Anxiety

...ba href=/anxiety/a/b is understandable and expected when a school district plans to close their child's school.

They worry about how their children will adjust to a new environment and about the potential inconvenience.

Such decisions aren't made lightly in Leon County.

But ultimately, School Board members must consider the bigger picture - demographics, the class-size amendment, operation costs and the needs of all its programs.

ADVERTISEMENT In doing so, board members made an unpopular but necessary decision Tuesday.

They voted to close Caroline Brevard Elementary and remodel it to become the new home of SAIL alternative high school.

This means sending Brevard's 370 students to other elementary schools, all relatively nearby: Sabal Palm, Riley, Ruediger, Sealey, Oak Ridge or the new Bond-Wesson.

Brevard's student body is 92 percent African American, and some parents and activists accused the School Board of racial motives - a pattern of closing predominantly black schools.

Marge DuPont went so far as to label it “basic racism 101,” which is an outrageous and unfair assessment.

The fact is that Brevard is one of the county's underpopulated schools, the result of demographic shifts to the northeast.

For more than a year, the School Board has studied the options for its underused schools and the need to move SAIL, which has been located in a run-down annex of the old Lincoln High School.

Several other locations, such as Riley, Belle Vue Middle School and the adult community center were co...

...ba href=/anxiety/a/b and frustration levels of both inmates and staff increases when there's an overflow, a change that can create a violent atmosphere, said Barry Nowoselsky, chair of the Saskatchewan Government and General Employees' Union (SGEU).Packing jails is putting the safety of those who live and work there in jeopardy, he said."If you have a small house with two people living in it, it might not be a big deal.

All of a sudden add six or eight or 10 more people to that house and the potential for conflict obviously rises," he said.

"It's even worse in a correctional centre because you've got people basically doing dead time, they've got nothing to do."Garry Prediger, director of the Saskatoon Correctional Centre, has seen a steady increase in the jail's population since taking the post in November.

He attributes the rise to an influx from the courts.Nowoselsky blamed work camp closures during the past 10 to 15 years.

He said inmates who would have been cleaning cemeteries or demolishing buildings are now taking up space in custody instead of contributing to society.Even with the added workload and stress, Prediger said he is proud of the way his staff have been handling the situation."We haven't seen an increase in incidents or concerns and that tells me they're doing a very good job."Bob Lague, acting deputy director, has been working at the jail since the gates opened in 1981.

He's seen the inmate population rise and fall over the years."When we've had problems with overcrowdin...

...ba href=/anxiety/a/b, Marlin is confident that his Ginn Clubs & Resorts Chevrolet will be up front at the end of Sunday’s race.

“We’re just barely on the outside looking in,” said Marlin, who will be piloting the No.

14 Ginn Clubs & Resorts Chevrolet in the first of a three-race sponsorship package.

“It’s a little bit of pressure, but I’m certain our Ginn Clubs & Resorts Chevy will be top-notch.

Not only am I confident we'll make this weekend's race, I'm optimistic we can bring home a great finish." Marlin, who has 39 starts at the half-mile flat track, has turned in 14 top-10 finishes there, including seven in his last 10 starts.

"Obviously we’d like to be guaranteed a starting spot," said Marlin.

"But if we’re going to have some extra pressure, Martinsville isn’t a bad place for it.

I like short-track racing and tend to run pretty good there.

Also, Doug (Randolph, crew chief) and his team sat on the pole at Martinsville last spring, so I’m hoping we can find the right combination to not only start up front Sunday, but also finish there.” The No.

14 MB2 Motorsports team has had a rough start to the 2006 season.

An accident (Daytona), blown engine (Las Vegas) and a flat tire (Atlanta) have been the culprits.

But the veteran Marlin isn't down, he is hoping the team's 17th-place finish at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday helped set them in the right direction.

“A 17th-place finish isn’t what we're looking for and we're capable of much more,” said Marlin.

“But we were able to keep our nose c...