by Amy Gretenstein

Vice President Joe Biden held a brief tour and speech Thursday in an effort to tout the success of the Obama administration’s stimulus package.

Touring Cree with Energy Secretary Steven Chu and then speaking for about 25 minutes, Biden bragged that Cree, a Durham company that manufactures light-emitting diodes (LEDs), is an “American success story.”  Cree received more than $39 million tax credits and has hired around 375 new employees within the last year.

As if that was not impressive enough, upon Obama’s inauguration, Cree stock sold for $18.76 a share and to $19.99 when he signed the stimulus bill. Today, the stock has been selling for about $71.44. Super impressive, indeed!

Not only is Cree being highlighted for its impressive economic gains and hiring, but it is also being noted for its boosting of manufacturing in renewable and energy-efficient technologies.

While I do agree Cree is a stimulus success story, it sure doesn’t hurt to have the vice president come in and pat the president on the back. Just days before a major House vote on the health care bill, Biden’s appearance might have something to do with swaying last minute votes. However, it is always good PR to highlight your successes and it appears Biden is doing just that.

Biden and the administration could not have picked a better success story. Cree is an American company increasing jobs and revenue, and is promoting renewable energy-efficient technologies. Looks to me like Biden “hit the nail on the head.”

Photo source: NathanF

by James Schlegelmilch

Today, State Treasurer Janet Cowell will announce the official in charge of North Carolina’s Innovation Fund.  The NC Innovation Fund will take $250 million from the state employee’s pension fund and invest the money into up and coming North Carolina-based businesses.

This investment idea, while not a new idea nationally, is an excellent way to lend a helping hand to businesses that have invested their own time and energy into North Carolina’s economy while generating a return on the money that is already in the system.

There are about 20 states in the nation that have this type of plan in place already, and North Carolina began the process of finding management of the fund and investment opportunities this past November when the state issued requests for proposals from private equity firms to manage the investments.

The state’s pension fund already has investments in stocks, bonds, real estate, and alternative investments like private equity, hedge funds, and venture capital.  This new plan will be a way to ensure that while growing the pension fund, the state’s economy is supported in a sort of “win-win” scenario.

While this investment plan will be good for the state on both ends, as with any investment, it will take time to see returns on the money invested in these local businesses.  I do feel though, that this is a great opportunity for the state to do something for itself.  In this economy, businesses need all the help they can get, and if the state itself can get something back for it, I’m not sure how this can be a bad thing.

Photo Source: Pfala

by: Mallory Pfeffer

For as long as I have lived in North Carolina and attended the schools here I remember there being conflict after conflict relating to the bus system for public schools. Basically, the issue is that Wake County has a system of taking buses into inner-city areas and moving students to schools all over the county.

The reasoning behind it is to provide inner-city students with the same opportunities that the students in more affluent areas receive, and to add to the diversity of schools. The problems are some students have to travel more than 20 minutes to get to their schools, they arrive incredibly early and get home incredibly late, they are ultimately being stripped from their communities and the transportation costs really add up.

A meeting held by the Wake County school board on Tuesday was organized to vote on whether or not diversity busing should continue. The session began at 10 a.m. and extended into the night, so clearly a great deal was discussed. Previously, a vote had been cast to end the busing program and have students attend the schools in their communities, so the board was organized to discuss the possibility of passing the resolution.

With representatives from the different communities, as well as the NAACP, at the meeting there were plenty of differing opinions available to turn it into a heated debate. Civil rights became the center of the argument. Some were arguing “racism,” others were arguing that they “opposed anything that lead to re-segregation,” and still others were arguing that “morality doesn’t support the new plan.”

By the end of the session the board decided to keep the new plan and end diversity busing in communities. The opposition aren’t going down without a fight. Rev. William Barber, president of the NAACP in North Carolina declared, “don’t get discouraged” and “get your head up! We’ve got some courts we may need to get into.”

Although the meeting may have ended and the vote was determined, it appears the situation is far from over.  With Wake County now receiving national attention , the government and school board should tread softly. If you were to type “Wake County’s response to diversity busing” into a Google browser nothing but negativity towards the school system appears. Officials should be doing what they can to combat all of the negative headlines, but yet they don’t seem to be trying very hard to maintain a positive image. Well, good luck Wake County, it seems you may be needing it.

Image: laffy4k

By Audrey Beckett

The results of the October 2009 Wake County School Board elections have created a steady stream of media coverage, with new topics taking priority every few weeks. Much of that coverage has been negative, or at the very least, had potential to inflame parts of the board’s constituency.

The four newly elected board members shifted the board to a conservative majority. Debra Goldman, Chris Malone, John Tedesco and Debra Prickett made it clear from the beginning that big changes were going to be made to the system’s assignment and busing policies. The concern that has been raised most frequently is that these new changes will discourage diversity within the Wake County Public School System.

Many of the tensions surrounding the school board are political and I have no intention of taking a political side in this blog. However, regardless of any individual’s political ideology, there are some public relations issues that should be addressed.

A significant amount of criticism has been leveled against the board by civil rights organizations who oppose the board’s proposed end to busing for racial and socio-economic diversity. The North Carolina chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) has been vocal about their fears. Reverend William Barber, president of the chapter, has stated, “We’re no longer going to sit back and watch our schools, without any challenge, go back to segregation. ‘Separate but equal’ does not work. We know that.” Regardless of the board’s intentions, this is the kind of bad press that they need to address head-on. Being associated with racism, segregation and ineffective historic policy is a PR nightmare that should have been quickly and forcefully refuted.

It may have seemed easy to write off complaints when they were coming from the board’s political opponents.  However, a recent survey distributed by the board itself has indicated that 94.5% of the 40,000 Wake County parents surveyed are happy with their child’s current assignment. As an elected body, the board will receive bad press if they fail to be responsive to their constituency.

In recent days the conflict between the board majority and Wake Superintendent Del Burns has been the focus of much  media coverage. Burns has submitted his resignation, claiming he could no longer work “in all good conscience” for the district, but plans to continue working until June 30. Since he made this announcement he has been quick to criticize the new board’s decisions and they in turn are threatening insubordination charges and stripping him of power before June 30. Disagreement among members has come to light as minority members defend Burns. Coming on the heels of previous bad press, recent media coverage has painted a picture of the board ineffective and argumentative.

The school board is in a tough PR situation. If they want to repair their image they need to take steps to shape the messages being broadcast. The first step: they need to be vocal as they respond to criticism. It’s also important that they are putting positive messages out so that their constituents aren’t only hearing criticisms. Finally, if they continue to express their internal disunity to the media, they should only expect bad press.

by Amy Gretenstein

On Friday Feb. 12, Revenue Secretary Kenneth Lay told The Associate Press that his agency is starting to delay refund checks for taxpaying individuals and businesses. Apparently this is because the state is out of money in its checking account.

The announcement has caused a bit of an uproar among citizens and politicians alike. However, the idea of delayed refunds isn’t new to the state. Last year, the state held back refunds but were not upfront about it. Not until angry taxpayers started complaining did the state speak up.

This year, the state and Gov. Bev Purdue have done a good job being more proactive about the delays. Gov. Purdue said not to be alarmed by the delays. Like many people around the state, North Carolina is living paycheck to paycheck and does not want to bounce any checks.

Typically during the months of February and March, refund checks arrive between two and six weeks. After April 15, checks typically take 12 weeks to arrive. Secretary Lay said the checks are delayed to a 12 week estimated arrival time.

Between the reassuring words of Gov. Purdue and Secretary Lay, I know I feel a little better about the delays. And because the state has been so honest about the delays, I feel even more encouraged to get my taxes done ahead of time so I can get my refund sooner than later.

Photo source: uzvards

By James Schlegelmilch

The continuing saga of disgraced governor  Mike Easley and his affiliates seems to be far from over.  Just hours before the indictment of former Easley aide, Charles Ruffin Poole, Lanny Wilson announced he will step down from the North Carolina Board of Transportation.

Wilson said in a letter to Gov. Bev Perdue, that he has “become a distraction” and will remove himself from the board.  Wilson was appointed to the board by former N.C. Gov. Easley in 2001, and again in 2005.  Wilson had testified before the State Board of Elections about Easley’s campaign finance violations.

Just this past Monday, Wilson announced that he will also be removing himself from the board of the N.C. Turnpike Authority.  This announcement comes as those involved in all aspects of the Easley debacle are pointing to Lanny Wilson as one of the “key money men.”

Indictments continue to roll in, and one has to wonder if traditional crisis PR tactics are going to be enough to restore the face of North Carolina politics.  As this situation continues to unravel, more and more of our state leaders are attempting to right their wrongs.  Crisis PR was created to handle these types of situations.  But with honesty and responsibility falling to the wayside, are PR strategies enough to restore North Carolinians confidence in our state leaders?

Photo Source: whoohoo120

By Kathleen Mongero

To quote a recent N&O article, “it’s not close to being over for Mike Easley.”  As late October court proceeding played out, the jury and the public were showered with copies of invoices showing Mike Easley’s use of campaign funds for extras such as undocumented travel, a car and personal home repairs.  Relying heavily on hours of testimony from former aide McQueen Campbell, who provided insight into the Easley financial allegations as well as the controversial hiring oh his wife at N.C. State University, the court went so far as to discuss criminal charges that may still be in the cards for the former governor.

And the Easleys aren’t the only ones being forced to face some all-too-familiar demons.  Former N.C. State Chancellor James Oblinger, who resigned from his post this past summer of 2009, is still feeling the aftershocks of the Mary Easley debacle.  A recent article in The Round Up, a popular student newspaper at New Mexico University where Oblinger is a top-five finalist for president, reminisces on the traces of shame leftover from the recent allegations and even includes disdainful quotes from various NMU staff members on the topic of his possible hiring.

So what is next for individuals like Easley, Campbell and Oblinger? Will Campbell’s attempt to take the focus off of his own misdeeds by openly testifying against Easley ultimately come back to haunt him in the end?  Does a potential position of presidency at a new university present Oblinger with the tools to mend his career faux pas, even if it means being met with initial resistance?  And finally, will Easley ever recover from this ordeal? It may be time to call in the Blagojevich PR team.

President Plans To Continue Healthcare Discussion With Public

President Barack Obama will be making a visit to Raleigh on Wednesday to continue discussions on the latest healthcare reform efforts.  Only days after addressing Congress before the nation on prime time TV, Obama hopes to keep the pressure on lawmakers to come to an agreement on healthcare by the end of the year – which would help to put proposed programs and benefits into effect.

Obama’s most general goal for U.S. healthcare is to create legislation that would require all American’s to be insured.  This program would serve to compete with private insurers’ rates, as well as create a system of checks and balances to prevent instances of industry corruption such as barring policy holders when they fall ill and eliminating individuals for pre-existing conditions – both of which have proven to be increasingly problematic nationwide.  With over 50 million people going uninsured in the U.S., those pushing for Obama’s success in the reform hope to see lowered costs and increased coverage in benefits.

Having been criticized for making Wednesday’s prime time address too confusing in language and not directed enough at the public, Obama will use his discussions tour as an aid in understanding his healthcare proposals.  The format of the talk will be a town hall meeting held in the Broughton High School gymnasium.  Tickets to the event were awarded through a lottery system ending Sunday afternoon.

One particular aspect of Obama’s presidency that his opponents seem to harp on is his perceived “celebrity” in the country.  There is no doubt, as some have already voiced on news comment boards, that people will label this appearance as another use of the PR-savvy President’s established likability.  Perhaps this week will show us whether or not North Carolina is still the same shade of blue it was in November.

State Passes Anti-Bullying Legislation & Students Speak Up

After a long battle, advocates for anti-bullying legislation saw victory recently when the bill narrowly passed through the N.C. House by a vote of 58-57.  The bill, which now awaits the expected signature of Governor Bev Perdue, aims to protect students in public school who are harassed for reasons related to race, religion, disabilities and perceived sexual orientation.   According to the News & Observer, the anti-bullying bill has taken years to catch on with lawmakers, seemingly due to its inclusion of sexual orientation.

Despite the fact that various administrations have pointed out that all state districts are already required to have anti-bullying policies in place, supporters of the bill claim they are frequently ignored and rarely implemented.   The differences in perspectives proved to be even more dramatic when local students were asked about their reaction to the possibility of the new laws.  Many agreed that the legislation was necessary and cited specific examples of instances where they had personally witnessed the emotional or physical harassment of a fellow student.  In many cases, the culprits were said to be athletes and the incident occurred in front of an authority figure, such as a teacher, without ramifications.

Supporters of the bill are hopeful that its passage will encourage victims of bullying to report incidents as well as contribute to preventing school violence, an issue that has become a main focus for education systems across the nation.  If signed into law, the bill will make consequences for bullies more severe and create a better system of checks to make sure schools are following through on their anti-bullying policies.

Iranian Protests Brought to You by Twitter and Social Media

by Casey Barger

Forget about watching the five o’clock news or reading the morning paper. If you are looking for updates on the election protests in Iran, you should be following the minute-by-minute Twitter updates.

Protests over the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as Iran’s president have led to what some are calling Twitters “biggest moment”. Following the presidential elections, the cities in Iran witnessed some of the largest street riots since the 1979 Iranian Revolution. While the Iranian government attempted to restrict access to controversial websites and text messaging, tweets began to leak out online about the uproar throughout the country.

Tweets even began to target cable news networks, claiming that they were not devoting enough time and resources to Iran election coverage. In response to the trending Twitter topic #CNNFail, CNN did increase their coverage of the events in Iran. Evidently, Twitter has made quite an impact on the news world. Not only has it become a supplement to traditional news outlets, but it also places pressure on these sources to cover in depth, fast changing events.

In this particular instance, Twitter was the ideal medium to cover the mass protesting. Why? Because it is easy for the average citizen to access and to use and very hard for a central authority to control. While the front pages of Iranian newspapers are being whited out and censored by the government, the Twitterverse is exploding with real time information directly from the streets.

So, the next time you feel your news channel hasn’t given you the whole story, take a look at Twitter!