Emily Gallimore

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Absent teachers cause strain

By Emily Gallimore | September 10

Don't count on a long weekend if you're a substitute teacher. "In the very first week of school, the number of substitutes enlisted to cover for absent teachers on Friday was twice what it had been earlier in the week," said Stephanie Knott, assistant to the superintendent for community relations for Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools. Since the start of school Aug. 27, teacher absentee rates indicate the continuation of a historic pattern of weekend-extending absences.

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Board reviews merger amid parents' concerns

By Emily Gallimore | April 24

EFLAND - The Orange County Board of Education discussed Monday a plan for moving forward with the possibility of a merger of Hillsborough and Central elementary schools and now will turn to a facilitator and experts for advice. The merger first was discussed as a solution to substandard test scores at Central. "We have a number of children who are supported by the Title I program that aren't making progress as we'd like them to and as measured by No Child Left Behind," said Ted Triebel, the board's vice chairman. "We must apply systemic solution."

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A healthy mandate

By Emily Gallimore | April 11

You can lead students to the lunch line, but you can't make them choose healthy food. Faced with meeting state-mandated child nutrition standards in time for the 2008 school year, elementary school cafeterias in both Orange County school districts have stopped stocking popular snacks like Twinkies and Moon Pies. "We kind of bit the bullet - we have to implement these by next year," said Joe Otranto, child nutrition director for Orange County Schools.

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Bakery to get Rachael Ray shout-out

By Emily Gallimore | March 28

Thursday at 10 a.m. chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin cookies from La Farm Bakery in Cary will be making a national appearance as the "snack of the day" on the ABC daytime television show "Rachael Ray." Lionel Vatinet, La Farm owner and baker, said he and his wife Missy decided to send in their sweets after seeing the feature on the show. "So we took chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin cookies and contacted the producers," he said. "They called us, and we sent more cookies to the show in New York."

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Downtown flower boxes get helping hands

By Emily Gallimore | March 20

The Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership is preparing to revitalize flower boxes in the downtown district with the help of community members, a Boy Scout troop and town officials. Last December, the partnership determined that 50 of the 63 boxes needed additional care to make the downtown district more attractive, said George Draper, a member of the partnership. "We see the planters as an asset in terms of curb appeal," he said. For the past eight years, the boxes have been maintained by individuals and businesses, a setup that Draper said has yielded mixed results.

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Academy dedicates new building

By Emily Gallimore | March 19

Tenth-grader Jessica Rice stands at about 5-foot-1. She smiles as she talks about the new building where she attends Partnership Academy Alternative School. With her excitement over the school's new facilities, Rice might not strike you as a likely candidate for a high school thought to be only for suspended students. But Orange County School Board member Al Hartkopf explains that the school also is an alternative for students who aren't "bad kids."

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Restaurants, Florists set for Valentine's Day

By Emily Gallimore | February 13

Crying, cursing and a dinner for one are not what most of us want for Valentine's Day. But Tommy O'Connell, owner of 411 West, said he has seen his share of Valentine's dinner break-ups in his 16 years at the restaurant. "We don't see quite as many break-ups on other nights," O'Connell said. "Every specific time that has happened, the girl has gotten up and left." But while relationships might tend to fall apart on Valentine's Day, Chapel Hill businesses see booming sales.

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Basketball rivalry dissected at book forum

By Emily Gallimore | January 30

Before moving to Chapel Hill, librarian Margot Malachowski of Carrboro's Cybrary realized the intensity of the Carolina-Duke basketball rivalry at a funeral when someone asked her which color blue she preferred.

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Group examines plan to end homelessness

By Emily Gallimore | January 25

Two years ago, a partnership formed to develop a plan for ending homelessness in Orange County. On Wednesday evening, they examined the plan in the form of a 73-page draft - "A Bold Proposal To End Homelessness." But more work, they decided, is needed before it becomes official. Doug Frederick, a consultant for J-Quad and Associates, explained the proposal - a 10-year plan he was hired to develop in 2005. The proposal included a summary of the findings of focus groups, a description of goals and strategies and an implementation plan.

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Scarlett elated by job

By Emily Gallimore | January 23

It was a celebration at the Orange County district attorney's office Friday when Beverly Scarlett found out that Gov. Mike Easley had appointed her District Court judge for District 15-B, including Orange and Chatham counties. "It was nothing but mayhem and screaming," Scarlett said. "One deputy heard me. . Then we were all in here jumping around and carrying on." Scarlett has served as an assistant district attorney for eight years, and she said she's had her eye on a judgeship for the past nine.