JON WEINER

News

Town clerk to leave after 23-year stint

By JON WEINER | November 24

At the end of this month, Chapel Hill will lose a woman who many agree has valiantly served the town and the public for the last 23 1/2 years. Town Clerk Joyce Smith's retirement will become official at 5:01 p.m. next Tuesday. "I told the town manager that you have to have fun with a job, and when it stops being fun, you should stop doing it," she said Tuesday morning. "Well, I'm still having fun, but too much for too long just makes you tired."

News

Town officials dedicate Adams tract

By JON WEINER | November 17

The Adams tract has long been one of Carrboro's premier recreational resources, and it will now officially remain part of the town's natural luster. About 25 people attended a dedication ceremony Tuesday morning to commemorate the town's acquisition of the tract, used primarily for biking and hiking. The 27-acre area runs from Carrboro's Wilson Park to Estes Drive and along the bank of Bolin Creek. The town plans to maintain the area for recreational use, keeping it open to the general public.

News

Eateries pledge funds for shelters

By JON WEINER | November 16

If residents of the Triangle decide to go out to eat today, they might be fighting more than their own hunger. The Restaurants Sharing V/5 + V/5 Percent program is holding its 16th annual fund-raising event to aid hunger. The RSVVP program allows area restaurants in Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Raleigh and Durham to donate 10 percent of their gross sales for one day out of the year to help feed the hungry in their local communities. This year, more than 250 restaurants in the Triangle pledged to participate, including a record 110 in Chapel Hill and Carrboro.

News

Groundbreaking heralds progress

By JON WEINER | November 10

The skyline of downtown Chapel Hill took a step toward major change Tuesday, as years of planning and waiting culminated in the groundbreaking of Rosemary Village. "I think that this is going to be something great for this town," Chapel Hill Mayor Kevin Foy said at the groundbreaking. The large mixed-use development, which will be located at the corner of West Rosemary Street and Mitchell Lane down the road from Mama Dip's Kitchen, is the first project of its type to be built downtown.

News

Middle schoolers get political

By JON WEINER | October 27

Twelve-year-olds aren't allowed to vote legally, but with the help of a new program, students in two seventh-grade classes at A.L. Stanback Middle School will be able to participate in the election process. The students are taking part in a mock election developed by students in the International Baccalaureate program at Cedar Ridge High School. The IB students will be making presentations at Orange County schools to inform students about political parties, candidates and the electoral process before Tuesday.

News

Eatery celebrates its opening

By JON WEINER | October 20

Even though its first day of business was April 13, Uncle Charlie's Fish Fry and Wings in Carrboro held its grand opening Tuesday. The restaurant, located at 104 N.C. 54, specializes in a variety of fresh fried seafood and chicken wings and claims to provide local seafood lovers with inexpensive options for lunch and dinner. On hand for a free meal and a piece of cake were Carolyn Hutchison, Carrboro chief of police, and James Harris, Carrboro's director of community and economic development.

News

Carrboro may run two vehicles solely on biodiesel

By JON WEINER | October 13

A pair of town vehicles soon could be part of the next step in Carrboro's experiment with biodiesel fuel. The town's Environmental Advisory Board presented a report Tuesday to the Board of Aldermen suggesting that Carrboro, which already runs all public vehicles on a mix of biodiesel and petroleum, run two vehicles completely on "B100" - 100 percent biodiesel. Biodiesel fuel is made from renewable vegetable oils, recycled cooking greases or animal fat, and is an alternative for conventional petroleum-based diesel fuel.

News

Council eyes methods to improve Cameron

By JON WEINER | September 29

Although problems with parking and biker safety along Cameron Avenue are not a new issue, the Chapel Hill Town Council now is examining ways to rectify the situation. The council heard several different proposals for alternatives at its Monday night meeting, at which discussion centered on whether the town should establish parking meters, bike lanes or a combination of both. The proposals specifically dealt with the renovation of about 90 nonmetered parking spaces along Cameron Avenue between Pittsboro Street and Merritt Mill Road.

News

Car-Free Day boosts local transit

By JON WEINER | September 24

Chapel Hill and Carrboro joined more than 1,400 towns and cities across the nation and 37 countries worldwide to celebrate Wednesday as Car-Free Day. The purpose of the day was to raise awareness about alternative transportation options to single-use vehicles. "We feel that the day was a great success," said James Carnahan, spokesman for the Village Project Inc., the environmental awareness group that sponsored the event locally.