By Kirk Ross Staff Writer As legislators gathered in Raleigh for a gloomy set of economic briefings, university employees continue to worry about possible furloughs and job cuts and are seeking more information on how individual departments will trim budgets. Last week, UNC system President Erskine Bowles said he is seeking authority to furlough workers…
Category: News
Board focuses on recession at annual retreat
By Susan Dickson Staff Writer The Carrboro Board of Aldermen identified priorities for action throughout the recession on Monday at the board’s annual retreat at the Seymour Senior Center. The board also heard from town staff and several local groups regarding the recession’s impact on the town budget, the local population and various organizations. Due…
Landfill gas project approved
The Orange County Board of Commissioners tentatively approved an agreement with UNC for a gas-recovery project at the Orange County Landfill. The board voted last year to explore the feasibility of a landfill gas-recovery project as a way to reduce greenhouse gases. According to the county, revenues from the project to the Solid Waste Enterprise…
HUD rules no discrimination on Rogers Road complaint
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has ruled that Orange County and its municipalities have not discriminated against residents of the Rogers Road area. A group of those residents had filed a complaint of racial discrimination. Rev. Robert Campbell, a leader in the Rogers Road community, filed the complaint in February 2008 on…
Meeting? What meeting?
Update: The town has released notes from the retreat including a set of potential action items. Items are copied and posted here. The Town of Carrboro had a problem sending official notification of the annual Board of Aldermen retreat on Monday at the Seymour Senior Center. The board, mayor and senior staff met for several…
Aldermen to reconsider road connectivity policy
By Susan Dickson Staff Writer After hearing from concerned residents about a proposed connector road between a proposed addition to the Claremont development and the Wexford neighborhood, the Carrboro Board of Aldermen voted on Tuesday to revisit the town’s connector road policy. The board heard from residents in a public hearing regarding Phases IV and…
Council OK’s Innovation Center
By Kirk Ross Staff Writer The Chapel Hill Town Council unanimously approved a special-use permit for the three-story, 80,745-square-foot Innovations Center, the university’s first project at Carolina North. The vote came after several months of negotiations between the town, UNC and Alexandria Real Estate Equities Inc., the university’s partner in the project who will build,…
County considers long-term waste alternatives
By Susan Dickson Staff Writer The Orange County Board of Commissioners voted last week to explore long-term alternatives for solid-waste disposal as a parallel tract to siting a solid-waste transfer station. The board also voted to create a community advisory group composed of residents living in the vicinity of the transfer station that would directly…
Recycling market crash hits county budget
By Rich Fowler Staff Writer Thanks in part to its recycling programs, Orange County residents lead the state in waste reduction. They now throw away half of what they threw away in 1991, and things were going so well until recently that the county was making money by selling the materials it collected. But when…
Fire insurance ratings improve
Both the Town of Carrboro and the South Orange Fire District received new insurance ratings effective Jan. 1. The new ratings – 3 for the Town of Carrboro and 5 for the South Orange Fire District – are an improvement over the previous 4 for the town and 9S for South Orange. The North Carolina…
Ag summit set
The 11th Annual Orange County Agricultural Summit will be held Feb. 9 from 8:30 a.m. until lunchtime at the former Orange Enterprise site on Valley Forge Rd. in Hillsborough. The featured speaker is North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture Steve Troxler. Topics of discussion will include youth in agriculture, farm diversification, energy conservation and how to…
Hackney wins new term as speaker
Rep. Joe Hackney, who represents Chatham County and part of southern Orange County, won a second term as speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives Wednesday. Upon his election, Hackney, who has served 28 years in the House, encouraged legislators to rise to the challenge and work to reinvigorate the state’s economy and continue…
911 center moves
The Orange County 9-1-1 Call Center moved to the new Orange County Emergency Services Building on Meadowland Drive in Hillsborough on Tuesday. The new facility has new equipment and more space that will allow for improved service and future growth. Those calling 911 should see no change in service. However, if callers with an emergency…
Obama sworn in as community, world bear witness
By Kirk Ross, Susan Dickson, Taylor Sisk, Margot Lester and Jasmina Nogo Staff Writers Barack Obama took the oath of office Tuesday before a crowd on the National Mall estimated at more than two million and with many thousands here in the community watching on TVs and computers. At noon, Obama, who won more than…
Big snow shuts down services, schools
By Susan Dickson Staff Writer As two inches of snow blanketed Carrboro and Chapel Hill on Tuesday, schools, offices and businesses closed and local officials urged residents to stay off the roads. The snow started late Monday night and continued until around lunchtime Tuesday, creating a playground for those with sleds but treacherous conditions for…