by Kirk Ross Staff Writer Going into Tuesday, higher registration numbers were already indicating a heavy turnout for Election Day, when Orange County voters would cast their ballots for everything from a tax referendum to the next president. The early vote total swelled as well, nearly reaching 18,000 votes by the close of business on…
Category: News
Transfer tax crushed
by Kirk Ross Staff Writer Like elsewhere in the state, voters in Orange County overwhelmingly rejected a proposed 0.4 percent land transfer tax. The ballot referendum was defeated by a margin of 28,053 to 14,288, or 66 percent to 34 percent. Real estate and homebuilder groups spent more than $205,000 through the end of April…
Haw festival this weekend
by Susan Dickson Staff Writer Now that spring is finally in full bloom, it’s time to head on down to the banks of the Haw River in Bynum, where this Saturday, the Haw River Assembly will host the 19th annual Haw River Festival. Cynthia Crossen, the Haw River Assembly’s River Watch coordinator, said she hopes…
Tax hikes cometh
by Kirk Ross Staff Writer It’s budget time for local governments and indications are that no matter where you live in Orange County, your tax bill is likely to rise. Carrboro Town Manager Steve Stewart presents his annual budget on Tuesday. Though it is uncertain how much of an increase he’s built in, the town…
Recently: Brown bagging on the streets of Carrboro
By Valarie Schwartz There have been recent reports of Carrboro pedestrians walking around in the vicinity of South Greensboro and Main streets covetously carrying brown paper bags. There have been no reports of people drinking from the bags, but some may have been “huffing†from them. Further investigation revealed more of the same.
Armed robbery suspects charged
A man was shot during an armed robbery at a residence on Fan Branch Lane in Chapel Hill early Wednesday morning. Carrboro police apprehended four suspects shortly after Chapel Hill police responded to a report of an armed robbery. The victims reported that they returned home to discover three intruders, and two of the victims…
News Brief: Planning session
This Tuesday, the Orange County Planning Department will host a public information session for residents, property owners, businesses and others interested in the Eno Economic Development District at the Planning and Agricultural Building on Revere Road in Hillsborough. The Eno Economic Development District is in the general area of Highway 70 and I-85 near the…
News Brief: Rabid raccoon
A raccoon found northeast of Hillsborough tested positive for rabies on Tuesday at the State Laboratory of Public Health. The raccoon was submitted after a resident in the vicinity of New Sharon Church Road and Schley Road saw one of her four dogs with the raccoon. The dog was the mother of three five-month old…
News Brief: County business director
Bradly Broadwell has been appointed as economic development director for Orange County. As economic development director, Broadwell will be responsible for creating and implementing strategies to enhance the economic well-being of Orange County. He will also oversee the Visitor’s Bureau and Arts Commission.
Primary Results 2008
Orange Co. Results All results as of 12:06 a.m., Wednesday, May 7, 2008. All results preliminary and unofficial. The Board of Elections is scheduled to certify results on May 19. Democratic Primaries Presidential Preference Barack Obama 69.60% 27,824 Hillary Clinton 28.87% 11,540 Mike Gravel 0.62% 249 No preference 0.91% 363
Orange County diverges from state in two Democratic races
by Taylor Sisk Staff Writer Incumbent Lieutenant Governor and Chapel Hill resident Beverly Perdue scored a decisive victory on Tuesday, earning the Democratic nomination for governor over challengers Richard Moore and Dennis Nielsen. On an Election Day in which just over 36 percent of registered voters turned out statewide, Perdue gathered 56 percent of votes…
One wild weekend ahead
by Susan Dickson Staff Writer This weekend, the Town Commons will be packed with activity, kicking off with a concert sponsored by the Barack Obama presidential campaign on Friday afternoon and closing with the 13th annual Carrboro Day on Sunday. The “Change Rocks†concert, featuring Arcade Fire and Superchunk, is intended to encourage one-stop early…
Transfer tax foes spend big
by Kirk Ross Staff Writer Determined to keep their perfect score in defeating counties’ efforts to adopt a real estate transfer tax, the North Carolina real estate and construction interests, led by the North Carolina Association of Realtors and the North Carolina Homebuilders, have pumped more than $205,000 in cash and in-kind contributions into defeating…
Campaigns in full swing as voters head to the polls
by Kirk Ross Staff Writer An historic spring primary winds up this week with both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama and their supporters criss-crossing the state in search of votes and North Carolinians brave enough to have their televisions on, subjected to a near-endless barrage of state and national campaign ads. Local and some statewide…
Candidates speak out on mental health reform
by Taylor SiskStaff Writer“How, if elected, do you propose to deal with the provisioning of mental health care services in North Carolina?â€It’s a question that has been posed with some regularity to this year’s candidates for governor – and urgently so: Our mental health care system is in crisis. Among those candidates, Democrats Richard Moore…