Time to wrap up the Fishwrap for '08 with a last look for the year at today's newsprint.

A key story in yesterday's news day was a meeting between City leaders -- including D.P.D. Chief Jose Lopez, deputy Chief B.J. Council, a slew of other officers, and City Councilman Mike Woodard -- and representatives from a number of urban core neighborhoods to discuss perceived increases in crime levels in recent months.

The N&O attended, and out of a two hour meeting, somehow managed to find quotes only from the very first speaker, one assistant chief of police, and the organizer. Still, this stumble-to-the-goal-line seems to have beat the H-S, which managed to report that the meeting was scheduled, but couldn't quite get a reporter there (that we could see.)  Though, of course, the neighborhood canvassing before the meeting made for a great photo op, and therefore, coverage (H-S, WRAL).

We'll have a wee bit more to say on the meeting later today here at BCR. Elsewhere in the Durham news universe:

• An audit finds the City's unrestricted fund balance is, in fact, 11% -- below the 12% guideline established by the City Council, and mirroring the tax hike-minimizing 11% savings rate the Council adopted this year. A question for '09: Will the Council, as Farad Ali suggested this summer, reduce spending to make sure that the fund balance returns to 12% of appropriations, or will the City take a chance on whether it maintains its AAA bond rating? (H-S)
• The City and County are still scrutinizing the Durham Civic Center, which despite $1m in recent upgrades -- and $6 million in future ones -- is still losing up to $1m a year, a matter not helped by slow bookings in a tough economy. A name change to something like a "Convention Center" is likely in the new year, with a team of Fuqua students also looking to make recommendations as part of a class project. (H-S)
• ...which may be good news for downtowners remaining skeptical about the properties the City controls along E. Chapel Hill St. next to the Civic Center/Marriott complex. These have been mentioned before as possible targets for demolition to expand the Civic Center; architect and developer Scott Harmon has expressed concern as to whether a proposed evaluation of the structures could lead to this, and would like to see the properties sold off for redevelopment. (H-S)