July 2005
OrangePolitics (OP) was founded by Ruby Sinreich in 2003. OP has twice won "Best Blog" from the Independent Weekly, as well as other awards and recognition. The mission of OP is to encourage residents of Orange County, North Carolina, to get involved in their community by offering progressive perspectives on local and regional issues. Active participants at OP include local elected officials, community leaders, nascent and veteran activists, and a smattering of journalists brave enough to share their thoughts online. Readers can find community dialog, heated debate, and live breaking information about a wide variety of issues.
Help protect UNC-TV and WUNC from Bush Administration budget cuts and partisan appointees.
Community Forum on Defending Public Broadcasting.
Thursday, August 4th from 7 – 9:30 p.m.
The United Church of Chapel Hill
1321 Martin Luther King., Jr. Blvd.
(NC-86/Historic Airport Rd.)
*A screening of Bill Moyers' historic address on the threat posed to
public broadcasting by the Bush administration at the National
Conference for Media Reform
*A discussion panel featuring Congressman David Price and Jim Goodmon,
president and CEO of Capitol Broadcasting and national board member of
Common Cause
*Q+A, comments, calls to action.
Event sponsored by the Committee to Defend Public Broadcasting.
Co-sponsors: Common Cause North Carolina, the Independent Weekly,
Balance and Accuracy in Journalism, the People's Channel, Orange County
Democratic Party, Orange County Democratic Women, UNC Young Democrats
For more details or directions, contact Pete MacDowell @ 968-9184
Last Friday more than 250 UNC workers rallied to protest proposed cuts in this years pay raises. According to the Herald,
The rally, one of three coordinated by the State Employees Association of North Carolina, was held in response to recent legislative deliberations that would lower a proposed raise for state employees from $1,086 to $625...
"Everybody's upset," Tommy Griffin, chairman of UNC's Employee Forum, said Friday afternoon. "Everyone had pretty much come to terms with the $1,086."
Yesterday, the N&O reported that House Speaker Jim Black, Rep. Richard Morgan, and Senate Leader Marc Basnight "weeks after the 2004 session, and without disclosing their action" secretly restarted a program to provide an additional 2-3 percent in raises to legislative employees. This action was only discovered when the N&O reporter went over detailed individual pay records, a painstaking task.
Perhaps I'm the first back from the packed house at Dock side so I'll get the ball rolling.
What impressed me most was the strong group of progressive activists assembled from Chatham County. These folks are committed to achieving the kind of sustainable land-use planning and economic development strategies that progressive orangepolitics would surely endorse.
Based on last year's election, we can see that real change is coming to Chatham. Allies in Orange should acknowledge their leadership on their own turf (as was the case tonight) and work in solidarity where possible.
Some tidbits:
Wasn't expecting Kevin Foy who apparently carpooled with Bill Strom, Cam Hill, and Mark Chilton. The way my brain works, I noted that they comprised a group of Town Council members elected in 1995, 1997, 1999, and 2003 and a mayor to fill in the missing year of 2001 if you count Foy twice. I guess Alderman Chilton counts twice too.
Nearby was a table with Joe Capowski, Terri Buckner, Laurin Easthom, Alex Zaffron, and Mary Rabinowitz. Now there's a fivesome Roy might balk at coaching!
Orange County lost two different creative venues this week. You probably heard about the Carolina Theater in downtown Chapel Hill. Last night was their final showing of films. This great loss means even fewer options for alternative films, fewer cozy venues downtown, possibly less locally-owned businesses, and certainly more control over what we see and hear by large multi-screen theater chains.
Today is also the last day of business at the Main Street storefront of Temple Ball Gallery/De La Luz performance space. Although less people were impacted by De La Luz, the performances and other events they hosted were quite unique and not like anything else you could find in town. For example, there are precious few places where a handful of Tibetan Buddhist monks could set up shop for over a week to painstakingly create a sand mandala, where a struggling 'zine publisher could host their Weird Movie Night, and where some incredible jazz, funk, and rock bands could really tear down the house.
Guest Post by James Carnahan
A Concept Plan for Carolina North, the June 29 presentation by the Village project, will be re-broadcast Monday, August 1, 7 to 9pm on local cable channel 18 in Carrboro & Chapel Hill. This concept plan represents a year-long, unfunded effort by the local non-profit walkable community advocacy group to offer an alternative view of how UNC's Horace Williams property might be developed.
Not meant to be definitive, the presentation is primarily intended to answer the question, "what would Carolina North look like if citizen input were incorporated?" and to encourage the University to utilize a facilitated collaborative process to further develop its plans for the new campus. Key differences are a multi-modal transportation approach making possible greatly reduced parking and dependence on the automobile, 4 times the housing proposed in the Ayers/Saint/Gross plan, and a half-mile long reservoir for holding rainfall harvested from rooftops, that doubles as a outdoor recreation space.
James Carnahan is the Chair of The Village Project.
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