By Margot Lester Staff Writer Orange County Sheriff Lindy Pendergrass announced this week his decision to participate in the Secure Communities program, part of the Department of Homeland Security’s controversial Immigration and Customs Enforcement program. The ICE program has come under fire for using local police and sheriff’s departments to enforce federal immigration law and…
Category: News
Weather update from Town of Chapel Hill
This from Chapel Hill officials on road conditions: Update – Inclement Winter Weather Conditions Due to the inclement weather conditions, scheduled residential garbage service for today has been cancelled. Monday’s route will be collected on Thursday and Tuesday’s route will be collected on Friday. As a result, there will be no yard waste collection service…
Thorp cancels airport effort
By Kirk Ross Staff Writer Chapel Hill — Saying he was concerned about the amount of mistrust surrounding the university’s intentions to build a new airport, UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Holden Thorp canceled plans to ask the UNC Board of Governors to approve an airport authority. Speaking at a Friday morning briefing for the press and…
Aldermen talk parking improvements
By Susan Dickson Staff Writer Carrboro — While it might seem difficult to find a parking space in downtown Carrboro, the findings of a recent parking study show that parking is in fact available downtown – just not as close to certain destinations as some might prefer. Based on findings of the study, which was…
University, town hashing out differences on Carolina North
By Kirk Ross Staff Writer Chapel Hill — Housing, transportation and stormwater fees were among the topics discussed at a weekend Carolina North retreat by the Chapel Hill Town Council and town planners. During the four-hour briefing and policy discussion at the town’s Operations Center Saturday, council members reviewed negotiations with university planners and officials,…
Manager says savings plan staying on track
By Kirk Ross Staff Writer Chapel Hill — Chapel Hill Town Manager Roger Stancil reported that town departments are just shy of a 5 percent budget reduction target set last fall as economic conditions worsened. In a monthly update at a meeting of the town council on Monday night at Town Hall, Stancil said that…
Culbreth locked down
Chapel Hill — Culbreth Middle School was locked down for about 30 minutes Tuesday morning after a man was seen in a car in the parking lot with a gun. Police arrested Ronald Marshall Simpson Jr., 36, of 751 Trinity Court, Apt. A-8, Chapel Hill on the scene. According to Lt. Kevin Gunter of the…
News Brief: Health department receives grant
The Orange County Health Department recently received a $277,000 grant from the N.C. Health and Wellness Trust Fund for continuation of the Youth Tobacco-Use Prevention and Cessation Program. The program recruits high school students within the Orange County and Chapel Hill-Carrboro school systems as peer educators who deliver tobacco-prevention messages in middle and high schools…
News Brief: Chatham tax
The Chatham County Tax Office will offer five presentations to help county property owners learn more about the 2009 property revaluation. Notices of new valuations will be mailed out to property owners in early February.
News Brief: MLK closings
Several local town offices will be closed and services will change on Monday in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Closings and changes to service include: • Town of Carrboro offices will be closed. • Town of Chapel Hill offices will be closed. • There will be no Carrboro garbage collection on Monday. Monday’s…
News Brief: Inauguration events
Several local events will celebrate President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration next week. Events include: • The Orange County Barack Obama Inaugural Party will be held at the Carrboro Century Center on Sunday from 5 to 10 p.m. The event will feature student presentations, musical entertainment and a rendition of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a…
UNC to not pursue airport authority
UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Holden Thorp announced Friday that the school will not ask the UNC Board of Governors to form an airport authority. [Text via the chancellor’s blog] The authority was to begin work as early as this spring to find a an alternative to Horace Williams airport in Orange County.
Group secures Eno tracts
By Susan Dickson Staff Writer The Eno River Association is another step closer to completing the gaps in the Eno River State Park with the recent acquisition of 65 acres of river frontage, some of the last remaining missing links. The acreage, located on the east side of the river near Cabe Ford Road, is…
Rebecca Clark dies
By Kirk Ross Staff Writer Chapel Hill — Rebecca Clark, champion for justice, community leader and political organizer, died early Saturday in her sleep at her home on Crest Drive in Chapel Hill. She was 93. News of Clark’s death had many recalling a life marked by a deep caring and concern for all people…
Residents concerned about Colleton Crossing
By Susan Dickson Staff Writer With a possible decision on the proposed Colleton Crossing scheduled for Jan. 27, some community residents are expressing concerns about the project, citing safety, environmental and traffic issues. In November, the Carrboro Board of Aldermen opened a public hearing on the Colleton Crossing development, which is proposed for 8400 and…