If trouble comes to campus…  

Raleigh News and Observer
Orientation for new college students always includes good advice about how to stay safe: Don’t walk alone at night, don’t leave doors unlocked, don’t make bad decisions regarding alcohol or drugs.

This summer, the campus safety sessions have taken a more serious tone. At Appalachian State, thousands of magnets were given to students and parents with a Web address: www.emergency.appstate.edu.
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Winston-Salem Journal
Billy Riddle didn’t know what to expect when he met with his Appalachian State football teammates last week on the eve of preseason camp to tell them why he would not be returning to play his senior season.

Riddle is a former Davie County High School star who has spent the past three seasons at ASU trying to work his way into a full-time starter’s role. He was projected to be a backup safety this season for the Mountaineers, the two-time defending national champions.
Riddle will resume mission work in Sudan next month, with plans to begin a nonprofit organization to help people in the most war-torn region of Africa.

Riddle plans to return to school next year to complete work toward a degree in English.   Read full story

Asheville Citizen-Times
Economic activity in Western North Carolina, as measured by the Western North Carolina Economic Index, increased substantially in June, rising 0.9 percent for the month. The gain recovers losses that occurred early in 2007.

The index, which tracks the level of economic activity in 25 western North Carolina counties, is compiled at Appalachian State University.
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Asheville Citizen-Times
Have you ever wondered where college freshmen put all that stuff they bring to campus? That must be the question many parents and volunteers will ask during freshman move-in day Aug. 17 at Appalachian State University.

The move-in process begins at 8 a.m. and continues until 6 p.m. Read full story

Charlotte Observer

Already the drought is wilting trees across Charlotte and the Carolinas. Maple and poplar trees are turning yellow and brown — a change they normally go through in September or October.

“A drought this early is going to shorten the period of time the leaves stay on the trees when they change, and it may affect the leaf color,” said Gary Walker, a biology professor at Appalachian State University.

Experts say if the state doesn’t get more rain, its fall foliage will be short-lived and muted. Even the brilliant colors of the mountain’s hardwoods could be jeopardized.
“A drought this early is going to shorten the period of time the leaves stay on the trees when they change, and it may affect the leaf color,” said Gary Walker, a biology professor at Appalachian State University.

Walker said trees prefer dry conditions in September before cold weather comes, which locks the color in their leaves. Instead, some drought-stricken trees this year are already going dormant and dropping their leaves.   Read full story