December 2005
From yesterday's N&O:
Fred Battle remembers having to sit in the back of the bus. So he and the local NAACP are hosting a bus-ride tribute to the late Rosa Parks on Thursday, the 50th anniversary of her refusal to give up her seat.
"Most people are not even familiar with the history of the Montgomery bus boycott," Battle said. "This is our attempt to not only pay tribute to what's happening in the present but also to educate people."
All are welcome to board Chapel Hill Transit buses at 11 a.m. at the Hargraves Community Center, 216 N. Roberson St. [MAP] The buses will travel down Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and then head to the Franklin Street post office, where a rally will begin at noon with Battle and civil rights lawyer Al McSurely.
Guest Post by Ginny Franks
"Voting is perhaps the most important duty we have as citizens of the United States. But it also is important to remember to vote for the area that we are shaping as students at this University. We are a part of this community, whether we're from Wilmington or Boone.
So register to vote.
It doesn't matter for whom or what you vote. Just do it. It's as simple as that."
– Emma Burgin, Daily Tar Heel columnist and former City Editor
If the State Board of Elections records are right (Disclaimer: they aren't always!), then Emma Burgin didn't vote.
Today's DTH reports that Bill Strom is the 2005 winner of the Jim Goodmon Award for regional leadership by an elected official in the triangle.
The award will be presented by Leadership Triangle at a luncheon next week.
Bill has been a strong leader on the TTA Board of Directors, helped broker the purchase of Erwin Trace, and has worked on regional affordable housing initiatives with the Triangle J Council of Governments.
Bill is the first elected official from Orange County to receive this honor.
It's nice to see folks from around the triangle recognize the quality of one of our own elected officials!
An astute reader wrote to ask that we announce this film, and I'm glad he did. I hadn't even heard of it!
You wouldn't think the wall separating McCorkle Place and Franklin Street could serve as a political forum for University students.
But one UNC professor shows how pivotal that location was for political thought in his documentary set in the '60s.
Gorham Kindem's “Beyond the Wall†will be shown at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Varsity Theatre. A question and answer session with the filmmaker will follow.
- The Daily Tar Heel - Film scales UNC's political culture
According to the N&O:
A designer with a striking, modern style will play a pivotal role in designing parts of downtown Chapel Hill's brick-laden landscape.
Mikyoung Kim will be the lead artist shaping the look of an estimated $75 million effort to transform two town-owned parking areas into a mix of condos, shops and open space.
Based in the Boston area, Kim has left her mark over the country and even abroad.
She has completed a huge canal project in Seoul, South Korea, helped redesign a federal courthouse in Little Rock, Ark., and worked on projects in a Boston wharf district, among many other projects.
Some of her most prominent work involves colorful fiber-optic lighting and illuminated streams of water. She describes it as "orchestrating an experience."
This seems like very big news for the town. Kim sounds like an artist whose work could help elevate downtown Chapel Hill in the region, especially given the potential of UNC's coming Arts Common.
Check out Kim's work here.
Guest Post by Eric Muller
Is Raleigh Metro Magazine delivered to your home without your ever having subscribed to it? It is to mine. It's a monthly high-gloss magazine that's trying to be a guide to The Good Life here in the Triangle, with stories on food and wine, art and architecture, music and theater, local businesses, and the like. And lots of advertisements from local businesses. It's the kind of magazine you'd expect to be handed by a real estate agent if you were thinking of moving to town. A polished, visually attractive, feel-good, community-boosting, inoffensive publication.
Wait. Did I say "inoffensive?" Let me change that. It's inoffensive until you get to the back pages of the magazine, where editor and publisher Bernie Reeves cuts loose with his political views in his monthly column. And when I say "cuts loose," I mean "cuts loose." This is stuff that would make Sean Hannity or Rush Limbaugh or even Michael Savage blush.
Here's a sampling of views and quotes from his columns:
Chapel Hill Herald, Saturday December 03, 2005
There is a strange paradox in American culture. On the one hand, we are taught to view ourselves through the lens of individualism, extolling the self-made "man," and looking out for number one. On the other hand, there has rarely been a society more characterized by the utter economic dependency of its citizens than ours.
We depend on distant, faceless corporations for the energy to warm our homes, cook our food and power our vehicles. We depend on them for our entertainment and our communication, our clothing, tools and materials, and for many aspects of our health care.
Historically, few humans have ever been independent in a true sense. Nor have we had the kind of dependency that characterizes modern society. Rather, we have been interdependent, denizens of self-reliant communities where what one could not do for oneself could be accomplished by a tribe, extended family, community or village.
You may be among the many Chapel Hillians who have been wondering why some of the best business locations on Franklin Street stand vacant with no inhabitants. Apparently it's because their owner, Fayetteville developer Joe Riddle, is waiting for the "right" tenants. Riddle owns the Top of the Hill building (former home of the Gap, the Sunglass Hut, and the Carolina Theatre) and some lots on West Franklin on either side of Lantern and the art supply store, including University Chrysler. He doesn't seem to be in a rush to find those uniquely suitable tenants either.
Could it be Riddle is too distracted with other matters? Or does he have so much money that he can afford to hold on to prime real estate until the right mood catches him? Either way I see it as bad for Chapel Hill.
In an effort to bring a free public WiFi network to Chapel Hill and to let our elected representatives know how we feel I've created an online petition.
To: Chapel Hill Town Council
The time has come for the Town of Chapel Hill to build a free, community-owned, public municipal network. The network should have wireless access and provide an open, unfiltered, and unmonitored connection to the Internet available to ALL people. It must be maintained by a local nonprofit for the people of Chapel Hill. Not by a private business or corporation.
We request that the Chapel Hill Town Council act swiftly to bring this service to the people.
Sincerely,
The Undersigned
It will be presented to the Town Council as soon as posible. If you are a citizen of Chapel Hill please go to http://www.petitiononline.com/chwifi/petition.html and sign it. Thank you!
According to news reports, Mayors Foy and Chilton pledged to do their holiday shopping locally:
"We really feel that it is very important for Orange County residents ... to buy local and to help reinvest the money we spend in our holiday shopping season here in Orange County," Chilton said, just a day after being sworn in as Carrboro's new mayor.
The potential impact, according to the Chamber:
a 1 percent increase in Orange County retail sales, assuming the money would not be spent in another county anyway, would generate nearly $360,000 in extra revenue. That's roughly enough to hire nine new police officers or sheriff's deputies.
Last Saturday, Aaron Nelson took advantage of the holiday parade to hand out "Buy Local" decals to a captive, holiday-primed audience.
The benefits of shopping locally are pretty clear, as are the additional benefits of supporting locally-owned businesses.
Kudos to Chilton, Foy, and Nelson for taking advantage of the holiday season to promote this awareness.
Kudos to the Daily Tarheel for running an article today in both English and Spanish. Unfortunately the Spanish version is online-only which is probably not the best way to reach all those Latino workers on campus, who might actually be interested in the subject matter: one woman's story how she became an immigrant and eventually a citizen.
Attending Carrboro's swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday reminded me how important John Herrerra's (re)election is to the Latino community. The event was attended by visible state-wide leaders like Matty Lazo-Chadderton (Director of Hispanic/Latino Affairs in the N.C. Senate's Office of the President Pro Tempore) and I spent at least a third of my evening practicing my rusty Spanish. It was a great feeling to know what a good example a small town like Carrboro can be to the rest of the state. And also a reminder that yo necesito practicar hablando español!
It's just a name and not such a big deal… or is it?
This coming Thursday the city school board will discuss the naming of the third high school. The naming committee has narrowed the choices down to three: Carrboro High School, South Chapel Hill High School, and Howard and Lillian Lee High School. These names seem all rather boring, given that there were 69 other names that could have generated lots more controversy.
Community members suggested such names as: Charles Darwin High School, Cesar Chavez High School, Robert E. Lee High School, Edith Wiggins High School, Rockin' Ravens High School, and on and on. I personally got a laugh out of 'The Insufferable Chapel Hill High School of the South". What name would you choose and why?
Hillsborough has a new mayor! It's nice to see the incumbent wasn't bitter about being ousted. Ooops:
Stevens, in his first run for public office, defeated Joe Phelps, the two-term incumbent, in the November election.
Phelps, in remarks to the board, said he thought the issue of adding more sidewalks to town was a "deciding factor" in this year's election.
"Mr. Stevens promoted this idea of having sidewalks all over town time and again," Phelps said. "Everyone wants sidewalks, but how to pay for them has always been the real issue."
Phelps said he'd be paying attention at budget time to see how the issue of sidewalks is addressed, "to make sure that campaign promises don't turn into campaign rhetoric."
- heraldsun.com: Mayor sworn in, leads 1st meeting, 12/13/05
I know sometimes things that sound the same mean different things in different parts of Orange County. Could this "strategic growth plan" be an effort to slow and manage growth, which by most accounts has been pretty out of control in and around Hillsborough? It certainly has potential to be a good thing. Maybe some of you north of I-40 readers could help out.
The [Hillsborough Town] Board authorized Town Manager Eric Peterson to negotiate a contract with Chapel Hill-based Clarion Associates to develop a strategic growth plan. The town and Orange County are jointly creating the plan. The town will be recruiting town residents to serve on the steering committee, which will start meeting Jan. 22.
- newsobserver.com | Orange County, 12/15/05
...And former Chapel Hill Planning Director Roger Waldon continues to do well in his second career as a consultant with Clarion.
I don't know how many of you read the News of Orange. I drop into their web site about once a week, which how often it's updated. They have reader polls to which I am strangely addicted. If they are at all accurate, then it certainly validates what folks say about the northern part of the county being way more convervative than Chapel Hill and Carrboro.
For example, this week's questions is "Do you favor the death penalty?" and the response so far is pretty much YES:
Yes 51.9%
Sometimes 11.5%
No 32.7%
Unsure 3.8%
Total Votes: 52
Do you think this is an accurate reflection of the county? If not, perhaps you should take the poll.
Here is a listing of local blogs (and other web sites with RSS feeds). They are sorted by the most recently updated. Please contact us to add or remove a listing.
Progressive (or almost local) NC blogs:
Disclaimer: These links do not constitute support or endorsement by OrangePolitics in any way.
Here is a listing of local blogs (and other web sites with RSS feeds). They are sorted by the most recently updated. Please contact us to add or remove a listing.
Progressive (or almost local) NC blogs:
Disclaimer: These links do not constitute support or endorsement by OrangePolitics in any way.
On January 19, 2006 the Carrboro Board of Aldermen will host a public forum and interview applicants for the vacated Board of Aldermen seat.
As a group, I think the Board will be looking for two specific attributes in the appointee: 1) the motivation to make positive contributions to the community and solve community problems, and 2) the necessary conviction and capability to do the job well--- but what other qualities will the Board look for?
What other qualities should the Board look for? a community builder?, a peacemaker?, a hard worker?, a visionary?, someone measured and balanced?, someone inspirational?, a relative unknown?, someone experienced and well-versed?, someone with superior analytical skills?, someone non-controversial?, integrity?, wisdom?, social lubrication?, fresh ideas?...
What do people think?
Chapel Hill Herald, Saturday December 17, 2005
The second biggest item of national news coming from UNC this year
was the return of John Edwards to direct the Law School's Program on
Poverty, Work and Opportunity. Edwards is also a new resident of Orange
County, one whom I hoped might offer some insight into our local
efforts to address the problems of poverty. This past week I had a
conversation with him on that question.
A significant issue for us over the years has revolved around
efforts to site facilities to serve the poor. Edwards believes it is
possible for neighborhoods and communities to become more welcoming.
"It's similar to the way I talk about this in general," he said.
"[Helping] people who are struggling in poverty, it's not something we
do for them, it's something we do for us. It's not them and us, it's
all of us, people who are struggling want to be part of our community
and we want to give them a chance to do better."
Looks like we're going to experience a bit more fun than expected in this May's elections. Orange's voting machines, along with 100 other NC counties, have been decertified. From the HeraldSun's Emily Coakley
Orange County's Board of Elections is working to buy new voting machines after the county's current machines were decertified by the state earlier this month.
The county isn't alone. Voting equipment for all of the state's 100 counties was decertified, said Todd McGee, director of communications at the N.C. Association of County Commissioners. This has led to some worry among county officials.
Chief among the concerns is whether the two vendors approved to supply voting machines to the state will be able to deliver orders from 100 different counties by the May primaries, McGee said.
Hmmm, I think there's a bit more to worry about than whether the vendors will deliver on time.
So, what can we do to influence the choice of equipment?
An OP reader (and a great blogger himself) writes:
Orange Politics has been nominated for the Koufax Award in the category of Best Blog Covering State or Local Issues. Multiple nominations are needed to move on to semi-finals. It is perfectly fine to self-nominate - that is actually encouraged. Also, rally the readers to go and nominate a few more times, then vote for OP once it gets into semi-finals and hopefully finals.
To vote, go to this post this post and type the following - as well any other blogs you want to nominate - in the comments:
Best Blog Covering State or Local Issues: OrangePolitics.org
Don't expect a lot of blogging between now and 2006. You should all be be spending vacation (if you are fortunate enough to have one) with your loved ones anyway.
Here are a few interesting items from all around the county this slow news week:
- The times they are a-changing. Once picketed by preachers and denied permits by the town, PHE is now the Hillsborough/Orange County Chamber of Commerce's "business of the year."
- N&O: Naughty or nice? Shunned firm honored
- First porn (see above), now this. Is Hillsborough turning into Chapel Hill?
- N&O: Pricey condos to top Hillsborough building
Local real estate listings are featuring something never seen before in Hillsborough: $700,000 condos for sale.
In a town where three-bedroom houses still go for $150,000, and bigger homes on an acre can be bought for less than $500,000, the condos may seem a bit pricey.
It's that time of year when everyone gives out awards. I thought I'd give out some 2005 awards to all the good people who post here. Feel free to post your 2005 awards !
Here goes…
Most polite: David M.
Best online transformation: Will R.
Least likely to offend: Anita B.
Most happy-go-lucky: Melanie S.
Best expert: Gerry C.
Most likely not to read…
*Robin C. on water
*Mary R. on LEAP
*Terri B. on measurements and rubrics
*Dan C. on capitalism
*Ruby S. on UNC
*Will R. on WiFi
Most sincere: Tom J.
Most unable to leave it alone: Terri B.
Most serious: Terri B., Dan C., Joan
Most straight-forward: Mark M., James P.
Best curmudgeon: John K.
Most easily offended: just about everyone
Better in person than in writing: everyone I've met
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