CHAPEL HILL — Three North Carolina-related things to think about on this gray morning from Chapel Hill: 

UNC-Chapel Hill ranks as the No. 1 value in American public higher education, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine reported today.

For the 11th time in a row, UNC-CH ranked first on Kiplinger’s list of the 100 universities and colleges that provide the best value to in-state students. The magazine also listed Carolina No. 1 for the value offered to out-of-state students.

The new ranking appears in the February issue posted along with a related story this morning.

Here's a look at today's local headlines:

YMCA MERGER? Talk of a potential merger between the Chapel Hill-Carrboro YMCA and the Y of the Triangle has some concerned because local Y policies offer LGBT members and workers the same benefits as everyone else. Lana Douglas has our update.   

BOHEMIA ON THE BOULEVARD: A Durham developer has renovated Straw Valley off Durham-Chapel Hill Boulevard (do people in Chapel Hill just call it Chapel Hill Boulevard?). What's Straw Valley? Read Monica Chen's story.

NAACP OPPOSES CHARTER SCHOOL: This proposed Howard and Lillian Lee school is an interesting story, isn't it? Now the Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP is weighing in, saying the charter school would hurt the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools and might not even help those who need help the most. What do you think?  

The CHN goes to print Monday nights, so read today's News & Observer for the latest on the Laurence Lovette trial.  Elsewhere in the CHN, see 3 cool taekwondo pictures, find out why Chancellor Thorp went to the White House and what "dirty business" professor emeritus Robert Cox wants UNC out of, and read what two letters writers have to say about the resurrection of Joe Rowand.

And remember, please send your short essays, poems and photos for our annual Readers Writes issue this coming week. We're asking for submissions around the theme of new beginnings, and we could use some more. 

Thanks for reading,

Mark 

Tom Ross, president of the 17-campus UNC system, for years worked on the first-down measuring chain crew at high school football games. "It gave me the best political ad I ever ran," Ross, a former Superior Court judge, told Carolina Alumni Review. "I was running for re-election as a judge, and the caption was, 'Keep the judge on the chain gang.' That's as good as it gets."

In an interview at The N&O last week, Ross said he worked a college game last year when he was president of Davidson College.

There has been much speculation among UNC-Chapel Hill football fans about Ross' role in the dismissal of former coach Butch Davis. Ross told The N&O that he talked with UNC-CH Chancellor Holden Thorp a number of times but it was Thorp's decision to fire Davis. "I did not give any advice to him one way or another," Ross said. For more on Ross' comments, click here.

--John Drescher

It turns out not so many freshmen had taken upper level classes at UNC-Chapel Hill as a spokesman originally told us in our Sunday story about former football player Marvin Austin's academic transcript.

UNC spokesman Mike McFarland originally said 1,033 freshman had taken a 400 level class in the most recently completed academic year. He has now corrected that to 683 freshmen.

The statistic is significant because McFarland cited it to suggest that Austin's first class at the university -- a 400 level African-American studies course during the second summer session of 2007 -- might not be all that unusual. There were 3,846 freshmen in last year's class, so the original number would suggest one in four freshmen took a 400 level class.

The corrected number indicates it was more like one in six.

That statistic does not reflect how many of those freshmen took a 400 level class in their second semester, when they would have a much better lay of the land and might have taken a prerequisite.  It also doesn't show how many freshman got into a 400 level class after demonstrating they had taken advanced placement classes in high school.

Austin got a B plus in the class, according to the partial transcript we obtained. It was the only class he took that semester before taking a full slate of introductory courses in the fall. Those courses included a remedial writing class.

Austin is one of seven players who had to sit out last season as a result of an NCAA investigation into impermissible perks and academic help.

CHAPEL HILL - UNC system president Tom Ross and UNC Board of Governors chair Hannah Gage this morning issued a joint statement proclaiming the board's full support of chancellor Holden Thorp's leadership at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Many fans have voiced criticism of Thorp for firing football coach Butch Davis with the Tar Heels facing NCAA allegations of nine major violations. Fans have been upset with Thorp for firing Davis even though he wasn't personally cited in the violations, and for the timing of the dismissal nine days before the start of preseason camp.

"We are well aware that there are some alumni and other friends of UNC-Chapel Hill who strongly support the decision to make a coaching change, some who vehemently oppose it, and others who support the decision, but not its timing," the statement read. "We also know that making difficult and unpopular decisions comes with the job of being a university chancellor, and that Chancellor Thorp is committed to doing everything possible to maintain both academic integrity and athletic success at Carolina."

CHAPEL HILL - Holden Thorp said today that he has no plans to step down as the University of North Carolina’s chancellor and that the UNC system Board of Governors “has been great through this” NCAA investigation of UNC’s football program.

“Carolina is a great research university,” Thorp said. “We’re getting a great class next week coming in. We have great students coming back. We’ll have the faculty continue to make discoveries. Our research grants continue very, very strong, and fund raising continues very, very strong. This is a great, great public university.

“I feel inspired by the way our faculty has responded to the economic crisis, and I’m proud to be their leader.”

University of North Carolina officials plan to take the full 90 days allotted to them to respond to an NCAA Notice of Allegations charging the school with nine major violations, UNC chancellor Holden Thorp said this afternoon.

UNC’s written response to the NCAA is due Sept. 19, and school officials have an Oct. 28 meeting in front of the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions.

Thorp spoke publicly only for about 90 seconds in front of the UNC system Board of Governors Committee on University Governance this afternoon. Board of Governors members quickly went into closed session for the purpose of discussing personnel matters.

Fifteen days ago, Thorp fired UNC football coach Butch Davis with controversy over the violations continuing to grip the campus.

“I held a press conference about that, and I’ve talked to the media about that,” Thorp said this afternoon, “so I don’t have a great deal more to add about that in open session.”

University of North Carolina chancellor Holden Thorp is scheduled this afternoon to give an update on the school's athletics program to a UNC system Board of Governors committee in Chapel Hill.

Thorp will address the Board of Governors Committee on University Governance. Fifteen days ago, with UNC preparing a response to allegations of nine major violations from the NCAA, Thorp fired football coach Butch Davis.

Some fans have reacted angrily to the firing, but the faculty and UNC Board of Trustees have backed Thorp.