Colin Sutker

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Witnesses Testify in Case of Man Charged With Rapes

By Colin Sutker | June 6

HILLSBOROUGH -- Medical and law enforcement officials took the stand this week to support the prosecution's case against an area man facing multiple felony charges. Dwayne Russell Edwards is accused of sexually assaulting three women, one of whom was assaulted at gunpoint at her Chapel Hill apartment. The prosecution this week, the second of the trial, focused on the primary response officers who obtained evidence and gathered primary testimonies from the victims of an assault that occurred Jan. 9, 2001.

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Residents Stress Minority Education Despite Cuts

By Colin Sutker | April 29

After the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education cleaned up last year's fiscal budget, concerned residents approached the school board and requested that minority student achievement not be flushed out with next year's cuts. The school board voted Thursday to include two amendments that would finalize the 2001-02 school budget at its meeting at Ephesus Road Elementary School. The approval evened out fluctuations to expenditures during the school year. Superintendent Neil Pedersen said the resolution was routine.

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Transportation Officials Trim Budget to Lessen UNC's Costs

By Colin Sutker | April 23

The Chapel Hill Transportation Department has cut spending within its budget, which means lower busing costs for UNC's Department of Public Safety. In preliminary discussions, town officials said these savings in cost will lead to a lower compensation figure paid by DPS for service, said Rick Hannegan, assistant director for Chapel Hill Transportation. "We've just reduced the cost of providing service," Hannegan said. DPS expects the reduction in costs to help it solve the $2 million budget shortfall projected for the 2002-03 fiscal year, said DPS Director Derek Poarch.

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Chapel Hill Police Introduce New Speed Monitor

By Colin Sutker | April 19

Chapel Hill speeders beware -- the Chapel Hill Police Department has a new weapon aimed at catching you. The police department unveiled a new speed monitoring device Thursday that will help law enforcement agencies in Orange County crack down on speeding. Officials crowded around as Mayor Kevin Foy praised the device, the Speed Monitoring Awareness Radar Trailer-Low Profile. "We're very appreciative of UNC Hospitals for helping to provide this equipment," he said.

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Carrboro Flirts With Sister City Idea

By Colin Sutker | April 17

The Carrboro Board of Aldermen has postponed a decision that could cross a continental and cultural divide should local officials opt to create ties with a Mexican city. At Tuesday's aldermen meeting, officials weighed the option of making Juventino Rosas the official sister city of Carrboro. The discussion was prompted by Alderman John Herrera, who could not be reached for comment.

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Budget Crunches Slow Hiring for Municipal Jobs

By Colin Sutker | April 11

Chapel Hill and Carrboro officials say budget shortfalls in both towns have created delays in hiring new employees, which could result in increased workloads and make it difficult for the towns to provide services. This year's statewide budget crisis, which has led to reduced funding, has prompted both town governments to greatly reduce the hiring that normally happens. Chapel Hill has implemented an official hiring freeze, while Carrboro is taking a less restrictive, but still conservative, approach to hiring.

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New Council Members Focus on Environmental Issues

By Colin Sutker | April 3

Since last year's November elections, the Chapel Hill Town Council has seen its vote outcomes sporting a green tint. This, in part, is a result of the election of three new members, Ed Harrison, Mark Kleinschmidt and Dorothy Verkerk, all of whom ran with environmental concerns on their platforms. "There has a been a strong ideological shift," Verkerk said.

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Growth Plans Strain UNC, Town Relations

By Colin Sutker | March 26

Chapel Hill Town Council members and University officials say they are committed to working together despite recently renewed tensions surrounding new transportation developments at UNC. UNC Hospitals officials last week also held a forum aimed at building support among residents for the widening of South Columbia Street. Earlier in the month, Chancellor James Moeser requested that the town conduct a study examining the feasibility of widening South Columbia.

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School Site Spurs Wetland Debate

By Colin Sutker | March 22

The scheduled construction of Elementary School No. 9 on a disputed wetlands area has sparked debate about environmental concerns. At its Tuesday meeting, the Orange County Board of Commissioners voted to fund the construction of a new elementary school. But prior to the board's vote, Commissioner Margaret Brown expressed her dissatisfaction with having the school, located in Meadowmont, a mixed-use community on N.C. 54, encroaching upon nearby wetlands.

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Residents Speak Against Schools' Minority Gap

By Colin Sutker | March 8

Outraged community members spoke out about low minority student achievement in Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools during a school board meeting Thursday at the Chapel Hill Town Hall. About 40 residents attended the meeting to vocalize their frustrations with the board for the school system's failure to close the achievement gap between minority and white students. "Why should we pay the education tax?" said Mark Royster, a Chapel Hill resident.