By Carolyn Foy Evans Contributing Writer CARRBORO —Jana Sartor’s 3-year-old son, Ezra, loves watching his garden grow. His family is one of many working together in the James Street Community Garden, the latest of three sites developed under the Growing Healthy Kids Project. A collaborative effort by the Orange County Partnership for Young Children (OCPYC),…
Moving more every day
By Suzanne Valdivia Contributing Writer Finding ways to incorporate exercise isn’t as easy as it used to be. And joining a gym or paying fees for kids to join a league isn’t always in the budget. But with summer coming, those extra hours of daylight at the coolest part of the day are a great…
School’s out
The last week of school was a whirlwind from one end of the district to the other as fifth-graders spruced up for their first graduation and high schoolers prepared for this weekend’s commencements. The end of the classes came shortly after noon on Wednesday.
Seen:
Exene Cervenka visited Local 506 the night before the X show at Cat’s Cradle. Dexter Romweber, on stage at the time, dedicated a song to her. . . . David Cook, an actual American Idol, chilled out at OCSC after his show at the Cradle, reportedly having a nice quiet time until the twitters started…
Big City
Rock-‘n’-roll parking deck Around the time the Wallace Parking Deck was dedicated, a Chapel Hill official was quoted as saying it wasn’t just another “plain vanilla†parking deck. The original plan for the plaza was that it would be a cultural haven with vendors and buskers and so on. That didn’t exactly pan out. Nowadays,…
For the record: Cool water
Like many other local agencies, the Orange Water and Sewer Authority is trying to figure out just how to tighten its belt and still fulfill its obligations to its customers. The utility is poised to increase rates, and board members predict rate increases in the years ahead as well.
For the record: School’s out
That cheering and shouting you may have heard around noon Wednesday was the collective expression of joy of tens of thousands of school children turned loose for the summer. If you were near Carrboro Elementary School shortly after that, the soft serenade that followed was the faculty bidding their charges adieu.
For the record: Some budging on taxes
Some members of the North Carolina House have apparently gotten a grip on their senses and are crafting a revenue package to try to lessen what is shaping up to be a devastating array of cuts. Even if it passes, the extra $784 million raised by the combination of sales taxes, hikes in income tax…
Harvesting the facts in Carrboro
Mark Chilton Residents keep asking me: Could it be true? Could the home of the area’s best farmers’ market be out to destroy the few remaining farms in its jurisdiction? Of course, the answer is a resounding “No!†As mayor, I am highly committed to local farming and, as I told a group of farmers…
Caught between revenue and a hard place
Chris Fitzsimon When the long-awaited House revenue package was unveiled Tuesday morning in the Finance Committee, it was significantly more progressive than expected. That was evident from both the tax provisions in the package and the spirited opposition it sparked from Republicans and a handful of conservative Democrats. The plan would end a long-standing tax…
No action on global warming
Mike nelson Last week the Orange County Board of Commissioners had an opportunity to prohibit new drive-thru windows. Why would we be interested in banning drive-thru windows? Many folks view them as a necessary convenience of early 21st century life. There are two reasons to consider prohibiting them (an action, by the way, that Carrboro…
Out standing in the fields
By Ken Moore Even at speeds of 50 or more miles per hour, you may spot some distinctive plants standing out in roadside fields. During the past week, I’ve been catching glimpses of little white flowers hovering just above the tops of grasses in rural areas outside Carrboro. These white flowers also hover midair-like along…
Carrboro seniors a class of their own
By Beth Mechum Staff Writer Many of the seniors at Carrboro High School have a bet on how long it will take guidance counselor Mary Gratch to cry at graduation.If any among them wagered on a week before, it’s time to cash in. When asked to think of stories about her “babies,†the class of…
Libraries win support in budget talks
County commissioners prepare to vote Tuesday By Kirk Ross Staff Writer Hillsborough — The Orange County Board of Commissioners agreed Tuesday night to find a way to keep the Carrboro Branch Library and Cedar Grove Library open. During a budget workshop in Hillsborough, the commissioners reviewed alternatives to a proposed reduction in library services, including…
Council urges date certain on OWASA odor elimination
By Kirk Ross Staff Writer Chapel Hill — The Chapel Hill Town Council asked officials from the Orange Water and Sewer Authority for a solid commitment on when the final phase of a project to eliminate odors from the utility’s wastewater-treatment plant will be completed. The discussion came Monday night at Town Hall as the…