran out of fuel during her around the world attempt.

The bone fragments are currently being DNA tested and the results will be known in a few months.

Meanwhile, a mystery connected to Amelia Earhart has sprung up in here in Raleigh.

Raleigh photographer Jay Denmark of Denmark Studios found a video shot by his father, James Denmark, that depicts Earhart at the Raleigh Municipal Airport sometime during the late 1920’s or early 1930’s.

James Denmark was a photographer based in Raleigh at the time and the Denmark family collection of photos and videos are an import treasure trove of historic shots of the people and places in Raleigh from the first half of the century.

James Denmark labeled his photos,

RDU Airport Sees Increase In Passengers RALEIGH - According to the airport, The number of passengers traveling through Raleigh-Durham International Airport in November grew more than 5 percent over the same period last year.

Throughout the month, 785,084 travelers passed through the airport compared to 742,696 last November.

In addition, the airport says that so far this year, around 8.34 million people have traveled through RDU compared to 8.22 million in the first 11 months of 2009. The airport attributes the increase to additional flights added by Delta In May of this year, students at Green Hope High School remembered their good which added 14 new runs to other friend, nicknamed “Frenchy,” with flowers and other memorials on Cary Parkway airports and JetBlue which added new including a painted mural under the bridge. Photo: The Raleigh Telegram. non-stop flights to Boston.

but it’s not quite clear when the Earhart video was made, but it was in Raleigh.

“I wasn't sure what the exact date was when we were talking about it,” said Jay Denmark earlier this year when speaking about his father’s film. “It very well could have been ‘29. I understand that she was here promoting something while she was here.”

Earhart may have well been here during the Raleigh Municpal Airport’s official opening in 1929. According to the Lineberry Alliance blog in Raleigh, the opening was attended by local luminaries such as Josephus Daniels, publisher of the News & Observer and Thad Eure, a state legislator at the time and later the NC Secretary of State. Also present was the world famous World War I flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker, who later led Eastern Airlines.

However, as Earhart had just completed her transatlantic flight in 1928 and then engaged in competitive airplane racing and a lecture circuit in 1929, it seems more likely Earhart’s visit came after the Raleigh airport opened.

Jay Denmark says that he believes that Earhart was promoting help for soup kitchens and other Depression era aid efforts, which would most certainly have put the date of her visit during the Continued on Page 7...

The Raleigh Municipal Airport (above) opened in 1929 to much fanfare. RDU airport is in a different location. Photo from NC Archives.

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Elizabeth Edwards Passes Away After Saying Goodbye To Her Supporters

By R. Gregg, Editor The Raleigh Telegram CHAPEL HILL - After suffering from breast cancer since 2004, Elizabeth Edwards said goodbye to her supporters through Facebook shortly before passing away on December 7th at 10:16am at her home. Elizabeth Edwards was the wife of former US Presidential candidate and US senator John Edwards.

Edwards’ family said the day before she died that she was no longer seeking treatment and a statement on Tuesday from the family announced that she had passed away.

“Today we have lost the comfort of Elizabeth's presence but she remains the heart of this family,” her family said in a statement to the media. “We love her and will never know anyone more inspiring or full of life. On behalf of Elizabeth, we want to express our gratitude to the thousands of kindred spirits who moved and inspired her along the way. Your support and prayers touched our entire family.”

“Elizabeth has been advised by her doctors that further treatment of her cancer would be unproductive,” said Edwards’ family in a statement sent to the media. “She is resting at home with family and friends.”

Edwards, age 61, passed away at the home that she shared with her family on a large farm outside of Chapel Hill in rural Orange County.

The Edwards moved to the large estate from Raleigh several years.

In the public spotlight since her husband was elected to the US Senate in 1998, Elizabeth met her husband when they both attended law school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The couple were married and had four children. The Edwards mourned the loss of their first son, Wade, who died in a car accident in 1979.

During her legal career, while her husband worked as a trial lawyer, Elizabeth Edwards worked in the NC Attorney General’s Office in Raleigh, practice law at a Raleigh law firm, and later worked as an adjunct professor at the UNC law school.

Edwards was first diagnosed with cancer in 2004 and fought it with both chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

Sadly, the disease returned in 2007 during John Edwards’ Presidential campaign when it was announced that Elizabeth had Stage IV cancer that had spread to other parts of her body.

Undaunted by her medical condition, Elizabeth Edwards had opened a furniture store in Chapel Hill

called the Red Window and also spoke to audiences about her life and problems with health care in the United States.

During the 2008 Presidential elections, Edwards spoke out against Senator John McCain’s (R-Arizona) health care proposals and in 2009, also spoke at Congressional hearings on the bankruptcies that many Americans face because of health care bills.

She also had penned two books about her fight against cancer and the tribulations she endured when her husband withdrew from politics after news of an extramarital affair.

On the day before she passed away, Elizabeth Edwards posted a note on her Facebook page to say goodbye to her supporters and those who believed in her over the years.

“You all know that I have been sustained throughout my life by three saving graces - my family, my friends, and a faith in the power of resilience and hope,” she said on her Facebook page.

“These graces have carried me through difficult times and they have brought more joy to the good times than I ever could have imagined. The days of our lives, for all of us, are numbered. We know that. And, yes, there are certainly times when we aren't able to muster as much strength and patience as we would Elizabeth Edwards on the campaign trail for her husband, where she frequently spoke out on health issues affecting Americans. Photo: Edwards campaign. like. It's called being human. But I have found that in the simple act of living with hope, and in the daily effort to have a positive impact in the world, the days I do have are made all the more meaningful and precious. And for that I am grateful. It isn't possible to put into words the love and gratitude I feel to everyone who has and continues to support and inspire me every day. To you I simply say: you know. With love, Elizabeth.”

FUNERAL HELD IN RALEIGH Edwards was remembered at a public memorial service on Saturday, December 11th at the Edenton Street United Methodist Church in downtown Raleigh, where hundreds showed up to honor her life, career, and courage. John Edwards attended the service with their three children Cate, Emma Claire, and Jack Edwards. Cate Edwards spoke of her mother as having “grace and strength.”

The entire church memorial service can be viewed online at WRAL-TV: http://www.wral.com/news/video/ 8754460/#/vid8754460 Elizabeth Edwards was buried next to her son, Wade Edwards, at a private burial ceremony in Oakwood Cemetary in Raleigh after the memorial service.

NC Journalist Recalls Times Spent With Elizabeth Edwards

By Edward Cone, Special To The Raleigh Telegram GREENSBORO - Elizabeth Edwards was famously skilled at working the media, both new and traditional.

She addressed the tension around these cultivated relationships when she spoke at the old ConvergeSouth conference in Greensboro, in 2006: "I know there's a lot of suspicion about trying to win over a particular blogger to be a voice for you. I actually have more respect for you than that. I figure you can make your own decisions. But if I know what you're thinking about and I'm not talking about it... maybe I should."

It was a tension I felt myself, as a blogger and newspaper columnist on the receiving end of her outreach. Of course It was nice to have Elizabeth Edwards commenting at my blog and inviting me to dinner with her husband at their Georgetown home, and it was useful to my work as well.

But I worked at maintaining my independence, treating her as I would any on-the-record source when she made her Drudge-worthy comments about John needing the net because he couldn't count on the free publicity that went with being a black or female candidate (I'd guess she know what she was doing with those remarks; certainly she never complained about my use of them, even as her staff went ballistic). Elizabeth encouraged real give and take at the meetings she arranged between John Edwards and bloggers -- more, it seemed to me, than he really cared for; he seemed a little startled at the intensity of disagreement over his support of the Iraq invasion as the wine began to flow at one dinner party in 2005, and impatient with criticism from a larger group at a later event in Chapel Hill.

Elizabeth and I talked about this tension between journalism and friendship once, on the morning this column appeared in the News & Record.

I woke up to find an email from Elizabeth, time-stamped before 7AM, with a curt message saying I'd gone too far. I told her to call me if she pleased, and minutes later my cell phone rang. I said I could speak as a journalist, or as a human being. She said to be a journalist first, so I told her I needed to write that heartfelt column if I was going to continue covering North Carolina politics with any degree of credibility, and that nobody believed John's half-ass explanation anyway. She did not disagree, and we moved on to more personal commiseration.

After the fall, our relationship revolved mostly around our mutual love of UNC basketball. She was sharp and funny on the listserve she helped start, once responding within seconds to my question about a Tar Heel fan's proper attitude toward the US Olympic team helmed by arch-rival Coach K (she said we must root for our country to succeed despite the terrible blunders we wished upon the hated Dookie).

Sometimes I would make my way around the concourse at the Dean Dome to visit with her at halftime of Carolina games. In February of this year, we stood together as generations of players were introduced on-court to celebrate the centennial of UNC hoops. It was a happy moment, and it was nice to share it with Elizabeth.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Edward Cone is a professional journalist and blogger in Greensboro, North Carolina and his articles have appeared in several national and North Carolina publications. His blog can be found online at www.edcone.com

Zack Galifianakis Talks About Times As NCSU Student Celebrity Magnet Murro (center) with famous magicians Penn and Teller.

Penn & Teller Tell All To Celebrity Magnet

By Allison Ruppino Special To The Raleigh Telegram

Zack Galifianakis grew up in the Wilkesboro area and attended NCSU before going to New York. The actor and comedian has hit the big time with such movies as “The Hangover,” which was the highest grossing comedy film of all time and “Due Date.” He’s currently filming “Hangover 2”. Photo: Warner Bros.

By Dave Pond, NCSU News Service RALEIGH - From his early days of performing standup comedy in small, New York clubs to the international spotlight in which he now resides, Zach Galifianakis has always done things his way. So when we had the chance to chat with him as he reflected on his time as a Communication major at NC State, his favorite professor and more – including some advice for current NC State students – we jumped at the chance.

ZG: I think one of my only A’s was in Anthropology. I think it was an “A” – nevertheless, I so enjoyed that class. It opened my way of thinking to be sure. I also took a design course that kind of blew my mind and gave me a different perspective on how the eye and mind work together. Socially, I worked a lot. I worked at Amedeo’s Pizza and also Two Guys. That was my socialization. I never joined any clubs or organizations at State – I was a bit of a loner – but those were some very fond memories.

Dave Pond, NC State University DP: Do you recall any favorite Communications: Tell me about professors or classes? your time at NC State?

ZG: I had a professor named James Zach Galifianakis: Well, my father and Alchediak who was the coolest, and I my older brother went there. My father hope he is still there. I would like to played football, so we inherited being bump into that guy one day.

Wolfpack fans from that. As far as my time there, I really liked Raleigh and DP: What role did your time at NC Hillsborough Street. I had some great State University help play in professors, but I was not the student I shaping your career and realizing could have been. your dreams?

There was a legendary establishment there during my time called The Five 0, and I spent too much time there. I was at NC State from 1988-1992, failed my last course by one point and never got my degree. My time is so limited, but I’ve definitely thought about finishing it. If I were to do it all over again, I would have studied something specific in agriculture, because I live on a farm now and do not know what I am doing.

ZG: A collaborator named A.D. Miles went to NC State when I was there. He was one of my friends. We moved to New York City, lived together and kind of came up through the ranks together in the comedy scene, and eventually worked professionally on a couple of jobs.

If I had not met him at State I think things would have worked out differently. We see each other from time DP: How often do you get back to to time. He is the head writer of Late campus?

Night with Jimmy Fallon and I do what I do, and the two of us used to be kids ZG: I get to Raleigh about once a year, running up and down Hillsborough and I always walk through the campus. looking for nothing.

Usually East Campus. Last time I was there I met an old friend, and we ate at DP: Finally, if you could give one The Roast Grill towards downtown. I bit of advice to NC State University also try to stop into Sadlack’s for a students, what would it be? memory. I used to live very close to that place, in what could only be called a flop ZG: There is more to life than college. house for transients.

Use your time in college and grow. There are some people who are still playing DP: What are your best memories beer pong in their late 20’s. Do not do about NC State? that. ::

Duck & Dumpling Restaurant To Close Down This Month

By The Raleigh Telegram RALEIGH - A popular upscale restaurant on Blount Street downtown will serve its last meal on New Year’s Eve, December 31st, according to the owner’s website.

“The Duck & Dumpling will serve its last meal New Year’s Eve,” says the Empire Eats website. “Join us for this special prix fixe dinner and to reminisce on all those great first romantic dates and fun First Friday dinners.”

The restaurant was started eight years ago by well known chef David Mao and local developer and restaurateur

Greg Hatem. Mao left the partnership earlier this year to start his own restaurant near NC State University called David’s Dumpling & Noodle Bar. The Duck & Dumpling was a popular restaurant when Mao was chef, as he drew loyal customers who followed him from his previous restaurant ventures.

Hatem sometimes drew attention to the restaurant by shining a spotlight with the duck logo on nearby buildings.

According to Empire Eats, which is owned by Hatem, a new restaurant will open in restaurant space sometime in the first quarter of 2011.

NEW JERSEY - The famous magicians Penn and Teller made their way to the Garden State earlier this year where they took time to meet with Tom Murro, the “Celebrity Magnet,” who interviews international celebrities for many media outlets including The Raleigh Telegram.

Penn Jillette and Raymond Joseph Teller of the dynamic duo, Penn & Teller, added three New Jersey stops to their tour. Tom Murro was able to attend their last show at the Bergen Performing Arts Center in Englewood, New Jersey and caught up with them back stage.

“We like to come back to the east coast as often as we can, and we haven’t been to New Jersey in a while so we came back to do a few shows,” said Penn.

One of Tom's first questions to the magical duo had to be about New Jersey’s reality TV shows that have hit the waves, such as The Real Housewives of New Jersey.

“I’m not really familiar with them except that they are very popular,” said Penn. “Jersey is a lot more than just Jack Nicholson and Springsteen now, isn’t it?

'I guess it's moved on from Jack and the Boss, Jack and the Boss, now that's funny.”

For those who can’t always make their way over to Vegas, Penn & Teller wanted to bring the show to them, as they did by awing the crowd with their amazing knife tricks and psychic powers.

They also turned water in a bowl into coins and goldfish but rest assured that none of the animals were harmed during this act.

One of the most memorable moments for Tom and his wife was was at the end of the show while witnessing Penn perform his fire-eating act, with assistance from Teller.

“I swallow a teaspoon of lighter fluid every time,” said Penn. “Carnival acts who do 30 shows a week, need time off after awhile to let their liver regenerate from swallowing so much lighter fluid.”

A lot of the tricks they perform are dangerous, and Tom asked them how

they handle things when an act might go terribly wrong.

“A lot of the stuff we do is dealing with rather dangerous things, so we can’t really afford to have them go terribly wrong,” said Penn. “So we’re happy with their just going a little wrong all the time.”

All of Penn & Teller’s performances include a high level of audience interaction. And, the Celebrity Magnet was able to see this first-hand as his own wife Kelly was chosen for the levitation act. He watched as they pulled away each chair from underneath her, and there she was floating above the floor. Although nervous, he knew she was in good hands.

He told her that he just watched her levitate. “I didn’t even know it,” she explained.

Penn & Teller have been working together since 1981, and they currently perform nightly at the Penn & Teller Theater at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. For anyone who has never seen their show, it is known for humorous storytelling that weaves magic tricks and illusions. Throughout this performance, Penn tells a story while Teller is the subject of the trick. Teller is also a mime and does not speak throughout the show.

Teller is also a writer and director, and he took on both roles in “Play Dead,” which is his off-Broadway play in New York City.

“It is doing very well,” said Penn. “It is a trip through terror for adults; it’s very intense and also funny. Written and directed by Teller, as is pretty much everything in the country today.”

Surprisingly, the person who actually wrapped up the interview was the usually silent Teller. Murro told Teller that it was good to hear his voice.

“I’m not actually talking, Penn is just a great ventriloquist,” Teller joked.

VIDEO: See a video of the interview with Penn and Teller at YouTube at http://tinyurl.com/2b2ebuh or visit Celebrity Magnet Tom Murro’s website at www.celebritymagenet.com to view stories, videos, photos, and more from Tom’s escapades on the red carpet.

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A Taste Of Cheerwine: Case By Case, The North Carolina Cherry Soda Has Developed A Loyal Following

David’s Dumpling & Noodle Bar

By Andrea Ludtke Reese News Director Of Content SALISBURY, NC - “The words to describe Cheerwine are very hard to come by. I’m not sure we have been able to articulate it, other than, ‘It tastes like Cheerwine.’ ”

“Beer became root beer, ale became ginger ale, and wine became Cheerwine,” Barbitta said. “So the wine comes from the color burgundy. The cheer is a component of cherry, but also of how it makes you feel. It makes you feel...cheery.”

Tracing the edges of an empty antique Vice president of marketing Tom glass Cheerwine bottle, David Swaim, Barbitta said the carbonated soda’s who works in quality control, explained flavor is unique among soft drinks. how that cheery feeling is a precious memory he has carried with him since he “We’re not a cola, we’re not a cherry cola, was a boy. although we do have elements of cherry in our flavor,” Barbitta said. “Just like “When I was in elementary school, I’d go pepper tastes like [Dr.] Pepper, or dew to Bridges Grocery and I could buy a tastes like [Mountain] Dew, Cheerwine is bottle of this for 20 cents,” he said. “And its own flavor.” it would be ice cold, in the cooler. And, you know, you think about those kind of It’s a recipe that has been manufactured things.” and managed for 93 years by the Carolina Beverage Corporation, a private Paul Jones, clinical associate professor at company of 97 employees in this town of the UNC School of Journalism and Mass less than 30,000. The company also Communication, grew up with makes Diet Cheerwine, Blue Mist bottled Cheerwine in his hometown of Charlotte. water and Savage Energy Drink.

He’s so passionate about the drink that when he couldn’t find it in its usual spots “How we taste and how we deliver on — after the company changed to mainly your tongue is one thing,” Barbitta said. Pepsi distributors in 2005 so other “But when people discover who we are, regions of the United States could buy and that we’re an independent company the drink — he mobilized a Twitter group and that we’re not owned by some large to launch a massive search. multi-national, it seems to really resonate with consumers these days.”

“I was on a mission to find out what places still had Cheerwine,” Jones said.

With its start from a small Carolina “I had a whole group of people assisting town, Cheerwine was a regional product me in Cheerwine triage.” that developed a wider following when travelers through the Tar Heel state got a Jones regularly cleans out his local taste of the cherry-flavored drink.

Harris Teeter when it has deals on Cheerwine, but “they usually only have “The biggest thing we hear is people six or eight cases,” Jones lamented. coming up from Florida passing through Jones’ son always has at least three cases the Carolinas and they get a taste of it in his dormitory at the North Carolina and wish they could buy it back home,” School of Science and Math, too.

Barbitta said. “They just buy cases of it and drive it back down.”

“I think that once Cheerwine gets in your blood, it’s passed on,” Jones said.

Carolina Beverage continues to expand with a robust online store and bottling Cheerwine memorabilia that he won at and distribution centers spread across an auction line the walls of Jones’ office the country. Carolina Beverage and the — a Cheerwine outdoor thermometer, a Cheerwine Bottling Co. reached an Cheerwine clock, and even a sculpture of agreement earlier this year with Pepsi a man handing a Cheerwine to a boy.

Bottling Ventures in Raleigh, making it easier for fans of the soft drink to “The color is enticing,” Jones said. “It purchase it in the eastern part of the pours in a syrupy pour, and I like how when you pour it it gets a head like old state. school sodas used to do. You can’t get Cheerwine can be found in 20 states, that without shaking up a cola.” mostly in the Southeast but also as far away as California, according to the This sentimental attachment and loyalty, Barbitta said, is why Cheerwine has fared online business resource, Hoovers. so well amid a weak economy while other “While we have a business objective to soft drink companies had years of steady get bigger, it’s not really the real driver,” consumption declines. Overall national Barbitta said. “The real driver is to really sales volume of soft drinks in 2009 was liberate the brand, to allow consumers 9.4 billion cases, similar to 1996 sales who have not had a chance to try levels, according to Beverage Digest.

Cheerwine to try it — to really set the Carolina Beverage, a privately held brand free. And we’ll only know that company, declined to release sales when we can’t fill shelves fast enough.” figures from 2009. But the small business online information resource When the Maysville Syrup Company of Manta estimates the company’s annual Maysville, Kentucky went bankrupt in revenue between $50 million and $100 1917, L.D. Peeler moved the company to million.

Salisbury and formed the Carolina Beverage Corporation. Maysville had “I think as difficult as things might produced Mint Cola, a popular soft drink become for people, they’ve always got a in Kentucky.

Carolina Beverage little loose change for a little taste of continued to make Mint Cola but heard home,” Barbitta said. “While the world about the popularity of cherry-flavored around them might be in disarray or fountain drinks and decided to invent economic times might be hard, they can one of its own, blending Mint Cola, a always grab a cold Cheerwine, and life is cherry flavoring and 11 other flavors to good again.” create the taste of Cheerwine.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Andrea The drink’s name came at a time when Ludtke, from Weston, Fla., is director of soft drink manufacturers and marketers content for the Reese Felts Digital News branded new fizzy fountain drinks after Project at UNC. Article is online at the the color of an existing drink they most following URL: http://reesenews.org/ resembled.

2010/11/02/cheerwine/1466/

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With its unique sweet cherry taste, Cheerwine has developed a following around the world, but the drink is hard to find outside the South. Photo: Wikipedia.

Experience the great dishes that everyone has been talking about. From the open top pork & shrimp sui mai dumplings (above) to the edamame & mushroom dumplings, you’ll love these unique flavors from experienced Chef David Mao.

Interview With Raleigh’s Weatherman: Greg Fishel Of WRAL-TV Channel 5

Famous Raleigh meteorologist Greg Fishel has been a fixture on the Triangle weather scene for over 29 years at WRAL-TV. Photo by the Raleigh Telegram.

Interview By Emily Kiser, The Raleigh Telegram RALEIGH - With all of the snow over Christmas weekend, the Triangle’s attention has turned to local weather forecasters. One meteorologist, Greg Fishel, has been predicting Triangle weather for over 29 years at WRAL-TV. Fishel began working for WRAL in June of 1981 and has since reported on nearly every extreme from a weather standpoint. From the coldest temperature ever observed in Raleigh in 1985, to one of the hottest in 1988, his career began with an obsession that he credits to a defective gene and a fear of thunderstorms.

“My dad was somebody who would sit out on the porch and if lightning struck 10 feet away, he'd sit there and say, 'Oh boy, that was cool,' and I'd be running for cover in the bathroom,” Fishel said. “And I can remember being at my grandmother's place when I was fairly small and it was really, really windy, and...I couldn't bring myself to not run to the window and make sure that we were okay.”

This obsession turned into a passion, which prompted him to get a degree in meteorology.

He's lucky, he said, to have a job that he is so enthusiastic about.

“If you're lucky enough, you or anybody, to have your hobby also be your career, it really doesn't get a whole lot better than that,” he said, “because you're not just doing it for the money, you're doing it because you have a passion for it.”

One of the stories that impacted Fishel was in 1984, when a tornado outbreak south and east of Raleigh killed 57 people in two states.

“I remember that night going from worrying that I had overplayed it, to four hours later worrying that I hadn't done enough,” he said. “It was a real eye-opener for me because, I think up until then you looked at red on the radar and said 'Oh cool, a big thunderstorm,' and now you are all of a sudden realizing people have lost family members, people have lost their homes, and it puts a whole different light on it.”

Before going to WRAL, Fishel worked at three other jobs over a two-year period. Having no idea what the word 'longevity' meant, Fishel said the job just happened to work out, and since then, the station has become a place where everyone wants to stay.

“As time has gone on, the company that we all work for here has become increasingly unique in the sense that it's one of the few locally-owned TV stations left in the country, and I think that's what's made it so attractive,” Fishel said.

While meteorology is a science, Fishel said there is still an artistic element to it. Two people can look at the same weather map and one can make more sense of it than the other, he said, adding it's one of those intangibles where no one can quite pinpoint exactly why that is.

“We're trying to gear everything we do with as much science as we can, but we also try to be very honest with people and tell them that the science is not foolproof by any stretch, and that there will still be surprises,” he said. “And then we kid about the fact that weather forecasts are never wrong, it's just the timing's off.”

When Fishel looks back to the time when he worked mornings in the 80’s, he remembers one Halloween when he and the staff had the “Great Pumpkin Shootout.”

“We had trash cans positioned all over the studio, and we'd throw these little pumpkins trying to get them in the trash can,” he said. “I have very fond memories of those times.”

But Fishel also seems to enjoy where he is now, saying he doesn't see himself anywhere but at WRAL in the future.

“In television, there's so many folks that they feel like they've got to get to a big market to be 'successful,' so they'll use a station like this or any station in this market as a stepping stone to get to where they really want to be,” he said. “I think it's just one of those things where a lot of us have come to the conclusion that the quality of life here and the way the company treats you is more important than being able to say that you work in New York or Los Angeles.”

The fame of being a TV personality, however, does not escape Fishel, who gets recognized by viewers. This is something that happened, he said, when he came to the station, which had 56 percent of the audience at 6:00pm.

“The other TV station I worked for was in a little town called Salisbury, Maryland,” he said.

“The highest rating we ever had for our 6 'o clock was 2 percent of the audience, so I could go anywhere I wanted in town and no one knew who I was.”

After arriving at WRAL, he had to adjust to the fact that people were recognizing him. One day in the 90's, he had a stomach bug the day before an ice storm was coming, and stopped at the grocery story on the way to work to pick up some chicken broth and Jello.

“It never dawned on me that the grocery store would be jammed because of the pending ice storm, and as I walked down the aisle way this one gal looked at me and she says, 'Oh my God, if you're here it's really going to be bad,'” Fishel said. “At the time, I didn't see the humor in it much, but I look back on it and I say, 'That's a great story.'”

One thing that comes with the exposure is being blamed for the weather. Fishel said he thinks most times people are kidding, though he does have a response for them.

“I had a pastor years ago that came up with a great comeback,” Fishel said. “He said, 'Just remind people that you're in sales, not in production.'” :: Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared on our website and was updated before being reprinted in our Raleigh Telegram print edition.

Local Student Makes Prize Winning Lego Version Of WRAL TV Station

Technological advances, however, have put a bit more emphasis on science. When Fishel arrived at WRAL, he would have to dial a phone number and have it download in order to show one eight-color satellite picture, which would take about 20 minutes. Now, the station has 256-color images coming in over satellite in a matter of seconds. Radar has also improved. The station used to have a phone line that was dedicated to the National Weather Service radar, which Fishel described as a "conventional World War 2 radar" that showed where it was raining and that was about it. Now, the station owns and operates its own radar.

When he arrived they were still using magnetic maps to show the forecast. There was a map of the United States and one of North Carolina, and he would stick little symbols with magnets on the back to the maps in order to show the weather for the area.

“I remember the first time we ever did the chroma key thing, where we stood in front of the green wall,” he said. “That was, oh my gosh, that was just considered to be so high tech.”

The station also used facsimile machines that would make all the weather maps that came in from the government every day. The machines used wet paper, and they would burn an image into the wet paper, and when it printed out, he would rip it off and hang it on the wall.

“I guess in the mid-80's, or early 80's, they came up with a way to print these charts on a dot matrix printer, and it was like, 'Oooh, this is cool,'” Fishel said. “It's just interesting that what was so exciting back then is common place now.”

Visitors to WRAL’s lobby can see the excellent Lego version of the TV station made by student John Armstrong of Knightdale, who took first place at the State Fair in the Lego competition. Photo: Raleigh Telegram.

MODEL : DANY PICONE MULCAHY

MAKEUP : KRISTA MASSEY

Twelve Things You Need To See Around Raleigh Before The Holidays Are Over

The Raleigh and Triangle area have plenty of things that you should try before the holdays are over. At TirNaNog next to the fireplace (above), an Irish band plays traditional music every Sunday but also be sure to visit local wineries, breweries, downtown dessert cafes, sushi bars, and more in town. Photo: Raleigh Telegram.

“Tron 2” which is a sequel to the big hit that Bridges made decades ago has been popular.

We also liked “True Grit,” which oddly RALEIGH - The holiday season is coming to a enough stars Bridges in remake of another close, but before it ends there are some fun movie from decades ago. You can’t go wrong things that you need to see and do here in the with either one of these great films.

Triangle: VISIT A WINERY: PLAY IN THE SNOW: Most people don’t know there’s a winery right Before it melts, you need to build a snowman, here in the Triangle. Chatham Hill Winery make a snow angel, and maybe even get in a was the area’s first winery when it started 11 snowball fight. After all, how often does it years ago. The winery has a tasting bar, art gallery, and offers tours of their facility. snow here in Raleigh?

Located in MorrisvIlle, not far from Interstate 40 near Research Triangle Park.

SEE GIANT CHRISTMAS TREES:

By Randall Gregg The Raleigh Telegram

If you’re looking for a photo opportunity, be sure to stop by and see the giant Christmas trees in the City Plaza on Fayetteville Street and also the massive two story tree at the Angus Barn restaurant. The Angus Barn also has a sleigh where you can take a photo inside, which might be a good shot for next year’s Christmas cards.

FIRST NIGHT RALEIGH: Above, a local resident takes a photo of the old Capitol Building during the recent snowfall as a snowman looks on out front. Photo: Raleigh Telegram.

Every Christmas Eve in Raleigh, a giant celebration takes place in downtown Raleigh as the giant acorn drops at midnight. Of course, there are other events such as comedy shows, music, art, kids games, and much, much more. Some events are free while some need a prepaid badge. See the FirstNight Raleigh website for details.

IRISH MUSIC EVERY SUNDAY: They don’t necessarily play Christmas music, but it’s fun to hear the traditional Irish tunes every Sunday at 3pm at the TirNaNog Irish Pub in downtown Raleigh. The music is free and features violins, accordions, flutes, and anybody else that shows up and can carry a tune. A great event to enjoy during this time of year to be sure.

EAT SOME RAW FISH: We’re not sure why, but Raleigh seems to enjoy a wide selection of great Sushi restaurants for a city this size. It has nothing to do with the holidays, but after eating turkey and ham, some sushi is s refreshing change. Try Sono, Sushi Blues, or any of the other great sushi restaurants here in town.

Tired of turkey and dressing? So are we, but luckily, there are several great sushi restaurants in town including Sono (above) downtown. Photo: Telegram.

VISIT A BREWERY: Did you know that there are several breweries in the area that make their own beer? In addition to the Big Boss Brewing Company in Raleigh, there is the new Natty Greene brewery and restaurant, Full Steam in Durham, and others like Lone Rider and Aviator that offer fun tours and a wide range of locally crafted beers.

SEE SOME HOCKEY ACTION: If you haven’t been to a Carolina Hurricanes hockey game yet this season, be sure to try and catch a game while it’s still cold outside.

Watching in person is definitely a lot more fun than watching on TV, plus there’s a new free bus ride from downtown Raleigh to the RBC Center every game night, so you can save on parking and don’t have to worry about driving home.

DOWNTOWN DESSERTS: There are some great European eateries downtown that offer some holiday treats in the dessert department. Check out the new Benelux cafe or the Edelweiss in the old City Market area (right next to Blount Street) for something different that will tickle your taste buds.

STEP BACK IN TIME:

We often take our modern conveniences for granted -- electricity, supermarkets, easy travel in automobiles, and access to information over the Internet. To get our bearings, sometimes it’s good to visit the past at the NC Museum of History to see how previous generations lived with less, and yet ICE SKATING DOWNTOWN: sometimes did more. On exhibit now is the The Raleigh Winterfest will continue into George Washington exhibit where you can January which means there’s still plenty of see his false teeth and appreciate modern time to enjoy ice skating on Fayetteville Street dental care. at the new and improved ice rink. Skate rental and admission is reasonably priced, so REACH OUT TO FRIENDS, FAMILY: it can be a fun event for the whole family.

Sometimes in the hustle and bustle of holiday shopping, rushing to parties, and shoveling GO SEE JEFF BRIDGES: the snow, we forget about those important Movies are always popular this time of year people in our lives right here in Raleigh and and it’s particularly pleasing to have not one elsewhere. Be sure to give your friends and but two Jeff Bridges movies on the big screen family a happy holidays wish and let them know that you’re thinking of them. :: this holiday season.

National Geographic Forgets USS Raleigh At Pearl Harbor

Earhart...

From Page One

By Randall Gregg The Raleigh Telegram PEARL HARBOR, HAWAII - Have you ever heard of the USS Raleigh and its role in the Pearl Harbor attack? It may have been the first struck by a torpedo, helped save the crew of the USS Utah, and went on to fight in the Pacific, but many, including National Geographic, have ignored the smaller ship when remembering Pearl Harbor.

On December 7, 1941, the Pearl Harbor attack commenced in Hawaii as Japanese dive bombers and torpedo planes made their runs against the United States Pacific fleet.

The surprise raid by the Japanese was successful, but luckily the US Navy aircraft carriers that were supposed to be docked in the harbor were out at sea, giving the United States a chance to strike back quickly.

But one ship that was there, the US Navy light cruiser USS Raleigh -- named after the city of Raleigh, North Carolina -- is sometimes forgotten in the important battle, even though some claim it was the first ship hit by a Japanese torpedo in the engagement.

You won't hear mention of the USS Raleigh in the Pearl Harbor movie, although they did show members trying to rescue their comrades from the capsized USS Utah. School children visiting the National Geographic website on Pearl Harbor won't even find the USS Raleigh listed as one of the ships involved in the battle, even though it was hit by a torpedo and almost sunk.

The USS Raleigh (CL-7) was an older Omaha class light cruiser built in 1924. According to various reports, the USS Utah, the USS Raleigh, and other ships were anchored on the west side of Ford Island in Pearl Harbor. This area was the location where the Japanese had anticipated where the US aircraft carriers would be docked.

As a result, the USS Raleigh and USS Utah took torpedo fire in the first raid and were among the first ships hit. Some have said that that the USS Utah was struck first, but there are also some reports that the USS Raleigh was struck with a torpedo either at the same time as the Utah or just before.

The USS Raleigh also received a bomb hit and the ship started listing heavily to one side. According to one report, amazingly the ship did not suffer any deaths but some men were injured. The crew did strike back during the battle and eventually brought down five Japanese planes during the ensuing battle.

A tugboat and a salvage barge were tied to the Raleigh, keeping her from capsizing. However, during the attack, next to the USS Raleigh, the USS Utah suffered damage and did keel over on its side.

Although 58 sailors perished in the USS Utah, some of them were rescued thanks to the USS Raleigh. When the Utah capsized, although still under strafing fire and with their own ship damaged, the Raleigh crew brought over a welding torch and a rescue party.

Along with the USS Utah survivors, the sailors cut a hole in the capsized Utah hull, allowing ten men that were trapped to escape. The USS Utah still remains in Pearl Harbor, with half of the ship underwater and an unknown number of men still on board.

Repaired For Battle In Pacific Despite being hit, the USS Raleigh was refurbished for battle and later saw action in the Aleutian Islands near Alaska and other Pacific Islands during World War II, eventually earning three battle stars. The older ship also did escort duty, fired on Japanese held islands, and performed patrols.

The USS Raleigh was not the first ship named after the city -- a previous ship that saw action in the Spanish American War was also named for the capital of North Carolina. ::

The USS Raleigh was hit by a torpedo at Pearl Harbor (above) but was kept from capsizing by a barge and later served in the Pacific. Photo: US Navy.

After this story first appeared in 2005, we contacted the National Geographic magazine about their omissions on the Pearl Harbor website.

There were several key ships that were struck during the battle including the USS Raleigh that were not even listed on the National Geographic Pearl Harbor website and chart detailing the attack.

Since the magazine's website is used as a major resource on the battle (it is the top Google few listings under a search for "Pearl Harbor"), we felt we should bring this to their attention and e-mailed them.

In 2005, we did receive a response from the magazine. A spokesperson said some parts of the National Geographic Pearl Harbor website such as their map did list those ships but that the main reference chart did not and they would be correcting the website's omissions.

RESPONSE FROM NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC: “The core section of our Pearl Harbor site is the interactive attack map, which does include coverage of many of the U.S. ships in their actual positions before and during the hostilities, including the three ships you mentioned in your original email: USS Curtiss, USS Detroit and USS Raleigh.”

“The partial list of U.S. vessels lost that you referenced is a selection made by our consultant, noted World War II historian Tom Allen, as representative of the scores of vessels in Pearl Harbor on the day of the Japanese attack...You have raised an excellent point in navigation around our site, however, and we intend to insert a clarification on the summary page for those interested in the more complete picture. Many thanks. Best regards. And let me know if you have further questions.”

FOLLOW UP BY RALEIGH TELEGRAM: After years of waiting, unfortunately it is evident that National Geographic will NOT be adding those ships to their main list on the summary web page.

Although both the USS Raleigh and the USS Curtiss were both hit by Japanese bombs or torpedoes and 20 men on the USS Curtiss died in the attack, evidently National Geographic Magazine does not consider these ships deserving enough to be listed on their summary page.

In the opinion of the Raleigh Telegram, their choice is disheartening, particularly when others use it as a reference and especially when brave United States servicemen died on Amelia Earhart (top) just after she was the first one of the ships.

EDITOR'S NOTE and FOLLOW-UP: woman to cross the Atlantic in an airplane. She This article originally appeared in one of our editions on In their defense, at least National Geographic did add a would later make the trip solo. In the photo at December 10th, 2005. We run this article every year in the disclaimer at the top of their list saying it was not complete bottom, Earhart and Fred Noonan (far right) stand hopes of trying to keep the ship's contribution to the battle and that more ships were listed on their attack map, but the in front of the Lockheed Electra in which she would alive because of the importance of remembering those who attack map does not list any of the details about the attacks on attempt her around the world trip. Earhart and Noonan disappeared over the Pacific Ocean while the USS Curtis, Raleigh, or Detroit. :::: gave their lives for their country in the battle. trying to land at a fuel stop. Public domain photos from Wikipedia.

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Continued from page one...

1930’s when the Depression was in full force.

In the video, Earhart is smashing a bottle of champagne over an airplane draped with bunting while luminaries look on and cheer. Later in the video, two monoplane airplanes that look like passenger liners of the time are shown close-up with the words “City of Savannah” and “City of Columbia” on the sides.

It’s possible that Earhart was in Raleigh to christen an airplane that was part of a new passenger service or airline in the area. Earhart and Charles Lindbergh both promoted airline services across the country at the time.

As the incident took place so long ago and as the new RDU Airport is at a different site than the old Raleigh Municipal Airport, Earhart’s visit seems to have fallen below the radar, so to speak, on the historical scene.

The Raleigh Telegram tried to get some help from the NC Department of Cultural Resources as well as the Raleigh City History Museum, but no one seems to have a specific date or reason for Amelia Earhart’s visit.

Without a specific year or date, it makes it much harder to research newspaper archives on microfilm at local libraries or universities. However, it seems that the visit took place sometime between 1929 and 1935, when Earhart started preparing for her ill-fated around the world trip.

The mystery of what happened to Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan in 1937 may never be officially solved and is remains one of the most enduring mysteries in American history.

However with some help from local historians in Raleigh, the Raleigh Telegram hopes to solve the mystery behind Amelia Earhart’s visit to Raleigh and to shed some light on why this aviation luminary was visiting the capital city.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Do you have any information on Amelia Earhart’s visit to Raleigh? Be sure to contact us here at the Raleigh Telegram at 919-760-3110 or by email at raleightelegram@yahoo.com.

Even if you just have a date or other small piece of information about her visit, be sure to send it in!

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Visit their website online for more information: http://www.denmarkphoto.com/

Triangle Tax Expert Explains What You Need To Know About The New Tax Law

By William Bunch, CPA Special To The Raleigh Telegram

A higher child and dependent care credit will still be available for two more years. If you have expenses for care of your under-age-13 CHAPEL HILL - After months of uncertainty children while you work, you may be eligible and partisan arguing, Congress passed a to collect a credit. The tax break is also wide-ranging law that provides relief to available if you pay someone to care for an taxpayers from all walks of life, not just incapacitated dependent at home, such as a taxpayers in higher tax brackets. On parent or spouse.

December 17th, President Obama signed the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance The new law extends a higher credit for qualified taxpayers through December 31, Reauthorization & Job Creation Act of 2010.

The new law solidifies many parts of the 2012. For one dependent, the maximum tax law that expired at the end of last year or credit is based on up to $3,000 of eligible were scheduled to expire on December 31, care expenses. For two or more dependents, 2010. It will put extra dollars in the pockets the credit base remains up to $6,000 of of millions of Americans -- money that eligible expenses. The credit percentage politicians are hoping will stimulate the ranges from a maximum of 35 percent to a economy. minimum of 20 percent, depending on Here is a rundown of the significant income. provisions affecting individuals in 2011 (see box below for business tax breaks).

Without the new law, the maximum credit base for 2011 would have dropped to $2,400 1. LOWER TAX RATES of eligible expenses for one dependent and $4,800 for two or more.

Lower tax rates for individuals will stay in place. For 2011 and 2012, the Tax Relief Act 8. COLLEGE TAX CREDITS extends individual tax rates at 10, 15, 25, 33 and 35 percent. Without the new law, rates A better tax credit for higher education stays were scheduled to increase to 15, 28, 31, 36 in place. There is good news for parents and students paying college tuition because the and 39.6 percent.

American Opportunity tax credit is now 2. ON AVERAGE $1000 PAYROLL TAX available through December 31, 2012.

RAISES FOR MOST AMERICANS Background: An earlier law renamed the A new payroll tax cut will be created for 2011. Hope Education credit the American Most working Americans will get a raise in Opportunity credit, and made it more their 2011 paychecks as a result of the new valuable for eligible taxpayers paying law. Regardless of an individual's income, the qualified higher education expenses. employee share of the Social Security tax However, the American Opportunity credit withheld from wages will drop from 6.2 was scheduled to expire at the end of 2010. percent to 4.2 percent up to the taxable wage Now it is extended for two more years. There are income limits. The credit begins to phase ceiling of $106,800. out for joint taxpayers when adjusted gross The extra amount employees will receive in income reaches $160,000 ($80,000 for their paychecks is expected to provide a boost singles.) to the economy. A single taxpayer making $50,000 a year will save approximately A separate deduction for higher education $1,000 in Social Security taxes. (The Social tuition was also extended through 2011.

Security tax on self-employment income was However, you cannot claim the American also reduced by 2 percent.)

Opportunity credit in the same year that you claim the tuition deduction. You must pick 3. CAPITAL GAINS TAX SAME the most beneficial tax break in your situation.

Favorable rates on capital gains and dividends remain. For 2010, long-term 9. EDUCATION ACCOUNTS capital gains and qualified dividends are taxed at a maximum rate of 15 percent (zero The higher contribution amounts for percent for taxpayers in the lowest two Coverdell Education Accounts last another brackets). The new law extends these low two years. An earlier tax law increased the amount you could put into a Coverdell rates through December 31, 2012.

Education Savings Account to $2,000 from If Congress had not acted, the top rate on $500. It also allowed the accounts to be capital gains would have increased to 20 tapped for elementary and secondary school percent in 2011. Dividends could have been expenses. taxed at a rate of up to 39.6 percent These tax benefits were scheduled to expire at 4. ESTATE TAX LIMIT RAISED the end of 2010. The Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization The estate tax comes back but at a more and Job Creation Act now extends them favorable exclusion amount and tax rate than through December 31, 2012. expected. For 2011, the estate tax exclusion amount will be $5 million and the maximum 10. MARRIAGE PENALTY RELIEF estate tax rate will be 35 percent.

The "marriage penalty" is eased for another Background: A law passed in 2001 gradually two years. Getting married can cause a increased the exclusion amount and couple's combined tax bill to be higher than decreased the maximum tax rate up until when they were single. An earlier tax law 2010, when the federal estate tax was eased the marriage penalty by tweaking tax repealed for one year only. brackets for married couples and giving them bigger standard deductions. But the fixes In 2011, it was scheduled to come back with were scheduled to disappear after 2010. an exclusion of only $1 million and a maximum tax rate of 55 percent. So the new The new law extends marriage penalty relief $5 million exclusion means that far fewer through December 31, 2012. estates will be hit with estate tax. The new law also makes changes to the gift tax, the 11. ENERGY TAX CREDITS generation skipping tax and the rules involving the tax basis of assets. We will The tax credit for energy-efficient home detail these changes in future articles. In improvements is extended another year. An addition, the law provides new options for earlier law established a credit for 30 percent estates of individuals dying in 2010. Consult of 2009 and 2010 expenditures on energywith your estate planning adviser because the efficient insulation, windows, doors, roofs, and heating and cooling equipment in U.S. new law has many implications. residences. The maximum credit allowed for 2009 and 2010 combined is $1,500. The 5. ALTERNATIVE MINIMUM TAX credit, under Internal Revenue Code Section The alternative minimum tax (AMT) patch is 25C, was scheduled to expire at the end of applied again. If Congress had not taken 2010. action, millions more individuals would have been forced to pay the AMT for 2010 and Under the new law, the energy-efficient home 2011. The two-year patch expands exemption improvement credit is extended through amounts as follows: December 31, 2011. However, the credit percentage is reduced to only 10 percent and ---$72,450 for married joint-filing couples the maximum credit is only $500 reduced by and surviving spouses for 2010 ($74,450 for credits claimed in earlier years. Credits for certain items are subject to dollar limitations.

2011).

---$47,450 for single individuals for 2010 12. ITEMIZED DEDUCTIONS ($48,450 for 2011).

The itemized deduction and personal ---$36,225 for married individuals who file exemption "phase-out" rules for big earners are repealed for two more years. Before 2010, separately ($37,225 for 2011). higher-income taxpayers had their itemized Without the patch, the exemption amounts deductions and personal exemption writewould have dropped to $45,000 for joint offs phased out when they reached certain filers, $33,750 for singles and $22,500 for limits. This means that they didn't get the full married individuals filing separately. Bigger benefit of the most popular itemized exemptions mean less chance of being hit deductions such as mortgage interest, state with the AMT. and local taxes, charitable contributions, and miscellaneous deductions.

6. CHILD TAX CREDITS For 2010, the phase-out rules are gone but The $1,000 child tax credit is extended. For the rules were scheduled to reappear in 2011. qualified taxpayers, the $1,000 credit will be The new law extends the repeal of these available through December 31, 2012. (It phase-out rules through December 31, 2012. begins to phase out for taxpayers with adjusted gross income of $110,000 for joint 13. UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS filers and $75,000 for singles.) Without the new law, the child tax credit was scheduled to Unemployment benefits are extended for eligible individuals. Under the new law, drop to $500. emergency unemployment benefits will 7. DEPENDENCY CREDITS remain at their current level for 13 months.

Tax Credits Extended For Teachers, Homeowners, IRA’s, Charities, Students

By William Bunch, CPA, Special To The Raleigh Telegram ---The annual tax-free employee benefit for up to $5,250 in employer-provided education assistance was extended through December 31, 2012. These assistance payments cover college and graduate school costs and the education does not need to be related to a taxpayer's job.

---The deduction for qualified mortgage insurance premiums on a qualified home is extended for one year, subject to some limitations.

---Favorable rules involving student loan interest deductions, worth up to $2,500, are extended through December 31, 2012. Without the new law, there was scheduled to be a 60-month limit on deductible interest, and a stricter phase-out provision that would reduce or eliminate the write-off for many more middle-income taxpayers.

---The state and local sales tax deduction expired at the end of 2009. It has now been extended through December 31, 2011. This allows individuals who pay little or no state income tax the option of claiming an alternative itemized deduction for state and local sales taxes.

---The charitable contribution of IRA proceeds is extended through the end of 2011.

Under this provision, older owners of IRA’s can give to charity in a different way. An IRA owner, age 70 1/2 or older, can directly transfer tax-free up to $100,000 per year to an eligible charity. To qualify, the funds must be contributed directly by the IRA trustee to the charity. Amounts transferred are not taxable and no deduction is available for the transfer. However, amounts transferred to a charity are counted in determining whether the owner has met the IRA required minimum distribution rules for the year. Also included in the new law was an extension through 2011 of the tax break for charitable gifts of appreciated property for conservation purposes.

---The deduction for elementary and secondary teachers who spend money on classroom supplies is extended through December 31, 2011. The write-off, of up to $250 for out-ofpocket expenses to buy materials such as books, supplies, computer hardware, software and other equipment, is available even if the teacher doesn't itemize deductions.

Tax Law Has Some Breaks For Businesses

By William Bunch, CPA Special To The Raleigh Telegram

WORK OPPORTUNITY TAX CREDIT

The Work Opportunity Tax Credit is CHAPEL HILL - The new tax law has some extended through December 31, 2011. The breaks for businesses that you need to be credit provides financial incentives for aware of when reviewing your accounting. employers to hire workers from certain disadvantaged groups. In general, it is worth UP TO 100 PERCENT DEPRECIATION 40 percent of up to $6,000 of the worker's eligible wages during the first year. Note: Two The new law doubles 50 percent bonus targeted groups, unemployed veterans and depreciation to 100 percent for qualified "disconnected youth" were not included in business assets. the extension.

According to the Treasury Department, complete expensing could generate more TRANSIT PASSES DEDUCTION than $50 billion in additional investment in the United States in 2011. This provision is A larger tax-free fringe benefit for employeravailable to all businesses, regardless of size provided transit passes is extended through for eligible assets placed in service between 2011. The amount (adjusted for inflation) was September 9, 2010 and December 31, 2011. $230 for 2010 but was scheduled to drop to For assets placed in service in 2012, 50 $120 in 2011 without the new law. percent bonus depreciation will be available.

The research tax credit is renewed CHILD CARE TAX CREDIT retroactively. The valuable credit, which expired at the end of 2009, is extended A tax credit for employers providing child through December 31, 2011. care facilities is extended through December It is available to companies that 31, 2012. introduce new products, improve current products, and develop or enhance their OTHER TAX CREDITS processes.

The new law also extends many other President Obama has asked Congress to make incentives for businesses involving energy, the credit permanent, rather than renew it disasters and charitable contributions. For periodically -- often after it expires. The new more information regarding your situation, law did not do this. It only temporarily consult with your tax adviser or tax preparer extends the research tax credit. for further details.

AROUNDþ TOWNþ IS SOMEWHAT PROUD TO PRESENT

Both the Lion King (above) and the original artwork of Norman Rockwell (below) will be in the Triangle during January. Photos from DPAC, NCMA.

Congratulations to Jeff Glenn of CB Richard Ellis on his engagement! We just hope he’s not going to wear his hunting clothes to the wedding, LOL.

Many thanks to Rich Lee of Hosted Solutions (above right) for his support of the BandTogether group, which raises money for local charities each year in Raleigh through concerts.

EVENTS: Lots Of Fun In Raleigh In January

STARRING RALEIGH CELEBRITIES --CLAIRE RENFROW, ACTRESS FROM “NIGHTS OF RODANTHE,” --GADGETMONKEY, TV HOST --TADDY, THE CHRISTMAS DOG --SANTA CLAUS & GOV. BEV PERDUE

WATCH IT ONLINE FOR FREE AT RaleighChannel.com/ RTPTVholidayspecial.wmv

By The Raleigh Telegram RALEIGH - Don’t forget that all of the fun in Raleigh doesn’t end just because Christmas has already come and gone. There are plenty of things to do in January!

Winterfest Continues!

This year’s two-month Winterfest will offer a larger ice rink than was enjoyed throughout last year’s cold-weather celebration. Ice skare tental is available. The natural ice rink is located on Charter Square, which is the area immediately south of Bank of America on City Plaza on the southern end of the 400 block of Fayetteville Street.

First Night Raleigh Dec. 31st

Congratulations to Nicole and Faruk on their beautiful wedding in the Caribbean and their reception at Oliver Twists in Raleigh. They look great!

Ring in the New Year with the First Night Raleigh event that includes music, art, dancing, comedy, food, and of course, the dropping of the giant acorn at midnight to ring in the New Year. Some events are free and some require a paid pass. For a full schedule of events and information, visit their website at www.firstnightraleigh.com See George Washington’s Teeth The NC Museum of History is hosting the traveling George Washington exhibit.

Approximately 100 objects associated with Washington are featured in this exhibition on view through Jan. 21, 2011, in Raleigh. The N.C. Museum of History is the only venue in the Southeast on the exhibition’s tour. Some Washington galleries are free while others require paid passes. For more info, go to http://ncmuseumofhistory.org/washington/ index.html Jewish Life in North Carolina

Speakers from Red Hat and Discovery Channel were among the 1,300 people at the Internet Summit in Raleigh.

The free exhibit Down Home: Jewish Life in North Carolina will open Monday, June 14, at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh, the first city of its statewide tour. The traveling exhibit is part of the first major effort to document and present more than 400 years of Jewish life in North Carolina. For more info, visit http://ncmuseumofhistory.org/ wgo/press_05132010.html See Original Norman Rockwell Paintings At NCMA

Raj and other members of the NC State University entrepreneurship staff enjoy a quick visit to Player’s Retreat.

Leggett Farms Organically Grown Vegetables & Produce Selling To Restaurants & The General Public

Call 252-917-2396 www.leggettfarm.com

Didn’t get what you want for Christmas?

At the NC Museum of Art in Raleigh, see the original pieces of art from one of America’s best known artists. The nation’s premier illustrator for more than six decades, Norman Rockwell (1894–1978) was the people’s painter, depicting scenes from American life for the covers and pages of the nation’s most prominent publications. Rockwell is most recognized for his illustrations featured on the covers of the Saturday Evening Post from 1916 to 1963. Tickets are $15. For more info, visit www.ncartmuseum.org Lion King Comes To The Triangle For those who missed the Lion King in Raleigh, you will be able to see in Durham at the Durham Center For The Performing Arts.

Tickets for Disney’s production are already on sal. The Triangle’s most eagerly awaited stage production will begin performances at DPAC on Tuesday, January 4, 2011 for a limited engagement of 4 weeks through Sunday, January 30, 2011. The opening night is Thursday, January 6 at 7:30pm. For more information, visit www.dpacnc.com LOOKING FOR MORE EVENTS? Visit the Raleigh Convention Center and Visitor’s Bureau calendar of events and information website at visitraleigh.com. ::

Then stop by Morgan Imports, the Triangle’s most unique store, for that special gift.

Morgan Imports offers furniture, futons, jewelry, games, beauty products, toys, lamps, bicycles, pottery, unique gifts for all price ranges, greeting cards, candles, and don’t forget our Christmas room filled with Dept. 56 miniatures, nativity scenes, and more.

Located across from Brightleaf Square in downtown Durham at 113 S Gregson St, Durham, NC 27701

Call us for more info at (919) 688-1150 or visit us online at www.morganimports.com

Fearrington House Restaurant & Inn: One Of Top U.S. Inns Is Just Up The Road

By Kathy M. Newbern and J.S. Fletcher Travel Correspondents

Life In The Village

The Village Center at Fearrington is where CHAPEL HILL, NC - If the idea of Christmas residents and visitors alike gather to shop, eat in the country makes you all warm and cozy, and mingle at: you’re in luck.

• McIntyre's Books, an independent, fullA mere eight miles from Chapel Hill, a service bookstore focusing on cooking, nationally ranked “world’s best” inn awaits gardening and books by local authors and one the largest author-and-poet-events not only with holiday lights and festiviti but of also with award-winning dining, programs in the South; accommodations, and a gleaming new spa.

• The Old Granary, housed in what once was The Fearrington House Country Inn at the Fearrington Farm granary, serving a Fearrington Village, on US 15-501 South, was contemporary lunch and brunch menu; voted the #2 Small Hotel in the United States by the readers of Conde Nast Traveler in the • The Dovecote, an eclectic boutique with unique items and resident doves Myles and 2010 Readers' Choice awards.

Buster; It was also named among the Top 5 Inns in the North America on Travel + Leisure’s 2010 • The Belted Goat, for snacks, coffee, wine, World’s Best List. Heady honors, well plus hand-made chocolate truffles, breakfast pastries and desserts from The Fearrington deserved.

House Restaurant; The property is the centerpiece of Chatham County’s Fearrington Village, a planned • The Roost in the landscaped courtyard The Fearrington House Restaurant (above) and Inn (below) offer a unique residential community with nearly 2,000 featuring live music, wine by the glass, and atmosphere not far from Raleigh. Photos by Kathy Newbern and J.S. Fletcher. beers by Carolina Brewery. A Ben & Jerry’s is residents. here as well; Driving into Fearrington Village feels like a return to a simpler time. Perhaps it’s the • Plus a bank, beauty shop and weekly open, outdoor spaces and “Oreo cows” that Farmers Market in season. graze just beyond split-rail fencing. Dark on both ends with a band of white in the middle, Fearrington’s roots can be traced to the 1770’s the Belted Galloway cattle are a picture when William Cole, Sr. purchased 640 acres for only $80. Residences here now sell for postcard for country living. $250,000 and up.

A dairy barn and silo from the farm’s early years still dominate the landscape that’s also The land took the Fearrington name dotted with whirlygigs spinning in the breeze. (pronounced FAIR-ring-ton) when Cole’s granddaughter and her husband, Edwin H. Village Center, the development’s focal point, Fearrington, inherited it in 1859. has shops, restaurants, a bookstore, and gardens, plus the Inn, a Relais & Chateaux After a fire destroyed the original homestead in 1925, Edwin's son, rebuilt in a location property. close to US 15-501, where the Fearrington No hustle and bustle here, a stay at the Inn is House Restaurant stands today. It was a dairy pure retreat with gardens and flowers that farm from the 1930’s until it was sold in 1974 inspire you to breath deeply, slowly, relaxing. to R.B. Fitch, who kept the name Fearrington to honor the prior family.

Ahhh.

Fine Dining In Fearrington Village The Inn, with a decidedly European feel, has 32 guest rooms clustered around a courtyard or overlooking the gardens, 17-acre park or Many in the Triangle already know about fine dining at the Fearrington House Restaurant, the Village Center. the only Green Certified AAA Five Diamond We were delighted to sample the best: Room restaurant in the country. Awarded the “Best 13 in the courtyard, an upstairs two-room Of Award of Excellence” from Wine Spectator suite oasis with great views and original since 2004, the farmhouse restaurant is artwork. The coffee table held the recognized for its sophisticated contemporary Fearrington House cookbook among the American cuisine. It opened in 1980 and is surrounded by extensive gardens. magazines.

Our experience started with an elegant afternoon tea — a whopping 16 choices on the menu — featuring white ceramic pots and separate silver strainers, plus tiered trays of finger sandwiches, traditional English scones It was romantic as well, with a Victorian flare and pastries. and bed fit for royalty. We’re told the Inn’s pine floors came from a workhouse along the At dinner, Carl, our server, did a superb job of describing the dishes in detail and steering us River Thames. through the impressive menu of a first and We loved the stereo system in the sitting second course, main course and dessert room and the iPod docking station in the created by Executive Chef Colin Bedford and bedroom, plus flat-screen TV and bath his team. amenities including bath salts from Molton Our golden rule for dining out is to order Brown. something you wouldn’t normally cook at It would have been easy to just stay indoors, home. For the main course, we selected the but we equally loved our time browsing the seared scallops with pickled peaches and pancetta, plus roast rabbit loin with truffle, Fearrington grounds. tarragon mousse and porcini linguini.

Bikes are available for pedaling around the community, but we chose to walk, We also opted for the wine pairing with each meandering along the sidewalks and into the course, artfully accomplished by Maximilian park-like setting where a lake and streams are Kast, Fearrington’s wine director who is the only advanced sommelier in the Triangle and fringed by well-manicured shrubs and trees. one of only five in North Carolina. He Our stroll took us near the woods where we oversees the 800-item wine list, which has came upon a surprise: a herd of Tennessee some bottles priced at more than $1,000.

Fainting Goats. These amusing, Satyr-like critters no longer faint because they are now He and Executive Chef Bedford are featured in the November Wine Spectator in a piece on used to the sight of people. creating a Dickens Christmas Dinner.

We also wandered through the residential area, reminiscent in some ways of Charleston, On the menu is Bedford’s roast prime rib, albeit quieter. The landscaping is beautiful; a which Kast pairs with a Chateau Branaireflower and herb garden are also worth a visit. Ducru, and a traditional Yorkshire pudding.

The large bath had a Jacuzzi tub and separate shower, heated towel rack, large walk-in closet with scale, a toilet “closet” and even a balcony.

Our dinner wine-and-food pairings were outstanding.

We especially liked Kast’s choice for the rabbit, a Basel Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 from Pheasant Run Vineyard located in Walla Walla Valley, Washington.

For dessert, we had the hot chocolate souffle, which is sure to make even the biggest chocolate fan blush.

Fearrington House also offers several Winemaker Dinners throughout the year.

With the holidays here, Fearrington House Country Inn and Restaurant is perfect for visiting family, a romantic getaway, an office party or entertaining a business client. And, don’t forget to treat yourself to the new spa.

Local Homes And Triangle Real Estate Listings

Special New Year’s Package The New Year's Package, $525 per couple, includes an overnight stay at the country inn, tasting dinner for two, chilled champagne and signature chocolate truffles in your room following dinner. The package, available Dec. 31st only, also includes afternoon tea and full $209,900: 6513 Wooden Shoe Lane. Raleigh breakfast on New Year's Day. Close to Brier Creek/Crabtree Valley!! Master on 1st Floor Fearrington On The Web For more information on the Fearrington House and village, visit their website at: http://www.fearrington.com

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ABOUT THE AUTHORS: Raleigh-based, award-winning freelance travel journalists Kathy M. Newbern and J.S. Fletcher often incorporate their travels into their other business, www.YourNovel.com, where they put you and your sweetie in your own personalized romance novel "wild" or "mild."

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