Friday, October 17, 2003

Wilmington, NC – Programming for the week of October 27, UNCW Community Link, an interactive, public affairs television show chats with Mike Queen about the possible sale of the Law Enforcement Center to the First Baptist Church and also with Peg Bradley-Doppes regarding the national attention UNCW’s Athletic Department recently received.



H.E. “Hunter” Thompson, Jr. sits down with Queen, reverend of First Baptist Church, to discuss the wavering decision to sell – or not to sell-- the Law Enforcement Center to the church. On Monday, Oct. 6th, the New Hanover Board of Commissioners overturned a previous agreement with First Baptist Church to sell them the facility. This generates much controversy about the building and its value to the community. As a jail, the building is worth $3 million, but only the county can use it as a jail. To use it as something other than a jail, it will be sold for $6.1 million.

Queen does not agree with the decision and says that selling the building to the church, “is the very thing our President – President Bush- has challenged the churches to take part in.”



Betty Ann Sanders speaks with Margaret (Peg) Bradley-Doppes, UNCW Athletic Director, and Christy Ross, a senior on the softball team, concerning the recent recognition the university has received for having the highest graduation rate among college athletes in the division one, triple A level. There are 340 athletes studying at UNCW, and more than 60 percent of those are scholar athletes. This says a tremendous amount about the effort the students put into studying as well as sports.

“Athletics is a part of the whole educational component. We have also put many great coaches on staff, which makes it hard because every spring other schools want to come and steal our coaches,” Bradley said.



Representing the Wilmington Star-News, this week’s Editorially Yours segment is provided by Allen Parsons.



UNCW Community Link reaches beyond the television studio to allow citizens to sound off on compelling issues facing Southeastern North Carolina. Hosts Sanders and Thompson engage and challenge the region’s newsmakers and opinion-shapers and then ask viewers to voice their opinions. Through collaboration with the Southeast Public Interest Network of North Carolina (www.SpinNC.org), citizens can use the latest Internet technologies to continue the dialog on show topics and community ideas. UNCW Community Link is brought to you in part by the following sponsors: Time Warner Cable, Wilmington Star News and WHQR Public Radio.





Tune into UNCW Community Link:



Wilmington & Brunswick County can tune in on The Learning Network, Time Warner Ch 5 and Charter Communications Ch 12 at 7 p.m. Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays



Pender County can tune in on Government Channel 8 at 7 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays



Carteret County/Havelock can tune in on Time Warner Channel 10 at 7 p.m. on Thursdays



Jacksonville can tune in on Time Warner Channel 10 at 7 p.m. on Thursdays