Nick Thomas Watts, one of Carrboro’s longest established businessmen, died Monday, July 23, 2007 at the age of 89. He was born September 15, 1917 in Columbus County, NC to Ida B. Cumbee and Levy Edmond Watts. He was the youngest son of six children.

Nick is survived by his wife of 69 years, Zolena Duncan Watts and five children; Jeanette W. Moody, Thomas Levy (Rebecca), Richard McKinley, James Gregory (Ann), and Deborah Carol Watts. He is also survived by seven grandchildren and five great grandchildren. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather.

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Margaret Lansing Schopler, “Miggie”, daughter of Egyptologist Dows and Marion Dunham, died July 16th, 2007 (aged 82). Born June 17, 1925 in Egypt, she was a long-time Chapel Hill resident.

Miggie enjoyed painting with watercolors and making sketches, she was an avid gardener and was to be president of the Chapel Hill Kiwanis Club in the coming year.
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Basketball coaches wanted
The Carrboro Recreation and Parks Department is currently accepting volunteer coaches’ applications for the 2007-08 Youth Basketball Program. Coaches must exhibit the ability to organize practices and communicate effectively with players, parents and Recreation Department staff. They must also exhibit the ability to teach proper playing skills, fundamentals and sportsmanship and provide an enjoyable atmosphere at practices and games. Initial deadline for all applications is Friday, August 17th. To receive a volunteer coach’s application or additional information, please contact the Recreation Department at 918-7364.   More »

Farmers’ Markets
Saxapahaw Farmers’ Market - Saturdays, 5-8pm. Continues through Aug. 25. Saxapahaw Farmers’ Market, on the hill over the river, Saxapahaw (Chapel Hill), rivermillvillage.com.

Fearrington Village Farmers’ Market - Tuesdays, 4pm. Continues through Nov. 20. Fearrington Village Farmers’ Market, 8 miles south of Chapel Hill on US 15-501, Fearrington Village (Chapel Hill), 542-4000, chatham.ces.ncsu.edu/growingsmallfarms
/fearrington.html.

Pittsboro Farmers’ Market - Thursdays, 3:30-6:30pm. Continues through Nov. 29. Pittsboro Farmers’ Market, Chatham County Fairgrounds, Pittsboro, chatham.ces.ncsu.edu/growingsmallfarms
/pittsboro.html

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A few significant errors found their way into print last week chief among them being our neglect in mentioning that Ilana Dubester’s essay on immigration policy (“Let’s stop pretending,” July 19, 2007) came to us courtesy of the wonderful Chatham County Line. You can visit this publication’s Web site at chathamcountyline.org/.

Our other glaring error was sending on Ken Moore’s Flora column without Marie Weiden last name and a proper headline, which should have read “Ruellia: Now you can say it in Latin.” Our fault, by the way, not Ken’s.

Cradle of what?
So the 100-member Grassroots Impeach Movement (GRIM) seeks to change Carrboro’s embraceable nickname, “Paris of the Piedmont,” to “Cradle of Impeachment” until the 2008 presidential election. I declined to comment when a local reporter (not from this paper) ran the idea by me last week. My immediate reaction would not have been fit to print.

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Birds, Bats & Botanicals - scratchboards by Renee Seaman Treml. Through July 30. Nested, 338-8023, nestedhome.com, Tue & Wed 10 am-6 pm, Thu-Sat 10 am-8 pm, Sun noon-6 pm.

Bushman & Bosch - collages by Amanda Bushman. Through Aug. 13. Bleecker Street Studio & Gallery, 968-3433, Wed-Sun noon-5 pm.

Carolina State of Mind - works by various artists. Through July 25. Womancraft Fine Handcrafted Gifts, 929-8362, womancraftgifts.com, Mon-Sat 10 am-7 pm, Sun noon-5 pm.

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Cosmic Charlie will celebrate Jerry Garcia’s birthday at the Cradle with Grateful Dead-inspired tunes and covers. 

Thursday July 26
Blue Horn Lounge: Mark Wells Trio. 9pm
Cat’s Cradle: Jonathan Byrd, Shannon O’Connor, Feral Throes. 8pm. $12
The Cave: Early: Brandon Herndon, John Pardue. Late: Blag’ard.
Local 506: Marah, Willis Breeding. 9:30pm. $12
Weaver Street Market: Armand & Bluesology. 6pm

Friday July 27
Blue Horn Lounge: Dave Spencer Band. 9pm
Cat’s Cradle: Hot Tuna, Oteil & The Peacemakers. 7:30pm. $28
The Cave: Early: Alex Bowers. Late: Hwyl, The Drownout.
Local 506: Sleepsound, Eyes to Space, Red Collar, The Pneurotics. 9:15pm
Open Eye Café: Johnsons Crossroads. 8pm

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Yellow flowers spiralling around the tall Mullein stalk. Photo by Ken Moore.

By Ken Moore

First I offer a sincere apology that Marie Weiden was not properly identified in last week’s column about Ruellia regarding her colorful curb in Chapel Hill. Beginning with Marie’s garden, I’m looking forward to describing more curbsides as folks share more and more garden enthusiasm and expertise right up front for all to enjoy!

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Not going to duplicate the posts here, but we’re following the Cindy Sheehan visit to Carrboro at The Mill.

Haw River Watch Project coordinator Cynthia Crossen keeps a focus on the challenges to the health of the river as she helps build a network of monitors. Photo by Kirk Ross

By Susan Dickson
Staff Writer
Four times a year, volunteers from across the Haw River watershed head down to their piece of creek or riverbank to take a serious look at the water and the life around it.

Haw River Watch Project teams are instrumental in monitoring the health of the river and its tributaries. They check for changes in the color of the water, erosion and any indication of the health of the river to report back. In addition, volunteers test the pH levels and look for different aquatic insects.

On Saturday, River Watch coordinator Cynthia Crossen demonstrated water sampling on the banks of the Haw in Saxapahaw. Participants of all ages traipsed around the river collecting water samples and various critters.

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(Please note that there have been filings since the print edition. You can follow the election on our Elections & Politics site.

By Kirk Ross
Staff Writer

The mayors may have a smooth ride, but in Orange County every other elected office on the November ballot has more candidates than seats open to accommodate them.

With less than 36 hours to go in the filing period, only Mark Chilton, Kevin Foy and Tom Stevens, mayors of Carrboro, Chapel Hill and Hillsborough, respectively, are running unopposed.

(For school board filings, see story.)

On Wednesday, Frank Abernethy, 49, filed to run for Carrboro Board of Aldermen, bringing the total number of candidates to four for the three seats up this year.

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By Susan Dickson
Staff Writer

Six candidates have filed for election to the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education.

Newcomers include Mia Day Burroughs, Mehar Safvi and Gary Wallach. Incumbents Jamezetta Bedford, Mike Kelley and Annetta Streater have filed for reelection. Board member Liz Carter has announced that she will not seek reelection.

Burroughs, 45, has two children in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, at Phillips Middle School and East Chapel Hill High School. She has lived in Chapel Hill since 1995 and works as a freelance grant strategist. Burroughs has also served as chair of the Estes Hills Elementary School Governance Committee.

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By Taylor Sisk
Staff Writer

Ask each of the dozen or so individuals from throughout the Carrboro community why they attended the U.S. Social Forum and you’ll likely get a dozen or so variations on a common objective – to help create a space for change, gather inspiration, rejuvenate, rejoice, join forces, connect. And many, if not all, among those are also likely to reveal having come away with a sense of something gained, some sense of, “This thing that we’ve got – it’s big.”

That is, precisely, how one local attendee, Ruby Sinreich, defined it – the “this thing” that she describes being a movement, or, rather, a movement of movements, for a more just, peaceful and equitable world in which to live.

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By Susan Dickson
Staff Writer

The Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education is set to adopt the $54.3 million 2007-08 district operating budget and approve about $1.1 million in reductions tonight (Thursday) at a budget work session.

Board members identified potential cuts at a meeting last Thursday after hearing recommendations from Superintendent Neil Pedersen.

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