ROSES to UNC's Office of Special Events and the many others who organized and helped present the memorial service for Eve Carson at the Smith Center.

At a time when everyone at the university was reeling from the student body president's murder, the people who coordinated the event somehow managed, in the space of just a few days, to put together a service that struck just the right note.

The service focused on Carson's presence rather than her absence, on the light that was her life rather than on the dark night on which she died. It was a celebration of a young woman whose spirit, enthusiasm and optimism inspired others to follow her example, and those who came with heavy hearts found that the act of gathering together and remembering helped ease that burden.

Organizing any large-scale event that draws upward of 10,000 people, as this one did, involves countless logistical details and normally requires a lot of advance planning.

It's a remarkable accomplishment to pull such a thing together so smoothly, under those circumstances, and to infuse it with such simple, moving grace.


RASPBERRIES to whichever power it is that requires that the proper time to splash the day's Powerball lottery numbers across our TV screens is in the middle of play during the NCAA tournament regional championship.

There are more than a few folks around here who were watching, with a more than passing interest, every dribble, turnover and rebound in the Carolina-Louisville game Saturday.

Suddenly, as one team brings the ball upcourt, the picture shrinks and the players become ants. Oh no, you think -- a news break; something terrible must have happened.

Nope. Powerball.

That sound you heard last Saturday was thousands of basketball fans sputtering and fuming.

OK, it's a small thing. We're told that WRAL is obligated to show the Powerball draw live at 11 p.m. on Wednesdays and Saturdays, no matter what else is going on at the time. But would it really cripple the lottery to wait for a timeout?


ROSES to Orange Water & Sewer Authority's customers, who have been bringing their water consumption down in recent weeks.

Those conservation efforts -- along with a few days of great, soaking rain -- have significantly helped the local water situation. OWASA's lakes are up. As of Tuesday, Cane Creek was still more than 10 feet below full, but University Lake was less than two inches shy of full, and the Quarry Reservoir was full. We're up to nearly a year's worth of estimated water supply.

We've been fortunate in having a lot of rain early this week, and there may be more to come. But at the same time, there's no question that keeping consumer demand down to OWASA's target makes a big difference too.

If the situation continues to improve, OWASA should be able to ease up on some of the restrictions. But the recent good news is no reason to start wasting water.

Conservation isn't just the law; it's a good idea.