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(04/08/09 4:00am)
11:25 a.m. WEDNES. April 8 -- A judge has set a trial date in the federal case against one of the men charged with killing former student body president Eve Carson.Demario Atwater22 will begin trial November 2 if all goes according to schedule.Prosecutors say Atwater and another man kidnapped Carson before shooting her in a neighborhood off East Franklin Street.Atwater was first charged federally in October and prosecutors announced in December that they would likely seek the death penalty.In the order issued Tuesday the judge set a date of May 29 for scheduling proposals from the prosecution and defense. There will be a pretrial hearing June 4 in Winston-Salem.The state trial will likely take place after the federal.Lawrence Lovette18 is also charged in statewith killing Carson but he is facing no federal charges.
(03/20/09 4:00am)
The paramedic responding in August to a local 17-year-old's complaints of body cramps discharged him after advising that he keep drinking fluids and stretching. Hours later Atlas Fraley's parents found him dead.Two weeks later paramedic James Griffin resigned.In a report Griffin wrote that empty water bottles were on the counter. Fraley's arms legs and stomach hurt. He asked for intravenous fluids.His respiratory and pulse were normal according to the report that must be filed for each paramedic's response by the end of his shift.The report was provided Thursday by the attorney representing Fraley's parents. Griffin wrote that he tried to call both parents at work. When neither picked up" he told Fraley to continue to drink water and Gatorade and work out his cramps. ""Pt. encouraged to cont. doing what he was already doing when I arrived"" he wrote.Griffin then did what would be against emergency policy in most neighboring counties: allowed Fraley, a minor, to sign his own release. Fraley's parents found him dead later that day. Fraley was a star football player at Chapel Hill High School and had left a scrimmage earlier that day, complaining of a headache. The year before, paramedics had responded to his house and treated him with intravenous fluids for dehydration.As a minor, Fraley could not have legally been released from emergency services custody in any of the surrounding areas.Wake, Alamance, Durham and Chatham counties all require that paramedics release minors to parents or guardians. Counties set their own policy.If parents can't be contacted, they will look for principals, coaches or other family, said Wake County Chief Skip Kirkwood.We would not give medial advice to a 17-year-old"" said Jason Hensley, Chatham County training officer. Even in non-serious cases, if they can't find a guardian, they wait or take the minor to the hospital.Asked what the county policy is for notifying guardians of an emergency response, County Manager Laura Blackmon provided a 200-page document that does not mention notification. Blackmon wrote in an e-mail that she is not aware of any policy changes that have resulted from Fraley's still unexplained death. We're always looking at our protocols to see what changes are necessary"" said Frank Montes de Oca, emergency services director for the county.The 200-page Orange County document of emergency protocol emphasizes that it is just a framework for patient care.Orange County EMS personnel are expected to put the patient's interest first"" it states.No obvious answersGriffin's patient report says Fraley did not stay still long enough to receive an electrocardiogram, which measures electrical activity of the heart. Fraley would not sit down, so his blood pressure was taken standing up. He kept asking how long before the cramps would subside."" Fraley denied to Griffin any weakness or loss of consciousness. He reported no shortness of breath.In an autopsy released Wednesday" the state's chief medical examiner could not conclude how Fraley died.And it is unclear whether Griffin who worked for Emergency Services for almost nine years violated any county policies. A peer review was completed" but county staff are citing personnel laws in refusing to release details of that report.There is an exemption to personnel laws that allows county commissioners to release information when public confidence is at risk.""We will be asking more questions"" said Pam Hemminger, a commissioner who was chairwoman of the local school board when Fraley died.I was so hoping the Fraley family would get some answers.""Staff writer Victoria Stilwell contributed reporting.Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(03/18/09 4:00am)
Medical examiners could not determine what caused a 17-year-old Chapel Hill football player to die unexpectedly last August. The autopsy released Wednesday for Chapel Hill High School senior Atlas Fraley leaves many questions unanswered.Fraley died Aug. 12 after complaining of a headache at a scrimmage and then calling 911" saying his whole body hurt.Emergency Medical Services responded and left after they ""advised him in regard to adequate hydration"" the autopsy says.They did not notify his parents, who found him on the floor surrounded by bottles of water and Gatorade, the autopsy says.County officials referred all questions to County Manager Laura Blackmon. Multiple calls to Blackmon were not returned.Donald Strickland, the family's attorney, released a statement that asks whether Fraley would have survived had he been hospitalized.We will continue our investigation into the tragic death of this fine young man"" the statement says.‘No definite explanation'The autopsy states that most of Fraley's organs were normal. His lungs were mildly inflated.Dr. John Butts, the state's chief medical examiner, wrote no definite explanation for this young man's death is evident."" The medical examiner's office would not comment on the case. Other experts say it is rare to not be able to determine a cause of death.""Seventeen-year-old athletes do not die of natural causes"" said Kevin Guskiewicz, UNC's chairman of exercise and sports science.Ellen Borakove, a spokeswoman for the NYC Medical Examiner's Office, said sometimes examiners list an undetermined cause of death when evidence can't fully support a hypothesis.Fraley had a history of asthma and cramping, including an incident a year before in which he was treated with intravenous fluids.In the autopsy, Butts proposed several possible explanations of what led to Fraley's death, including that he might not have drank sufficient fluids that day.Butts also suggests an acute asthmatic attack or a cardiac event could have led to the death.Dr. Cam Patterson, UNC's chief of cardiology, said it would be exceedingly unlikely"" for someone with no detectable heart problems to die of a cardiac attack.County won't release resultsAfter Fraley's death" county and state responders and the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools announced investigations into the treatment Fraley received.Those investigations were said to be waiting on the autopsy's release for completion. Autopsies typically take 60 to 90 days to complete — Fraley's took 7 months.Wednesday the county said it would not release a completed peer review of the paramedic's actions. The county cited personnel and medical privacy laws as their reasons for withholding the review.The press release does not say whether any policy changes resulted from Fraley's death. Changes would not be subject to privacy laws.Stephanie Knott the schools spokeswoman said their attorney's investigation is expected soon.The state EMS report also was waiting on the autopsy. That report will go to a disciplinary committee to decide any action to be taken against the treating paramedic said Chief Drexdal Pratt said.Senior writer Sarah Frier contributed reporting.Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(03/04/09 5:00am)
A study of the potential impact of UNC's research campus likely underestimated the cost to the local bus system.The University released Tuesday a study which details the potential impact of Carolina North on the local governments.The study does not take into account plans for money needed for Chapel Hill Transit because of an increase in transportation needs on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.With Chapel Hill already projected in the study to lose money from Carolina North" an increase in transit cost will likely add to the obstacles in front of its approval.""The overall picture is the town can't afford a drain on its resources"" Chapel Hill Mayor Kevin Foy said.The study, done by Bethesda, Md., firm TischlerBise, does not include the added costs because a study on transportation impact will not be finalized until late March. The study was originally scheduled to be completed late last year.They're just not in the place to provide us with input"" said Julie Herlands, project manager for TischlerBise.Because this and other studies are not finalized, the projections of costs to the town assumes current services from Chapel Hill Transit remain the same.The possibilities for expansion on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard include buses every 10 minutes, larger shelters at stops and priority bus lanes at an estimated cost of $110 million to local and federal sources through 2035.The actual changes will depend on community response, said David Bonk, long range and transportation coordinator for Chapel Hill. The local fare-free transit system is paid for by Chapel Hill, Carrboro and UNC. TischlerBise will answer questions about the study with the Chapel Hill Town Council. They presented the model for the study to the University so changes can be made after the release of the traffic impact study and transit plans.University and Chapel Hill officials are attempting to finalize an agreement by June on what can go on the campus but are still debating many of the major issues.Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(01/31/09 5:00am)
Last updated 3:30 p.m. SATURDAY" JAN. 31 -- Some of the most outlandish musicians on campus will perform tonight for a crowd and a panel of celebrity judges. Only one thing will be missing: instruments.This year's UNC Air Guitar Competition will include author Chuck Klosterman — famous for his book ""Sex" Drugs" and Cocoa Puffs"" — on the panel of judges" adding to the excitement.Following his 7 p.m. lecture in Memorial Hall" Klosterman will join The Daily Tar Heel Diversions Editor Jamie Williams and music professor Mark Katz on the panel.
(01/12/09 5:00am)
Click here to listen to the audio interview with Rebecca Clark from the Southern Oral History Program Collection.
(01/12/09 5:00am)
Carolina North UNC's proposed research campus will bring new residents and traffic.Ahead of a goal of June for approval of a final agreement on a plan for the development of 630 acres of the campus the Chapel Hill Town Council met Saturday to discuss the town's goals for Carolina North.TransportationBuses every 10 minutes larger shelters at stops and priority bus lanes could all come to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard if all goes according to initial plans.The public transit changes on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard would come at an estimated $110 million from local and federal sources said David Bonk long range and transportation coordinator for Chapel Hill.Daily transit ridership is predicted to reach 101694 by 2035 up from the current 30"000. Carolina North traffic is expected to increase traffic along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The estimates count on the building of a Triangle-area light rail that would have stops in Chapel Hill. It isn't expected to be complete until 2023.The Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard changes are just some that the town is considering in an effort to accommodate increasing ridership.Council member Bill Strom expressed concern that the first drafts for the Carolina North agreements did not sufficiently use public transportation.""It looks to me like it's a suburban plan with transit overlaid"" he said.Any changes to the transit system would require public and council input.HousingCouncil members agreed that increasing undergraduate student housing needs must be addressed, but differed on whether those students should be housed on the eventual Carolina North campus.University officials have said that they would prefer to limit the initial 200,000 square feet of housing to graduate students and employees.But Council Member Matt Czajkowski said that as more expensive rental apartments replace affordable off-campus student housing, undergraduates will need more places to stay.As we reduce available student housing in Chapel Hill"" where do students go?"" Czajkowski said. ""The alternative is that students will be commuting from Pittsboro.""The Horace Williams citizens committee" which presented a report to the council in 2004 recommended that the planning for Carolina North address student housing shortages but did not specifically address undergraduates.Council members cited a greater need for housing for the poor in Chapel Hill.The council is scheduled to meet Wednesday with the Board of Trustees in a session on Carolina North that includes time for public comment.Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(12/19/08 5:00am)
8:35 P.M." FRIDAY DEC. 19 -- The man driving the vehicle which hit and killed a woman Dec. 11 will not face charges according to Chapel Hill police.
The driver was Durham resident Micah James Millis 17.
Chapel Hill Police Spokesman Lt. Kevin Gunter said seven people were attempting to cross N.C. 54 near the SouthColumbia Street bridge at about 10:30 p.m. Four made it to the median but the vehicle struck the others. Gloria Espinosa Balderas43 was pronounced dead at the scene he said.
(12/12/08 5:00am)
FRIDAY"" 5:30 P.M. -- One woman is dead after being hit by a car on N.C. 54 late Thursday.Police have identified the victim as 43-year-old Gloria Espinosa Balderas of Carrboro.Two others were transported to UNC Hospitals with serious but non-life threatening injuries after an eastbound 2000 Mitsubishi struck the three as they tried to cross the street.The driver of the car was Durham resident Micah James Millis"17" according to police.Gunter said seven people were attempting to cross N.C. 54 near the South Columbia Street bridge at about 10:30 p.m. Four made it to the median" but the vehicle struck the others. Balderas was pronounced dead at the scene" he said.It is not an incident of hit-and-run and Millis has not been charged with any crimes" said Lt. Kevin Gunter" Chapel Hill police spokesman. But Gunter said that the investigation is ongoing and could last more than a week.There are not crosswalks in the area where they were walking"" Gunter said.Balderas is the fourth person to die in Chapel Hill since May from a collision between a vehicle and pedestrian.Valerie Hughes" a radiology imaging specialist for UNC Health Care" died after being struck by a Chapel Hill Transit bus Oct. 27 while crossing South Columbia Street.In May"" a bus hit and fatally injured Scottish exchange student Lisa Carolyn Moran at the intersection of South Columbia and Manning Drive while she was jogging outside of a crosswalk.Two days later" Barbara Boone Sims a ChapelHill homeless woman was struck and killed by a vehicle at the corner of Weaver Dairy Road and Perkins Drive.
(12/12/08 5:00am)
FRIDAY"" 5:30 P.M. -- One woman is dead after being hit by a car on N.C. 54 late Thursday.Police have identified the victim as 43-year-old Gloria Espinosa Balderas of Carrboro.Two others were transported to UNC Hospitals with serious but non-life threatening injuries after an eastbound 2000 Mitsubishi struck the three as they tried to cross the street.The driver of the car was Durham resident Micah James Millis"17" according to police.Gunter said seven people were attempting to cross N.C. 54 near the South Columbia Street bridge at about 10:30 p.m. Four made it to the median" but the vehicle struck the others. Balderas was pronounced dead at the scene" he said.It is not an incident of hit-and-run and Millis has not been charged with any crimes" said Lt. Kevin Gunter" Chapel Hill police spokesman. But Gunter said that the investigation is ongoing and could last more than a week.There are not crosswalks in the area where they were walking"" Gunter said.Balderas is the fourth person to die in Chapel Hill since May from a collision between a vehicle and pedestrian.Valerie Hughes" a radiology imaging specialist for UNC Health Care" died after being struck by a Chapel Hill Transit bus Oct. 27 while crossing South Columbia Street.In May"" a bus hit and fatally injured Scottish exchange student Lisa Carolyn Moran at the intersection of South Columbia and Manning Drive while she was jogging outside of a crosswalk.Two days later" Barbara Boone Sims a ChapelHill homeless woman was struck and killed by a vehicle at the corner of Weaver Dairy Road and Perkins Drive.
(12/12/08 5:00am)
FRIDAY"" 5:30 P.M. -- One woman is dead after being hit by a car on N.C. 54 late Thursday.Police have identified the victim as 43-year-old Gloria Espinosa Balderas of Carrboro.Two others were transported to UNC Hospitals with serious but non-life threatening injuries after an eastbound 2000 Mitsubishi struck the three as they tried to cross the street.The driver of the car was Durham resident Micah James Millis"17" according to police.Gunter said seven people were attempting to cross N.C. 54 near the South Columbia Street bridge at about 10:30 p.m. Four made it to the median" but the vehicle struck the others. Balderas was pronounced dead at the scene" he said.It is not an incident of hit-and-run and Millis has not been charged with any crimes" said Lt. Kevin Gunter" Chapel Hill police spokesman. But Gunter said that the investigation is ongoing and could last more than a week.There are not crosswalks in the area where they were walking"" Gunter said.Balderas is the fourth person to die in Chapel Hill since May from a collision between a vehicle and pedestrian.Valerie Hughes" a radiology imaging specialist for UNC Health Care" died after being struck by a Chapel Hill Transit bus Oct. 27 while crossing South Columbia Street.In May"" a bus hit and fatally injured Scottish exchange student Lisa Carolyn Moran at the intersection of South Columbia and Manning Drive while she was jogging outside of a crosswalk.Two days later" Barbara Boone Sims a ChapelHill homeless woman was struck and killed by a vehicle at the corner of Weaver Dairy Road and Perkins Drive.
(12/12/08 5:00am)
FRIDAY"" 5:30 P.M. -- One woman is dead after being hit by a car on N.C. 54 late Thursday.Police have identified the victim as 43-year-old Gloria Espinosa Balderas of Carrboro.Two others were transported to UNC Hospitals with serious but non-life threatening injuries after an eastbound 2000 Mitsubishi struck the three as they tried to cross the street.The driver of the car was Durham resident Micah James Millis"17" according to police.Gunter said seven people were attempting to cross N.C. 54 near the South Columbia Street bridge at about 10:30 p.m. Four made it to the median" but the vehicle struck the others. Balderas was pronounced dead at the scene" he said.It is not an incident of hit-and-run and Millis has not been charged with any crimes" said Lt. Kevin Gunter" Chapel Hill police spokesman. But Gunter said that the investigation is ongoing and could last more than a week.There are not crosswalks in the area where they were walking"" Gunter said.Balderas is the fourth person to die in Chapel Hill since May from a collision between a vehicle and pedestrian.Valerie Hughes" a radiology imaging specialist for UNC Health Care" died after being struck by a Chapel Hill Transit bus Oct. 27 while crossing South Columbia Street.In May"" a bus hit and fatally injured Scottish exchange student Lisa Carolyn Moran at the intersection of South Columbia and Manning Drive while she was jogging outside of a crosswalk.Two days later" Barbara Boone Sims a ChapelHill homeless woman was struck and killed by a vehicle at the corner of Weaver Dairy Road and Perkins Drive.
(12/12/08 5:00am)
FRIDAY"" 5:30 P.M. -- One woman is dead after being hit by a car on N.C. 54 late Thursday.Police have identified the victim as 43-year-old Gloria Espinosa Balderas of Carrboro.Two others were transported to UNC Hospitals with serious but non-life threatening injuries after an eastbound 2000 Mitsubishi struck the three as they tried to cross the street.The driver of the car was Durham resident Micah James Millis"17" according to police.Gunter said seven people were attempting to cross N.C. 54 near the South Columbia Street bridge at about 10:30 p.m. Four made it to the median" but the vehicle struck the others. Balderas was pronounced dead at the scene" he said.It is not an incident of hit-and-run and Millis has not been charged with any crimes" said Lt. Kevin Gunter" Chapel Hill police spokesman. But Gunter said that the investigation is ongoing and could last more than a week.There are not crosswalks in the area where they were walking"" Gunter said.Balderas is the fourth person to die in Chapel Hill since May from a collision between a vehicle and pedestrian.Valerie Hughes" a radiology imaging specialist for UNC Health Care" died after being struck by a Chapel Hill Transit bus Oct. 27 while crossing South Columbia Street.In May"" a bus hit and fatally injured Scottish exchange student Lisa Carolyn Moran at the intersection of South Columbia and Manning Drive while she was jogging outside of a crosswalk.Two days later" Barbara Boone Sims a ChapelHill homeless woman was struck and killed by a vehicle at the corner of Weaver Dairy Road and Perkins Drive.
(11/17/08 5:00am)
A Chapel Hill High School student died after a car knocked the vehicle he was in off the road early Sunday morning.Rodney Torain Jr.17 a senior defensive lineman and tight end is the second Chapel Hill High football player to die unexpectedly this year.Torain was in the back seat of a 2003 Nissan headed eastbound on Old Greensboro Road when a car clipped the Nissan on the left side at about 3:50 a.m. The Nissan veered off the road to the right then back onto the road before leaving the road again and striking a tree about 2 miles west of Carrboro troopers said.Torain was not wearing a seat belt said N.C. Highway Patrol Sgt. R.C. Hester.Troopers said the vehicle that hit the Nissan left the scene and is gold or silver in color.Two females who were in the driver's and front passenger seat of the Nissan were treated for minor injuries at N.C. Memorial Hospital and released Sunday.Torain was the life of the Chapel Hill High football team said Keegan Ray" a senior who played football and went to school with him since sixth grade.""He was always the one that pumped us up before the games"" Ray said. He'd bring an intense moment and bring light to any tough situation."" Torain's death comes about three months after Atlas Fraley" also a senior defensive lineman died at his home after playing in a scrimmage the same day and being treated for reported dehydration by emergency personnel.Spurred by the loss of Fraley the Chapel Hill High team had one of its best years in recent history going 8-4 and losing in the first round of the playoffs Friday.Torain described as 6-foot-1-inch 270 pounds on the Chapel Hill High roster scored his first high school touchdown Nov. 7 and his teammates mobbed him" Ray said.Ray found out about the death shortly after he woke up on Sunday.""I didn't believe it at first" he said. He called his coach and confirmed it.We've already lost one teammate; I had no idea that we could lose another one Ray said. Everybody says that once you go through something it gets easier" but losing somebody never gets easier.""The school administration is aware of the death and plans to have extra grief counselors available" said Stephanie Knott assistant to the superintendent for community relations in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools. The N.C. Highway Patrol expect there to be more information on Torain's death today. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call 336-570-6809.Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(11/13/08 5:00am)
HILLSBOROUGH— The man accused of tying up and robbing two UNC football players during Winter Break last year saw his first day in court Wednesday. The attorneys picked a jury and the state began its case against Michael Troy Lewis33 who faces several felony counts and at least eight years in prison if convicted.The prosecution says that three football players were celebrating a 21st birthday early Dec. 16 when one of the players met Lewis and two women Tnikia Monta Washington and Monique Jenice Taylor at a Franklin Street bar.The player then invited the three to his apartment where prosecutors say the robbery and kidnappings took place.The victims have testified that at the apartment Lewis a Durham resident tied two of the football players up and put a sharp object possibly a knife to their neck.Events that night remain unclear but around 3:20 a.m. the victims called the police.The two women were arrested that night but Lewis got away. He bit in the groin and pushed down a flight of stairs the officer who attempted to arrest him according to warrants.Police originally charged all three with sexually assaulting the players but dropped the felony charges when only two of the victims could testify during Winter Break.The Daily Tar Heel is not identifying the football players because of a policy against naming the complainants in cases that involve sexual offenses.Charges against Washington were later dropped and Taylor faces lesser charges.In court Wednesday the emergency dispatcher testified and Assistant District Attorney Morgan Whitney played 911 calls from the victims.Upon adjourning Chief Superior Court Judge Carl Fox warned the jurors to avoid paying attention to the many media sources that were around the court Wednesday.Court will resume at 9:30 a.m. today when the prosecution plans to call the Chapel Hill police officers who responded to the incidents.The trial is expected to last through Monday when the victims will appear in court to testify.Whitney will prosecute Taylor for similar charges in a separate trial. Taylor is still charged with a misdemeanor count of sexual battery.The prosecution could not prove probable cause to pursue charges against Washington. Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(10/28/08 4:00am)
UPDATE: Valerie Hughes the woman who a Chapel Hill Transit bus struck as she crossed South Columbia Street" has died from her injuries. Read more.
(10/28/08 4:00am)
Authorities did not name Monday evening a pedestrian who a town bus struck as she crossed South Columbia Street earlier that day.The injuries appeared to be serious and the woman was taken to N.C. Memorial Hospital Chapel Hill police Sgt. Donnie Rhoads said.The Chapel Hill Transit bus was going southbound when it hit the woman just after 4 p.m. at the intersection with Mason Farm Road.Chapel Hill police at the scene said they did not know anything else about the extent of the victim's injuries. But police said they would release further information on the incident early today.By about 5 p.m. the bus had driven away and police were cleaning up a pool of blood at the point of impact.Chapel Hill has a history of serious injuries involving collisions between vehicles and pedestrians.In January 2006 three people were killed while biking or walking.And in May a transit bus hit Scottish exchange student Lisa Moran as she jogged at the intersection of Manning Drive and South Columbia Street just a few hundred yards north of the collision Monday.Contact the City Editorat citydesk@unc.edu.
(10/06/08 4:00am)
As the crowd left" a small group in the corner of University Baptist Church on Friday was still singing.""All over Chapel Hill"" I'm going to let it shine.""The hundreds who packed the church Friday knew Chapel Hill Town Council member Bill Thorpe as a neighbor" a family man and a politician.Though crying could be heard throughout the sanctuary" the atmosphere was upbeat at what many called a ""homegoing.""""Good night" Daddy. You did your best with what you had" his son, William Thorpe Jr., said.Good night" Daddy" I'll see you on the other side.""Prominent politicians from throughout North Carolina and Chapel Hill as well as dozens of family members walked by the open casket to pay their last respects to Thorpe.Thorpe" who grew up the third child of seven in Oxford N.C." was laid to rest Friday at the age of 67 after years of service to Chapel Hill and the state.""He didn't know he was poor"" said Dan Leatherberry, who attended Mary Potter High School with Thorpe. He didn't know that he was not supposed to go to college.""Thorpe attended Fayetteville State University and went on to teach in the Duplin County School System and work for the Department of Labor.""His story is really a great American story" Thorpe Jr. said.He was the first in his entire family to go to college as he would often tell me ‘with no money" son.'""The mourners Friday afternoon sat in the same seats where Thorpe and his family had sat almost every Sunday since the 1970s.""He knew there was a connection between the work he was doing outside the church to the work he was doing here" Thorpe Jr. said.The speakers and several preachers recounted decades of stories of Bill Thorpe as a mentor and a politician.Dozens of people stood when asked who had been influenced to achieve greater things by Thorpe.He'd say ‘my good friend.' It really made you feel special but you knew you had to live up to it" said N.C. Rep. Larry Hall, D-Durham. He was going to put me out front and he was going to tell me what to do.And that's what he did.""The 11-year town council member died in his home Sept. 27 from heart problems.Leatherberry" who has known Thorpe since 1956" said the first thing he was going to see when he went to heaven was Bill Thorpe.""He's going to say Dan" I've organized heaven into precincts" he said. And I want you to be a block captain."" Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(10/01/08 4:00am)
WEDNES." OCT. 1 4:40 p.m." Last updated 6:15 p.m. -- Police have arrested suspects who robbed at gunpoint at least four people in Durham and Chapel Hill late Tuesday.
(09/30/08 4:00am)
Served as reminder of town historyEmily Stephenson Assistant City EditorWhen Bill Thorpe and Laurin Easthom joined the Chapel Hill Town Council in 2005 a tour of town facilities brought them to the top of a fire truck's ladder.Easthom then new to the council was terrified to ride in the truck's bucket" but Thorpe encouraged her to hop in.""He drew me in and said" ‘This will be fine"'"" she said. ""The thing took Bill Thorpe into the air almost 100 feet. He was just so calm about it; he put his whole trust in that fireman.""Thorpe died Saturday at his home after suffering heart problems. Council members said a calm" guiding presence was indicative of Thorpe's mentoring style on the council where he served in the 1970s and 1980s before running again almost two decades later.Council member Mark Kleinschmidt said Thorpe called him almost every week.Easthom too said she would meet Thorpe to talk politics and town policy over lunch.And in an attempt to expand the council's mentorship to students Thorpe proposed an internship program for 10 undergraduates" approved in 2006.""That also shows a part of what Bill was interested in" which was giving people opportunities" Mayor Kevin Foy said.Council members said Thorpe's personal and leadership experiences gave him a unique outlook on town issues.Born in segregated Oxford, he moved to Chapel Hill in 1970. He worked for the N.C. Department of Labor and maintained a link to workers at UNC and the town after leaving.As a council member, Thorpe focused on initiatives on behalf of town employees and pushed for more affordable housing.He understood that we needed to create places for people"" Kleinschmidt said.As the only African-American on the council, Foy said Thorpe shared what it was like to be part of Chapel Hill's black community in the past and today.But he said Thorpe told council members, who are elected at-large, to consider all residents their constituents.Bill would always make clear that everybody on the council represents all the citizens"" Foy said.He was known to pontificate on what he called the council-manager form of government"" and to remind town staff and council members alike of their roles in the system.And his ability to take a step back from the nitty-gritty of politics gave him a reputation for a wry sense of humor.""He could laugh about politics and just not take things too seriously when they didn't need to be taken seriously" Easthom said. He could rise above the fray and just say" ‘This is how it is.' And it was funny.""Town leader"67 fought for civil rightsMax Rose City EditorBill Thorpe spoke for more than just himself on the Chapel Hill Town Council.Thorpe never hesitant to say what was on his mind" used his 11 years on the council to fight for those who have no voice. He was 67 when he died at his home Saturday. ""What kept him going each year was day by day being a representative for the town"" his wife Jean Thorpe said.When Bill Thorpe walked into a room, he greeted everyone with a smile and a firm handshake.One of the first things he would always say was"" ‘What's your name?'"" said Fred Battle"" the former head of the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. ""He loved being a politician.""But Thorpe never hesitated to tell council members when he thought they were wrong"" friends and public officials said.""One thing about Bill Thorpe" he spoke his mind and people knew when he would come out on an issue that it's coming from the heart" said Eugene Farrar, current head of the local NAACP.Thorpe was instrumental in Chapel Hill becoming in 1984 one of the first municipalities in the country to officially recognize the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. as a holiday.And 20 years later he asked then-Mayor Pro Tem Edith Wiggins to present a resolution to rename Airport Road after King, whom Thorpe idolized as a civil rights hero.Thorpe, who was not an elected official at the time, spoke personally with every member of the council in advocating for the change, Mayor Kevin Foy said.He was not only the initiator but the leading proponent throughout the process"" Foy said. That has had repercussion throughout the community over the last few years that have ultimately been good for Chapel Hill to have.""The change initiated a town-wide conversation about race and institutional racism" Foy said.Thorpe was a political force in Chapel Hill as long-time president of the Hank Anderson Breakfast Club and as a consultant for many local candidates. Candidates crave the club's endorsement and brag when they receive it.In the 1970s he was part of a committee that rewrote the town charter" Foy said.He took a medical leave of absence from the council earlier this month and did not return.""Who's going to really be" I guess" a watchdog of the community for the people?"" said Battle" who has known Thorpe since 1970.Thorpe attended University Baptist Church on South Columbia Street almost every week while he was in good health Jean Thorpe said.University Baptist will hold Friday a public viewing session from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and services at 1 p.m. Mitchell Simpson the pastor at University Baptist" said Thorpe's faith was given voice in the larger community.""Clearly this is a guy who had influence but did not try to wield it in a tacky way" and I think that says a great deal about him" said Simpson, who Thorpe called Doc."" ""With a guy like Bill"" all you have to do is stand up and tell the truth about him.""Thorpe is survived by Jean" a retired educator and his two children William41 and Beverly 43.Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.