Working with the Burmese immigrant community in Chapel Hill and Carrboro, partnering with the Special Olympics of Orange County, developing a state-wide consortium of future K-12 teachers who take the practice of service-learning into public schools and addressing the state’s major health and healthcare issues are a few of the public service efforts recognized by…
Community Brief: Library memories
The Friends of the Chapel Hill Public Library will present a panel discussion on memories of the library from 1958 to present. The discussion is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 20. The program is a retrospective as the library celebrates its 50-year anniversary and continues to expand. Speakers including Jane Dyer, Molly Cameron,…
Community Brief: Clydefest
The 7th annual Clydefest takes place Saturday, April 26 at the Bynum Ball Park. Clydefest is a festival sponsored by ChathamArts and the Village of Bynum and includes live music and fun for kids. The festival is held to honor Clyde Jones, a famous self-taught folk artist making his home in Bynum. The event includes…
Community Brief: Healthy kid fest
The YMCA on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd will host the Healthy Kids Day and Family Fest on Saturday, April 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The free festival will educate parents about local services while the kids enjoy such entertainment as face painting and games. The festival features live music, a moon bounce…
Community Brief: Book launch
Chapel Hill resident Irma Tejada and Carrboro resident Chris Kanoy launched their book A Weekend in the Paris of the Piedmont today at Carrboro Elementary School. At the launch, Mayor Mark Chilton read part of the book to Carrboro Elementary’s third-grade students. In addition, Tejada and Kanoy discussed how their love affair with Carrboro led…
Community Brief: Nutrition talk
Nutrition educator Margaret Nahum of North Carolina State University will speak at the next meeting of Peer Connections: Be Well! Feel Fit! on Thursday April 24 at the Carrboro Town Hall, 5:30 to 7 p.m. For more information, call 942-5602 or email peerconnections@gmail.com.
Letter from the Editor: Use it or lose it
No doubt, sometime prior to Election Day in 2000, a few hundred Floridians uttered the oft-heard phrase “my vote doesn’t count.†Seven and a half years later, as we watch the consequences of that shirking of civic duty, a large portion of the country would still like to throttle them.
Letter from the Editor: Drought not over
There’s an interesting twist to the jump from Stage III water conservation all the way back to Stage I. Under Stage II and Stage III, the dozens of local swimming pools, most notably those at the university and the public pools, could not be refilled. So one reason for the OWASA decision last week to…
Letter from the Editor: Governor sunshine
We weren’t there, but can presume that at his swearing in Gov. Mike Easley swore to uphold and defend the constitution of the state of North Carolina. Just as a reminder, Article I Section 10 goes something like: “Freedom of speech and of the press are two of the great bulwarks of liberty and therefore…
Sierra Endorsements Announced
Editor’s note: The Citizen recently received this announcement of the state Sierra Club’s choices in local elections. The North Carolina Chapter of the Sierra Club today officially announced its endorsements in Senate District 23, House Districts 54 & 56, and for the Orange County Board of Commissioners.
Letter: Good choices
Kudos to the Sierra Club for its astute endorsements of Bernadette Pelissier for Orange County Commissioner and Ellie Kinnaird for re-election to the state Senate. Bernadette’s environmental credentials are top notch, as are her qualifications as a member of the county Planning Board, the OWASA board and Chancellor Moeser’s Leadership Advisory Committee. Her long career…
Letter: Pedestrian safety
The recent and tragic deaths of Basil and Kaled Shahin in Raleigh highlight the importance of pedestrian safety. We would like to share our experience in advocating to change a dangerous intersection.
Letter: For the tax
We are not exceptionally knowledgeable about politics or taxes. We do listen to the news every day, frequently read the local newspapers and vote every opportunity we get the chance. We understand the basic idea of the proposed land transfer tax referendum (referred to mistakenly by opponents of the measure as a “home taxâ€) for…
Letter: Tax didn’t bring results
A recent letter to the editor in your newspaper praised some coastal counties for implementing the transfer tax as a solution to local budget issues. However, a closer look at the issue shows that the transfer tax — also known as the home tax — is not the answer.
Letter: Vote “yesâ€
I am writing in support of the land transfer tax. It is estimated that this tax will generate between $3 and $4 million dollars. This money has been earmarked for our schools and parks in Orange County. Only people selling commercial property, homes or land will be affected by this tax — and it applies when the…