RALEIGH, N.C. and BOSTON, Mass. – In anticipation of Campbell University’s Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law’s summer 2009 move to downtown Raleigh, the school has retained Shepley Bulfinch Richardson & Abbott of Boston, Mass. and Small Kane of Raleigh, N.C. to design and oversee the renovation of its future location. Campbell Law’s selection of the two firms is the next step in bringing its $27.5 million dollar building project to Raleigh, which is currently the largest U.S. capital without a law school.
Campbell University and School of Law leadership selected an innovative partnership between Shepley Bulfinch and Small Kane that will leverage the expertise of both firms. Shepley Bulfinch, founded in 1874, has designed some of the nation’s leading law schools and expansions, including projects at Georgetown University Law School, Marquette University Law School, Elon University School of Law, and Harvard Law School. Small Kane enjoys a reputation as one of Raleigh’s top design firms for business and education. Joseph Bille of Shepley Bulfinch will be the principal designer and Shane Webster of Small Kane will oversee the design implementation and construction in Raleigh. Kerry Kane, Small Kane principal, will be a creative consultant to the project.
“Shepley Bulfinch is a highly respected firm of national reputation and Small Kane has distinguished itself within the Raleigh business community with skillful designs and project implementation,” said Campbell School of Law Dean Melissa A. Essary. “This creative partnership will allow Campbell Law to utilize the exceptional talents of these firms to design a world-class law school in downtown Raleigh. The new Campbell Law building will be a signature legal education facility in North Carolina’s capital city.”
Jim Roberts, vice president for business/treasurer of Campbell University explained that plans call for the complete renovation of the 107,000 square foot building at 225 Hillsborough Street in Raleigh, including the development of a state-of-the-art law library, courtrooms, classrooms, common spaces, and gathering spaces. The redesigned law school is scheduled to open in August 2009.
“As the chair of Campbell Law’s ‘Campaign for Raleigh,’ I could not be more pleased with the dynamic partnership between Shepley Bulfinch and Small Kane, said Frank B. Holding, Jr., CEO of First Citizens Bank. “The law school will truly have the best of both worlds: a firm that has designed several of America’s premier law schools working with a firm that understands the dynamics of successful project execution in Raleigh. It will be a win-win for Campbell Law and the Raleigh community.”
Read More:CarolinaNewsWire
NEW YORK — Max Roach, a master percussionist whose rhythmic innovations and improvisations provided the dislocated beats that defined bebop jazz, has died after a long illness. He was 83.The self-taught musical prodigy died Wednesday night at an undisclosed hospital in Manhattan, said Cem Kurosman, spokesman for Blue Note Records, one of Roach’s labels. No additional details were available, he said.
Roach received his first musical break at age 16, filling in for three nights in 1940 when Duke Ellington’s drummer fell ill.
Roach’s performance led him to the legendary Minton’s Playhouse in Harlem, where he joined luminaries Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie in the burgeoning bebop movement. In 1944, Roach joined Gillespie and Coleman Hawkins in one of the first bebop recording sessions.
What distinguished Roach from other drummers were his fast hands and his ability to simultaneously maintain several rhythms. By layering different beats and varying the meter, Roach pushed jazz beyond the boundaries of standard 4/4 time.
Roach’s innovative use of cymbals for melodic lines, and tom-toms and bass drums for accents, helped elevate the percussionist from mere timekeeper to featured performer _ on a par with the trumpeter and saxophonist.
“One of the grand masters of our music,” Gillespie once observed
Read More: News & Observer
(ARA) - Although the thought of making one’s own fuel might sound a bit outlandish at first, the reality is that savvy Americans fed up with feeling like a slave to foreign oil suppliers have been safely and effectively making their own biodiesel fuel for years.
In 2003 the first American-made personal biodiesel processor was created — the FuelMeister. Biodiesel is a proven and preferred alternative to diesel fuel because it can run on any diesel engine without any modifications. In addition, most oil furnaces can easily adapt to biodiesel fuel (although a few models might require a minor modification). As a result, not only have these do-it-yourselfers saved a tremendous amount of money (as well as all those trips to the gas pump), but they also have the satisfaction of knowing they are doing something good for the environment.
Since biodiesel fuel is most commonly made from used fry (vegetable) oil in combination with lye and methanol, its production minimizes the amount of oil waste that would otherwise wind up in landfills. It is estimated that there are more than three billion gallons of waste oil produced in the U.S. alone each year.
Beyond the obvious landfill benefits, the use of biodiesel fuel also reduces vehicle emissions of sulfur oxides, particulates and carbon monoxide by 70 percent. In the home, it burns cleaner and eliminates the smell often associated with oil furnaces. In addition, biodiesel is non-toxic. It’s also biodegradable and less combustible, which makes it easier to store and transport.
But the biggest factor driving demand for make-it-yourself biodiesel, especially in light of current market conditions, is runaway prices at the pump. In Europe, where gas prices are significantly higher, diesel vehicles are more common (60 percent of the market), as is the practice of consumers making their own biodiesel in their garages, sheds and even basements.
Newer product designs and more advanced technologies make it easier than ever for Americans to achieve the same degree of energy independence. Within the past year, the next generation of biodiesel processors–the FuelMeister II–was introduced. Some of the product’s special safety and ease-of-use features not found on other processors include direct catalyst injection, which increases the speed of chemical reaction, allowing for twice as many batches to be made in the same time period. This special feature also allows the system to work with one tank, eliminating the need for a secondary tank. The single-tank design is not only more convenient and space-efficient, but it’s also safer in containing potentially harmful gases. Quick-disconnect connectors further enhance the product’s ease of operation and safety performance.
If you think making your own biodiesel fuel is beyond your technical skill level, you might want to do more research. With the current technologies on the market, virtually anyone can benefit from making their own biodiesel fuel without any special technical experience or scientific degrees required.
The process starts by collecting used fry oil — ideally from area restaurants that have an almost endless supply of waste oil they’re only too happy to unload. Once the oil is in the FuelMeister, simply add lye which will act as a catalyst for neutralizing the free fatty acids that have formed in the waste oil. By mixing methanol with the lye, you effectively dissolve the catalyst and begin the process for biodiesel production — a process that takes about one hour for 40 gallons of fuel.
And in case you’re wondering how popular biodiesel is, consider the fact that the National Biodiesel Board estimates that production of biodiesel increased approximately 3600% between 2001 and 2006.
Properly made biodiesel will actually run cleaner and smoother, resulting in better engine performance and improved air quality. And since it costs less than a dollar per gallon to make at home, the savings are substantial. As an example, if you own a diesel vehicle or equipment and purchase 40 gallons or more of fuel per week, based on current prices, you would save more than $4,000 per year.
Despite the many advantages of processing your own biodiesel fuel, it’s important to realize that not all systems perform safely and reliably. Unfortunately, the biodiesel market has, in recent years, become overcrowded with many garage-based operators hoping to quickly ride the biodiesel gravy train. Some system designs even utilize old hot water heaters as the main processing unit — a design that has proven unsafe, unreliable and produces inconsistent results.
When considering the purchase of a biodiesel processor, always investigate the reputation and track record of the manufacturer, the availability of technical and field support, and the inclusion of special features designed to minimize contact with the fuel during processing. Such features include vapor return hoses, special mixing chambers and an overall closed-system design.
For more information on the benefits of making your own biodiesel fuel, visit www.fuelmeister.com.
Courtesy of ARAcontent
Baker won sheriff’s post in ‘78, set mark for service
RALEIGH - When John Baker Jr. was a child, his father was hired as Raleigh’s first black police officer. The son vowed that one day he would become sheriff.
It was a pretty heady dream for an African-American boy growing up in the segregated South during the 1940s and 1950s. After a career as an NFL defensive lineman, Baker achieved it.
He was the first elected black sheriff in North Carolina since Reconstruction.
Baker, 72, died in his sleep Wednesday morning, said his pastor, Marion Robinson of St. Matthews AME Zion Church. Robinson said Baker had been sick for several months. He declined to discuss the nature of the former sheriff’s illness.
Baker, a hulking man, gravel-voiced but soft-spoken, was sheriff for 24 years, from 1978 to 2002. Along the way, he modernized the Sheriff’s Office. He started the county’s gun permit system and formed the first sheriff’s homicide unit. He also hired more patrol officers and was instrumental in getting the $56 million Wake Public Safety Center built in downtown Raleigh.
Before becoming sheriff, Baker was a college football All-American at what is now N.C. Central University from 1954 through 1957. He was selected in the fifth round of the NFL draft by the then-Los Angeles Rams and went on to play 11 seasons with the Rams, the Philadelphia Eagles, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions. He was elected to NCCU’s inaugural Athletic Hall of Fame in 1984.
Ferocious on the field
Herman Boone, 72, a college teammate, said Baker “terrorized all of North Carolina” during his high school football days. Baker carried that ferocity with him to college and pro ball. But off the field, Baker was “just the nicest guy God ever created,” said Boone, of Alexandria, Va.
“He would take your head off in a moment’s notice and at the end of the play give it back and warn you not to come that way again,” Boone said. “Off the field, other than his size, you would have never known he was a football player. He was like a big teddy bear.”
In 1964, Baker’s ferociousness on the field helped produce an enduring image of the game — New York Giants quarterback Y.A. Tittle kneeling on the field with blood on his helmetless head, after being tackled by Baker.
After his football days, Baker took his calm, tenacious spirit to the political arena. His first foray into politics came in 1975 when he served as an aide to U.S. Sen. Robert Morgan. One year later, he worked as deputy state chairman for Jimmy Carter’s presidential campaign.
Blacks in politics
When Baker was elected sheriff in 1978, he followed a vanguard of young and ambitious black politicians who were elected during the post-civil rights era, including Raleigh’s first black mayor, Clarence Lightner, in 1973.
Still, when Baker was elected, the idea of a black lawman serving in a predominantly white capital city in the South was a “major rallying point” for African-Americans in Raleigh and throughout Wake County, said Ralph Campbell, a former state auditor.
“I still have the T-shirt and campaign button around here somewhere,” Campbell said. “The button was shaped like a star — which everyone cherished — that said ‘Baker Backer.’ After that, John became a political icon.”
His tenure was not without controversy. Baker, a Democrat, clashed with the Republican-dominated county Board of Commissioners during the 1990s, particularly over the size and budget of his office.
In 1996, Baker ran newspaper ads accusing county commissioners of not heeding the public’s concerns about crime by refusing his requests for more deputies. Baker wanted the county to pay for the ads; the commissioners refused, saying the ads were a political swipe at them. The News & Observer eventually sued the county and Baker to collect $7,600 for the advertisements. Baker and the commission settled their differences and the bill was paid
Read More:News & Observer
CHARLOTTE - John Montgomery Belk, former chairman and chief executive of Belk Inc. who was the mayor of Charlotte for nearly a decade, died today at his home, the company said. He was 87.Belk helped build the department store chain into a regional power after spending 50 years as its helm. He also served four terms as mayor in North Carolina’s largest city, from 1969 to 1977.
“John was a highly respected businessman and beloved community leader who played an integral role in the growth, development and success of his company and the Charlotte community,” said Darrell Williams, a spokesman for Belk Inc.
Source:Read More:News & Observer
Ceramic artist Sally Prange Wainwright died Tuesday at her home in Durham. She was 79.Wainwright earned recognition as a potter for her distinctive glazes, often mixing tones of blue, burgundy and gold in abstract shapes on porcelain bowls.
She died of cancer, family members said.
Wainwright, born Sarah Elizabeth Bowen in Valparaiso, Ind., on Aug. 11, 1927, developed an appreciation for Asian art forms from her parents, who had lived in China. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in psychology in 1950 and married her college sweetheart, Arthur Jergen Prange.
Wainwright began working in ceramics while living in Chapel Hill in the late 1950s.
Her daughter, Laurie Prange, remembers her basement studio as a place where she and her siblings could come to experiment.
“I remember mom’s studio was well-integrated into our domestic life,” she said. “We would often grab a lump of clay and start in on a pinch-pot or a figure,” she recalled.
“She had a great sense of humor. Even in recent weeks, she’s had a sense of humor that has kept her entire family and friends feeling hopeful and encouraged and full of love,” Laurie Prange said.
Wainwright is best known for her work under the name Sally Bowen Prange. She married Steve Wainwright in January. They met through a shared love of scuba diving and the ocean.
Water was an integral theme in Wainwright’s work, said Laurie Prange.
Wainwright is remembered as a mentor to local artists.
“She brought to her work a level of regional and national awareness that was different from the traditional potters in the state, and I think both benefitted thereby,” said Charlotte V. Brown, executive director of the Gregg Museum of Art & Design at N.C. State University.
Raleigh art gallery owner Lee Hansley described her work as existing in two extremes, some pieces possessed of a “bold, high luster … almost overstated,” many others rough in texture and understated
Read More: News & Observer
