After a recent move and a decision not to enter the race for Chapel Hill mayor led to speculation about his future plans, Bill Strom announced today (Wednesday, July 29) that he is resigning from the Chapel Hill Town Council effective Aug. 1 Strom issued a statement Wednesday afternoon saying he is leaving to pursue…
Category: Top Story
Advocates anticipate service void
by Taylor Sisk Staff Writer Though the specifics are not yet known, there’s little doubt that mental health care services in North Carolina are going to take a substantial hit in the coming budget. Those cuts may not be as severe as originally feared, but mental health care advocates continue to warn that their effects…
Protesters visit BCBSNC to urge a public option
By Taylor Sisk Staff Writer Fifty-plus passionate protesters gathered Wednesday morning in front of Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina headquarters on U.S. 15-501 to protest the insurer’s opposition to a publicly funded health care option. The public option is intended to provide a lower-cost alternative for quality health care and is a key…
Election filings slow in first week
By Kirk Ross Staff Writer Carrboro Board of Aldermen members Jacquie Gist and Randee Haven-O’Donnell joined newcomer Sammy Slade on the list of candidates for three seats up in this year’s election. But that’s the only race to have at least one candidate per available office, as filing for elections in municipal and school board…
Celebrating and helping pollinators
It’s National Pollinator Week and the third annual National Pollinator Week Celebration at Chatham Market Place in Pittsboro is this Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. This family-friendly celebration with special activities for children includes a treasure hunt, story telling, beekeeping demonstrations and guided tours of the onsite pollinator garden (for more information, ces.ncsu.edu/chatham/ag/SustAg/workshops.html).
Agencies helping those facing foreclosure seeing high demand for services
By Rich Fowler Staff Writer Unfortunately for Miles Wright, CEO of Triangle Family Services in Raleigh, business is booming these days. His agency is one of 26 statewide that try to help owners save their homes as part of North Carolina’s Foreclosure Prevention Project. “This is one of those bittersweet things,†Wright said. “The program…
First class
By Beth Mechum Staff Writer In a weekend full of proud families, excited graduates and tearful teachers, no graduation stood out more than Carrboro High School’s. As friends and families poured into the Dean E. Smith Center, escaping a scorching-hot Saturday evening, audio clips of students expressing their gratitude to everyone from parents to teachers…
Carrboro seniors a class of their own
By Beth Mechum Staff Writer Many of the seniors at Carrboro High School have a bet on how long it will take guidance counselor Mary Gratch to cry at graduation.If any among them wagered on a week before, it’s time to cash in. When asked to think of stories about her “babies,†the class of…
New smoking rules filter through towns
by Kirk Ross Staff Writer New state rules that prohibit smoking in restaurants, bars and most indoor establishments won’t take effect until January, but the impact of the historic change in the state’s attitude toward tobacco is already being felt. Late last week, thousands of members of the Orange County Social Club got a little…
UNC officials monitoring H1N1 case, possible exposures
By Kirk Ross Staff Writer Chapel Hill — A health-care worker with what was described as a mild case of H1N1 — the so-called “swine flu†— has fully recovered after being voluntarily quarantined in her Orange County home. Meanwhile, UNC Health Care officials are closely monitoring 17 patients who may have been exposed to…
UNC reports H1N1 case
Updates: • Statement from Orange County Health Department. The adult case is a health care worker, with mild illness and is self-isolated at home. To protect the privacy of the case and contacts we are limited in the release of protected health information. • Dr. Brian Goldstein, chief of staff at UNC Hospital, said there…
County to study Millhouse transfer station option
By Taylor Sisk Staff Writer The Orange County Board of Commissioners agreed Tuesday night to consider a site suggested by Chapel Hill Mayor Kevin Foy north of the Town Operations Center on Millhouse Road as a potential location for the county’s proposed solid waste transfer station. Not surprisingly, Millhouse residents are troubled by the suggestion….
Carrboro library cuts on the table
County budget proposal drops tax rate to 85.8 cents By Kirk Ross Staff Writer The Orange County Board of Commissioners debated proposed cuts in services Tuesday night, including the permanent closure of the Carrboro Branch Library at McDougle Middle School. The discussion came after a presentation by County Manager Laura Blackmon of a proposed $177,589,039…
Debt concerns could delay, alter projects
By Kirk Ross and Susan Dickson Staff Writers Shifting budget numbers at the state and local level could result in a delay in construction of a new elementary school in the Northside neighborhood. After the latest round of financing, Orange County is close to its self-imposed debt ceiling that keeps debt service at or below…
Chapel Hill budget offers cautious look ahead
By Kirk Ross Staff Writer No furloughs and no layoffs are in the works for next year, but Chapel Hill employees can expect to see no pay increases either, under a new $49,759,000 budget proposed by Town Manager Roger Stancil. The Chapel Hill Town Council got its first look at the budget, which spends about…
