Gas costs may lead to pricey transit contracts
As area gas prices continue to soar, some residents feel a pinch in their wallets and government services brace for possible budgeting changes.
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As area gas prices continue to soar, some residents feel a pinch in their wallets and government services brace for possible budgeting changes.
Orange and Chatham counties are working to improve communications between court offices through a new judicial council.
After seeing a larger turnout in the November elections, the Republican party has opened up a permanent office in Orange County.
Orange County officials are considering re-introducing a sales tax increase previously rejected by voters to help alleviate the economic impact of state budget cuts.
Local law enforcement agencies announced Friday the completion of a three-month investigation that led to 15 area arrests, just the first step in the judicial process to follow.
A new food processing center’s opening date has been pushed back to April, with more than half the construction left to be completed.
On the eve of President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address, Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt opened Monday night’s Chapel Hill Town Council meeting with an address of his own.
Kathryn Ruff didn’t look at the license closely enough.
And Carolina Brewery said: Let them drink beer.
The last time Walter Morrow saw his 14-year-old daughter, Rosa, she was sitting on the couch waiting to go out with friends. That was Oct. 22, and he hasn’t seen her since.
When Nice Polido opened her raw juice bar on Weaver Street in October 2009, she didn’t know she would be planning to pack up a year later.
A new group is seeking to improve the area’s sparse documentation of minority history and bring the Orange County community together in the process.The Free Spirit Freedom Institute and Gallery held its first meeting last month and is planning to hold its first exhibition at the start of next year.The organization aims to bring local minority history into the mainstream.Renee Price, who helped start the organization this summer with co-founder Thomas Watson, said the need for the group stems from a lack of diversity in historical preservation in the area.Both Price and Watson are on the board of directors for the Historical Foundation of Hillsborough and Orange County.“I would like to highlight the history of minorities and women, struggles and achievements,” Price said.Michael Carmichael, the group’s marketing specialist, said the first photography exhibition will focus on local black history and will launch at the Hillsborough Arts Council on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in January.Eventually, Price said, the group hopes to move beyond pictures to both current and past oral histories.Carmichael said the exhibit is the first large-scale attempt to inform the public on minority history that has also been backed by the county.“The project is precisely what the county needs,” he said.Carmichael said the group also plans to highlight other minority histories in the future.Tinka Jordy, chairwoman of the arts council, said the council jumped at the chance to work with the group.She said all cultures have narratives that often collide, and people can find connections with one another by tracing these stories.“We thought it was a great idea,” Jordy said. “It was an opportunity to document history.”Price said the organization has been reaching out to community groups, churches and educators to get people on board with the program. She said interest has been growing daily, and the project is moving forward quickly.Delores Simpson, former Orange County Board of Education chairwoman, said she thinks the project will help to enrich the community.Simpson moved to Hillsborough in 1953 as a teacher from Virginia and witnessed the integration of schools in the area. She later became the first black chairwoman of the school board.“It’s interesting to see how the area has evolved,” Simpson said. “If we don’t record, it may be lost.”Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
Although the NCAA investigation has turned the football program on its head, athletic and business officials said neither football ticket sales nor Franklin Street profits have suffered.
Correction (September 26, 11:56 p.m.): Due to a reporting error, a previous version of this story misspelled Kildare’s marketing and special events specialist’s name. His name is West Bailey. The story has been updated to reflect the correction. The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for the error.
A dilapidated three-story home that has been the residence of two UNC presidents has been given another chance for survival.
The new owner of Players said customers of the Franklin Street night club will see very little change under new leadership — except for a completely new lineup of employees.“New ownership, new staff,” was the explanation that new owner Michael Rosenbacher had for the staff switch, adding that such actions are routine after businesses change hands.More than 30 employees were told Tuesday that they would no longer be employed with the club.The former employees said they were not notified about the former owner’s plans to sell and are now protesting loss of their jobs.Former Players owner George Draper said he did not want to discuss the sale of Players.“We had a really great work environment,” said Drew Smith, a former club manager. “We’re more of a family than we are a staff.”Other employees said loyal customers might not return to the club after the sudden layoffs.“I think they’re going to have a hard time getting good business again,” said Brian Doran, a former bouncer.But Rosenbacher said that he is not worried about the employees’ protests keeping people from going to Players.Rosenbacher said he bought the club because it already had an established brand presence, and he wouldn’t have to start from scratch to build an image.He also has a personal connection to the town, growing up in Chapel Hill and graduating from UNC in 1988.“It’s a great opportunity,” he said. “It has a great name and reputation, and we don’t want to change that.”The club will continue its normal hours from Tuesday to Saturday, and Players is hosting former UNC linebacker Chase Rice for a country album release party and concert at 10 p.m. tonight.“I hope it doesn’t effect whether people come,” Rice said, adding that he has been getting messages from people who thought that the club is closed.City Editor Sarah Frier contributed reporting.Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
Earth Action Day on Saturday might not have made any money for the business where David Boynton works, but he said it was successful in teaching people how to make their homes energy-efficient.“It’s not a competition,” said Boynton, sales director for Southern Energy Management, which helps clients integrate renewable energy options in buildings. “That’s not why we’re here.”His was one of about 80 booths at the event, coordinated by the Chapel Hill Parks and Recreation Department, which drew a record crowd in its third year, said Natasha Wayne, event coordinator.About 2,000 people came to Southern Community Park to learn about sustainability, Wayne said.Wes Tilghman, supervisor of festivals and special events for the department, said the event was held on Saturday because Sunday would mark the first day of Environmental Education Week.“It’s exceeded our expectations,” he said.The event also boasted activities such as clothing swaps, puppet shows and food tastings.Love Chapel Hill, a church that meets at the Varsity Theatre on East Franklin Street, was there for the first time, handing out seeds at its kiosk.The church started a community garden that benefits the Inter-Faith Council for Social Service’s Community Kitchen.Other booths, like the ones manned by Ten Thousand Villages and Epoch Solutions, sold environmentally responsible wares such as rain barrels because the event attracts prospective customers.Ten Thousand Villages, which has a space in the Shops at Eastgate, is a nonprofit organization that sells crafts made by workers in third-world countries like Ethiopia and Haiti, said Keilayn Skutvik, the store’s manager.“People who come to these events are more likely to buy than others,” she said.Julie Mullin of Fiberactive Organics spent the day selling napkins, table cloths, tote bags and other items made of organic cotton and donated fabric.Elise Bruce brought her kids to the event so they could learn about sustainability, too.“It’s nice to see our community come together to make a difference,” she said.Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
In a typical year, the Ronald McDonald House of Chapel Hill turns away 500 to 700 families that want a place to stay while relatives are treated at UNC Hospitals.After a planned expansion of the local charity, more could be accommodated.The Ronald McDonald House is in the early stages of planning the construction of a second building directly behind the existing one, a plan that coincides with expansion plans for UNC’s Newborn Critical Care Center.Shelley Day, executive director of the Ronald McDonald House of Chapel Hill, said that the additional building would house families who need to stay for longer periods.Bruce Runberg, associate vice chancellor of facilities planning and construction for the University who is in charge of the expansion, said that once the building design is complete, it will have to be approved by the UNC Board of Trustees as well as other University committees, Runberg said. He said the entire process could take up to six months.Day said that UNC’s Newborn Critical Care Center provides the largest number of patient referrals to the Ronald McDonald House, along with pediatrics and oncology.Babies born prematurely can often stay in the hospital for up to 16 weeks, said Wayne Price, chief of the division of neonatal-perinatal medicine at UNC Hospitals. Since most families don’t live in the area, places like the Ronald McDonald House are crucial, he said.UNC Hospitals is also planning on expanding its Newborn Critical Care Center, he said.“Our state population has expanded,” Price said. “There are more sick babies who need more specified care.”The care center will increase in size by 20 percent with an additional 10 beds. The neonatal ward is already the largest intensive care unit in the hospital, he said.An increased patient number could lead more families to knock at the Ronald McDonald House door.The house began to address the need for space in 2001 by adding 5,000 square feet, which increased the space by 50 percent.Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
A proposal that would bolster Carrboro’s gay-friendly reputation will likely be passed this spring.The town’s Board of Aldermen discussed a policy at its retreat Sunday that would make any private contractor working with Carrboro have non-discrimination policies for its employees. Alderman Lydia Lavelle, who proposed the idea, said when the town hires outside contractors for building projects, she always reviews each company’s non-discrimination policies. Companies generally protect discrimination based on race and gender, but sexual orientation is often overlooked, she said.Companies have been receptive to updating their policies if they do not cover gays and lesbians, she said. Lavelle, who is gay, said the proposal is personal to her, even if it wasn’t sparked by any discrimination she has witnessed.“Carrboro is a wonderful community,” Lavelle said. “There is no evidence of discrimination that I am aware of.”She said Carrboro could serve as a model for other communities and encourages other communities to do the same.The proposed policies would most likely be introduced at a meeting in the spring, she said.Mayor Mark Chilton said the town has to abide by certain state laws regarding non-discrimination policies for contracting work, but those don’t include sexual orientation.Lavelle said that while changes to federal laws help, it is also up to communities to make fairer laws for everyone. She said the best way to start is with grassroots campaigns.“There is so much we can do at the local level,” she said.Judith Blau, director of the Chapel Hill & Carrboro Human Rights Center, said Carrboro has always been a very gay-friendly place. She said these proposed policies would only elevate the community’s positions as such.Chilton, Lavelle, and Blau said that the proposed policies probably would not face much opposition.Blau said the Human Rights Center is planning to sponsor a communitywide “day of tolerance” in November. She said although it is politically correct for people to appear to be accepting of gays and lesbians, some people are still apprehensive.“It’s a wonderful movement, and it illustrates the power of democratic forces.”Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
For Molly Buckley, networking on Twitter is similar to attending a cocktail party.