Outside the Fence

By Heather Brady

Regional
The family of 24-year-old Chinese deliveryman Yong Hui Zhang, who was abducted and murdered in July of this year, sold their restaurant, the China Express, to Chuan Fu Zhang. As of Nov. 8, the restaurant, now called Hunan Taste, became official property of Chuan Zhang, who is not related to the previous owner’s family. Chuan Zhang said that Yong Zhang’s father, the previous owner, told him he didn’t want to own a restaurant in the city where his son was killed. Authorities said Tuesday that the family has moved away, but the exact location is unclear. In October, 36-year-old Marcey White pleaded guilty in Fredericksburg Circuit Court to six charges, including abduction and carjacking. Police say that White’s boyfriend, Jermaine Lamonte Montgomery is suspected in the stabbing that resulted in the death of Zhang. (The Free Lance-Star, Dec. 2; www.fredericksburg.com)
National
The rising cost of college threatens to put higher education out of reach for most Americans, according to the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education’s annual report. The report found that college tuition fees increased 439 percent from 1982 to 2007, while median family income rose 147 percent. Student borrowing has more than doubled in the past decade, and on average students from lower-income families get smaller grants from the colleges they attend than students from more affluent backgrounds. “If we go on this way for another 25 years, we won’t have an affordable system of higher education,” said Patrick Callan, president of the center. “When we come out of the recession, we’re really going to be in jeopardy, because the educational gap between our work force and the rest of the world will make it very hard to be competitive.” (The New York Times, Dec. 3; www.nytimes.com)

Global
On Tuesday, American and Indian authorities said it is likely that militants inside Pakistan directed the terrorist acts in Mumbai. Indian officials say they have identified three or four of the attack’s masterminds, putting pressure on Pakistan to act against them. The Bush administration increased diplomatic efforts to diffuse tensions between India and Pakistan over the attacks. Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is being dispatched to the region. He will join Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who arrived in New Delhi on Nov. 26th, in issuing warnings to the government of Pakistan to crack down on militant groups near the country’s borders with Indian-administered Kashmir and with Afghanistan, according to top American aides. Two American officials said that the U.S. had warned India in mid-October of possible terrorist attacks, echoing other general alerts this year by India’s intelligence agency and raising questions about the adequacy of India’s counterterrorism measures. (The New York Times, Dec. 2; www.nytimes.com)