Health care reform divides N.C. delegation
Kay Hagan
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Kay Hagan
A few minutes before 8 p.m. Tuesday, Mark Chilton set aside his beer and pizza to declare himself the winner of a third term as mayor of Carrboro.“I think I’ll go ahead and declare victory,” he told the group of family and friends clustered around a laptop in a corner of Jessee’s Coffee and Bar. It was expected.Several precincts were still reporting results, but Chilton was already ahead with more than 70 percent of the vote.“I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue for another two years,” he said.Chilton, who has served as mayor since 2005, ended up with 1,658 votes — 72.06 percent of the total — to defeat candidates Amanda Ashley and Brian Voyce.Voyce, who also ran against Chilton in 2007, came in a distant second with 19.56 percent of the vote. Ashley received 7.43 percent.Chilton — whose children updated him with results from other local races after his announcement — said his first action probably will be to help the Carrboro Board of Aldermen fill a vacant seat.Chilton touted environmental projects and plans for economic development during the campaign, as well as the strength of his leadership experience in Carrboro.David Mason, 40, a technological consultant from Carrboro, announced Monday on Twitter that he would vote for Chilton.Mason said Chilton has demonstrated a commitment to helping Carrboro maintain its character as the town grows.“I like the way that Carrboro has grown over the last few years,” Mason said in an interview Monday. “I don’t really see the two challengers acknowledging that.”Ashley, who proposed capping the town’s population at 25,000, didn’t seem fazed by the news that she’d lost to Chilton. “My whole attitude has been, ‘I will be happy if I win and relieved if I don’t,’” said Ashley, who went to the Orange County Social Club to hear the election results. “The thing about new ideas is that other people have to get on board.“But now that means I can do something else.”Voyce, who was out of town on business Tuesday, could not be reached for comment.Chilton also said during the campaign that he has improved the town’s relationship with Chapel Hill, reducing what he calls Carrboro’s “little-brother complex.”Chilton said he’ll soon begin working with the Chapel Hill Town Council to prevent traffic accidents at the intersection of Merritt Mill Road and Franklin Street.The N.C. Board of Transportation has identified that intersection as particularly prone to accidents, Chilton said.He said the towns will consider building a traffic circle or changing the stoplights to solve the problem.He also said he wants to make Carrboro a safer community for walking and biking.Chilton said he looks forward to working with Chapel Hill mayor-elect Mark Kleinschmidt. The two have known each other since they were students together at UNC.Staff writer Seth Crawford contributed reporting.Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
During his three months as interim Orange County manager, Frank Clifton impressed officials with his background, commitment to the job and creativity, county commissioners said.The Board of Commissioners unanimously decided to offer him the job permanently because of his experience and ideas, Commissioner Barry Jacobs said.The commissioners announced the decision at Tuesday’s meeting.“You would characterize Frank Clifton as a man of action,” Jacobs said. “He knows how things are supposed to work, and he has some ideas where we’re trying to be innovative.”As manager, Clifton will lead the county’s day-to-day operations and will report to the commissioners.Clifton has served as interim manager since June, after Laura Blackmon resigned. He previously served as county manager in Onslow and Cabarrus counties, and as city manager in Casselberry, Fla., and Bristol, Tenn.Clifton, who now lives in Chapel Hill, will receive a starting salary of $161,200.He will face budget challenges as the county expands services — opening a new library, a new county office building and moving the social services department to a new location — in the midst of a recession.The county also could choose a site for a new waste transfer station, consider building a new elementary school and pursue a technology update to allow webcasting of meetings.Clifton said his experience in other counties has given him a network of contacts who can advise him on navigating these changes.“You don’t learn everything from your mistakes, but you hopefully learn a lot,” he said. “It’s not so much what I know but the fact that I know others that are facing the same issues.”Jacobs said after Clifton arrived in Orange County, the commissioners asked him to review county operations and report back with a few areas where efficiencies could be implemented.Clifton came back to the board with a 60-plus page report suggesting ways to combine jobs and divvy up responsibilities to continue providing services without having to fill several vacant positions, Jacobs said.“(The report) showed commitment to the job, depth of knowledge and desire to be the permanent manager,” Jacobs said.Clifton said he plans to conduct further analysis of county operations and to improve the way officials communicate with citizens.“In this area, no newspaper reaches everybody,” he said. “With all these new facilities coming on line, there’s going to be opportunities to rethink how we meet and greet the public.” Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
Not much would change for UNC students if Congress passes a bill to change the way federal loans are distributed.But the switch could cause headaches in UNC’s financial aid office.The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act would end the Federal Family Education Loan program, which works with private banks to offer loans to students. All loans instead would be issued through the U.S. Department of Education.UNC-Chapel Hill works with three different private lenders who offer relatively low interest rates, said Shirley Ort, director of the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid.About 67 percent of undergraduates at UNC-Chapel Hill received financial aid in 2007-2008. Loans made up about 27 percent of the typical aid package.Loans handed out directly by the education department would probably be comparable, and the application process for students likely wouldn’t change, she said.“I don’t think they’ll even know it will have happened,” Ort said.But Congress’ actions will guide the office’s transition to a new financial aid information system that is part of Connect Carolina, a campuswide overhaul of computing systems.Because the office doesn’t know how federal loans will be handled, the system must be configured to work with both methods, Ort said.Some UNC-system schools have already switched to direct lending, including N.C. A&T, N.C. Central University and UNC-Wilmington.Supporters of the proposed legislation say it would save about $87 billion by cutting out taxpayer subsidies to private banks. The money would be used to increase Pell Grants, which go to low-income students.The bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives 253-171 on Sept.17 and was referred to a Senate education committee. Staff are revising the bill.Kimrey Rhinehardt, the UNC system’s vice president for federal relations, said she wants to see the Senate version before forming an opinion on the bill. Rhinehardt is in charge of advocacy for the system.U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan, D-N.C., has expressed support for the bill, noting provisions that would increase funding to historically black schools.Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., said in a statement last week that he opposes the change, calling it a federal takeover of private businesses.“It will lead to reduced customer service, more bureaucratic red tape, no choice of lenders … and I will continue my efforts to prevent such a takeover,” Burr said.Both senators sit on the committee that will review the bill.
A housing study that will guide UNC’s development plans for Granville Towers and other University properties is expected to begin in the next week.University officials said they are close to finalizing a contract with facility planning firm Brailsford and Dunlavey to assess student, staff and faculty housing needs.The results of the study could shape the future of University Square, which includes Granville Towers.The UNC-Chapel Hill Foundation purchased the 12-acre lot this summer. Plans for the site include adding office and retail space and building parking decks.But plans for Granville, which houses about 1,000 students — about 300 fewer than capacity — are still being discussed, said Larry Hicks, director of housing and residential education.“We’re miles from making a decision on the dispensation of Granville Towers,” Hicks said. “We’re trying to get as much info as possible on this.”The study would identify opportunities for housing improvements on campus, at satellite campus Carolina North and at Carolina Commons, a planned housing development for UNC faculty and staff.Hicks said the study would help the University evaluate its plans and develop a coordinated housing strategy before beginning new projects.Possibilities for the Granville site include renovating the three towers or replacing them with townhouses or apartments.Gordon Merklein, UNC’s executive director of real estate development, said details about the planned study won’t be finalized until the contract is signed, likely in the next week.He said this would allow Brailsford and Dunlavey to finish the study by the end of the calendar year.Last week, UNC hired architecture firm Elkus Manfredi to redesign University Square. Merklein said developers would use the housing study as a guide.“We could obviously override the study if we wanted to,” he said. “Student housing is very much a component of the redevelopment. That’s a central use to that site.”Merklein said that he won’t know the study’s cost until a contract is finalized but that such studies cost as much as $100,000.That cost will be distributed across several divisions at UNC, including housing and residential education, facilities planning and real estate development.Greg Wachalski, regional vice president at Brailsford and Dunlavey, said studies typically involve looking at growth at the University, talking to students and staff, and financial analyses.Brailsford and Dunlavey previously did a housing study for UNC in 1999 and an update in 2004.Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
UNC-system officials released last week a draft version of a health insurance plan that will be offered on all 16 university campuses starting next year.The draft is part of a UNC-system plan to offer a single plan to replace insurance options already in place at each school.The document includes the set of benefits that system officials want the plan to provide.Students who would purchase their campus option and those without insurance — about 3,365 undergraduate students at UNC-Chapel Hill in 2008 — would likely be enrolled in the new plan.Students will not have to purchase the system plan. But the UNC-system Board of Governors in August decided to require students to demonstrate comparable insurance coverage in fall 2010.Insurance providers have until Oct. 26 to submit bids to be the UNC-system’s insurance provider based on the draft.System officials said they think prospective vendors’ proposals will include lower insurance premiums for students on most campuses. Their preliminary projection is between $549 and $679.System officials said they will choose a vendor by January so the plan can be available to students next fall.
The UNC system is following a national trend with a policy requiring students to have health insurance by fall 2010.The University of Virginia, Florida State University, the University of Maryland and the University of California system all have implemented insurance requirements.But the economy and other factors are preventing some universities from changing their policies.Karen Klever, a student insurance administrator at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, said she has advocated for requiring all students to purchase some form of health insurance.“I would hope at some point that we would be able to require all students to have health insurance,” Klever said.“I’ve been talking about it for 10 years. Michigan’s economy is really bad right now.”As parents and students lose jobs, it becomes more difficult to argue for the added cost of student health insurance, she said.The UNC system will require students on 16 campuses to have health insurance by next fall. Officials also plan to create a systemwide insurance plan that students can purchase as an alternative to parent- or employer-provided coverage.UNC system estimates show that about 16 percent of its students are uninsured.A campus survey conducted during the 2005-06 school year indicated that about 6 percent of University of Michigan undergraduate students had no insurance, but Klever said she thinks that number has increased along with Michigan’s unemployment rate.Klever said only about 1,600 students purchase the campus health plan offered at the University of Michigan’s three campuses, which have about 55,000 students total.Klever said requiring health insurance could encourage more students to buy that plan and drive down premiums, as well as help students at the Flint and Dearborn campuses — which don’t have student health centers — pay for care.The University of Florida also has considered a mandate, but Kathy Lindsey, insurance coordinator at the university’s Student Health Care Center, said the school will probably wait for state action to introduce a requirement.“There has been a lot of talk and a lot of scuttlebutt about mandatory insurance,” Lindsey said. “If they implement something, they want it to be statewide.”University of California schools require insurance, but the California State University system does not.Howard Wang, associate vice president for student affairs at California State University-Fullerton, said it has been difficult to get the system’s 23 campuses to agree on a requirement.The University of Maryland began requiring insurance this year for incoming students.UnitedHealthcare offers an optional, university-sponsored student plan with annual premiums at about $1,200, according to the University of Maryland Health Center’s Web site.Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
UNC-system students must have health insurance by fall 2010, a policy approved this month by the system’s governing body.
After this year's last-minute campaign to make Halloween on Franklin Street smaller and safer" local leaders are already evaluating the event and planning for next October.Officials said restrictions intended to keep out-of-towners from traveling to Chapel Hill and to prevent the alcohol problems usually inherent at downtown Halloween celebrations were overwhelmingly successful.""We'd like to build on that success"" said Butch Kisiah, director of parks and recreation. One of the things I want to make sure of is that we can do this two years in a row.""The town's Homegrown Halloween campaign began in the summer" when leaders including Mayor Kevin Foy discussed ways to make the event smaller and more local.Halloween 2007 saw about 80000 revelers on Franklin Street most of whom officials said traveled to Chapel Hill from other parts of the state.Concerns about the number of attendees alcohol abuse and potential gang-related violence spurred officials to implement a list of restrictions including shutting down bus service to parking lots setting up alcohol checkpoints around town and asking Franklin Street bars to close their doors at 1 a.m.A plan to clear the street of pedestrians at midnight required the most coordination — about 100 police officers on foot riding motorcycles and driving cars and buses took over the street at about 12:15 a.m..The town even attempted to mount officers on horses but the trailer carrying them broke down on N.C. 54 preventing the horses from reaching Franklin Street.Town officials said the measures contributed to the smaller crowd and decrease in crimes this year.Officials say fewer than 40000 people attended. Police arrested five people" down from 13 in 2007.""We exceeded our best guess on how we would do this year in terms of making it a more manageable and safe event" said Capt. Chris Blue of the Chapel Hill Police Department. Our sense is generally speaking" there were fewer groups of people wandering the crowd who appeared to be looking for trouble.""Kisiah said town and police representatives have begun meeting to evaluate the changes and plan for next year. Police recently met with Franklin Street bar owners"" and town staff will sit down with UNC student government representatives in the next few weeks.""The initial reactions have been pretty positive"" he said. Yeah we had some alcohol; yeah we had some folks that were drunk … but you could just see a different attitude.""Town evaluations likely will be completed by early 2009" and planning will soon begin for next year.Kisiah said most of the restrictions introduced this year will remain but he hopes the town can shrink the party zone and close more of Franklin Street to pedestrians during next year's event.Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
Raising fees charged for new houses won't garner much money for school construction if houses don't sell Rick Perry told the Orange County Board of Commissioners on Monday.Perry who owns Rick Perry Construction Co. in Chapel Hill said he understands that commissioners want to raise the county's educational impact fee which helps pay for new school facilities to meet the needs of Orange County's growing student population.But with the local housing market struggling raising the impact fee would prove counterproductive" he said.Impact fees are charged to developers in relation to the sales price of new homes. Developers say they will have to charge higher prices for homes to absorb the increase.""It's going to kill the sales altogether on houses" Perry said. The money that you're looking to gather to pay for these schools if you don't sell the houses" you're not going to collect any money.""Commissioners heard a consultant's report proposing the hike" which would almost double the fee established in 2001 for some areas.Orange County staff have proposed setting the fees at minimum $5069 for new single-family homes in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools district and $3000 in the Orange County Schools district.The Chapel Hill-Carrboro system's Board of Education previously supported the fee increase but Orange County Schools' board asked that the fee remain the same.Representatives from construction companies and real estate agencies told the board that raising the impact fee would discourage prospective buyers in the county.Joe Phelps a local real estate agent said taxes are already high in the county" so buyers often look for housing in nearby counties.""Up until several years ago" (impact fees) didn't make much difference" he said. Now buyers argue about a mailbox being put up. Thousands of dollars of impact fees are going to make tremendous difference in Orange County.""Several commissioners agreed that the current struggling economy makes the impact fee raise untimely but said the fees should be revisited more often.""When you wait this long" it's going to be a very very big increase. That's going to be a shock to the community" said Commissioner Bernadette Pelissier, who, along with two others, joined the board Monday. I'd like to see us discuss later that we do this a little more frequently.""Commissioners will further discuss the proposed fee increases during their Dec. 11 meeting.The commissioners also met new Piedmont Laureate Jaki Shelton Green" received an update on potential alternatives to landfills and elected new leadership.Valerie Foushee will serve as chairwoman and Mike Nelson who missed Monday's meeting due to illness was chosen as vice chairman.Contact the City Editorat citydesk@unc.edu.
HILLSBOROUGH — A jury found the man charged with kidnapping two UNC football players guilty on Monday.Michael Troy Lewis33 faces at least 23 years in prison for allegedly kidnapping the players in December and attempting to rob them.Judge Carl Fox issued the sentence which carries a maximum of about 31 years of jail time and is less than the harshest sentence allowed.Lewis was found guilty of kidnapping and robbery in addition to several other crimes related to the December incident when he and two women allegedly tied up three football players and tried to steal wallets" video games and electronics.""If you'd broken in this same apartment and stolen this stuff" the most you'd be looking at would be I don't know 10 to 12 months" Fox said, explaining the impact of the kidnapping charge on the sentence.Prosecutors asked for the strictest sentence possible, arguing that Lewis came to Chapel Hill from Durham intending to commit a robbery. The strictest sentence would have put Lewis in jail for 36 years.A discrepancy about the legal definition of kidnapping led defenders to announce that they will appeal Lewis' conviction on one kidnapping count.Jurors asked after several hours of deliberation if they could convict Lewis of kidnapping — a multi-part crime that, by definition, is committed to facilitate another felony — if they found him guilty of a felony other than robbery with a dangerous weapon.They then used attempted felony larceny as grounds to convict Lewis of kidnapping. The defense opposed that rationale and will appeal the ruling.The defense has 90 days to appeal.Lewis stood by previous statements of his innocence, declaring in court that he meant to rob the players but not to kidnap them.I can only apologize for what I've done"" he said. Nothing happened intentionally.""Only one player testified to being a victim of a sexual offense" but The Daily Tar Heel isn't naming any players to avoid revealing the identity of a complainant of a sexual offense.In his closing statement defense attorney Russ Hollers reminded jurors of differences between testimony from witnesses police and the defendant's taped statements.Hollers said one player said he was blindfolded before a man identified by prosecutors as Lewis held a knife to his throat. The player said the man left but he didn't take off the blindfold until police found him.But when police investigators photographed the room the knife was lying on top of the blindfold which Hollers said means the player probably moved the items.Hollers said other discrepancies such as objects that were moved between being photographed and inventoried by police" cast doubt on the players' story.""The police don't know exactly what happened in there" they can't be sure he said. The three guys they don't know exactly what happened in there" they can't be sure.""But Assistant District Attorney Morgan Whitney said any time people give accounts of the same story" such as after a car wreck" their memories are different.""You start asking people what they saw that night" some people are going to say a green car some people are going to say a blue car" he said.Lewis, who did not testify during the trial, previously had a record of more minor legal infractions. But he said after the jury gave its verdict that he got the message with this incident and plans to change his lifestyle.I'm not one that just took one time" and I'm not one that's going to take a thousand times he said. I can't rewrite the things that I have done" I can just move forward.""Monique Jenice Taylor awaits trial for her alleged participation in the incident"" prosecutors said.Charges against Tnikia Monta Washington have been dropped.Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
HILLSBOROUGH —Michael Troy Lewis admitted to investigators that he stole from the two UNC football players he is charged with kidnapping.But he emphatically denied charges that he also tied them up and assaulted them with a knife.Officers involved in the case testified Thursday and the jury also saw video of Chapel Hill police investigator Lee Sparrow interviewing Lewis three days after he fled the scene of the alleged incident.Prosecutors and defense attorneys agree that Lewis and two women Tnikia Monta Washington and Monique Jenice Taylor met one of the players at a Franklin Street bar on Dec. 15.Lewis told investigators in the video that the two women were trying to solicit sex. Lewis said he then drove the three back to the player's apartment.The player wanted to be tied up and asked Lewis to participate in sex with him and the women Lewis said.Lewis said he told the player no and went into the living room.He said a second player later arrived at the apartment and joined the first player and the women. The players told investigators that a third player who Lewis didn't mention came into the apartment at the same time and went right to bed.While the women and two players were in the bedroom Lewis said he put some electronics from the apartment into a bag.But the prosecution is trying to prove that before robbing the players Lewis kidnapped two of them and held them at knifepoint.The player who first met Lewis at the bar told police the three suspects asked to wait at his apartment until another friend arrived officers testified Thursday.The player said one of the females made sexual advances and after moving into his bedroom tied him up and began to fondle his genitalia. When the player became uncomfortable and asked her to stop he said she punched him.Sometime later two other players arrived. One told police that he helped the other who was extremely intoxicated into a bedroom. He said he then saw a naked man — Lewis prosecutors say — in the hallway carrying a knife.The player told officers the man invited him into the other bedroom where one of the women pulled his pants down and pushed him onto the bed with the first player. The woman then bound the second player's hands and covered his eyes with a necktie.When the player resisted the man put a sharp object to his throat. Investigators later found a knife in the apartment.Investigators said the third player woke up to an unusual noise and saw a man clad only in socks walk in and out of his room. He pretended to be asleep and when the man entered and exited again called police at 3:25 a.m.The third player said the man then noticed the player was awake and put a sharp object to his throat tied his feet and hands and took his wallet.Police said they arrived on the scene about five minutes after receiving the call.Lewis told investigators that when police arrived he panicked bit the officer who attempted to arrest him and fled the scene.Lewis came to the police voluntarily Dec. 19 and was arrested although officers had told him there were no warrants for his arrest.Police lied to Lewis about the warrants in order to get him to come to the station which Sparrow said is not against written protocol and is a normal tactic.The defense says Lewis also called the police three times before he came to the station with his mother.Lewis33 faces at least eight years in prison if convicted. All charges against Washington were dropped and Taylor will face trial soon.The defense stressed that the three players were intoxicated during the incident and when interviewed by police hours later.The Daily Tar Heel is not identifying the football players because of a policy against naming the complainants in cases that involve sexual offenses.The prosecution is expected to call the players as witnesses when the trial resumes Monday.Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
Doogie Howser, M.D., and a group of friends linked arms and stood in the street as the motorcycles approached.We were actually singing" ‘We Shall Not Be Moved' but we were moved" said UNC junior William Kumpf, dressed as the title character from the 1990s television show.Despite such minor rebellions as police cleared Franklin Street of Halloween revelers at midnight, the event concluded in one town-sized sigh of relief.Changes implemented this year to downsize the Halloween celebration were largely successful, cutting the crowd size in half and dropping arrest numbers into single digits, Chapel Hill officials said. Police estimated the crowd at about 35,000 people, compared to 80,000 last year.It was as good as we could have hoped for"" said Lt. Kevin Gunter, spokesman for Chapel Hill police.According to a press release from Catherine Lazorko, spokeswoman for the town of Chapel Hill, about 350 police arrested only five people Friday night in the closed portion of Franklin Street, four for fighting and one for impersonating an officer. Police arrested 13 people in the same area during Halloween last year, when there also were more fights, drunk and disorderly charges, and cases of alcohol poisoning.The turmoil some residents predicted would occur when officers began to clear Franklin Street about 20 minutes after midnight never materialized.Most attendees moved to the sidewalks when officers asked. Those who stayed in the streets were quickly moved by 10 officers approaching on motorcycles, revving their engines, flashing headlights and leaning on horns — a tactic Gunter called a skirmish line. The horses officials planned to use to clear the streets at midnight didn't make it — the trailer bringing them to Franklin Street broke down on N.C. 54 — but the motorcycles, more than 100 officers on foot, and several police cars and buses seemed to do the trick.Carolina Athletic Association President Andrew Coonin, dressed as an oversized baby, briefly resisted police efforts to clear Franklin Street. Coonin stood before oncoming motorcycles shouting, Don't touch me."" Officers nudged Coonin onto the sidewalk within a few seconds. Duke University senior Jake Hartley took a more passive approach" strolling before the motorcade in full Jesus garb and parting the crowds with waves of his arms before officers asked him to move onto the sidewalks.Gunter said no one was injured or arrested by the time officers fully cleared Franklin Street at 1 a.m. an hour and half earlier than past years.The early ending was part of the town's Homegrown Halloween campaign — a series of safety restrictions intended to reduce the size of the event and keep it local.New policies introduced this year included no bus services to park-and-ride lots and closing and rerouting traffic on streets surrounding downtown.Many attendees still seemed to enjoy themselves.A roving mob of techno dancers wizards break dancers Bill Clintons and even a Daily Tar Heel kvetching board bounced to trance music in the middle of Franklin.They were followed by a ping-pong team that ripped serves across a table strapped to the back of a friend" and a wanna-be Mayor Kevin Foy.Others said the event was a let-down.""It seemed less crazy"" UNC junior Trevor Ollar said. People were much less rambunctious than they were my freshman year.""Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
On the day before classes started in August 2007 Eve Carson explained that she didn't support the death penalty because of flaws in its application.Carson moderating a summer-reading discussion with then-Chancellor James Moeser" primarily asked questions of the participants and only once offered her own judgment.""It doesn't work" in my opinion" Carson, then in the early days of her tenure as UNC's student body president, told about 20 first-year students gathered to discuss Sister Helen Prejean's The Death of Innocents: An Eyewitness Account of Wrongful Executions.""Little more than a year later" Orange County's prosecutor has said he will seek the death penalty for a man charged in Carson's murder.A federal grand jury indicted Atwater on Monday. If convicted federal prosecutors also have the option to seek the death penalty against Atwater.Orange County District Attorney Jim Woodall said he weighed the Carsons' beliefs — her parents told him they oppose capital punishment and believe their daughter did too — before announcing in August that he plans to seek the death penalty against Demario James Atwater22" if he is convicted.""They've let me know what their feelings are" but I made a decision Woodall said. Like any decision what they told me weighed into the decision" but that's not the only factor in making that decision.""Woodall declined to identify the other factors that influenced his decision" explaining that he considers the details of his many conversations with the Carson family private.Prosecutors say Atwater and Lawrence Alvin Lovette17 who won't face the death penalty because of his age drove Carson in her car to withdraw money before shooting her several times in a wealthy neighborhood near East Franklin Street.Carson's death and the resulting debate come after UNC spent months exploring capital punishment.In addition to choosing Prejean's book as the summer reading for incoming students the University brought the author to speak on campus.Carson's friends said an issue that while divisive" seemed relatively cut-and-dry has become more nebulous since the emotional events of last March.""Our University's focus for an entire year was on the death penalty. It's another thing to live it"" said Jordan Myers, who served as student body treasurer in Carson's administration. It gives a new light to the entire situation.""Katie Sue Zellner" who served as chief of staff under Carson said she believes Carson's zest for life would have made her cautious to approve of execution.But Carson was widely known for a tendency to ask questions and engage in social issues" so Zellner said she prefers not to guess at her friend's response to this situation.""Eve had such a belief in humanity in general and life in general" and the death penalty is counter to that belief Zellner explained.Even if you asked her today" I don't know if you would get a straight answer.""Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
For the first time in 10 years the Chapel Hill Town Council will alter its own makeup.The council will decide tonight on a process for replacing 11-year council member Bill Thorpe" who died Sept. 27.Mayor Kevin Foy has said that the council might choose to appoint a black person to fill the spot.Thorpe was the council's only black member.""I think it's important that we have a strong liaison with the African-American community" and it's been my experience that Bill Thorpe did an excellent job of making sure that we heard from voices in our community that we sometimes don't hear from" Foy said.Thorpe told voters during his 2005 town council campaign that he would represent all Chapel Hill citizens but would make a special effort to communicate with the black community during his tenure.In the last several decades, the council has consistently included at least one black member.Thorpe took his seat at the same time that Edith Wiggins retired. Wiggins, an African-American, was appointed in 1996 to replace another black council member.Wiggins said while the council shouldn't have to meet a quota of minority representation, a black council member could better address the black community's concerns.If you haven't lived the African-American life" the African-American experience there's a limit to your ability to understand she said. I think in a democracy" you look forward to having all segments of a community represented.""But Ruby Sinreich" a Chapel Hill blogger and political observer said residents value qualities other than just diversity in elected officials.And Foy said applicants' ability to represent different groups should carry more weight than race.He said Thorpe an active member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People had long demonstrated his commitment to under-represented populations when he was elected.Foy said he expects the council to appoint a person who can serve as a liaison to many minority communities" such as the growing Latino population.""I'm not Hispanic" but that doesn't mean I'm not able to help represent the interests of my Hispanic constituents" Foy said. I think a demonstrated ability will be a heavy factor.""Mayor Pro Tem Jim Ward said the council has not yet laid out specific qualifications for the office but will look for the most informed applicants.The applications will probably be accepted through Oct. 31" but two-time candidate Will Raymond announced Sunday his intention to apply. The council likely will choose its new member next month.Mark Chilton now Carrboro's mayor left his seat in 1998. Although Ward was among the applicants the council eventually appointed Flicka Bateman for the position.Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
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.
By Banning or shutting down alcohol sales early on Halloween would cost thousands of dollars and probably wouldn't keep away the crowds" local bar owners told town staff Friday.The about three dozen bar owners who met with the Chapel Hill staff at the Chapel Hill Public Library voiced almost unanimous opposition to proposals to curb alcohol sales in hopes of limiting the size of this year's festivities.""To take a Friday away from all of us is going to be crippling"" said Rutland Tyler, an owner of Linda's Bar and Grill. We all employ people that will make rent on that day.""The group discussed a number of town proposals intended to shrink crowds on Halloween.Officials hope stopping alcohol sales before midnight or implementing a ban might keep crowds away.Other possible changes include stopping buses from park-and-ride lots and setting and advertising an ending time for the festivities.Police Chief Brian Curran told the group Friday that last year's roughly 80""000-person crowd was dangerous and fueled by alcohol.""Even if they're in a pretty good mood" it's a pretty volatile situation for us" he said, adding that he thinks it pure luck that events haven't turned violent. We haven't had a mass casualty incident yet.""Curran said police worry that the event could become like Apple Chill" cancelled in 2006 after three people were shot. But at Halloween even someone setting off firecrackers near the crowd could cause a stampede he said. Some bar owners said they would risk losing sales for the sake of safety and many said they support limiting the event's size.But most representatives said the people frequenting bars on Halloween don't cause problems.Tyler said he has kicked out only one person for unruly behavior during the past four Halloweens.Others said students drinking in dorms and fraternity houses" and out-of-towners with their own alcohol are rowdier than locals.Some bars have already made plans for Halloween night. East End Martini Bar will host a law-school party. Local 506 booked a band from the United Kingdom.And some said that they feel singled out and that banning alcohol seems like a knee-jerk reaction.""It seems to me that we've got a pressure-keg situation"" said Scott Maitland, owner of Top of the Hill Restaurant and Brewery. The way you release that is with a pressure-release valve"" not with an ax.""No decisions have been made yet about alcohol sales" but Town Manager Roger Stancil who will make the decision promised to finalize plans by Oct. 15.Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
Demolition crews have begun working inside but owner Riddle Commercial Properties is staying tight-lipped about the future tenant at the corner of Franklin and Columbia streets.The commercial space at 108 E. Franklin St. housed a Gap clothing store until 2004 and the Carolina Theatre until 2005 but has been empty since.Chris Rhodes an executive assistant with Riddle Commercial Properties" said Tuesday that the company has signed a lease with a new tenant.The unnamed tenant will use the spaces previously occupied by both the Gap and the Carolina Theatre.She said demolition crews now are at work inside the building.""We've signed a lease" and we're going to start working here real soon" Rhodes said, adding that Riddle Properties has agreed not to release the tenant's name.We don't want to jump the gun or anything. We just recently got the lease back.""Pat Evans" chairwoman of the Friends of Downtown" said the corner — where Top of the Hill Restaurant and Brewery occupies the third floor — makes a good location for a variety of businesses because the commercial space is large and at a busy intersection.""That corner is a very advantageous site"" she said.Riddle Properties also has kept town officials in the dark about the identity of its future tenant.The town does not require this information for a demolition permit, but officials said it will become necessary in later development stages.Dwight Bassett, a town economic development officer and interim executive director of the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership, said that in spite of flying rumors, no town officials really know who signed a lease with Riddle Properties to use the space.At this point" they don't have to divulge what they're doing" he said. But Riddle will have to name its new tenant when the company finishes its current demolition work and submits plans to Chapel Hill's fire marshal to rebuild inside 108 E. Franklin St.Rhodes said she doesn't know how long the demolition process will take and can't say when the space's new tenant will come forward.Capt. Doug Kelly, assistant fire marshal, said he has tried without much luck to find out who plans to lease the space.I have no clue what's going on in there"" Kelly said. We haven't seen or heard anything yet.""Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
A man who claimed to have been abducted in August by three of the suspects in the kidnapping and shooting death of a Chapel Hill man is now the sixth suspect.Matt Johnson is charged in the shooting death of 20-year-old Joshua McCabe Bailey District Attorney Jim Woodall said Tuesday.Johnson told police last week that he was abducted beaten choked and threatened on Aug. 17 by Brian Gregory Minton28 Jack Johnson II19 and Jacob Alexander Maxwell18 — all suspects in Bailey's death.A judge denied bond Tuesday for Matt Johnson Jack Johnson II Maxwell Minton Brandon Hamilton Greene26 and Ryan Ladar Davis Lee20 who have been charged with first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping in the case.A confidential informant told investigators that the defendants dug a shallow hole before shooting Bailey in the head with a nine millimeter pistol in a wooded area by Twisted Oak Drive in Orange County according to search warrants.The suspects allegedly moved Bailey's body to Chatham County" where investigators found him dead Friday.""They moved his body from a location in Orange County to a location down in Chatham County"" Woodall told the court Tuesday.Steve Bailey, the victim's father, last saw his son in the afternoon of July 21 on Weaver Street in Carrboro.Woodall said all six of the men charged with murder and kidnapping seem to know each other, and he believes Bailey knew most of them as well.It seems that everyone does know everyone else"" Woodall said. Most of them have known each other for some time. The victim knew most of them.""He said sheriffs did not release Matt Johnson's name Monday with the other five because police had to travel to Wilmington to arrest him.The men will be held without bond until an Oct. 6 court date.District Court Judge Beverly Scarlett told the court Tuesday that all six men charged with first-degree murder could" if convicted face life imprisonment or the death penalty.Three others — including Gregory Lee Minton41 and Mishele Slade Minton37 Brian Minton's parents — are charged with being accessories after the fact.Gregory Minton Mishele Minton and the third accessory suspect Chris Manley23" all were assigned $1 million bonds Tuesday and will appear in court Oct. 6.The three are accused of helping move and conceal Bailey's body.Mishele Minton is accused of taking suspects to buy materials later used in disposing of Bailey's body.Manley and Gregory Minton allegedly helped the suspects move Bailey's body to Chatham County.""The defendant assisted his son and others in actively trying to conceal the body"" Woodall said.Woodall said accessory to murder after the fact is a Class C felony and carries a penalty of up to 261 months in prison.Police issued an alert in late August for the missing Bailey, saying that he was believed to be suffering from dementia and that he may have been driving a 1993 Ford Explorer.The N.C. Medical Examiner's Office identified the body Saturday using dental records, according to a press release from the Orange County Sheriff's Office.Woodall said he could not comment further on the facts of the case because he only recently found out about the situation.He also said that despite the large number of defendants and their use of nicknames — among them Beef"" and ""Blackjack"" — there is no indication at this point that the incident was gang-related.Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
Due to an editing error the headline in this story should not have said when Joshua Bailey was killed. The time of his death is not known. Due to a reporting error thestory also incorrectly states Brian Gregory Minton's age. He is 18. The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for the errors.A man who claimed to have been abducted in August by three of the suspects in the kidnapping and shooting death of a Chapel Hill man is now the sixth suspect.Matt Johnson is charged in the shooting death of 20-year-old Joshua McCabe Bailey District Attorney Jim Woodall said Tuesday.Johnson told police last week that he was abducted beaten choked and threatened on Aug. 17 by Brian Gregory Minton28 Jack Johnson II19 and Jacob Alexander Maxwell18 — all suspects in Bailey's death.A judge denied bond Tuesday for Matt Johnson Jack Johnson II Maxwell Minton Brandon Hamilton Greene26 and Ryan Ladar Davis Lee20 who have been charged with first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping in the case.A confidential informant told investigators that the defendants dug a shallow hole before shooting Bailey in the head with a nine millimeter pistol in a wooded area by Twisted Oak Drive in Orange County according to search warrants.The suspects allegedly moved Bailey's body to Chatham County" where investigators found him dead Friday.""They moved his body from a location in Orange County to a location down in Chatham County"" Woodall told the court Tuesday.Steve Bailey, the victim's father, last saw his son in the afternoon of July 21 on Weaver Street in Carrboro.Woodall said all six of the men charged with murder and kidnapping seem to know each other, and he believes Bailey knew most of them as well.It seems that everyone does know everyone else"" Woodall said. Most of them have known each other for some time. The victim knew most of them.""He said sheriffs did not release Matt Johnson's name Monday with the other five because police had to travel to Wilmington to arrest him.The men will be held without bond until an Oct. 6 court date.District Court Judge Beverly Scarlett told the court Tuesday that all six men charged with first-degree murder could" if convicted face life imprisonment or the death penalty.Three others — including Gregory Lee Minton41 and Mishele Slade Minton37 Brian Minton's parents — are charged with being accessories after the fact.Gregory Minton Mishele Minton and the third accessory suspect Chris Manley23" all were assigned $1 million bonds Tuesday and will appear in court Oct. 6.The three are accused of helping move and conceal Bailey's body.Mishele Minton is accused of taking suspects to buy materials later used in disposing of Bailey's body.Manley and Gregory Minton allegedly helped the suspects move Bailey's body to Chatham County.""The defendant assisted his son and others in actively trying to conceal the body"" Woodall said.Woodall said accessory to murder after the fact is a Class C felony and carries a penalty of up to 261 months in prison.Police issued an alert in late August for the missing Bailey, saying that he was believed to be suffering from dementia and that he may have been driving a 1993 Ford Explorer.The N.C. Medical Examiner's Office identified the body Saturday using dental records, according to a press release from the Orange County Sheriff's Office.Woodall said he could not comment further on the facts of the case because he only recently found out about the situation.He also said that despite the large number of defendants and their use of nicknames — among them Beef"" and ""Blackjack"" — there is no indication at this point that the incident was gang-related.Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.