Joe Patillo didn’t know he was part of an unauthorized painting crew that destroyed a community mural. Patillo says he was duped and, to top it off, didn’t even get paid. Photo by Kirk Ross

By Kirk Ross
Staff Writer

A bizarre chain of events Tuesday erased a mural painted five years ago by scores of residents as a community-building event — an act that has many outraged and wondering why someone would do such a thing.

“It’s really, really strange,” Francis Chan, owner of Jade Palace, said about the mid-day painting over of the community mural on the West side of his restaurant. “Why would somebody do this? It’s insane.”

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UPDATE: County Manager Laura Blackmon’s recommended budget has been posted here.

The Board of County Commissioners meets for the county manager’s recommended budget presentation and a work session on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at the F. Gordon Battle Courtroom on East Margaret Lane in Hillsborough. Here’s the agenda:

Presentation of Manager’s Recommended FY 2007-2008 Budget

Work Session

• Proposed Jordan Lake Nutrient Management Rules

• Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) Implementation