Dave DeWitt

The Democratic National Convention officially begins tomorrow in Charlotte. But the event began yesterday for some. Police say two of the 800 or so who took to the streets to protest were arrested. Officials had prepared for as many as 10-thousand protestors. As Dave DeWitt reports from Charlotte, what the marchers lacked in numbers, they made up for in passion.

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A review panel is meeting to take a closer look at how academic fraud at UNC-Chapel Hill was investigated and handled.

Dave DeWitt: The five-member panel was created by the UNC Board of Governors. They are meeting today behind closed doors to investigate an academic scandal that involved no-show classes, changed grades, and other improprieties in the African and Afro-American Studies department at UNC Chapel Hill.

Last spring, the UNC system voted to allow campuses to once again raise tuition. As part of the last several rate hikes, schools were mandated to set aside at least 25 percent of new tuition revenue for need-based financial aid for low-income students.

But the UNC Board of Governors will soon decide whether to change that rule. Some Republican members of the Board say the set aside is a “hidden tax” on students who pay full tuition.

The debate over funding need-based financial aid appears to have a political bent.

The Republican National Convention starts today, after being postponed a day due to Tropical Storm Isaac. And although it may be overshadowed in this state by the Democratic Convention next week in Charlotte, it will still have a slight Tar Heel flavor.

Dave DeWitt: Three of the ten candidates for Congress who are expected to speak at the Republican Convention are from North Carolina.

Mark Meadows is one of them. He's running in the 11th district.

Whenever a magazine comes out with another list of the best cities, Raleigh is invariably on it. The State Capitol has been deemed one of the best cities for recent college graduates, for having a happy marriage, and for offering women a healthy lifestyle.

As the second-fastest growing city in the country, the decisions city leaders have to make to plan for the future come fast and furious. In the middle of it all is Raleigh’s charismatic planning director, Mitchell Silver.

North Carolina’s delegates to the Republican National Convention are waiting out Hurricane Isaac.

Today’s schedule has been cancelled, as the storm moves through the Gulf of Mexico. So North Carolina’s 55 delegates and 52 alternates have had to keep busy in other ways.

Wayne King is the chair of the state’s G.O.P delegation to the convention.

Researchers at UNC-Chapel Hill have published a paper on the importance of diversity in higher education.

Dave DeWitt: The paper, published in the current issue of Rutgers Race and Law Review, surveyed 6,500 law students over ten years, on 50 different campuses. The results were clear: students reported a distinct benefit in their learning environments when students of diverse backgrounds were present.

It’s a busy time for parents and students as many prepare to go back to school. It’s also an important time for decision-makers in the state’s largest school district.

Dave DeWitt: Wake County Schools have gotten plenty of attention the past few years, most of it unwanted. As the School Board has bickered over school assignment, calendar issues, and other topics, students have continued to perform above the state average. That has occurred despite the fact that Wake spends less per-pupil than the state average.

Students are moving back into Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill as classes are starting at Triangle Universities.

Dave DeWitt: Heavy rain over the weekend didn't make things easier for the tens of thousands of college students and parents lugging boxes up flights of stairs. Several schools were forced to cancel some outdoor activities over the weekend designed to welcome students to campus.

Rufus Edmisten is donating his papers to UNC-Chapel Hill. Edmisten worked for Senator Sam Ervin on the Senate Watergate Committee.

Dave DeWitt: The shining star of the collection Edmisten is donating is the subpoena he served to then-President Richard Nixon. In July 1973, Edmisten delivered the subpoena, after it became known that Nixon recorded conversations in the White House.

In an interview with the State of Things in 2006, Edmisten remembers Nixon's actions that eventually led to his resignation.