City & County - The Daily Tar Heel

'Love in the air': Chapel Hill, Carrboro celebrate Joe Biden's presidential win

By Sonia Rao | Nov. 8

The former vice president declared victory over President Donald Trump on Saturday after securing 290 electoral votes — more than the 270 needed to win the presidency — and celebrations in Chapel Hill and Carrboro continued until well after sunset. Minutes after Joe Biden was announced as the country’s 46th president Saturday, Franklin Street filled with the sounds of cars honking and students cheering. Resident Damien Moore said he's never seen Chapel Hill celebrate like this, except for when students rush Franklin Street after a UNC basketball victory over Duke.

CJ Suitt, Chapel Hill's first-ever Poet Laureate, poses for a portrait in Chapel Hill on Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2020. "There's a lot of hope and uncertainty right now," Suitt said.

Chapel Hill poet laureate releases poem as program navigates COVID-19

By Sascha Medina | Nov. 8

Chapel Hill Poet Laureate CJ Suitt has had to adapt his work due to COVID-19. Recently, he released a poem called "In the Aftermath" about what the community can look forward to when the pandemic is over.

DTH Photo Illustration. Many bars and bar owners have been badly hit by the pandemic and are finding ways to stay afloat.

Smaller downtown bars fight to stay open amid 'devastating' pandemic conditions

By Brian Rosenzweig | Nov. 8

Belltree, an old-fashioned cocktail club in Carrboro, and Zog's Pool Hall in Chapel Hill are two local bars that have faced hardships since COVID-19 forced them to close in March. Belltree partially reopened in October, but Zog's remains closed.

The NCBOE ordered the Town of Carrboro to take down their Black Lives Matter flags on the town hall building. The town says they're staying.

Black Lives Matter flags remain at Carrboro Town Hall despite removal request

By Alexandra Myers | Nov. 5

The Carrboro Town Council received a letter on Oct. 28 from the NCSBE requesting the Town remove Black Lives Matter flags at the front of Carrboro Town Hall for the remainder of the early voting period.

Cars drive down Franklin Street on Monday, Oct. 26, 2020 outside of Four Corners, which has built outdoor seating to accommodate for the pandemic but poses some accessibility problems.

Push for outdoor seating on Franklin Street raises questions about accessibility

By Emma Kenfield | Nov. 5

An increase in outdoor seating options on Franklin Street could pose potential problems for the disabled community. Sarah Gilles, a chairperson of the Disability Advocates Committee of the Campus Y, said the push for outdoor seating is good for business but could shift accessibility standards to the back burner. Chelsea Laws, director of Building and Development Services for the Town of Chapel Hill, said the Town looks at accessibility requirements to make sure people can get in and out of all businesses. But UNC doctoral student Dalvin Tsay, who uses a wheelchair, said blocked sidewalks and small ramps make it extremely difficult to get around.

A student at UNC-Chapel Hill filling out their ballot for the 2020 general election on Nov. 3, 2020 at the Stone Center polling location.

Despite higher 2020 turnout, fewer N.C. voters reported their race, political party

By Michael Taffe | Nov. 4

“We’ve got a lot more voters who have not indicated their race or ethnicity," politics professor Michael Bitzer said. "Back in 2016, for all of the absentee ballots, it was a little more than three percent unknown. Now it is around nine percent. We have no way to know for those hundreds of thousands of voters, what their race or ethnicity is.”

A member of the crowd at Lieutenant Governor Dan Forest's election night party wears a Trump 2020 hat on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020.

Election Day is over. What comes next for North Carolina?

By Sonia Rao | Nov. 4

North Carolina's unofficial results most likely won't change until Nov. 12. This means North Carolinians likely won't know who won close races, such as the presidential race or the U.S. Senate race, until then. There are approximately 117,000 outstanding absentee ballots in North Carolina. Jason Roberts, a UNC political science professor and member of the Orange County Board of Elections, said most counties won't count these outstanding absentee ballots until Nov. 12 or 13, right before county boards of elections certify results.

When asked about a new COVID-19 stimulus bill, Senator Thom Tillis explains there is "no question Congress will pass another coronavirus relief bill after the election" on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2020.

Tillis declares narrow victory, dispelling predictions of N.C. flipping U.S. Senate

By Henry Haney | Nov. 4

In a narrow race that has yet to be called, Tillis received 48.73 percent of the vote, giving him a slim 1.78 percent margin over Cunningham, according to unofficial results.

"Its been long, but I think we're really going to like the finish." The Chair of NCGOP Michael Whatley speaks at the NCGOP's election night party on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020 as results are announced.

Republicans keep their control over N.C. General Assembly

By Kayleigh Carpenter | Nov. 4

Despite projected Democratic gains in the North Carolina legislature, Republicans held onto their majority, picking up four seats in the N.C. House.

Former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during a rally ahead of Super Tuesday at St. Augustine's University in Raleigh, on Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020. Later that day, Biden won the South Carolina primary.

Former Vice President Joe Biden projected to win U.S. presidency in close race

By Sonia Rao | Nov. 4

President Donald Trump had the lead in North Carolina over former Vice President Joe Biden as of midnight, leading by 1.39 percent, according to unofficial results. 117,000 absentee ballots in North Carolina have yet to be returned, according to the N.C. State Board of Elections. This is larger than the number of votes Trump has over Biden as of midnight on Tuesday, which was 76,380. In North Carolina, absentee ballots received by Nov. 12 will be counted in the election.

A student at UNC- Chapel Hill submits his ballot on Nov. 3, 2020 at the Stone Center polling location.

College voters leveraged their voting power, turned out in record numbers

By Michael Taffe | Nov. 4

College students took advantage of early voting at significantly higher rates this election — youth turnout in early and mail-in voting more than doubled compared to 2016.

Gov. Roy Cooper and First Lady Kristin Cooper announce their victory in the 2020 election on Nov. 3, 2020 on the steps of the N.C. Democratic Party headquarters in Raleigh.

Gov. Roy Cooper wins a second term in North Carolina

By Brittany McGee | Nov. 4

Gov. Roy Cooper will serve another term after defeating Lieutenant Governor Dan Forest, according to unofficial results.

(from left) Renee Price, Amy Fowler, Jean Hamilton and Mark Dorosin, the Orange County Board of County Commissions running for office in District 1 and 2. Headshots courtesy of the candidates.

Orange County Board of Commissioners election shaped by local endorsements

By Kayla Guilliams | Nov. 3

Jean Hamilton and Amy Fowler will be joining the Orange County Board of County Commissioners after unseating incumbents Mark Marcoplos and Penny Rich. Here's what led up to these events.

"Lady in Pink" by Sophie Vaughn was one of the paintings in the Meet the Moment Art Walk on Franklin Street that went missing. Photo courtesy of Sophie Vaughn.

Two pieces from Meet The Moment Art Walk missing, rest to be auctioned

By Elizabeth Egan | Nov. 3

Two of the pieces included in the Meet The Moment art walk, a public art show on Franklin Street, were stolen last Wednesday.

Before You Vote Episode 8: Election Day

By Meredith Radford and Sonia Rao | Nov. 3

In the eighth episode of Before You Vote, City & State Editor Sonia Rao talks to UNC professor Jason Roberts about what to expect on election night.

A school bus passes by election signs in the yard of a Johnson County resident on Monday, Nov. 2, 2020. One sign encourages voters to "save their country" by throwing away ballots for Biden.

Here's how officials are keeping votes secure on Election Day

By Guillermo Molero | Nov. 3

In the weeks leading up to Election Day, election security has been ever-present in the national political discourse. With more people concerned about it than ever, state and local officials are working around the clock to maintain the integrity of the election.

Ryan Downs, 45, picks up books outside of the library. The Chapel Hill Public Library has been awarded with a federal grant that funds computers, increased wifi coverage, and multilingual assistance throughout Chapel Hill.

Chapel Hill Public Library scores federal grant, seeks to expand technology access

By Salim Fayeq | Nov. 2

Federal grants of almost $150,000 will allow the Chapel Hill Public Library to pursue a program increasing internet and technology access to marginalized communities.

After a number of restaurant closings in the Chapel Hill area due to COVID-19, new businesses such as Andrew Young’s Blue’s BBQ, located at 110 W Franklin St, look to find success during the pandemic.

Two new restaurants open in Chapel Hill despite pandemic challenges

By Dair McNinch | Nov. 1

Two restaurants, Blue's on Franklin and Market and Moss, recently opened in Chapel Hill. Here's what they have to offer.

Sonia Rao is the city & state desk editor for the 2020-2021 school year.

Column: You told us what you wanted from our election coverage. Here's what happened.

By Sonia Rao | Nov. 1

In March, we spread a survey asking UNC students what issues they cared the most about, and what formats they wanted election-related stories to be in. We used the results to shape our coverage leading up to Election Day.

On October 21st, 2020, Nathan Toben ran 77 miles over a period of just over 12 hours to raise money for Triangle BikeWorks. Toben said his training for the run took four months, and he has raised close to $7300 so far.

Meet Nathan Toben, the man who ran 77 miles to help local children

By Elsa Karcher | Nov. 1

An Orange County man ran 77 miles to raise money for Triangle Bikeworks, a local nonprofit that provides adult mentors, social and emotional education and bike tours for children to retrace historic paths such as the Underground Railroad and Trail of Tears.