Meet the Orange County BOCC candidates who are running unopposed

This election, all candidates for the Board of County Commissioners are running uniquely unopposed for their respective seats. 

Primary elections are coming up. Here's a guide to voting and registration

For the upcoming May 17 primary election, Orange County voters will have the opportunity to cast their ballot for several federal, state, county and local positions.  Eligible registered voters have three options for voting — in-person on election day, in-person early voting and through an absentee ballot. 

Conservation cemetery aims to provide green burial options in Orange County

Bluestem Conservation Cemetery is planning to open this summer in Orange County. The site will be the 13th conservation cemetery in the United States, the second in North Carolina and the first in the Piedmont region, co-founder Heidi Hannapel said. 

Carrboro radio station WCOM to host first 'Friends and Family Festival' on Saturday

Carrboro’s WCOM radio station will host a "Friends and Family Festival" on Saturday from 2 to 7 p.m. at the Carrboro Town Commons. The festival will offer corn hole, beer and wine tasting, disc golf, live music and opportunities for local organizations to reach out to the community.

'Considering the hip-hop South': Professors bring Southern hip-hop festival to Chapel Hill

Starting April 22, the festival will include two nights of live music at several venues including Cat’s Cradle. In addition, there will be a virtual lecture on sneaker culture, an exhibition of hip-hop scholarship and a public mural. “When you think about chronicling the South, I don’t think you can do that without considering the hip-hop South,” Christopher Massenburg (also known as Dasan Ahanu), an adjunct professor at UNC and one of the festival co-curators, said.

Disabled and low-income residents raise Chapel Hill parking accessibility concerns

Although all Chapel Hill residents know the struggle of finding parking downtown, the issue is even greater for those limited by a disability or cost.   Timothy Miles, the executive director for the Triangle Disability Awareness Council, said accessible parking spaces in downtown Chapel Hill are limited and oftentimes do not provide easy access to the surrounding buildings. The influx of construction in the area has also exacerbated the problem.  “That makes it very difficult to get in and out because it’s confusing — discouraging is a better word,” he said. Reis Phillips, a UNC senior and store associate at Underground Printing, also noted the financial barriers posed by parking fees downtown.  "We are the people who support this community and spend money here and live here — but we can't afford to pay to park here," she said. 

U.S. House passes bill to reduce insulin costs, but local advocates want more

The Affordable Insulin Now Act, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives on March 31, proposes capping the price of insulin products for those under insurance at $35 or 25 percent of a plan's negotiated price starting in 2023.

Coal ash sparks concern for potential Chapel Hill housing development

The Town of Chapel Hill has moved forward with a redevelopment plan for the Chapel Hill Police Department lot. However, certain community members are concerned about coal ash that has remained on the site.

Carrboro and Poet Laureate Fred Joiner celebrate April as Poetry Month

From a free "Poetry on Your Plate" event to a "Poem in Your Pocket Day," Carrboro has a series of events lined up to mark its Poetry Month, which was recently declared by Mayor Damon Seils.

Chapel Hill Town Council discusses next year's transit budget

From Chapel Hill to Texas: High school robotics team qualifies for world championship

On April 10, The Hedgehogs, a high school robotics team with students from Orange High School and Cedar Ridge High School, qualified for the FIRST robotics world championship after their win in the North Carolina district championship. The team will travel to Houston on Wednesday to compete against about 450 other student teams. 

'Taking care of our community': Chapel Hill Transit reveals 11 new electric buses

During a ceremony on April 8, Chapel Hill Transit introduced 11 new electric buses to its fleet. Three of them are currently in operation, and the remaining eight are expected to arrive next year.

Chapel Hill and Carrboro host Earth Day events throughout weekend

With Earth Day coming up on April 22, Carrboro and Chapel Hill will be hosting events from live music and vendors to volunteer opportunities. Margie Muenzer, secretary for Climate Reality Project's Orange County chapter, said one of the main goals of the Earth Day event is to provide educational opportunities for the community. “Sometimes people are overwhelmed with the climate crisis and don’t think there’s really anything that they can do,” she said. “This is to show that if we can get everybody working together, there's certainly a lot that communities can do."

Tiffany Cheshire appointed principal of Guy B. Phillips Middle School

Tiffany Cheshire, who has served as interim principal since October 2021, officially began her role as principal of Guy B. Phillips Middle School on April 8. “I hope that I can continue to build the relationships that I already have with schools all across the district," she said.

President Joe Biden visits N.C. A&T campus in Greensboro, discusses economy

On Thursday, President Joe Biden spoke about his "Build a Better America" plan at N.C. A&T university. 

Carrboro High School reinstates mask mandate after COVID-19 cluster

Carrboro High School will reinstate its indoor mask mandate starting Thursday after a cluster of COVID-19 cases was reported at the school.

Orange County Board of Education approves almost $40.5 million budget for 2022-23

The budget totaled near $40.5 million, a $5.42 million increase from last year. This equates to $5,043 per pupil, which is a $676 increase from the 2021-2022 school year. 

Community members march on Franklin Street to demand local affordable housing

"House Us Now" demonstrators gathered at the Peace and Justice Plaza in downtown Chapel Hill on Saturday in hopes of constructing affordable housing units for people who make less than 30 percent of the area median income. In Chapel Hill, the AMI is about $22,500 per year.  

Chapel Hill historian receives grant to research oral history of local Black community

In mid-March, Danita Mason-Hogans was selected by the Oral History Association to receive a $60,000 federal grant to study oral histories of local Black community members. The seventh-generation Chapel Hill native will use the funds for her project, “The Invisible Town: A Critical Oral History of Chapel Hill and the University of North Carolina." 

Carrboro lifts mask mandate for indoor and outdoor adult sports leagues

The mandate was lifted on April 4 after Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools dropped its mask requirement. All indoor and outdoor facilities are now fully operational.