By Frank Heath
Sports Columnist

Watching this evolving young UNC football team week by week reminds me slightly of a scene from Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, where Mike Teavee decides he is going to transport himself over the television airwaves to the (slight) protestations of Mr. Wonka.
Each time Carolina’s red-shirt freshman quarterback T. J. Yates drops back and fires a pass, one can almost sense the million tiny particles of this team’s identity traveling through the air over the field. In the same way that the moviegoer fixed his or her gaze on the television screen waiting to see if Mike Teavee would arrive in one piece, you glance instinctively downfield to see which of Carolina’s three bounteously talented wide receivers may be curling off of his route to intersect with the ball’s trajectory. More often than not — at least as concerns the UNC passing game — the result thus far in 2007 has been a complete and full-sized version of young Mr. Teavee hopping off of the television screen. More »

Carrboro High
Men’s Soccer

(Via Romain Morales)
A strong Cardinal Gibbons team proved too much for the young Jaguars, as CG defeated CHS 5-0 Monday night. CHS held even possession for the first 25 minutes until giving up a soft goal. The aggressive CG team continued the pressure, but the CHS defensive backs (Ben Berozlheimer, Keith Dell and Keith Glassbrook) kept a one-goal differential at half that had morale high heading into the second half. CHS even managed a game total of 6 shots, easily played by the CG keeper, but CHS keeper Gus Brighton made his share, with 12 saves, until a weary defense let in another four goals.

Final: CHS 0, CG 5 (half: 0, 1)

Next game: Sept. 19 v NC School of Science and Math @ CHS (0-8-1)

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From 6 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 29 to 6 a.m. the following day, local families will join scientists and natural historians for a BioBlitz – an inventory of animal and plant life – at Mason Farm Biological Reserve, part of the North Carolina Botanical Garden at UNC.

The BioBlitz – a joint project of the Botanical Garden and UNC’s Morehead Planetarium and Science Center – will allow researchers to assess the biodiversity of the reserve.
The 24-hour span is divided into smaller segments of time, so participants can register for one or several segments. Teams will work with scientists to collect data about the living organisms that live in the reserve and will learn to use professional research tools and techniques. Participation is free, but advance registration is encouraged.

The Carolina Farm Stewardship Association’s second annual Eastern Triangle Farm Tour will be held September 22 and 23.

The tour will visit 17 farms in the Triangle area from 1 to 5 p.m. both days. The farm tour kickoff will be held tonight (Thursday) at 6 at Whole Foods Market on Wade Avenue in Raleigh.

Cost is $30, $25 in advance, per car for all of the farms, or $10 per car per farm. Tickets may be purchased online, at the first farm visited or at Whole Foods Market on Elliott Road.

For more information or to purchase a ticket, visit www.carolinafarmstewards.org or call the association at 542-2402.

The record-breaking cookie events sponsored by Weaver Street Market and Immaculate Baking Company last weekend earned $2544 for the ArtsCenter — another possible record for a single bake sale item in support of the arts. Paul Borron won the drawing for Clyde Jones artwork donated for the event.

The North Carolina Botanical Garden opened its 20th annual sculpture show Friday night amid a much-needed rain.

The invitational show runs through Nov. 16 and will feature work by approximately 30 North Carolina artists. The sculptures come in a variety of media — from stone to stainless steel, concrete to clay, chain-sawed wood to recycled aluminum.

By Susan Dickson
Staff Writer

More than 40 years ago, Lincoln High School closed its doors to students. But the memories of the tight-knit community that the school once housed have not been forgotten.

Students have not attended Lincoln High since 1966, when schools were integrated and the all-black high school closed. But the building – which now serves as the administrative offices for Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools – could reopen as a school in 2011, according to the district’s capital investment plan through 2018.

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District collects community input with meeting, survey
Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools will hold a meeting on September 27 to collect input for the district’s new strategic plan.

In addition, school officials have created an online survey for community members to respond to three questions:

• What is the one area in which the district needs to improve in order to be considered a highly successful, forward-thinking school district?
• What is the greatest external challenge facing the district?
• What is the greatest internal challenge facing the district?
• The survey has been emailed to parents and staff members and is available at www.chccs.k12.nc.us.

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Kirk Ross

Shameful shambles
As those of you following theses kinds of things know, irony is dead, replaced by stark realities and painfully obvious absurdities. So, no, it was not ironic to see front-page headlines the other day laying out so clearly the state of the state 2007.

Topping the page, naturally, was the shiny new incentive package for a couple of large international corporations. At the bottom of the page was the story of another state mental hospital about to get decertified by the feds. Doesn’t get a lot clearer than that.

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Editor’s note: Jock Lauterer’s recent column about George “Cat Baby” Cannada garnered quite a response. The article was passed around via email to locals and ex-pats alike. Following are some of the responses from here and points elsewhere.

 Jim Greenlee
Appreciated so much the Cat-Baby article! As a member of Carrboro Baptist Church in those days, I remember Cat being the unofficial “greeter” on Sunday mornings. He would stand holding the door open and with a big cigar in his mouth, would welcome all to church! He had Sunday School Perfect Attendance pins hanging from his suit lapel indicating decades of perfect attendance. I once went to his house on Center Street to teach him the Sunday School lesson when he was ill, so he could keep his streak going. I also participated in his funeral and burial at Old Chapel Hill cemetery in 1993.

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True Blue
Nice rant, Frank.
You are a true Heel.

Carl Rowe
New Bern
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By Chris Fitzsimon

The special session of the General Assembly is over, state lawmakers are back home, and the executives and stockholders of Goodyear and Bridgestone Firestone are no doubt celebrating, toasting their lobbyists and looking forward to their millions in cash grants from the state treasury of North Carolina.

Say what you want about the troubling incentive package, in retrospect its passage was a foregone conclusion. The overheated rhetorical exchanges between Gov. Mike Easley and legislative leaders made for good political gossip, but when corporate interests and their influential lobbyists come calling, it is a rare day indeed when top state officials don’t respond and work together to keep the companies happy.

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Odd thing, fly-overs. Seems to be a trend at Kenan now.

Off and on for the past few years, we’ve had the F-15s roaring through town during the State-Carolina game. Last week, it was Apache helicopters swooping in just before kickoff for the Virginia game. In this town, such displays always engender debate.

While the humans are divided, the squirrels are not. You’ve never heard a more irritated bunch of rodentia than those last week under the flight path of the “Sound of Freedom.”

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Carrboro

Paintings & Sculpture by Luna Lee Ray & Joanne Andrews – Through Sept 30. The ArtsCenter, 300-G E Main St, Carrboro. 929-2787, www.artscenterlive.org

Background Music for Birds - Mixed media paintings by Renee Seaman Treml. Through Sept 30. NC Crafts Gallery, 212 W Main St, Carrboro. Mon-Sat 10am-6 pm, Sun 1-4pm. 942-4048, www.nccraftsgallery.com

Turned Wood Bowls - By Steve Noggle. Through Sept 30. NC Crafts Gallery, 212 W Main St, Carrboro. 942-4048, www.nccraftsgallery.com

Harmonical - Photographs by Jacob Lunow. Through Oct 1. Nested, 118-B E Main St, Carrboro. Tue & Wed 10am-6pm, Thu-Sat 10am-8pm, Sun noon-6pm. 338-8023, www.nestedhome.com

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Thursday Sep 20

Blue Horn Lounge: Taz Halloween w/ Robert Griffin & Stu Cole. 9pm
The Cave: Early: Days Difference. Late: Future Kings of Nowhere w/ The Wigg Report.
General Store Café: Jazz with The Tony Galiani Band. 8pm
Local 506: Bryan Scary & the Shredding Tears, Arizona, Morning State. 9pm. $8

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