North Carolina Now; North Carolina Now Episode from 11/16/1995

The It's Thursday November 16th. Tonight building a winning team in North Carolina now. Hello everyone I'm reading the tri Thanks for tuning in on this Thursday evening. Today is the 19th Annual Great American Smokeout sponsored by the American Cancer Society where you smokers out there hope today wasn't too difficult. Well tonight Michel Louis brings us his interview with NC State head basketball coach Les Robinson.

Also another installment of our regular Thursday night feature showcasing North Carolina's beautiful state parks. Tonight we'll visit Goose Creek. But we start the show with a continuation of our series on women suffrage. Seventy two years ago at 72 years of struggle to give women the right to vote came to an end in the 1920s with the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution. As we mark the seventy fifth anniversary of that historic event Christina Copeland tells us about the role of North Carolina as women and state lawmakers played in the final fight. From 1913 through 1920 the women in North Carolina in 1917 alone membership in the state's equal suffrage league grew 1000 percent across the state new opportunities were opening up for women. North Carolina in the teens and 20s as today lead the nation in the number of women who worked outside the home. Many became involved in World War 1 serving as nurses both in France and on the

home front suffragist saw it as another way to show the country the many roles that women could fill. So there was also another agenda here about we will prove our worth here and soldiering is not just something that's done on a battlefield. Let the suffragists had little luck in winning the battle for support in the state legislature in 1915. Both the House and Senate rejected a voting rights amendment to the state constitution. The suffragists kept up their efforts working out of a small office not far from the state capitol building. But while various types of suffrage bills picked up a growing number of votes in the general assembly in 1917 and 1990 the final results were still the same. In that same here Congress passed a women's suffrage amendment to the Federal Constitution and submitted it to the states for ratification.

The federal amendment for many was not their first choice but it became clear that it was not going to happen through they had tried to amend the state constitution that had failed. They had tried small municipal legislation and presidential legislation for the for. Presidential vote and those have failed so become fairly fairly clear especially after nineteen fifteen and one thousand sixteen. That really there wasn't going to be much movement in that. In the area if you depended on your state politicians in the spring of 1920 the state's Democratic Party had recommended ratification of the so called Susan B Anthony Amendment. But many members remained adamantly opposed to it. One group the State's Rights Defense League had its headquarters only a few doors away from the suffragists offices. It argued that the federal amendment would threaten the state's ability to act on its own and could cripple Jim Crow laws designed to keep blacks out of the polls. Places finally

Governor Thomas Becket decided to deal with the amendment issue at a special session of the legislature set for that summer make it didn't really want to touch it. And even though his wife was an active suffragist he himself was as he said on the Senate floor he was not so worried about what women would do for politics as to what politics would do to women. It all came down to a hot August day like this one at the state capitol in August 19 20 35 states had already ratified the Susan B Anthony Amendment. Just one more state and women across the country would be given the right to vote. Gallery was divided in half so that the western side was the antis wearing kind of like red roses and the eastern side where the pro suffragist and no one was admitted on the floor but the politicians clerks and

pages. Opponents of the measure had already taken steps to try to protect themselves. 63 lawmakers had signed a telegram to the Tennessee legislature where ratification vote was also pending. The signers promised not to impose women's suffrage on their western neighbor and hope that their brothers in China she would do the same for them. As the debate began senators rose to voice their opinions on the issue. One being the last Confederate veteran in the General Assembly got up as a pro separatist saying for all the sacrifices women had done in the War Civil War and World War One certainly they should have the right. The leading speakers for the anti suffragists was Senate president pro tem Lindsey Warren. My father opposed the passage of the 19th Amendment is a grounds for basically states rights grounds he felt that the states should determine who had the right of franchise. It was recognized by everyone it was a very very close

issue. And it could go either way. As a matter of fact the probe probe expected it to be a tie vote would then lieutenant governor Max go on breaking the tie in support of the amendment. That wasn't what happened. In fact what did happen has been the subject of controversy for 75 years. Rather than calling for a vote on ratification Warren moved to table the bill until the regular legislative session in 1921. No one had anticipated this so there was a wild scramble some of the suffrage pro suffrage led legislators were confused. My father was an accomplished parliamentarian. He was only 30 years old at the time. But he knew how to count votes and the legend is that he kept a careful watch on the supporters of the amendment and when one left the chamber to go outside

presumably to the men's room he called the question on his motion. There are more mysterious versions of the story including one which claims the lawmaker was locked in the men's room until after the vote. I asked him specifically whether that was and he said no it was not so that he took the opportunity to call the question when he thought he had the votes and he did have it. The motion to table the amendment passed 25 to 23 North Carolina had lost its chance to make history the next day Aug. 18. The Tennessee legislature ratified the 19th Amendment to the Constitution voting rights for North Carolina's women have proved inevitable after all. Tomorrow night Christina will conclude her five part series. Well if you're like most of the country you were glued to your set last night watching public television showing of Hoop Dreams. The three hour documentary followed the lives of two young basketball hopefuls as they tried to realize their dreams of playing in the NBA. The film also brought

to light the pluses and pitfalls of college recruiting. Tonight Mitchell Lewis talks about that with Wolfpack head coach Les Robinson. Coach Robinson thanks for joining us. First of all with so much high school basketball talent out there how do you go about finding prospects. Well there's numerous ways you learn about these players through recruiting services is one method. Most universities subscribe to these services and you start to learn about guys in other areas as soft Moore's juniors in your own area. You just tend to find out through your newspapers so it's not a problem identifying the prospects. It's really easy to identify the top players throughout the country. Recruiting is another story. Understand that NC State has done quite well in recruiting this year. Tell me a little bit about that. Well we've had a good recruiting year we think but recruiting is a funny

thing they rate and evaluate the services do in the media. And yet many times it's a couple years before you really find out how good a recruiting class was but class was a solid one in terms of numbers and we're real happy with the young men that we've landed. There are many high school students who come to college with the hopes of playing in the NBA. How realistic is that hoop dream. Well it's not quite a long shot at winning the lottery is what I like to use that as an analogy. It's a great dream to have there's nothing wrong with I had that dream myself but was not even you know I look back and I play on this court. I had that dream but now being mature having coached 30 years I know it wasn't even a prayer. You know for me to have played in the NBA and that that's what you hope will happen that. So I to have that dream and chase it. But the same time I realize that there's there's a whole big world out there there's other

things that you can do and be happy and be productive in. But a young man this little fanfare in December that like myself he had a dream probably to play in the NBA Mark Davis came here from Utica Mississippi and he chased it during and it didn't work out. And yet he's going to have a degree in civil engineering this December here in about a month and he already has several job offers he's going to take a job as a civil engineer and continue in graduate school. How important is a recruit's academic discipline in your selection process. Well it's very very important. We have a young man named Todd fuller that that is in a percentile all by himself. He's not the norm that has been great in school and most programs you know have have players like this for most high school teams. But then there's a lot of the other types that have the ability the potential to do well in the classroom and maybe have not exercised that potential not just basketball players and hopefully working together.

We can motivate them to get the job done but a young man has to want to succeed and realize that he must succeed in a classroom if he wants to succeed on the basketball court. In college there's been concern in recent years about the lowering of college basketball players into the pro ranks giving them these million dollar contracts without them getting a college degree. What's your take on that. Well Michel Ideally it would be great if college was for people want to go to college in pursuit agree and play their sport whether it be baseball football basketball for those soccer four years four and a half and get their degree and then pursue a professional career but the. Economics always allow there from the standpoint of supply and demand and basketball or sports is no different from anything else in that if a guy's 19 or 20 and his skills and his talents allows him to pursue a career in the

NBA we certainly shouldn't frown upon it in and I'll give a very good example gentlemen that I admired and put up on a pedestal pedestal I was a hero like no other person that I've seen in sports in the last two decades. Observe this from my living room this summer. Cal Ripken Jr. at age 17 was in Bluefield West Virginia pursuing a dream a professional baseball career. And to my knowledge I have never read or heard that he has ever taken one college course one credit. And yet he's an American hero. So it's almost like we have a cloud over this you know pursuing a professional career. I'm more concerned about the ones that are. Pursuing a professional career and do not really have a fair shot at it like guys like myself what do you think about agents appearing on college campuses trying to lure athletes. Our major problem for college as Leisha day especially in high profile sports of football and basketball they are a big problem.

My feeling is the way to solve that is legal ass agents. And I don't think they would want to do it as much as I tell our players. The reason they will give you something or try to track you behind the you know the building or in a closed room around the corner of whatever is because it's wrong and they know that they get their teeth into a young man. Then they sort of have control of it and there are a lot of good agents out there solid tough businessman agents that you know a professional general managers M.B.A. general managers don't like because because they're trying to work a great deal for their for their person their athlete. But but there are a lot of good ones but it's the ones that anyone they're all for something illegal. I cannot say he's a good agent. What advice would you give a high school athlete preparing himself to be a college prospect. And don't be thinking that you're bigger than your life.

Basketball is very important it's a fun game it's a great spectator game but keep it in perspective. Listen to your parents listen to your high school coach your teachers your priest your minister get as much information these people as possible and and help them in the decision making process. So it's less Robinson thank you very much for taking up time to talk with us. Michel enjoyed visiting with you very much. My pleasure. Well in just a moment a visit to Goose Creek State Park. But now here is Mitchell Lewis at the North Carolina now news desk great interview match and I understand that Coach Robinson has gotten some flak for State's schedule some say it's a bit too easy. Merida that started from Dick Vitale you know the ESPN very vocal announcer and former basketball coach. He told Coach Robinson that NC State schedule was a cupcake schedule and they were joking around but Coach Robinson responded in kind and said Well you know Dick

Vitale should know based on some of the seasons Vitale had as a coach. What's going on in the news today and we'll find out right now. Good evening everyone. Pender County officials have decided to take their matters into their own hands when it comes to regulating honks farms. County officials say they want to use nuisance health laws to make hog farms in Pender County clean up their act. The regulations would require annual inspections of all livestock operations with 250 or more animals and all new operations would have to get a permit. The county could also order farms to cleanup operations when pollution or odor jeopardizes public health. A new poll of New Hanover County voters shows Governor Jim Hunt has a strong position going into next year's election. A telephone survey of 301 registered voters found that 59 percent of those surveyed find hunt a favorable candidate for governor. However once Republican opponents didn't fare as well. Only four percent of those surveyed find Charlotte Mayor Richard Vinroot a favorable candidate while even fewer

voters found Republican Robin Hayes to be a favorable candidate Republican contender Steve Arnold was not included in the poll which was conducted by the North Carolina Institute for political leadership in Wilmington. The number of state contracts awarded to companies owned by minorities women and the handicapped drop this year according to new figures released by the State Department of Administration during the 1994 95 fiscal year 4.7 percent of all contracts awarded went to minority businesses. That's down from 5.5 percent the year before. The North Carolina budget and tax center is challenging the notion that welfare recipients make more money on welfare than by getting a job. A new report shows that the average welfare family in North Carolina gets about $9000 a year from the government. However the center says a single parent with two kids can get more money if the parent gets a job that pays at least $5 and 25 cents an hour. That's because in addition to the job pay the state will add food stamps Medicaid for children under nine and a federal tax credit to increase the

family's income to almost $4000 above what they would get on welfare. And now let's take a look at tomorrow's weather. High temperatures will remain below normal for this time of the year ranging from the mid 40s in the northern mountains to the upper 50s at the southern beaches. Sunny skies are expected across the entire state. In business news the Charlotte Observer is reporting that federal securities regulators are looking into some of nation's banks operations. The regulators are apparently interviewing former bank brokers and some customers about nation's banks practices were selling investments a woman's and movie studio may soon have a new owner state film commissioner William Arnold says production companies in Los Angeles are looking into buying Carol co studios from 20th Century Fox. Fox recently bought the Wilmington studio but hasn't said whether it will keep it. The stock market rallied to another record high today with the Dow Jones industrial average up more than 46 points to close at forty nine sixty nine point thirty six. Four hundred eighteen million shares traded

hands. The Nasdaq composite index and the Standard Poor's 500 Index also increased. And now for some stocks of North Carolina interest you. With with with with with every Thursday evening Andre Cates Bailey brings us to a different state park. Tonight we travel to the eastern part of our state to the Pamlico River in Beaufort County.

That's where you'll find Goose Creek State Park are state parks offer us a much needed chance to just get away from it all. But our parks also offer us a chance to do a little homework to visit Nature's Classroom. Now in this series we've learned how sand dunes migrate how Carolina bays were formed and about the threat to loggerhead turtles. What you can do with each state park offers a fully developed educational program. They're called a lease or an environmental education learning experience at Goose Creek State Park in both for County students and teachers from around the state. Visit to learn about wetland wonders. So you put it in here but don't come anywhere close to color. Then you can move. At the base Creek education foundation was formed basically to promote education in the park to promote the use of the park as an outdoor classroom and also to promote environmental education in general. Well the

foundation was formed basically by a group of a few interested teachers that wanted to see the part used as an outdoor classroom. You know we thought the facility was here and makes a nice convenient place to bring school crates the trails have been used and other areas of the park for all kinds of outdoor activities. The environmental education learning experience that has been written for our part has been designed to have students in the park actually testing the quality of the water in the wetlands areas the daily is written so that the students get some background on wetlands at school before they come to the park. And once they get to the part they're actually involved and hands on chemical testing of the quality of the water such things as the dissolved oxygen levels the salinity of the water the PH in the temperature those Creek State Park contains pine bars bottom land hardwoods freshwater March and tidal wetlands where fresh and salt water meet.

You can experience many different wetland systems in one place. The Pamlico River and Goose Creek itself is a wonderful life but this park is such an excellent education facility. Even the canoeing trips can become education trips. So you're having fun on the recreation is there but at the same time it's a learning experience as well. I've lived here all my life and I'm

saying the rivers and the creeks in this area change drastically over time. The development along the river has probably been the key factor in changing the quality of our river. A place like this Creek State Park can preserve an area where the development has not occurred and can hopefully help to set an example as to what we need today. Volunteers and park staff have worked for years to develop the park as an educational resource and there are exciting plans for the future. Through the bond funding that the citizens fourth a lot of past a couple years ago were building a 1.6 million dollar environmental education facility and that's going to be just a real plus to this park and to the people in this area. If you want to visit Goose Creek or other state parks call ahead to learn more about the education program in the park. Like I said call ahead for information the phone

number is there on your screen it's 9 1 9 9 2 3 2 1 9 1. Or you can write to Goose Creek State Park Route 2 box 3 7 2 Washington North Carolina 2 7 8 8 9. We also have this color brochure that we've put together on all of North Carolina State Parks and if you'd like to receive a copy you can get one by dropping us a line here in North Carolina now P.O. Box 49 hundred RTP NC 2 7 7 0 9. Make sure that you indicate somewhere on the envelope that you're interested in receiving the state park information. A special acknowledgement goes out tonight to former Governor Robert Scott former Governor Scott was honored by

the North Carolina community college system this evening. He was given the AAI Reddy award which is the system's highest honor it's given to individuals who have contributed significantly to the establishment and growth of North Carolina's community colleges. Former Governor Scott headed up the state's community college system for 11 years. Well tomorrow night we close out the week with an interview with North Carolina's own Bob timber like so join us tomorrow. Good night.