Lawsuit is about more than football
Since news broke that the Daily Tar Heel and seven other media organizations have filed suit for the release of several records related to the investigations of our football team, readers have responded en masse.
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Since news broke that the Daily Tar Heel and seven other media organizations have filed suit for the release of several records related to the investigations of our football team, readers have responded en masse.
When DTH editors ran their “Connecting the Dots” graphic last Thursday, their aim was to present a digestible yet comprehensive summary of the NCAA and University investigation into our football team.
In the past month or so, you’ve read a lot about housekeepers, their management and the “sit-down” policy in this newspaper.
Despite the title, the Public Editor is not an “editor.” I have no desk, no writers to look after, no salary.
To some, she’s the Greek police, patrolling fraternity and sorority parties and enforcing fun-stifling sanctions.To others, she’s the Greeks’ best friend, their biggest advocate on campus and a valuable resource.In the end, Assistant Dean of Students for Fraternity and Sorority Life Jenny Levering is a bit of both.But the dichotomy in perception has led to little consensus on how Levering does her job at a time when the Greek community is under review and could soon see major changes — especially to Levering’s role.
Conflicting stories have emerged about what communication an administrator had with Delta Kappa Epsilon president Courtland Smith the night he died.In the first story — recorded in documents Assistant Dean of Students for Fraternity and Sorority Life Jenny Levering authored shortly after the junior’s death — the two spoke a few hours before Smith was shot to death by police.In the second story — told by Levering’s phone records and most recent statements — the two hadn’t spoken since earlier that summer.The contradicting stories have added to the confusion surrounding the circumstances of Smith’s death as family and friends question what pushed a stable, social and popular student to the edge.On Aug. 23, Smith left a party at his fraternity house sometime around 1 a.m. A few hours later, he called 911 from his car saying he had been drinking heavily and was suicidal. Police pulled him over and shot him about 15 minutes from Greensboro.Smith’s parents, Pharr and Susan Smith, wrote in a December e-mail to his fraternity brothers’ families that their son seemed fine until late that night.“For the week or two before his death, Courtland was his usual happy self,” they wrote. “We continue to struggle to understand what preceded that final event, and we are continuing in our own investigation of what happened the night before Courtland died.”University administrators say Levering played zero role in Smith’s death.“Even if she had a conversation with him, going from there to what happened to Courtland is a very, very bad and wrong thing to do,” said Winston Crisp, the vice chancellor for student affairs.Records of both Levering’s personal and work cell phone show multiple calls to students and others late into the night Aug. 22 and early Aug. 23, but none to numbers associated with Smith.The Daily Tar Heel has not received copies of Smith’s cell phone records, which were obtained by the State Bureau of Investigation.University administrators say they have not seen Smith’s records, either.Levering initially reported that she had spoken to Smith in a hand-written and signed incident report that read, “I talked to Courtland on the evening of the 22nd.”She filed a second statement sometime before a Sept. 18 Greek Judicial Board hearing for violations at DKE’s party, saying that he called her around 1 a.m.But in a telephone interview this week, Levering said her earlier reports were incorrect. She hadn’t spoken to Smith since earlier that summer and made her statements while still confused and grieving, she said.She added that she wasn’t sure what she initially told the SBI, which took over the Smith case because it involved a police officer.“I think they may have been under the impression that we spoke,” she said. “But I let them know that it was a mistake.”Chancellor Holden Thorp has written in e-mails to alumni and parents that Levering did not speak to Smith before he died.“Jenny Levering did not call Courtland the night that he died,” he wrote.Administrators have also reviewed Levering’s cell phone records and conducted multiple interviews with her and others, Crisp said.“There is no indication that Jenny ever had a conversation via telephone with Courtland,” he said. “In the blur of all that had happened … she has said she got confused.”Crisp said he found the possibility that Levering spoke to Smith from another phone unlikely.Among those Levering did speak to was former Interfraternity Council president Charlie Winn, whom she called at 11:30 p.m. and again at 1:34 a.m.Winn said he called Smith that night to discuss the party at DKE’s house, but did not see him personally.“She was asking me about what was going on in the DKE house,” he said. “The very act of her calling me indicates that she did not call Courtland. … Jenny would call Courtland if she wanted to talk to him.”Administrators said they aren’t sure why Levering reported that she spoke to Smith.As the official liaison between the University and the Greek system, Levering is in frequent cell-phone contact with many fraternity presidents, and said she spoke to many members of the community that night.“I talked to so many presidents that night,” she said this week. “There was just a lot of communication going on.”In the months since Smith’s death, UNC’s Greek community has undergone a systematic review. DKE has been handed down severe sanctions, including a year of social probation.Trustees have asked alumnus Jordan Whichard to make recommendations for reforms in the Greek system.A draft of possible recommendations includes, among other things, a smaller role for Levering’s office in the Greek judicial process.Crisp said the University might never know why Levering made the initial statements she did.“We’re probably never going to know what exactly was going on with Courtland,” he said.The Smiths, however, have asked administrators to continue to look into their son’s death.“We will keep digging into the phone records and other evidence to try to get closure on this part of the story,” they wrote.Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
Conflicting stories have emerged about what communication an administrator had with Delta Kappa Epsilon president Courtland Smith the night he died.In the first story — recorded in documents Assistant Dean of Students for Fraternity and Sorority Life Jenny Levering authored shortly after the junior’s death — the two spoke a few hours before Smith was shot to death by police.In the second story — told by Levering’s phone records and most recent statements — the two hadn’t spoken since earlier that summer.The contradicting stories have added to the confusion surrounding the circumstances of Smith’s death as family and friends question what pushed a stable, social and popular student to the edge.On Aug. 23, Smith left a party at his fraternity house sometime around 1 a.m. A few hours later, he called 911 from his car saying he had been drinking heavily and was suicidal. Police pulled him over and shot him about 15 minutes from Greensboro.Smith’s parents, Pharr and Susan Smith, wrote in a December e-mail to his fraternity brothers’ families that their son seemed fine until late that night.“For the week or two before his death, Courtland was his usual happy self,” they wrote. “We continue to struggle to understand what preceded that final event, and we are continuing in our own investigation of what happened the night before Courtland died.”University administrators say Levering played zero role in Smith’s death.“Even if she had a conversation with him, going from there to what happened to Courtland is a very, very bad and wrong thing to do,” said Winston Crisp, the vice chancellor for student affairs.Records of both Levering’s personal and work cell phone show multiple calls to students and others late into the night Aug. 22 and early Aug. 23, but none to numbers associated with Smith.The Daily Tar Heel has not received copies of Smith’s cell phone records, which were obtained by the State Bureau of Investigation.University administrators say they have not seen Smith’s records, either.Levering initially reported that she had spoken to Smith in a hand-written and signed incident report that read, “I talked to Courtland on the evening of the 22nd.”She filed a second statement sometime before a Sept. 18 Greek Judicial Board hearing for violations at DKE’s party, saying that he called her around 1 a.m.But in a telephone interview this week, Levering said her earlier reports were incorrect. She hadn’t spoken to Smith since earlier that summer and made her statements while still confused and grieving, she said.She added that she wasn’t sure what she initially told the SBI, which took over the Smith case because it involved a police officer.“I think they may have been under the impression that we spoke,” she said. “But I let them know that it was a mistake.”Chancellor Holden Thorp has written in e-mails to alumni and parents that Levering did not speak to Smith before he died.“Jenny Levering did not call Courtland the night that he died,” he wrote.Administrators have also reviewed Levering’s cell phone records and conducted multiple interviews with her and others, Crisp said.“There is no indication that Jenny ever had a conversation via telephone with Courtland,” he said. “In the blur of all that had happened … she has said she got confused.”Crisp said he found the possibility that Levering spoke to Smith from another phone unlikely.Among those Levering did speak to was former Interfraternity Council president Charlie Winn, whom she called at 11:30 p.m. and again at 1:34 a.m.Winn said he called Smith that night to discuss the party at DKE’s house, but did not see him personally.“She was asking me about what was going on in the DKE house,” he said. “The very act of her calling me indicates that she did not call Courtland. … Jenny would call Courtland if she wanted to talk to him.”Administrators said they aren’t sure why Levering reported that she spoke to Smith.As the official liaison between the University and the Greek system, Levering is in frequent cell-phone contact with many fraternity presidents, and said she spoke to many members of the community that night.“I talked to so many presidents that night,” she said this week. “There was just a lot of communication going on.”In the months since Smith’s death, UNC’s Greek community has undergone a systematic review. DKE has been handed down severe sanctions, including a year of social probation.Trustees have asked alumnus Jordan Whichard to make recommendations for reforms in the Greek system.A draft of possible recommendations includes, among other things, a smaller role for Levering’s office in the Greek judicial process.Crisp said the University might never know why Levering made the initial statements she did.“We’re probably never going to know what exactly was going on with Courtland,” he said.The Smiths, however, have asked administrators to continue to look into their son’s death.“We will keep digging into the phone records and other evidence to try to get closure on this part of the story,” they wrote.Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
More than two years and $490,000 later, no one is quite sure how Orange County should take out the trash.Local governments are currently trying to sort out the ramifications of the county’s latest decision: come 2012, when the local landfill reaches capacity, county trash will be trucked directly to a transfer station in Durham.Members of the county Board of Commissioners say the December decision, which brought an end to a contentious search process, is a temporary fix. But it also has its consequences, from higher greenhouse gas emissions to the potential of millions of dollars in higher costs.And the longer the county spends deciding what to do with its garbage, the longer it will have to absorb the costs of its choice. In the end, it might have to restart the search for a transfer station site.“It’s like punting,” said Commissioner Barry Jacobs, who is also an ACC sports writer. “Sometimes you can get better field position.”All that gasOne impact of the latest decision is clear: the move will mean more pollution.Shipping the trash to Durham means garbage trucks will spend more time on the road, often on highways, increasing the county’s carbon footprint.That jump in emissions could make it hard for towns to meet long-term sustainability goals. Towns and institutions are analyzing the Durham decision and other options’ potential effect on these goals.Chapel Hill, for example, has made plans to reduce its emissions 60 percent by 2050. “If we’re adding miles, then naturally we add more CO2,” said John Richardson, Chapel Hill’s sustainability officer. “From that perspective, we would need to figure out ways to try and counter balance that.”The latest estimate by Olver Inc., a solid waste management consultant on retainer with the county, stands at more than 46 million additional pounds of carbon dioxide equivalent per year. The estimate, which was approved by towns and county government, is about 1 percent of the 5.6 billion pounds of CO2 the county produced in 2005, the last time emissions were comprehensively measured.Chapel Hill, along with Carborro, will shoulder the lion’s share of the increase, since the towns are farther from the Durham transfer station.By shipping trash to Durham, the county also loses some control over what will get landfilled, said Gayle Wilson, Orange County’s solid waste manager.Orange County has posted the third-best waste reduction numbers in the state, decreasing its trash output by 54 percent since 1991. Durham, however, has gone backwards, producing 1 percent more.That could mean more greenhouse gas producing materials, like most organic waste, will not be properly disposed.“There’s the as yet unknown impact of not being able to apply our regulations,” he said. “We’re worried about a little waste reduction slippage.”The county’s decision could also affect UNC, which aims to be carbon neutral by 2050.The University wants to find a place in-county to send its trash. But in an effort to free up space in the county landfill, the University has been shipping its waste to a private transfer station also in Durham for about a year.That means an increase in hauling distance and a spike in emissions that could complicate sustainability goals, said BJ Tipton, UNC’s solid waste program manager.“It’s one that we haven’t analyzed directly, but it’s a possibility,” she said. “The change has added some hauls.”Money crunchThe exact financial costs of the decision have yet to be worked out.Officials and consultants in waste management say trucking trash to Durham will cost the county more than building a local transfer station would have, especially in the long-run.Olver estimates that a local transfer station would have saved the county up to $15 million. The decision will also expose the county to more risk as variables like gas prices fluctuate, Jan Sassaman, chairman of the solid waste advisory board, and Wilson agreed.“Logic tells me that there are other ways of doing things that are cheaper,” Sassaman said.Chapel Hill and Carrboro, which have a longer trip to the Durham transfer station, face an annual increase of about $223,000 and $109,000, respectively, in hauling costs over shipping to an in-county transfer station, according to Olver. Hillsborough, which is closer to the Durham station, will actually save about $3,000 annually by shipping to Durham.But commissioners seem reluctant to rely on that data.“There are fiscal and environmental costs no matter where we go,” Jacobs said. “We need to decide what the actual costs are in a process that is not consultant-driven.”Some activists agree. Orange County Voice, which played a prominent role in defeating attempts to site a transfer station in the county, has endorsed the Durham option as the most fiscally sound.“Olver misinformed the public and the county on costs,” said Bonnie Hauser, a spokeswoman for Orange County Voice. Bob Sallach, Olver president, said the numbers were as accurate as possible and approved by town and county staff. How short is the short runHow long local trash will be headed out of the county ultimately depends on one factor: how long it takes the county to develop an alternative solution.The commissioners plan to start the process this month in a meeting with local governments.But given the many options available, from relatively unproven waste-to-energy technologies to regional partnerships, it could be years from conception to ribbon cutting.“Unless there’s some violent upheaval in the current direction that we’re going, I doubt that it would be in 10 years,” Sassaman said.Developing a partnership with nearby towns, counties and possibly UNC, meanwhile, could be logistically challenging, especially since the county’s neighbors are not facing the same time crunch. While the Orange County landfill is scheduled to close in early 2012, Wake County has 20 years more of life left in its landfill, while Alamance has up to 60, Wilson said. UNC is also not on the clock, since it began shipping its waste to a different private transfer station in Durham about a year ago.“We have a great working relationship with the county,” Tipton said. “But I think when it comes to actual infrastructure, they’re a little bit more challenging.”Past collaborative projects, like one to capture methane at the current landfill, have consumed large amounts of resources and time.Tipton said whether Orange County has a waste management solution in 20 years is a “flip of a coin.”No matter what Orange County decides to do down the road, waste management experts say a local waste transfer station will remain a necessity.“If we get an alternative technology, that you’re still going to have to get the waste to that facility,” Wilson said. “The issue of a transfer station will continue to reoccur in the meantime.”Not all parties are convinced, however. Jacobs said there could be other viable alternatives.Ultimately, the county might find that its waste management problems just don’t have a clean solution.“At some point we’re going to have to decide what is the best option, as opposed to the option that we feel cornered into taking,” Jacobs said. “If those two happen to coincide, then so be it.”
Correction (March 28 10:48 p.m.): Due to a reporting error, this story incorrectly states that the charges were dismissed for defendants in an underage drinking bust at The Warehouse apartments. The students were found not guilty. The police cracked down on underage drinking this fall, but the extra effort also led to several unconstitutional arrests, defense attorneys and legal counselors say. The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for the error.
If Orange County Commissioners build a proposed waste transfer station their consulting firm stands to earn close to half a million dollars.The company Olver Inc. is being paid to sort out the future of the station in Bingham township" about 10 miles west of Carrboro.Commissioner Barry Jacobs and some residents say that constitutes a conflict of interest — especially when the firm is being asked to look into the option of not building a transfer station at all.The issue is part of a list of comments and concerns shared by commissioners and residents alike that complicate the validity of the county's transfer station search. ""I think it's a legitimate concern"" Jacobs said, adding that he's gotten into head butting"" with staff in the past about similar issues. ""I doubt I'm the only one who's looking with a skeptical eye.""The county has been trying to site a waste-transfer station" which would serve as collection point for garbage before it is shipped out of the county for more than two years.After the county scrapped plans to build a station on Eubanks Road in November 2007 commissioners interviewed two consulting firms to look for a transfer station site.They chose Olver which has whittled down hundreds of possibilities to a final site in Bingham.Recently commissioners also asked the company to look into the price of alternatives to building a transfer station like outsourcing the county's waste management to private contractors. If the county moved to abandon plans to build a transfer station Olver would miss out on more than $400000 in engineering fees.If the county chooses the company to manage construction it could earn even more.But Gayle Wilson the county's solid waste management director says it's not a problem to ask Olver to provide an objective perspective on something that could lose the firm money. Having a company both site and build a station is standard procedure Wilson said. The people driving the complaints are residents who can't take no for an answer" Wilson said.""Apparently there's not enough real news associated with this project"" he said. The conflict of interest is a dead end that people who are desperate for issues are trying to use.""Residents have also raised concerns that Jim Reynolds" a former manager in Wake County's waste management division now works for Olver on the transfer station project.Multiple news sources reported that Reynolds resigned earlier this year amid controversy over inappropriate expense reports that he signed. The forms had authorized staff not on official business to take trips around the country.Bob Sallach Olver's project manager for the station search who said he spoke on behalf of Reynolds" said bringing up his history is a low blow.""I think it's extremely cheap"" he said, adding that Reynolds' expertise is invaluable to Orange County. I'm not sure that anybody knows what happened in Wake County.""He said Reynolds is an analyst and not in a position to affect the future of county waste management. Assistant County Manager Gwen Harvey also said there is no question of whether the company has a conflict of interest.""Professional engineers are bound by their professionalism and by their ethics to provide the best information" she said.But Jacobs wasn't sure. I'm not sure I would hire the gentleman" he said. I'm not sure I would have wanted to hire a company of which he was a prominent member.""As resident groups like Orange County Voice gear up protests" some commissioners are eager to bring the transfer station search to a close.But others say every question brings on a tangle of others" further complicating the decisions the board will have to make.""It's almost like a rug that has rough edges" Jacobs said. If you start pulling one of the edges" the rug starts unraveling and you don't know where that's going to end.""Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
A helicopter whirred overhead. Firemen shuffled from foot to foot against the wind. Police quietly gathered on street corners.Then the noise downtown began to grow from the sporadic cheer to a steady rising roar.And when the buzzer blared 700 miles away Franklin Street was buried by thousands of Carolina blue-clad fans screaming" dancing and burning the clothes off their backs.""The crowd is unity"" said Chase Beck, a senior. I've never been prouder of my school. It's all for the Carolina spirit.""The crowd of more than 45"000 materialized in a matter of minutes after North Carolina's 89-72 win against Michigan State to claim the 2009 NCAA title.Fans poured from the doors of bars and restaurants. Waves of students sprinted downtown from their dorms and the Smith Center. Together they became a tangled mass of bodies hoisting each other onto their shoulders spraying beer across the crowds climbing street lights" hanging off trees and shouting into the mass below.""I've wanted to go to this school forever" and this is the happiest moment of my entire life" said first-year Mary Brent Barnard.In the center of the crowd — right at the intersection of Franklin and Columbia streets — someone lit a shirt. The fire grew as revelers ripped off clothes to add to the flames. And though Chapel Hill enlisted the help of more than 300 police officers to control the celebratory crowd, some students still managed to smuggle in wood to burn.We aren't worried about safety"" said sophomore Lauren Traugott-Campbell. We can't be defeated. We just want it to get bigger.""Firemen planned to let the fires burn" so long as they didn't endanger any buildings.Police patrolled the streets throughout the night along with an additional 200 public workers keeping on eye on the crowd.Costs of crowd control this year are expected to be about the same as when UNC last took home the title in 2005.The town and University footed a $165000 bill that year to manage 45000 celebrators in the streets.As of 12:10 a.m. emergency services had treated one person for a fractured arm and another for alcohol consumption. There were no arrests at that time.Police said they worried about burns" especially in the high winds. But it didn't seem like anything could damper Tuesday's raging crowd.""This is why you come to Carolina" said junior Andrew Berry. We're an academic university" but secretly everybody wants that basketball title.""Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
Being able to own a home near UNC comes down to one question: Can you afford to spend $334088?That figure the average price of a home in Orange County is the driving force behind a growing trend.As local price tags have risen the backbone of Chapel Hill's labor force — the gardeners nurses cops and custodians — has moved outside of city limits.That means hundreds of dollars a month on gas and bus tickets coming out of their pockets.That means hours on the road away from family and friends.That means a journey from their world into their employer's day after day a journey made by firemen dishwashers housekeepers — people like Ervine Purnell a stocky 52-year-old fraternity chef who likes to sing the blues.‘A type of migrant worker'While the students Purnell feeds at UNC packed their trunks for Spring Break he was on the prowl for a house. He has been in Chapel Hill since August" when he moved out from California with his wife Charmaine.He spent his first few months in a motel (""a waste""). Then he jumped from rental unit to rental unit in Cary. Now he's looking in Raleigh.The bottom line is that Purnell is struggling to find a home near work that's not several times his $32""000 income at the Chi Phi fraternity.""We're still looking" basically" he said. I'm just trying to get buckled down.""For Purnell"" who prefers to be called ""Chef P"" every day he spends in small, temporary houses, he loses more money. He spends more than $300 a month to keep most of his belongings in storage.He drives the 30 minutes or so into Chapel Hill every day. And every night he drives back.He didn't think it'd be hard to find housing in Chapel Hill, where he knew UNC attracted thousands of students, faculty and staff.But Purnell is not alone in his search for cheap, local housing.Workers at UNC and the UNC Health Care system — the county's top two employers — are moving out of the pricey houses of Chapel Hill and into areas where homes are more affordable.For UNC groundskeeper David Brannigan, the fact that in 2008 more than 70 percent of UNC staff lived outside of Chapel Hill means something's gone wrong.It's like there's a type of migrant worker" he said. Come in do your work" and leave.""Brannigan" a native of Leeds England" lives in Chatham County. He said living closer to UNC would be ""inconceivable"" on his wages.He's been in the area for six years and has seen the prices go up and workers go out.Property values in Orange County rose by about 87 percent between 1995 and 2005" while those in Durham and Wake counties increased by a little more than half that.Now county homes are frequently twice as expensive as those in neighboring areas.And many say what's missing is some kind of middle ground: homes for people who aren't on the chancellor's pay scale but don't qualify for the small amount of public housing available locally.As home prices have increased those middle options have slowly faded away said Kim Woodard" a local realtor.""I've seen it change"" she said. We've lost a little bit each year.""Purnell and Brannigan belong to the economic stratum that needs that middle ground.So do the 389 UNC housekeepers who make $25"000 on average annually and are usually fighting for better wages.And so do Brannigan's co-workers the 90 or so groundskeepers who keep the University green and pull in about $29"300 a year.Living in Chapel Hill ""requires an income that those jobs just can't provide"" said Loryn Clark, Chapel Hill's housing and neighborhood services coordinator.So many just don't live here.To a lot of paid employees" Chapel Hill is like another planet" Brannigan said, his English accent still thick.Unaffordable issuesSome officials are quick to point to a number of affordable housing providers that work in Orange County to make homes available to people not earning much.A few, like Empowerment Inc., mostly rent homes, while others, like the Orange Community Housing and Land Trust, sell.But as providers struggle to meet demands, each with their own definitions of affordable" many workers are left without options.The pricing here makes it more difficult" said Tara Fikes, Orange County's Housing/Community Development director. There are always people in Orange County who need help.""Manuel and Purificacion Santa Ana" a husband and wife pair from the Philippines" are some of them. They work as housekeepers at UNC Hospitals.""We are really poor"" Manuel Santa Ana said. If you give me a more cheaper house … we'll sell our house in Durham and move here.""If the Santa Anas decided to apply for affordable housing from the town" they could have to be patient for up to five years.There are currently about 250 people on waiting list for the 336 occupied rental units the town maintains for families with a household income of no more than $49680.That waiting list is not shrinking either.Chapel Hill puts up more and more homes and apartments" but the waiting lists just grow.""If you build them" they will come" said Tina Vaughn, director of Chapel Hill's Department of Housing.Some staff worry that even UNC's options, specifically designed to house staff, won't be within their means.UNC officials are planning a project in Carrboro that would sell homes at 20 percent of market value.There's a higher demand because this is such a highly desirable and unaffordable area"" said Crystal Fisher, sales and marketing manager at the Land Trust. People really want to be in Chapel Hill.""And the factors that influence the cost of living for UNC staff and others continue to change — gas prices reached record levels last year; credit markets are in withdrawal; housing markets keep property values in flux. Brannigan" standing on South Road with his eyes shaded by a wide-brimmed hat" talked about how last year's gas prices ""really"" really"" hurt the people he works with.He talked about how many groundskeepers live along major highways — where there's often the least greenery — to make the sunrise commute to work easier.A solution to the cheap housing shortage is far off" he said. But right now the bedrock of the Chapel Hill's labor force — the nurses gardeners firefighters and cooks — still needs help.Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
UPDATED 8:47 p.m. TUESDAY March 17 -- A silver SUV ran into a electricity pole on Raleigh Road near Country Club Road around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday backing up traffic around the UNC campus and cutting power to more than 170 Orange County homes. No one was injured in the collision.Police said no drugs or alcohol were involved in the single-car collision. The driver" who police said ""felt his car jerk"" before the accident" was not speeding.The car smashed into the pole head on crumpling the front of the vehicle and downing the pole.The electrified wires fell against a roadside tree's branches flashed bright orange smoldered and smoked but did not start any fires.Police and firemen are in the process of shutting off electricity to the area and replacing the pole. Sharon Gautier a spokeswoman for Duke Energy said the company hopes to have power back to Orange County by 1 a.m. Wednesday.Officers did not know when the scene would be cleared and road reopened.Traffic is not being allowed onto Raleigh Road in either direction.About $10000 in damages was done to the pole and wiring Chapel Hill Police Officer Deborah Timmons said. An additional $10000 of damage was done to the car.Check back on www.dailytarheel.com for more information.
More than 200 mainly white-haired residents crowded a county meeting Tuesday to protest the prospect of higher taxes.But officials say it's too late.Residents are asking county commissioners to throw out the county's latest property valuations which increased by an average of 22 percent since last evaluated in 2005 and take another shot. And many are challenging County Attorney Geoff Gledhill's assertion that the county has missed its Jan. 1 deadline to legally call for a do-over. Thomas Harrington an Eden attorney wrote in a letter to commissioners that the county is free to retry its valuations.Harrington said the county is only required to meet state laws which require a new valuation by 2013 eight years after the last assessment.Orange County revalues residents' property every four years to adjust taxes to market values. The most recent values released at the end of last year" have prompted organized protests from residents who say the valuations don't correspond to housing market conditions.""Nobody saw the economy taking the turn that it's taken" but now citizens of Orange County are suffering" said Tom Whisnant, a resident who spoke on behalf of many involved in the protest. It's not a coincidence that thousands of people are showing up to these meetings.""Orange County would not be the only county in North Carolina to throw out its latest valuations at the behest of its residents.Rockingham County commissioners unanimously voted to throw out their most recent property assessment last month after about 800 county residents protested at meetings. Rockingham residents' property will return to its previous value until a new valuation is completed before 2011.Many residents at Tuesday's meeting said the new values unfairly burden county residents coping with a nationwide recession.The county has not released a tax rate for the next fiscal year and won't begin to draft a budget until next month. Some commissioners have suggested the county keep a revenue-neutral tax rate or lower taxes to compensate for the higher valuations.But even if they take this step" taxes could go up significantly for residents whose property revaluation increased by more than the average.Orange County homes' average sale prices have been steadily declining since the market peaked two years ago. The average price of an Orange County house was $50"000 less in January 2009 than it was in the same month in 2007.""Every homeowner who feels that they have been wronged by this evaluation needs to be heard"" resident and real estate broker Michael Strayhorn told commissioners.I don't care if you have to meet every night of the week.""More than 200 residents were let into the commissioners meeting and hundreds of others were turned away at the door. A local chapter of Freedom Works — a national anti-tax organization led by former U.S. House Majority Leader Dick Armey — helped organized what's being called the ""Orange County Tax Revolt.""Residents can appeal their new property values before April 1.If they miss this deadline" residents can apply to a special county board.Doug Shackelford a UNC tax scholar said resistance to new taxes is the norm" especially in the U.S.""Protesting about taxes is a foundation in American history"" he said. We're pretty experienced in that.""Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
Since President Barack Obama signed the $787 billion federal stimulus state and local governments have had to sit tight and hope for the best.It's not clear when" how or where the more than $6 billion expected to come to North Carolina will filter down through federal and state governments.""I can't say exactly when it's going to start"" Assistant Orange County Manager Willie Best said. But we'll be ready to proceed.""To help clarify the process" N.C. Gov. Bev Perdue is taking a new Web site live this morning.The site — www.ncrecovery.gov — is modeled after the White House's own stimulus Web site and is intended to help residents and officials track how stimulus money is being spent.It's the product of the N.C. Office of Economic Recovery and Investment which Perdue created to channel stimulus funds across the state.A relatively small amount of money has been distributed already. Perdue announced $466 million for 70 highway and bridge projects Tuesday though none are in Orange County.Officials have spent the last few months trying to put Chapel Hill" Carrboro and Orange County in the best position to a receive a portion of the rest of North Carolina's stimulus money. ""It's kind of a waiting game now"" said Todd McGee, a spokesman for the N.C. Association of County Commissioners. We're curious as well.""When the time comes"" officials want to be set with ""shovel-ready"" projects that could receive funding.The stimulus package includes several funds that could benefit local governments" including monies for health care social services and transportation infrastructure.Orange County has identified construction of the $34 million Elementary No. 11 and several parks as possible projects.Chapel Hill is hoping for millions to spend on projects like library expansion" street repairs and downtown lighting. Carrboro's biggest project is a $3 million fire station.The majority of the county's stimulus dollars will come from divisions of the state government like the N.C. Department of Transportation.Some money also could come to the county and towns directly from the federal government.But it's not known when.""I don't know the timeline yet"" said Chrissy Pearson, a spokeswoman for Perdue's office. The governor is in the position of waiting for the feds.""And for now" Chapel Hill Carrboro and the rest of Orange County are in the same boat.Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
Orange County Commissioners said Thursday they're committed to donating more than $1 million to charities in the coming fiscal year.At least so long as it's possible. Meager revenue projections from sales and property taxes have slimmed down next year's budget.The county might have to reallocate funds and staff to maintain core services at the expense of others. And donations to nonprofits aren't exempt.Commissioners allocated $1568"413 to a number of charities this fiscal year.""It's important that we not promise"" Commissioner Alice Gordon said. We don't know how bad it's going to get.""Commissioners do have a sense of how bad things are now" though.Staff have asked all departments to prepare preliminary 10 percent budget cuts" which could mean optional programs like Veteran's Services and job training at the Skills Development Center could go.But most commissioners seem committed to keeping up donations to charity even as they make cuts in other areas.The board has made it clear that ""safety net"" programs that provide food"" shelter and housing are a priority.Many of the nonprofits the county funds are organizations that offer those services.""I don't care how bad it gets in other departments"" Vice Chairman Mike Nelson said. I want to protect that one million. That same dollar amount from last year will be stuck to.""Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
Orange County Commissioners said Thursday they're committed to donating more than $1 million to charities in the coming fiscal year.At least so long as it's possible. Meager revenue projections from sales and property taxes have slimmed down next year's budget.The county might have to reallocate funds and staff to maintain core services at the expense of others. And donations to nonprofits aren't exempt.Commissioners allocated $1568"413 to a number of charities this fiscal year.""It's important that we not promise"" Commissioner Alice Gordon said. We don't know how bad it's going to get.""Commissioners do have a sense of how bad things are now" though.Staff have asked all departments to prepare preliminary 10 percent budget cuts" which could mean optional programs like Veteran's Services and job training at the Skills Development Center could go.But most commissioners seem committed to keeping up donations to charity even as they make cuts in other areas.The board has made it clear that ""safety net"" programs that provide food"" shelter and housing are a priority.Many of the nonprofits the county funds are organizations that offer those services.""I don't care how bad it gets in other departments"" Vice Chairman Mike Nelson said. I want to protect that one million. That same dollar amount from last year will be stuck to.""Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
Due to a reporting error this story misstated the price of constructing a waste transfer station. It will cost $5 to $7 million. The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for the error.Orange County commissioners finalized an agreement with UNC on Tuesday to capture gas from the county landfill and convert it into energy.The $5.5 million project will benefit both the University which will gain a clean electricity source and the county to which UNC will pay a monthly fee for the gas.UNC will fund the entire project.County revenues from the deal will be used to cover the millions of dollars involved in constructing a waste transfer station to replace the county landfill set to close in 2011.UNC will use electricity generated from the captured gas to power Carolina North its proposed research campus.The environmentally friendly energy source will also help offset the environmental footprint of the campus.Some residents are also asking commissioners to use revenues to improve infrastructure in the Rogers-Eubanks Road community" which is next to the landfill.""We have full faith that this is a desirable project" Assistant County Manager Gwen Harvey said. It will be beneficial to the community" to the environment and … to UNC's goal to be carbon neutral.""The deal — more than one year in the making — grants UNC full rights to the landfill's naturally generated gas.Recent disagreements about the project's timeline between the county and the University delayed the process.County staff said they are afraid the deal would transfer rights to the landfill gas to UNC without guaranteeing a final completion date.UNC officials said they are worried the University would not be able to get permits from local municipalities to build the gas-capturing system in the county's suggested five-year limit.UNC plans to build a 2.2 mile underground pipeline to a facility where the landfill gas can be converted into fuel. That pipeline will require extensive permitting.""We don't want to make a bunch of investments and all of sudden we can't get a permit and five years comes and boom" we're thrown out of a deal" said Carolyn Elfland, associate vice chancellor for campus services.But commissioners said Tuesday that negotiations have gone on long enough.We've lost a year's worth of revenue"" commissioner Mike Nelson said. Continuing negotiations for me just isn't an option.""The county will receive up to $140"000 annually with an additional $40000 annually at most from the sale of renewable energy credits. The county's planned waste transfer station will cost about $4.7 million.Landfill gas occurs naturally from the decomposition of solid waste.Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
Orange County's goals to protect programs that provide shelter food and medical care might fall short given the county's budget woes.Officials from Orange County Social Services asked commissioners in a meeting Thursday for $702000 to maintain their programs in the coming financial year including $300000 to extend service hours at two health care centers.The demand for health services exceeds what the county can provide in its two centers during normal hours said Orange County health director Rosemary Summers. The extra money would fund hours later at night or during the weekend.But with a projected $9.5 million countywide budget shortfall — about 6 percent of a typical operating budget — social services might have trouble finding the funding they need.County Manger Laura Blackmon has asked departments to prepare for a reduction in temporary staff and not to plan on new equipment or vehicles.Social services would have to hire temporary workers to staff its health care centers' extra hours.All of the money social services needs might not come from commissioners.Officials expect help from anticipated federal aid" though it's too soon to tell how much.""The stimulus package is only in the third inning"" said commissioner Barry Jacobs, who is also a sports writer. So don't get alarmed.""Officials from social services estimate that the proposed stimulus would provide medical insurance to up to 1"000 county children.But aid from Washington can have a drawback officials said. The county would need an estimated $100000 for administrative costs of managing the additional insurance cases.Stress on social services has been building as the recession continues. Officials estimated that 150 more families are receiving food stamps from the county each month. And 30 percent fewer residents who come to county health services have health insurance.Library plansCommissioners discussed plans to improve the county's public library system. Staff are suggesting opening a Southwest Regional Library that would cost an estimated $3885000 before 2013.Orange County currently spends $17 per capita on libraries $7 less than the state average and $18 less than Chapel Hill's.Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
Someone broke into six cars parked close together early Monday morning and made off with radios from two of them. The criminals dealt $1200 in damages to the cars police estimate. The radios worth $100 each were the only properties stolen.All the cars were parked on Bolinwood Drive near Hillsborough Street. They were close to the Town House Apartments complex a popular housing choice among students.UNC junior Peter Petrochenko said his friend's car was broken into first.Someone then used a rock wrapped in a shirt from his friend's car to break into Petrochenko's car" he said.""My car just got the window broken in"" he said. Someone stole the radio from his friend's car, destroying the dashboard in the process.Although Chapel Hill police couldn't be reached for comment, reports indicate that no arrest has been made in the case. Reports also state that the case was closed after all leads were exhausted.Each car had its front passenger window broken with a blunt instrument.Four of the cars were heavy-duty SUVs and all six were registered in North Carolina.Much of the parking along Bolinwood Drive is public. Petrochenko said the area where he parked his car is unusually dark.There's no street lights"" he said. There are tons of people walking through the dark there.""Petrochenko is the only college-aged owner of a damaged vehicle.Someone also stole $800 in CDs on Monday from another car that was parked on McCauley Street.The incidents do not appear to be related.Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.