Duke president gets panel findings
BY RAY GRONBERG : The Herald-Sun, Dec 1, 2006 -excerpt-
DURHAM -- A group assigned after the lacrosse scandal to examine Duke University's campus culture relayed its initial findings to school President Richard Brodhead just before Thanksgiving, but won't issue a public report until spring, Duke officials said Thursday.
Members of the Campus Culture Initiative Steering Committee gave their preliminary report to Brodhead orally, telling him and the members of a presidential advisory council also established in response to the lacrosse case, that they'd finished gathering data and comment from an assortment of interests at the school.
They intend to spend the winter interpreting those findings and drafting what Duke officials said Thursday would be "a limited number of recommendations." -jump-
No one's forgotten the impetus for the study: the lacrosse case, a debate Wells said the group has tried to avoid. -cut-
http://www.heraldsun.com/durham/4-794505.html
Interviews under way for district judgeship
By John Stevenson : The Herald-Sun, Dec 1, 2006
DURHAM -- The governor's office interviewed several candidates this week for a new District Court judgeship in Durham -- perhaps bringing the day closer when wall-to-wall, standing-room-only crowding will end in some courtrooms here.
Gov. Mike Easley apparently didn't personally interview the people interested in the newly created position. A member of his legal staff reportedly did the quizzing.
Just when the governor might make an appointment remained unclear Thursday. But the decision presumably must come before Jan. 15 when the new judge is supposed to don his or her robe.
The judgeship was created by the Legislature in response to Durham's long-standing problems with backlogged dockets and courtroom overcrowding -- a situation that brought out the county fire marshal many times in the past year.
Those known to have interviewed for the judgeship this week are lawyers Kerry Sutton and Brian Wilkes, along with Assistant Public Defender Shannon Tucker.
Attorney Drew Marsh reportedly was questioned also. But he could not be reached for comment Thursday, and the governor's office would not discuss the situation.
Others who have expressed interest in the new bench job include former Durham Assistant District Attorney Tab Hunter and lawyer Scott Holmes.
Meanwhile, Chief District Judge Elaine Bushfan said Thursday she was eagerly awaiting the governor's appointee, who will bring to seven the number of District Court judges in Durham.
"We will finally have our noses slightly above water," she said. "We will be able to breathe again. Before long, you might even see some dramatic changes. It will be less of a controlled-chaos situation."
But, Bushfan added, the Durham courts aren't out of the woods yet. In fact, a need already exists for an eighth judge, she said.
Among other things, the seventh judge will allow Durham to hold one extra session of criminal court each week, plus an extra week of child-support court, according to Bushfan.
At least for those weeks, daily criminal caseloads that sometimes reach or exceed 500 might be spread between two courtrooms, eliminating the need to call out the fire marshal, Bushfan said.
In addition, she said, the new position will allow district judges to have an "office day" at least once a month to handle administrative duties. Local District Court judges don't enjoy that luxury now.
Bushfan said the new judge will undergo training at the School of Government in Chapel Hill, and possibly attend a judicial "college" in Reno, Nev.
http://www.heraldsun.com/durham/4-794508.html
* Controlled-chaos -- 500 criminal cases a day-- the Courthouse is always the busiest place downtown.