At the end of this month, the university presents a fiscal impact study on Carolina North, and with it the focus of the next phase of discussions on the project shifts to the sometimes concrete and often ethereal financial intertwining of town and gown. How the towns support the university and the university supports the…
Category: Opinion
Please don’t plant exotic invasives
By Ken Moore Except for the infamous kudzu, most destructive exotic invasive plants grow unnoticed, except for the few days they flower. Noticeable now is the ubiquitous Bradford pear, Pyrus calleryana, not just where planted in residential areas and parking lots, but along roadsides, in forests and, most dramatically, filling abandoned fields.
The real facts on the waste transfer station
By Virginia Leslie As Orange County continues to distort the facts around siting a waste transfer station on west Hwy 54, local newspapers are reporting it without question. An interview reported last week with Gayle Wilson, who leads the county’s Solid Waste Department, illustrates our point. Here’s what we read: Mr. Wilson: “Hillsborough will send…
Positive signs for public health
By Chris Fitzsimon It’s already a sure thing that the 2009 session of the General Assembly will be remembered for the $4 billion budget shortfall lawmakers faced, the largest in the state’s history. If recent events are any indication, the session may also be remembered for the important steps lawmakers took to improve public health….
Letter from the editor: The future of journalism
At a little over 600 square feet in three rooms, the office isn’t much to look at, but it’s home. The publisher’s “suite†occupies one of the southern corners of the big room. His youngest daughter — our town reporter — and a desk for interns occupy the other southern corner. The north side of…
Letter: Show some courage
Thanks to Senator Kinnaird for her column of March 12th concerning the treatment of Hispanic people lately in North Carolina. The issue is complicated but the bottom line is that bad things are beginning to happen to good people. Of late, this is where I get up on my soap box. I always point out…
Letter: HFM thanks SunTrust
The Leadership Team of the Hillsborough Farmers Market wants to thank SunTrust Bank, formerly CCB Bank, for allowing the Hillsborough Farmers Market to use their downtown parking lot for the past 12 years. It is unfortunate that SunTrust Bank would not let the Hillsborough Farmers Market use their parking lot after December 31, 2008 for…
A mixed budget bag
By Chris Fitzsimon The state budget is always complicated. It comes in a stack of spiral-bound books that explain how agencies will spend more than $40 billion over two years. But it is more difficult than usual to understand all the ramifications of the spending plan presented by Gov. Beverly Perdue Tuesday, both because of…
Editor has cart before the horse
By Brian Voyce No single drop of rain thinks it’s to blame for the flood. Local municipal spending comprises a flood of services, each reasonable to fund if viewed in isolation. In a recent editorial, Editor Ross deftly explains why Orange County is in its current financial mess. It’s not what he says. It’s what…
Letter from the Editor: Ready to consider a county income tax?
By Kirk Ross Much has been made of the Orange County tax revolt, but few suggestions in the way of real reform have come out of it. A couple of weeks ago, we asked in all sincerity for those who think the county government is wasting money to point out just what programs and services…
Chapel Hill going gung ho for density
By Julie McClintock Citizens are reacting strongly to recent high-rise redevelopments and possible future approvals throughout our vanishing village. East 54, Greenbridge, Grove Park and Woodmont are approved, while Glen Lennox and the Altmueller property are on the horizon. Each is proposing high-rise-intensive (i.e., dense) new or redevelopment of cherished space. If this trend continues,…
Time to speak out
By Ellie Kinnaird It is time to speak out against the hostility and outrageous treatment of undocumented people in our state – such that has not been seen since the Jim Crow days. We strive to be a better people than this, but unfortunately repeat this disgraceful conduct every generation. How can we forget the…
Orange County revaluation
By Laura Blackmon Orange County is a great place to live in part because we have a progressive government that constantly attempts to balance service imperatives; the desire to promote education, equity and environmental protection; and the very real burdens of taxation. Minimizing the impacts of property taxes, one of the very few revenue streams available…
Corrections and Clarifications
William Gheen, president of Americans for Legal Immigration Political Action Committee, phoned last week to express his displeasure over our article on the clash between a Chatham County conservative group and organizations who support tougher immigration policies.
A school budget sensitive to the times
By Neil Pedersen The recommended operating budget that I have submitted to the board of education for its consideration at its March 5 meeting is unlike any other budget recommendation that I have prepared during my 17-year tenure as the superintendent of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools. I am not requesting any increase in the…