North Carolina Now; North Carolina Now Episode from 06/12/1998

It's Friday June 12th. Tonight a tragic incident at a boot camp for women in North Carolina now. Good evening I'm Merida tray we'll have an update from the legislature tonight plus an interview with the chancellor of the North Carolina School of the arts. But up first tonight a teenage girl in a military style boot camp program for young women offenders died early today. A story on that program called Impact was featured here on North Carolina now last night. Impact is a boot camp that provides a tough new approach to rehabilitation. It opened to women just this past Monday. Shannon victory provides us with more information now on the death of the Will County teen. You better get that. Bring it on. Thank you for that thought. When 17 year old Starling a call arrived at the Impact program on Monday she was greeted in traditional impact style that I

like OH MY GOD Well you know well you know what. Then like all trial she went through the intake process where she gave a nurse her medical history which included problems with asthma. No one can guess then that only four days later the Wilkes County woman would be dead. She was having some problems just as they would the asthma and then last night she had been attacked in the course we call you Miss like going to Richmond hospital where she passed away. The impact program is known for its get tough attitude toward young offenders. For the hard work and physical training began all trainees must take physicals call met with the impact doctor on Tuesday. The doctor requested Cole's medical records be sent from Wilkes County before deciding whether or not she could continue in the program for the last several days impact officials say call had not participated in any type of strenuous physical activity and that they were monitoring her

condition to talk to if she wanted to study and she wanted to give it a try. While the woman's portion of the program is new the empath program itself has been in operation since 1989. During the past nine years the staff here has dealt with all sorts of illnesses and health problems including asthma. But this is the first time an impact trainee has died. Correction Department officials have begun their own investigation into Paul's death. But in the meantime they are sticking by the program. I have asked you this question before the program started. Ask him again do you think this program is too tough for women. No ma'am. You know again people sleep screaming and yelling when they first get here. And if people think we can do that for 90 days they give us credit for something we came. It just doesn't go that long. We do not feel that the program itself resulted in the death of

the trainee. She did have the medical condition they were aware of it and we were monitoring that very closely so we do not feel that the program certainly did not cause the death. In the end the only thing I can say is is is I'm sorry but you know this young lady I think saw a need to try and I think she was willing to do that. The North Carolina Department of Correction expects to wrap up its internal investigation of this incident by the end of next week. Officials will wait until that investigation is completed before determining what if any changes need to be made to that program. And we turn now to John basin at our legislative bureau. John thanks for joining us tonight. Eimeria the lawmakers were not in session today so they didn't have an opportunity to discuss the impact program specifically but there has been discussion this week on that massive juvenile justice package up for consideration what's been the debate been there about. Well it's been ongoing since the session started and it's a massive bill it's much bigger than they

normally try to take on in a short session. And it's multifaceted there are prevention programs there's changes in the way they do punishments for for young offenders so the debate has been wide ranging this week for instance one thing that happened was that they decided to take out of the bill something called blended sentencing which would have allowed in cases where juveniles are sent up to adult court for very serious crimes would have allowed them to still make use of the facilities in the juvenile system. But it's very complicated to write it in a North Carolina law and the bill itself is so complicated already they decided it's more than we can take on and so they've taken it out of the bill. It's a very comprehensive bill. And there is some some concern some whispering maybe that it might not pass or at least not in it in toto this session because it is so big. John another big hurdle that was crossed by the legislators this week was the the settlement that was reached on the illegally taxed pensions so why don't you give our viewers an overview of what that settlement entails. Well in a nutshell federal and state retirees have sued the state of North Carolina for

the taxing of their pensions. They won the lawsuit and this week the legislature came to terms with the attorneys who represent the retirees came to terms on a figure of seven hundred ninety nine million dollars 400 million dollars of which to be paid this year and the remaining three hundred ninety nine million next year and what that means is course that 400 million dollars of the availability that lawmakers were looking at for this year's budget is gone I'll be going to the retiree settlement and that may simplify or clarify or at least take away some of the options of lawmakers we're looking at as to how to spend the money they have on hand. Has there been any discussion yet about where that money will be coming out of the budget or is it too soon. I think it's too soon for anybody to be many people be talking publicly about where it's coming out there are certain things that everyone still pretty much agrees will be in the budget. Those are things like the teacher pay increase that's a part of the excellent schools Act that passed last year that everyone is committed to that. There are other items that are definitely going to be funded. There still seems to be a

universal feeling that the remaining 2 percent of the state's portion of the food tax will be rolled back. But that that's about as far as tax cuts agreement goes between the House and Senate. The House wants to cut a lot of taxes. The Senate is more concerned about the state's availability. John very quickly we started this session with lawmakers looking at a long haul through the summer. And a lot of these big hurdles that they talked about earlier have already been crossed Is there talk now of the session may not be as long as people were originally thinking. Well that it's always tempting to talk longer when you have a big pile of money to divide up and they have a much smaller pile of money now that they've come to the settlement on the Bally decision the retiree's case we talked about earlier. So there's some talk that it might not last as long as it was going to. But no one around here is packing their bags or making vacation plans yet. There's still a lot left to do. Reconciling the budget between the House and the Senate coming to agreement on whatever tax cuts will be a part of the plan and trying to decide what if anything to do with the juvenile justice plan that they worked so hard on between sessions and they worked very hard on during this session. And a lot of folks probably won't

be very anxious to just let it go until the next long session. OK John will thanks for the insight and we'll check in with you next week. Thanks Maria. All right. Now getting back to the juvenile justice package that John referred to earlier. Some lawmakers are calling the provisions in that package a balance between punishment and prevention. There's a program in the western part of the state that focuses on prevention and it helps deter juveniles from committing crimes. It's called Project Challenge and it requires kids to do a wide variety of community service projects to help build self-esteem and a sense of giving. Sunny Williams has more. Today these teenagers are helping Gladys Mathis with her garden. They're not her grandchildren or even her neighbors but teens she just met through Project Challenge project challenges a community service based restitution program that helps kids get involved in a giving way in the community. We hooked them up with all sorts of community service activities such as working

with Habitat for Humanity tilling gardens or building gardens for elderly. We work in Chama last in homes. We give community service credit hours for accepting tutoring at school. Project Challenge targets kids between the ages of 10 and 16 who have gone through the juvenile court system. The program coordinator has worked closely with juvenile court counselors to decide which kids will best benefit from the program. These participants are required to complete from 45 to 65 hours of community service. The purpose for that many hours is because if you put a child on a Habitat say. For eight hours they really don't get to become involved with the family that's there or the doctors and lawyers and other people working on the side and without many hours they begin to learn and to taste what it's like to be a giving person. Our community service is not punitive. These kids are not here for punishment. The purpose of our community service hours is to get these kids involved in a giving way in the community and help them to realize how

important their time and their talents are to other people in their community. That realization is something Lucas Davis says has given his life new meaning. The 16 year old started Project Challenge after being charged with vandalism. Now after just four months of community service Lucas has a new attitude. This time I mean I've got to be like you know real quiet. It is tough. And that's exactly the kind of change the program is designed to bring about. Organizers say the guidance and self-esteem building these kids receive is essential to help deter them from a life of crime. These kids feel like they're on the outside of society they don't feel like they're welcome to help in their community or to become involved in issues that they truly believe in through the process of all the different types of community service activities that kids participate in. They learn that they are very welcome and actually very needed part of the community.

They do better at school. They seem to handle authority better. They keep their mouth shut more and they seem to they're all thankful I think that they're in this program when they see that they could be it could be a lot worse for them. Project Challenge also branches out to other sectors of the community by sharing their vans and equipment with other nonprofit organizations and through collaborative efforts with schools to work with at risk students before they enter the juvenile justice system. Currently there are nearly 200 kids participating in Project Challenge and 20 of North Carolina's western counties and officials say the program's success rate is getting better each year. Sixty percent of our kids do not return to the juvenile justice system. But in the 24 traditional district three out of the five counties it's more like 75 percent of our kids have not become involved in that. The criminal justice system and all we're talking about after they've turned 16 and moved into the adult

system so less than 25 percent of our kids become re-involved in the criminal justice system. Since the program is only about four years old there are no statistics on its long term success. But program officials hope lawmakers will look at the positive results so far and continue to invest in the program. Part of its appeal is the restitution component. It requires some participants to repay their victims. If a child has been ordered to pay monetary restitution they can borrow up to $250 from the restitution bank so they can repay that in one of two ways. We will work with them and teach them how to go to an interview and work them with filling out applications and help them get employed in their community if we can or if they are unable to get a job and actually pay cash back to the restitution bank we put a $4 an hour value on their time and they restitution ours to pay the bank back.

The lessons learned and the benefits gained from Project Challenge are two fold. The kids get the socialization they need to maintain a positive outlook and recipients like Gladys get the services they need and new friends in the process. When you can't do your own work at home you just act when you get some help and that's the way it is especially with the elderly people. Sometimes we have to wait. I think it's great. I really do. And I'll do my best to take care of it. See the criticism is helping that lady a lot because you know you can't be made to feel good you know get in trouble. Making kids feel good about themselves and helping them stay out of trouble is what Project Challenge is all about. Today they're planting the seeds of caring sharing and self-confidence that they hope will continue to grow for a lifetime. Another major component of the project challenges a three day backpacking trip designed

to teach teamwork confidence and responsibility. Coming up the chancellor of the North Carolina School of the arts but first Michel Louis is in Wilmington on assignment. So we turn to John Arnold for a look at today's statewide headlines. John as a new member of our North Carolina now staff. John welcome. It's good to be here Maria. Topping our news the state is trying to determine whether social services workers wrongly cut off Medicaid coverage for 24000 children whose families left welfare in the past year since last July the state has identified at least that many cases in which children were no longer enroll to Medicaid within two months after their family stopped receiving welfare payments under the state rules. Families that begin making enough money to get off welfare generally remain eligible for Medicaid for at least six months. That is if a parent remains in a low paying job without health benefits. State officials admit they aren't sure what happened. Blue mold has returned to the tobacco fields of eight North Carolina counties. The fungus has been found on growing crops in Madison Yancey Mitchell And what counties and Fluke your tobacco crops in Greenland or craven

and Duplin counties blue mold thrives in cool and damp weather when the fungus spores can germinate on the plant. In some cases the fungus can stunt the growth or even kill the plant. Last year nearly 15 percent of Burley tobacco crop was killed by blue mold but it had little effect on the state's flue cure crop. State House majority leader Leo Daughtry says North Carolina needs to address sexual harassment claims made by state employees. Daughtry says he will present a bill next week that clearly prohibits sexual harassment in state offices. The bill comes on the heels of a case brought by the Department of Corrections employee who was fired despite repeated findings that she had been sexually harassed. The state personnel commission refused the woman's appeals of her dismissal. Same state law addressed only discrimination not sexual harassment. Researchers at three of the state's top universities are saying not enough is being done to study the effects of the hog industry on human health in North Carolina. The researchers were among the speakers at a conference organized to bring civic and political leaders together from both sides of the issue. A

Duke University researcher told those at the event that there is some evidence that Asam among young children living near hog farms is on the rise. But she is not sure what may be causing that. In the end those on both sides of the issue agree more research is needed to truly assess the health effects. And now for a look at tomorrow's weather highs in the mountains will be in the upper 70s to mid 80s. Most of the rest of the state will see highs from the low to mid 90s. Partly sunny to partly cloudy skies will spread across the state with a 30 to 40 percent chance of afternoon thunderstorms in business news the General Assembly will soon begin to debate on various business and Senate proposals. House Speaker Harold Breaux Baker supports a bill that will okayed tax breaks for Federal Express the new corps. Other legislators including some from the triad argue that companies should not be given huge tax breaks in order to lure them to the state representative Lyons Gray. The bill's sponsor says the measure will also include incentives for companies that invest in inner cities. Now for a look at what happened on Wall Street today.

With with a one on one on one on one with you why. The North Carolina School of the arts in Winston-Salem recently opened a new 18 million

dollar facility for its filmmaking school. The studio village as it's called includes state of the art facility used to produce full length motion pictures. The excitement surrounding the April opening of the studio village was marred slightly shortly after by complaints from film school students about the quality of the education they're receiving. Joining me now is the chancellor of the North Carolina School of the arts Alexander Ewing Chancellor Ewing Welcome to the program. Well I must say that you were invited to be a guest on this program long before this controversy erupted but I do feel obligated to talk to you about it. How what is your response in regards to some film school students who are saying that they are not being properly taught in advanced filmmaking. Well I think that that was something that just when we were about to open this facility they had the feeling that we were focusing all of our attention on the buildings and the equipment. And they were worried that they were being left out. So I think it was a little bit of the mid-winter slumps when it came about. And I think that now if you interviewed them there'd be a total reversal because just last week they were out in Los

Angeles and their films were being seen in the American Film Institute and they're euphoric right now. I think the survey that came out was of a particular group of students. They said that they represented the campus but there were an awful lot of other students that were very upset about it. So that the way the papers picked it up it sounded like it was much more deep seated and serious. We took some of the ideas seriously because whenever you start a new school you have to put together a faculty and a curriculum. And those are those are hard long term jobs. And so we're looking very much into any complaints that there were. But I think by the end of spring term those people have been very happy with what they've gotten. Have you sense taken another survey of the students I know that the students themselves took a survey but then after this all came about have you taken a survey. We took a survey in the Vice-Chancellor Pruitt interviewed the

majority of the senior class. And that survey was a mirror image in reverse of what had come out and it was something like 80 and 84 and 88 percent. In favor of proving and and really excellent ratings. So I think that that was a moment when people were very tense when we worry about opening the school and they were scared it was exam times. But I think that now if you took a survey to get a very nice and I survey controversy aside this new studio village has an impressive facility and I know that this is something that you have pushed for for a number of years I want to tell our audience about it. Well it's it's a really total working headquarters. It's not just a place that you have classrooms or editing suites but it's a place where you can actually do your cinematography. That's one of the problems with filming that you don't have that many daylight hours and you can't just send people off into Winston-Salem and get them back in time for their 11 o'clock class

so that we wanted to do as much as possible on campus and have our equipment on campus to it's much safer and quicker. So we designed the buildings that they could use them as backdrops and a great many cases and we can run flats along we can make a Midwestern street or we can make an industrial setting. And so it's a very sophisticated place. The school of the arts is much more than just its filmmaking school. So why don't you tell us a little bit more about the entire curriculum of the school. Well it's a. It's an amazing place because all of the arts are there. And I don't think that's true of any other conservatory in America that they would have dance and music and drama and all the theater crafts stage managing lighting costume design wigs makeup music's biggest school. And now filmmaking. And we also started the high school level. So I don't think there's any conservatory that can claim to have the

horizontal stretch of the vertical stretch in subject matter and age. How does a school like that fit here in North Carolina when I think of the arts I think of major cities New York Chicago L.A. are there are advantages and disadvantages to being located in North Carolina. Pretty much. I think the the disadvantage is obvious if if you're sitting in New York City and you suddenly have your violin teacher sick that day you can get on the phone. You have a choice of 100 fantastic teachers they can get in the subway. The only thing is that after they come to you they also leave on the subway. So that's the advantage and disadvantage in a nutshell. We have to bring in any guests artists or anything special that is not part of our faculty. But when they come to us then we have them for a while and they're very impressed that the students are not at all cynical or sort of spoiled as you can get in

a big city. You can feel the world is your oyster there. But down here when we get in Libya de Kock is coming on campus. It's an exciting event that makes a great impression on her as well as on all of us. What is the reputation of the School of the arts nationwide. Well it's getting to be very very very high. Some of our schools are almost preeminent I think the school design production is really not a rival in the country as far as the breadth of it and the amount of things that it covers all of those graduates are immediately given a job I think they've got a 99 percent employment record for life. I mean it's better than a law school in that sense. Music schools there are there are so many in the country that you are in a terrific competition whether it's a New England Conservatory or Juilliard or Curtis or Indiana or Peabody there's so many of them. And wherever that there usually is

some studios are very strong and right now we're very strong in our voice studio and our violin has been strong and we're now going to have a new quartet the Mendelssohn String Quartet in residence which is about the second or third top quartet of the country in residence as they're leaving Harvard and coming to us. So our school I think our dance school is also at least Number two the school of American Ballet or we are the two preeminent dance schools in the country. Well Chancellor Ewing I want to thank you so much for being here tonight and sharing a little bit about the North Carolina school the arts with our audience. Well it's a pleasure. We hope they all come and see it right. Thank you. And if you would like more information about the North Carolina School of the arts you can contact them via the Internet. That address is w w w dot and Art's dot edu. And

that closes out the week here in North Carolina now looking ahead to next week. We'll speak with the federal judge who is pushing for a program to train all North Carolina judges to speak Spanish. Judge Alonzo called One hopes his plan will help the Hispanic population receive fair treatment in the judicial process. Well thanks for joining us tonight. Have a great weekend. And please join us again on Monday for another edition of North Carolina now. Good night everyone.