July 2004
The Mayor of Chapel Hill has been gradually taking money and power away from the Downtown Commission and directing it toward this new body, Chapel Hill Downtown Economic Development Corporation. It's quite clear from yesterday's Chapel Hill Herald article that the University is involved deeply with this new body - not that they weren't pretty influential with the old one, for that matter. But the suggestion that the first staff person for this corporation should be hand-picked by the University is too much. And if you weren't sure whether to be suspicious, I have two words for you:
OK, well almost. WCOM is on the air, but without any programming yet. I think this could be a great asset to our community, but there's a lot of work to be done if it's going to happen. And so far the organization is unproven.
What kind of programming would y'all like to hear on WCOM? Some people have suggested some kind of OrangePolitics talk show where we would discuss the latest issues that are on the website and interview local public figures. What do you think?
Guest Post by Terri Buckner
The Chapel Hill Libraries and town manager, Cal Horton, are at odds about the value of internet filters.
The Children's Internet Protection Act, upheld by the Supreme Court a year ago, requires libraries to install filters or lose federal money.
We don't think filtering works very well," said Robert Schriner, library board chairman. "We don't think it does the job, and it basically interferes with getting access to real sites. It has been shown to filter out sites that are perfectly legitimate."
... Town Manager Cal Horton, on the other hand, will recommend to the town council that some computers with filtering turned on must be made available through the library. "Parents could choose whether they want their children to have filtered or unfiltered Internet sessions."
"We see it as a service," Horton said. "We know that filters are imperfect mechanisms, but we see this as providing a service."- News & Observer, 6/24/04
To filter or not to filter....what do you think?
The Hank Anderson Breakfast Club has issued endorsements in the County Commissioner race. I must commend them on their good taste - they picked the same pair I have been favoring: Moses Carey and Valerie Foushee.
(FYI: I am a member of the Breakfast Club, but I haven't attended in many months and was not involved in the endorsement process. Just so you don't think I'm referring to myself in the third person or something.)
... it's a mixed-use project, combining offices and residential condominiums, called simply "605 West Main Street." Technically, it's a three-story building, the maximum allowed in the B-1(g) [Carrboro] zoning district in which it is located. In actuality, though, the building will stand four stories tall; the entire ground floor will serve as a parking level. - Chapel Hill News, 7/12/04
I'd have to agree with Alex Zaffron that parking is not as good a use of the ground floor as retail. But what's really remarkable is the lack of an outcry against this building. It appears (at least from the skeleton) to be a break from tradition - and that's not a bad thing. The only complaint from a neighbor the reporter could find was that it's being built "too close to the street."
Have you seen it? Is it a visionary step forward or an out-of-place behemoth?
If you don't know me that well, you might be surprised to learn that I am one of the happiest people in town to witness the long-awaited opening of the free-standing Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History at UNC. It's future existence was the primary purpose of my day-to-day existence during my last two years of college. As a member of the Student Coalition for a Free-Standing Sonja Haynes Stone Black Cultural Center, I organized marches, spoke at rallies, met with administrators, slept in South Building, and wrote flyers, press releases, and site analysis reports. I dedicated myself to helping the University community understand the compelling need for this institution.
I think comments and everything are working correctly now. I don't feel 100% confident of that. And conveniently, I'm supposed to go out of town for work today (and for fun this weekend and for work again on Monday). So let me put it this way: it had better be working!
Interestingly, there was a point yesterday when I couldn't make changes to the site at all. Many of you were e-mailing me, and the only way to get a mass announcement out was through the OP Readers Digest list. So sign up for that list if you really want to know the latest news about the site - including sneak previews of the new blog software!
"Dollar dollar bill, y'all..." Sorry I don't have time to write more, but here are some articles in today's Herald. Looks like it's all about money!
It turns out SEANC paid for the so-called "push polls" that appeared to be promoting Barry Jacobs in House District 50. No wonder, SEANC (the State Employees Association of N.C., pronounced "scenic") did endorse him.
Doesn't look like those calls have hurt him in the pocketbook, anyway. Bill Faison is the top spender in the House 50 race, having spent $59,000 to Barry Jacobs' $17,500. Faison has raised a total of $109,175 - including $103,000 of his own money. Jacobs' has raised $39,272 so far, most of which came from donors who gave $100 or less.
Commissioner Marget Brown, who failed to file her finance report by last week's deadline, raised more than any of her opponents in her re-election bid. She has raised $12,692.50, and has over $10K left to spend!
I think most folks have made up their minds about the Orange County board race, but what about the "obscure" statewide offices that even heavily involved folks don't know much about? Well, most of us default to the Indy endorsements, which just came out. But sometimes I get a little nervous when so many people rely on one source for such opinions. Did they get it right this year? For instance, I've heard great things about both Tom Gilmore and Britt Cobb for commissioner of agriculture. I've got some major liberals pulling me to vote for Gilmore on one side and some other liberal friends asking me to vote for Cobb on the other. But the Indy paints a pretty clear picture that Gilmore is by far the best. Is that fair?
And what about the Court of Appeals Judge? Is Marvin Schiller really the best candidate? I haven't seen much to be able to make up my mind. The Indy states that Schiller "appears to be a far stronger candidate on paper". That kind of scares me. Does anyone have any first hand knowledge of this guy?
Having followed the County Commissioner campaign as closely as I know how, I just went down to Town Hall and cast a single vote for Margaret Brown. Here's why: over the past eight years, where the county has made progress, Brown has been a leader. Not just a reliable vote in support but a true leader. I know some people have trouble with Margaret's personality or style but, on a five member commission, I think you have to give such key leadership on the issues the lion's share of the weight. As to the particulars, heres what The Independent has to say:
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