Or so says CNBC, on their segment “Beating the Odds” which features cities “surviving and thriving” even in this period of economic uncertainty. Mayor Bill Bell appeared on the show earlier this month, discussing Durham’s relative insulation from the recession.
Bell attributed Durham’s financial stability to its strong health care industry and of course, higher education. The three minute clip showcased exclusively shots of Duke, however, and interestingly, none of North Carolina Central University, Durham Tech or other parts of Durham itself.
See Bull City Rising’s post on the subject and read tomorrow’s coverage of how the Durham economy is holding up in tomorrow’s Chronicle.
At about 5 a.m. Monday morning, Chapel Hill’s Department of Public Safety announced that they were unable to verify the bomb threat to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Pit area, The Daily Tar Heel reported. All buildings in and surrounding the Pit were searched.
Alert Carolina, UNC’s alert system, states that the University is once again operating under normal conditions. In response to several students’ complaints about the lack of notification, Alert Carolina sent UNC students an e-mail Monday morning clarifying its protocol. An armed person on or near campus, a major chemical spill or hazard and a tornado are contexts for which UNC’s alert system would be used. UNC students who had signed up for the opt-in text message alert system began receiving text alerts around 11:40 p.m., more than two and a half hours after the threat was first reported.
DukeALERT’s outdoor siren system would be used in the same three instances, according to its Web site. Duke’s opt-in text messaging system also sends notifications during situations of “imminent danger.” DukeALERT e-mails have been sent in a few cases of campus crimes, such as armed robberies.
Update: As of 5 a.m., UNC police decided that the bomb threat called in around 9 p.m. Sunday was not valid and issued an all-clear, according to the AlertCarolina Web site.
Updated 11:26 p.m.
Zachary Tracer/The Chronicle
Zachary Tracer/The Chronicle
A man called in to Orange County police and made a bomb threat against The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The threat reportedly concerned the Pit area, which is the center of campus activity. The Student Union and several libraries have been evacuated. Additionally, police have closed areas surrounding the Pit, and bomb-sniffing dogs are checking the location. AlertCarolina has been updated, and confirms that UNC Public Safety investigated a bomb threat and took precautions. During the first hour or so after the threat was reported by various news outlets, the alert system stated that the University was operating under normal conditions.
Associate editor Zachary Tracer, who is currently residing at UNC, is reporting from Chapel Hill in addition to calls being made from Duke. The Chronicle learned about the threat via Twitter.
Check these student Twitters for updates:
Or, you could follow the term “UNC” on Twitter.
Add two politicians to the list of the disgruntled after last night’s 101-87 loss to UNC.
Durham mayor Bill Bell has to sport a Carolina blue sweatshirt at Monday’s City Council meeting and make the trip down Tobacco road for dinner at the Lantern Restaurant hosted by Chapel Hill mayor Kevin Foy, as per the agreed upon terms of a friendly wager. Foy would have had to don Duke blue and attended a show at the Durham Performing Arts Center had the Blue Devils come out on top. But alas, it was not meant to be.
More surprisingly, President Barack Obama had the Blue Devils on his mind Wednesday in a meeting with 16 North Carolina reporters about issues that will impact the state in the coming year. The N&O reported:
“Duke-North Carolina. Duke-North Carolina. Duke-North Carolina,” Obama interjected [in a question about what was on North Carolinian's minds that day].
ON BASKETBALL: “Let me start with the most interesting question. Look, obviously Duke is coming off of one of the worst losses it’s had in several years, and just squeaking by Miami, is looking a little vulnerable. But North Carolina has shown to have a few flaws as well, so it depends on how hard Coach K was running the players this week and how they respond.”
Unfortunately for Duke, Obama didn’t offer any clear plan on how to contain Ty Lawson. Maybe next year if the economic crisis is solved.
A student sustained minor injuries when he was run over by a car while sleeping in the walk-up line for tonight’s matchup with UNC, ABC Eyewitness News reported Wednesday.
Witnesses told ABC that driver severely bruised the student’s knees while attempting to steer around the crossbar to enter the parking lot. The driver drove away from the scene when she realized what had happened, ABC reported.
“I’m asleep, right, and a car comes, and the tire is right here on my knees,” the student told ABC. “I wake up, start banging on the hood, these guys start yelling. She stays there for about seven seconds until she realizes she’s on a human being.”
The student told ABC he was feeling sore but expected a full recovery. He declined to comment to The Chronicle.
Vice President for Student Affairs Larry Moneta, Dean of Students Sue Wasiolek and DUPD Maj. Gloria Graham told The Chronicle they were unaware of the incident Wednesday afternoon.
Freshman Dan Barron told The Chronicle he did not witness the hit-and-run but had heard the student would be in Cameron Indoor Stadium for Duke’s matchup with UNC nonetheless.
“True dedication,” Barron said. “That’s how dedicated we are to hating Carolina.”
