Critics of Wake County’s conservative school board majority rallied and protested this week against the end of forced busing for socioeconomic diversity within the schools. As media outlets covered the story Tuesday, John Locke Foundation Director of Education Studies Terry Stoops provided analysis twice on WPTF Radio. Stoops joined Rick and Donna Martinez in the morning and chatted with Bill LuMaye in the afternoon. Wake County’s high-profile school debate has prompted the General Assembly to create a legislative study group on school diversity. The News & Observer quoted Stoops in print and on the WakeEd blog discussing the new legislative committee. Stoops was not alone in earning air time this week. Vice President for Research and Resident Scholar Roy Cordato discussed a range of topics during an hourlong session with Chad Adams on the WLTT Radio morning show. Meanwhile, Joseph Coletti, Director of Health and Fiscal Policy Studies, shared with News 14 Carolina his concerns about the federal government’s planned extension of unemployment benefits. The Lincoln Tribune also highlighted Coletti’s concerns about the economic uncertainty that is contributing to North Carolina’s continued double-digit unemployment rate. The Beaufort Observer, Lincoln Tribune, and Cape Fear Business News published a column from Daren Bakst, Director of Legal and Regulatory Studies, focusing on the State Board of Elections’ refusal to put a halt to unconstitutional matching-funds provisions in North Carolina’s taxpayer-funded election campaign program. The High Point Enterprise also noted Bakst’s opposition to newly approved legislation that will force North Carolina’s law enforcement agencies to collect DNA samples from people arrested on certain felony charges. Carolina Weekly cited Michael Sanera, Director of Research and Local Government Studies, in an article about the budgetary drain associated with Mooresville’s city-owned golf course. Sanera also continued his work this week with Wake County’s Sustainability Task Force; the group held a work session focusing on solid waste. Sanera, Bakst, Coletti, Stoops, and Jon Sanders, Associate Director of Research, all took part in a briefing session Thursday at the John Locke Foundation office for more than 20 candidates running for legislative office in the fall. President John Hood and Carolina Journal Managing Editor Rick Henderson also addressed those candidates. JLF Vice President for Outreach Becki Gray organized the event and delivered an update on the 2010 legislative session. Earlier in the week, Gray had addressed similar themes in a presentation to the Raleigh Optimist Club. The candidates participating in JLF’s briefing were the first people from outside the office to see hard copies of the new Agenda 2010 document. In addition to printed copies, Vice President for Communications Jon Ham finished the online version of Agenda 2010 this week. N.C. Senate Republicans promoted a CJ exclusive on the agenda in one of their daily media e-mails.