Government
As published in the Chapel Hill Herald on Saturday, January 20th:
Orange County won the state championship in 2005, finished a close second behind Guilford County last year, and is already well on its way to another state championship this year.
I wish I was talking about football or SAT scores or something of that ilk. Unfortunately I'm talking about the county's relative standing in the number of rabies cases it has compared to the rest of the state.
It seems like every day when I open up the paper there's been another confirmed rabies case. Most of the time I don't bat much of an eye. The vast majority of the cases are way out in the county, and since I live near downtown Chapel Hill, don't affect me.
But I kind of reached my breaking point when one of 2007's first pair of cases was a rabid fox that attacked someone walking near UNC Hospitals. I walk around there all the time, and that could just as well have been me.
It looks like Chapel Hill may end up being more deliberate in hiring a new police chief than they were hiring a new manager last year. From a recent Chapel Hill town news notice:
What qualities do you want in a new police chief? This is the question to be posed in a series of focus groups for citizens, the Council, staff and the police department.
The focus groups are being held to gather early input that will help develop community criteria for the police chief. Those criteria will be used to assess the skills of candidates for the position.
Interested citizens may attend any of the following meetings to be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 9, at Town Hall, 405 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.; 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 11, at the Chapel Hill Public Library, 100 Library Drive; and 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 23, at Hargraves Community Center, 216 N. Roberson St.
- Public Input Sought on Police Chief Search
Chapel Hill's police chief recently announced that he's retiring after working for the CHPD for over three decades. Chief Jarvies has constantly impressed me with his intelligence and sensitivity, which are not things you expect in a cop.
"I think we've done a great job in bringing in folks that understand how to work with the community," Jarvies said. "It takes a lot of effort to keep them here and keep them motivated."
- heraldsun.com: Jarvies to retire after seven years
I first met him when I was living next door to a very sensitive man that called the police whenever more than 5 people congregated on my porch. He was always very understanding and did his best to try to make everyone happy (although that was noever going to be possible.) In recent years, I have harangued him constantly about the lack of officers on foot patrol in Northside, and he has always listened and done his best to respond to my concerns.
Last night on the national NPR show All Things Considered Jessica Jones of WUNC reported,
A North Carolina family is having a difficult holiday season as it mourns Army Staff Sgt. Misael Martinez, who died in Iraq during his third tour of duty. A bomb exploded near the 24-year-old's vehicle in Ramadi. Martinez joined the military after finishing high school, hoping to attend college later. But even as the family grieves, it is preparing for another son to leave for Iraq on his first tour of duty in January.
- Having Lost a Son, Family Sees Another Go to Iraq
It's especially notable how honorably these sons of immigrant parents are serving the nation, even while the nation does a great disservice to the millions like them who have come here to help build the country.
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