BCR's Daily Fishwrap Report for December 18, 2009

Will it be snow? Freezing rain? Sleet? Or the dreaded icing overnight? Everyone's watching the weather, wondering what's to come. 

And it could be the start of something white to come. The Herald-Sun claims that the RDU airport has never seen snow fall on Christmas Day -- but there's a chance of more winter weather late next week. Stay tuned. In other news:

NECD Crime Down 39%: During the second year of Operation Bulls Eye targeting North-East Central Durham with increased enforcement, violent crime rates plunged by 39%, an outcome praised by Durham nonviolent activist Marcia Owen. (Herald-Sun)

Embattled DHA Head Leaves: Durham Housing Authority chief Harrison Shannon is leaving his post in March, though he might stick around a while to allow the agency's board to find a replacement. The Herald-Sun suggests no one's talking about why (except to say it's Shannon's desire to move on), but implies this has been coming to a head for some time. The Herald-Sun has a rundown of Shannon's work in the Bull City, which started with high hopes but became marred over ongoing problems with the Section 8 rental voucher program. (Herald-Sun)

DPS Gets Clean Audit, New Anti-Violence Policies: A Durham Public Schools system financial audit came back clean, including an increase in the school's fund balance reserves, something that's long been lower than DPS would like and which managed to eke out an increase despite a bad fiscal year. Meanwhile, the board approved policies against school violence and bullying as required by an act of the General Assembly this year. (Herald-Sun, N&O)

NCCU Hikes Tuition - GA Will Want More: NCCU's trustees voted to increase tuition by 5% for next year -- but the General Assembly is already calling for an 8% increase throughout the UNC system, with the extra cash going to the state and not the schools, so it's not clear the vote was much more than symbolic. (Herald-Sun)

Durham Student Filmmaker Honored: The Herald-Sun has a nice feature this morning on Kelley Katzenmeyer, a former Club Boulevard student now at the UNC School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, and a budding filmmaker who's just one of two NC students honored to participate in Miami-based master classes as part of the YoungArts program, a step in a competition to become presidential arts scholars. (Herald-Sun)

DATA Rides Free Today: Cell phone firm Cricket is sponsoring free rides on DATA (and Raleigh CAT) buses today. (Herald-Sun)

Comments

[Freddie]

The violent crime decrease news is great to hear! As the lady in the article said, you're seeing a balance going on in Durham right now with the players, shakers, movers, activists, all getting involved in their community directly or indirectly...Not only has the police and the Operation Bullseye plan helped to decrease crime in the BullCity, but I think we as citizens being more alert and involved has helped to fight crime. Eventually in time, Durham will not be thought of as the "gritty" part of the Triangle or the place ridden by crime that the Wake County peeps like to think. With the momemtum it has, it shall in time be considered the Austin of Texas, the San Francisco of California, the Brooklyn of New York city. Artsy, independent, funky...the place to be!