TECHNICIAN
monday october
28 2013
Raleigh, North Carolina
technicianonline.com
‘Moral Monday’ protester from N.C. State faces trial
Jess Thomas Correspondent
JACQUELINE LEE/TECHNICIAN
Cailin Moore, a sophomore in biological sciences, leads the Ladies in Red in a collaborative a capella performance with groups from Elon and UNC-G.
N.C. State music groups raise money for research Jacqueline Lee Staff Writer
The Withers lecture hall was packed Friday night for a Tunes 4 Tay a capella event, which raised about $1,200 for pediatric cancer research. The N.C. State a capella group, the Ladies in Red, coordinated the event with the Tay-bandz organization to perform with other North Carolinabased collegiate a capella groups.
“It was fantastic to have so many groups come out that were so enthusiastic about the cause,” said Ashley Oskardmay, the Ladies in Red music director. “We really had a great turnout in terms of people in the audience.” N.C. State’s a capella groups Ladies in Red, Grains of Time and Acappology performed along with Elon’s male group Rip_Chord and
TAY continued page 3
The first member of the N.C. State community faced trial for her arrest during the Moral Monday protests. Barbara Zelter, a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Social Work, was one of the 12 arrestees who attended a court hearing on Friday. Zelter was arrested April 29 and charged with violating building rules, failure to disperse and trespassing “It doesn’t scare me,” Zelter said. “I think we citizens have rights, and when we participate in civil disobedience we understand that there are consequences.” The trial resulted in a continuance, which will take place on Dec. 4. The two witnesses who were questioned were former North Carolina Senator Ellie Kinnaird and Chief of the N.C. General Assembly Police
Jeff Weaver. No defendants took the stand. The N.C. Administrative Office of the Courts appointed Judge Joyce Hamilton to oversee all the Moral Monday trials. Hamilton, who came out of retirement to oversee the more than 900 Moral Monday cases, is scheduled to serve only two days per month. “With her schedule it’s going to take many years to complete all of the trials involving the defendants,” Zelter said. According to Zelter, the majority of court time Friday consisted of Weaver attempting to rationalize his sense of impending danger. In addition, the prosecution took a substantial amount to attempt to link NAACP demonstration with the protests of Ben Carroll and Dante Strobino. Zelter said that Carroll and Strobino attended the event on April 29 as supporters who pushed for education justice for students.
The Raleigh Police Department had labeled them as threats to public safety, which caused concern. “They have been cast as anarchists and dangerous people, which they’re not,” Zelter said. “Apparently the Raleigh Police Department has labeled these people as dangerous, and the prosecution is trying to make a connection where none exists.” Also during the trial, Scott Holmes, the defense lawyer, called Kinnaird to the stand and questioned her regarding whether the April 29 demonstration interrupted North Carolina legislators from entering the building and conducting business. Kinnaird said that there were no problems entering the chambers, nor did the protest deter her from her duties. Zelter said the most difficult part of being called back for trial is that it becomes difficult for people to take
MORAL continued page 2
Homecoming Week activities begin with food and game festival Brittany Bynum Staff Writer
A week’s worth of celebrations for Homecoming at N.C. State officially launched Sunday on Miller Fields. Homecoming Kickoff included a disk jockey, Raleighbased food vendors, free customized street signs and T-shirts. The event also included laser tag, a game truck with Wii and Xbox, disc golf, home-run derby, bubble balls and inflatables. The N.C. State Alumni Association Student Ambassador Program passed out free T-shirts to students who had already downloaded the N.C. State Homecoming app, which is a new addition to the celebration this year. Mem-
bers of the AASAP encouraged students to use the app for almost all Homecoming events, such as voting for the best f loat in the parade or buying tickets for the pack howl concert. The kickoff was the first of 42 events that will take place throughout the week, including a spirit banner competition, an Instagram contest, a blood drive, a cupcake war and a karaoke party in downtown. “The whole week will blow people away,” said Melissa Wright, parade director for Homecoming and a sophomore in elementary education. Wright said that all Homecoming events have been certified by the University
FESTIVAL continued page 3
JOHN JOYNER/TECHNICIAN
Freshman in First Year College Zach Long throws a beanbag in a game of corn hole at the 2013 Homecoming Kickoff on the lower Miller Field Sunday.
2013 N.C. State Fair attendance not set to break previous record Joseph Havey Deputy News Editor
The annual North Carolina State Fair ended its 2013 run Sunday, with a recordbreaking year in attendance looking unlikely. According to Heat her Overton, public information officer for the N.C. State Fair, attendance through Saturday was 829,344. “We won’t know today’s attendance until sometime tomorrow, but we have a pretty good crowd out there right now,” Overton said. “Aside from the first Saturday, we’ve had pretty good weather.” Overton said although the total attendance would likely end up lower than last year, several of the fair’s exhibits saw increases in attendance — some of them by more than 100 percent. “We had a huge increase in attdenance to our flower show, and we had a huge in-
crease in the number in our beer competition,” Overton said. “It was the second year of our beer competition … I think more people knew about it, and that’s what increased the entries.” On Thursday, a ride called the Vortex malfunctioned by starting while riders were attempting to board. Five people were injured, and three are still hospitalized. Overton said she guesses this could have affected attendance. “It’s hard to say for sure,” Overton said. “Actually, our lowest attendance to date was the first Saturday, which of course was before the ride accident even happened. But the attendance is down from last year.” This year, the fair’s theme was “North Carolina’s Homecoming.” According to Overton, the theme was designed to show that the fair is a unique event each year. “It’s like a reunion,” Over-
ton said. “You see your friends, and you see things you only see once a year.” In addition to classics, such as pig racing, BMX bike shows and magic shows, there were several new entertainment events at the fair this year. Acrobats performed twirls and flips on a steel gantry near the Dorton Arena. Also new this year was the Wacky Wheeler, a roaming comedic event in which a clown rolled through the fair on a giant hamster-wheel like contraption. “One of my favorite parts of the fair was the Wacky Wheeler,” Overton said. “I liked to see him out there rolling around.” Agriculture competitions, one of the original reasons for hosting the N.C. State Fair, awarded residents from throughout the state with first prizes in everything from beer to sweet potato dishes.
FAIR continued page 2
Ride injures five, operator arrested Staff Report
The Wake County Sheriff ’s Office arrested a ride operator after a ride injured five people Thursday. Timothy Dwayne Tutterrow, 46, of Quitman, Ga., was booked in the Wake County jail on three counts of assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious bodily injury. Tutterrow was working as one of the operators of a ride called the Vortex, which reportedly started moving while people were trying to board Thursday night. The ride has two arms that twirl and suspend riders. Without restraints in place, the riders fell from their seats, witnesses told The News & Observer. An ambulance was on scene within a minute of the initial emergency call and all of the injured people were transported offsite to WakeMed Hospital within 20 minutes. Five people were injured and three people remain hospitalized. They were identified Saturday as Anthony Gorham, 29, Kisha Gorham, 39, and a 14-year-old whose identity was not disclosed. Authorities had no further information Saturday
night about the conditions of those hospitalized. Four of those injured are from the same family, fair officials said. The fifth has only been identified as an employee who had the job of securing the riders into their seats. According to a press release from the State Department of Agriculture, which runs the fair, this is the first time this Vortex ride has been at the N.C. State Fair. There is a second Vortex ride that has been on site for several years, but it is a completely different style of ride, the press release stated. “This is a situation that we never want to have at the fairgrounds. Any ride accident is tragic and our thoughts and prayers are with the families,” Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler said in a press release. “Safety is something that we take very seriously and so this accident has shaken us all deeply.” Tutterrow’s bail was set at $225,000, and he will have a court appearance Monday in Wake District Court, reported The N&O.