By Susan Dickson Staff Writer The Carrboro Board of Aldermen endorsed plans for the new fire station on Homestead Road on Tuesday, with construction still targeted to begin this summer. During a work session, the board heard an update on the project design from architect Ken Newell. The $3 million fire station is the town’s…
Category: News
County to sell four buildings
The Orange County Board of Commissioners voted last week to sell four county surplus properties. The properties are the Clerk of Court Annex, 112 N. Churton St., Hillsborough; the Graham Building, 118 N. Churton St., Hillsborough; the Homestead Community Center, Homestead Road, Chapel Hill; and the old ABC store, N.C. 49, Cedar Grove. The board…
Cistern stolen from community garden
A new cistern was stolen from the Growing Healthy Kids Community Garden on James Street last week. The cistern, which cost about $1,000, is a 2,600-gallon tank that would have been used to collect and store water for the garden. A new cistern will have to be purchased for the garden. The garden is used…
Teens damage speed bump
Two teenagers were arrested over the weekend for damaging a speed bump at East Chapel Hill High School. According to Chapel Hill Police reports, Karsten William Bench, 18, and William Mundy Laundon, 17, were spotted using a sledge hammer to damage the speed bump. Bench was cited and released on Saturday; Laundon was cited and…
Rabid raccoon found in Orange County
A raccoon found in Orange County tested positive for rabies last week at the State Laboratory of Public Health. The raccoon was submitted after residents in the vicinity of N.C. 86 and Phelps Road saw their three dogs chase the raccoon up a tree in their yard, then surround the raccoon after it fell from…
Greenbridge, activists look beyond ugly incident
By Kirk Ross Staff Writer As Chapel Hill Police continue to investigate a hoax email and pointedly worded fliers circulated this week, officials with the Greenbridge project say that, moving forward, they want to see more positive dialogue. Likewise, members of UNC-NOW, a partnership of community and campus groups that says the project is emblematic…
Foreclosure doesn’t have to be inevitable
By Margot C. Lester Staff Writer As local unemployment ticks up (6.5 percent in Orange County and 8.5 percent in Chatham), home values remain low and stock portfolios hemorrhage, local foreclosures continue. According to Foreclosure.com, 34 Orange County homes are currently in foreclosure; in Chatham County, the number is 22. But homeowners facing financial difficulties…
Task force focuses on Carrboro’s local economy
By Susan Dickson Staff Writer The Local Living Economy Task Force hopes to launch educational campaigns for consumers and entrepreneurs, hold events to engage citizens in the local economy and create a coalition of local businesses, task force representatives reported to the Carrboro Board of Aldermen on Tuesday. The board created the task force in…
Police seek help in robbery, kidnapping
The Chapel Hill Police Department seeks information relating to a reported robbery and kidnapping early Tuesday morning near North Columbia Street. According to police, officers responded to an armed robbery and kidnapping near the 700 block of North Columbia Street on Tuesday around 3:20 a.m. The victim reported that two suspects forced him into his…
Rescue squad sues county
The Orange County Rescue Squad filed suit against Orange County and county emergency services director Rojas Montes de Oca Jr. on Monday. The suit alleges that an order to stand down last summer was illegally issued and claims that the county has had inadequate rescue and emergency transport services since the stand-down.
Closings for Good Friday, Easter
Town offices will be closed in Chapel Hill and Carrboro on Good Friday. There will be no residential yard waste pickup in Chapel Hill. In Hillsborough, offices will be closed but garbage pickup will continue as scheduled. Curbside recycling will be collected according to the regular schedule on Friday. Orange County Solid Waste Convenience Centers…
Town hears goat petition
By Susan Dickson Staff Writer The Carrboro Board of Aldermen will consider changes to the town’s livestock ordinance that would allow residents to keep small livestock on smaller residential lots, board members said Tuesday. Resident Marianne Prince petitioned the board to modify the town’s ordinance to allow residents to keep such animals as goats or…
Southern Village hotel plan put on hold
Bryan Properties announced this week that the company will not pursue plans for a hotel in the Southern Village Center. The proposed 90-to-100-room hotel was intended to help add foot traffic to the community’s commercial district but was met with strong opposition from some nearby residents.
School board approves budget request; further reductions likely
By Susan Dickson Staff Writer Although the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education has approved its operating budget request for 2009-10, changes and further reductions are still likely as county and state officials have indicated large funding cuts are probable. The board voted unanimously to approve its budget request last week, but in the…
UNC plans to build hospital in Hillsborough
By Kirk Ross Staff Writer UNC Health Care is finalizing plans for a new medical facility near the Durham Tech campus in Hillsborough. Health care system officials have signed a letter of intent to buy 85 acres in the Waterstone development just off of I-40 at exit 261, according to Karen McCall, UNC Hospitals vice…