Roy Elmer Sommerfeld passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family, at UNC Hospitals, 11 July 2007.  He was born 8 May 1914 in Benton Harbor, Michigan.  His parents were Conrad Lewis and Amelia (Maikowski) Sommerfeld.  His siblings, Kenneth W. (Aina), Elmer A. (Margaret) and Irma L. Rode (Ed, deceased) all predeceased him.

Roy received his bachelor’s degree from Western State Teachers College (now Western Michigan University) in 1937.  He began his teaching career at Edwardsburg High School, Edwardsburg, MI.  He moved to Ann Arbor, MI, in 1940 to begin graduate studies at the University of Michigan.

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Dr. John George Keller, 78, formerly of Olney, Maryland, passed away suddenly at the home of his youngest daughter, Michele S. White, on Wednesday, July 11, 2007 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.  He is predeceased by his father, George K. Keller, and mother, Louise Tognetti Keller Vachon.  He was a devoted husband to his wife of 56 years, Consuelo Puente Keller.  He was also a loving father to his six grieving daughters, three sons-in-law and nine grandchildren.  Dr. Keller was well known in the field of General Toxicology and his professional career spanned over 50 years.

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Robert “Pete” Leon Blitchington, Sr. died Tuesday, July 11th at his home on the Womble Farm, Damascus Church Road in Chapel Hill.  He was 71.

Pete was born in Augusta, Georgia on December 21, 1935 to the late James and Thelma Davis Blitchington.  At age 17 he enlisted in the U.S. Navy where he served for 20 years.  Pete was a veteran of both the Korean and Vietnam wars.

Pete retired from military service in 1972 and worked in the commercial insurance industry.

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SNMNMNM will perform at The Cave on Saturday, July 21.

Thursday, July 19

Blue Horn Lounge: Velcro Shoes. 9pm
Cat’s Cradle: Slint. 8:30 pm. $20
The Cave: Early: Blake Rainey, John Harrison, Jen Richelson. Late: Terra Cotta Army.
Reservoir: Betty and the Boys, The Heist and the Accomplice, Dropsonic. 10pm
Weaver Street Market: Carolina Caterwaulers. 6pm

Friday, July 20

Blue Horn Lounge: Troy Smith & Jeremy Blackford. 9pm
Cat’s Cradle: Arrogance. 7:30pm. $18
The Cave: Early: Joe Bell & The Stinging Blades. Late: Jimmy & The Teasers.
Local 506: The Dynamite Brothers, The Needles, Rod Wallace & The Mess. 10pm. $5

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

Brushes With Life - works by artists with mental illness. Through July 21. Panzanella, 929-6626, panzanella.com.

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

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Doug Marlette at his studio in Tulsa. Photo by Tom Gilbert courtesy of the Tulsa World

By Taylor Sisk
Staff Writer

Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Doug Marlette died on Tuesday when a Toyota Tacoma in which he was a passenger hydroplaned off a rain-soaked highway near Holly Springs in northern Mississippi, some 50 miles south of Memphis. According to the Mississippi Highway Patrol, the truck hit a slick spot, left the road and struck a sign, then a tree. Marlette, 57, was killed instantly. He is survived by his wife, Melinda Marlette, and their son, Jackson. He lived in both Hillsborough and Tulsa, Oklahoma.   More »

By Susan Dickson
Staff Writer

Now that the county commissioners have completed their 2007-08 fiscal year budget, the schools must decide the changes, cuts and additions to make to this year’s school budget.

The Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education will consider potential changes to the 2007-08 school year budget at meetings tonight and next Thursday.

Superintendent Neil Pedersen has made recommendations to the board regarding the budget, including possible reductions as well as priority enhancements.

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Carrboro High School’s buildings are complete, but the grounds and roadways are sill being prepared. Photo by Robert Dickson

By Susan Dickson
Staff Writer

Carrboro High School athletic teams may be able to use the school’s new athletic fields prior to its opening after all, but students who want to volunteer to get the school ready may still have to wait.

Principal Jeff Thomas said this week he’s been concerned that since it’s likely to be mid-August before a traffic light being installed at Rock Haven Road and Smith Level Road will be operational, students might not be allowed access to the school site.

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By Kirk Ross
Staff Writer

House Speaker Joe Hackney says the lengthy prison sentence for his predecessor underlines the consequences of breaching the public trust.

Former House Speaker Jim Black was sentenced to 63 months in federal prison for accepting $29,000 from chiropractors in exchange for favorable legislation. Black, who served four terms as Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives, is the highest-ranking state official to be convicted of corruption.

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Carrboro alderman Dan Coleman (right) flips his driver’s license to Director of Elections Barry Garner (second from left) during the opening hours of filing season on Friday. Coleman carpooled with (left to right) Chapel Hill Council members Sally Greene, Cam Hill and Bill Strom. Photo by Kirk Ross

By Kirk Ross
Staff Writer

Carrboro Planning Board member Lydia Lavelle, who came close to being appointed to the Carrboro Board of Aldermen last year, has filed for election to the board.

In a statement released last week, Lavelle, who lost a close vote to Dan Coleman for the appointment to the seat vacated by Mark Chilton after he won the 2005 contest for mayor, said her priorities will include open space and greenways, diversifying the town’s tax base and to “carefully steward Carrboro’s growth and development.”     More »

By Ken Moore

One of the childhood memories I hold vividly is the neighbor’s giant mimosa tree, under which I spent many days playing with fragrant silky flowers in summer and twisted little bean pods in the fall. The mimosa, also called silk tree (Albizia julibrissin), remains for me one of the most exotically beautiful of all trees.

And exotic it is. Having been introduced from Asia in the mid-1700s, it has now made itself at home throughout North Carolina and the entire southeast. I’m still trying to get rid of one I set in my yard two decades ago. Similarly, staff of the N. C. Botanical Garden continue to eradicate a persistent population along the Coker Pinetum on Manning Drive.

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Want to cheer in the Jaguars and participate in the first season at Carrboro High School in style?

Carrbro High School band director Frank Jones says he’d like to hear from students interested in being members of the Carrboro High School Drum Line and Color Guard.

Interested students are asked to contact  Jones by phone at 291-0295, or via e-mail at fjones@chccs.k12.nc.us.

By Kirk Ross
Staff Writer

After hearing from disgruntled workers earlier this month, the board of directors of Weaver Street Market announced this week that they have decided to uphold a decision by the cooperative’s management to move some operations to Hillsborough.

Saying that after a review of workers’ concerns about moving jobs from Carrboro to a centralized food preparation center in Hillsborough and the process by which the decision was made, the board agreed that general manager Ruffin Slater conducted a proper exploration of the options consistent with the cooperative’s mission and philosophy.

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Three Triangle businesses will present a green building workshop series, starting with an all-day introductory workshop on July 21.

Paul Konove of Carolina Country Builders, architect Alicia Ravetto and Bob and Maria Kingery of Southern Energy Management have formed GreenPros to present workshops on green building design and construction for construction professionals and the general public.

The introductory workshop will be held from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Pittsboro at the Central Carolina Community College Multipurpose Room. To pre-register, call the college’s Continuing Education department at (919) 542-6495, ext. 223. For more information, visit www.greenprostraining.com.

County Manager names head of Orange County Human Rights and Relations
County Manager Laura Blackmon has named Hillsborough resident Shoshannah Smith as head of Orange County Human Rights and Relations.

Smith will coordinate the county’s human relations work, including enforcement of the Civil Rights Ordinance and responses to discrimination and human relations issues. In addition, she will support the Human Relations Commission and the Commission for Women.

Smith served as the director of education policy at the Center for Community Action in Lumberton. She holds a law degree from UNC and a bachelor’s degree in psychology and gender studies from the New College of Sarasota in Florida. She replaces James Spivey, who has been serving as interim head of Human Rights and Relations since January.

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