Over the past century, annexation into the Town, desegregation, gentrification and housing projects have transformed Chapel Hill's Northside neighborhood. Since the implementation of the Northside Neighborhood Initiative in 2015, the neighborhood's Black population has risen for the first time since the 1980s.
The Chapel Hill Town Council discussed new developments, affordable housing and the location of the Chapel Hill Police Department in its Sept. 13 meeting — the first meeting since the council returned from its summer break.
“In the work that we do, we see the connection between domestic violence homicides, gun violence and mass shootings," Cassandra Rowe, the co-director of survivor well-being for the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence, said. "So, it felt like a really important opportunity to speak to that connection."
The Orange County Rape Crisis Center is reducing the scope of its services and cutting staff in the face of debilitating budget cuts. The OCRCC and other centers federally funded through the Crime Victims Fund have had their monetary support steadily decrease in the past years.
State Senators and Representatives filed Senate Bill 51 and House Bill 39, also known as "Kayla’s Act." S.B. 51 unanimously passed the state Senate and was sent to the House on March 29 and is currently in committees. If passed, the law will allow survivors of domestic violence to testify remotely, even if the defendant objects.
Earlier this month, North Carolina was one of 15 states chosen to receive a $1 million one-year planning grant for Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics. The grant comes from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and was authorized by the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022.
Every Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon for the past 15 years, the Chapel Hill Farmers' Market has featured locally made products including pottery, kombucha, fresh pasta, seafood and mushroom jewelry. Local residents who frequent the market shop for a myriad of products at tents in the parking lot outside Stoney River and Silverspot Cinema at University Place Mall.
Gov. Roy Cooper announced $7.7 million in new funding for North Carolina's public universities, allocated for funding mental health support resources. The UNC System will use the funding for new programs and training for both faculty and students.
As rental prices fluctuate across the state and as Chapel Hill looks to diversify housing options, some residents and community leaders are concerned with the environmental safety of existing and proposed affordable housing communities.
Downtown Chapel Hill and Franklin Street have recently welcomed new businesses selling goods ranging from crystals and locally-made art to men's clothing and home goods.
