By Chris Fitzsimon The legislative budget process begins in public this week as appropriations subcommittees kick off their daily meetings to look for savings to balance next year’s budget. The conversation begins just days after news that Gov. Beverly Perdue now expects a $3.6 billion shortfall next year, a deficit that experts with the N.C….
Author: Staff
The New Deal and the New New Deal
The New Deal and the New New Deal: Countering conservative claptrap By Robert Reich The stock market reached a six-year low last week. Why? Some blame loose talk (including that of former Fed Chair Alan Greenspan) about nationalizing the nation’s banks. Others blame Obama’s new plan for helping homeowners who may not be able to…
ICE on ice
Several weeks ago, the Chatham County Board of Commissioners took a rather brave step. At a time when immigrants are being bashed by a growing demagogy, the commissioners declared no way, no how to joining in immigration enforcement under the Immigration and Customs Enforcement 287(g) program. The program was originally designed to detain and deport…
Transit, schools to benefit from stimulus
By Kirk Ross Staff Writer Back in the district after six weeks focusing on the recently passed and signed stimulus package, Fourth District U.S. Congressman David Price said since his return he has heard a good number of stories of how the economy has reshaped the lives of constituents. That was clear a few minutes…
Residents oppose limits on covenants
By Susan Dickson Staff Writer Several residents spoke out at a public hearing on Tuesday against a proposed Carrboro town charter amendment that would prohibit deed restrictions or covenants that limit the use of green or sustainability features on residential properties. The Carrboro Board of Aldermen voted 5-2 to introduce the proposed amendment to the…
McFee honored for writing about Appalachian South
UNC creative writing professor and poet Michael McFee has won the 2009 James Still Award for Writing About the Appalachian South. The Fellowship of Southern Writers gives the prize biennially to recognize a writer with a significant body of work about Appalachia.
Council gets first look at new developments
The Chapel Hill Town Council got its first look at three new development projects, including a 300,000-square-foot mixed-use project off Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. At a meeting Monday night at town hall, the council looked over concept plans for the Altemueller Mixed-Use Development, which would be located at 1641 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd….
Whooping cough at Carrboro Elementary
The Orange County Health Department has given an order to 220 students at Carrboro Elementary School to take a course of antibiotics to protect themselves from whooping cough after students at the school were diagnosed with the disease. Letters were sent home with the students last week notifying parents of their children’s exposure to students…
Volunteers sought for boards
The Orange County Board of Commissioners seeks county residents to fill vacant volunteer seats on the Recreation and Parks Advisory Council, the Orange-Person-Chatham Area Program Board and the Equalization and Review Board. For more information about the volunteer opportunities or an application, contact the office of the clerk to the board at 245-2125 or athompson-rockett@co.orange.nc.us…
Spay neuter day
The Orange County Board of Commissioners has declared Feb. 24 as “Spay Neuter Day†in Orange County to encourage citizens to spay and neuter pets and to raise awareness about pet overpopulation in the county. Orange County Animal Services has partnered with AnimalKind’s “The $20 Fix†program to offer low-cost and no-cost spay and neuter…
Rabies clinic
The Orange County Animal Services Department will offer two low-cost rabies vaccination clinics this month. Upcoming clinics are Friday, noon to 5 p.m., at the Orange County Animal Shelter on Martin Luther King Boulevard in Chapel Hill, and Saturday, 1 to 2 p.m., at New Hope Fire Station #2 on N.C. 86.
Community Dinner
The 12th annual Orange County Community Dinner will be held March 1 from 1 to 3 p.m. at the McDougle Middle School Cafetorium on Old Fayetteville Road. The event seeks to cross economic, racial, religious and ethnic barriers while presenting a wealth of culturally diverse food and entertainment. Tickets are available at McDougle School, The…
IFC benefit concert
The Chapel Hill Philharmonia and Chapel Hill Community Chorus will present a choral and orchestral music concert to benefit the Inter-Faith Council for Social Service. The performance will be on Feb. 22 at 8 p.m. in Hill Hall on the UNC campus. Admission is free, but there is a suggested $10 donation to benefit IFC….
Remembering Central High School
The Orange County Historical Museum will host a special event to honor its exhibit “Remembering Central High School: Looking Back, Facing Forward†on Feb. 28 from 7 to 9 p.m. at Bright Baptist Church, 211 W. Union St., in Hillsborough. There will be live music by the Central Community Band, soloist Jackie Thomas and the…
McDougle Middle students mentored by ESTEEM
By Kafi Robinson Courtesy of the Carrboro Commons Though the program is only in its first full year, Esteemed Little Sisters has already had an impact on the lives of young girls at McDougle Middle School. Esteemed Little Sisters is a mentoring program for at-risk girls founded by the UNC campus organization Encouraging Sisters Through…