By Steve Peha

Do you ever wonder who really runs a given school or district? I do. And I’m in them all the time. For all the sound and fury of testing and standards, what we have achieved is an ineffective accountability system that is at best a pale form of collective wrist slapping, where entire schools must fail for many years before any action is taken — and even then, this action rarely addresses the root causes of failure. More »

I generally enjoy my walk to and from work in Chapel Hill, particularly this time of year.

However, over the last month or so I’ve noticed an increasing amount of public and private property marred by large blotches of brown or black spray paint. Upon closer inspection, I found that each of these ugly paint clouds are only covering up fliers that denounce the new Greenbridge condominium development. Plenty of other fliers publicizing everything from concerts to bars remain in all sorts of places all over Carrboro and Chapel Hill; opposition to Greenbridge seems to be singled out for such treatment. More »

With all of the recent discussions of smoking bans, FDA regulations and “sin” taxes, it is important to examine the effects of tobacco on the youth of North Carolina and the benefits of a higher cigarette tax. Studies show that an increase in cigarette prices would discourage more young people from starting smoking and encourage those who do smoke to quit. Orange County youth involved in the Tobacco. Reality. Unfiltered.
(TRU) program have been educating their peers about the dangers of tobacco use and how teens can spend their money on other things for the past six years. More »

Lights dim, curtain draws closed
After a couple of weeks holding us in suspense, Franklin Street institution the Varsity Theater finally closed its doors. Owner Bruce Stone said the theater has struggled financially.

“This is a business decision, a bottom-line decision. The numbers currently don’t support the continuation of both theaters as viable enterprises,” said Stone, who also owns the Chelsea Theater in Timberlyne. “The Varsity especially has been struggling for over two years, with no prospect of an upturn any time soon.” More »

According to market manager Sarah Blacklin, the Carrboro Farmers’ Market is only 59 votes away from being number one in the nationwide Love Your Farmers Market Contest sponsored by Local Harvest, a national local-food database that connects farms, food-related businesses and resources throughout the country. More »

The Carrboro Farmers’ Market will shorten operating hours Saturday and move to the front of Town Hall on West Main Street in order to allow for preparations for the town’s Fourth of July celebration at the Town Commons.

The markets’ hours will run from 7-10 a.m.

sportsb050709

The 2009 inductees to the Chapel Hill High School and Lincoln High School Hall of Fame gathered Saturday at Chapel Hill High for a meal and a hearty round of applause.

From left, the inductees are:

• Woody Burns (1982) — Burns was named All-Conference in wrestling his junior and senior years and had a 17-0 record in his last season.

• Ron Hodgin (1988) — Hodgin played baseball and football and was All-Conference in both sports.

• Danny Dunaway (1988) — Dunaway played football and was All-Conference, All-Area and All-State his senior year.

• Ann Frautischi (1977) — Frautischi played tennis and basketball and was runner-up in the state individual championship two years in a row as well as first-team All-Conference her senior year.

• Edric Cotton (1970) — Cotton played football and basketball and was on the swimming and diving teams. He was voted one of the top 500 basketball players in America and was named by the student body twice as Most Valuable in football and basketball.

• Joe Hubbard (1999) — Hubbard played lacrosse and basketball and led the Tigers to the state championship in lacrosse in 1997. He earned first-team All-Conference, All-State and All-American honors.

• Donald Clark (1965) — Clark lettered in football, basketball and baseball. He was All-Conference in football for three years and was All-Conference in baseball his sophomore year.

The Carrboro Parks Project will open a new disc golf course at Anderson Park off N.C. 54 on May 2.

The project was approved by the Carrboro Board of Aldermen in March of last year. Since then, the Carrboro Parks Project has raised more than $10,000 to fully fund the disc golf course. Funds were donated by The Chapel Hill-Carrboro Sunrise Rotary Club, Zach Ward of DSI Comedy Theater and other residents and businesses.

The 18-hole course is anticipated for completion this weekend. Anyone who wants to get their hands dirty is invited to help with the final touches on the project on Saturday.

By Frank Heath
Sports Columnist

When Ed Davis announced last week that he would return to North Carolina for his sophomore year rather than jumping to the NBA, it added the final bold stroke on a season that already looked like a near-masterpiece for any serious follower of UNC basketball.

What made this college basketball season special and these UNC Tar Heels a team that had “destiny” written across its backs? Here is one guy’s version of some moments in time that may have helped keep Carolina turned toward the path of greatness.

NOV. 7: ESPN The Magazine features UConn center Hasheem Thabeet on its cover, issuing a challenge to Tyler Hansbrough and Carolina to live up to their hype. Thabeet issues his own personal challenge too: “Nobody’s better than me,” he says in the article, “only more experienced…. Tyler Hansbrough? I don’t see nothing.” More »

• What would John Hope Franklin say about the legislature’s decision to honor Jesse Helms?
  Jul 2, 2009

• Obituary: Margaret Alice Middleton
  Jul 2, 2009

• Obituary: Ann Marie Doxey Turner
  Jul 2, 2009

• A home not so far away from home
  Jun 25, 2009

• Chill is in the air at Antarctic exhibit
  Jun 18, 2009

• Epic from an inkwell
  May 28, 2009

• Holidays for Quince party
  May 14, 2009

• Music Calendar 10/23/08
  Oct 23, 2008

• Music Calendar 9/11/08
  Sep 11, 2008

By Kirk Ross
Staff Writer

While some candidates have already announced their intentions to run, their efforts won’t become official until they make the trip to the county board of elections office in Hillsborough to sign on the dotted line and pay their filing fees.

That all starts Monday at 8 a.m. Candidates have from then until noon on Friday, July 17 to sign-up to run for town offices and school board races. More »

By Kirk Ross
Staff Writer

Carrboro Board of Aldermen member Dan Coleman sent a letter to U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan on behalf of the board and Mayor Mark Chilton asking her to support including a public option in health care reform legislation. More »

To encourage folks worried about parking to venture downtown, Chapel Hill has implemented a Courtesy Ticket program. Under the program, once per calendar year, if you receive a citation for a parking meter violation your citation will be dismissed.

The town’s Parking Services Division began issuing Courtesy Tickets on July 1.

The Town of Chapel Hill announced this week the launch of its new website at townofchapelhill.org .
The website allows citizens access to calendars, council agendas and videos, email directories, news releases, job postings and service information.
More »

The East Chapel Hill High School cheerleaders won a national contest sponsored by Black Entertainment Television (BET). They competed on June 10 against other cheerleading groups from across the country, performing a routine to promote the TV program “106 and Park Wild Out Wednesday.” The show was broadcast live from New York City. The East cheerleaders received 61 percent of the online vote of viewers.

Team members are Allison Blalock, Kaetetai Farrington, Erica Geer, Katherine Holcomb, Abriana Johnson, Alice Keith, Carlissa Purefoy, Della Purefoy, Essence Smith, Jasmine Thompson, Ayanna Wade, Tiaunna Weaver and Patrice Womble. The team is coached by Vanessa Diggs and Tahvyea Rains.

The last week of school was a whirlwind from one end of the district to the other as fifth-graders spruced up for their first graduation and high schoolers prepared for this weekend’s commencements.

The end of the classes came shortly after noon on Wednesday.
More »

The First Freedom Student Competition is a national essay contest offering high school students an opportunity to compete for $3,000, $1,500 and $750 awards as they examine religious freedom, its history, current importance and relevance in today’s world. Competition details including submission guidelines, student flyer and classroom poster can be found online at www.firstfreedom.org. The competition is open to all high school students. The online student registration deadline is Monday, November 23. The postmark deadline for mailing the essay and its accompanying materials is Saturday, November 28. Winners will be announced April 13, 2010.

By Valarie Schwartz

This story needs to be heard — really — I wish you could hear this story. As I climbed the steep steps to the second floor of the Ballet School of Chapel Hill, I could hear it — the sounds of the North Carolina Youth Tap Ensemble (NCYTE) calling me into the studio. The percussive sound of metal tapping on a wooden floor rates up there with rain on a tin roof in my book.

The 33 young people of NCYTE (they pronounce it “insight”) auditioned to become part of the troupe, and their dedication and ability determines when and if they get to tour when their agent books them gigs like the one coming up in Chicago this summer, or the one in California (Ojai and Torrance) next winter, or the one they took two years ago to China. Since it began in 1983, NCYTE has been all over, including Germany, Mexico, Russia and many points in between. More »

By Taylor Sisk
Staff Writer

What began as an effort to document the effects of 35 years of a landfill on the Rogers-Eubanks community has grown into something much more – an account of the broader history of this predominantly African-American community, and a source of community pride. More »

UNC creative writing professor and poet Michael McFee has won the 2009 James Still Award for Writing About the Appalachian South.

The Fellowship of Southern Writers gives the prize biennially to recognize a writer with a significant body of work about Appalachia. More »