BCR's Daily Fishwrap Report for October 22, 2008

• The NC Court of Appeals has challenged Durham Public Schools' anti-gang policies; though the earlier dismissal of most of the complaints of discrimination on a racial basis was upheld (a victory for DPS), Sheryl Smith's complaint regarding her son Todd was remanded to a lower court for further action. Todd Douglas was killed in 2005 in gang violence that Smith claims was spurred by a false labeling of her son as a gang member; Smith has been a vocal and active critic of DPS in the wake of her son's death. The anti-gang policies were found to require further examination due to their "unconstitutionally vague" nature. (N&O, H-S)
• Square 1 Bank in downtown Durham has rapidly grown to Durham County's largest bank in "deposit market share," according to today's Triangle Business Journal, surpassing Wachovia and SunTrust. (TBJ - story link unavailable)
• More turmoil at the Durham Housing Authority: Ray Gronberg details the firing earlier this month of Section 8 director Bryant Saunders, who's claimed in his departure that he was fired after a struggle on his part to terminate one of his subordinates for cause. DHA officials have had no comment on the termination and will reportedly consider the matter in a closed session of its board of directors after tonight's meeting. Federal overseers have recently voiced concerns with DHA's Section 8 program; earlier concerns caused Saunders' predecessor to resign under fire in summer 2007. (H-S)
• Durham Tech will shoulder most of its budget shortfall -- all state agencies are under pressure given declining state tax receipts -- against its administrative budget to minimize disruption to educational services, the demand for which tends to rise in recessionary periods. (H-S)
• More from the N&O on the D-Bulls/Rays connection, focusing on the fact that an astounding 14 of the 25 players on the Rays' World Series roster spent time in the Bull City before the majors. (N&O)