September 2009

The Economic Opportunity of Solid Waste

I don’t think anybody in Orange County is happy that we are planning to send our trash over the horizon to a giant landfill in some poor God-forsaken community.

I don’t think our county leadership is happy about becoming beholden to a giant waste corporation that will have us by the short hairs when they want to raise the hauling rates somewhere down the road. And you don’t have to be psychic to know that fuel costs are only going to rise.

The current plans for a transfer station harness us to an unethical and increasingly expensive boondoggle. Our best bet is to avoid getting hooked into this unpredictable system by siting our own landfill in Orange County.

First, we have to adjust our perspective and realize that solid waste represents an economic opportunity. The waste stream provides many materials that have a useful purpose. Plus we’ll save money over the long run by avoiding the inevitable price hikes from waste businesses and fuel cost escalation.

An open invitation to Orange County candidates

Last night, I sent the following e-mail to all of the declared candidates in 2009 municipal and school board races:

Hello, candidates. Congratulations on your decision to stand for election in Orange County this year! In case you are not aware of it, I'd like to introduce you to the progressive local politics blog OrangePolitics and ask you to contribute to this online community of people interested in Orange County issues.

New city schools web site

http://chccs.k12.nc.us

CHCCS unveils new web presence

Today, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools released a new district website. We wanted to familarize our staff and listserv subscribers to the new features as this site is unveiled to the public.

The revisions were made in response to feedback we collected from staff and listserv subscribers last spring in a communications survey. The new format seeks to place dynamic content on the homepage, while seeking to preserve much of the familiar navigation of the old format.

The old webpage had categories of information listed in the middle of the page. These categories may now be found in a column on the left. The old webpage had a list of quicklinks down the lefthand column. These can now be found in a column on the righthand side of the new page, with the addition of navigation categories for reports and community links. The relocation of these items frees up the center of the page for news stories and photos.

Sierra Club Candidate Forum - Chapel Hill

Via e-mail from James Carnahan:

Chapel Hill Candidates Forum: Wed, Sept 9, 7-9pm:
Chapel Hill candidates for Mayor & Town Council
will answer questions prepared by the Orange-Chatham
Group of Sierra Club. Questions also can be submitted
from the audience. The event will be carried live on local
cable channel 18. Town Hall, 405 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd.
Chapel Hill. For more info: 942-6114

Date:

Wednesday, September 9, 2009 - 3:00pm

Location:

Town Hall, 405 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd. Chapel Hill

Elections

Friends of Downtown Candidate Forum

From a Downtown Partnership e-mail:

Downtown Candidate's Forum!

Thursday, September 24

9:00 am to 12:00 pm

University Presbyterian Church, Fellowship Hall

With the election season in full swing in Chapel Hill, many of the candidates for Mayor and Town Council have picked Downtown Chapel Hill as a key component of their campaign platforms. Join the Friends of the Downtown for a Candidate's Forum where caandidates will be discussing what they believe are the most important issues for downtown. There will be time for the audience to ask questions. Coffee and refreshments will be served. Entrance to the church is at 110 Henderson Street, through the Campus Ministry door. Parking is available in the Wallace Parking Deck on the corner of Henderson Street and Rosemary Street. For more information please contact Pat Evans at patevans@bellsouth.net.

Date:

Thursday, September 24, 2009 - 5:00am

Location:

First Presbyterian Church Franklin Street, Chapel Hill

Elections

OCDP & Colonial Heights Candidate Forum

Date:

Saturday, September 26, 2009 - 9:00am

Location:

Umstead Park, Umstead Drive, Chapel Hill

Elections

League of Women Voters Candidate Forum

Date:

Monday, October 5, 2009 - 3:00pm

Location:

Town Hall, 405 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd., Chapel Hill

Civil Liberties

Chamber of Commerce Candidate Forum

Date:

Wednesday, October 7, 2009 - 2:30pm

Location:

Hargraves Center, Robeson Street, Chapel Hill

Elections

WCHL Candidate Forum

Location:

WCHL 1360 AM

Elections

death of former State Senator Russell Walker - represented Orange 1975 to 1991

Russell Walker, who represented Orange County in the State Senate from 1975 to 1991 (when it was a two seat district of Orange, Chatham, Moore and Randolph) passed away Wednesday, September 2, 2009. Walker lived in Randolph County.

Funeral arrangements for former Senator Russell Walker who passed away on Wednesday are as follows:

Visitation: Saturday, September 5, 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Pugh Funeral Home

437 Sunset Avenue

Asheboro, NC 27204

Memorial Service: Sunday, September 6, 3:00 p.m.

First Presbyterian Church

420 West Walker Avenue

Asheboro, NC 27204

Memorials may be made to the RCC Foundation, The Honorable Russell G. Walker, Sr. Scholarship, PO Box 1009, Asheboro, NC 27204 or to The Salvation Army, 345 N. Church Street, PO Box 1366, Asheboro, NC 27204-1366.

Expressions of sympathy may be sent to his wife, Ruth, at 1004 Westmont Drive, Asheboro, NC 27203.

POTUS speaks to CH/C school children

From Saturday's Herald-Sun/CHH: "President Obama's plan to give a televised speech to the nation's students Tuesday might be causing a ruckus in some locales....
But Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Superintendent Neil Pedersen has sent a note encouraging principals and teachers to make Obama's speech available to students Tuesday at noon if schedules permit.
Obama plans to urge students to work hard, set goals and to take responsibility for their educations. President George H.W. Bush gave a similar back-to-school address in 1991 and so did President Ronald Reagan before him."

No single episode has spotlighted the crazed, anti-Obama monomania of Republicans as well as this one. There's such a stunning lack of acknowledgment of their own inconsistency that we could stand in awe if it weren't part of a larger, yet more irrational and predatory mindset.

Carolina North - Where we are now

[The following was sent out by e-mail to NRG supporters. Julie McClintock agreed to let us publish it as a post on OP as well.]

Hello Neighbors,

We all saw the headlines earlier this summer announcing approval of the Agreement for a new 250 acre UNC campus in Chapel Hill.

The new campus, Carolina North, will house classroom, research, mixed use development and business incubator space. Because of its size (3 million square feet over 20 years), and central location on Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard at the current site of the Horace Williams Airport, this project will have far-reaching impacts on the community.

Neighbors for Responsible Growth (NRG) worked with the citizens of Chapel Hill and Carrboro throughout the planning process to highlight your concerns and ideas about Carolina North. Attached is a brief report titled “Report to Residents: Key Points in the Carolina North Development Agreement” that summarizes how issues important to our community are addressed.

We advocated with Town and the University to see these key issues and guiding principles incorporated into the Agreement as a result of your input:

Rep. David Price to Speak on Health Insurance Reform at the Fearrington Barn

The Fearrington Democratic Club

Is pleased to invite residents of Fearrington Village, Chatham and

Orange Counties to hear

US Rep. David Price

Speak on the

Reform of the US Health Insurance System

Sunday, September 27th at 2:00 PM

The Barn

In Fearrington Village

Rep. Price with be happy to all questions from the audience.

In addition the meeting time is set to avoid conflict with the

Jewish High Holiday of Yom Kippur.

Rep. Price received his undergraduate degree at UNC-Chapel Hill and went on to Yale University to earn a Bachelor of Divinity and Ph.D. in Political Science. Before he began serving in Congress in 1987, Price was a professor of Political Science and Public Policy at Duke University. He is the author of four books on Congress and the American political system.

Price currently serves on the House Appropriations Committee and is chair of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee. He is also a member of the Appropriations subcommittees for Interior and Environment and for Transportation, Housing and Urban Development. He is a recognized leader in foreign policy, heading the House Democracy Assistance Commission, which he initiated to help strengthen parliaments in emerging democracies. He has played a leading role in holding the Administration accountable for conduct of the Iraq War and in the effort to negotiate a just peace in the Middle East. In North Carolina, David's constituents know him as a strong supporter of education, accessible health care, affordable housing, clean air and water, and improved transportation alternatives.

Date:

Sunday, September 27, 2009 - 10:00am

Location:

The Barn at Fearrington Village

Public Health & Safety

Labor Day is Over!

So now what can we expect these 38 days until early voting begins and the 57 days until Election Day? There will be the assortment of candidate forums, media stories, letters of support from the faithful, a plethora of campaign events and fund raisers, and probably very little to inspire a significant number of us to bother to vote in these important decision opportunities.

Undocumented Immigrants in America: Access to Higher Education

Taken directly from the Parr Center for Ethics website:

Undocumented Immigrants in America:
Access to Higher Education

Public Discussion

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Thursday, September 10th, 2009

In light of the legal battles over immigration policy reform, a panel of experts explores the ethical dimensions of the debate and aim to reframe the discussion by highlighting the range of viewpoints on immigration reform, specifically targeting state policy on access to higher education and the DREAM Act, as a springboard into a discussion that identifies the range of factors that must be considered when formulating a position on this issue.

The resulting dialogue will promote a deeper understanding of the ethical issues surrounding immigration and the question of human rights, and encourage rigorous discussion for future personal and public policy decisions.

This event is coordinated in conjunction with UNC’s first year student summer reading book selection,"A Home on the Field," by Paul Cuadros, Assistant Professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. For a further listing of related events across campus this year, please visit:
http://www.unc.edu/srp.

Sponsored by the Parr Center for Ethics and the Center for Global Initiatives.

Location: FedEx Global Education Center, Nelson Mandela Auditorium
(Room 1015), 6:30pm. This event is free and open to the public.

Parking: Free parking is available in the deck underneath the FedEx Global Education Center building. Access to the deck is off of McCauley St.

Opening Presentation:

A summary on current and past immigration legislation, by Irene Godinez, Advocacy Director of El Pueblo Inc.

Panelists:

Ron Bilbao, undergraduate student, founder of the Coalition for College Access

Paul Cuadros, Assistant Professor, UNC School of Journalism and Mass Communication; author of A Home on the Field, the 2009 UNC Summer Reading Selection

Hannah Gill, Assistant Director of the Institute for the Study of the Americas at UNC-Chapel Hill

Robert Luebke, Senior Policy Analyst, John W. Pope Civitas Institute

Noah Pickus, Director, Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University

Niklaus Steiner, Director of the Center for Global Initiatives at UNC-Chapel Hill

Ron Woodard, Director of NC Listen

Moderator:

Deborah Weissman, Professor and Director of Clinical Programs, UNC School of Law

Date:

Thursday, September 10, 2009 - 2:30pm to 4:30pm

Location:

FedEx Global Education Center, Nelson Mandela Auditorium (Room 1015)

More Information:

http://parrcenter.unc.edu/

Events

PAGE forum for CHCCS school board candidates

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Emily Martine, Chair, PAGE-CHCCS, emilymartine@mindspring.com

PAGE to Host Candidates Forum
The Chapel Hill-Carrboro chapter of Partners for the Advancement of Gifted Education (PAGE) will sponsor a forum for candidates for the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education. The public is invited to the forum, which will be 7:00-8:30 p.m., Tuesday, September 29 at the Chapel Hill Public Library.Emily Martine, chair of the local PAGE chapter, noted that the school board will be under pressure to ensure appropriate education and growth for all students with a reduced budget.“Our school system has identified 31% of its students as academically gifted,” she said. “For our community, our state, and our county to be competitive and innovative in the global marketplace, we must provide curricula that challenge all of our students, including the academically gifted. We must also make sure that gifted education does not become an automatic area for cuts whenever the budget is tight.” PAGE has been supportive of the school system’s approach of aiding differentiation by clustering AG students, assigning gifted education specialists to each school to collaborate with teachers, and encouraging flexible ability grouping within and across classrooms.“Given the more limited resources we are facing now, we will need more creative options that will challenge gifted students to work hard and develop good work habits,” Martine said. “We look forward to hearing our school board candidates’ ideas, and to making them aware of parents’ concerns.All six candidates for the school board have been invited to the forum and five out of six have confirmed their attendance. They will respond to questions prepared in advance by PAGE members and other audience members.

Date:

Tuesday, September 29, 2009 - 3:00pm to 4:30pm

Location:

Chapel Hill Public Library

Elections

Sierra Club Candidate Forum - Hillsborough

Date:

Wednesday, September 16, 2009 - 3:00pm

Location:

Old Courthouse, 100 E. King St., Hillsborough

More Information:

http://nc.sierraclub.org/ocg/

2009

Orange County Environmental Summit

Found on Sierra Club website, but not a Sierra Club event.

Orange County Environmental Summit
Saturday, September 12, 10 a.m-12 p.m.
North Carolina Botanical Garden's Education Center, Chapel Hill (Old Mason Farm Rd.)
This event is not sponsored by the Sierra Club. The following paragraph was adapted from a portion of a press release by the Orange County Environment and Resource Conservation Department.
Keynote speaker Dr. Larry Band will discuss storm water sustainability in Orange County watersheds. Dr. Band is the Director of the UNC Institute for the Environment and a Voit Gilmore Distinguished Professor in the Geography Department. There will also be a panel of experts who will discuss issues pertaining to the quality and quantity of water resources in the county followed by questions from the audience. Following the summit there will be an optional tour of the Botanical Garden’s brand new Education Center. This will be the first public event held at the Center, which was built using a variety of “green building” technologies intended to achieve LEED-Platinum certification.

Date:

Saturday, September 12, 2009 - 6:00am

Location:

North Carolina Botanical Garden's Education Center, Chapel Hill

Environment

Book Discussion: The Forever War

Join us for a discussion of The Forever War by Pulitzer Prize winning author Dexter Filkins. This book won the National Book Critics Circle Award and was chosen as one of the best books of the year by The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, and Time magazine. Copies of the book are available at the Cybrary for borrowing.

Book Description:
From the front lines of the battle against Islamic fundamentalism, a searing, unforgettable book that captures the human essence of the greatest conflict of our time. Through the eyes of Dexter Filkins, the prizewinning New York Times correspondent whose work was hailed by David Halberstam as “reporting of the highest quality imaginable,” we witness the remarkable chain of events that began with the rise of the Taliban in the 1990s, continued with the attacks of 9/11, and moved on to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Filkins’s narrative moves across a vast and various landscape of amazing characters and astonishing scenes: deserts, mountains, and streets of carnage; a public amputation performed by Taliban; children frolicking in minefields; skies streaked white by the contrails of B-52s; a night’s sleep in the rubble of Ground Zero. We embark on a foot patrol through the shadowy streets of Ramadi, venture into a torture chamber run by Saddam Hussein. We go into the homes of suicide bombers and into street-to-street fighting with a battalion of marines. We meet Iraqi insurgents, an American captain who loses a quarter of his men in eight days, and a young soldier from Georgia on a rooftop at midnight reminiscing about his girlfriend back home. A car bomb explodes, bullets fly, and a mother cradles her blinded son.

Like no other book, The Forever War allows us a visceral understanding of today’s battlefields and of the experiences of the people on the ground, warriors and innocents alike. It is a brilliant, fearless work, not just about America’s wars after 9/11, but ultimately about the nature of war itself.

Starred Review from Publisher's Weekly:
Filkins, a New York Times prize–winning reporter, is widely regarded as among the finest war correspondents of this generation. His richly textured book is based on his work in Afghanistan and Iraq since 1998. It begins with a Taliban-staged execution in Kabul. It ends with Filkins musing on the names in a WWI British cemetery in Baghdad. In between, the work is a vivid kaleidoscope of vignettes. Individually, the strength of each story is its immediacy; together they portray a theater of the absurd, in which Filkins, an extraordinarily brave man, moves as both participant and observer. Filkins does not editorialize—a welcome change from the punditry that shapes most writing from these war zones. This book also differs essentially from traditional war correspondence because of its universal empathy, feelings enhanced by Filkins's spare prose. Saudi women in Kabul airport, clad in burqas and stylish shoes, bemoan their husbands' devotion to jihad. An Iraqi casually says to his friend, Let's go kill some Americans. A marine is shot dead escorting Filkins on a photo opportunity. Iraqi soldiers are disconcerted when he appears in running shorts (They looked at [my legs] in horror, as if I were naked). Carl von Clausewitz said war is a chameleon. In vividly illustrating the varied ways people in Afghanistan and Iraq have been affected by ongoing war, Filkins demonstrates that truth in prose.

"Already a classic–it has the timeless feel of all great war literature. Dexter Filkins’s combination of courage and sensitivity is so rare that books like his come along only once every major war. This one is ours." ~ George Packer, author of The Assassins’ Gate: America in Iraq

“Filkins confronts the absurdity of war head-on. . . . This is a page-turner, and one of the most astounding books yet written about the war in Iraq.” ~ Time

“The best war reportage you are apt to read in a lifetime.”
~ The Washington Times

Date:

Tuesday, November 17, 2009 - 2:00pm

Location:

Carrboro Cybrary, 100 N. Greensboro St.

More Information:

http://www.co.orange.nc.us/library/cybrary

Events

NRG Candidate Forum

Via e-mail:

Neighbors for Responsible Growth (NRG) will hold a candidate forum for the
eight Council candidates on Wednesday, September 23 at Town Hall from 7 - 9
pm. The event will be televised on the local channel and moderated by
former Mayor Jonathan Howes. All are invited.

Date:

Wednesday, September 23, 2009 - 3:00pm

Location:

Chapel Hill Town Hall, 405 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd

Elections

NRG Conversation with Mayoral Candidates

Via e-mail:

Neighbors for Responsible Growth (NRG) will hold a "Conversation with the
Mayoral Candidates" on Sunday, October 18, 3 - 5 pm at the Chapel Hill
Public Library. All are invited.

Date:

Sunday, October 18, 2009 - 11:00am

Location:

Chapel Hill Public Library

Elections

OCDW School Board Forum

Orange County Democratic Women
Meeting – Thursday September 24th
7:30 – 9:00 PM

OWASA Community Room
lower floor of the Administration Building
400 Jones Ferry Road in Carrboro

This meeting includes a forum, open to the public, featuring Chapel Hill - Carrboro Board of Education Candidates. Each candidate will answer specific questions from our moderator, after which there will be a time for responses to questions from those attending. Candidates for the three seats are Michelle (Shell) Brownstein, Mary Anne Gucciardi, J.M. (Joe) Green, Gregory McElveen, Christine Lee, and Susana L. Dancy.

Date:

Thursday, September 24, 2009 - 3:30pm to 5:00pm

Location:

OWASA Community Room

Elections

Missing in Action?

The most recent posts on OrangePolitics are about HOV lanes, Joe Herzenberg, and the Herald-Sun redesign. What's missing is the lawsuit Carrboro won against Marilyn Kille, reports on recent voter forums, discussion of Monday night's Chapel Hill Town Council meeting and the unresolved issue of appointing Bill Strom's replacement. There's not even any mention of the highly contentious chicken slaughter. Ruby's pre-occupied with a new baby and a career. There was a recent post asking if OP is a public resource or Ruby's private playground. The answer may be in how people use the site rather than Ruby's intention.

Thanks for the invitation to blog

This is my first post to OrangePolitics, and I just wanted to say thanks for the invitation to blog. I'm looking forward to getting to know as many of you as I can.

I believe we need to develop creative solutions to ensure a high-quality education for all, especially in this time of budget restraints. I look forward to discussing how parents, teachers, administrators, and the community can work together to improve education. Please let me know your thoughts and concerns, and ask me questions - I look forward to hearing from you!

In the meantime, you can find out more about my platform at http://www.maryannegucciardiforschoolboard.com.

MaryAnne Gucciardi

Transit campaign set to kick off soon

With the passage of House Bill 148 by the 2009 General Assembly, authorizing a referendum on a sales tax increase in Wake, Durham, and Orange Counties (fiscal details here) to fund a regional rail system and a rapid increase in bus service, supporters turn next to a potential referendum campaign in 2010 or 2011. See the proposed regional map here. (click header or "read more" to see remainder of post)

Citizens for Responsible Government candidate Meet and Greet

Received via OP contact form:

On Sept 20 4-6 pm at the Franklin Hotel Roberts Bar,
Citizens For Responsible Government is hosting a CH candidate Meet and Greet. Guests will have the opportunity to talk informally with candidates.

Date:

Sunday, September 20, 2009 - 12:00pm

Location:

The Franklin Hotel

Elections

Citizens for Responsible Government

Mayoral Debate

Got this from a candidate's calendar, not sure whose debate it is. Maybe DTH?

Date:

Tuesday, October 6, 2009 - 3:00pm

Location:

UNC

Elections

How Much Does Free Transportation Cost?

Tonight at ideaSPARK : Dave Winick, “How Much Does Free Transportation Cost?”

The NAACP is hosting a school board candidate forum Monday evening

Please join me this coming Monday, September 21st at St. Paul AME Church on Merritt Mill Road to find out more about the candidates for Chapel Hill-Carrboro school board. The Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP will be asking us our opinions on the achievement gap, budgets, retention rates and accountability. Audience questions will also be taken.

I look forward to the opportunity to address these issues, and I’d like to talk about creative ways to raise the quality of education during a time of budget cuts. I hope to see you there!

NAACP School Board Candidate Forum

Thanks to MaryAnne for the tip.

Date:

Monday, September 21, 2009 - 3:00pm

Location:

St. Paul AME Church, Merritt Mill Road, Chapel Hill

More Information:

http://orangepolitics.org/2009/09/the-naacp-is-hosting-a-school-board-candidate-…

Elections

The Chamber ventures far from home

If you thought the Chamber of Commerce's biannual Inter-City Visits were junkets of questionable value, you might be interested to note that now they're organizing a trip to China! The most amazing part to me is that they charged participants $1,130 for a whirlwind 2-day trip to Michigan, but the cost for their 8-day China trip is only $2,099 (plus travel to JFK airport). Someone must be underwriting this trip. Who is it and why?

Orange County Democratic Party Legislative Breakfast

REPORT FROM THE LEGISLATURE: The main purpose of the event is a report from our state legislative delegation about what has been happening in Raleigh. This year we will be using a new legislative “speed-dating” format that will give attendees the ability to speak with directly with their legislators about important state, local and national issues.

KEYNOTE FROM CONGRESS: There will be a keynote from Representative Price with the latest from Capitol Hill.

MEET OUR NEXT U.S. SENATOR: An opportunity to get a first impression of our 2010 U.S. Senate candidates (Cal Cunningham, Mayor Kevin Foy, Kenneth Lewis, and Secretary of State Elaine Marshall are all slated to attend), and a chance to talk one-on-one with local municipal candidates. Saturday October 17th, 8 am to 10 am

Special Price for Buying in Advance: $40 adults, $15 Students

Tickets are $50 at the door, if they are available

Date:

Saturday, October 17, 2009 - 4:00am to 6:30am

Location:

NOTE OUR NEW LOCATION: Carolina Club on the UNC Campus

More Information:

http://orangedems.com

Elections

OCDP

OCDP Candidate Forums

The Orange County Democratic Party and its precincts and affiliate organizations is sponsoring a series of forums in the local municipal races in Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough. All of the candidates have been invited:

September 24, 2009 - Thursday 7:30 – 9:00 PM
OWASA Community Room (lower floor of the Administration Building) located at 400 Jones Ferry Road in Carrboro
A forum, open to the public, featuring Chapel Hill - Carrboro Board of Education Candidates sponsored by the Orange County Democratic Women.

September 26, 2009, Saturday,
9:00 - 11:00 AM
Occoneeche Steak House, 378 S Churton St., Hillsborough, NC
A forum featuring Hillsborough Mayor and Council Candidates at the Orange County Democratic Breakfast.

2:00 – 4:00 PM
Umstead Park
A forum discussion with the candidates for Chapel Hill Mayor and Town Council sponsored by the Colonial Heights Precinct.

October 15, 2009 7:00pm to 9:00pm

Peace and protest, justice and injustice: marking Chapel Hill's sacred space

[I read this entry by Chapel Hill Town Council Member Sally Greene on her blog and asked for permissionto cross-post it here. She graciously agreed. Tomorrow the Town will unveil the stone marker at Peace and Justice Plaza. =Ruby]

A little-known fact: grass used to grow around the flag pole in front of the old post office on Franklin Street. That's why those red brick pavers are there--as filler. It was only in latter times, probably since 1979 when the town purchased the property from the federal government, that the space was paved over.

Luckily for these four young men, it was grass during Holy Week in 1964 when they decided to fasten themselves to this place 24 hours a day, fasting in protest of the Town of Chapel Hill's refusal to pass a public accommodations ordinance.

Pat Cusick, LaVert Taylor, John Dunne, James Foushee (in the photo) and countless other activists will be remembered this Sunday at 3 p.m. as we unveil and formally dedicate the Peace and Justice tribute marker at the site we've named Peace and Justice Plaza.

OCDP breakfast with Hillsborough Mayor and Council Candidates

Date:

Saturday, September 26, 2009 - 5:00am

Location:

Occoneeche Steak House, 378 S Churton St., Hillsborough

More Information:

http://www.orangepolitics.org/2009/09/ocdp-candidate-forums

Elections

OCDP Carrboro Mayor and Aldermen Candidate Forum

October 22, 2009 – Thursday 7:00 – 9:00 PM
Lake Hogan Farms Club House, 101 Commons Way.
A forum featuring Carrboro Mayor and Aldermen Candidates co-hosted by the Hogan Farms and Town Hall precincts.

Date:

Thursday, October 22, 2009 - 3:00pm

Location:

Lake Hogan Farms Club House, 101 Commons Way, Carrboro

More Information:

http://www.orangepolitics.org/2009/09/ocdp-candidate-forums

Elections

What do you want on a voting guide?

The Daily Tar Heel is planning on making a voter guide to be published on early voting day -- a page that Orange County voters can take with them to the polls from Oct. 15 until Election Day. We're envisioning a chart that you can use to match Chapel Hill and Carrboro candidates with their plans for addressing issues that are important to you, so you can compare them.

We've made a list of issues that we think concern those candidates. Some are more for Carrboro, some are more for Chapel Hill:

- economy

- development

- town-gown relations

- safety

- panhandling

- immigration

- environment

I want this guide to be as useful for voters as possible. What would your list look like? What are we misisng?

Fact Checking Matt Czajkowski's Web Site

The first statement you find on Matt Czajkowski's web site is:

"It is very clear that the property tax burden has become unsustainable. Many of the very people who have contributed to making Chapel Hill a special place are now being forced to consider leaving our town, counter to our cherished goal of preserving diversity at all levels."

Being an engineer and a numbers person I wondered two things. What was the data used to support the statement that diversity in the town was declining and, if so, what is the basis for connecting this to the property tax?

Building a Green-Brown-Bridge

Recently I’ve been thinking about Barack Obama, Henry Louis Gates, Van Jones, and Greenbridge.

When tension around race comes up, our society has a really difficult time differentiating between individual incidents of incivility and patterns of bias. South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson thinks that an apology for his single act of disrespect is enough. But others see his “You Lie” comment towards the President to be part of a larger racial pattern questioning Obama’s authority. Henry Louis Gates saw being arrested in his own home in the light of a larger pattern of racial profiling. The police officer who arrested him thought he was just arresting a guy who threatened his authority.

Closer to home, Greenbridge and its developers continue to come under criticism for gentrifying Northside, and some attacks this summer called the Greenbridge developers racist. UNC-NOW and other Greenbridge critics see this project as a part of the larger pattern of African-American displacement in Chapel Hill. Not surprisingly, Greenbridge’s developers say they’re just one project impacting the neighborhood, and one that came relatively late to the gentrification party at that.

What Would You Be Willing To Do Without?

One of the recent threads raised the issue of the unsustainable increases in taxes that Chapel Hill citizens are faced with. I'd be interested in knowing what services/benefits citizens (this includes Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Orange County) would be willing do do without in order to minimize tax increases or to even decrease taxes. Would you be willing to have trash picked up every two weeks instead of weekly? Would you be willing to have recycling every other week as well? What about schools? Would you be willing to have larger class sizes and/or fewer teachers? How about fire/police protection? Would you be willing to have fewer police and fire persons or to have fewer stations and longer response times?

Anyone who watched the Chapel Hill budget process last year knows that the Town Manager and his staff worked hard to cut the budget to the bone, in many cases leaving staff positions unfilled to make the Council-requested percentage cuts. Although I don't believe public safety was jepoardized by these cuts it is hard (for me, at least) to see where any future cuts might come from.

PTA Council / League of Women Voters forum for CHCCS School Board

The format will likely be the traditional format with a short open and close by each candidate with questions in a round robin format in the middle. We will take questions from the audience and from www.ptacouncil.com.

Date:

Tuesday, October 13, 2009 - 3:00pm to 5:00pm

Location:

Chapel Hill Town Hall

More Information:

https://live.orangepolitics.org/9195935351

Elections

13th Annual Walk for Education hosted by Public School Foundation

Walk and Race for Education set for October 17, 2009.

Both the Race and Walk begin at McCorkle Place on the UNC campus.
- Download the brochures (see the folder below).
- The Race begins at 9 a.m.
- The Walk begins at 3 p.m. and concludes with a carnival on the grounds of Lincoln Center. Come out and support school clubs and organizations through activities, huge inflatable toys and food options.

To register for the 5k USATF-certified race, click here.
To pledge support for the walk for any student, click here.

To send a pledge to school, print the cover of the pledge envelope (download below), insert it into your own envelope and send with your check to your child's school or the foundation, PO Box 877, Carrboro, NC 27510.

Date:

Saturday, October 17, 2009 - 11:00am to 1:00pm

Location:

McCorkle Place to Lincoln Center

More Information:

http://www2.chccs.k12.nc.us/education/components/docmgr/default.php?sectiondetai…

Education

OC J.U.I.C.E. Community Walk

The Orange County Justice United In Community Effort organization of 25 churches and civic organizations will be walking in Northside and a hispanic community TBA to learn about issues facing our community, share what OC J.U.I.C.E. is all about, and promote our founding ceremony on October 26th. We will be joined by UNC students who are also conducting an assessment of opportunities for building repair.

Date:

Saturday, October 17, 2009 - 6:00am to 9:00am

Neighborhoods

Strom Article on WCHL

http://www.wchl1360.com/detailswide.html?id=11874

Who is being served ?

Sluggish Carrboro campaigns

Low voter turnout is always discouraging. It speaks of disengagement and disenchantment. It is a demoralizing commentary on democracy. But what do you do when even the candidates don’t come out?

Kudos to local literacy activists

At the Democratic party meeting last week, Susan Romaine and Gloria Romerez talked about their book collecting/distributing project in honor of the 25th anniversary of the Orange County Literacy Council. Susan and Gloria have done such an amazing job that I want to let you know of their work.

They have collected over 7,000 books for needy local children, with more donations coming in. Most of the books have already been distributed to places that will impact low-income children and adults.

Susan and Gloria are adding books to Table http://www.tablenc.org/. These children will now receive their own new book in addition to food donations!

Thanks are due to Borders Books for their generous participation. It is my strong belief that partnership between business and community can strengthen literacy, and this program is the proof. They still have books - reply to me for Susan's contact email if you know of a place they would be useful.

Finding the Pulse of Franklin Street

Hey there. My name is Andrew Neal, and I'm the owner of Chapel Hill Comics on West Franklin Street. I've had orangepolitics.org in my RSS reader for a long time, but can't remember if I've ever posted anything here despite the fact that I have an account.

As a downtown business owner, I'm primarily interested in orangepolitics for the discussions in the Economy & Downtown category. With recent posts about the lack of recent posts here, I thought I'd throw something into the mix and see if you're interested in discussing it.

Last week, the Independent ran the following article by Joe Schwartz

The overlooked pulse on franklin street

My name is William Travis Kukovich and I am the owner of William Travis Jewelry. The recent Independent article on the pulse of Franklin St. was very disapointing. They overlooked so many of the positive things going on downtown. I will only speak for myself. I sent the independent a small press release before the story was written having heard it was in the works. In the last 5 years my business has grown leaps and bounds on Franklin St.,tripling in size. We are listed in the top 50 custom design stores in the country and the only one in North Carolina. We opened a 2nd location in Costa Rica due to our success on Franklin St. and recently have been creating celebrity jewelry. We use all recycled metals and conflict-free stones. Why the independent would choose to write the story the way they did knowing my own success and the other success stories on Franklin St. is a mystery to me. Our community can only succeed if we are willing to support one another in our successes and even more importantly our failures. I will end by saying I am deeply troubled by the lack of positve media attention given to our downtown community.

Sustain:Sakina Interest Meeting

Sustain: Sakina Task Force

Interested in Public Health? International Development? GlobalEducation?

Get involved with Sustain Foundation's programs in Sakina,Tanzania. The programs are currently working to raise awareness in thelocal community and plan the implementation of community-based healthand education programs in Sakina. This volunteer position caninclude hands-on work with community partners, event planning, publicrelations, multimedia work, research, and interaction withcoordinators in Sakina.

Come to the kick-off meeting Tuesday, October 29 at 5 in Alumni Hall. Email for more information.

Location:

Alumi Hall, on UNC campus

Events

Global Connectedness

NC Pride Weekend

http://www.ncpride.org

I'm sure everyone has seen the rainbow flags downtown, and in case you were wondering, it is pride weekend here in NC. The biggest events were the speeches, festival, and parade over in Durham today, but it is something the whole triangle & to some degree the state gets into. If you check out this site, you'll see events all over, including several in Chapel Hill. It marks the 25th anniversary of this celebration. There were speeches, festival grounds, food, vendors, booths, and lots of fun to be had. I believe it is important to see this as not only a good time, but also as a large political rally with a positive message since this was the first NC Pride since prop 8 & the protests

Happy Birthday to Us

Today marks six years since I flipped the switch on this blog and started this community of progressive local politics bloggers (and commenters). I looked back at the entries from September 2003, and found some nostalgia (red light cameras) and some the-more-things-change-the-more-they-stay-the-same (candidate forums and Carolina North). In recent years, the OP community has developed a tradition of raising money on the occasion of our birthday. However, last year's fund raising only generated $140 toward the $420 that I pay for our hosting annually. (This is high because I use a service that keeps Drupal up-to-date and running smoothly.)

I hope we can do better this year, and I'm open to suggestions. For example, should I thank the donors more publicly, or should I be more discreet? Would folks like t-shirts or other gifts to acknowledge their support?

WCHL Wants To Hear From You!

News Talk 1360 WCHL will broadcast a public candidate forum featuring Chapel Hill’s mayoral and council candidates on Thursday, October 15th, live from the Chapel Hill Town Council Chambers.

This forum is for you, our listeners, and so we would like for you to email us the questions you’d like to have our future elected officials answer.

E-mail your questions to info@1360wchl.com. Please include your name and address or a brief, general description of yourself. If picked, we’ll credit your question by the description you give. OR you can remain anonymous (ex: 40 yo, single mom, university employee, etc)

Mark your calendars for Thursday, October 15th as WCHL’s Chapel Hill Candidate Forum airs live on-air and online at 1360WCHL.com at 7 p.m.

In the meantime, read about WCHL's story on local blogs that features Ruby & OP. Happy Birthday!

Local Bloggers Tackle OC Politics

Welcome to the fray

When I was interviewed by WCHL reporter Elizabeth Friend for this story, she told me about the new site Chapel Hill Watch started by journalists Don Evans and Nancy Oates. They've posted 17 stories so far, and gotten a smattering of comments. Their "Blogroll" only contains one local site: The Carrboro Citizen. In fact based on their comments to WCHL, I'm not sure that a blog is what they want to be. It sounds more like an online news site. Then again, the writing is quite opinionated, and they're getting corrected by commenters - pretty bloggy! Maybe the labels don't matter so much anymore.

In any case, I've always said "the more merrier" when it comes to local blogging, and it applies to local journalism, too! Whichever one they plan to be (or some hybrid), I welcome Don and Nancy's voices to the fray.

Upcoming evaluation of the school superintendent

This week's CHCCS board meeting (tomorrow, Oct 1) is the last meeting prior to the Superintendent's Evaluation meeting scheduled two weeks later.

What discussion points would you suggest the school board members keep in mind when evaluating the superintendent's performance?

Here is the Superintendent's Blog reporting on one year gains in reading and math. Remarkable numbers. Must ask how this was achieved and how the process can be repeated to 100%

Sample discussion topics to be used in his evaluation

1. Has the appropriation of local and state funds been fair and equal, for example, why is there not at least a half time SRO at Phoenix Academy even though the state provides funding for this position?

Those Values

It looks like the "values" word is being thrown around again in this election. If you do a search here, you can find other discussions on this, but we never seem to agree just what our values are, who holds them, and how broadly.

2009 Town Treasures recognition

From Chapel Hill Magazine's blog:

For the second consecutive year, the Chapel Hill Historical Society will bestow the title of “Town Treasure” upon 12 individuals and couples who have made their mark on our town’s history.
Among this year’s class are a UNC basketball legend, a dairy farmer, two gardeners, two former mayors, the first president of the National Association of Black Journalists and a former UNC chancellor. Many of them will attend a public reception at the Chapel Hill Museum on Oct. 15 at 5:30pm, where they will be recognized by Mayor Kevin Foy. An exhibit featuring text from interviews with the honorees and photos of them taken by award-winning photographer Catharine Carter will be on display at the museum through the fall and will then move to its permanent location at the Seymour Senior Center.

Date:

Thursday, October 15, 2009 - 1:30pm

Location:

Chapel Hill Museum, at the intersection of East Franklin and North Boundary Streets in Chapel Hill

More Information:

http://www.chapelhillmagazine.com/blog/2009/9/30/historical-society-announces-ne…

History

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September 2009

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Taken directly from the Parr Center for Ethics website:

Undocumented Immigrants in America:Access to Higher Education

Public Discussion

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Thursday, September 10th, 2009

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Orange County Environmental Summit

Saturday, September 12, 10 a.m-12 p.m.

North Carolina Botanical Garden's Education Center, Chapel Hill (Old Mason Farm Rd.)

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This week's CHCCS board meeting (tomorrow, Oct 1) is the last meeting prior to the Superintendent's Evaluation meeting scheduled two weeks later.

Sample discussion topics to be used in his evaluation

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