Myrtle Beach Sun Times
The state’s high school dropout rate increased slightly last year and an upcoming report on the graduation rate is expected to place North Carolina “below the middle of the pack,” officials said Wednesday.

That means it’s time to make a renewed push to raise the age through which students are obliged to attend high school, and to find better ways to account for those who leave, members of the state Board of Education said.

“Sometimes kids who are dropping out are kids who are more impulsive,” said Jane Norwood, a professor at Appalachian State University. “They might say to you, ‘Well, I’m going to go to community college,’ and they don’t realize the requirements for doing that.” Read full article

Progess has been made in the last year, but there’s still a lot of work to do, and it begins with people’s willingness to lead

Winston-Salem Journal
Much more can be done in general on energy-saving initiatives. Other colleges and universities in the region still need to follow the lead of Appalachian State University students, who a few years ago started an energy-saving initiative on their campus. Read full article

The Senate passed a bill to endorse tax-free textbooks, and Student Government is continuing to promote projects to decrease prices.

NCSU’s Technician
One of the Student Senate’s goals for this year is to campaign to lower textbook prices, and this semester, the Senate has taken new measures to achieve this goal, one of which was a project to put faces to students paying high textbook prices. “I hope that they will eventually lower the textbook prices and eventually have a rental program like at Appalachian State,” Kristy Craig, a freshman in political science and one of the students who took a photo for the textbook prices book, said. Read full article

Washington Times
A music therapist and entertainer from North Carolina was named “Best New Act in Country Music” in the 25th annual Colgate Country Showdown in Nashville. Megan Peeler, a graduate of Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C., was selected from five finalists during the competition at Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.
Read full article

Charlotte Observer
About 8 p.m. Wednesday, something peculiar flashed in the sky — something twinkly, something colorful, something eye-catching. “A fireball,” says Daniel Caton, observatory director and astronomy professor at Appalachian State University in Boone. Based on the reports, Caton believes it was an unusually bright meteor that burned up about 30 miles high in the atmosphere somewhere above Charlotte. Sightings came from more than 100 miles away.

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Press Zoom
Appalachian is ranked No. 23 in terms of the number of students joining the Peace Corps. Read full story

Winston-Salem Journal
When the General Assembly reconvenes this week, the state’s public universities will be sending legislators a wish list that probably won’t get approved until months from now.
Read full article

Raleigh News and Observer

Guest Column by criminal justice professor Matt Robinson

It’s been more than three years since the state Senate approved a two-year moratorium on executions, but the House still has not passed a similar bill, and so there is no pause in North Carolina executions. A moratorium would allow the practice of capital punishment to be carefully studied in order to determine whether it has “fatal” problems. Read full article

Winston-Salem Journal
Edwin Duncan Hall, a 42-year-old building on the campus of Appalachian State University, is an important part of the university, and according to its supporters, it’s an important part of the long-term health of North Carolina’s public-school system.

As the headquarters of Appalachian State’s respected education program, it prepares many of the teachers who go on to teach in classrooms all over the state.

But Duncan Hall, after years of renovations, has a shortage of classrooms and has had a variety of maintenance problems. The university is looking to the state legislature to provide $34 million this year to pay for a new building. Read full article

Asheville Citizen-Times
A talented engineer, Charles W. Gadd worked for 39 years in General Motors’ automotive safety and research laboratories. He also was accomplished in music and craftwork, and nine violins and five violas crafted by Gadd will now help music students in the mountains. The instruments have been donated by his widow, Frances Gadd of Hendersonville, to Appalachian State University’s Marian Cannon Hayes School of Music. Read full article

Asheville Citizen-Times
Students will be able to earn a degree in dance studies at Appalachian State University beginning in August. Read full story

Fuel efficiency losing its appeal as gas prices keep dropping

Winston-Salem Journal
As gas prices have eased, consumers have resumed their love affair with spacious, high-performance vehicles. The rise in gas prices was more easily absorbed by the public than most economists expected, said Todd Cherry, an economics professor at Appalachian State University. “There was evidence that people responded in all the ways one may expect, such as changing the car they drive, using public transportation and living closer to work,” Cherry said. “But as prices came back down, people responded by not doing these things as much.” Read full story

Auto club offers its own insurance
Winston-Salem Journal
A wholly owned subsidiary of AAA Carolinas is offering deep annual-rate discounts to long-term members and a concierge service to persuade motorists to switch their auto insurance. David Wood, a professor of insurance at Appalachian State University, said that Member’s Insurance is more likely to attract existing AAA Carolinas members than new customers. “It’s a very competitive market for auto insurance in the Carolinas,” Wood said. “The customer-service value will be what attracts new customers and members. “It’s just another way for AAA Carolinas to try and meet its members’ entire auto and travel needs.” Read full story

Asheville Citizen-Times
An Appalachian State University junior will be in Raleigh Jan. 24 for the opening session of the N.C. General Assembly. But vocal performance major Anna Eschbach won’t be at the capitol to watch state government at work. She’ll be singing the national anthem for the General Assembly. Read full story

Tallahassee Democrat
In his final weeks as governor, Jeb Bush did the right thing by halting all executions in Florida after a botched lethal injection. The mistake would be for the state to ever again resume capital punishment. While there are logical arguments in favor of the death penalty in theory, capital punishment does not exist in theory. The reality of the death penalty, as it is practiced in the real world, makes it a nonsustainable criminal-justice policy. Matthew Robinson is associate professor of criminal justice at Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C., and author of “Death Nation: The Experts Explain American Capital Punishment.” He earned his Ph.D. in criminology and criminal justice from Florida State. Read the full article

Raleigh News and Observer
North Carolina’s economy will outpace the nation’s this year, but the outlook isn’t quite as rosy as last year. After expanding by an estimated 3.1 percent in 2006, the state economy will slow to a growth rate of about 2.7 percent over the next 12 months, said Harry M. Davis, chief economist for the N.C. Bankers Association and a professor of finance at Appalachian State University. He said declines in housing and auto manufacturing will darken the national picture for spending, jobs and wages. Read the full article

Asheville Citizen-Times
The Communication Disorders Clinic at Appalachian State University has been named for Winston-Salem residents Charles E. and Geneva S. Scott, who have made a $307,000 gift to support the clinic’s activities. Read the full article

Population boom, top industries help fuel economy, experts say

Charlotte Observer
A quartet of economic, banking and political leaders told one of the state’s largest business groups Tuesday that North Carolina is headed into a rosy economy this year. Harry Davis, an Appalachian State University economist, forecast 2.7 percent growth in the state’s economy, down slightly from this year’s 3.1 percent expansion, he said. The state can expect to add 71,000 jobs, said Davis, who serves as economist for the N.C. Bankers Association. Read the full article

Asheville Citizen-Times
Western North Carolina’s influx of newcomers boosts both the region’s economy and housing prices, said Harry M. Davis, an economist at Appalachian State University. Davis was among a group of panelists who spoke at the state Chamber of Commerce’s annual economic forecast session. Read the full article