Orange County Democrats are invited to kickoff the election season at the annual Orange County Democratic Convention on Saturday at Mt. Zion AME Church on N.C. 86. Attendees will have an opportunity to socialize and meet the Democratic candidates, current officeholders and fellow Democrats starting at 11 a.m. A barbecue or vegetarian lunch will be…
Category: News
A complicated ballot full of critical choices
Voters tune into new registration rules, new county commissioner districts and contested races from the top of the ticket to a local tax referendum By Kirk Ross Staff Writer With news reports along the presidential campaign trail now including datelines like Raleigh, Greensboro and the UNC campus, this spring’s primary season is heating up. Set…
Series to focus on immigration issues
By Susan Dickson Staff Writer A community series of presentations and discussions this month seeks to address the hard questions surrounding immigration issues. The Chapel Hill Institute for Cultural and Language Education is conducting the series on Sundays throughout the month at the FedEx Global Education Center on the UNC campus.
Plans for northern area proving hard to nail down
By Kirk Ross Staff Writer Somewhere close to 90 minutes into a board of aldermen discussion on how to shape development in a much-studied area in northern Carrboro, Town Attorney Mike Brough politely encouraged them to cut to the chase. Rather than hash over types of zoning strategies and what they might yield, he said,…
News Brief: Hunger walk Sunday
The Inter-Faith Council for Social Service, in conjunction with Church World Service, will hold the CROP Hunger Walk on Sunday. Seventy-five percent of money raised during the walk benefits Church World Service, a nonprofit that funds global hunger education, refugees, disaster relief and self-help projects in more than 80 countries. The remaining 25 percent supports…
News Brief: Fair Housing Fair
The Orange County Office of Human Rights and Relations will hold its 4th Annual Fair Housing Fair on April 19 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Anyone seeking to rent or own a home in Orange County is encouraged to attend. Information on fair housing regulations and housing opportunities will be available. In addition, participants…
News Brief: Discount rabies vaccine
Orange County’s Animal Services Department will hold several low-cost rabies vaccination clinics in April. Under North Carolina law, pets over the age of 4 months must have a current and valid rabies vaccination at all times.
News Brief: Apartment robberies
The Chapel Hill Police Department is investigating three robberies that occurred at three apartment complexes between 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Tuesday night.
Election Brief: One stop early voting
Early voting begins Thursday, April 17, for the May 6 election. Unregistered but eligible voters can register at early voting sites with identification showing their name and current address. Doing this means that you can only vote at the early-voting site. Registered voters can change registration information but not party affiliation. Vote early in Carrboro…
Election Brief: Pittsboro special election
Hugh Harrington was elected to the Pittsboro Town Board of Commissioners in March in a special election for the Board’s last open seat. Harrington finished six votes ahead of Michele Berger in the November elections to win the Board’s third open seat. However, 17 voters received incorrect ballots, and the State Board of Elections in…
Election Brief: Transfer tax education
The Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday received an update regarding the voter education effort for the May 6 referendum on the land transfer tax. Voters on May 6 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…
Election Brief: Registration deadline
The registration deadline for those who want to vote in the May 6 election falls on April 11. To vote, you must be: a U.S. citizen and resident of North Carolina and this county for 30 days before the election; at least 18 years old on or before the next election; not registered and not…
Report calls for new fire safety rules
New homes, apartments may be required to have sprinklers, fire alarms By Kirk RossStaff Writer Town building rules would have to be changed if Carrboro, the most densely packed municipality in North Carolina, wants to reduce the threat of property loss and injuries from fire. That’s the conclusion in a report to the Carrboro Board…
County reviews Buckhorn plan
By Susan Dickson Staff Writer The Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday asked the Orange County Planning Board to return to them a recommendation regarding the proposed Buckhorn Village development no later than June 3. The commissioners and planning board members heard public comment and fired questions at the developers about the proposed plan at…
OWASA mulls rain and restrictions
By Kirk Ross Staff Writer With reservoirs still filling from recent rains and a more favorable forecast from climatologists in hand, Orange Water and Sewer Authority officials are cautiously reviewing the need for continued Stage Three water restrictions. The restrictions, which went into effect this month, could be dialed back to Stage Two soon should…