Chris Fitzsimon A highly anticipated report about the state’s mental health system by a new division of the General Assembly staff released last Wednesday morning paints a disturbing picture of a system plagued for the last two years by lack of oversight, poor planning and disorganized data that makes monitoring difficult.
Category: Opinion
For the Record: Some answers will come
The mood in this community shifted at the close of last week as a grieving family held a memorial for Atlas Fraley. Shock over the passing of a young man full of promise whose flame was burning bright has now given way to questions, as the story of his last hours came to light. His…
For the Record: Thanks, Ellen
Aug. 7 was Ellen Perry Day in Carrboro, and rightly so. Her tireless devotion to the cause of individuals with special needs is evident in her near-constant presence at local board meetings; and through her organizing and advocacy, she manages to keep politicians, policymakers and the media mindful of the need to consider the impact…
The (non-)politics of education
Margot Carmichael Lester & Steve Peha As we head back to school this fall, we’re also heading into one of the most important presidential elections in history. The candidates are already running ads and the issues seem clear: the war in Iraq, the economy, healthcare, the price of gas, etc. But not education. As important…
The shaky Tax Foundation
Chris Fitzsimon One of the stories often used to illustrate a common frustration with the way much of the media covers political campaigns started during the 2004 presidential race. One version of the exaggerated example pretends that President Bush says in a public appearance that the Earth is flat. Startled reporters scramble and call the…
Letter: Thanks for a nice night
EmPOWERment, Inc. and the Chapel Hill Police Department would like to thank everyone who came out on a warm, lovely August evening to walk through Northside on Neighborhood Night Out. Hundreds of neighbors and visitors of all ages — from babies to community elders — joined the festivities, celebrated the neighborhood’s lower crime rates and…
Letter: Burr’s vote
Richard Burr’s recent “No†vote to tax subsidies for wind and solar energy is a loss for renewable energy and may cost thousands of American jobs. By a narrow six-vote margin, Senate Republicans blocked voting on the subsidies, which run out for good in December, for the eighth time. While huge oil companies continue to…
A new year of opportunities
Neil Pedersen In some ways, the 2008-09 school year will kick off like many before it in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools. With the opening of Morris Grove Elementary School on Eubanks Road, we will have opened eight new schools during the last 14 years. We expect to enroll approximately 325 more students in the…
Op-ed: Personal conclusions
Catherine Devine Now this is a true confession, and I’ve never told this to anyone before, I swear to you, but I actually wrote to the John Edwards campaign in person and literally begged them – begged them! – to make him stop talking like a liar. Look back at that sentence. Do you believe…
Numbers to consider
Chris Fitzsimon The summer is winding down and Labor Day is just around the corner, the day that traditionally marks the real beginning of the fall campaign season, when political commercials are on television around the clock. If past campaigns are any indication, the ads won’t shed much light on how candidates want to address…
For the Record: Statement by Elizabeth Edwards
Editor’s note: Following is a statement released by Elizabeth Edwards after her husband, former U.S. senator and presidential and vice presidential candidate John Edwards admitted in an interview last week on ABC’s Nightline to having an affair just prior to his announcement that he would make a run for the Democratic nomination for president. The…
Gene Roberts never got too big for his britches
Jock Lauterer Everyone needs a hero. Gene Roberts is mine. Arguably the most decorated living Tar Heel journalist, the 75-year-old Roberts started small before becoming a national figure. But even when he reached the top, he never turned into what my mama used to call “Mr. Big Britches†— never forgetting or denigrating his humble…
Letter: Headline misleading
As a tenant at Abbey Court, I appreciate the stories you have published about tenant-management conflicts in my neighborhood. However, the headline of your most recent story (“Abbey Court ownership says towing policy eased,†July 31, 2008) is somewhat misleading: It is not the towing policy that Mr. Ken Lucas claims to have relaxed, but…
Business subsidies: Expansion with no new accountability
Elaine Mejia During the mad rush that was the last few weeks of the recently adjourned legislative session, one bill was passed easily and quietly that should have drawn dissent and jeers. Lawmakers quietly and overwhelmingly continued their policy of aggressively pursuing large corporations by offering them tens of millions of dollars to expand in…
Reviving a failed health care proposal
Adam Searing Pat McCrory, Republican candidate for governor, is proposing health reforms that he says would help implement his belief that all North Carolinians deserve “affordable, high quality health care.†The goal is admirable, although it’s hard to find a politician anywhere these days who thinks our health system is fine and people should keep…