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(04/27/07 4:00am)
In the wake of last week's tragedy at Virginia Tech, past local incidents of violence seem far from the forefront of people's minds.
But only eight months ago, Orange County residents were dealing with a school shooting at Orange High School in Hillsborough.
Police say then-19-year-old Alvaro Rafael Castillo, an Orange High graduate, drove a van through the gated parking lot at Orange High and opened fire into the outside courtyard where students were eating lunch. Two students were injured, but not critically.
Castillo was arrested immediately and proceeded to tell authorities that he had shot his father.
Police discovered the body of Rafael Huezo Castillo that afternoon at his Hillsborough home.
Castillo had weapons, including a rifle and homemade pipe bombs and ammunition with him at the time of the attack, reports state.
He was charged with first-degree murder, as well as 10 charges related to the school shooting.
Sheriff Lindy Pendergrass said Castillo e-mailed the principal of Columbine High School, where 13 people were shot and killed in 1999, informing him of his plans for the Orange shooting. The e-mail and other information seized off Castillo's computer later were ruled inadmissible in court.
Court documents show Castillo's obsession with the 1999 shooting.
In a video and letter to The (Raleigh) News & Observer and in statements shouted at reporters the day of his arrest, Castillo said he killed his father because he believed he abused their family. He also said in the video that he planned to die.
A review of the school's safety procedures and response pleased district officials. Both Orange High and adjacent C.W. Stanford Middle School were locked down immediately after Castillo opened fire.
"What we found out of course at the time was that our crisis plan really worked for us," said Anne D'Annunzio, spokeswoman for Orange County Schools. "We felt like it was effective."
The principal, sheriff and deputies involved in the incident were honored by the Orange County Board of Education in early September.
School officials heard rumors of another possible shooting at Orange last Friday, but investigators didn't find evidence to back them up.
Castillo is scheduled to appear in court again in late May.
Orange-Chatham District Attorney Jim Woodall said there will be a discovery review and potentially a Rule 24 hearing then.
A Rule 24 hearing is a required step allowing the prosecution to seek the death penalty in a case. It does not guarantee one way or the other if that will happen.
Woodall said he will address only the possibility of seeking the death penalty in open court.
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(01/25/07 5:00am)
HILLSBOROUGH - The UNC alumnus charged with driving a rented SUV through the Pit in March striking nine people pleaded not guilty to 18 felony charges in Superior Court in Hillsborough on Wednesday.
Mohammad Taheri-Azar, 23, entered the pleas on nine counts of attempted first-degree murder and nine counts of felonious assault.
He is being held in Central Prison in Raleigh in lieu of $5.5 million bail.
Public defender James Williams spoke on behalf of Taheri-Azar, who wore a dark gray suit and seemed well-collected during the three-minute proceeding. Williams declined to make a statement after the hearing.
Taheri-Azar walked calmly in and out of the courthouse - a shift from his first appearances when he seemed to revel in the media attention often waving and smiling.
Taheri-Azar turned himself in to police minutes after the March 3 incident. He since has said he committed the crimes to avenge the deaths of Muslims around the world.
The short arraignment came after months of speculation about how Taheri-Azar would plead.
In June Taheri-Azar told a judge he would plead guilty. But in earlier letters to The Daily Tar Heel, he stated he would plead not guilty.
In the letters he used the Quran to justify his actions.
District Attorney Jim Woodall said he expected the not guilty plea.
"That's what I've said he would do," he said. "It just took him four months longer than I thought."
Woodall estimated that 95 percent of defendants plead not guilty within the first two to three months.
If the case goes to trial and Taheri-Azar is convicted on all counts, he could face about 150 years in prison.
Woodall said that he can't be certain the case will go to trial but that Williams did mention a possible trial date to him.
In a letter to The Daily Tar Heel dated Sunday, Taheri-Azar said he had been offered a plea bargain. Woodall said Tuesday that no such offer was on the table.
Since his arrest, Taheri-Azar has sent multiple letters to the media and law enforcement officials.
Woodall said he might subpoena a select group of people who have received letters to testify at trial. He also said all public statements made by Taheri-Azar are admissible as evidence.
Woodall said the defendant's communication with the media is the most unusual aspect of the case.
Taheri-Azar will appear in court next March 27. All pretrial motions must by filed by that date and will be addressed then or shortly thereafter.
Woodall said he couldn't guess how long the trial would be, nor would he comment on his chance of winning.
"The arraignment today will help us move forward," he said. "And we'll move forward in a much more predictable fashion."
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
Aftermath of the Pit attack
March 3
A man in a silver Jeep Grand Cherokee drives through the Pit, striking nine people. No one suffers life threatening
injuries. Minutes later Mohammad Taheri-Azar calls police to turn himself in.
March 6
Taheri-Azar makes his first appearance in court, asking to represent himself.
March 10
Taheri-Azar makes his second appearance in court with public defender James Williams representing him.
March 24
A judge finds probable cause to pursue nine charges of attempted first-degree murder and nine charges of felonious assault.
Wednesday
Taheri-Azar pleads not guilty to all charges.
(01/17/07 5:00am)
Residents can have their say in whether an environmentally savvy development should plant its roots downtown during a public hearing tonight.
Greenbridge - slated for construction off Rosemary Street between Merritt Mill Road and Graham Street - would feature solar panels, geothermal heating and cooling systems, green roofs and a rainwater collection system that potentially could flush toilets.
The project would comprise two high-rise towers with about 100 residences ranging in price from $225,000 to more than $1 million.
It also would have retail and office space, an underground parking garage, a public plaza, an educational center and a green home design center.
Stores and offices wanting to call the development home would have to subscribe to the project's eco-friendly mission.
Developing partner Michael Cucchiara said he hopes Greenbridge will set an example of one way to scale back energy use.
"We think we might have a model here that can get used over and over throughout the world for smaller and mid-sized cities," he said. "That we hope will have an impact not here in Chapel Hill but everywhere."
In order for the project to reach the proposed 10 stories the council must approve a new zone and apply it to the site of the development.
Tonight's meeting also will be an opportunity for comments about the zone swap.
Council member Jim Ward said he thinks the height of the development will be a hot topic at the meeting.
Cucchiara said that some criticism is expected, but that the development ultimately will have a positive effect downtown.
"I understand some people hoped that could always stay as just a little two story lot but it can't," he said.
Other aspects expected to spark debate are the development's impact on the nearby Northside neighborhood and the way in which affordable housing will be incorporated.
The town typically requires that 15 percent of units in new developments be set aside for affordable housing. Developers have proposed building half of these units and making a payment to the town in lieu of the other half.
"All things being equal I'd like to have the affordable units integrated into the project, which is a way of ensuring that affordable housing will not be put off to one side," Ward said.
However, Ward added that he would like to wait and see where a payment in lieu could be applied.
Cucchiara said feedback gathered from Northside community members and housing advocacy group Empowerment Inc. led developers to believe that using funds for housing within the neighborhood would be a better investment.
The town council is set to vote on approval of Greenbridge's special use permit Feb. 26.
If everything goes according to plan, construction could start in May and would be scheduled to wrap up in June 2009.
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(01/10/07 5:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Chapel Hill is asking for the public's help finding the perfect new police chief, but so far, mum's the word.
Only two people spoke at a focus group designed to garner resident input Tuesday night.
Chief Gregg Jarvies announced in December that he will retire April 1 after 31 years of service and seven leading the force.
Town Manager Roger Stancil said he'd like to have the new chief hired in time for Jarvies' farewell.
"My goal is to have Chief Jarvies one day and Chief 'blank' the next day," he said.
Stancil, with help from the N.C. League of Municipalities, is conducting focus groups with the public, the town council and members of the police department to gather feedback about what people want in a police chief.
The two people who spoke at Tuesday's session were Dale Pratt-Wilson, the head of the Coalition for Alcohol & Drug Free Teenagers, and Ron Bogle, a retired N.C. Superior Court judge.
Bogle said he wants someone who is tough on crime, who can fight emerging problems such as gang violence and who instills confidence and responsibility in the officers within his or her department.
Many of Pratt-Wilson's ideas were related to her work with the coalition, such as a willingness to enforce alcohol laws and to work with the group.
"One of the things we've enjoyed with Chief Jarvies is he's very accessible," she said. "You can call him up and get an appointment and go in and see him."
Bogle also mentioned the importance of the chief being part of the community, while upholding the police department's public safety mission.
The chief position has been advertised both within the department and nationally.
Stancil said he expects a large number of applicants by the Jan. 27 deadline.
"The first cut we're really just looking for the leadership skills that I believe are required of a police chief in general," Stancil said.
Characteristics and ideas generated by the focus groups will be used to narrow the pool even more.
In February finalists will participate in an assessment center, which consists of an interview and more hands-on activities.
"I'm a firm believer that you don't just hire people based on interviews," Stancil said. "You also have to see how they behave and if it's consistent with how they say they behave."
Becky Veazey, president of The Maps Group - a consulting firm that works with the league - said assessment centers are useful because they simulate actual behavior through activities such as role playing.
The centers operate on the assumption that past and current behavior are the best predictors of future behavior, Veazey said.
This will be his first major hire since Stancil assumed his post as manager Sept. 1.
For information about the search, contact Stancil at 968-2743 or manager@townofchapelhill.org.
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
Chief Gregg Jarvies' story
Graduated from UNC with a degree in criminal justice in 1979 and earned a master's in public administration from N.C. State University in 1996
Joined the Chapel Hill Police Department in 1975
Was promoted to lieutenant in 1985
Was promoted to captain in 1986
Was promoted to major in 1999, won the George C. Franklin Award as the best student in the program
Is known for his community involvement and accessibility
Supported a tougher town ordinance banning panhandling in 2003
Expanded police presence in the Northside community, leading to an 18 percent drop in crime there in 2003
Oversaw the safety plan for the annual downtown Halloween celebration
Met with downtown club owners to foster safer late-night establishments
Established a 12-member downtown police unit in Nov. 2006
(11/21/06 5:00am)
Chapel Hill residents attended a public hearing en masse Monday night to show both support and opposition to a proposal to replace a downtown parking lot with an eight-story commercial and residential development.
The $75 million plan calls for the development of parking lot 5, located across from University Square off of Church Street.
The development, a public-private partnership with Ram Development Co., would include housing, retail space, a public plaza and an underground parking garage.
"Y'all have been baking this cake for a long time," said Roger Perry, a developer not associated with Ram. "You've done it creatively, you've done it well. It's time to eat"
The plan originally called for the development of the Wallace Deck on Rosemary Street, but that part of the proposal was scrapped. Also absent is a previous plan to develop parking lot 2 behind Spanky's restaurant.
The decision to downgrade was largely financial and has been blamed on rising construction costs.
The town's decision to borrow $7.5 million to purchase 161 parking spots also drew criticism.
UNC business professor and 19-year town resident David Hartzell said the cost to the town is much higher than expected.
"With this case I think our town is taking on too much financial risk," he said. "Once Ram was selected negotiations went behind closed doors."
Others said the project is worth the economic and social benefits.
"I think that the overall return on the investment is good for us," local consultant Anita Badrock said.
A major driver for the project is to get people living downtown. Many at the hearing argued that the housing would help make the area safer and would bolster restaurants, businesses and artistic venues.
UNC alumnus and planning board member Tom Jensen, who said he doesn't own a car and doesn't want to, said he'd like to live on lot 5. Jensen noted the appeal of taking the bus to Raleigh right from home.
Chapel Hill resident Bernadette Keefe said putting people downtown will make it a more exciting place.
"Currently the otherwise bustling downtown area is a no-mans land too much of the time," she said.
"Nothing can be said to be enduringly vital when it is only so some of the time. Our downtown needs residents who will live there all of the time."
Despite its residential appeal, several residents spoke against the proposal because of the way it would alter downtown's skyline.
"What we need to do is basically decide long-term what we want the downtown to be," said Carr Street resident Philip Duchastel.
"If we want to be a quaint little town then we must not allow a project like this to go forward in the location it wants to established in."
The council will decide whether to enter into an agreement with Ram on Dec. 4.
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(11/21/06 5:00am)
In addition to receiving public comment about a proposed downtown development, the Chapel Hill Town Council received several petitions at its meeting Monday night.
Widening the shoulder
Blair Pollock, a Chapel Hill resident, presented a petition asking the council to work with the town of Carrboro to finish adding a shoulder or bike lane to Estes Drive.
Estes Drive stretches from North Greensboro Street in Carrboro to Fordham Boulevard in Chapel Hill.
"It's a key link as you know in transportation between our two towns," Pollock said.
(11/20/06 5:00am)
They aren't pop stars, and you probably won't see them on the Billboard Hot 100, but Linda Sheers' second-grade class was full of rappers Friday.
The Glenwood Elementary School students performed a rap written by children at Derry Village School in New Hampshire at Chapel Hill's annual Arbor Day tree planting ceremony.
"Trees are important and we're here to say you should plant one every day," they rhymed.
Chapel Hill was presented with its seventh Tree City USA award during the ceremony.
Tree City USA Awards are given annually to cities around the country.
To be eligible for recognition, a town or city must satisfy four criteria. It must have a tree board or department, a tree care ordinance, a community forestry program with an annual budget of at least $2 per capita, and an Arbor Day observance and proclamation.
Justin Bennett, assistant county ranger with the N.C. Forest Service, said 66 cities in the state were awarded Tree City USA Awards for 2005. Three thousand awards were given nationally.
Chapel Hill Town Council member Jim Ward read the proclamation and accepted the award on behalf of the town.
Ward told "Sheers' shining stars" that he hopes they will come back to watch over the tree they helped plant Friday.
Ward has taken a personal interest in protecting a persimmon tree growing in Polk Place.
Persimmon trees bare small, orange, edible fruits.
Ward, who is a curator of the N.C. Botanical Gardens, said he is confident the tree is native to its spot in the quad because it does not sit neatly in line with other trees planted by the University.
"It's one that I think needs some extra eyes," he said.
The second-graders helped plant a shumard oak tree and threw pennies into the dirt around the tree.
Emily Cameron, the town's landscape architect, said the shumard was chosen because of its durability.
"It's tough living in a playground and living in a bad drainage area, but we think the shumard is up for it," she said.
The tree was planted just outside of Oakwood Park, located at the intersection of Oakwood Drive and Berkley Road.
The trees often grow to be 60 feet tall but can reach more than 100 feet if they live long enough, Cameron said.
Arbor Day is celebrated nationally in April, but cities, towns and states also can set their own Arbor Days. Chapel Hill traditionally has held its ceremony in the fall.
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(10/24/06 4:00am)
Many people visiting Morehead Planetarium on Franklin Street Monday weren't there to stargaze.
The planetarium is one of two early one-stop voting stations in Orange County that opened Monday. The station in Hillsborough opened Thursday.
One-stop voting allows registered voters to cast their ballots before the Nov. 7 election.
Anyone registered within the county can vote at any of the three voting sites, regardless of the precinct to which he or she is assigned.
Seats in the U.S. House, N.C. House and Senate and Superior Court judgeships, among others, are up for grabs.
When the polls closed Monday, 472 people had voted early in Orange County. In Chapel Hill, 135 people voted Monday.
"That's an outstanding day I think," said Barry Garner, director of the Orange County Board of Elections.
Garner said he was only expecting about 50 people per day to vote during the first few days. He said the number of one-stop voters tends to pick up during the last week.
So far Garner said he has heard of no major problems.
Voters in Chapel Hill on Monday said they came out early for a variety of reasons.
Senior geography major Logan Yonavjak, who has voted early before, said she felt it was her civic duty to vote.
"I'm early voting because it's more convenient on campus and because I wanted to beat the rush," she said.
Chapel Hill residents Jean and Michael Bernholz also are veteran early voters.
"We've come every year to vote here because we can do it at our convenience," Jean Bernholz said.
Poll workers at the planetarium seemed pleased with their first day in business.
Chapel Hill resident Karen Tinker started volunteering at the polls two years ago. She said at first it was more difficult to get people to vote early because people didn't realize you could be registered in any precinct.
Voters who show up at the wrong precinct on Election Day have to fill out a transfer form and then go to a different location to cast a ballot.
Early voting helps eliminate the need for transfers.
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(09/27/06 4:00am)
Halloween is still more than a month away, but Chapel Hill police have been planning for its arrival since early summer.
The Chapel Hill Town Council will discuss the preliminary operation plan for the downtown celebration at its business meeting tonight.
The plan calls for a larger enclosed area and more police.
Between 50,000 and 70,000 people are expected to attend at an estimated cost of about $220,000 to the town.
Chapel Hill police Chief Gregg Jarvies said he plans to have about 380 officers from multiple jurisdictions staffing the event.
This will be the first Halloween since the council considered ending the street celebration in May.
The council immediately and unanimously voted to end Apple Chill in April after three people were shot during After Chill, the unofficial gathering after the street fair.
Jarvies said that he doesn't expect violence from Apple Chill to spill over into the Halloween celebration, but that the department is preparing for possible gang violence.
"We do expect there to be a gang presence at Halloween," Jarvies said. "It is a large event that happens at night. There's lots of anonymity when you have an event that large."
Jarvies said anonymity often leads people to do things they wouldn't ordinarily do.
Last Halloween there were 11 arrests on Franklin Street for charges including assault with a deadly weapon and armed robbery.
To prepare for possible crime, officers will be on foot, motorcycle and horseback.
Motorcycles will help officers navigate areas that are congested with foot and automobile traffic, and horses will give officers a greater line of sight.
"Their height over the crowd allows them to see what they wouldn't be able to see on foot," Jarvies said.
Portable lights will be brought in to aid officers' vision as well.
The closed section of Franklin Street will be two blocks longer than last year, stretching from the intersection of East Franklin and Raleigh streets to the intersection of West Franklin and Roberson streets.
Jarvies said the extra two blocks will prevent people from congregating just outside the police checkpoints as they have done in years past. Inside the barricades no alcohol, weapons or dangerous items will be allowed.
Jarvies said students aren't the source of crime on Halloween, but Student Body President James Allred said students, like all town residents, have a responsibility to make Halloween run smoothly.
Allred, who spoke to the council in May when the future of the celebration was up in the air, said Monday that Halloween is one of the few times when students and permanent residents come together.
"It's really important to preserve that."
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(09/25/06 4:00am)
Nobody who drinks underage thinks he will be the one to get caught.
But 52 people in Chapel Hill did between Aug. 18 and Sept. 18 - the first month students were back in town.
Chapel Hill police issued 53 underage possession of alcohol charges during that month - up 34 from the same time in 2005 when 19 charges were filed.
Drinking underage has consequences for those who do it, but it also has ramifications for the people who provide the booze.
As police clearly are amping up efforts to curb underage drinking, bar owners are trying to ensure that it isn't happening at their establishments.
K. Rait, the manager of W.B. Yeats Irish Pub, said the risks associated with serving people who are under 21 are too great.
"We want everybody to have fun, but it's not worth the hassle for them and the hassle for us," he said.
Yeats is one of several bars that admits people who are under 21. Rait said the bar deals with this by giving wristbands to those who are legal to drink and marking the hands of those who aren't.
"We've got a pretty tight grip on it," he said.
That grip is important for places that depend on alcohol to stay in business.
According to the N.C. Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission's Web site, 75 Chapel Hill establishments hold mixed-beverage permits.
If a bar is found to be serving alcohol to minors, it could lose its permit to sell alcohol at all.
Tim Morse, a lawyer with the commission, said local law enforcement officials document violations and the ABC commission investigates them.
"We have the power to demand revocation of a license once we prove what has been alleged, but we don't in every case," Morse said.
Bars usually pay a fine for a first offense and are not threatened with suspension of their permits unless there are subsequent violations.
But despite bars' best efforts, some determined young drinkers still find a way to make it inside.
Fourteen fraudulent use of identification charges were issued from Aug. 18 to Sept. 18. There were no citations during the same period last year.
The most citations were given at 300 W. Rosemary St., the address of Pantana Bob's.
Manager Zack Alderson said the bouncers at Bob's keep a book of IDs in the podium outside so they know what to look for.
Alderson said bartenders also can double-check someone's ID if they don't think they look old enough.
If a bar wants to stay out of trouble, though, Morse said checking IDs at the bar, rather than the door, is a better route.
"In my opinion, as a lawyer for the commission, it's the person that's actually selling the alcoholic beverage that has to check the ID, otherwise there's a flaw in the system," he said. "There's a gap in there."
But most bars in Chapel Hill opt to check IDs at the door.
To make sure that works, many places require bouncers to take a class through the N.C. Alcohol Law Enforcement Division about spotting fake and altered IDs.
Adrian Thorn, the bar manager at La Residence, said spotting fake IDs and underage drinkers gets pretty obvious after a while. Thorn added that when someone who's underage makes it past the door, they often can be spotted easily.
"The first person to get out-of-control drunk really shows they're underage," he said.
Craig LaMontagne, owner of East End Martini Bar, said even though he has bouncers checking IDs, a membership program and a police officer who regularly stands near the door, he still thinks some people manage to drink underage.
"I find it hard to believe that people did not because IDs are just immaculate, and a lot of people look like their sisters and brothers," he said.
"It's tough to be 100-percent effective, but we try."
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(09/22/06 4:00am)
On Thursday police arrested the former teacher charged with molesting five girls at Montessori Community School who were between the ages of 5 and 8, after extraditing him from Virginia, according to a Chapel Hill arrest warrant.
Eric Grange, 43, of 519 Banks St. in Raleigh, was arrested on five felony counts of first degree statutory sex and four counts of taking indicent liberties, reports state.
Grange was transported to the Chapel Hill Police Department by the extradition team from the Durham district attorney's office.
He was brought before the magistrate and transported to Orange County Jail in lieu of $1 million secured bail.
Grange is scheduled to make his first appearance in Durham court today.
Grange also has an immigration detainor from the U.S. Department of Justice with him. He is a French citzen and received his PhD in France.
(09/18/06 4:00am)
Students have their chance to give their input about a proposal to tear down Town House Apartments on Hillsborough Street at a public hearing tonight.
Ram Development Company submitted a concept plan to the town to build 332 new units in place of the current 111-unit complex.
The hearing will give developers a chance to hear concerns of students, residents and the Chapel Hill Town Council before they submit a formal application for The Residences at Grove Park.
The application then will go through a long review process before the council votes on approval.
The apartments long have been a hot spot for students seeking affordable housing near campus.
According to the complex's Web site, rent prices range from $625 to $1050 for the two and three bedroom apartments.
John Florian, Ram Development's vice president of development in Raleigh, said that he is not oblivious to Town House's popularity but that he thinks the change would affect only a small portion of students.
"I think that the important part is that we're really looking for the right housing options and the right locations for both students and residents who want to move closer to downtown and support downtown," Florian said.
The one, two and three bedroom condos and town houses would suit a wide range of people, but none of the units would be rentals, he said.
The proposal has drawn criticism from some who say it would be harmful to students who rent.
Emma Griffis, a UNC alumna who lived at Town House for two years, sent an e-mail to the community design commission in June opposing the redevelopment.
"Save the space for University students who would not be able to afford other housing and keep our community as it is: a college town in which all are able to happily live, work and study within their means," she wrote. "Don't push them out."
Some students, however, have warmed up to the idea.
"I think it's a wonderful idea," said junior Jyoti Patel, who's lived at Town House since May. "The buildings are really outdated."
David Rhodes, a senior who's lived in the complex for two years, said that he's kind of attached to the apartments, but that he understands why the owners might want to sell.
"I don't really like it because this place is cheap," Rhodes said. "But the property's worth way more than they're charging.
Amy Ryan, a member of the commission, said the impact on students was discussed during two reviews of the plan this summer.
Ryan said students should attend commission or council meetings if they want to express support or opposition to the plan.
Council member Laurin Easthom said community input plays an important part in the council's decision making process.
Easthom encouraged students to pipe up about their feelings on the Town House plans.
"We want to hear what people's concerns are," she said. "Whether they're students, whether people have been living in Chapel Hill for decades - we're interested. We want to know."
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(09/14/06 4:00am)
If proposed modifications to UNC's development plan get approved, baseball players at UNC might have to spend some time playing on another field.
(08/31/06 4:00am)
More than 50 people gathered Wednesday to recognize the opening of Greenbridge Development's design center in Chapel Hill.
(08/30/06 4:00am)
=A local partnership formed to create a 10-year plan to end homelessness in Orange County is getting close to finalizing that plan.
The Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness will meet tonight to combine the suggestions of subcommittees.
The subcommittees met during the summer to form recommendations for ways to deal with several aspects of homelessness - employment; housing; prevention and discharge planning; services; and basic needs and transportation.
Tara Fikes, the Orange County housing and community development director, said the partnership plans to have the recommendations solidified by next week.
A consultant from J-Quad & Associates LLC will then draft the 10-year plan.
Fikes said it should be complete by the end of October.
In June, the partnership decided the plan would focus on the problem of chronic homelessness.
Chris Moran, executive director of the Inter-Faith Council for Social Service, said he's pleased homelessness is being addressed, but that he would like to see it considered as more than a chronic problem.
Looking at the complete picture of homelessness would cost more time and money, Moran said.
In the meantime, the partnership has devised some strategies for how it will approach the problem.
Chapel Hill Town Council member Sally Greene, the town liaison to the partnership, said the partnership will adhere to the "housing first" philosophy.
Housing first says that homeless people first should be put in houses and then should be surrounded with the resources they need to thrive in those houses, Greene said.
This approach is in contrast to theories that housing is something that should be earned by people who have proved themselves.
The partnership was formed in March 2005 to create the plan and dispel myths about homeless people within the community.
Many localities throughout the country created similar partnerships at that time to combat homelessness in their own communities with 10-year plans.
The Orange County steering committee consists of representatives from Chapel Hill, Hillsborough, Carrboro and Orange County governments, law enforcement and social service agencies.
So far its work has consisted largely of discussions and focus groups. But group members say they are pleased with the progress.
"I think what's positive is that more individuals are at the table discussing a problem that we feel we've been addressing for many years," Moran said.
"In other words, this is a problem that's hopefully going to be owned by a greater number of individuals and organizations in the community."
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(08/30/06 4:00am)
Even though they graduated in June the high school class of 2006 still is having its performance evaluated.
SAT scores for college-bound seniors in both the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools and the Orange County Schools are up from last year.
The scores, released Tuesday, rank city schools as the highest performing district in the state.
Students in both districts beat both the state and national averages.
Stephanie Knott, assistant to the superintendent for community relations in city schools, said the district's proximity to the University impacted students' scores.
"We have a student population that really does go into high school with their sites set on higher education," she said.
"They certainly don't see high school as the end of the road, so preparing for the SAT becomes an important step along the way."
City schools also saw an increase in the achievement of black and Latino students on the test.
The Latino student average went up more than 100 points from last year, and the black student average went up 50 points.
Closing the achievement gap between white and minority students has been the No. 1 priority of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education for several years.
"I think maybe we're beginning to see some real results from the district's equity initiative," Knott said.
Scores varied some from school to school within in each district.
Students at Cedar Ridge High School in Orange County outperformed students at Orange High with an average score that is more than 40 points higher.
And seniors at Chapel Hill High achieved an average score 27 points higher than their senior counterparts at East Chapel Hill High.
Although local scores increased from last year national averages decreased.
The national average math score fell two points to 518 and the national average critical reading score fell five points to 503.
This year was the first time that a writing section was included on the SAT.
Because it was the first time students took that portion of the test, scores were not included in the combined scores.
Caren Scoropanos, spokeswoman for the College Board, which administers the tests, said writing scores will be compared to years past starting in 2007.
Scoropanos said that national scores regularly fluctuate and that the College Board is not concerned about the slight drop.
Scoropanos said fewer students took the SAT more than once last year, which likely drove average scores down.
According to the College Board's Web site, students who retake the SAT typically increase their scores by about 30 points.
The College Board has researched the impact of adding the writing section, and Scoropanos said evidence shows it was not a factor in the lower scores.
"We're not saying that students aren't tired," she said. "But that is not affecting their performance and their scores on the test."
Assistant City Editor Rachel Ullrich contributed to this report.
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(08/29/06 4:00am)
The common conception is that when students leave for the summer, Chapel Hill goes into hibernation until mid-August.
But Laurie Paolicelli, executive director of the Chapel Hill-Orange County Visitor's Bureau, said that this year especially that was not the case.
Occupancy at 13 county hotels, 10 of which are in Chapel Hill, was at 70 percent this July - up 5 percent from last year. Hotel occupancy is used to measure tourism rates.
Paolicelli said that hotels have chalked up the increase to many different things but that it was a big summer for weddings and other family gatherings, as well as corporate meetings. She also attributed some of the increase to a large southern tennis tournament in late July.
"It's a good time to be in Chapel Hill's tourism industry," Paolicelli said.
In July, 1,200 people visited the bureau, which is located on West Franklin Street. This number is up significantly from last year.
In a presentation to the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership last week, Paolicelli said that tourists have lots reasons for visiting Chapel Hill but that many enjoy the food and relaxed atmosphere.
And despite the notion that business lags during the summer, several local businesses said customers continue to roll in.
"We don't have slumps," said Shelton Henderson, owner of the Shrunken Head Boutique on East Franklin Street. "But we're very fortunate," he added.
Tom Herzog, co-owner and manager of Spanky's Restaurant & Bar, said he was very pleased with the summer crowd.
"The whole summer was great," he said.
Herzog said he thought a lot of business came from people visiting UNC or attending summer camp.
Herzog said business at night does slow some during the summer.
"We stay pretty busy all year-round," he said. "It's just the summer is a very kind of targeted business. You get busy from 12 to 2 and 6 to 7. This summer those hours were expanded, and we were busy for a lot longer."
Even the folks selling textbooks said they had enough to do during the summer, a time when enrollment and demand for textbooks drop dramatically.
Jeremy Brown, the manager of Ram Book & Supply on West Franklin Street, said increased enrollment in summer school keeps his employees busy.
When employees are not selling textbooks, Brown said, they still have to switch the books for first and second summer sessions and process the orders for fall classes.
"There's definitely less people in town, but we do have things to do so we stay busy," Brown said.
"It's a year-round thing. There's no real letup."
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(08/28/06 4:00am)
When it comes to staying technologically savvy, the folks in local government don't want to be left out of the loop.
Orange County is about to join the ranks of other area municipalities with its own government access channel.
The channel will allow the Orange County Board of Commissioners, the chief decision-makers in the county, to broadcast its meetings on live TV. The service will be ready by the end of the year.
Meetings currently are videotaped and rebroadcast on The People's Channel.
The basic equipment and infrastructure for the channel will be provided by Time Warner Cable, but the commissioners voted Tuesday to spend about $21,000 on extra equipment including five small LCD monitors and two 42-inch plasma displays.
The equipment will be installed first at the Southern Human Services Center and later at the commissioners' new meeting site.
Chairman Barry Jacobs said the equipment will allow the commissioners, as well as others in the room, to see presentations better. It also will allow viewers at home to see the actual presentation instead of a videotape of the screen.
"We've got all kinds of wishes, hopes and dreams about how to connect better with our audience," said assistant county manager Gwen Harvey, who helped organize the deal with Time Warner. "We just see this as a very positive first step."
Besides broadcasting meetings, the county will be free to use the channel as it sees fit to relay information to the public.
The commissioners aren't the only ones bringing technology inside the board room.
Brad Phillips, vice president of government and public affairs in the Raleigh division of Time Warner, said the company has similar government access agreements with Cary, Durham/Durham County, Chapel Hill, and Raleigh/Wake County.
The Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education recently amped up its electronic capabilities as well.
The school board started offering podcasts of its meetings online in mid-July.
Podcasting allows anyone with a computer to download audio of the meeting.
"We'd had requests from people wanting to have it online for some reason," said Pam Hemminger, a member of the school board.
"I think its more of a way to put the message out there for people who were trying to find it."
Hemminger added that the podcasts will be a great way for students to do research even if they weren't at the meetings.
Raymond Reitz, the chief technology officer for city schools, said podcasting only cost the board about $80 - the price of the digital recording device.
Reitz said that starting Sept. 7, two school board meetings per month will be rebroadcast on TV, up from one per month in the past.
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(08/23/06 4:00am)
Many students say living in their college home is like playing house.
But despite how much you might feel like you're just pretending, those properties present very real safety issues.
Larceny, burglary and auto theft are crimes anyone should know how to ward off.
Apartments with high populations of students are not immune to these problems.
According to statistics compiled by the Chapel Hill Police Department, Chapel Ridge, a complex occupied mostly by students, had six larcenies last semester. Shadowood Apartments had 10, and Mill Creek Condominiums had seven.
To prevent break-ins, Lt. Kevin Gunter, who works in the community services division of the police department, said students need to check their pads for safety when they move in.
Things to look for are adequate outdoor lighting, dead bolts and locks on all windows.
Although they are not required to do so, Gunter said it is not unreasonable for a tenant to ask that the locks be changed when they move in.
Many apartment managers and landlords, including the property managers of popular student apartments Stratford Hills and Sharon Heights, change them between ever occupant.
Anyone who's struggling with what to look for can have a police officer come to their home and perform a free safety evaluation.
Gunter said that officers are happy to relay information from these evaluations to landlords and that landlords usually are cooperative in rectifying problems.
Keeping your car safe in the driveway or parking lot also requires a bit of effort.
Gunter said the department recommends keeping your doors locked and windows rolled up.
You also should not leave valuable items such as CDs and laptops in plain view.
In addition to keeping their homes safe, students also have a responsibility to be good neighbors.
The Good Neighbor Initiative, a partnership between the University, the town and the police, is trying to teach students to do just that.
Volunteers from the initiative passed out 400 informational goodie bags Saturday to houses known to be occupied by students.
The packets included information about parking, trash collection, noise ordinances and other town services.
They also had brochures about places to enjoy food and entertainment in Chapel Hill.
"We're just trying to bridge that gap between new residents and permanent residents and let these folks know that we realize that they're new to the area, but they're in neighborhood settings and need to be respectful of their neighbors," Gunter said.
"It's going to encourage them to reach out and become a part of their neighborhoods. A lot of times they live here the whole year and never know the permanent resident who lives right next to them."
Representatives of the dean of students and student government were among those who helped pass out the packets.
Anyone interested in the initiative or in having an officer do a safety check should contact the community services division of the police department at (919) 969-2068.
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(08/23/06 4:00am)
Students hitting Franklin Street for their daytime shopping or late-night partying needs can plan to see more people in uniform.
The Chapel Hill Police Department is assembling a 13-member unit to patrol the downtown district.
Chapel Hill Police Chief Gregg Jarvies said he expects the whole unit to be downtown sometime between November and March, depending on whether any of the new hires still need to be certified.
The budget for the fiscal year 2006-07, which was approved by the town council this summer, included $250,000 to fund the positions.
Jarvies said the other eight officers will come from within the department.
Previously as few as one officer could be assigned to downtown.
The officers will be on foot, bike and in cars to increase visibility.
"It's not a cure-all for all the crime in downtown," Jarvies said. "But we have committed to the council and to the citizens that these few people will be as active as they can be and provide as much visibility as they can to make people feel comfortable about being downtown."
Liz Parham, executive director of the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership, said the addition of the officers is in line with the partnership's efforts to make downtown clean and safe.
"Just having people around so that if there is a problem . there's somebody that they feel like they can call on quickly and get some assistance if they need, it will be huge," Parham said.
She also said the larger number of officers will allow for better patrols on the west end of Franklin Street.
Robert Poitras, owner and operator of Carolina Brewery at 460 W Franklin St. expressed similar sentiments.
"The west end has grown a lot in the last decade, but we haven't added any more infrastructure," Poitras said. "So hopefully this is a step in the right direction."
Jarvies said he has already received lots of applications for the positions, which are open to officers within and outside the department.
Officers will have to communicate with business owners and visitors in downtown.
Once they are on the streets, Jarvies said the increased presence will make downtown a more pleasant place for everyone.
"If we can prevent those who are up to no good from feeling comfortable . if we can make them feel like they are not safe being downtown, then in turn folks who are downtown simply to enjoy our downtown can feel safe."
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.