By Susan Dickson Staff Writer The Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously on Tuesday to put a land transfer tax on the May ballot. Voters will decide whether property sellers will pay a 0.4 percent land transfer tax. If the measure passes, the county could begin collecting funds during the 2008-09 fiscal year.
Downtown growth has board wary of rezoning plan
By Kirk Ross Staff Writer Though separate items on its Tuesday night agenda, concerns about managing growth downtown have the Carrboro Board of Aldermen carefully considering next steps for traffic calming on Oak Avenue and a proposed rezoning on Center Street. The Center Street proposal brought by a group of owners led by Jane Hamborsky…
FEMA grant to help with fire department growth
By Kirk Ross Staff Writer Carrboro is not quite midway through an effort to add 15 firefighters, a move necessary to fully staff its new northern fire station. It’s been a costly effort and six new positions added in the past two years constituted a major portion of the town’s personnel cost increases. This year,…
Get your tickets for the Community Dinner
By Susan Dickson Staff Writer On March 2, nearly 600 people from Orange County are expected to gather for the 11th annual Community Dinner. The event – which was started in 1998 as a celebration of Black History Month – draws county residents young and old, black and white and rich and poor.
Recently: Give me two a’s with an e on the end
By Valarie Schwartz Besides the story of how they met, my favorite story about my parents is the one where they named me while sitting on the pale yellow “glider†that now sits on my front porch. During a visit in 2002, my mother told my partner, John, and I the story while we repainted…
Transfer station siting criteria examined
By Taylor Sisk Staff Writer The Board of County Commissioners reviewed site selection criteria for a solid-waste transfer station this week, settling on a process that starts by eliminating environmentally sensitive areas and that looks for sites close to major roads and heavy trash generation.
News Brief: Rabid raccoon found
A raccoon found in Efland tested positive for rabies on Monday at the State Laboratory of Public Health. Residents in the vicinity of Carrington Lane and Chestnut Ridge Church Road on Monday found their three dogs attacking the raccoon.
News Brief: Burning ban
The Orange County Fire Marshal has issued a countywide open-burning ban. The North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources issued an open-burning ban for all 100 counties in the state last week. The state ban prohibits all open burning 100 feet or more from an occupied dwelling. Orange County expanded the ban to all…
News Brief: Youth poetry contest
The Town of Carrboro is accepting submissions for the Carrboro Youth Poetry Contest. Participants must be 18 or younger, a resident of Carrboro and a poet. The contest will be divided into elementary, middle and high school levels, and each level will have one first-place winner and one honorable mention.
News Brief: UNC law school to relocate
The UNC School of Law plans to relocate to Carolina North by fall 2012, Jack Boger, dean of the law school, announced Friday. The decision to leave main campus came after architectural reports by the SmithGroup concluded that construction of a new building to facilitate growth within the law school would be more practical than…
Community Brief: Pauli Murray Awards
The Orange County Human Relations Commission and the Office of Human Rights and Relations will host the 2007 Pauli Murray Human Relations Awards on February 24 from 3 to 5 p.m.
Community Brief: Dance Marathon
More than 1,100 UNC students have committed to stand on their feet for 24 hours on Friday at the 10th annual UNC Dance Marathon. The event celebrates the conclusion of the participants’ yearlong fundraising efforts in support of North Carolina Children’s Hospital.
Community Brief: Tie and tails
The Carnivore Preservation Trust will host its inaugural Black Tie and Tails Ball on Saturday at the Marbles Kids Museum in Raleigh. The event will start at 7 p.m. with hors d’oeuvres and a silent auction, which will feature more than 70 items, including artwork, jewelry, iPods and more. A seated gourmet dinner and a…
Community Calendar: 02/21/08
Special Events 1st Annual Collectors Fair hosted by the Town of Carrboro and the N.C. Recreation and Parks Department. Sat, Feb 23, 9am-3pm. Century Center, 100 N Greensboro St. Collectible items such as coins, stamps, trading cards, comic books, dolls, toys & more will be on hand. Vendor booths available for $25-$35. Call Brendan Moore…
Farm marketing workshop
NC Cooperative Extension Service and NC Choices will hold a farm marketing workshop tonight (Thursday) at 6:30 at the Schley Grange Hall, about five miles north of Hillsborough. Mac Baldwin of Baldwin Family Farms in Yanceyville will discuss his marketing strategies for his grass-fed beef. In addition, Annie Baggett of Sunshine Lavender Farms in Schley…