We get a lot of press releases with lots of holiday season tips and events to consider this time of year. The relentlessness of all the things to do and keep up with wears on us as well. Occasionally, something crosses the desk that just flat out floors you. This week it was one sentence…
Category: Opinion
Two nagging questions
By Chris Fitzsimon N.C. Policy Watch Is there a business veto over key appointments? The Raleigh rumor mill is working overtime on who Governor-elect Beverly Perdue will appoint to her cabinet and other key posts in her administration. Perdue has named her chief of staff and legislative team but not much else, prompting some anxiety…
Chancellor’s letter on the airport
Editor’s note: Following is a response from UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Holden Thorp regarding questions from the county on a proposed airport authority. Dear Chair Foushee: Congratulations on your election as chair of the Orange County Board of Commissioners. We look forward to working with you in your new role. I am writing to respond to…
Letter to the Editor: Civics 101
Civics 101 I commend Commissioner Pam Hemminger for clearly speaking the truth at the Orange County Board of Commissioners meeting on Dec. 11. She said that if you read all the information objectively, a decision to place a waste transfer station (WTS) in Bingham Township is categorically wrong. Unfortunately, unfounded fear prevailed, with the rest…
For the Record 12/11/08
Balancing our books We knew at some point some elected official would rise to make the case for a library for downtown Carrboro. We just didn’t know that person would be a member of the Chapel Hill Town Council. That probably wasn’t council member Matt Czajkowski’s intention when he chimed in Monday night during discussions…
Action Agenda for the Common Good
Editor’s note: The following document was presented at the delegates’ assembly for the newly formed Orange County Organizing Committee. The assembly, held last Sunday at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, brought together dozens of churches and other religious organizations along with elected officials and local social and housing service agencies to study a series of proposed…
Not so affordable college
Chris Fitzsimon For the past eight years, Kiplinger Personal Finance magazine has named UNC-Chapel Hill the best value in public higher education in its annual rankings of universities, based on a combination of quality and affordability. That might lead you to believe that North Carolina is among the nation’s leaders in making higher education affordable….
For the Record 12/4/08
Self-evident Jimmy Carter has often remarked that “America did not invent human rights, human rights invented America.†That shouldn’t be all that difficult to remember, but sometimes amid all the bunting and flag-waving we forget just what drove this country’s imperfect collection of founders to attempt to form that more perfect union.
Turning the tide for black students
Neil Pedersen In the course of three months, Chapel Hill High School has lost two African-American male students, Atlas Fraley and Rodney Torain Jr. These were two young men who had defied the odds for African-American males, who were successful students at Chapel Hill High School and who were preparing themselves to be student-athletes at…
Settling for too little anti-smoking efforts
Chris Fitzsimon This week marks the 10th anniversary of the settlement between 46 states and the tobacco industry. The states, including North Carolina, agreed to drop their lawsuits against major tobacco companies and the companies agreed to give the states $200 billion over 25 years to offset tobacco-related health care costs.
Letter to the editor: Thanks for support
We would like to thank University Mall management and its participating stores for the “It’s All About Giving†event held on Saturday, Nov 15. This event helped local non-profits to increase awareness about their organizations and to raise money to support their endeavors. Chapel Hill/Carrboro Meals on Wheels was excited to be a part of…
Letter to the editor: Book Local
We’ve heard the term Buy Local, but what about Book Local? In the best of times, the Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Center dedicates itself to bringing outsiders in, encouraging the kind of tourism that benefits all of us in myriad ways, from keeping our businesses alive to feathering our tax base. But these aren’t the…
For the Record 11/26/08
A year of difficult changes From just a couple months out, you can see that 2009 is going to be a year of changes. Not all of them are going to be pleasant. We are starting to see the impact of recessionary times and the financial meltdown hit closer to home. A lot of decisions…
Heady days for newspapers
Robert Dickson The days following Barack Obama’s momentous election were exciting ones for our state’s newspapers. Newsstand sales were brisk and several of our large corporate dailies found themselves having to print more copies to fill the demand for commemorative issues.
Mental health: half is not enough
Chris Fitzsimon Television news cameras came early to Thursday’s meeting of the Mental Health Oversight Committee, a fairly rare occurrence but understandable the day after state officials announced that three staff members of Cherry Hospital had been fired in connection with the death of a patient in April.