Blake Hodge, Author at Chapelboro.com

Health Report Card Released for NC Children

Posted by Blake Hodge | Mar 9, 2015 | Health | 0 |

The health of North Carolina children is improving is several key areas, but in other aspects the Tar Heel state is lagging, according to a new study. The 20th Annual Child Health Report Card was released Monday morning by the child advocacy group NC Child. The report card found the number of uninsured children has decreased across the state, while the overall dental health improved. Also, the number of high school students graduating on time was up nearly eleven percent for the 2012-2013 academic year, when compared with 2008-2009. Another positive note was the finding the teen pregnancy rate...

UNC to Continue Work on Poverty

Posted by Blake Hodge | Mar 9, 2015 | UNC | 0 |

Many UNC faculty members, and citizen across the state, have expressed concern recently with the decision from the Board of Governors to close three centers across the UNC System. UNC Faculty Chair Doctor Bruce Cairns tells WCHL’s Blake Hodge that the university’s work on poverty will continue despite the decision to close the Center on Poverty, Work, and Opportunity at UNC....

Boxill Resignation Comes Days Before Appeal Hearing

Posted by Blake Hodge | Mar 9, 2015 | UNC | 0 |

Dr. Jan Boxill, who has been one of the key figures in the academic scandal at UNC, resigned her position just before her appeal of her firing was to be heard by a faculty committee. Rick White, Associate Vice Chancellor for Communications and Public Affairs at UNC, says that process came to a halt with her resignation. “That hearing was scheduled to take place,” he says. “However, Dr. Boxill chose to resign prior to that hearing starting. Once that letter of resignation was received and accepted, then that whole process just stopped.” Boxill’s resignation was effective February 28. White...

UNC System President Ross Responds to Governor’s Budget

Posted by Blake Hodge | Mar 6, 2015 | State Government | 0 |

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Highlights of Gov. Pat McCrory’s $21.5 billion spending plan released Thursday for the 2015-16 fiscal year. Unless otherwise noted, the dollars amounts are for the 2015-16 year only. For spending changes, figures are for amount spent or saved compared to what was projected or needed to keep operating at current levels. PUBLIC EDUCATION: — locate $111 million to increase the floor for early-career teacher salaries from $33,000 to $35,000 and to give experienced-based raises. — hire 1,400 new teachers to cover expected public school enrollment growth of more than 17,300 students next fall. — give...

Transparency at UNC

Posted by Blake Hodge | Mar 6, 2015 | UNC | 0 |

The University of North Carolina has been under an intense microscope in recent years, dealing with questions from an academic scandal that spanned nearly two decades. The issue of public records being filled by UNC has been a topic of many media stories in recent years, including whether the university was releasing all of the information that it should be handing over as part of public records laws. Recently these accusations were made by The Daily Tar Heel after its request for the budget of the Chapel Hill Foundation was denied. Jonathan Jones, Director of the North Carolina Open...

UNC Graduate Program in Spotlight

Posted by Blake Hodge | Mar 6, 2015 | UNC | 0 |

The graduate program at UNC was put under the microscope in an article in Sunday’s News and Observer after revelations were made that special permissions were given for athletes at Carolina. WCHL’s Blake Hodge spoke with UNC Faculty Chair Doctor Bruce Cairns to find out if he was aware of these incidents prior to this report. http://audio.chapelboro.com.s3.amazonaws.com/2015/03/06/Cairns%20N%20and%20O_FULL.mp3 Cairns also provided an update on the policy of student-athlete admissions at UNC and new recommendations that are being considered....

Chancellor Emeritus Moeser: Campus Climate Change at UNC

Posted by Blake Hodge | Mar 5, 2015 | UNC | 0 |

UNC Chancellor Emeritus James Moeser is calling on residents of North Carolina to stand up for the state’s universities. Anxiety has fallen on much of the UNC campus following decisions recently made by the University System Board of Governors, from the removal of Tom Ross as President of the UNC System to the closure of centers on three campuses across the state. Chancellor Emeritus James Moeser says he believes there is one motivating factor for these decisions. “There’s an old saying – when they say it’s not about money, it’s about money,” he says. “My corollary to that is...

Eve Carson Scholarship Carries on Her Memory

Posted by Blake Hodge | Mar 5, 2015 | UNC | 0 |

Thursday marks the anniversary of a day that many in the Chapel Hill community will never forget. March 5, 2008, Eve Carson was shot and killed. At a press conference, then Chapel Hill Police Chief Brian Curran made the announcement. “The victim has been identified as Eve Carson, age 22, a UNC Senior and current UNC Student Body President,” he said. “Eve was a resident of Chapel Hill and a highly-regarded member of the university community.” It has been seven years now since that day, and Eve Carson’s spirit lives on at UNC. UNC Media Relations Assistant Helen Buchanan...

Center on Law and Gov’t Voluntarily Closes

Posted by Blake Hodge | Mar 4, 2015 | Higher Education, UNC | 0 |

The decision of the UNC Board of Governors to close three centers across the UNC System has drawn a lot of attention over the last few days. The Center for Poverty, Work, and Opportunity at UNC was voted to be shut down in the next twelve months by the BOG. But another center on UNC’s campus chose to voluntarily close its doors. Michael Gerhardt is the Samuel Ash Distinguished Professor of Constitutional Law and Director of the Center on Law and Government at UNC. He released the following statement to WCHL: “We closed the Center for Law and Government,...

2 Tar Heels on Women’s All-ACC Team

Posted by Blake Hodge | Mar 4, 2015 | UNC | 0 |

With the ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament ready to get started on Wednesday, the conference announced their All-ACC teams on Tuesday. Two sophomores from the UNC team were honored with first-team selections – Forward Stephanie Mavunga and Guard Allisha Gray. Duke Senior Elizabeth Williams is also on the first team. On Thursday, UNC will face off with the winner of the Clemson – Georgia Tech game in their first ACC tournament action. You can hear that game on 97.9-FM and 1360-AM...