TO THE EDITOR:Your editorial, “Who you gonna call?” (Sept. 14) raises a good point. You suggest that the Alert Carolina Web site should have posted Orange County’s news about last week’s 911 service interruption. We’re taking steps to do that in the future, and we’ve added links on the Alert site to local law enforcement agencies and CodeRED, an emergency alert service provided by the county.
TO THE EDITOR: How did I know that there would be an editorial in Tuesday’s edition of The Daily Tar Heel that would be titled something like “Protesters be warned” (Sept. 15)? Another epic fail for the DTH and the Department of Public Safety.
The new PX line is a great new option for commuters and students travelling between Chapel Hill and Pittsboro.This is a first for Chapel Hill Transit, as the bus is the only route that extends beyond the borders of Orange County into Chatham County.The line was created specifically with commuters in mind. Fueled by a $350,000 grant and Chatham County and Pittsboro funds, the PX runs about six loops a day — three in the morning and three in the evening.Unlike normal Chapel Hill Transit buses, a ride on the PX route comes with a $3 fare.
TO THE EDITOR: Needless to say, not everyone ascribes to the ideal of “self-control” (celibacy) that Mr. Spargo advocated in his letter to the editor, entitled, “Self-Control is the solution, not blaming Harris Teeter” (Sept. 14).
TO THE EDITOR:As an editorial writer, columnist, newspaperman and journalist for more decades than I can count, I can say without fear of contradiction that your editorial (“Protesters be warned,” Sept. 15) was among the worst I have ever read.
Textbooks, wherever you buy them, are incredibly expensive. And at Student Stores, the prices are a bit higher still. But that doesn’t mean there’s not good reason for it, nor that we should abandon buying books there. It’s important to recognize that the main reason for the absurdly high textbook prices has to do with industry standards — not just Student Stores’ markup. It’s often just assumed that Student Stores is doing a disservice to students by having higher prices.
UNC should release a study requested by the volunteer Orange County Rescue Squad that examines the response times of emergency services. The squad has been sidelined since June 2008 because of allegations of unprofessionalism; but squad members are asserting that response times in the area have increased as a result of the action taken against them.
Even now I can see you lounging there in Lenoir or on Franklin or in some coffee shop, sitting down to read your newspaper before class, casually flipping through its pages with your snack or drink hanging loosely from your hand, not a care in the world. But you don’t even realize the luxury that you bathe in day after day.It is a luxury that, ironically enough, can be found in your very cup on any date, at any time — it happens when water is frozen into solid form, most commonly a cube shape, though there is growing support for crushed shards.
O sing to me, muse, of a festival lit.Speakers and authors created a hit.The N.C. Literary Festival was here,Held weekend last, drawing many a peer.John Grisham, Kathy Reichs — obvious stars.They told of how they put fiends behind bars,And how those tales helped shape their lives,Turning them from public servants to scribes. Grisham spoke of creating his works,Said his ideas are from the world’s quirks.Newspapers, law cases, things all aroundProvide the ideas to make his books sound.
All of the candidates for Chapel Hill Town Council should apply to fill former councilman Bill Strom’s seat. This suggestion, made by council candidate Will Raymond, is the best way to make filling Strom’s former seat as democratic as possible. Strom announced his resignation on July 29. This was just after the deadline for election filings — meaning that his seat had to be filled by appointment rather than election.
Although the charges against UNC senior Haley Koch were dropped yesterday, the University was right to take the case seriously.Koch took her activism too far when former U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., came to speak. She disrupted the event and yelled belligerently while holding a banner in front of Tancredo during his speech. In order to preserve its integrity as a forum for free speech, the University couldn’t afford to let Koch and the other protesters off easy.
TO THE EDITOR:On behalf of all of the members of Helping Paws of the Campus Y, I would like to thank you for your great local coverage, (“Chapel Hill doggie paddle,” Sept. 14).Not only did the Dog Swim help Orange County Animal Services reach out to the Chapel Hill community, but it also successfully promoted the new Animal Services Center.
TO THE EDITOR:In the letter to the editor by Christopher Spargo (“Self-control is the solution, not blaming Harris Teeter,” Sept. 14), it seems he made some big leaps. That the educated people at this university are blinded into a sex culture by sex ads, that the DTH is just continuing this cycle of sex addiction, that abstinence is the only way and that Harris Teeter is not at fault for not wanting to promote sex.
TO THE EDITOR:I want to agree with the sentiments of Mr. Hiers in his letter to the editor (“DTH should have placed more emphasis on 9/11,” Sept. 14). To me the reasons for the lack of 9/11 coverage in The Daily Tar Heel on Friday are inexcusable, but obvious.
TO THE EDITOR:Another night, another wreck. Another life gone because someone likely decided to drive after consuming alcohol. Another daughter, sister, friend gone — someone whose death was entirely preventable.I did not know Elena Shapiro. But four years ago, I lost a close friend to a similar accident. And now all the images come flooding back like an old soldier reliving war trauma while watching the news. Once again, I see a promising life ended.
When I was young my mom frequently read “The Man Who Kept His Heart In A Bucket” aloud to me. This book is about a guy who gets hurt by a relationship and resolves to stop the pain by physically taking out his heart and sticking it in a bucket to keep it safe. I got distracted by the fact that this lumbering automaton was somehow living with vital organs outside his body, and I didn’t really learn the book’s lesson.
Campus leaders should reconsider pushing Rams Head Plaza as a new Pit.It’s good to announce a plan and to think about the future, but it’s going to take a lot more work than it seems.Many students on South Campus would welcome the idea of a Pit-like place near their homes. Activities in the area are pretty hard to come by, unless they’re run by the Resident Hall Association or a student group.The problem is that the Pit is going to be difficult to emulate.
The Orange County 911 emergency number crashed for about three hours Thursday. And this wasn’t even the first time this year. The emergency number went down around 9:40 a.m. and was back up around 12:30 p.m. The county was without the 911 number the entire morning. During this time, people were still able to call a backup number.
Without any public justification, the state has quietly reinstated to their roles as supervisors two probation officials who were demoted last year. Now the state needs to tell everyone why.The demotions came after an internal investigation into the probationary system following the arrests of Demario James Atwater and Laurence Alvin Lovette.The two men were on probation when charged with the death of former Student Body President Eve Carson.