Wake County school board member Susan Evans is being credited with helping work out a potential compromise over the name of the new high school that will be built in Apex.

The school board and the Apex Town Council had initially agreed on West Apex High School as the name. But the residents of the Friendship community want the school named after the community.

Now it looks like the compromise will be something like Apex-Friendship High or Friendship-Apex High.

Former Wake County school board chairman Ron Margiotta raised nearly $65,000 in his unsuccessful re-election bid last fall.

In his year-end report filed Monday, Margiotta reported raising $64,902.72 and spending $61,006.11 during the hard-fought District 8 battle. The Republican incumbent outspent his Democratic opponent, Susan Evans, who raised $43,386.53 and spent $39.077.16.

But the gap narrows to nearly even and could possibly in the end be in Evans' favor when you throw in all the outside money that was spent to topple Margiotta from what was thought to be a safe seat in Southwest Wake.

Before state transportation officials cut a red ribbon Thursday morning to open the six-lane Triangle Expressway through Research Triangle Park, they thanked local elected leaders who had endorsed the unpopular idea of collecting tolls from drivers to pay for the road. [An edited version of this story was published in the N&O today; I'm posting the full version here to include more comments from Apex Mayor Keith Weatherly, below (and my photo, left).]

“It wasn’t an easy thing,” said David Joyner, executive director of the N.C. Turnpike Authority. “The northern loop was free. This one, we were asking citizens to pay. You stepped up and you made the tough decision, and you decided a toll road is better than no road.”

When it’s completed, the 18.8-mile TriEx will combine two new highways and an existing section of the 540 Outer Loop into North Carolina’s first modern toll road. There appears to be wide agreement among residents and commuters that the fast-growing region needs the new roads, but time will tell whether drivers want them enough to pay tolls for each trip.

By lunchtime Thursday, a few drivers were using the first 3.7-mile section ... . [MORE]

School board chairman Ron Margiotta is promoting how "a bi-partisan group of Wake County leaders are speaking out in support of (his) leadership of the Wake County Public School System."

In a press release today, Margiotta says the statements show that he "is being recognized and commended for his commitment to Wake County schools as well as his continued focus on raising achievement for each student." Some of the names are who'd you expect, such as Apex Mayor Keith Weatherly, Holly Springs Mayor Dick Sears, Garner Mayor Ronnie Williams, Rolesville Mayor Frank Eagles and County Commissioners, Joe Bryan, Paul Coble and Tony Gurley.

But would you expect a statement from Knightdale Mayor Russell Killen? Killen spoke at the Friends of Diversity press conference just before the 2009 school board elections. He's also a member of the same law firm as Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker.

“Chairman Margiotta has taken an active interest in Knightdale schools, and I appreciate all of the time and effort he has devoted to understanding and improving the schools in our area," Killen says in the press release.

Wake County Superintendent Tony Tata announced today that he will hold a series of meetings with business and municipal leaders to discuss the recently approved $130.3 million school facilities plan.

The first meeting will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at Apex Town Hall with Apex Mayor Keith Weatherly and Holly Springs Mayor Dick Sears. It's open to the public.

The next event will be Sept. 30 at the Wake County Chambers of Commerce Leadership Meeting. No word yet on whether that meeting is open to the public.

Future meetings are being scheduled.

Wake County school board member Carolyn Morrison says she's not endorsing school board chairman Ron Margiotta in his re-election bid even though she appeared at his campaign kickoff event.

Morrison said she attended Margiotta's July 18 event as a sign of respect to the board's longest serving member. She said he respected how he persevered as a member of the board's minority for several years.

But Morrison said she's not planning on endorsing Margiotta, his District 8 opponent Susan Evans or any other candidate in this fall's races. She said she might change her mind if there are run-off contests.

The latest round of campaign finance reports show that Wake County school board chairman Ron Margiotta and school board hopeful Jim Martin are off to a good financial start.

According to a report filed July 15, Margiotta reported having raised $8,985 in his bid to win re-election in District 8. His biggest donor at $4,000 was Dr. James Fulghum III, a member of the John Locke Foundation board of directors and a frequent contributor to Republican causes.

Margiotta's next largest donors were retired CPA Harry Eberly at $1,745 and lobbyist/former state GOP House member Connie Wilson at $500.

SEE UPDATE AT END OF POST FOR INFO ON JIM MARTIN'S DONORS

Is the rest of the nation watching this fall's Wake County school board elections?

As noted in today's article, that's an assertion made by state Rep. Paul Stam, the House Majority Leader, in explaining why he's endorsing school board chairman Ron Margiotta in his re-election bid in District 8.

"I support Ron Margiotta because this election represents a national litmus test in education reform," Stam said in an invitation to a July 14 fundraiser for Margiotta. "From the New York Times to the Washington Post, the Wake County School board elections will be analyzed on a national scale."

The high school accreditation bill being sought for by school leaders in both Wake and Burke counties cleared the state House Education Committee today.

The bill would prohibit North Carolina-run universities, colleges and community colleges from using school accreditation to make admissions, scholarship and loan decisions unless applicants come from high schools accredited by a state agency. It also would require the state Board of Education to begin accrediting North Carolina public high schools at the request - and expense - of the school districts.

Apex Mayor Keith Weatherly, the legislative assistant to House Majority Leader Paul Stam, said the bill was approved on a voice vote. There were both ayes and nays.

The bill now moves to the House Appropriations Committee.

New Wake County Superintendent Anthony Tata is sidestepping giving his opinion on busing for diversity while trying to reach out to supporters of the old diversity policy.

As noted in today's article by Thomas Goldsmith, Tata said he met yesterday with representatives of the Wake Education Partnership and Wake NCAE. Tata spoke with the N.C. HEAT protesters who picketed outside last night's Wake County Taxpayers Association meeting at the Barbecue Lodge,

This morning, Tata met with the Wake County Mayors Association. While he got a warm reception from Apex Mayor Keith Weatherly, it was cooler but polite from Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker.