By Dan Coleman

No, the headline is not a typo. I did not spend the first weekend of June cavorting with Bob Hope, Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour in a tropical paradise. I was attending the fifth-annual conference of the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies, held in Berkeley, California.

BALLE is the umbrella group for the more than 50 communities whose businesses have formed networks committed to the idea of a local living economy. The participants view their businesses and the networks that connect them to be the economic embodiment of sustainability and understand the linkage that must be found between ecology and economy. More »

By Jock Lauterer

Let’s get this straight: Newspapers are not vanishing. At least not my kind of newspapers.

Yes, many major metros are in a circulation free-fall. But not my guys. The small, local or what we call “community newspapers” – papers with circulations below 50k, many of them found off the interstates on the so-called “blue highways” of this nation – are doing very well, thank you.

In fact, these “relentlessly local” papers are so quietly successful that big-city papers have finally noticed and are copying them! Example: pick up today’s N&O and count the number of local stories on the front page. More »

Photo by Mike Benson

The nuptials of Dave Robertson and Stephanie Townsend were center stage at Local 506 Saturday night, June 16.

Mr. Robertson’s best man was Ed Crawford. Ms. Townsend’s bridesmaid was Coleen Dorr. The bride was given away by her son, Zack Townsend. The ceremony was officiated by Rev. Jamie McPhail of Alamance County. More »

Members of the Chapel Hill High School and East Chapel Hill High School classes of 2007 received hundreds of scholarships and awards.

Chapel Hill High student awards include:

• Lorena Alpuche – Gold Medal – Level VI National Spanish Exam;
• Eva Archer – Robert C. Byrd Scholarship, Morehead Scholar, National Merit College Sponsored Scholarship;
• Anahid Behrouzi – NCSU Park Scholarship, National Honor Society Scholarship, Home Builders Association of Durham, Orange and Chatham Counties Scholarship, Herald-Sun Front Page Award Nominee, Senior Service Learning Award, Silver Medal – Level VI National Spanish Exam; More »

Photo Courtesy of George Hoag

By Taylor Sisk
Staff Writer

He was a familiar sight to most all Weaver Street Market regulars and a comforting presence to so many. Max Paul had a warm greeting for all his friends. He would sit with the closest among them to discuss politics, in a reasoned voice, and the particulars of the day, but had little interest in discussing his own life – a life that by the few accounts available was rich and apparently quite colorful. Max Paul, 87, died on June 13 at the Chapel Hill Rehabilitation Center.

More »

Nancy K. Mills passed away on June 12, 2007. The cause was breast cancer. She was a beloved wife, mother, cousin and friend. She was also an artist, designer, landscape architect and tireless contributor to her community. More »

John Ambrose Hebert, 103, died on June 15, 2007 at Britthaven of Chapel Hill. He was born in Terre Haute, IN in 1904, son of Joseph A. and Mabel Chewning Hebert. He attended the University of Chicago and the University of North Carolina, graduating from the latter in 1926. He majored in philosophy and continued a lifelong study of history and philosophy. He married Catherine Roy Fraser of Charlotte, NC on June 12, 1928. They lived in New Orleans for 57 years, where he was a district engineer with Southern Bell Telephone Co. In 1985, they moved to Glen Lennox Apartments in Chapel Hill. His wife Catherine died there in 1997. They were preceded in death by their son Joseph A. Hebert of Memphis, TN in 1976. John lived at Carolina House of Chapel Hill for 4 years before moving into Britthaven. He attended The Church of Reconciliation for twenty years. More »

Valerie P. Rishel, age 67, of Chapel Hill, North Carolina died Thursday June 14, 2007 from complications following a bone marrow transplant she had received as a treatment for leukemia.  She had been battling leukemia since November 2004.  Ms. Rishel was born November 17, 1939 in Glen Richey, PA to Carl Emil Peterson and Delphine Francis Balum Peterson (Cowdrick), both now deceased. More »

Charles Houston Teague, 77, passed away at 3:20 pm on Friday, June 15, 2007 at the Heritage Villa Nursing Center in Bartlesville, OK.

Graveside funeral services were held at 2:00 pm on Wednesday, June 20, 2007 in the Old Chapel Hill Cemetery in Chapel Hill NC with the Rev. Martha Hubbard Forrest officiating.

Committal prayers and interment were directed by the Walker’s Funeral Home, Chapel Hill, NC. Local arrangements were entrusted to the Arnold Moore Funeral Service. More »

Mrs. Viola Howard Davis, age 90, passed away on Saturday, June 16, 2007 at Hillcrest Convalescent  Center, Durham, NC.

Funeral Services will be held Thursday, June 21, 2007 at 2:00 pm at New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, Apex, NC. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Family will receive friends from 1:00-2:00 pm at the church prior to the funeral.

She is survived by one son, Lonnie Davis; three daughters, Ernestine Lassiter, Lelahr Margaret McNeal and Helen Frances Cooper; two grandsons that she raised, Robert Thompson and Derrick Sanders.

Arrangements are made by Jones Funeral Home.

Max Paul, 87, died on June 13 at the Chapel Hill Rehabilitation Center.

He was born January 10, 1920, on the Lower East Side of New York City to immigrant parents. After graduating from high school, Max worked odd jobs during the Depression, then served in the Army during World War II. He would later also serve in the Merchant Marine. More »

The Carrboro Greenspace will present Gillo Pontecorvo’s The Battle of Algiers on June 21 at 8:30 p.m. 

Seniors/Wellness Program
ORANGE COUNTY SENIORSTRIDERS - A University Mall-walking program designed for all levels of walkers. 8:00am exercise warm-up, breakfast at Bear Rock, and health talk by local health experts on a variety of topics. Orange County residents age 55 and older. Free. 3rd Wed of every month. 968-2073.

Groups
MEDITATION - Practices of Tibetan Buddhism: Shinay, Tonglen & Deity Practice. Everyone is welcome. Piedmont KTC Tibetan Buddhist Meditation Center. www.piedmontktc.org. 933-2138.
YOGA FOR CANCER PATIENTS - Restorative yoga offered every week for cancer patients and their families at Cornucopia House Cancer Support Center, Wed 11am-noon and Thu 6-7:30pm. Free. 401-9333, www.cornucopiahouse.org.

More »

Art & Museums
DELIGHTFUL LAWLESSNESS - Gloe Herbert Dyne and niece Anne Randolph Herbert have collaborated to show their respective abstract work with the support of the Town of Carrboro Art Committee. The exhibition, on display through Fri, Jul 27, features paintings by Gloe and Anne.

POTTERY BY COURTNEY TOMCHIK - Jun 1-30. NC Crafts Gallery. 942-4048, www.nccraftsgallery.com

PAINTINGS BY AMY RICHARDS - Through Jun 30. Carrboro Town Hall. 942-8541, www.nccraftsgallery.com

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ERIC BOGART - Through Jun 30. Open Eye Cafe, 968-9410, www.openeyecafe.com

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World-famous dance troupe Galumpha will perform at Fiesta Latina on June 23. 

Thursday June 21

The Cave: Pete Waggoner, 7:30pm. Sweater Weather, Gertie Fox, SNMNMNM, 10pm.
Local 506: Haale, The Dogwood Deddy, Mary Johnson. 9pm. $10
Weaver Street Market: Great Big Gone. 6-8pm

Friday June 22

Arts Center: Django Haskins & Mary Johnson. 8:30pm. $12
The Cave: Rebecca Pronsky, 7:30pm. Joe Swank & the Zen Pirates, the Spinns, 10pm
Local 506: Charles Latham, the Bowerbirds, Midtown Dickens, Billy Sugarfix. 9pm. $6
Open Eye Café: Rust Kings. 8pm

Saturday June 23

The Cave: Potato Gun, 8pm. Kenny Roby f. the Houstons, 10pm
Local 506: The Everybodyfields, Sweet By & By, Shannon O’Connor. 9:30pm. $8
Open Eye Café: Stephen Jenkins & Trace of Morrow. 8pm More »

By Kirk Ross
Columnist

Crisis found
If this state could have planned a crisis in mental health, it likely could not have come up with a better scenario than that which is unfolding this summer.

The long-running, underfunded reform we’ve been promised has had its legs cut out from under it.

Mismanagement led to a loss of confidence in the legislature, led to a lack of money to do the job, led to cuts to programs, more mismanagement and now downright mistrust that the state can salvage the strategy of shifting to community-based systems and away from centralized hospitals. More »