A man says a Wake deputy assaulted him and tried to have him targeted in drug case

RALEIGH – The Wake County Sheriff’s Office requested Tuesday that the State Bureau of Investigation open an inquiry into a deputy accused in a lawsuit of beating up a man and arranging to have the man targeted in a drug case, according to an SBI spokeswoman.

Nabil “Billy” Yousef Asaad, 39, also filed a lawsuit Friday accusing Master Deputy W.B. Burgess of handcuffing, punching, kicking, hitting and threatening him May 11. Burgess had come to a warehouse unit Asaad leased for his U-Haul rental business at 3301 Jones Sausage Road in Garner.

Burgess, an 11-year employee of the department, said he couldn’t talk about the May incident because the lawsuit is pending.

The independent SBI investigation would be handed off to the Wake District Attorney’s Office after its completion, said Noelle Talley, spokeswoman for the Attorney General’s Office. Talley could confirm only that the SBI was contacted regarding Burgess and couldn’t specify what the scope of the investigation would be.

Phyllis Stephens, a spokeswoman with the sheriff’s office, said the office referred the matter to the SBI for a different reason. She would not specify what the reason was.

An internal investigation was put on hold because Asaad’s attorney would make him available only through a deposition and not in a separate interviews with sheriff’s investigators, Stephens said.

On May 11, Burgess arrived to follow up on a Wayne County court decision involving Asaad’s brother. Burgess is assigned to the judicial services division of the department. The brother, Gino Asaad, had rented the unit before Asaad took over the lease, according to the lawsuit.

Asaad told Burgess he wasn’t the person Burgess was looking for, the lawsuit states. Asaad also had ongoing problems with the warehouse owner, Matt Stephens, and the lawsuit accuses Burgess of assaulting Asaad at Matt Stephens’ urging. Stephens, through his attorney, declined to comment but indicated in court papers that Asaad was behind on his rent. Stephens is not related to the spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office.

Burgess is accused of knocking a video camera out of Asaad’s hand, according to a letter written to Wake Sheriff Donnie Harrison by Alex Charns, Asaad’s attorney.

After that, Burgess told Asaad, “You’re screwing around with the wrong one, my man,” before telling Asaad that he was going to arrest him on a charge of resisting and delaying an officer, a misdemeanor charge, according to Charns’ letter. Asaad was handcuffed.

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(ARA) – You’ve probably seen the pampered pooches many celebutantes of the moment are sporting like the latest accessories. You may even know there are about 90 million pet cats and 73 million pet dogs in the United States. But unless you’re up on the hottest pet product trends — like including high-end doggie dishes on your bridal registry — you just can’t call yourself a true pet aficionado.

There’s no question Americans have gone to the dogs and cats, with 63 percent of U.S. households owning a pet. In 2006, pet owners spent $38.5 billion on their pets, according to the American Pet Manufacturers Association. The organization estimates that figure will approach $41 billion in 2007. High-end, luxury items and products account for a growing percentage of the total spent on pet products.

Hot trends in the pet product world include:

* Brides adding high-end pet items to their registries, like Tuscan themed pet bowls and treat jars from Arthur Court, a San-Francisco-based company known world-wide for its sand-cast aluminum serveware. “In some cases, these are people who collect Arthur Court serveware and want the pet products to make their collections complete,” says Arthur Court. “Others, however, simply want to start out married life with new, elegant and beautiful possessions around them, and ensuring their pets have the same is part of the excitement of starting their new life together.”

The products exemplify the trend towards pet items that share all the high-end features humans favor in products for themselves — form, function and beauty. The popular dog treat jar is a cream ceramic jar with a dog bone for a handle, and the words “good dog” engraved on the base. The cat jar lid features a kitten on a pillow and a playful hearts and kittens motif on the base. Arthur Court’s pet items are sold through top retailers. To learn more, visit www.arthurcourt.com.

* Arthur Court isn’t the only renowned, upscale manufacturer to enter the pet products market. Hair care giants Paul Mitchell and Origins have both launched lines of pet grooming products. Omaha Steaks offers gourmet pet treats.

* Exclusive hotel chains like Four Seasons and Westin welcome most small pets. Many of these pet-friendly upscale hotels have special programs in place to pamper pets with gourmet meals, plush beds and doggie spa-style treatments.

* Doggie daycare has gone beyond a bowl of kibble served in a kennel. Boarding facilities now take pets on a daily basis, offering daycare-style educational, exercise and training programs for pets while owners are at work.

* Pampered pets no longer go to the groomers for a simple clip and dip. Now they go to the pet spa for full salon treatments, including hair conditioning, highlights, nail color and care, massage and body treatments. Some human spas have even begun offering treatments for pets and their owners.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

ARA) – When you stroll the streets of New Orleans, there are people coming and going, street musicians belting out tunes and horns blaring. Not to mention the wonderful smells of creole cooking and sweet sounds of hammers pounding. The city has come a long way since Aug. 29, 2005, when Hurricane Katrina hit.

According to “The Katrina Index,” created by the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center, applications for new housing construction permits have now soared above pre-Katrina levels, enrollment numbers are rising at elementary and secondary schools and unemployment levels, which used to be extremely high, are back down below the national average. In addition, millions of cubic yards of debris have been cleared away and the levees are in the process of being rebuilt.

The news is equally good for the city’s tourism industry. It seems their recovery campaign, “Come Fall in Love with New Orleans All Over Again,” is working. Mardi Gras 2007 was a resounding success, with an estimated crowd of 800,000 and area hotels reporting a 95 percent occupancy rate throughout the last weekend of the festival.

Things are back in swing at The Convention Center, too. More than 94 major conventions, tradeshows and events will be held at the Center this year. Next year looks to be even busier. In March alone, thousands of sales professionals from Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc. will arrive in town for Sales Convention 2008.

“New Orleans has shown its heart and soul over the past couple of years, and Prudential Real Estate affiliates, known for the heart and soul they pour into their business and communities, will bring a soul infusion to the city by attending and thereby supporting this great American city,” says Susan Antal, Prudential Real Estate’s communications director.

And welcoming them all with open arms will be Ruthie Frierson, a sales professional with Prudential Gardner REALTORS in New Orleans. She has lived and worked in the city her entire life, and is now playing a leadership role in its recovery. In her spare time, Frierson heads-up the grassroots group, “Citizens for 1 Greater New Orleans,” which has been instrumental in getting legislation passed to reform the levee board and to reduce the number of tax assessors in the city of New Orleans.

Frierson says she’s ecstatic and proud that Prudential Real Estate will be holding its annual convention in New Orleans in 2008. “It’s great news! The infusion of support to our economy is important for our rebuilding. Those who come will spread the news that New Orleans is a great place to visit and that thousands of citizens’ efforts are ensuring that the city will be rebuilt better than before,” says Frierson.

“We’re proud to be able to support the city’s revitalization by bringing thousands of visitors who will pump money into the economy. We’re all looking forward to enjoying all it has to offer — the French Quarter, the unique architecture, the wonderful museums, attractions and cuisine,” says Laurie Keenan, president of Prudential Real Estate.

Hosting a convention in New Orleans isn’t the only contribution the company has made to the city’s recovery efforts. Prudential Real Estate, along with its parent company Prudential and other subsidiaries, contributed $5 million toward the recovery efforts. As Prudential Real Estate congregates in March, many affiliate companies will embrace a variety of local community efforts and charitable organizations.

“We have a lot of volunteers coming through to help with the cleanup and rebuilding effort, but you don’t have to don a hard hat or pick up a hammer to make a difference. Truly just coming, staying in the hotels and having a nice meal really helps the economy,” says Grace Wilson, a communications associate for the city of New Orleans.

To learn more about the city of New Orleans, log on to www.NewOrleansCVB.com. To locate a Prudential Real Estate sales professional near you, log on to www.prudential.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

More Signs of New Orleans Recovery

* The number of passengers arriving and departing daily from Louis Armstrong International Airport is back above 300,000 per day.

* The number of open hotels is now just shy of pre-Katrina levels.

* About half the retail food establishments are back in operation.

* The National Football League’s New Orleans Saints have returned to the Superdome.

(ARA) – More and more people are using medicine and practices once considered “alternative,” but are they doing the right thing? Maybe, maybe not.

According to a recent study conducted by AARP and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, two-thirds of Americans over the age of 50 are using some form of complementary or alternative medicine — such as dietary supplements, acupuncture, spinal manipulation and yoga — but only about one-third discuss these practices with their primary doctor.

This trend is transforming practices in hospitals and clinics across the country, including Mayo Clinic. Doctors, in partnership with their patients, are turning to practices once considered “alternative” as they treat the whole person — mind and spirit, as well as body; and they are learning the importance of asking patients what complementary and alternative practices they are using.

“People are seeking greater control of their health and are turning to once-considered ‘alternative’ therapies more and more,” says Brent Bauer, M.D., director of the Complementary and Integrative Medicine program at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. “We hope people who choose alternative medicine will educate themselves about the risks and benefits and make sure the treatment they are pursuing isn’t actually harmful to their health, and then discuss their questions and practices with their doctor.”

To provide consumers with a reliable source for information on integrative and alternative medicine, Mayo Clinic published the “Mayo Clinic Book of Alternative Medicine” (Time Inc. Home Entertainment, January 2007, $24.95).

“We put this book together because we realize that with so much information available to people through the Internet and other sources, it’s difficult to sort through the advertising claims and hype and find reliable sources for information about natural therapies. Our intent is for this book to be a good starting point for a conversation that consumers will ultimately have with their doctor about whether the treatment they are considering will work for them,” says Dr. Bauer, the book’s medical editor-in-chief.

For example, if someone is dealing with depression wants to try St. John’s wort, the book will help them understand that while it may be an effective treatment for depression it can also have a major impact on other medications. Because St. John’s wort revs up the metabolism of many drugs, levels of formerly effective pills can be cut so low that they are no longer effective. This is a serious problem for people on medications such as blood thinners, seizure medicines and such. “I am aware of cases in which heart transplant patients suffered organ rejection when the St. John’s wort reacted negatively with their anti-rejection drugs,” says Dr. Bauer.

For those who suffer from frequent headaches or migraines, alternative therapies that are safe and proven to be effective for many patients include acupuncture, massage, the herbs Feverfew and Butterbur, vitamin B12 and magnesium supplements.

What about when you have a cold? You can consult the book to find out if taking Echinacea or vitamin C will really make a difference.

There are also recommendations for using integrative therapies to deal with such conditions as irritable bowel syndrome, memory problems, chronic fatigue syndrome, stress and anxiety, to name a few.

“The Mayo Clinic Book of Alternative Medicine” is available in bookstores nationwide or by visiting www.bookstore.mayoclinic.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

(ARA) – When the news first hit, it sounded like something out of a Hitchcockian nightmare: a build up of pigeon droppings may have contributed to the collapse of the I-35W bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. Mona Zemsky may have been one of the few people who didn’t gasp in disbelief.

“The corrosive effects of bird droppings are commonly known, especially in industries where facilities managers regularly deal with bird infestations,” says Zemsky, a technical consultant for Bird-X, Inc., a 44-year-old Chicago company that specializes in bird and pest control products. “And anyone who’s ever failed to quickly remove bird feces from their car knows first hand the damage it can cause.”

In Minnesota, department of transportation workers found pigeon droppings obscured their ability to inspect the doomed I-35W bridge as early as 1994 and as recently as last year, according to reports in the Star Tribune. The Associated Press reported that experts believe the droppings may have helped the bridge’s steel beams rust faster.

While many people may be aware of the health concerns associated with bird droppings, fewer fully understand the physical damage droppings can do to man-made structures. Across a broad spectrum of industries, birds cause big problems — and cost big bucks. At the Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, for example, cleaning up after interloping pigeons cost more than $100,000 per season, according to the stadium’s manager. Bird guano corrodes not only metal, but a number of building materials, including concrete, stone, tar shingles and brick.

“We have worked with everyone from homeowners, churches, universities and airports, to courthouses, municipal buildings, warehouses, departments of transportation, golf courses, bus terminals and transit stations dealing with bird infestations,” Zemsky says. The key to success for all of them has been finding the right combination of non-lethal methods to convince birds to relocate.

“Killing the birds does not solve the problem,” she says. As long as a location remains attractive to birds, others will move in after the initial group is eradicated. Successful deterrents convince invading birds that an area is no longer safe or desirable, or hinder their ability to comfortably roost in an area.

Many groups dealing with large, outdoor structures opt for sound, physical barriers or in the case of a particularly stubborn situation, a combination of both.

Ultrasonic repellers feature sound waves that are inaudible to humans but highly offensive to birds. They work well in semi-enclosed locations, like under a bridge, where the structure can reverberate and amplify the sound.

Sonic devices use actual bird distress cries and predator calls. These devices work for larger areas and can cover up to six acres. Multiple sounds and programmable settings allow the user to vary the bird-scaring soundtrack for optimum impact.

“The most effective products have variable settings and multiple sounds,” Zemsky says. “Sound deterrents that repeat only one or a limited set of sounds are ineffective because the birds can adapt to the repetition. If the sound frequency, volume or type is constantly changing, it distresses the birds and they’ll leave the area.”

Physical barriers are often the gold standard for bird deterrent systems, as this is a one-time permanent installation providing decades of bird-free facilities.. Mesh netting, made of polyethylene or polypropylene, is more effective and long-lived than ever. Easy to install, the netting is virtually invisible from a distance, making it a good choice for structures that are architecturally appealing. Stainless steel bird spikes that prevent birds from alighting on any surface, or non-toxic tacky gels that make roosting uncomfortable for birds are also ideal long-term choices, Zemsky says.

“Everyone’s needs are different, so they will solve their problems in different ways,” she adds. “For example, an electric powered sound device may not be practical for a large structure where there isn’t easy access to electrical power. In those cases, a physical roost barrier might be a better choice.”

Bird-X, Inc. offers complimentary counseling on deterrent technologies. For more information or advice, visit www.bird-x.com/ARA or call (800) 662-5021.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Allegations of misconduct arise at Grand Rapids Police Department; Dolan has not been accused of wrongdoing

The Grand Rapids, Mich., police department, which has been run by Raleigh’s new police chief, announced late last week that it is investigating allegations of on-duty misconduct by several employees.

Raleigh’s new chief, Harry Dolan, said Monday that several Grand Rapids police employees have been placed on administrative leave while the department’s internal affairs unit investigates allegations of “personal misconduct.”

Dolan, 49, has served as the chief in Grand Rapids for nine years. His last day on the job is Friday. He is scheduled to take over Sept. 4 as Raleigh’s chief at a salary of $132,000.

Dolan, who has not been accused of any wrongdoing, declined to describe the alleged misconduct except to say that it did not involve criminal activity. He also declined to say how many employees were placed on administrative leave.

Dolan issued a news release late Friday. He informed Raleigh City Manager Russell Allen of the investigation over the weekend. Allen, who had sole responsibility for hiring Dolan, said he is not reconsidering his decision.

“It’s not the chief’s activity that’s in question here, it’s members of his department,” Allen said. “My concern is how the chief handles it. I believe the chief is handling it appropriately.”

Dolan, who was a Raleigh officer from 1982 to 1987, said he hopes to complete the investigation before his last day.

Dolan and interim chief Kent Sholar, 46, were the two finalists for Raleigh’s top law enforcement job. During two public hearings last month as part of the interview process, Dolan talked about the importance of transparency.

On Monday, he said: “These are the types of matters that [police chiefs] have to handle. I don’t avoid my responsibilities. I didn’t walk away from this case, and I won’t now.”

Read More: News & Observer

Depending on your religion, Friday, Saturday or Sunday spells sacred.Just consider what many of us do with our hands on those days: We raise them in praise or press them together in prayer. We use them to hold our holy books, to accept Communion, to offer another a handshake of peace.

But what about the workweek?

That can be hallowed time, too. On the job, in a thousand different ways, we extend helping hands.

At Charlotte’s Presbyterian Hospital, they understand — and honor — this. Once a year, chaplains carve out time to bless the healing hands of employees. Doctors, nurses, assistants, secretaries, gardeners, janitors — whoever chooses to participate.

Sometimes patients want to be included, too.

Recently, I tagged along as the Rev. Hunter Roddey and helper Connie Matthews rolled their “Blessing the Hands cart” from one nursing unit to the next.

Armed with hot water, frankincense and myrrh, their message to these caregivers, Roddey said, was: “You do so much with your hands all day. Let us care for you a little while.”

Then, in the same spirit as figures in the Bible washed each others’ feet, Roddey and Matthews soothed working hands by pouring water over them and anointing them with the aromatic oils.

“We are thankful for the work your hands do,” Roddey told nurse Mitzy Waller, 35, the first in line. Then he held her hands and prayed over them: “God, our creator, thank you for the skills you give us … and may the work of these hands bring hope and healing.”

Roddey is Presbyterian. But, because of the religious diversity of the hospital’s work force, he said he doesn’t invoke Jesus, Muhammad or Moses.

But those who receive the blessings are free to bring their own beliefs and traditions to the experience. And many do.

Dr. Jay Duggins, an anesthesiologist who attends Carmel Baptist Church, said he sees his work — and the blessing of his hands — as part of his Christian faith.

“I believe in the Lord and that we are all doing his work here,” said Duggins, 40, who was at Presbyterian to evaluate patients a day after surgery. “This is an outward showing of our faith, and allows [God] to work through us.”

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In a go-go world, a young Jewish family finds joy in setting aside a day for rest and worship

RALEIGH – Friday afternoons before sundown, the McGhees zipper their laptops into their cases. They click off the TV and program their phones for voice mail. As they take their seats around the festive dining room table, Hunter and Stacey and their two daughters, Sydney and Jenna, take a big breath. And exhale.

It’s Shabbat, or the Sabbath, a daylong respite that is one of the highest commandments of the Jewish faith. The McGhees are on a spiritual journey to plumb its depths, and they are learning to reap its blessings.

Hunter and Stacey are among 10 people at Raleigh’s Congregation Shaarei Israel taking a class intended to pump up their Sabbath observance. So far, they’ve learned how to bake challah bread, cook traditional foods and arrange their workweek so they won’t be interrupted on their day of rest.

Like many couples with two jobs and two children, the McGhees have found that the Hebrew Bible’s oldest mandate — to rest — is also one of the most relevant to today’s stressed-out, sleep-deprived families.

“Our weekends were always so dramatically short,” said Hunter McGhee, 31, a Raleigh software consultant. “Ever since we’ve been doing this, the weekends feel longer and I feel refreshed.”

After Friday night’s leisurely meal, the McGhees get up Saturday morning and attend services at synagogue. Back at home, they eat lunch, take a nap and spend the rest of the afternoon at home, playing with their girls, ages 1 and 3.

They don’t run errands. They don’t go shopping. They don’t ferry the girls to dance classes.

It sounds easy, but it takes a lot of preparation, especially since the McGhees are taking their cues from the Orthodox Jewish tradition. Jews observe the Sabbath to varying degrees, but the Orthodox are the strictest. Hewing to Jewish law, Orthodox Jews don’t cook or drive or even switch on lights on the Sabbath. To make it work, discipline is key.

“We discussed in class that Shabbat preparations start on Sunday,” said Sarah Rosner, one of the teachers at Congregation Shaarei Israel. Rosner, an Orthodox Jew, often begins the week by making a list of groceries she’ll need. Tuesday, she might bake the bread and freeze it. Friday morning she’ll cook the meats and vegetables.

Working toward a goal

For the McGhees, Shabbat is a work in progress. Since their marriage in 2000, the couple have been inching their way toward a deeper observance of Judaism. Stacey, who was born Jewish, met Hunter, a Methodist, while both were students at UNC-Chapel Hill. Though she envisioned she would marry a Jew, Stacey said, “You can’t choose who you fall in love with.”

Even before they married, the couple decided they didn’t want two religions in their home. They chose Judaism. For four years, the McGhees attended Temple Beth Or in Raleigh, a Reform congregation that allows members to choose their degree of observance. But because Stacey’s parents belong to Beth Meyer, Raleigh’s Conservative Jewish congregation made more sense.

As Hunter began learning more about Judaism, the couple went deeper into Jewish tradition. Then the children came along. The girls love clinking their glasses of grape juice at the dining room table Friday night and getting dressed in their best clothes for synagogue on Saturday morning. They also appreciate the undivided attention they get from their parents Saturday afternoon.

Last month, Hunter formally converted. At the same time, he and Stacey made the first step toward keeping a kosher home. They use two sets of dishes now, one for meals with meat and one for meals with milk.

“It seems to me that the more I learn the more I enjoy the structure,” he said. “It’s a way of being mindful of God, and that’s very fulfilling for me.”

The advice they’ve gotten from rabbis and teachers is to go slow.

“Don’t try to do it all at once,” said Judy Stackhouse, one of the Shaarei Israel teachers. “There’s always more to learn.”

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FORT WORTH, TEXAS – Some churches are thinking inside the box. Some are thinking around the box.And some religious congregations are thinking several miles away from the box.

As needs and outreaches change, church architecture is changing, too, designers and builders say.

Some churches have opted for the “big box” approach.

Rather than using traditional designs with steeples or domes, ornate architecture and stained glass, some churches have turned to no-frills exteriors to focus on other features, said Tobey Van Wormer, executive director of the National Association of Church Design Builders in Arlington, Texas.

The association is composed of 30 design/building firms and 50 associate firms across the country. It helps congregations design, finance and construct churches.

“There’s a lot more of the multipurpose centers, almost community centers,” Van Wormer said.

Some churches have built food courts, climbing walls, gyms, coffee bars — even a bowling alley. And state-of-the-art sound and light systems are increasingly popular.

Another trend is churches focusing on what is around the box, whether that box be Spartan or elaborate.

Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., founded by Rick Warren, pastor and best-selling author of “The Purpose-Driven Life,” is affluent, but with a boxy sanctuary, Van Wormer said. But on the grounds are biblical “discovery areas” for the children’s ministry, including an ark, a “Zaccheus tree” and a 35-foot-long mist-spouting whale for children to climb on and talk about Jonah.

A new design option for a church with a growing congregation is a satellite campus miles from “the box.”

Because of audio-visual technology, congregations can view worship at the main campus.

Here is a look at some diverse approaches.

* First St. John Missionary Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas, broke ground in October for a 132,000-square-foot, multimillion-dollar expansion. It will include a new sanctuary for its 4,500 worshippers; a mortgage lending office; medical offices; and 40 classrooms for courses on SAT preparation, parenting and money management, Elder Ros McDonald said

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Convinced that God has been erased from public schools, Southern Baptists are now working to open their own schools, where Jesus is writ large and Bible study is part of the daily curriculum.Church leaders are not calling for a wholesale exodus from public schools, which would be a monumental hit, considering that Southern Baptists make up the nation’s largest Protestant denomination with 16 million members.

Rather, they talk about alternatives to public schools capable of educating a new generation ready and willing to advocate for biblical principles rather than popular culture.

“In the public schools, you don’t just have neutrality, you have hostility toward organized religion,” said Daniel Akin, president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest. “A lot of parents are fed up.”

Southeastern is leading the push, sponsoring a Christian School 101 workshop Monday and Tuesday. The program is designed to train church leaders to open private schools.

At Southeastern and elsewhere, Southern Baptists have become convinced that fighting to change the system is futile. They say public schools have long demonstrated a commitment to teaching evolution over creationism, world faiths over Christianity, sex education over abstinence, moral relativism over Christian claims of truth.

A history of alienation

The denomination’s disenchantment with public schools is not new. It dates to the 1920s, when states debated the teaching of creationism vs. evolution. Evolution increasingly won, despite the famous Scopes Monkey Trial in Tennessee, which gave the victory to creationists. The 1962 and 1963 U.S. Supreme Court decisions banning prayer and devotional readings from public schools only increased Southern Baptists’ ire.

Since then, alienation with public schools has grown alongside the nation’s culture wars, pitting evangelical Christians against secularists.

“Southern Baptists see the new religious establishment in this country as secularism,” said Bill Leonard, dean of the divinity school at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem. “It dictates pluralism and diversity of values relative to doctrine, politics and sexual values.”

Southeastern seminary is fighting back. Ten years ago, it launched a master’s degree program in Christian school administration to help train principals.

“Are we going to be satisfied with the thousands of hours children spend in an environment with the absence of support for what we hold dear, and in many cases, hostility to it?” asked Ken Coley, a professor at Southeastern who runs the master’s program for Christian school administrators.

The 40 or so people who have signed up for the workshop Monday are church leaders primarily from small North Carolina towns, where there are few private Christian schools. They include the Rev. Ed Rose, pastor of Central Baptist Church in Wendell. Rose, whose church sits next to a 4,000-home development called Wendell Falls, sees an opportunity in fast-growing eastern Wake County.

“All our studies show the demand is off the charts,” he said.

The Triangle supports at least 15 private Protestant schools, most of which are not exclusively Baptist but enroll large numbers of children whose parents belong to Baptist churches. North Raleigh Christian Academy, the largest of the Triangle schools, enrolls 1,290 students in kindergarten through 12th grade. About 55 percent are Baptist, said Superintendent S. L. Sherrill.

Many of these schools bear little relation to those founded after the desegregation battles of the 1970s, when many Baptists pulled their children out of public schools to avoid forced busing and integration.

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