Isaac Groves

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Edwards Asked to Intervene

By Isaac Groves | May 1

Local officials will have to wait to hear whether they will have the backing of federal leaders in their fight against nuclear storage expansion.Representatives from Orange, Chatham and Durham counties, Chapel Hill and Carrboro and a local activist had a 25-minute conference call with Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., on Monday, asking for his support in their quest for open safety hearings regarding expansion at the Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant. Edwards listened to concerns and advised officials to work with Rep.

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Town Gets Fast Japanese Food

By Isaac Groves | April 17

The Kurama Japanese Seafood and Steak House -- Sushi Bar opened an express location on Columbia Street last week. The Kurama Express in Chapel Hill is a spin-off of the Kurama Japanese steak house near South Square Mall in Durham.But unlike the Durham location, there will not be any hot griddles and flames at the tables in Chapel Hill."Right now, it's just sushi and noodles," said Mimi Scarborough, manager of Kurama.The restaurant, located at 105 Columbia St., has a counter and five booths.

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Expansion Concerns Residents

By Isaac Groves | April 16

Some Orange County residents expressed worries about Chapel Hill's expansion into their neighborhoods at a joint meeting Wednesday between three local governments.At the public hearing, the Chapel Hill Town Council introduced five amendments to an area land use plan that the Town Council, Orange County Board of Commissioners and the Carrboro Board of Aldermen created in 1986 to control the area's rapid growth.The amendments would give local officials the option to use five pieces of land between Eubanks and Homestead roads near the Orange County Regional Landfill for alternate purposes.

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Waiver Could Decrease Cost \Of New Schools

By Isaac Groves | April 3

Some members of the Orange County Board of Commissioners want to talk about waiving development fees for new schools in Orange County, but the town governments could lose money on the deal.For the commissioners to fund a new public school, they must budget money for the studies and fees that the county, towns and utilities require for all new construction.Commissioner Barry Jacobs said town and county governments treat new schools just like any other type of development.

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Area Hispanics `Frustrated' by Mistake Shooting

By Isaac Groves | March 20

A Hispanic community leader hopes law enforcement officers will learn the importance of cultural sensitivity from a mistaken shooting of a man at a Chapel Hill restaurant March 12.Mauricio Castro, president of the Board of Directors of El Centro Latino, said last week's shooting has hurt relations between police and Hispanics. "These are professional people who should have the training to recognize the situation," Castro said. "Perhaps there is a need for more training."The U.S.

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Animal Shelter Fire Declared Intentional

By Isaac Groves | February 27

Chapel Hill fire officials are confident a late-night fire Sunday, which killed four animals at the Orange County Animal Shelter, was set intentionally.Fire Department officials spent all of Sunday night and Monday trying to discover who caused the explosion in the night deposit box at the animal shelter off Airport Road. While she would not give details of the investigation, Chapel Hill Fire Marshal Caprice Mellon did say the fire was not an accident."It was a deliberately set fire," she said.The blaze started a little after 9 p.m. Sunday.

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Committee Offers Master Plan Ideas

By Isaac Groves | February 26

Representatives of the Horace Williams Planning Advisory Committee presented the campus community with a new, scaled-down version of an off-campus development plan during an open forum at Carroll Hall. At Friday's forum, committee member Jack Evans gave a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation showing conceptual maps and artists' renderings of the projected mixed-use development on UNC's Horace Williams property off Airport Road.

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Local Representatives Scrutinize Master Plan

By Isaac Groves | February 19

Chapel Hill Town Council members and Orange County's state legislative delegation discussed potential problems with the Master Plan during a breakfast meeting at the Carolina Inn on Friday.Sens. Ellie Kinnaird and Howard Lee and Reps. Joe Hackney and Verla Insko, all Orange County Democrats, met with council members and officials to discuss potential legislative issues for the coming year. Chapel Hill Mayor Rosemary Waldorf chaired the meeting. Council members asked the legislators how much support the town would get in a fight over UNC's Master Plan.

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No Gap in Residents' Loyalty to Local Stores

By Isaac Groves | February 8

When many graduates return to Chapel Hill, they find the face of Franklin Street dramatically different than when they left.But some stores are doing what they can to stick around despite the influx of chain stores.John Woodard, the pharmacist and owner of Sutton's Drug Store said he has seen many changes in the last 24 years, and while he is optimistic about downtown, he is not always pleased to see his neighbors move on. "If they can't make it up here then they've got to get someone who can," he said.

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Locals Act to Clean Up Northside

By Isaac Groves | February 5

A man who shot and killed a 22-year-old mother last year in Chapel Hill's Northside neighborhood has received a four-month prison sentence, and residents are divided on the fairness of the sentence.Last February, Nehesia Taylor was shot and killed outside of 611 Sykes St.