The Daily Tar Heel

Serving the students and the University community since 1893

Tuesday May 30th

City & County



Orange County sees highest life expectancy in North Carolina due to abundant resources

Orange County residents lead the state's average life expectancy by almost four years.  According to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation’s 2019 U.S. health map, the average life expectancy for a North Carolina resident is 78.2 years, while the average in Orange County is 82.1.  Social determinants, such as health care access and housing, contribute to the higher life expectancy in Orange County. 

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The Compass Center, Orange County's sole provider of emergency housing for domestic violence survivors, sits on Robinson Street on Monday, April 10, 2023.

Compass Center remains Orange County's sole housing provider for domestic violence survivors

Though the Compass Center's Safe Homes, New Lives program raised over $1 million to address the lack of crisis housing in the county, they currently only have three housing units  — which, according to the Center's executive director, cannot meet all of the county's needs.    The center is still Orange County's sole provider of emergency housing for those escaping domestic violence situations.  Marilyn Jacobs Preyer, co-chairperson of the Safe Homes program's fundraising campaign, said the program's scattered housing model provides more safety and anonymity for survivors than a traditional shelter.

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A sign by Kite Realty Group assuring guests that all businesses are open despite the construction happening in the middle of the Eastgate Crossing parking lot.

Eastgate Crossing stormwater construction to complete within the next month

About a third of the parking spaces in the Eastgate Crossing shopping center in Chapel Hill are currently unusable due to construction, but work should be done within the next month. The purpose of the project is to mitigate flooding problems in the area, as the shopping center was built over a section of Booker Creek. The project began on March 1 and is expected to take between 45 to 60 days to complete.

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North Carolina Rep. Tricia Cotham (R-Mecklenburg) shakes the hand of N.C. House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland, Rutherford) at the N.C. GOP Headquarters in Raleigh, N.C., after she officially announced her change in party afflilation. Cotham was previously a Democrat until her announcement on Wednesday, April 5.

NC Rep. Tricia Cotham officially switches parties, gives no specifics on abortion

N.C. Rep. Tricia Cotham (R-Mecklenburg) held a press conference this morning at the N.C. GOP Headquarters in Raleigh with state Republican leaders to announce her official defection from the Democratic Party. Cotham's switch gives Republicans a supermajority in both houses of the N.C. General Assembly, allowing them to push through policy more easily and override any of Democratic Governor Roy Cooper's vetoes.

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