By Taylor Sisk
Staff Writer

A meeting of the Rogers Road Community Enhancement and Monitoring Taskforce was held Tuesday night at the Faith Tabernacle Oasis of Love Church with approximately 30 people in attendance. Frustrations were many, and some small agreements were reached.

The proceedings began with a demand that action be taken to keep a solid waste transfer station out of the community. “The consensus at the neighbor-to-neighbor meeting was that there should be no transfer station,” said Neloa Barbee Jones, a task force member and Rogers Road community member, referring to a June 19 meeting that was open to community members only. (The transfer station site, on Eubanks Road, was approved by the Orange County Board of Commissioners in April. As part of that development plan, the board agreed to form the task force to address community concerns and recommend enhancements to the neighborhood.)

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Soul, rhythm and blues and gospel vocalist Al Green will replace Aretha Franklin as the headliner of Carolina Performing Arts’ 2007-2008 season-opening concert on Sept. 13.

Green, known for classics including “Let’s Stay Together,” “Tired of Being Alone” and “Here I Am (Come and Take Me),” will perform at 8 p.m. in Memorial Hall.

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Low-cost rabies clinic
Orange County Animal Services will offer low-cost rabies vaccination clinics July 19 and 26.

The first clinic will be held July 19 from 6-7 p.m. at Pathway Elementary School in Hillsborough, and the second will be held July 26 from 6-7 p.m. at Efland Cheeks Elementary School in Efland.

Rabies vaccinations will be offered for $5 at the clinic. Payment must be made in cash.

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Ruellia standing tall in ditch in lower Bynum. Photo by Ken Moore

By Ken Moore

I spied it three weeks ago along a roadside ditch in lower Bynum while helping volunteers clear a site for the Haw River Assembly’s new storage building. Then, this past week, some of us were back down there helping move stuff into the new shed.

There it was again, and this time there were more lining the weedy roadside.

I’ve been happy to spot it here and there in my yard, at the edge of the back steps and along the edge of the house foundation where the mower blade seldom travels.

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The Carrboro Farmers’ Market will hold its annual tomato tasting on Saturday at 8:30 a.m. at the Carrboro Town Commons.

Participants will be able to sample more than 60 types of tomatoes, from conventional to heirloom varieties, all grown within a 50-mile radius of the market. In addition, master gardeners will offer tomato-growing tips and tomato recipes will be available.

After sampling tomatoes, participants will be able to vote for their favorite varieties, and the winners will be announced next week.

DSI COMEDY THEATER - 338-8150, www.dsicomedytheater.com.  HAROLD NIGHT - 2 teams perform 30-min collection of improvised scenes & games. 8pm. $5. COMEDYSPORTZ - Competitive improv for all ages. Every Sat, 7:30pm. $10
MISTER DIPLOMAT - Longform improv featuring local celebrity guests. Every Fri, 9:30pm. $10. BEST SHOW EVER - All-star comedy showcase featuring the best of DSI. Sat, 9:30pm. $10. CAGEMATCH - Competitive longform improv; audience votes - winning team plays new challenger. Every other Thu, 8pm. $8
Comedy Hour – Fourth Sat, 7:30pm. Comedy open mic – Fourth Tue, 7:30-9:30pm. The Cave, 968-9308, www.caverntavern.com.

Coaches wanted
The Carrboro Recreation and Parks Department is currently accepting volunteer coaches’ applications for the 2007 - 2008 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 and fundamentals, proper sportsmanship, and provide an enjoyable atmosphere at practices and games. Initial deadline for all applications is Friday, August 17. To receive a volunteer coach’s application or additional information, please contact the Recreation Department at 918-7364.

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Carrboro Film Festival  coming soon. Photo Illustration Courtesy of Jackie Helvey

Organizers for the second annual Carrboro Film Festival are putting out the call for submissions from local filmmakers.

The festival will be held November 18 and will feature films no longer than 20 minutes.

According to the festival requirements, filmmakers must have “at one time in life had a brush with Orange County.”
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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.

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Editor’s Note: From a July 12 floor speech by Fourth District U.S. Rep. David Price (D-Chapel Hill) on The Responsible Redeployment from Iraq Act (H.R. 2956), which would initiate an exit from Iraq beginning within 120 days of enactment and requires a full redeployment of U.S. troops by April, 2008. The bill passed the U.S. House 223-201, but was defeated by a Republican filibuster in the Senate on Wednesday.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2956, which would compel a responsible exit of U.S. troops from Iraq.

I voted against giving the President the authority to go to war in Iraq. Two years ago, Brad Miller and I introduced legislation to terminate the authorization and require of the President a comprehensive exit strategy. The President has responded to calls for change by stubbornly adhering to a failed strategy that has cost our nation severely, in blood, treasure, and moral authority. He has rejected Congress’s constitutional role in determining policy and he has ignored the will of the American people. This obstinate, irresponsible, destructive course cannot continue. More »

 By Jeremy J. Collins

Though most experts have long dismissed any measurable deterrent effect from the use of the death penalty, a recent AP story helped spark new discussion on the topic.

According to the report, some academic studies have purported to find such a deterrent impact. The story cited a 2003 Emory University study which concluded that each execution deters an average of 18 murders. To read the story, one might believe that new life has been pumped into what had largely been a settled argument.

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By Kirk Ross 

The 0.4 percent horror
I was just a kid when it happened, and I can’t imagine what it was like to experience it, let alone live through it. But driving through what is left of Cary, with its dark, crumbling cul-de-sacs and boarded up split-levels, you get a feel for the devastation of 2007.

Like Smoot-Hawley, the impact of the real estate transfer tax had consequences far beyond the reckoning of politicians and it brought down a surging, vibrant economy in one swift act of legislation. It’s not like they weren’t warned. I got a glimpse of the beginning of the end times at Ray’s Number Two, a little dive in a corner of a former Bed, Bath and Beyond in an almost deserted mall.

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Ounce of Prevention
For the moment, Carrboro Mayor Mark Chilton is a victim of the septic-cynicism toward the impeachment of Bush and Cheney. The septic system of the Bush/Cheney administration is just too deep to reach the bottom of it, and provide accountability for their malfeasance, before their terms expire in January, 2009, assuming the deciders allow their terms to expire at all.

Mayor Chilton was quoted in the Chapel Hill Herald, “I think the fact is that Congress is not likely to take any action on this topic. The president deserves probably something worse than impeachment, but I think we can all see that’s not really going to happen.”

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(Please note that in the print edition we neglected to credit the wonderful Chatham County Line for this article.)

By Illana Dubester

America, we can’t have it both ways. We can’t pretend to be for family values and impose uncanny barriers on immigrants reuniting with their loved ones. We can’t be pro-business and drive underground a large segment of our labor force. We can’t favor a living wage and allow businesses to exploit undocumented workers. We can’t be part of a global economy and shun bilingualism. We can’t be proud of ourselves as a nation of immigrants and continue to vilify and ostracize immigrants. We can’t have food on our tables and a roof over our heads while ignoring the rights of hard-working immigrants who harvest our crops and build our homes.

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By Mike Nelson

As a member of the Orange County Board of Commissioners, I voted against this year’s county budget out of a belief that we are not treating our schoolchildren equitably in this county. We have an obligation to ensure that all children, regardless of where they live in the county, receive adequate educational resources. We pay lip service in Orange County to equity and justice, but when the pedal hits the metal we choose to perpetuate a system that provides some children with more educational dollars than others.

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