<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?><rss version="2.0"><channel><title>Beecoz - Wake County</title><link>http://www.beecoz.com/posts/community/NC/Wake/</link><description>Beecoz-Community Portal</description><language>en-us</language><pubDate>Thu, 21 Aug 2008 18:02:49 EDT</pubDate><item><title>Reassuring parents of bus riders</title><description><![CDATA[
With traditional-calendar schools opening in just a few days, the school district is again trying to reassure parents of young bus riders that their kids will be safe.


In a new memorandum to Superintendent Del Burns, Chief Facilities and Operations Officer Don Haydon lists the steps that are being taken to avoid a repeat of last month\'s bus miscues with young children.
For instance, Haydon said bus drivers are being reminded that they\'re to take children to school even if they get on the wrong bus. Once at the nearest school, they\'ll figure out how to get the child to the right school.
The memo also references a name tag policy that all Wake elementary schools will use. While the online memo doesn\'t list the details, Haydon laid it out during a news conference this afternoon.
Haydon said all elementary schools are being asked to put name tags on kindergarten and first-grade students who ride the bus. The name tags will list the child\'s bus number and bus stop location. He said they should wear those tags for the first 20 days of school.
Haydon said the name tag policy is already used by many schools. But he said they wanted to make sure all school used them and that the information was standardized. 
As you may recall, a kindergarten student got off at the wrong stop, four miles from home. In another incident, a first-grade student who got on the wrong bus was kicked off and left alone instead of being taken to school.

]]></description><link>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/reassuring-parents-of-bus-riders</link><guid>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/reassuring-parents-of-bus-riders</guid><pubDate>Thu, 21 Aug 2008 16:32:34 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Peer priority</title><description><![CDATA[
Would you rather have your children attend the closest middle school or go to a more distant one if it meant they\'d be with their friends from elementary school?


The answer, according to Chuck Dulaney, assistant superintendent for growth and planning, seems to be keeping peer groups together. That\'s what he told school board members on Tuesday while discussing the development of the multi-year assignment plan.
Dulaney said the issue of what priority should be higher for filling middle schools came up during discussions with planning groups. These planning groups consist of teachers, parents and administrators in the areas most likely to be affected by the assignment plan. 
Dulaney told the board that the groups said they thought it was more important to keep elementary school peer groups together even if it means kids didn\'t go to the closest middle school.
As a result, Dulaney said keeping peer groups together will be a high priority in the new plan. But he said it would be impossible to keep all elementary school students together in the same middle school.
Dulaney said Wake doesn\'t have the school capacity needed to ensure the same K-12 feeder patterns for all the students.

]]></description><link>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/peer-priority</link><guid>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/peer-priority</guid><pubDate>Thu, 21 Aug 2008 13:02:50 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Hurricanes Single-Game Tickets On Sale Sept. 21</title><description><![CDATA[RALEIGH,  NC&amp;mdash;Bill  Nowicki, Director of Ticket  Operations for the National Hockey League&amp;rsquo;s Carolina Hurricanes, announced today  that individual game tickets for Hurricanes&amp;rsquo; home games in October and November  will be on sale to...]]></description><link>http://hurricanes.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&amp;page=NewsPage&amp;articleid=379906</link><guid>http://hurricanes.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&amp;page=NewsPage&amp;articleid=379906</guid><pubDate>Thu, 21 Aug 2008 12:02:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Weighing early start middle schools</title><description><![CDATA[
School administrators are still weighing whether to recommend delaying the opening of two new elementary schools.


Chuck Dulaney, assistant superintendent for growth and planning, told school board members on Tuesday that Herbert Akins Road Elementary in Fuquay-Varina and Alston Road Elementary in Cary might open in 2010 instead of 2009.
It all depends on whether both schools are needed more for middle school students as part of the multi-year assignment plan.
Dulaney explained that while elementary school growth is slowing, it hasn\'t slacked off at middle schools. 
To help, Dulaney said that Herbert Akins could serve as an &amp;quot;early start&amp;quot; middle school in 2009, temporarily housing Holly Grove Middle School students. in 2010, Holly Grove\'s building would open and Herbet Akins would get elementary students.
For Alston Ridge, it could spend 2009 as the early start location for Mills Park Middle, whose building would open in 2010. 
Dulaney acknowledged that delaying the opening of Alston Ridge would mean having to leave the enrollment cap at Cedar Fork Elementary on until 2010.
Dulaney stressed that these potential delays are different from the ones previously agreed to by the school board. In the case of Bryan Road Elementary and E-25, their funding was redirected toward the Wake Forest-Rolesville High renovations so it\'s uncertain when they\'ll open.
Click here for the handout of the multi-year assignment plan presentation.

]]></description><link>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/weighing-early-start-middle-schools</link><guid>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/weighing-early-start-middle-schools</guid><pubDate>Thu, 21 Aug 2008 09:00:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>New music from The Broken West - &quot;Auctioneer&quot; + tour info</title><description><![CDATA[As I posted in June, The Broken West have a new record out on September 9 titled Now or Heaven?. We now have another new song for you to check out. It\'s the second track from album titled \&quot;Auctioneer\&quot; (download it at the bottom of the post).

To coincide with the album\'s release, the band have scheduled a US tour that includes a stop in Chapel Hill. The show is at Local 506 on September 25 and ]]></description><link>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/08/new-music-from-broken-west-auctioneer.html</link><guid>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/08/new-music-from-broken-west-auctioneer.html</guid><pubDate>Thu, 21 Aug 2008 01:38:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Craven waiting on year-round ruling</title><description><![CDATA[
Wake isn\'t the only school district waiting on the state Supreme Court\'s decision on the year-round school case.


ENCToday.com is reporting that Craven County school officials have decided to postpone surveying parents about year-round calendars until the high court makes a decision. 
Craven County\'s three year-round schools have attendance areas. If you\'re in one of those areas, you can go to a traditional-calendar school but you don\'t get transportation.
According to the article, the form asks parents which calendars they have children on, what calendar they prefer and whether they want to change calendars. School officials said the form would only be used as a way to get information.
&amp;quot;Sending out a survey about a calendar we don\'t know if we can change gives a false hope or a false distress,&amp;quot; said Carr Ipack, chairman of the Craven County school board, in the article. &amp;quot;We\'re waiting to get a Supreme Court answer. The guess is that they will confirm the appeals ruling.&amp;quot;
The court case drew friend-of-the-court briefs backing Wake from the N.C. Association of School Administrators, the N.C. School Boards Association and the N.C. Council of School Attorneys.
It\'s possible the state Supreme Court could announce a decision next Wednesday.


UPDATE


The link has been fixed.&nbsp;

]]></description><link>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/craven-waiting-on-year-round-ruling</link><guid>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/craven-waiting-on-year-round-ruling</guid><pubDate>Wed, 20 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>McCrory:  We need a 50-year plan for transportation</title><description><![CDATA[  
Gubernatorial candidate Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory was the featured speaker at a forum held to discuss key regional issues today in Raleigh.
Candidate Lieutenant Governor Beverly Perdue declined the invitation to speak at the luncheon due to a scheduling conflict.
The session included a range of critical issues facing the Triangle during the next four [...]]]></description><link>http://www.growthmatters.org/?p=248</link><guid>http://www.growthmatters.org/?p=248</guid><pubDate>Wed, 20 Aug 2008 09:57:11 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Working with the faith community</title><description><![CDATA[
Don\'t be surprised if you see news stories today about the school system\'s efforts to reach out to the faith community.


The school district has scheduled a media availability this morning at Brentwood Elementary School in North Raleigh. Assistant Superintendent Marvin Connelly will talk with reporters about efforts to encourage faith communities to partner with schools to support student learning. 
At the school, Brentwood faculty, staff, parents and members of a North Raleigh church will be working on a landscaping project designed and carried out with materials donated by church members.

]]></description><link>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/working-with-the-faith-community</link><guid>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/working-with-the-faith-community</guid><pubDate>Wed, 20 Aug 2008 08:47:03 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Reversing the conversions?</title><description><![CDATA[
The year-round/unconversion issue came up during Tuesday\'s presentation of the multi-year assignment plan.


As noted in today\'s article, school board member Ron Margiotta asked Chuck Dulaney, assistant superintendent for growth and planning, if he\'d include reversing some of the conversions in the plan.
Dulaney said it\'s a question that he hears often. He said he can\'t go against the planning assumptions adopted by the school board and the county commissioners for year-round schools.
&amp;quot;I don\'t see it as the staff\'s position to recommend to you how to set up the next building program,&amp;quot; Dulaney said.
Dulaney added that Wake is now at 95 percent of elementary capacity, which he said is an ideal figure.
But with the elementary growth having slowed to the point where two new schools were delayed, Margiotta questioned how staff couldn\'t present any year-round changes.
Rosa Gill, chairwoman of the school board, stepped in to say that\'s a board decision and not a staff one. She said they\'ll consider what changes to make with the year-round program as they develop the assumptions for the next bond issue.
Options could include increasing the current percentage of year-round schools, maintaining the current percentage or reducing the percentage back to the pre-conversion figure.
School board member Beverley Clark chimed in that there were some instances where she could see conversions being reversed or new schools opening on a traditional calendar.
&amp;quot;I don\'t think we should unconvert 22 schools,&amp;quot; Clark said. &amp;quot;We should look at the distribution and capacity of those schools.&amp;quot;

]]></description><link>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/reversing-the-conversions</link><guid>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/reversing-the-conversions</guid><pubDate>Wed, 20 Aug 2008 06:00:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>iTunes single of the week: Gran Ronde &quot;Wisdom&quot;</title><description><![CDATA[This week\'s free single comes from Los Angeles band Gran Ronde.

The song is \&quot;Wisdom\&quot; and it\'s a catchy little alt-pop song. It has a good beat and the singer sounds a little life Craig Pfunder of VHS or Beta. The guitar tones in the song cut nicely through the mix and the main riff is a great hook.

I recommend this one. It\'s only 2 minutes and 11 seconds long, so give it a spin.

]]></description><link>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/08/itunes-single-of-week-gran-ronde-wisdom.html</link><guid>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/08/itunes-single-of-week-gran-ronde-wisdom.html</guid><pubDate>Wed, 20 Aug 2008 03:41:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>LeRoi Moore: 1961-2008</title><description><![CDATA[Our deepest condolences go out this evening to the friends, family and fans of LeRoi Moore. The Durham-born musician, best known as the saxophonist for Dave Matthews band, died this afternoon in an L.A. hospital from complications stemming from his June ATV accident.

The following statement was posted on the band\'s website:
\&quot;We are deeply saddened that LeRoi Moore, saxophonist and founding ]]></description><link>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/08/leroi-moore-1961-2008.html</link><guid>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/08/leroi-moore-1961-2008.html</guid><pubDate>Tue, 19 Aug 2008 22:57:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Democratic Men to Honor Betty Ann Knudsen</title><description><![CDATA[For the September 8 meeting, the Wake County Democratic Men\'s Club will have a fund raiser in honor Betty Ann Knudsen.
Dinner Meeting:
     September 8
     6:30pm
     Clarion Hotel
     320 Hillsborough St.
     Raleigh, NC
Dinner cost: $16 We expect a large crowd so please RSVP. Contact Steven Hill at wakedemmen@wakedems.org or call (919) 773-0245 by Thursday, September 4.
Donations may be made to the Wake County Democratic Men in honor of Betty Ann Knudsen, a true Democratic Hero: 
$25.00 + Supporter. Your name will be listed on the website and in the permanent \&quot;Democratic Heroes\&quot; book.
$100.00+ Sponsor. In addition to your name, you may include a paragraph about Betty Ann to be included on the website and the permanent \&quot;Democratic Heroes\&quot; book.
$250 Gold Sponsor. All of the above.
read more]]></description><link>http://wakedems.org/node/2134</link><guid>http://wakedems.org/node/2134</guid><pubDate>Tue, 19 Aug 2008 21:49:10 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Democratic Men Pay Tribute to Decades of Service by The Honorable Betty Ann Knudsen</title><description><![CDATA[For the September 8 meeting, the Wake County Democratic Men\'s Club will have a fund raiser in honor of Betty Ann Knudsen.
*Former Wake County Commissioner
*Inspiration to A Generation of Female Democrats
*Fearless Advocate for Progressive Causes
Presentations by Rep. Jennifer Weiss, Judge Robin Hudson, and Former County Commissioner Jack Nichols.
Dinner Meeting:
     Monday, September 8
     6:30pm
     Clarion Hotel
     320 Hillsborough St.
     Raleigh, NC
Dinner cost: $16 We expect a large crowd so please RSVP. Contact Steven Hill at wakedemmen@wakedems.org or call (919) 773-0245 by Thursday, September 4.
All donations beyond the price of dinner ticket will be given to Wake County Democratic Party for the 2008 Unity Campaign in honor of Betty Ann Knudsen.
read more]]></description><link>http://wakedems.org/wdm090808</link><guid>http://wakedems.org/wdm090808</guid><pubDate>Tue, 19 Aug 2008 21:49:10 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Superintendent Burns: WCPSS Podcast</title><description><![CDATA[
Superintendent Del Burns told the Wake County Board of Education August 19 that more than 100 WCPSS students gradated in ceremonies held this summer and a number of our students participated in exciting learning opportunities during the summer.

Click here to listen to Dr. Burns Reports

This is an 8.5 minute mp3 file.

]]></description><link>http://www.wcpss.net/announcements/archives/2008/08/superintendent_4.html</link><guid>http://www.wcpss.net/announcements/archives/2008/08/superintendent_4.html</guid><pubDate>Tue, 19 Aug 2008 19:39:58 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Recapping today's meeting</title><description><![CDATA[
Here\'s a quick recap of what happened. (I\'ll go into more detail tomorrow.)


Students protested the parking fee increase at the school board meeting.
Administrators went over the multi-year reassignment planning process.
Test results were shared with the board.
The board approved a new hunter education policy, the naming of Rolesville Middle School and taking $677,804 out of fund balance to keep teaching positions at year-round schools.
The board is now reviewing Supt. Del Burns\' performance behind closed doors. An official announcement of the new terms is not expected until Sept. 2.

]]></description><link>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/recapping-todays-meeting</link><guid>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/recapping-todays-meeting</guid><pubDate>Tue, 19 Aug 2008 19:16:34 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Board Chair Gill and Superintendent Burns join PTA</title><description><![CDATA[
Wake County School Board Chair Rosa Gill and Wake County Public School System Superintendant Del Burns today extended their support of students by joining the PTA. Gill and Burns signed up as part of a Join the PTA event sponsored by the Wake County PTA Council, the umbrella organization of the more than 50,000 PTA members in Wake County.


Gill and Burns joined the NC PTA, a statewide, community-based PTA, as a way to show support for family involvement and as a means of encouraging other community members to also join.
  
Each school-based PTA in Wake County and the rest of the state are automatically part of the NC PTA as well as the National PTA. 

\&quot;The Parent Teacher Association is a powerful voice for the children of Wake County, and we truly appreciate the support of both Dr. Burns and Mrs. Gill,\&quot; said Sarah Martin, president of the Wake County PTA Council. \&quot;It is our hope that community members, school staff and administration throughout Wake County will follow the lead of these two education leaders, join the PTA, and become active in their local school communities.\&quot; 

For more information, including how to join the PTA, contact your child\'s school.

]]></description><link>http://www.wcpss.net/announcements/archives/2008/08/board_chair_gil.html</link><guid>http://www.wcpss.net/announcements/archives/2008/08/board_chair_gil.html</guid><pubDate>Tue, 19 Aug 2008 17:54:13 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Parent friendliness in Wake</title><description><![CDATA[
Wake got a mediocre grade for parent friendliness in a new report issued by the John Locke Foundation.


Wake got a grade of C on the report. None of the state\'s 115 districts got better than a B+ on &amp;quot;The Parental Prerogative: How ?parent-friendly? are school districts in North Carolina?&amp;quot;
The report was put together by Terry Stoops, an occasional poster here and an education policy analyst for the Locke Foundation. One thing to keep in mind is that the Locke Foundation is pretty critical of the state\'s public education system.
Wake\'s grade was based on four components.
Wake got a C for administration:
* How well did administrators communicate with teachers and parents?
* How bureaucratic was the school district?
Wake got a C for teachers:
* How stable was the teacher workforce?
* How many teaching position vacancies remained at the beginning of the school year?
Wake got a D+ on safety:
* How safe were the schools in the school district?
Wake got an A- on performance:
* How well did the school district perform on state tests?
* How well did students in the district perform on the SATs?
* What percentage of district students graduated high school in four years?
Overall, the report found that smaller districts got better ratings than bigger ones.

]]></description><link>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/parent-friendliness-in-wake</link><guid>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/parent-friendliness-in-wake</guid><pubDate>Tue, 19 Aug 2008 11:17:21 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Smashing Pumpkins and...kazoos?</title><description><![CDATA[While we didn\'t attend Smashing Pumpkins\' show at Raleigh\'s Memorial Auditorium this past weekend, it\'s certainly worth mentioning that it happened.

Check out this review from our friend at Community Shoes.

Set list:
Tarantula
G.L.O.W.
Eye
Mayonnaise
Tonight, Tonight
Speed Kills
Transformer
Superchrist
United States
Once Upon a Time
The Crux
Rose March
Today
Bullet With Butterfly Wings
Batman
]]></description><link>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/08/smashing-pumpkins-andkazoos.html</link><guid>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/08/smashing-pumpkins-andkazoos.html</guid><pubDate>Tue, 19 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Changing the reassignment timeline</title><description><![CDATA[
It\'s time to revise your student assignment calendars.


School administrators plan to accelerate the timetable beginning with the multi-year assignment plan. A draft plan will now be released in late October, followed by community engagement meetings in November. A revised plan would go to the school board in mid-December with a final vote expected in January.


Previously, the community engagement meetings would be held in October and November with the draft plan coming out in December. The board would get the revised plan in January and vote in February.


Click here for the district\'s press release.

]]></description><link>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/changing-the-reassignment-timeline</link><guid>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/changing-the-reassignment-timeline</guid><pubDate>Tue, 19 Aug 2008 10:59:07 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>A packed school board agenda</title><description><![CDATA[
Today\'s school board agenda is action packed.


It\'s not just the closed-door evaluation of Superintendent Del Burns\' job performance or the committee of the whole talk about the 10th-day year-round enrollment totals.
You\'ve also got presentations on test scores and the multi-year student assignment process and a request to dip into the rainy-day fund to bail out year-round schools. You\'ll also have a discussion on the proposed hunter education policy and a possible student protest over the $50 hike in parking fees.
As noted previously, Wake\'s year-round schools are 1,591 students below projections. Since funding is based on enrollment, year-round schools have already lost some teaching positions after the school year started.
To prevent the year-round schools from losing more teachers, administrators will ask the board to take money out of fund balance to cover positions. The amount needed was blank on the information in the board packets. 
Before that vote, Chuck Dulaney, assistant superintendent for growth and planning, will give a presentation on how his staff will develop the multi-year assignment plan. The plan should include details for two years and possibly a third year.

]]></description><link>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/a-packed-school-board-agenda</link><guid>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/a-packed-school-board-agenda</guid><pubDate>Tue, 19 Aug 2008 06:00:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Not meeting the 95 percent goal</title><description><![CDATA[
We can now officially say that the 95 percent goal is dead.


School administrators will present test results this afternoon showing Wake is well short of having 95 percent of students in grades 3-12 passing state tests by 2008. The result was expected but now it\'s final.
We don\'t have school-by-school results yet. But we do have districtwide data.
As mentioned before, today\'s result won\'t be a surprise. School board members have, on more than one occasion, blamed lack of funding from county commissioners for not having reached the goal. 
Realistically, the changes in the EOG exams made the goal pretty unreachable. For instance, Wake\'s math passing rate dropped from 91.7 percent in 2005 to 74.5 percent after the exams were changed.
Goal 2008 was set by the board in 2003. It was a follow-up to the goal set in 1998 of having 95 percent of third- through eighth-graders passing state exams by 2003. While Wake fell short, the gains were noticeable.
The math EOG passing rate is now at 78 percent, up from 76.1 percent in 2007.
It\'s likely that the passing rate for the reading EOGs will tumble when the state renorms the exams later this year. In 2007, Wake\'s passing rate was 91.1 percent.
The achievement gap, at least on math, has narrowed. The passing rates for black, Hispanic, American Indian, low-income and limited English students went up more over the past two years than for white kids.
Wake also didn\'t get close to 95 percent passing on high school end-of-course exams. Several of the EOCs were renormed over the past five years.
You\'ve also got ABCs, AYP and graduation data being presented today.
Back when Wake first released the graduation data, one of the TV stations reported that the the numbers significantly improved after five years. The new data doesn\'t bear it out.
While more students do graduate after five years, it\'s not a big gain over the percentage who graduate in four years.
Click here to view the data that will be presented.

]]></description><link>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/not-meeting-the-95-percent-goal</link><guid>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/not-meeting-the-95-percent-goal</guid><pubDate>Tue, 19 Aug 2008 06:00:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>The Hold Steady and Drive-By Truckers plan co-headline tour</title><description><![CDATA[After playing a sold-out show at the Cat\'s Cradle just last week, The Hold Steady have announced that they will hit the road for a month long co-headline tour with Drive-By Truckers. The tour will be dubbed the \&quot;Rock and Roll Means Well Tour.\&quot;

The tour will kick off in Louisville, Kentucky on October 30 and run through November 25 in Los Angeles. The two bands will swap the closing set each ]]></description><link>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/08/hold-steady-and-drive-by-truckers-plan.html</link><guid>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/08/hold-steady-and-drive-by-truckers-plan.html</guid><pubDate>Tue, 19 Aug 2008 02:06:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Wake on the editorial pages</title><description><![CDATA[
Wake got both favorable and unfavorable editorial mention today.


In an N&amp;amp;O editorial, Wake is praised for having &amp;quot;seen the light&amp;quot; in considering a new policy that would allow students to participate in shooting events. Wake got beaten up nationally after East Wake High students were banned from participating at an event earlier this year.


The school board will review a hunter education policy at Tuesday\'s committee of the whole meeting.&nbsp;


In a Fayetteville Observer op-ed piece, Cumberland County school board chairman Larry Lancaster spins the district only having 34 percent of its schools passing No Child Left Behind. While pointing out that 24 percent of Wake\'s schools made AYP, Lancaster said &amp;quot;in comparison with the five other large urban school districts in the state, we did well.&amp;quot;

]]></description><link>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/wake-on-the-editorial-pages</link><guid>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/wake-on-the-editorial-pages</guid><pubDate>Mon, 18 Aug 2008 17:57:55 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>New School Facilities Open August 25</title><description><![CDATA[
The faculty from Smith Elementary enjoyed sandwiches today provided by their PTA in the media center of the brand new Banks Road campus where Smith will spend the next year.

Assistant Superintendent Mike Burriss says Smith is one of the WCPSS schools that will be enjoying new facilities when traditional calendar schools hold their first classes August 25.

Click here to listen to New School Facilities Open August 25

This is a 4:00 minute mp3 file

]]></description><link>http://www.wcpss.net/announcements/archives/2008/08/new_school_faci.html</link><guid>http://www.wcpss.net/announcements/archives/2008/08/new_school_faci.html</guid><pubDate>Mon, 18 Aug 2008 17:40:59 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>The Power of Parent Involvement</title><description><![CDATA[
Parents who attended a Wake County parent involvement event at the McKimmon Center had the chance to talk with Dr. Karen Mapp, a lecturer on education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Her research and practice expertise is in the areas of educational leadership and educational partnerships among schools, families and community members.

Mapp co-authored the book \&quot;Beyond the Bake Sale:  The Essential Guide to Family - School Partnerships\&quot; published by The New Press in 2007.

Click here to listen to The Power of Parent Involvement

This is an 8:45 minute mp3 file

]]></description><link>http://www.wcpss.net/announcements/archives/2008/08/the_power_of_pa.html</link><guid>http://www.wcpss.net/announcements/archives/2008/08/the_power_of_pa.html</guid><pubDate>Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:39:17 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Joining the PTA</title><description><![CDATA[
Here\'s another made-for-TV media event coming to you.


The school district has sent out a press release announcing that Superintendent Del Burns and school board chairwoman Rosa Gill will officially join the PTA on Tuesday.
At 2:45 p.m., prior to the regularly scheduled school board meeting, Burns and Gill will sign up with Wake PTA Council President Sarah Martin. According to the press release, they &amp;quot;are joining the PTA to show their support for Wake County families and students and to underscore the importance of family involvement in our children’s education.&amp;quot;
There are more than 50,000 PTA members in Wake. The Wake PTA Council has its office at the district\'s Central Services Building at 3600 Wake Forest Road, Raleigh.

]]></description><link>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/joining-the-pta</link><guid>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/joining-the-pta</guid><pubDate>Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:36:15 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>McCrory to Address NAIOP/TCC</title><description><![CDATA[Mayor Pat McCrory will address NAIOP and TCC tomorrow.&nbsp; Lt. Governor Beverly Perdue was unable to attend due to a schedule conflict.&nbsp; However, both groups are working on a separate event, planned for September, where Perdue will be the guest of honor.&nbsp; Learn more about what McCrory will discuss.&nbsp;

]]></description><link>http://www.growthmatters.org/?p=246</link><guid>http://www.growthmatters.org/?p=246</guid><pubDate>Mon, 18 Aug 2008 14:10:37 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>The Faint get the Cradle moving</title><description><![CDATA[It was a steamy night at the Cat\'s Cradle on Friday. A sold-out crowd packed in to see The Faint play a flawless set of electro-dance rock songs.

The Nebraska quintet kicked off the night with an old tune \&quot;Glass Danse\&quot; from their 2001 album Danse Macabre. Lead singer Todd Fink took the stage wearing a long white lab coat and goggles, looking like the mad scientist. The look fits his on-stage ]]></description><link>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/08/faint-get-cradle-moving.html</link><guid>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/08/faint-get-cradle-moving.html</guid><pubDate>Mon, 18 Aug 2008 13:02:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>New state transportation hotline</title><description><![CDATA[
You might see some news reports today about a new hotline for reporting school bus drivers who are violating the state\'s seat belt and cell phone laws.


But before you add the number to your phone contact lists, keep in mind that Wake isn\'t participating right now. The hotline is meant, for now at least, for four school districts: Cabarrus, Winston-Salem/Forsyth and Guilford County School Systems as well as the Mooresville Graded School District.
It\'s against the law for bus drivers to operate their vehicle while using a cell phone or not wearing a seat belt. In the four districts in the pilot program, stickers stating the laws along with the hotline phone number are being placed inside each school bus and activity bus.
Calls to (919) 807-3580 will be referred to transportation supervisors in the appropriate school system. DPI plans to monitor the effectiveness of the program during the first weeks of school before expanding it to other school systems.

]]></description><link>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/new-state-transportation-hotline</link><guid>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/new-state-transportation-hotline</guid><pubDate>Mon, 18 Aug 2008 12:18:07 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Wake releases bus stop info</title><description><![CDATA[
Wake has posted the bus routes and bus stops for the traditional-calendar schools.


Click here for a link listing the info for each school. The school district says parents are &amp;quot;encouraged&amp;quot; to review the info, which is probably a good idea considering the bus miscues so far this year.
&amp;quot;Routes are developed by the Transportation Department based on student enrollment and then are refined during the first weeks of school as the Transportation Department determines the students that have decided to use bus service,&amp;quot; according to Wake\'s press release.
You can file a written appeal if you don\'t like the location or route. Click here to download the appeal form.

]]></description><link>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/wake-releases-bus-stop-info</link><guid>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/wake-releases-bus-stop-info</guid><pubDate>Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:04:36 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Athens Drive High School Band Earns National Honors</title><description><![CDATA[
The Athens Drive High School Band Percussion Ensemble and its director John Antonelli have been selected to perform for the National Percussion Ensemble Festival in Indianapolis, Indiana next March. 

\&quot;Our percussion ensemble is one of 12 across the nation to be selected for performance,\&quot; said Dr. Jerry Markoch, Athens High Drive band director. \&quot;I believe we are the first Wake County ensemble to be invited to participate in a Music for All/Bands of America National Festival.\&quot;

This is one of the most prestigious festivals in the nation, and is a significant honor for Athens Drive students and staff. 

At the festival, the students will participate in:   
A 40 minute concert to be performed for a panel of the nation\'s most respected percussion educators as well as for percussion students from other participating schools
A clinic immediately following the performance with one of the evaluators
Student master classes
Full participation in all of the \&quot;Music for All National Festival\&quot; events such as the Opening Session, Gala Awards Banquet, and Honor Band of America Concert.

]]></description><link>http://www.wcpss.net/announcements/archives/2008/08/athens_drive_hi.html</link><guid>http://www.wcpss.net/announcements/archives/2008/08/athens_drive_hi.html</guid><pubDate>Mon, 18 Aug 2008 09:43:02 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Finalizing Burns' new contract</title><description><![CDATA[
The school board will be busy behind closed doors on Tuesday wrapping up Superintendent Del Burns\' annual evaluation.
Under his contract, Burns gets an automatic 3-percent raise every year. But if the board doesn\'t complete his annual evaluation by Aug. 31, he\'s entitled to an additional increase that would be be equal, this year, to 3 percent.


Rosa Gil, chairwoman of the school board, expects the board to decide what new offer to make to Burns on Tuesday. If he agrees, the new terms will be announced at a future board meeting.


Last year, Burns\' contract was extended through June 30, 2011. He also got a 5-percent raise that lifted his base salary to $262,500, not including at least $36,670 in additional benefits.
Click here for Burns\' contract. Click here for the amendment approved last year.

]]></description><link>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/finalizing-burns-new-contract</link><guid>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/finalizing-burns-new-contract</guid><pubDate>Mon, 18 Aug 2008 09:00:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>New Bowerbirds video - &quot;In Our Talons&quot;</title><description><![CDATA[Animated videos have become quite popular lately. Maybe with the major video networks no longer showing videos, its not fiscally responsible to spend the money to make a live-action video.

Local forest folk group Bowerbirds are the latest band to join the trend. Below you\'ll see the new video for \&quot;In Our Talons\&quot; from the fantastic album Hymns For a Dark Horse. The video makes use of stop-motion ]]></description><link>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/08/new-bowerbirds-video-in-our-talons.html</link><guid>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/08/new-bowerbirds-video-in-our-talons.html</guid><pubDate>Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:55:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Lump Gallery Benefit</title><description><![CDATA[                  
Tonight, August 15th, Lump Gallery will be hosting a benefit to benefit Lump Gallery. Stop by to see some local bands and donate to a very worthy cause.  Donations will be used to support Lump Gallery?s ongoing display of cutting edge art.  Many of their shows are installations that can't be sold and can't be profitable but Lump is an irreplaceable element in the cultural landscape of the Triangle. Two local bands, Phon and Schooner, will be perform. The show starts at 8PM there is a suggested $5 donation for admittance.  

  
]]></description><link>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/rduwtfcom/~3/365749215/</link><guid>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/rduwtfcom/~3/365749215/</guid><pubDate>Fri, 15 Aug 2008 11:23:16 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Best of the Best</title><description><![CDATA[Mike Munn, Chair of the TCC, wrote a nice article that appeared in today's News and Observer.&nbsp; And it's worth repeating here on GrowthMatters.
Triangle residents have long-known that we live in the best place in the country, but apparently the secret is out. Headlines have announced that Raleigh alone has been named the &amp;#8220;best&amp;#8221; in [...]]]></description><link>http://www.growthmatters.org/?p=244</link><guid>http://www.growthmatters.org/?p=244</guid><pubDate>Fri, 15 Aug 2008 11:14:21 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Big NC Love Update</title><description><![CDATA[The N&amp;#038;O had this update today.  This is my favorite, ongoing story of the year!
She is accused of instructing a 15-year-old boy to break into a house, and Crockett said she needed the money to buy a false leg for a beloved horse.

  
]]></description><link>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/rduwtfcom/~3/365740056/</link><guid>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/rduwtfcom/~3/365740056/</guid><pubDate>Fri, 15 Aug 2008 11:11:17 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Not following Charlotte's example</title><description><![CDATA[
Wake County school board members are pointing to a new report on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school system as a reason why socioeconomic diversity is so important.


The report from the Swann Fellowship notes how Charlotte has rapidly resegregated by race and income since the school district switched to a neighborhood school plan in 2002. The report warns that &amp;quot;it will take innovative policies, enthusiastic teachers and far more money&amp;quot; to mitigate the effects of concentrated poverty in schools.
&amp;quot;In short, our community is turning progressively more schools into high-poverty factories of educational failure,&amp;quot; according to the report.
While the report largely focuses on potential solutions, it does note how things have changed in Charlotte in the past six years.
&amp;quot;Much of the separation between affluence and poverty is intentionally maintained to protect the \'success\' of more affluent schools and thereby avoid \'white flight\' or \'bright flight\' that occurs when significant numbers of low-income students are assigned to affluent schools, In at least one instance, an extreme high-poverty school sits approximately 100 feet from the boundary of an affluent school. Political forces make it extraordinarily unlikely that the school board will reverse the inequitable assignment trend voluntarily,&amp;quot; the report says.
For background, the Swann Fellowship opposed the federal lawsuit that led to to the end of race-based busing in Charlotte.


Click here for an article in today\'s Charlotte Observer about a forum the Swann Fellowship held on the report.


Wake school board members referenced the report during Wednesday\'s discussion of student assignment with county commissioners. They distributed copies to people there.

]]></description><link>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/not-following-charlottes-example</link><guid>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/not-following-charlottes-example</guid><pubDate>Fri, 15 Aug 2008 09:00:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Year-round schools below projections</title><description><![CDATA[
The numbers are bearing out that year-round enrollment is way below projections this year.


As noted in today\'s article, the 10-day numbers show that Wake\'s 49 year-round schools are 1,591 students below their projected enrollment. It\'s having a variety of consequences, including teachers changing schools, classes being broken up and families changing tracks.
Rosa Gill, chairwoman of the school board, said they\'ll discuss the 10th-day totals at Tuesday\'s committee of the whole meeting. 
The year-round schools were projected to have 41,976 students by the 20th-day of classes this year. They\'re now at 40,385 students. Considering how the year-rounds picked up only 81 students between the 10th- and 20th-days last year, that deficit is likely to remain this year.
The biggest gap is at Leesville Road Elementary, where the school is 130 students below projections. Next comes Wilburn Elementary, which is 102 students short.


Enrollment at some of the converted schools is below their traditional-calendar totals.


Click here for a spreadsheet showing this year\'s 10th-day totals. Click here for a spreadsheet showing the 10th-day totals along with the projected enrollment.
Keep in mind that the projected enrollment is part of the revised one that staff came up with in June. Districtwide, Wake is projecting it will grow by 5,245 students, down from the official projection of 6,441 students.
Based on the year-round numbers and talks with principals at traditional-calendar schools, school board member Ron Margiotta thinks this year\'s net gain will be even less that 5,245 kids.

]]></description><link>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/year-round-schools-below-projections</link><guid>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/year-round-schools-below-projections</guid><pubDate>Fri, 15 Aug 2008 06:00:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Unhappy with multi-year assignments</title><description><![CDATA[
At least one school board member isn\'t happy with the school district\'s efforts to go with a multi-year student assignment plan.


During Tuesday\'s facilities committees meeting, board member Beverley Clark said it\'s wise to let parents know about Wake\'s long-range plans and what areas might be moved. She just isn\'t thrilled about guaranteeing years in advance the specific nodes that will be assigned to each school.
&amp;quot;To let people know where they\'ll be assigned three years out is the biggest  mistake the school system can make,&amp;quot; Clark said. &amp;quot;I hope I\'m wrong.&amp;quot;


Wake will release a multi-year plan in November or December. School administrators have said that the assignments for 2009-10 and 2010-11 should be pretty solid. The 2011-12 assignments are iffy because several new schools Wake would hope to open that year depend on a future bond issue.
The issue came up Tuesday because Michael Evans, Wake\'s chief communications officer, explained to the board how he intends to let parents know about the plan later this year.

]]></description><link>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/unhappy-with-multi-year-assignments</link><guid>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/unhappy-with-multi-year-assignments</guid><pubDate>Thu, 14 Aug 2008 09:00:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Violet Vector, Birds of Avalon, Old Ceremony play Art on the Edge</title><description><![CDATA[From August 21 to August 23, downtown Raleigh will be a buzz with music, theater and art. The event is called Art on the Edge and it will take place in Lichtin Plaza and Fletcher Hall at the Progress Energy Center.

The event will feature local bands The Huguenots, The Cartridge Family, Violet Vector and the Lovely Lovelies and Birds of Avalon on Thursday and \&quot;An evening with\&quot; The Old Ceremony on]]></description><link>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/08/violet-vector-birds-of-avalon-old.html</link><guid>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/08/violet-vector-birds-of-avalon-old.html</guid><pubDate>Thu, 14 Aug 2008 01:53:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Student assignment lesson</title><description><![CDATA[
Aside from today\'s flap over sales tax reimbursement, a big chunk of the joint meeting was a Student Assignment 101 lesson for county commissioners.


Chuck Dulaney, assistant superintendent for growth and planning, told commissioners that student assignment was &amp;quot;perhaps the most overwhelming statutory authority that school districts have.&amp;quot; He said it\'s difficult trying to balance all the different goals in the assignment policy.
&amp;quot;Providing as much stability as possible is good, but that\'s not easy,&amp;quot; Dulaney said.
Joe Bryan, chairman of the board of commissioners, wanted to know how many of the 156 schools are expected exceed the 40 percent F&amp;amp;R goal. Dulaney said it\'s estimated now to between 25 and 30 schools.
Knowing that Bryan hails from Knigthdale, Dulaney said they can\'t reduce the F&amp;amp;R percentages in Eastern Wake schools without busing low-income students to Northern Wake and bringing in affluent students from there. Since that would make the distance too far to travel, Dulaney said that\'s why they\'re focusing on maintaining schools with comparable demographics.
Noting that commissioners get a lot of questions about student assignment, Bryan asked if they could get the research that the student assignment policy cites for justifying the diversity efforts. School officials said they\'d be more than happy to do so.
Click here for a post on why the value of Wake\'s research is debated by critics.
School board member Horace Tart chimed in that neighborhood schools that some people want aren\'t as good as they\'re cracked up to be. He questioned the assertion that neighborhood schools would lead to greater parental involvement.
Tart cited the example of Barwell Road Elementary School in Southeast Raleigh, which he called as true an example of a neighborhood school as you can find. He said that a recent PTA meeting he was told that one of the major problems the school has is getting parents involved. 
Tart went on to cite Barwell\'s high F&amp;amp;R rate and not having met academic expectations on state exams this year.
&amp;quot;Parental participation is not directly dependent on the closeness to the school, but probably on the socioeconomic status of the parents,&amp;quot; Tart said. 
Tart warned that a pure neighborhood school policy would lead to some Wake schools having F&amp;amp;R rates above 80 percent. 
School board member Lori Millberg added that people overstate how many students are bused for diversity. 
&amp;quot;It\'s vastly overblown how many kids we move a great distance,&amp;quot; Millberg said.
(It\'s hard determining how many kids are bused for diversity. Wake doesn\'t include in that group students who are assigned to a school for multiple reasons.)
The one contrary note was from school board member Ron Margiotta. He said more family-friendly assignment policies are needed. He argued that something needs to be done to stem the flight of white, affluent families from the school district.


None of the commissioners criticized the policy today. Commissioner Harold Webb said that people should be thankful of the high quality of the school system.

]]></description><link>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/student-assignment-lesson</link><guid>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/student-assignment-lesson</guid><pubDate>Wed, 13 Aug 2008 13:48:26 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>New Publications for Parents and Teachers</title><description><![CDATA[
The Evaluation and Research Department has established two new publications: Teachable Moment for teachers and Facts for Families for parents. These newsletters disseminate information about E&amp;R\'s research findings and provide a starting point for conversations throughout the community. This is part of a new set of publications designed to give families and schools common information on which to base discussions about helping students achieve. Both can be found on the department\'s website.

]]></description><link>http://www.wcpss.net/announcements/archives/2008/08/new_publication.html</link><guid>http://www.wcpss.net/announcements/archives/2008/08/new_publication.html</guid><pubDate>Wed, 13 Aug 2008 12:39:38 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Making up for the smaller bonuses</title><description><![CDATA[
At least one school district is stepping up to the plate because the state isn\'t fully funding teacher bonuses this year.


The Fayetteville Observer is reporting today that the Cumberland County school board voted to dip into its fund balance to make up the estimated $1.4 million difference between what lawmakers appropriated and what successful local teachers were promised.
?I think our teachers exceeded their end of the bargain,? said Cumberland County school board member Greg West in the article. ?And the state didn?t hold up their end of the bargain. I think we need to do the right thing.?
As previously noted, the State Board of Education slashed ABCs bonus payouts by 30 percent last week after the General Assembly underfunded the program. The cut lowered the maximum bonus from $1,500 to $1,053.
There hasn\'t been any public talk in Wake about making up for the reduced payouts. But since Wake has 80,000 more students than Cumberland, it would likely cost a lot more than $1.4 million to make up the shortfall.

]]></description><link>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/making-up-for-the-smaller-bonuses</link><guid>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/making-up-for-the-smaller-bonuses</guid><pubDate>Wed, 13 Aug 2008 07:44:29 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Discussing student assignment with commissioners</title><description><![CDATA[
This could either turn out be a fairly perfunctory or pretty bloody discussion topic today.


During today\'s joint meeting of the school board and county commissioners, school staff will review the student assignment policy. (Click for the policy and the R&amp;amp;P that lays out the implementation.)
Some commissioners have been vocal about their criticism of the district\'s assignment policy.
Other potential agenda topics include an update on sales tax savings from transferring school properties to the county, planning assumptions for the next bond issue and school nurses.
Some commissioners have accused the school district of costing taxpayers money by not quickly turning over properties to save on sales tax payments for construction projects.


Now school board members are saying it\'s the county who could be costing taxpayers money by not joining wth them in asking the state if a lease would suffice for the sales tax exemption.


The joint meeting starts at 9 a.m. in the cramped school board conference room, 3600 Wake Forest Road in Raleigh.

]]></description><link>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/discussing-student-assignment-with-commissioners</link><guid>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/discussing-student-assignment-with-commissioners</guid><pubDate>Wed, 13 Aug 2008 06:00:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Naming Rolesville's new school</title><description><![CDATA[
Does the school board owe it to Rolesville to name a new middle school after the town?
As noted in today\'s North Raleigh News article, Rolesville town leaders have urged the school board to use &amp;quot;Rolesville Middle School&amp;quot; for the site on Burlington Mills Road. County commissioners have credited Rolesville leaders with helping acquire the property.
&amp;quot;They need to work with us in the naming of schools,? said Rolesville Mayor Frank Eagles in today\'s article. ?It?s the people?s schools, not the school board?s schools.?
Town leaders helped negotiate more advantageous terms with the seller and chipped in part of the purchase price when commissioners rejected the initial deal.


Click here for the three choices being considered by the school board. Administrators said yesterday they\'re backing using &amp;quot;Rolesville Middle School. &amp;quot;


The vote is scheduled for Tuesday.

]]></description><link>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/naming-rolesvilles-new-school</link><guid>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/naming-rolesvilles-new-school</guid><pubDate>Wed, 13 Aug 2008 06:00:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>New Rosebuds - &quot;Life Like&quot;</title><description><![CDATA[The Rosebuds new album Life Like is due out on October  7 via Merge Records, but you can download the title track of the album now at the bottom of this post. You can also stream three more tracks from the album on The Rosebuds\' MySpace page. They may get rotated out but they currently include \&quot;Bow To The Middle,\&quot; \&quot;Nice Fox\&quot; and \&quot;Cape Fear.\&quot;

Check out the details of the new album here.

Don\'t ]]></description><link>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/08/new-rosebuds-life-like.html</link><guid>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/08/new-rosebuds-life-like.html</guid><pubDate>Tue, 12 Aug 2008 17:04:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>A potential legal windfall?</title><description><![CDATA[
Wake could have a windfall or a problem on its hands.


Wake County Superior Court Judge Howard Manning Jr. has ruled that the state must turn over $747.9 million in illegally withheld civil fines to the state\'s 115 school districts. Wake\'s share would be around $70 million, which Manning says must be used for technology.
Here\'s the potential problem. Considering the tough economy, it\'s hard imagining the General Assembly will suddenly find the money. What could happen, school officials fear, is that the General Assembly will &amp;quot;supplant&amp;quot; the money, taking away $747.9 million in education funding to comply with Manning.
Click here to read the court order.

]]></description><link>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/a-potential-legal-windfall</link><guid>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/a-potential-legal-windfall</guid><pubDate>Tue, 12 Aug 2008 13:58:20 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Big NC Love</title><description><![CDATA[
The N&amp;#038;O carried this story about a woman who had her dead dog cloned in Korea but they seemed to miss the interesting follow up story involving a NC Beauty Queen who converted to Mormon rapist and fugitive from the law.  Are they the same person?  Did the dog cloning blow her cover?  Maybe I missed the follow-up in the N&amp;#038;O but this story is worth reading here.
A juicy excerpt:
The story of Joyce McKinney is the stuff of pulp fiction: a North Carolina-born beauty queen who moved west, won the title Miss Wyoming USA, converted to Mormonism and went on to college at Brigham Young University, where she became obsessed with a Mormon fellow student.
When that young Mormon took a missionary trip to England, authorities say McKinney hired a private detective so she could locate and follow him.
She and a male accomplice were accused of abducting the 21-year-old missionary as he went door to door, taking him to a rented 17th-century &amp;#8220;honeymoon cottage&amp;#8221; in Devon and chaining him spread-eagled to a bed with several pairs of mink-lined handcuffs.

  
]]></description><link>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/rduwtfcom/~3/363081589/</link><guid>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/rduwtfcom/~3/363081589/</guid><pubDate>Tue, 12 Aug 2008 12:56:22 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Pancakes &amp; Politics -</title><description><![CDATA[If you missed our Pancakes &amp;amp; Politics Breakfast with Rob Christensen, you missed a wonderful morning of history and funny stories regarding our politicians. 
We thank Rob Christensen for sharing his wealth of knowledge and sense of humor. 
A special thank you goes out to the cook, Joanne Casey and also to Chris Telesca for volunteering his time to help us out this morning.
]]></description><link>http://wakedems.org/node/2126</link><guid>http://wakedems.org/node/2126</guid><pubDate>Tue, 12 Aug 2008 11:27:02 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Counting Crows offer live show downloads</title><description><![CDATA[Counting Crows fans can download a bit of concert memorabilia thanks to a new site, livecountingcrows.com, which offers recordings of the group\'s concerts.

The band\'s Sept. 29 show from Raleigh\'s Walnut Creek is currently available in MP3 and FLAC format, along with shows from Charlotte, Jones Beach and Boston. Subsequent concerts will be up a couple days after they happen but are available for ]]></description><link>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/08/counting-crows-offer-live-show.html</link><guid>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/08/counting-crows-offer-live-show.html</guid><pubDate>Tue, 12 Aug 2008 11:23:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Art is Hard!</title><description><![CDATA[
You cannot paint the Mona Lisa by assigning one dab each to a thousand painters. William F. Buckley, Jr.

I am an old fan-as-opponent of William Buckley and I miss his raised eyebrow.  He's often right on target, of course, and I thought this quote fit my mood, pondering all the ugly crap we see going up all around Raleigh, sometimes right beside much more noble projects.  Raleigh architecture has it's bell curve, I suppose, but the view out your car window sure can be depressing these days.  I have tried to live with beauty and make beauty all my life - I've watched many friends do the same - and IT IS HARD.
Try harder!  Raleigh is supposed to be so hot, why can't we see consistent efforts to achieve a new urbanism that has a fairly high baseline of aesthetic sensibility.  When it comes to moderately priced and/or high volume real estate ventures, I say: Make &amp;#8216;em eat cake!!  We can demand quality in planning and materials, without imposing a specific aesthetic sensibility on anyone.
Try harder!! Everything we do is art. Even if it feeds, clothes or shelters us, everything we do is done with artifice, with art, in a creative way involving value choices - so we might as well make it good.  The search for quality leads to intellectual aristocracy, some say - well, so be it.  The will to excel, to lead the examined life leads to arrogance.  But I can will democratic exchange instead of arrogance.  Yet I must ask:  why does it have to be so dad-lemmed ugly?  What democratic process allows such crap?  And when there are wonderful architects, thoughtful projects galore, why does any of it have to be so dad-lemmed ugly?
I close with a quote from another end of some spectrum, I'm sure you'll agree.
We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same. Carlos Castenada 

  
]]></description><link>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/rduwtfcom/~3/363004007/</link><guid>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/rduwtfcom/~3/363004007/</guid><pubDate>Tue, 12 Aug 2008 11:14:52 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Urging a break in the parking fees</title><description><![CDATA[
Critics of the rise in high school student parking fees aren\'t gaining much traction.


In an effort to balance the budget this year, the school board raised parking fees to $170 a year, a $50 increase. Critics aren\'t having the same level of success as in 2005 when they got the board to reverse the decision to raise the fees to $240 a year.
Last week, school board member Horace Tart tried to make a pitch for his constituents at Fuquay-Varina High School.
Tart said that last school year, students were urged to sign up early for parking spots for the 2008-09 school year because there would be far fewer spaces. He said students were told modular units would take away many of the parking spaces.
Since the board raised the fee in July, Tart said families have called him to complain. They say that they shouldn\'t be asked to provide the additional $50 after having already paid $120.
That argument didn\'t resonate with other board members who said they should treat the $120 like a deposit.
School board member Lori Millberg said they\'d be more than happy to refund the money to those who don\'t want to pay the full $170.
BTW, parking fees were originally collected to pay for the cost of private security officers to patrol the high schools. But now the money is put into the district\'s general budget.

]]></description><link>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/urging-a-break-in-the-parking-fees</link><guid>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/urging-a-break-in-the-parking-fees</guid><pubDate>Tue, 12 Aug 2008 09:00:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>iTunes single of the week: SLO-O &quot;Soul On Ice&quot;</title><description><![CDATA[This week\'s free single comes from San Francisco rapper SLO-O. This song is \&quot;Soul On Ice\&quot; and while it\'s not the worst thing in the world, it\'s nothing to write home about. The beat is pretty uninspired and the song goes nowhere.

I really don\'t have much to say about this one except I don\'t recommend it. As always though, I\'ll include the download link below and you can decide for yourself.

]]></description><link>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/08/itunes-single-of-week-slo-o-soul-on-ice.html</link><guid>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/08/itunes-single-of-week-slo-o-soul-on-ice.html</guid><pubDate>Tue, 12 Aug 2008 05:01:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Portastatic stream new album, celebrate release in Chapel Hill</title><description><![CDATA[We brought you the details of Portastatic\'s new double-disc rarities collection, Some Small History, a few weeks ago and now you can stream the entire album. Go to Merge Records website and click Listen/Watch to find the album stream.

Some Small History is due out on September 9 and the band will celebrate the release with a show at Local 506 on September 12.  No openers or ticket prices are ]]></description><link>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/08/portastatic-stream-new-album-celebrate.html</link><guid>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/08/portastatic-stream-new-album-celebrate.html</guid><pubDate>Mon, 11 Aug 2008 18:13:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>CNS serves nearly 60,000 free meals during summer</title><description><![CDATA[
WCPSS Child Nutrition Services (CNS) provided free meals to thousands of Wake children as part of the Summer Feeding Program-a program established by the USDA to ensure that children in lower-income areas continue to receive nutritious meals in the summer or during track-out times in year-round schools.

\&quot;Last year we had about 28 percent of our students who qualified for free or reduced lunch during the school year. This program is designed to keep those children from going hungry over the summer, since they are not getting school lunch,\&quot; said CNS Senior Director Marilyn Moody. \&quot;It is a major operation that runs efficiently and effectively for us every year.\&quot;

Between June 9 and August 8, the Summer Feeding Program provided breakfast and lunch to children at 33 different locations in Wake County. In June, 5,532 breakfasts and 21,027 lunches were served. In July, 6,465 breakfasts and 26,689 lunches were served. 
\&quot;We have seen an increase in participation and continue to work with more and more organizations who want to offer the program,\&quot; said CNS Area Supervisor Karen Taylor. 

This year, about 2,400 children received two meals a day through the Summer Feeding Program. Meals are typically served at Title I summer schools, other school-based programs and many non-school-based summer camp sites organized by churches and the Department of Health and Human Services. Children up to the age of 18 are eligible to receive meals free of charge if they are enrolled in programs that work with CNS to offer the Summer Feeding Program.

The Summer Feeding Program is staffed by CNS employees who work at six kitchens to coordinate the delivery of daily breakfasts and lunches to each of the 33 sites. One change to the program this year was the new boxed lunch and breakfast. These prepackaged meals held all of the components necessary for a healthy lunch when served with milk.

\&quot;We\'ve had a tremendous response since we started purchasing boxed lunches. Kids really seem to like them and it is not as labor intensive because our staff no longer has to prepare the meals themselves,\&quot; said Taylor.

Turkey and ham sandwiches, peanut butter and jelly, apple sauce, graham cracker cookies, nuts and milk were some of the items included in the boxed lunches. Children also had their choice of cereal, French toast, pancakes, fruit, juice and milk in the morning. 

WCPSS Child Nutrition Services established the Summer Feeding Program in Wake County more than 20 years ago.

]]></description><link>http://www.wcpss.net/announcements/archives/2008/08/cns_serves_near.html</link><guid>http://www.wcpss.net/announcements/archives/2008/08/cns_serves_near.html</guid><pubDate>Mon, 11 Aug 2008 15:44:13 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Waiting for math results</title><description><![CDATA[
Don\'t hold your breath if you\'re looking soon for school-by-school end-of-grade math results for Wake.


David Holdzkom, Wake\'s assistant superintendent for evaluation and research, said there are no plans to release the math EOG results until November. That\'s when the State Board of Education will release results of the new end-of-grade reading exams to help determine the performance composite for each school.
The performance composite is the percentage of passing test scores in a school. The composite is used to determine things such as Schools of Distinction and Schools of Excellence.
Holdzkom said having the math and reading results at the same time would offer a fuller picture of a school\'s performance.
In contrast, Charlotte-Mecklenburg released its school-by-school math results in June.

]]></description><link>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/waiting-for-math-results</link><guid>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/waiting-for-math-results</guid><pubDate>Mon, 11 Aug 2008 09:00:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Conor Oberst brings his best to the Cradle</title><description><![CDATA[Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band played a phenomenal set Saturday night at the Cat\'s Cradle.

Oberst and the five members of the Mystic Valley Band played an amazing set to the sold out Cradle crowd, mostly from his newly released self-titled solo album. The energetic, passionate set kept the crowd engaged, some of which were from as far away as Buffalo.

Highlights of the set included the]]></description><link>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/08/conor-oberst-brings-his-best-to-cradle.html</link><guid>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/08/conor-oberst-brings-his-best-to-cradle.html</guid><pubDate>Mon, 11 Aug 2008 08:11:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Funk legend Isaac Hayes dead at 65</title><description><![CDATA[Funk legend Isaac Hayes, best known for his music in the 1971 movie Shaft, has passed away today at the age of 65.

He was found at his home in Memphis by family next to a running treadmill. He was pronounced dead at Baptist East Hospital after 2PM.

In recent years, Hayes was best known for his voice work as Chef on South Park, though he left the show in 2006 after the show\'s creators poked fun ]]></description><link>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/08/funk-legend-isaac-hayes-dead-at-65.html</link><guid>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/08/funk-legend-isaac-hayes-dead-at-65.html</guid><pubDate>Sun, 10 Aug 2008 17:44:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Four Wake Schools Win National Recognition</title><description><![CDATA[
Four Wake County schools won recognition for promoting energy education and were honored at the National Energy Education Development (NEED) Youth Awards Program in Washington, D.C., June 20-23, 2008.  The Wake County Public School System\'s Environmental Stewardship Program was selected as Finalist for District of the Year at the national level.  Forestville Road, Fox Road, and Rolesville elementary schools were also recognized for their energy conservation projects at the state and national levels.

Many Wake County schools have classroom-based programs in which students learn about energy.  Many schools have teacher and student leaders who extend their activities to other students, their families, and communities.  To recognize outstanding achievement and reward student leadership, the NEED Project conducts the National Youth Awards Program for Energy Achievement.  Many schools participating in NEED\'s programs submit reports on their energy activities.  A national review panel evaluates the schools reports and chooses the state and national winners.  This year\'s NEED Youth Awards Review Panel included judges from Dominion, Energy Information Administration and U.S. Department of Energy.  Awards are given to the winner and runner-up in the elementary, junior and senior levels; and rookie awards are given at each level for schools in their first year of the NEED program.

NEED\'s \&quot;Kids Teaching Kids\&quot; approach encourages students to teach their peers and communities about energy in fun and innovative ways. These students are sharing their energy knowledge with their communities and leading the way toward changing the world.

In 1980, the NEED Project began as a one-day celebration of energy education.  A joint Congressional Resolution established National Energy Education Day.  A Presidential Proclamation from President Jimmy Carter proclaimed the need for comprehensive energy education in our nation\'s schools, a reduction of our dependence on fossil fuels, and increasing use of renewable energy technologies and energy efficiency.  Today, twenty-eight years later, the same message holds true.

]]></description><link>http://www.wcpss.net/announcements/archives/2008/08/four_wake_schoo.html</link><guid>http://www.wcpss.net/announcements/archives/2008/08/four_wake_schoo.html</guid><pubDate>Fri, 08 Aug 2008 13:40:35 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Looking at unusual ABCs results</title><description><![CDATA[
The new ABCs report shows some unusual results.


For instance, SPARC Academy made high growth, exceeding expectations on state exams. SPARC is now closed after the State Board of Education refused to renew its charter. The school\'s lawsuit is moving along in federal court.
Franklin Academy, a charter school with radically different demographics, didn\'t meet ABCs goals this year. You don\'t hear so much about it now but charter advocates used to regularly complain about being forced to follow the state\'s testing standards.
You see similar things in the Wake school system.
For instance, Broughton and Leesville high schools both didn\'t meet the state\'s academic expectations. But Fuquay-Varina High made expected growth.

]]></description><link>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/looking-at-unusual-abcs-results</link><guid>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/looking-at-unusual-abcs-results</guid><pubDate>Fri, 08 Aug 2008 09:00:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Agaist Me! and Ted Leo join forces</title><description><![CDATA[Against Me!, had one of the biggest breakthrough albums of 2007 and are now gearing up for a fall tour with Ted Leo and the Pharmacists. UK alt-punksters Future of the Left will open the entire tour and will fit right in.

Against Me! have been touring non-stop since the release of New Wave last July, including touring with Foo Fighters earlier this year and a performance at Bonnaroo in June. Ted]]></description><link>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/08/agaist-me-and-ted-leo-join-forces.html</link><guid>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/08/agaist-me-and-ted-leo-join-forces.html</guid><pubDate>Fri, 08 Aug 2008 07:22:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Evaluating Wake's test results</title><description><![CDATA[
Despite what some critics may be saying, Wake school officials are touting the latest ABCs results.


As noted in today\'s article, 84.1 percent of Wake schools met or exceeded state goals this past school year. While it\'s slightly down from 85 percent the previous year, David Holdzkom, assistant superintendent for evaluation and research, said people should be thrilled that more than 80 percent of Wake schools are meeting expectations.
?When you get above 80 percent it?s hard to see much improvement,? Holdzkom said.
In the district\'s press release, school officials are touting how more schools exceeded growth goals this year. There are 83 schools with the high growth status, up from 47 the prior year.
Wake is also touting how they &amp;quot;continue to out pace&amp;quot; the state percentage of schools showing growth. The state is at 82 percent. 
Holdzkom said that Wake is helping lift the state percentage so the gap between the two is greater than it looks.

]]></description><link>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/evaluating-wakes-test-results</link><guid>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/evaluating-wakes-test-results</guid><pubDate>Fri, 08 Aug 2008 06:00:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Youth Empowerment Summit Coming This Weekend</title><description><![CDATA[
The WCPSS Prevention Services Department is working with Another Step Forward Ministries, the Wake County Gang Prevention Partnership and Radio One to sponsor a \&quot;Back to School Rally\&quot; on Monday, August 11, for traditional-calendar students at Dorton Arena from 10 a.m. to noon. Students at the rally will be encouraged to \&quot;Say YES\&quot; to graduating on time, sexual abstinence, staying drug free, and staying gang free. Another focus of the rally will be to reconnect the faith community and schools through the \&quot;Adopt a School\&quot; partnership, thereby increasing the capacity of schools to support students who need mentoring and tutoring.

\&quot;Adopt a School\&quot; encourages faith-based organizations to adopt a school of their choice, encouraging members to volunteer to mentor or provide other services to schools. According to Darryl T. Fisher, WCPSS senior director for prevention services, a Memorandum of Understanding will be developed between the faith-based organizations and the school system \&quot;so that each organization will be able to work within a framework which defines the expectations and caveats of the relationship.\&quot;

The rally is part of the weekend\'s \&quot;Say Y.E.S.\&quot; Youth Empowerment Summit, including an \&quot;Adopt a School\&quot; workshop for faith-based organizations at Solid Rock Ministries in Garner on August 9 from 9:00 a.m. to noon, and a town hall meeting at Southeast Raleigh High on August 10 from 6 p.m to 8 p.m., hosted by Radio One\'s Russ Parr. For more information, call WCPSS Prevention Services at 858-3225.

]]></description><link>http://www.wcpss.net/announcements/archives/2008/08/youth_empowerme.html</link><guid>http://www.wcpss.net/announcements/archives/2008/08/youth_empowerme.html</guid><pubDate>Thu, 07 Aug 2008 16:44:36 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Wolfmother split, but will continue?</title><description><![CDATA[Australian band Wolfmother announced today that they\'ve split up, citing \&quot;longstanding friction.\&quot; The band played their last show on Sunday in Australia which was described as \&quot;fraught\&quot; and \&quot;tense.\&quot;

Bassist/keyboard player Chris Ross decided to leave first and drummer Myles Heskett followed as opposed to staying in a new incarnation of Wolfmother.

The Wolfmother brand is not dead though. It ]]></description><link>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/08/wolfmother-split-but-will-continue.html</link><guid>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/08/wolfmother-split-but-will-continue.html</guid><pubDate>Thu, 07 Aug 2008 14:49:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Slashing the teacher bonuses</title><description><![CDATA[
The bad news is now official on teacher bonuses under the state ABCs program.


There\'s an across-the-board 30 percent cut in bonus payments this year.


&nbsp;At schools that meet expected growth, teachers will get $527 instead of $750. Teacher assistants will get $263 instead of $375.


At schools that exceed expectations to make high growth, teachers will get $1,053 instead of $1,500. Teacher assistants will get $351 instead of $500.


The problem this year is that the General Assembly capped the State Board of Education to spending $94.3 million in bonuses. DPI says they would have needed $134.2 million to fully fund the program to provide the usual maximum bonuses.&nbsp;

]]></description><link>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/slashing-the-teacher-bonuses</link><guid>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/slashing-the-teacher-bonuses</guid><pubDate>Thu, 07 Aug 2008 11:29:36 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Comparing Wake to the state</title><description><![CDATA[
You guys have been beating Wake up over the graduation data and No Child Left Behind results so I thought I\'d try to put it in perspective.


As was noted previously, Wake\'s graduation rate dropped from 79.3 percent to 78.8 percent. Additionally, the percentage of Wake schools meeting No Child Left Behind requirements dropped from 40 percent to 24 percent.
New data released today shows that both categories dropped statewide as well.
The state\'s new graduation rate is 69.9 percent, down from 71.8 percent.
Statewide, 38.8 percent of schools met No Child Left Behind standards this year, down from 44.8 percent. The percentages for both Wake and the state will drop even further this year once the new reading EOGs are factored in for elementary and middle schools.

]]></description><link>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/comparing-wake-to-the-state</link><guid>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/comparing-wake-to-the-state</guid><pubDate>Thu, 07 Aug 2008 10:03:09 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Dip in Wake ABC results</title><description><![CDATA[
The percentage of schools meeting state expectation shot up statewide, except in Wake.


Based on new ABCs data, 82 percent of the state\'s public schools met growth expectations on state exams this past school year to earn teacher bonuses, up from 71.9 percent. It dipped slightly in Wake to 84.1 percent from 85 percent the previous year.
Click here for the online story. Click here to look for individual schools statewide.


(Some of you numbers crunchers might see that the percentage in Wake is 83.0 percent. But the state is now not officially counting schools such as Longview when determining the percentage that made growth. Knightdale Elementary is also not counted by the state for now.)
On the bright side, 83 of the 127 Wake schools meeting expectations made high growth. That means they\'ll get the big bonus, which will be cut from $1,500 because so many schools statewide are getting bonuses as well.
Of the 24 Wake schools that didn\'t meet growth expectations, 15 were high schools. That mirrors a statewide trend in which high schools accounted for most of the schools that aren\'t getting bonuses.
The new report also shows that Knightdale Elementary\'s status is under review. DPI and Wake are still investigating allegations of testing irregularities at the school.


State recognition for Schools of Excellence and Schools of Distinction won\'t be made until November when the results for reading EOGs are factored in for schools.

]]></description><link>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/dip-in-wake-abc-results</link><guid>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/dip-in-wake-abc-results</guid><pubDate>Thu, 07 Aug 2008 10:00:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Not a bad idea:  Just stay away from IZ</title><description><![CDATA[From the N and 0:
Clearly, cities in the region need to work on a game plan &amp;#8212; providing infrastructure and services for residential communities closer to a city's core or to some of these big office parks, and perhaps offering incentives to developers who market properties that a wider range of people can afford. (The [...]]]></description><link>http://www.growthmatters.org/?p=243</link><guid>http://www.growthmatters.org/?p=243</guid><pubDate>Thu, 07 Aug 2008 07:29:42 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Looking at new ABC test results</title><description><![CDATA[
You\'re going to want to return to the blog and the paper\'s main website at 10 a.m. for info on the new test results.


At 10 a.m., the state Board of Education will release the results of the ABCs of Public Education testing and accountability program. You\'ll be able to see which Wake schools met academic expectations this past school year to earn teacher bonuses. The results are interesting.

]]></description><link>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/looking-at-new-abc-test-results</link><guid>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/looking-at-new-abc-test-results</guid><pubDate>Thu, 07 Aug 2008 06:00:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Apex High Academy of Information Technology Earns National Honor</title><description><![CDATA[
The Apex High School Academy of Information Technology received recognition as one of the top model academies in the nation at the National Academy Foundation?s 2008 Annual Institute for Staff Development held earlier this month. The Apex High Academy of Information Technology earned one of five Aldo Papone awards for leadership in Academy performance from the National Academy Foundation. The Apex High academy was recognized for its ongoing commitment to create meaningful experiences for students. Julie Oster is the director for the Apex High Academy of Information Technology. The academy received $5000 as an award recipient. 

More than 1,100 students, teachers, Academy directors and people from the corporate world attended the weeklong professional training and development institute. The National Academy Foundation is an acclaimed national network of high school career academies predominately based in urban schools with rigorous, career-themed curricula created with current industry and educational expertise.

]]></description><link>http://www.wcpss.net/announcements/archives/2008/08/apex_high_acade.html</link><guid>http://www.wcpss.net/announcements/archives/2008/08/apex_high_acade.html</guid><pubDate>Wed, 06 Aug 2008 10:48:59 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Superintendent Burns: WCPSS Podcast</title><description><![CDATA[
Superintendent Del Burns told the Wake County Board of Education August 5 that kindergarten teachers have taken part in training as they prepare for this year\'s kindergarteners who will be the class of 2021 and high schools are holding freshmen camp for students who will graduate as the class of 2012.

Click here to listen to Dr. Burns Reports

This is an 8 minute mp3 file.




]]></description><link>http://www.wcpss.net/announcements/archives/2008/08/superintendent_3.html</link><guid>http://www.wcpss.net/announcements/archives/2008/08/superintendent_3.html</guid><pubDate>Wed, 06 Aug 2008 10:48:12 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Losing teaching positions</title><description><![CDATA[
It got a bit heated yesterday when school board members questioned why some year-round schools are losing teaching positions this school year.


In particular, Ron Margiotta and Horace Tart wanted to know why Baucom Elementary School lost a popular teacher when declining enrollment caused a track to be collapsed. Baucom is one of several year-round schools that will lose teachers because their enrollment is turning out to be lower than planned.
&amp;quot;This shows a complete lack of respect for parents at mandatory year-round schools,&amp;quot; Margiotta said of the Baucom situation.
But board member Patti Head responded that Wake was being hamstrung by court rulings requiring it to get parental consent to send students to year-round schools.
The issue came up at yesterday\'s committee of the whole meeting because administrators wanted to explain how they allot teaching positions to schools. Superintendent Del Burns told board members that it\'s rare for schools to have more positions than needed.
In cases where schools are losing positions, Wake tries to place the teachers where there are openings. For instance, Chief Area Superintendent Danny Barnes said several year-round principals are talking with colleagues at traditional-calendar schools about teachers they can\'t keep on their payrolls.
Maurice Boswell, assistant superintendent for human resources, said since at least 2000 they haven\'t had to fire a teacher because a school lost funding for that position. But he acknowledged that teachers sometimes quit when they don\'t like where they\'re placed at.
For instance, Boswell said a teacher who had been hired to work at one school might wind up having to work at multiple schools. He said the high gas prices are causing some teachers to turn down those assignments.


&nbsp;School administrators will meet today to review the staffing situations at year-round schools.

]]></description><link>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/losing-teaching-positions</link><guid>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/losing-teaching-positions</guid><pubDate>Wed, 06 Aug 2008 09:00:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Chad LaRose to Appear in Holly Springs</title><description><![CDATA[CANIAC ALERT

Chad LaRose will be on hand Thursday, August    7th from 4:30pm - 5:30pm in Holly Springs to help with the grand opening of the area\'s newest RBC Bank. The Hurricanes forward will be signing autographs and there    will be a specia...]]></description><link>http://hurricanes.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&amp;page=NewsPage&amp;articleid=379440</link><guid>http://hurricanes.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&amp;page=NewsPage&amp;articleid=379440</guid><pubDate>Wed, 06 Aug 2008 07:10:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>New of Montreal - &quot;Id Engager&quot;</title><description><![CDATA[Of Montreal are gearing up to release their new album Skeletal Lamping on October 7, the same day they\'ll kick off their tour at the Carolina Theatre in Durham.

Now, we have a new song from the album for you to download below. It\'s the last track from Skeletal Lamping titled \&quot;Id Engager.\&quot; The song is a fun, danceable and cheeky and not a big departure from the band\'s last two albums. The song ]]></description><link>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/08/new-of-montreal-id-engager.html</link><guid>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/08/new-of-montreal-id-engager.html</guid><pubDate>Tue, 05 Aug 2008 18:11:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Suspended Wake principal reassigned</title><description><![CDATA[
The suspended principal of Knightdale Elementary School is getting a new job and a pay cut.


This afternoon, the school board transferred Michael Williams over to Wakefield High School in North Raleigh to become one of the assistant principals. School officials say Williams will take a cut in his $55,000 a year salary.
School officials aren\'t saying if the suspension and transfer are connected to ongoing investigations of test irregularities at Knightdale Elementary.
Test administration is a big deal because it impacts No Child Left Behind&nbsp; and state ABCs bonuses. DPI is waiting for Wake to complete its investigation first.

]]></description><link>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/suspended-wake-principal-reassigned</link><guid>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/suspended-wake-principal-reassigned</guid><pubDate>Tue, 05 Aug 2008 18:06:10 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Demanding a resignation</title><description><![CDATA[It looks like one of the WakeEd regulars is about to get some TV face time.
Eric Fenstermaker called for Superintendent Del Burns to resign today over the district\'s handling of the recent bus miscues. He called the district\'s recent memo saying it would look at changing procedures as being &amp;quot;damage control.&amp;quot;
TV cameras followed him for an interview after his comments at today\'s school board meeting.
]]></description><link>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/demanding-a-resignation</link><guid>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/demanding-a-resignation</guid><pubDate>Tue, 05 Aug 2008 16:13:27 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Minus the Bear hit the road, Annuals open</title><description><![CDATA[Seattle indie rock band Minus the Bear are gearing up to hit the road for six weeks to play shows across the country. The band just re-released an EP They Make Beer Commercials About This in June. The EP was remastered and includes a bonus track, \&quot;Houston, We Have Uh-Oh.\&quot;

Minus the Bear will be joined by local superstars Annuals for the entire tour, who have a new album titled Such Fun due out ]]></description><link>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/08/minus-bear-hit-road-annuals-open.html</link><guid>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/08/minus-bear-hit-road-annuals-open.html</guid><pubDate>Tue, 05 Aug 2008 15:34:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>iTunes single of the week: Jamey Johnson &quot;In Color&quot;</title><description><![CDATA[This week\'s free single comes from country singer Jamey Johnson. The song \&quot;In Color\&quot; is about as generic as they come in country music.

The song is evokes black and white pictures and the Great Depression among other things to no avail. On top of that the arrangement is boring and the melody is stale.

This is one that I don\'t recommend at all.

]]></description><link>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/08/itunes-single-of-week-jamey-johnson-in.html</link><guid>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/08/itunes-single-of-week-jamey-johnson-in.html</guid><pubDate>Tue, 05 Aug 2008 14:36:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Killing another Wake school land deal</title><description><![CDATA[
County commissioners have shot down another land deal for a new school.


As noted in today\'s article by Michael Biesecker, commissioners voted 4-3 on Monday to turn down a $5.1 million high school and elementary school site north of Raleigh. A majority of the commissioners were unhappy about the estimated $2 million added cost for clearing the rocky land.
&amp;quot;Other than the Hope Diamond, I don\'t know many people who are going to pay that much for a rock,&amp;quot; said Commissioner Paul Coble in the article.
Over the past year, commissioners have refused to back several sites brought by the school board. It\'s one of the reasons why it\'s been suggested that commissioners take over purchase of school sites.
As for the latest site, commissioners didn\'t buy the argument from Betty Parker, the school district\'s real estate director, that other nearby sites would have a similar risk of having rocky land.
&amp;quot;&amp;quot;With those other sites, rock is a risk,&amp;quot; Commissioner Tony Gurley said in the article. &amp;quot;Here, it is an absolute certainty.&amp;quot;
But what was the difference was that Democratic Commissioner Lindy Brown proved to the swing vote against the deal. She cited e-mails from residents urging the commissioners to be more accountable with taxpayer money.


Commissioners had raised objections last month when the site was brought up for an initial vote.


Don\'t be surprised if there\'s some griping at today\'s school board meeting.

]]></description><link>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/killing-another-wake-school-land-deal</link><guid>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/killing-another-wake-school-land-deal</guid><pubDate>Tue, 05 Aug 2008 09:26:43 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Honoring the signing bonuses</title><description><![CDATA[
One effort to cut money from the budget isn\'t working out totally as planned.


The school board will vote today on a request by staff to pay $300.000 in signing bonuses for teachers in hard-to-fill areas. The board had voted July 15 to eliminate the $427,000 program as part of an effort to plug a $36.2 million funding shortfall from county commissioners.
The problem, administrators say, is that some 300 new teachers had signed contracts before July 15 expecting to get the one-time $1,000 signing bonuses.


David Neter, Wake\'s chief business officer, said they\'d pay for the bonuses out of the fund balance. He said it\'s an appropriate use of the rainy-day fund because it\'s a one-time expense.

]]></description><link>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/honoring-the-signing-bonuses</link><guid>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/honoring-the-signing-bonuses</guid><pubDate>Tue, 05 Aug 2008 06:00:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Everybodyfields play three new songs for Daytrotter</title><description><![CDATA[The Everybodyfields are currently taking a month and a half off from touring to rest up and write some songs for a new album they hope to release next year. You don\'t have to wait to hear new songs though.

Daytrotter recently posted a four song session from the band that includes three new songs. The new songs include \&quot;I\'ve Been Riding On A Strange Wave,\&quot; \&quot;Suite: Motown\&quot; and \&quot;Worth Keeping\&quot; ]]></description><link>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/08/everybodyfields-play-three-new-songs.html</link><guid>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/08/everybodyfields-play-three-new-songs.html</guid><pubDate>Mon, 04 Aug 2008 23:09:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>New Ben Folds - &quot;Hiroshima&quot;</title><description><![CDATA[Ben Folds has made the first track from his upcoming album Way To Normal available to stream online. It\'s the hilarious track titled \&quot;Hiroshima (B B B Benny Hit His Head)\&quot; which Folds played at his recent show in Cary. You can stream the track on Folds\' MySpace and iLike pages.

Also, check out the album art for the album to the right. It\'s fantastic.

Way To Normal will be out on September 30.

]]></description><link>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/08/new-ben-folds-hiroshima.html</link><guid>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/08/new-ben-folds-hiroshima.html</guid><pubDate>Mon, 04 Aug 2008 17:50:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Principal suspended by Wake</title><description><![CDATA[
We\'ve got the unusual situation of a principal being suspended by the school system.


Michael S. Williams, Knightdale Elementary School\'s principal since 2007, was suspended with pay on July 14. Michael Evans, a school district spokesman, declined to say why Williams was suspended due to personnel regulations.
&amp;quot;We knew there were problems there, but that\'s [Superintendent Del Burns\'] call on suspending him,&amp;quot; said Rosa Gill, chairwoman of the school board.
Evans said Williams has asked to be reassigned to another school. He said the school board is expected to discuss Williams\' request behind closed doors on Tuesday. The board is also expected to name an interim principal at its meeting Tuesday.
Williams has worked in the Wake school system since 1999. He became Knightdale Elementary\'s assistant principal in 2001. He was named an interim principal when the principal went on maternity leave, and he officially got the job in May 2007.

]]></description><link>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/principal-suspended-by-wake</link><guid>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/principal-suspended-by-wake</guid><pubDate>Mon, 04 Aug 2008 15:34:10 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>THE 70'S DENVER SEND OFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!</title><description><![CDATA[Since we haven\'t turned NC Blue since \'76...
Get out your bell bottoms, platform shoes, and afro wigs for a GROOVY Block Party to remember. Not only will we give an awesome send off for everyone heading to Denver, but we will also celebrate TFO member Aben El Amin\'s Birthday! Abeni is the 2nd Vice Chair for the Wake Dem Party and has been a loyal Obama supporter from the start. We will supply the food, music, and fun. All we need is you in your funkiest, Obamafied 70\'s outfit to make it Super Groovy!
read more]]></description><link>http://wakedems.org/node/2112</link><guid>http://wakedems.org/node/2112</guid><pubDate>Mon, 04 Aug 2008 15:29:33 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Responding to the bus incidents</title><description><![CDATA[
The school district is trying to reassure the public that it\'s taking seriously two recent incidents in which young children were dropped off the bus at the wrong location.


&amp;quot;The Transportation Department of the Wake County Public School System is committed to the safe transportation of students to and from schools every day,&amp;quot; writes Don Haydon, chief facilities and operations officer, in a memo to Superintendent Del Burns. &amp;quot;The fact that the recent unacceptable student transportation incidents occurred - despite the focus on student safety and continuous reinforcement of practices and procedures - has triggered the need to again review those practices and procedures.&amp;quot;
Haydon outlines various steps that have and will be taken.
* As is the standard practice before the start of each school year, managers reviewed with drivers the procedures for safe student transportation; those procedures are reviewed and stressed throughout the school year.
* Immediately after the occurrences, managers investigated the facts of the incidents.
* Based upon the results of the investigations, disciplinary actions were initiated promptly.
* Managers addressed the lessons learned from each incident with drivers.
* The Transportation Advisory Committee, comprised of parents and school administrators, was first convened in January 2008 to provide advice on transportation procedures and improving communication with parents. I will ask the committee to review these incidents and to provide recommendations for improvement.
* Senior Director of Transportation Services Eddy Adams scheduled a meeting with Area Superintendents to explore the establishment of more consistent practices for identifying young students with their names and bus stop location.
* I will also request the assistance of the Transportation Committee of the Division of Principals and Assistant Principals in identifying best-practices across the school system for identifying young students; those best practices will be implemented system-wide.
* Mr. Adams will convene bus driver meetings at the transportation district level to not only emphasize the policies and procedures, but also to seek drivers\' input on suggestions for improvement.
* Transportation Department leaders will continue to monitor operations to ensure that established practices and procedures are followed.

]]></description><link>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/responding-to-the-bus-incidents</link><guid>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/responding-to-the-bus-incidents</guid><pubDate>Mon, 04 Aug 2008 13:18:54 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Title I transfer choices</title><description><![CDATA[
The transfer choices for famiies who want to opt out of Title I schools that failed No Child Left Behind may not be so pretty.


For instance, it\'s questionable whether a parent will opt out of a traditional-calendar school to go to a year-round school that\'s already been in session for several weeks. One thing to remember is that while you can request one of the two choices, the district can offer you the other option instead.


Few families have taken the transfers in the past.&nbsp;


Administrators say they based the selections on these factors: potential impact on the profile of the receiving schools, transportation patterns, availablity of service and available space.


Click here to see the choices that will be recommended by administrators on Tuesday. These are schools entering school improvement status for the first time. Click here for a list presented in July for schools that were already in school improvement.

]]></description><link>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/title-i-transfer-choices</link><guid>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/title-i-transfer-choices</guid><pubDate>Mon, 04 Aug 2008 09:00:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Cutting the state teacher bonuses</title><description><![CDATA[
This year\'s ABC bonus checks for teachers will be smaller after all.


As noted in today\'s article, state educators say they\'re not going to be able to give the maximum $1,500 per teacher bonus this year. You can blame it on a provision in the state budget that bars the State Board of Education from spending more than $94.3 million on bonuses, an amount that DPI says is below what\'s needed.


DPI isn\'t publicly saying how deep the cuts will be to the bonuses. But it\'s reasonable to think that a 12 to 25 percent cut costing hundreds of dollars per teacher could be made.
Here\'s how this all developed.
Back during the development of the state budget, DPI projected that $107 million would be needed for teacher bonuses.
Initially, the General Assembly had been looking to give $70 million in bonuses. In return for boosting the amount to $90 million, legislators tied the state board\'s hands by throwing in the cap.
In prior years when the General Assembly has given less than what\'s needed, the state board and DPI have worked to come up with the missing money by taking it elsewhere from the budget. 
Sheri Strickland, president of the N.C. Association of Educators, said the General Assembly should have left it up to the state board to see if it could come up with the money to fully pay the bonuses.
What\'s really messy now is that DPI thinks that the amount needed to fully fund the bonuses likely exceeds the $107 million projection. As the gap between full funding and the cap widens, so does the cut that needs to be made.

]]></description><link>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/cutting-the-state-teacher-bonuses</link><guid>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/cutting-the-state-teacher-bonuses</guid><pubDate>Sat, 02 Aug 2008 06:00:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Wake's market share</title><description><![CDATA[
Now that we have the new homeschool data, we can estimate the school district\'s market share of students in the county.


It looks like Wake had 83.2 percent of the county\'s 161,076 schoolage students this past school year. It\'s a slight dip from 83.3 percent in 2006-07.
It\'s estimated nationally that 89 percent of students are educated in traditional public schools.
Wake\'s market share has shrunk over time since the legalization of homeschools in 1985, the opening of the first charter schools in 1997 and the addition of new private schools.
Wake\'s market share was 93 percent in 1990 and 90 percent in 1996.
Speaking of the new data for home-school enrollment, it was up an estimated 4 percent statewide this past year. 
It\'s estimated that 7,059 students were educated at home in Wake this past school year. The number is likely higher because families don\'t have to register with the state unless the child is at least 7-years-old.
Add in 5,319 students in charter schools and 14,696 in private schools in Wake. But the school district still educates most of the students with 134,002 this past school year.

]]></description><link>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/wakes-market-share</link><guid>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/wakes-market-share</guid><pubDate>Fri, 01 Aug 2008 13:21:09 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Wake's school market share</title><description><![CDATA[
Now that we have the new homeschool data, we can estimate the school district\'s market share of students in the county.


It looks like Wake had 83.2 percent of the county\'s 161,076 schoolage students this past school year. It\'s a slight dip from 83.3 percent in 2006-07.
It\'s estimated nationally that 89 percent of students are educated in traditional public schools.
Wake\'s market share has shrunk over time since the legalization of homeschools in 1985, the opening of the first charter schools in 1997 and the addition of new private schools.
Wake\'s market share was 93 percent in 1990 and 90 percent in 1996.
Speaking of the new data for home-school enrollment, it was up an estimated 4 percent statewide this past year. 
It\'s estimated that 7,059 students were educated at home in Wake this past school year. The number is likely higher because families don\'t have to register with the state unless the child is at least 7-years-old.
Add in 5,319 students in charter schools and 14,696 in private schools in Wake. But the school district still educates most of the students with 134,002 this past school year.

]]></description><link>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/wakes-school-market-share</link><guid>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/wakes-school-market-share</guid><pubDate>Fri, 01 Aug 2008 13:21:09 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Closing the achievement gap conference</title><description><![CDATA[
On a less controversial note this morning, the school system is encouraging parents to attend a conference on closing the achievement gap.


Karen Mapp, one of the authors of &amp;quot;Beyond the Bake Sale: The Essential Guide to Family-School Partnerships&amp;quot; is the headlined speaker at the event.&nbsp; The Making Powerful Connections To Eliminate the Achievement Gap conference will be held Aug. 13 at the McKimmon Center at N.C. State.
Also at the conference, Wake County educators will discuss elementary school mathematics, taking part in effective parent-teacher conferences and navigating the school system.
There is limited space available. Registration is on a ?first come, first serve? basis. A waiting list will be established. If you have questions, call Ann Rollins 854-2644.

]]></description><link>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/closing-the-achievement-gap-conference</link><guid>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/closing-the-achievement-gap-conference</guid><pubDate>Fri, 01 Aug 2008 11:13:31 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Non-diversity at charter schools</title><description><![CDATA[
One thing that\'s pretty clear as you walk around the new Endeavor Charter School is that the student body is largely white.


As noted in today\'s North Raleigh News article, minority students apparently account for a low percentage of the school\'s students. Official numbers will be calculated later.
Charter schools in Wake County have rarely matched the makeup of the school district. They\'ve tended to be overwhelmingly white or overwhelmingly minority.
In 2007-08, the percentage of white students was 91 percent at Quest Academy, 88 percent at Franklin Academy and Magellan Charter, 82 percent at Raleigh Charter High and 81 percent at Exploris Middle.
At the other end, there were no white students at Torchlight Academy and Hope Elementary and only one at SPARC Academy.
This past school year, 53 percent of students in the Wake school system were white. Only three schools were at or above 80 percent white. Excluding alternative schools, the lowest was at 9 percent. Wake no longer assigns students by race.
Click here for 2007-08 statewide racial data by school. Click here for the 2007-08 Wake school district file.


Charter schools, which accept students through lotteries, can often be divided into two groups. 
At some charters you\'ve got mostly white families who don\'t feel the school district is challenging the kids enough. The parents have got the money, such as at Endeavor, to provide lines of credit to help the school operate.
At other charters you have mostly minority families, many of whom are lower income, who feel the school district has failed their children.
Wake school officials have often complained about the lack of diversity in charter schools.
Some charter schools have acknowledged the lack of minority students.  For instance, Magellan has held soul food luncheons as part of Black History Month.

]]></description><link>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/non-diversity-at-charter-schools</link><guid>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/non-diversity-at-charter-schools</guid><pubDate>Fri, 01 Aug 2008 06:00:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Athletic Practice Begins </title><description><![CDATA[
High school fall sports athletic practice will begin over the next couple of weeks. Football and cheerleading may begin Friday, August 1st. All other fall sports may begin Monday, August 4th. Each high school athletic department sets specific dates and times for the start of fall practices for all sports. Middle school fall sports athletic practice may begin on Monday, August 25th. Contact the school for more specific information. 

You can read more about WCPSS athletics here.

]]></description><link>http://www.wcpss.net/announcements/archives/2008/07/athletic_practi.html</link><guid>http://www.wcpss.net/announcements/archives/2008/07/athletic_practi.html</guid><pubDate>Thu, 31 Jul 2008 23:11:35 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Football Practice Gets Underway August 1</title><description><![CDATA[
Across North Carolina, high school football practice is getting underway today. Student athletes are preparing for the 2008-09 season. 

WCPSS Athletic Director Bobby Guthrie says he\'s working with high school athletic directors and coaches to follow state athletic association guidelines and increase awareness for safe practices during hot weather.

Click here to listen to Football Practice Gets Underway August 1

This is a 6 minute mp3 file

You can find more on high school athletics here.

]]></description><link>http://www.wcpss.net/announcements/archives/2008/07/football_practi.html</link><guid>http://www.wcpss.net/announcements/archives/2008/07/football_practi.html</guid><pubDate>Thu, 31 Jul 2008 22:41:39 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>National F&amp;R lunch guidelines</title><description><![CDATA[
Based on all the questions about the accuracy of free and reduced lunch data, I thought you might be interested in the new federal income guidelines for the program.


For the 2008-09 school year, a family of four who reports a household income of less than $27,560 is eligbile for free lunch at school. For that same family, the feds consider $21,200 to be the poverty threshold.


Click here to see the chart.

]]></description><link>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/national-fr-lunch-guidelines</link><guid>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/national-fr-lunch-guidelines</guid><pubDate>Thu, 31 Jul 2008 17:12:23 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>The Walkmen sell 'You &amp; Me' for charity, play the Cradle</title><description><![CDATA[The new album from The Walkmen titled You &amp; Me is not officially released until August 19, but you can download the album now for $5 from Amie Street. The pre-release sales will benefit the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. So go get 14 tracks for $5 and support a great cause.

In other Walkmen news, the band will be playing the Cat\'s Cradle on October 2. Tickets for the show will be $12 in]]></description><link>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/07/walkmen-sell-you-me-for-charity-play.html</link><guid>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/07/walkmen-sell-you-me-for-charity-play.html</guid><pubDate>Thu, 31 Jul 2008 17:04:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Ray LaMontagne announces tour to support new album</title><description><![CDATA[Soulful softspoken troubadour Ray LaMontagne will release his third album titled Gossip In the Grain on October 14 via RCA Records. LaMontagne will support the album with a North American tour this fall.

Leona Naess will open for LaMontagne on the entire tour. She is also featured on two tracks on Gossip In the Grain.

The tour will include a stop at Meymandi Hall in Raleigh on October 16. ]]></description><link>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/07/ray-lamontagne-announces-tour-to.html</link><guid>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/07/ray-lamontagne-announces-tour-to.html</guid><pubDate>Thu, 31 Jul 2008 15:23:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>The Physics of Meaning set to release new album</title><description><![CDATA[Local chamber rock collective The Physics of Meaning, led by Daniel Hart (of St. Vincent and John Vanderslice\'s band), are gearing up to release their second full-length album. It\'s titled Snake Charmer and Destiny at the Stroke of Midnight. The album will be released via Trekky Records on October 16.

Snake Charmer was engineered by Mark Paulson (who has worked with The Rosebuds and Bowerbirds) ]]></description><link>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/07/physics-of-meaning-set-to-release-new.html</link><guid>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/07/physics-of-meaning-set-to-release-new.html</guid><pubDate>Thu, 31 Jul 2008 14:27:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>School Directory Improvements</title><description><![CDATA[
Over the past several months, we\'ve improved the information available in the online School Directory. The School Directory is the single most popular feature on this Website.

We\'ve added direct Calendar download links and information about before- and after-school programs  to school pages. 

We\'ve also added Google Maps links to the printer-friendly directions pop-ups, and cleaned up the directions formatting some. The links work for almost all our schools. Our very newest schools (Mills Park ES, for example) may  not be in any online mapping service yet, not even Google\'s. Also, keep in mind that Google\'s directions may not be exact.

Finally, we\'ve revised our Schools-by-Level (Elementary, Middle, High and so on) listings to provide more information up front.






]]></description><link>http://www.wcpss.net/announcements/archives/2008/07/school_director.html</link><guid>http://www.wcpss.net/announcements/archives/2008/07/school_director.html</guid><pubDate>Thu, 31 Jul 2008 10:44:01 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>The Rosebuds get 'Life Like' in October</title><description><![CDATA[The big local albums just keep rolling out this year. The Rosebuds will release their fourth full-length record on October 7 titled Life Like.

The band have reportedly returned to the breezy, acoustic sound of some of their earlier records while still retaining some of the dance elements of Night of the Furies. Touring drummer and Portastatic member Matthew McCaughan plays on the record which ]]></description><link>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/07/rosebuds-get-life-like-in-october.html</link><guid>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/07/rosebuds-get-life-like-in-october.html</guid><pubDate>Thu, 31 Jul 2008 10:07:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Sunfold play short, tight set in Chapel Hill</title><description><![CDATA[Sunfold wrapped up their brief tour in support of Toy Tugboats Tuesday night in Chapel Hill.

The band played a short headlining set (about 45 minutes) for about 100 people which frontman Kenny Florence said was the biggest crowd they\'d played for on the tour.

The set included songs from Toy Tugboats, the Wet Zoo EP as well as an Annuals song. The band played \&quot;Ease My Mind\&quot; from the Big Zeus EP ]]></description><link>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/07/sunfold-play-short-tight-set-in-chapel.html</link><guid>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/07/sunfold-play-short-tight-set-in-chapel.html</guid><pubDate>Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:57:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Packing the book signing</title><description><![CDATA[
A standing-room crowd of around 150 attended Wednesday\'s book signing for former Superintendent Bill McNeal and former school board member Tom Oxholm.


The crowd at at Quail Ridge Books &amp;amp; Music had a number of local business and education leaders. They rushed to buy copies of &amp;quot;A School District\'s Journey To Excellence&amp;quot; and hear the two authors speak.


&amp;quot;It\'s like a preview of my funeral,&amp;quot; Oxholm told the crowd. &amp;quot;I know who\'s coming.&amp;quot;


Crowd members included school board chairwoman Rosa Gill and former board members Bill Fletcher and Susan Parry. Joe Bryan, chairman of the board of commissioners, also attended.


Chief Academic Officer Donna Hargens, Area Superintendents Lloyd Gardner and Ann Hooker, Assistant Superintendent Marvin Connelly and&nbsp;former Superintendent Bob Bridges were in attendance.


On the state end you had John Dornan, executive director of the Public School Forum of North Carolina and Tony Habit,&nbsp;executive director&nbsp;of the New Schools Project. Habit is the former president of the Wake Education Partnership.


On the business end, you had&nbsp;people such as&nbsp;Richard Urquhart, president of Golden Corral; and&nbsp;Billie Redmond, president&nbsp;of Coldwell Banker Commercial Trademark Properties. In addition to being a former&nbsp;real estate broker for the school district, Redmond is co-chairwoman of the Citizens? Facilities Advisory Committee.


The Friends of Wake crowd was well represented.


While the crowd bought plenty of copies, it will probably be taxpayers who pay for most of the purchases elsewhere. The book is geared nationally toward superintendents, principals and school board members.

]]></description><link>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/packing-the-book-signing</link><guid>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/packing-the-book-signing</guid><pubDate>Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:00:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>The cost of Wake bus miscues</title><description><![CDATA[
What should be the penalty for a school bus driver who drops a student off at the wrong stop?


As noted in today\'s article, Amanda Medlin thinks the driver who let her 5-year-old boy off four miles from home shouldn\'t be allowed back behind the wheel. The driver, according to Medlin, is now running a different route.
School officials said they disciplined the driver. Medlin calls it a &amp;quot;slap on the wrist&amp;quot; to allow the driver to still be operating a bus.
The school district is attributing this July 9 incident, along with one that happened July 16, to the confusion that happens with buses at the start of the school year. The reason doesn\'t wash with Medlin.
&amp;quot;I understand the first couple of weeks are hard,&amp;quot; Medlin said. &amp;quot;But if a driver loses a child by putting them off on the wrong bus stop they have to be he held accountable. It\'s inexcusable.&amp;quot;


Medlin said they don\'t have to fire the driver. She said they could have him do something such as answer the phones. She just doesn\'t want him operating a bus.


In the July 16 incident, the driver threw out a 6-year-old student who got on the wrong bus. The driver, who later resigned, should have let the child stay on the bus because it was still going to the right school.
In Medlin\'s case, the district isn\'t identifying the driver, But Medlin says it\'s Donnie Womack.
Womack, who declined comment, has worked for Wake since August 2005. He was named one of Wake\'s 2005-06 Outstanding School Bus Drivers.
The problem with cracking the whip too hard on drivers is that Wake never has enough of them. The pay is not good. In Womack\'s case, he\'s making $19,312 a year.
Many Wake bus drivers are single mothers who want health insurance coverage for their children. Retired people also account for many drivers.

]]></description><link>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/the-cost-of-wake-bus-miscues</link><guid>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/the-cost-of-wake-bus-miscues</guid><pubDate>Thu, 31 Jul 2008 06:00:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Local rockers rally for Cy Rawls</title><description><![CDATA[The Triangle music community has quickly, and emphatically, rallied around Cy Rawls, described as a tireless support of local music, who is being treated for an aggressive brain tumor.

Cy, seen on the right in this photo, is clearly adored by so many in the area. Friends, local bands and club owners have all jumped in to raise money for his treatment. You can read more from his friends on this ]]></description><link>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/07/local-rockers-rally-for-cy-rawls.html</link><guid>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/07/local-rockers-rally-for-cy-rawls.html</guid><pubDate>Wed, 30 Jul 2008 21:19:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>College FairSet for Sept. 21</title><description><![CDATA[
Parents of high school students who have begun their college search need to mark this date on their calendar: Sunday, September 21. The College and Post Secondary Opportunities Fair will be held 2-4:30 p.m., September 21 at the McKimmon Center on the NC State University campus. The fair is sponsored by Counseling and Student Services of the Wake County Public School System, the Carolina Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers and NC State University. The event will feature representatives from more than 100 colleges, universities, community colleges and all military institutions. Free sessions will be available on college search and financial planning for college.

]]></description><link>http://www.wcpss.net/announcements/archives/2008/07/college_fairset.html</link><guid>http://www.wcpss.net/announcements/archives/2008/07/college_fairset.html</guid><pubDate>Wed, 30 Jul 2008 20:41:59 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>WCPSS Holds Title I Summer School</title><description><![CDATA[
Students are celebrating the last day of class Thursday at the Wake County Public School System?s Title I elementary summer school. Becky McGee of WCPSS Title I helped co-ordinate this year?s classes.

Click here to listen to WCPSS Holds Title I Summer School

This is a 6 minute mp3 file.

]]></description><link>http://www.wcpss.net/announcements/archives/2008/07/wcpss_holds_tit.html</link><guid>http://www.wcpss.net/announcements/archives/2008/07/wcpss_holds_tit.html</guid><pubDate>Wed, 30 Jul 2008 17:42:04 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES</title><description><![CDATA[US PRESIDENT ? Barack Obama (VP yet to be determined)
US SENATE ? Kay Hagan 
US CONGRESS
DISTRICT 2 ? Bob Etheridge *
DISTRICT 4 ? David Price *
DISTRICT 13 ? Brad Miller *
GOVERNOR ? Bev Purdue
LT GOVERNOR ? Walter Dalton
COUNCIL OF STATE
SECRETARY OF STATE ? Elaine Marshall *
ATTORNEY GENERAL ? Roy Cooper *
TREASURER ? Janet Cowell
AUDITOR ? Beth A. Wood
COMMISSIONER OR INSURANCE ? Wayne Goodwin
COMMISSIONER OF LABOR ? Mary Fant Donnan
SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION ? June Atkinson *
SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE ? Ronnie Ansley
read more]]></description><link>http://wakedems.org/node/2108</link><guid>http://wakedems.org/node/2108</guid><pubDate>Wed, 30 Jul 2008 15:39:16 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Early Voting</title><description><![CDATA[DATES FOR VOTING - Early Voting with Same Day Registration will take place at the Wake County Board of Elections in Raleigh beginning on October 16 though October 22, and at the main BOE site and 15 other satellite voting sites from October 23 through November 1. 
MAIN SITE LOCATION AND HOURS
Board of Elections Office
Conference Room
337 S. Salisbury St., Raleigh	
Thu 10/16 ?Fri 10/17	 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Mon 10/20 - Fri 10/24	 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sat 10/25		10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Sun 10/26		1:00 p.m. -  5:00 p.m.
read more]]></description><link>http://wakedems.org/node/2107</link><guid>http://wakedems.org/node/2107</guid><pubDate>Wed, 30 Jul 2008 15:33:26 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>AC problems</title><description><![CDATA[
Those pesky AC problems are cropping up at Salem Elementary again.


School was dismissed early at 12:45 p.m. due to the AC acting up. Wake had been working on Salem\'s AC unit in June as well.


With temps possibly hitting 100 during the next week, AC units will be working overtime.&nbsp;

]]></description><link>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/ac-problems</link><guid>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/ac-problems</guid><pubDate>Wed, 30 Jul 2008 13:48:52 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Mile High in Raleigh Event</title><description><![CDATA[Start: Aug 28 2008 - 7:00pm
End: Aug 28 2008 - 11:00pm
Timezone: Etc/GMT-4
Can?t make it to Denver??
Come to the Mile-High in Raleigh Party
Thursday, August 28th from 7pm?11pm
Royal Bakery Mall (across from Meredith College)
3800 Hillsborough St., Raleigh
Cost: $25 per person
Join your fellow Wake County Democrats &amp;amp; Elected Officials
to celebrate our
Historic 2008 Democratic National Convention!
&laquo;Complimentary Light Hors D\'oeuvres &amp;amp; Non-alcoholic Beverages&laquo;
&laquo;Live Blogging from our National Delegates from the Convention Floor &laquo;
&laquo;Entertainment - Brooks Wood Band &laquo; Cash Bar Available&laquo;
read more]]></description><link>http://wakedems.org/node/2106</link><guid>http://wakedems.org/node/2106</guid><pubDate>Wed, 30 Jul 2008 10:10:37 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Tonight's Wake school book signing</title><description><![CDATA[
Tonight is your chance to get former Superintendent Bill McNeal and former school board member Tom Oxholm to sign their new book for you.


The book signing for &amp;quot;A School District\'s Journey to Excellence&amp;quot; will begin at 7 p.m. at Quail Ridge Books &amp;amp; Music, 3522 Wade Avenue in Raleigh. The Public School Forum of North Carolina has been encouraging people to go so it should be interesting seeing who attends.
Quail Ridge is billing the book as &amp;quot;an in-depth look at Wake County schools.&amp;quot; &amp;quot;You would be hard pressed to find someone more in the know about Wake County public schools than retired Superintendent Bill McNeal,&amp;quot; according to Quail Ridge\'s website.
Click here for a post with some excerpts from the book. You can also find an excerpt here.

]]></description><link>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/tonights-wake-school-book-signing</link><guid>http://blogs.newsobserver.com/wakeed/tonights-wake-school-book-signing</guid><pubDate>Wed, 30 Jul 2008 09:00:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Hurricanes Sign Bowman to Entry-Level Deal</title><description><![CDATA[RALEIGH,  NC&amp;mdash;Ron Francis, Assistant  General Manager and Director of Player Development for the National Hockey  League&amp;rsquo;s Carolina Hurricanes, announced today that the team has signed forward  Drayson Bowman to a three-year, entry-leve...]]></description><link>http://hurricanes.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&amp;page=NewsPage&amp;articleid=379201</link><guid>http://hurricanes.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&amp;page=NewsPage&amp;articleid=379201</guid><pubDate>Wed, 30 Jul 2008 04:39:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>iTunes single of the week: Belanova &quot;One, Two, Three, Go!&quot;</title><description><![CDATA[This week\'s free single comes from Mexican band, Belanova. It\'s not often that iTunes featured free song of the week is in Spanish so it\'s nice to hear some cultural diversity.

The song is titled \&quot;One, Two, Three, GO!\&quot; and is as poppy as the title would suggest. The vibe of the song resembles the 80s pop style of Blondie. It\'s a catchy, well crafted pop song.

I\'m 50/50 on this one. One of my ]]></description><link>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/07/itunes-single-of-week-belanova-one-two.html</link><guid>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/07/itunes-single-of-week-belanova-one-two.html</guid><pubDate>Wed, 30 Jul 2008 04:35:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>The Fratellis announce tour, play Cradle</title><description><![CDATA[Scottish band The Fratellis, best known on this side of the Atlantic as the guys in the iPod commercials early last year, have announced a North American tour that includes a stop in the Triangle. The band will play the Cat\'s Cradle on October 1 with The Airborne Toxic Event and Electric Touch. Tickets for the show go on sale to the public on August 1 for $18 via etix.com.

The Fratellis are ]]></description><link>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/07/fratellis-announce-tour-play-cradle.html</link><guid>http://trianglemusic.blogspot.com/2008/07/fratellis-announce-tour-play-cradle.html</guid><pubDate>Wed, 30 Jul 2008 02:52:00 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>Combs Earns 2008 Models of Distinction Award</title><description><![CDATA[
Combs Elementary has been named by the International Center for Leadership in Education as the top elementary school in the nation and presented a 2008 Models of Distinction Award. Combs was singled out from among approximately 40 model schools from across the country that were invited to share their best practices for sustained school improvement. The award was presented as part of the center\'s 16th annual Model Schools Conference attended by 7,500 educators last month. The award is based on the center?s Learning Criteria to Support 21st Century Learners, a holistic goal-setting and measurement tool used to measure school excellence across four dimensions: core academic learning, stretch learning, student engagement and personal skill development. A.B. Combs Leadership Magnet Elementary School emphasizes developing leadership in young children. The principles of Dr. Stephen R. Covey , author of the 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE, are embedded in the school\'s culture and guide the student, faculty and staff in building the leadership model. 

]]></description><link>http://www.wcpss.net/announcements/archives/2008/07/combs_earns_200.html</link><guid>http://www.wcpss.net/announcements/archives/2008/07/combs_earns_200.html</guid><pubDate>Tue, 29 Jul 2008 18:23:02 EDT</pubDate></item><item><title>No Charge, No Appointment Tdap Clinics in August</title><description><![CDATA[
North Carolina law now