Beth Mechum Staff Writer CHAPEL HILL — The Chapel Hill Town Council opened a public hearing on cell phone and road safety Monday night, and with it came a flood of anecdotes about what is seen as a growing problem. Council member Penny Rich, who requested the hearing, spoke of an email from a parent…
Category: News
Manager lays out budget realities
Kirk Ross Staff Writer CARRBORO — Town Manager Steve Stewart isn’t known for overblown hyperbole or prone to wild exaggeration. So when on Tuesday night he called this year and the one ahead two of the toughest he’s faced in 32 years of drafting budgets, it underlined what town leaders are facing, again, as budget…
Gloria Steinem to host fundraiser for documentary
Gloria Steinem calls it “the best film I’ve ever seen on domestic violence.†To back those words up, Steinem will be traveling to Chapel Hill this weekend to host a fundraiser in support of Private Violence, a feature-length doc from local filmmakers Cynthia Hill and Rebecca Cerese and domestic-violence advocate and survivor Kit Gruelle, in…
Board gets an earful over crosswalk safety
Anyone who uses the various crosswalks in downtown Carrboro knows that not all intersections are created equal in the eyes of local motorists.
Transit concepts considered
Beth Mechum Staff Writer CHAPEL HILL — Chapel Hill Transit will take a hard look at Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) for Chapel Hill’s two busiest corridors, N.C. 54 and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, as part of the 2035 Long Range Transit Plan. Both roadway corridors already exceed 3,000 riders a day, qualifying them for…
Sheriff files, District 2 race heats up
Kirk Ross Staff Writer Sheriff Lindy Pendergrass, who first took office in 1982, has filed for another four-year term. Pendergrass, who makes his home in Chapel Hill, will face Hillsborough Police Chief Clarence Birkhead in the May 5 Democratic primary.
The Prep School Negro to be shown
The Prep School Negro, a documentary about a young black man’s experiences while attending a prestigious, mostly white preparatory school, will be screened this Thursday at UNC. Director André Robert Lee, who made the autobiographical film, and executive producer and UNC alumna Barb Lee, will answer questions and discuss the film afterward. The free public…
Hillsborough State of the Town address
Hillsborough Mayor Tom Stevens will give a State of the Town address on Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. at the Central Orange Senior Center. This fourth-annual event is open to the public. As in previous addresses, the mayor will outline major accomplishments of the last year, where the town is headed and how citizens can…
UNC accepting donations for TABLE
Throughout the month of February, the UNC Visitors’ Center will serve as a contribution drop-off site for TABLE, a nonprofit organization that brings college students and community volunteers together to help feed hungry children in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro area. Participating children receive loaner backpacks on Fridays containing a variety of healthy food for the weekend….
UNC faculty member wins award
Jenny Huq received the Civic Engagement Professional of the Year Award, presented on Feb. 10 at Elon University. Huq is the associate director of the Carolina Center for Public Service and director of the APPLES service learning program at UNC. The Civic Engagement Professional of the Year Award recognizes a staff person at a North…
Council seeks more information on library fees
Carrboro board cool to the idea of contributing funds Beth Mechum Staff Writer CHAPEL HILL – With concerns about library funding still front-and-center, members of the Chapel Hill Town Council want a closer look at the various options for charging for the use of the Chapel Hill Public Library along with the possible consequences of…
Newcomers, familiar faces file for office
Kirk Ross Staff Writer Filing for county offices and state and federal legislative races opened this week with several newcomers joining incumbents in preparations for the May 5 primary and school board election. This cycle will complete the transition of the Orange County Board of Commissioners to a mix of at-large and district representation.
Council sets forum on cell phones and driving
The Chapel Hill Town Council scheduled a public forum for Feb. 22 to hear public comment on proposed regulations for cell phone use while driving in town limits. The forum came out of a suggestion by council member Penny Rich that the town consider banning driving while using a phone, a move that may require…
Fraley family files suit
Beth Mechum Staff Writer The family of Atlas Fraley has filed a lawsuit alleging negligence in his death. Fraley, a 17-year-old Chapel Hill High School football player, died Aug. 12, 2008 in his home following a 911 call at 1:45 p.m., in which he told responders his body hurt all over and he thought he…
Community workshop concerns roads
The Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization will host another community workshop on Feb. 25 to present the alternative scenarios that have been developed for the mobility and development in the N.C. 54/Interstate 40 corridor, a gateway linking Durham, Chapel Hill and UNC. The elements of the scenarios come from technical data analysis and existing plan…