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WOMEN'S LACROSSEBoston College - 8UNC - 12
Student Body President Eve Carson continued her efforts of encouraging students to vote when she cast her ballot Tuesday at the U.S. post office early-voting station on Franklin Street.
Candidates for the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education discussed issues including dropout rates and military recruitment in the classroom at a forum at Carol Woods Retirement Community on Tuesday. The audience of about 50 questioned the five candidates running for four open seats on the school board about the future of the school system. Mike Kelley, who is running for re-election, said the key step to lowering dropout rates is giving each statistical number a face and a story. "We need to find out just who these children are," Kelley said, speaking of those who have dropped out or are at a high risk of doing so in the future. Board Chairwoman Jamezetta Bedford, who also is running for re-election, said the problem of students not graduating needs to be addressed but noted that the school system has the lowest dropout rate in the state. Candidates also discussed measures that can be taken to ensure that all students have the opportunity to maximize their potential and stay in school. Candidate Mia Burroughs suggested hiring a social worker to keep track of students who might slip through the cracks. "Different students drop out for different reasons," Burroughs said. "Children who bounce around (from school to school) a lot should be put on a list and be followed by a social worker as support." Incumbent board member Annetta Streater said early intervention is vital. "Children who do not know how to read at the end of the third grade are going to struggle greatly," Streater said. "By the time they get to high school, it may be too late." Candidates also discussed how to address schools' rapid growth. Bedford said the district will need to spend $105 million in the next decade to address growth and upgrade existing facilities. She noted that five district schools have cafeterias without air conditioning. The need for additional funds is a large concern. Bedford said the district should look at other ways of getting money. "We are formulating a new tax we hope the public will support, and we are looking at giving school boards taxing authority," she said. Candidates also discussed the issue of military recruitment, mainly in high schools. Candidate Gary Wallach said that while military service is a good career for some, military influence should remain outside the classroom. "I think the military option is right for some people, but I firmly believe that recruiters should not be on campus," he said. Streater noted that students younger than 18 years old still must have parental permission for individual recruitment. Kelley said the board doesn't have much choice as to allowing recruiters on campus or not if it wants to receive federal funding and said students should be allowed to make a choice about service. "We should educate our children to all the pros and cons of what the military has to offer and let them make a choice." Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
Candidates for the Carrboro mayor and Board of Aldermen attended a forum Thursday at Lake Hogan Farms Clubhouse to discuss transit and development issues facing the town. The forum was sponsored by the Orange County Democratic Party. Discussions opened with a question concerning Carrboro's need for increased sidewalks and more bicycle-friendly roads. Incumbent Carrboro Mayor Mark Chilton said he has worked to get sidewalks built and will continue to look for additional funding. "I want to see Carrboro become a more walkable community," he said. Mayoral candidate Brian Voyce said he understands the desire for more sidewalks but noted that such action takes money that might not be available. "If we keep fiscally mismanaging we're going to be in trouble," he said. Alderman candidate Sharon Cook said that she will work for a comprehensive safety plan and that she views pedestrian and bicycle safety as very important. Candidates also were asked to address the problems of high traffic density on Homestead Road as a result of new development. Alderman incumbent candidate Dan Coleman said that in order to reduce both the number of vehicles and vehicle speeds on Homestead, extensive traffic calming needs to be implemented. Traffic calming measures include speed bumps. Cook argued that traffic calming was not the answer. "Traffic calming is just an admission that we didn't plan correctly in the first place," Cook said. Talk then moved to the availability of affordable housing in Carrboro. Alderman candidate Katrina Ryan said the problem was bigger than some believe. "We're not just missing homes for people who make 80 percent of the median income," said Ryan, "Policemen married to teachers can't even afford to live here." According to Brian Voyce the answer may lie in housing already built. "Most affordable housing programs come from new housing stock; we should look to old apartment complexes as a possibility," Voyce said. Mayoral candidate Chuck Morton said Carrboro is becoming exclusive and expensive. "It needs to remain the inclusive community it has always been," he said. Candidates were asked about new developments in downtown Carrboro in relation to parking and the growth of city life. Alderman incumbent Joal Hall Broun spoke about the efforts of the board to deal with parking problems. "There will be a parking deck, and we will continue to look at additional land for parking," Broun said. Broun said another possibility is the option of more public parking, which is expensive. "We have to decide," she said. Alderman candidate Lydia Lavelle spoke about the need for mixed-use developments. "We need commercial development to help alleviate the tax burden on residents," Lavelle said. She also said that the current transit system is not complete and needs to be expanded. Chilton agreed, saying that in the past developers have been forced to include commercial development as mixed-use complexes. "Downtown, we really need additional development," Chilton said. Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
The Northern Area Task Force held an open house Tuesday at the public library in Chapel Hill to inform residents about its progress and to gather feedback. The task force consists of residents charged to advise the Chapel Hill Town Council. The members have made it their mission to deliver a comprehensive plan of development for what they call the Northern Area, which consists of land north of Homestead Road and south of Interstate 40. Del Snow, chairwoman of the task force, said the goals and visions of her effort are important. "We're trying to create a comprehensive plan so that when there is new development, it interfaces with all the existing residential (areas) in a positive manner and not a destructive manner," she said. The Chapel Hill Town Council issued a six-month moratorium on development in north and northwest Chapel Hill in late July. The moratorium halted development in the area and gave the task force time to study and discuss future projects. These projects include a wide range of plans, from residential works to mixed-use office and retail developments. Alan Snavely of Chapel Hill, said he was glad the town halted development because it gave residents a chance to give their input. "It needs to be done well, and it takes citizen involvement to make sure it is done well," Snavely said. The core of the task force's charge is planning for the implementation of transit-oriented development. The task force has specific goals they are working toward. A planned gateway entrance into Chapel Hill at the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Weaver Dairy Road is designed to be a springboard for further development. That intersection would feature new architecturally interesting buildings, expanded crosswalks, public art and a type of sign or artwork that directs residents and visitors to key destinations in town. Another goal is to protect the integrity of existing neighborhoods from the noise, light and visuals of new developments and also to restrict the vehicular impacts on the neighborhoods. The task force is working to promote the new developments while creating a community that allows for walking, bicycling and public transit. Jeff Brubaker, a first-year graduate student studying planning at UNC, said he was impressed with the vision of preserving green space and the pedestrian-friendly design of the group's plan. "Citizens need to feel like they weren't left by the wayside, that they were a part of the planning process," Brubaker said. Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
The Orange Water and Sewer Authority passed a resolution Thursday to implement a water-supply advisory for Orange County. The resolution for an advisory passed with an 8-1 vote and is intended to raise public awareness about the severity of the water shortage. The advisory will make information regarding the shortage more easily accessible. The one dissenting voter wants to implement stricter water regulations in Orange County. The water-supply advisory does not implement any further mandatory restrictions on water use beyond the year-round restrictions already in place. The current restrictions place limits on water irrigation, including limiting spray to three days a week and placing a one-inch limit each week on all watering. All irrigation must take place between 8 p.m. and 9 a.m. The board heard a report from OWASA staff, led by OWASA Planning Director Ed Holland. OWASA staff pointed to little rainfall and zero water inflow to reservoirs as the cause for a declaration of a water-supply advisory. "Staff thinks that the current supply-and-demand water situation supports the adoption for a water-supply advisory," Holland said. Record-setting temperatures and a dry climate have raised concerns, and OWASA's reservoir levels have declined to about 70 percent of usual levels. There are still 2.4 billion gallons in storage, enough water for seven to 11 months. "The glass is definitely more than half-full," Holland said. "We're in good shape for the rest of this year." The advisory also makes clear that further measures might be necessary. The next step would be a stage-one water restriction. This restriction would limit spray irrigation to only one day per week, total irrigation to one-half inch per week, and a 1,000-gallon-per-day residential limit. "I think we should go ahead with stage one," board member Braxton Foushee said. His vote was the only one opposing the resolution. At the current pace, Holland said the reservoirs will continue to go down about 10 percent each month during the next several months. "That's right along the recommended edge of an advisory warning and stage one," Holland said. Holland also said that in order to stay in a safe zone, the reservoirs must increase during the four-month winter. "It will indicate where we are heading for 2008," he said. Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
The Hillsborough Board of Adjustment voted 5-0 against the proposed construction of a new asphalt plant in town. The Aug. 7 vote reflected the board's concerns that the surrounding communities would be negatively affected and that the plant would increase pollution in the area. Doug Robins of Asphalt Experts, the applicant for the proposed plant, deferred comment to his lawyer but has said he is trying to build only a small plant. He said he does not want to be perceived incorrectly. Robins' application for the asphalt plant process began in January 2003. The proposed construction would have begun on a five-acre site off Valley Forge Road. According to Robins' attorney, Gray Styers, of Blanchard, Miller, Lewis & Styers, P.A., the site previously had been designated for industrial uses by the town of Hillsborough. These uses include asphalt plants, he said. During the Board of Adjustment's review of the proposal, the Hillsborough Town Board approved a moratorium on the building of asphalt plants amid public outcry against the Asphalt Experts plant. "They were trying to change the rules in the middle of the process," Styers said. Robins took this decision to court and ultimately won. Styers attributed the ruling to the fact that the law was altered with the sole goal of blocking Robin's proposed plant. Evelyn Lloyd, a Hillsborough Town Board commissioner, said that she was afraid of a ruling in favor of Robins but that the moratorium was necessary to control the zoning regulations of businesses that use large amounts of chemicals. "The site is extremely close to a creek, and the man didn't even own the property at the time," Lloyd said. Board members voiced concerns about the effects of the plant on surrounding communities in terms of traffic congestion, pollution, noise and overall quality of life. Styers said most of these concerns were not based on the reality of the case. "They were based upon the fears, not the facts," Styers said. Board of Adjustment member Al Hartkopf said the proposal was incomplete and contained too many unknowns, leading the board to deny the plan. Styers said the more than 150 existing asphalt plants in North Carolina should have been used as a guide in decision making. "This is not an experimental or unknown type of process," Styers said. "We explained that to the board the best we could." He said no one had said anything about the plan being incomplete until just before the vote. Robins might continue to pursue his goal with further legal action. "There has been no decision made yet, but we may appeal the result back to the courts," Styers said. Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
The expanding school systems in Orange County and Chapel Hill-Carrboro have overcome delays and are set to lead younger generations. During this past school year, construction was completed on two new schools in the county school system including Gravelly Hill Middle School and Partnership Academy. In Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, construction is underway on two new schools. Carrboro High School is set to open in August, and elementary school No. 10 is on track for a 2008-09 school year opening. Each school offers a variety of new facilities and programs that have many excited about coming years. Jamezetta Bedford, chairwoman of the city school board, said Carrboro High will be technologically advanced with laptops and wireless Internet access. Measures also have been taken to ensure safety. "One can see through the risers on the stairs so that there is no unsupervised space behind a stairwell." Bedford said she is most excited about the school's Global Studies Academy. The program will be open to all freshmen and sophomores. "Certain classes such as biology and electives will be taught from a global perspective, and we are partnering with UNC," she said. Gravelly Hill has tried to benefit students and the environment. George McFarley, associate superintendent for support services of county schools, said Gravelly Hill uses sunlight to light classrooms and conserve energy. The cafeteria uses solar heating for cooking. Partnership Academy Alternative School, which opened in January, offers a unique option for suspended students or those who do not excel in a typical high-school environment. Partnership was able to avoid major construction delays, but other schools had more serious setbacks. McFarley said the infrastructure surrounding Gravelly Hill slowed the construction process the most. "There was no water or sewer connection in the area," he said. "Instead of opening in September, it opened in November." Bedford said Carrboro High is two weeks behind schedule largely due to a fire last fall. McFarley said overcrowding in county schools is a direct result of the housing market boom in the area. "The housing market in Chapel Hill might be topping out," he said. "But in Orange County the market is just starting to boom." He said this steady growth will create needs for new schools later. Elementary No. 10 is an option for Chapel Hill students in 2008. Pam Hemminger, vice chairwoman of the city board, said the redistricting stemming from elementary No. 10 has created controversy. Hemminger said the board has narrowed the redistricting plans to one, which is being revised. "Nobody likes to move, but we really strive to have balance in our schools, meaning some kids will be bused across the district," she said. "This creates some concern." She said students in school-specific programs, such as Glenwood Elementary's dual-language Chinese program, would be less likely to be moved to a new school. A significant number of complaints have come from people at Frank Porter Graham Elementary. "These folks don't like plan 9D because it leaves them with a pretty high free-reduced lunch rate," Hemminger said. The plan's revisions will be presented at the next board meeting. Despite construction delays and redistricting concerns, McFarley said he feels good about the county's growing education system. "The future is pretty rosy in terms of new school construction in this end of the county." Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
The Chapel Hill Town Council plans to explore the idea of building a public library downtown after Aaron Nelson, president and CEO of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce, introduced the idea at a council meeting last week. The council has asked Town Manager Roger Stancil to compile additional information and ideas for the April 23 business meeting. The current Chapel Hill Public Library, located off Estes Drive, has been open since 1994. A referendum was passed in 2003 allocating about $16 million for its expansion. Nelson said the expansion will not accomplish everything it originally was designed to, prompting him to introduce the downtown plan. "This bond won't buy as much as we thought it would, meaning no structured parking deck," Nelson said. "This is the perfect opportunity to take another look at how else we might do it." Robert Schreiner, chairman of the library's Board of Trustees, said that the proposal of a downtown library is not a new idea and that it has been dismissed in the past. While he agreed it would be nice to see a library downtown, Schreiner said the staff at the Estes location is stretched thin, and a new library could deplete it even further. "We looked at the idea of a branch early on and came to the conclusion it wasn't very economically efficient," Schreiner said. "If this is a matter of spreading out existing resources over two places it might be good for downtown, but it won't be good for people who really use the library." Nelson said that a lot has changed since the idea was discussed in 2003, and that there are many reasons to re-examine the project. He said the library would help local businesses, as well as increase the vibrancy of downtown by allowing families to walk from their homes to the library. Council Member Mark Kleinschmidt said he supports the proposal. "All the potential benefits here are things that would enhance our overall vision for the downtown community," he said. Nelson said there are many possible locations for the library including a floor of the Bank of America Plaza, the tower at University Square or town Lot 2, behind Spanky's. "There are a lot of options that are worth exploring," Nelson said. Town Council Member Cam Hill also said the library would draw people downtown. Nelson said his focus is on the community. "If we're going to make a public investment, we want it to have the best possible positive outcome," Nelson said. "We can leverage that investment substantially greater in our downtown." Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
HILLSBOROUGH - The Orange County Board of Commissioners discussed a proposal Tuesday night that would affirm Orange County's view on health as a human right. Sarah Chasnovitz, a third-year UNC law student participating in the Immigration-Human Rights Policy Clinic, presented a resolution calling for the board to recognize health as a fundamental human right and to take steps to ensure the highest level of mental and physical health for all residents. The board referred the resolution to its staff. The resolution was a joint project between the University's Immigration-Human Rights Policy Clinic and the National Health Law Program. Deborah Weissman, law professor and director of clinical programs at the UNC School of Law, said the effort comes from a required course assignment that is part of the Immigration-Human Rights Policy Clinic, which she teaches. Weissman said students in the class are assigned to work with organizations involved in framing social justice and international matters as human rights matters. Chasnovitz and her classmates are working within these parameters to achieve their goal of promoting health care locally and nationally, Weissman said. "We hope that the resolution will begin a dialog within Orange County about health care as a human right," she said. Chasnovitz said she hopes the county will enforce its commitment to remedying disparities in prenatal care, breast cancer mortality for black women and lead poisoning in children. Board Vice Chairman Barry Jacobs said the proposed resolution is consistent with the county's commitment to public health. "We invest a lot of local money in our health department and we have a lot of things that we're doing that relate to peoples health," he said. Chasnovitz said she believes the effects of these efforts will not be limited to only Orange County. "Another practical effect of passing this resolution is to send a message . to our representatives in the House and Senate, and even our president," she said. Chasnovitz said the resolution also is supported by professors in the UNC Program on Ethnicity, Culture and Health Outcomes. At the meeting, Commissioner Mike Nelson said he would support the resolution. Chasnovitz said the ultimate goal of the project is to implement the idea of a right to health. "We believe a change in rhetoric precedes a change in action," she said. "By changing the health care discourse from one of privileges to one of rights, we set this change in motion." Board Chairman Moses Carey, who has worked in public health for many years, told board members that it's important for local governments to take a stand on the issue. "States can be much more creative," he said. "We will get more results at the state level." In addition to Tuesday's presentation, the resolution was presented Monday to the Human Relations Commission, and it will be presented Thursday to the Women's Commission. Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
When customers walk into Chocolaterie Stam, they might feel like they are entering a store not in Chapel Hill, but in Amsterdam, surrounded by European styles and gourmet chocolate treats. The store, owned jointly by Bob Droog and his wife Lee has been open two weeks and offers a wide variety of authentic Belgium chocolate that has customers talking about the newest sweet shop in town, located in the Chapel Hill North shopping center at 1802 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. They use a technique of chocolate making unlike most in the world, Droog said. The cream filling in all of the store's chocolates is a mix between a cr
The expansion of the Carolina Inn has led some Town Council members to express concern about the fairness of the inn's tax exemption. But some local hotels say the effect on their business is minimal. The inn, which is owned by the University, will expand into Whitehead Hall, which currently is student housing, adding 15,000 square feet. Council members, who approved the development's plan last week, said they are concerned because clients staying at the Carolina Inn are not required to pay occupancy tax to the town if they are in Chapel Hill for University-related business. Such visitors include prospective students and prospective University faculty. The council decided to include the issue in its ongoing fiscal equity review. "The discussion we had about fiscal equity was an important one to have," council member Mark Kleinschmidt said. The inn also is exempt from property taxes in accordance with the school's mission as a public university. No other hotel in Chapel Hill has such an advantage. While University officials admit that many clients of the Carolina Inn do not pay the occupancy tax, they said additional rooms from the expansion will increase the overall tax collected from those clients who do pay. Some members of the council were not as quick to jump to that conclusion. "The University brings people in, and all they're doing is coming to sit in the chancellor's box and deliver a check, and they don't have to pay the occupancy tax to the town," Kleinschmidt said. "That's an extreme example that reflects the problems." Council member Cam Hill said he views these problems as creating unfair advantage. "When the University starts competing in commercial enterprises with people who do pay property taxes, then it doesn't seem like it's fair," Hill said. "If I worked in the hotel industry in Chapel Hill and I knew my competitor didn't pay property tax, I would resent that." Some local hotel managers said they do not view the competition as unfair. "The demand in the Chapel Hill market is very strong, said Dan Prendergast, general manager of Chapel Hill's Residence Inn by Marriott. "I think it's actually good for the lodging industry in Chapel Hill mostly because the demand is there to support that additional growth." Prendergast said there is a clear difference between who stays at the Carolina Inn and other area hotels. "We're going after the long-term-stay person, the project consultants or people who have been relocated and may have their families with them, as most of our rooms are suites," he said. "The Carolina Inn caters to more short-term guests." Melissa Crane, director of marketing and sales for the Franklin Hotel, also said that the Carolina Inn's expansion will not hurt business. Hill said he would be more satisfied if the University administration had offered to make some payments in lieu of taxes. Still, Hill said he is happy with the resolutions passed and just wanted debate by people with decision-making power. "I just wanted the issue to come out and be heard," Hill said. "We're not going to make any progress with fiscal equity discussing it with people in the University area in charge of getting things built." Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
Children enjoying a bright day outside might not think to protect themselves from the potentially dangerous effects of the sun. At Mary Scroggs Elementary School in Chapel Hill, physical education teacher Susan DeWalt Brown, a melanoma survivor, is taking steps to change that. She has applied to the American Academy of Dermatology for a grant to build a shade structure over the school's playground. The Academy's program, launched in 2002, awards 37 structures annually to various venues. Scroggs Elementary has few trees and little shade available on the playground because it is less than 10 years old. "We feel like there needs to be some place for the kids to go for relief from the sun," Principal Grace Repass said. This sentiment led Brown to apply for the $8,000 grant to build one shade structure. An N.C. mandate requires at least 30 minutes of daily physical activity for students in kindergarten through eighth grade. To fulfill the requirement, Brown said playing outside is the only realistic option and with that comes the danger of ultraviolet rays. "I'm trying to provide some shade for my students," she said. According to the World Health Organization's Web site, children run a higher risk of sun damage from exposure than adults because children have thinner, more sensitive skin. The site also states that 80 percent of a person's lifetime exposure to UV rays is received before the age of 18 years old. Dr. Wei Li, a professor in the department of dermatology at the University of Southern California, said kids shouldn't stay in the sun for too long, but that some sun is healthy. "You can't recommend kids to have totally no sun. To some extent it's helpful in terms of metabolic reaction in the body," Li said. "There's a balance to sun exposure, and this shade might strike that balance." Brown said she also educates her students on the dangers of the sun. "We talk a lot about it in class, especially around field day," she said. There will be a table set up on field day with pediatricians handing out sunscreen and information about the dangers of the sun. Brown first learned of the grant through the Internet while pricing other shade structures last year. If the cost of the structure does not use all of the $8,000 grant, the extra money is intended to go toward other means of providing shade. Brown will find out May 7 if the school has been awarded the grant. City Co-editor Kayla Carrick contributed to this article. Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.