Is it a conspiracy or coincidence that the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights is spending a lot of its time investigating various complaints filed against the Wake County school system?

As noted in today's article, OCR has used its discretion to launch investigations of three complaints against Wake in the past two years. The scope of the investigations means OCR is looking at how students are assigned, how they’re suspended, what athletics opportunities they’re provided and whether they’re getting important notices in Spanish.

Depending on your point of view, they're welcome probes or a case of the feds butting in too much into Wake County's business.

HBO debuts "41" tonight, a documentary on the life and times of George H.W. Bush (Adrienne has a review). 

So it seems like as good a time as any to give away some Bush books!

For you: a really nice coffee table book featuring George H.W. and George W.: "The Bush Legacy: Their Story in Photographs," which was created by NYT author/editor David Elliot Cohen and has a foreward by Condoleezza Rice. It's going to cost us a fortune to mail to you, so please appreciate it.

We'll toss in a paperback copy of George W.'s memoir "Decision Points."

Send me an email by midnight Friday if you want to be in the drawing.

MTV Video Music Awards (9pm, MTV and VH1) - Tony Bennett will introduce a tribute to the late Amy Winehouse during tonight's show. The tribute includes footage of Bennett's duet of "Body and Soul" with Winehouse. Other performers scheduled for the show are Lady Gaga, Adele, Bruno Mars, Lil Wayne, Chris Brown, and Pitbull.

Drop Dead Diva (9pm, Lifetime) - Jane represents an engineer who claims a school is going to be built on toxic soil, but the construction company handling the build is is one of the firm's most important clients, and Parker orders Jane to drop the case. Meanwhile, Teri is sued for slander for verbally attacking her high school nemesis, played by Patti Stanger ("Millionaire Matchmaker").

Leverage (9pm, TNT) - Sterling enlists the gifted grifters to pilfer a nuclear reactor component from a skyscraper in Dubai during an international chess tournament.

True Blood (9pm, HBO) - Trouble in Shreveport means Sookie must use her powers to rescue Bill, which causes Marnie to rethink her grand plans.

George W. Bush: The 9/11 Interview (10pm, National Geographic Channel) - Former President George W. Bush shares candid details about his personal experiences on 9/11 and recalls the hours and days following the attacks. Includes never-before-seen archival footage and exclusive materials directly from the George W. Bush Presidential Library. Read Adrienne's review.

Breaking Bad (10pm, AMC) - A frustrated Walt takes a risky gamble and Hank requires the assistance of Walter Jr. for an unusual reason.

Curb Your Enthusiasm (10pm, HBO) - Wanda Sykes returns to the show tonight. Enough said.

The Glades (10pm, A&E) - An Ernest Hemingway look-alike is found shot in the head and adrift in the ocean. Also, an old lover from Callie's past arrives with a surprise.

Top Gear (10pm, History) - Vehicles worth $500 are tested on the Pacific Coast Highway, and the Subaru Impreza WRX STi is tested in a deserted town.

UNC President Tom Ross has added to his leadership team.

Lyons Gray, a Winston-Salem businessman who served six terms in the N.C., General Assembly before joining the administration of President George W. Bush, has been named Senior Advisor to the President of the 17-campus University of North Carolina. Gray will earn $180,000 for the one-year appointment, which begins March 14.

His is a new position paid by non-state funds, said Joni Worthington, a UNC system spokeswoman.

 In his new role, Gray will provide guidance and assistance on state and federal issues impacting university priorities, as well as university-wide efforts to implement efficiency measures and best practices that reduce overall operating costs.
 
After attending UNC- Chapel Hill, Gray spent more than a decade working for the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company before founding and growing several small businesses.  Appointed to the N.C. House of Representatives in 1989 to represent Forsyth County, he was subsequently elected to the position for six consecutive terms. 

During his 14-year tenure in the General Assembly, he chaired the House Finance Committee, introduced key legislation supporting economic growth and quality of life improvements across the state, and helped advance the $3.2-billion Higher Education Bond Referendum of 2000. 

After leaving public office, Gray served as president of the Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership before being nominated by President George W. Bush to serve as chief financial officer of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.  He served in that capacity, managing a budget in excess of $7 billion, from 2005 to 2009.
 
Gray is currently vice chairman of the Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation, and has previously served on the boards of UNC-Chapel Hill’s General Alumni Association, Salem Academy and College, the UNC School of the Arts Foundation, and the Piedmont Triad Partnership. 

Fox News anchor Bret Baier has only been in the anchor desk at "Special Report with Bret Baier" since early January but the 38-year old newsman is already making headway in the Nielsen ratings at the 6 p.m. hour.

The former WRAL reporter - he spent two years in the Triangle before moving on to FNC in 1998 - recently spoke to The N&O about his journalism career. That story will appear in The N&O on Monday. Baier, born in New Jersey and raised in Atlanta, also opined on a few current issues for our blog audience:

"Once in a Lifetime" long ago entered the category of Song I Used To Love Before It Got Beaten To A Wallpaper Pulp. But while I was watching television tonight, I discovered that there's a great new context to hear it in: This one.