Alderman Alex Zaffron and Mayor Mark Chilton will take a look at the town’s affordable housing strategy with the hopes of finding some solutions to an ongoing conundrum about how to deal with a slew of downtown condominium projects.

As part of a preliminary review of affordable housing plans for the Robertson Square development, the board, at its meeting Tuesday night at Town Hall, was faced with another developer asking to provide payments in lieu rather than provide the three units to meet a 15 percent affordable housing requirement.

More »

First-degree rape charges against five Orange County teens were dismissed on Monday.

Charges were filed in May against Colton Sanders, Sean Crawford-Brown, Mark Holland, Mario Neville and Brian Minton. The charges were related to incident that allegedly occurred in September 2006 in the Southern Village area.

According to the county district attorney’s office, investigators found insufficient evidence to warrant prosecution.

Six Orange County Democratic Party precincts will host a forum for Chapel Hill Town Council and mayoral candidates on October 27 at 3 p.m.

Four seats on the Chapel Hill Town Council are available. Incumbents Sally Greene, Cam Hill, Bill Strom and Jim Ward seek re-election. Matt Czajkowski, Will Raymond and Penny Rich are running as well.
Mayor Kevin Foy is challenged by newcomer Kevin Wolff.

The forum is hosted by Coker Hills, Estes Hills, Booker Creek, Eastside, Weaver Dairy and Ridgewood Democratic precincts, and will be held in the meeting room of the Chapel Hill Public Library.

The Orange County Office of Human Rights and Relations recently selected 11 individuals to serve as Community Civil Rights Educators. They are: Antonia Barbosa, Zina Barnett, John Chapman, Rashida Fearrington, Jesse Gibson, Ashley Harrington, Linda Hill, Berneta Lee, Timothy Miles, Carolina Pence and Alejandra Rivera.

The educators will undergo civil rights and human relations training over the course of three Saturdays. Upon completing the training, the educators will conduct civil rights community outreach for one year.
For more information regarding the Community Civil Rights Educator Program, contact the Office of Human Rights and Relations at 960-3875.

The Board of County Commissioners is seeking volunteers to serve on the Orange County Local Revenue Options Education Advisory Committee in preparation for the May 2008 tax referendum.

In this year’s state budget, the Legislature gave counties the option of a 0.4 percent land transfer tax or a quarter-cent sales tax increase to help compensate for money taken away from counties in a deal to turn responsibility for paying for Medicaid over to the state.

The advisory committee will provide the public with information regarding the tax options by developing educational materials and planning informational meetings.

Interested Orange County residents can apply online at www.co.orange.nc.us or request an application by calling 245-2125. Applications are due October 24 and the board will appoint committee members at their November 5 meeting.

By Elyse Archer
Carrboro Commons Writer

Does spending $5 a week on gas sound like pure fantasy? For Chapel Hill and Carrboro residents, it’s now a reality, thanks to Carrboro’s new Scooters Inc.

The scooter store opened at 211 E. Main St. on Aug. 10. Dave Jansen, the store’s owner, is also the owner of Combustion Cycles, a motorcycle store in Durham.

Passersby might miss the small store if not for the vibrantly colored display of scooters outside. Once inside, a visitor will be greeted with a mini-showroom featuring several top-of-the-line scooters, as well as helmets and apparel designed specifically for scooter drivers. Its urban-chic feel is accentuated by several paintings by local artist Nathaniel Quinn for sale on the walls.

More »

The North Carolina Real Estate Commission voted last week to convene a task force to determine whether homebuyers in North Carolina are being made sufficiently aware when the real estate agent showing them a home is being offered a bonus by the seller. As the regulations now stand, agents must tell buyers of such financial incentives but are not required to notify them in writing. Many sellers, particularly homebuilders, pay a bonus to agents in addition to the sales commission.

“We want every one of our citizens to be fully aware of all the information they need,” The Charlotte Observer quoted NC Real Estate Commission chair Skip Alston as saying. “This is the largest investment they’re making in their lifetime. You can’t go too far as far as trying to have things be as transparent as possible.”

More »

The next seminar in the Chamber of Commerce’s Seminar Series presented by Progress Energy will be held at 3:30pm on Thursday, October 25 in the Greater Chapel Hill Association of Realtors Conference Room at the Chamber. Ben Quinn of ActionCOACH business coaching will present tangible strategies that will teach how to maximize the return on your invested time by increasing your productivity and freeing yourself from mundane tasks. $25 for members; $35 for non-members. Visit www.carolinachamber.org/seminars to register.

The 6th Annual Orange County Business Expo will take place on Monday, November 5th from 1:00 to 7:30pm at the Sheraton Chapel Hill Hotel. The Expo, sponsored by The Herald-Sun and the Chapel Hill Herald, showcases the businesses of greater Orange County and is open to the public. The event is presented by the Chapel Hill-Carrboro and Hillsborough/Orange County chambers of commerce and the Orange County Economic Development Commission. For more information or to reserve exhibition space, contact the Orange County EDC at 245-2325.

The 6th Annual Orange County Business Expo will take place on Monday, November 5th from 1:00 to 7:30pm at the Sheraton Chapel Hill Hotel. The Expo, sponsored by The Herald-Sun and the Chapel Hill Herald, showcases the businesses of greater Orange County and is open to the public. The event is presented by the Chapel Hill-Carrboro and Hillsborough/Orange County chambers of commerce and the Orange County Economic Development Commission. For more information or to reserve exhibition space, contact the Orange County EDC at 245-2325.

By Jack Carley

The Flying Burrito was a Chapel Hill landmark for more than 20 years, but now Phil Campbell, the man who started it, has moved on. The Burrito has closed for remodeling, sold by its former owner.
The Flying Burrito was, at different times, a ballpark vendor, a hipster hotspot, a corner pub and neighborhood restaurant. It was also the name of the signature burrito.

More »

Safety first
It seems to me that there are more and more people riding bicycles in Carrboro who are not wearing helmets. I find this trend disturbing. Helmets can protect bicyclists from injury and death. Two-thirds of bicycle related deaths are due to traumatic brain injury. A very high percentage of traumatic brain injury can be prevented by simply wearing a helmet. Helmets are cheap. There are several great bicycle shops in town which sell helmets. I realize that helmets are optional but I am very concerned that our youngest citizens are witnessing this practice of not wearing helmets and translating helmets as not being important. Please wear your helmet.
Janice K. Wereszczak

More »

Our neighbors in need
This community is already reeling from the loss of a true friend, and there was a fitting tribute to Gloria Suarez Tuesday night at Town Hall. She died in the Highland Hills Apartments fire, a fast-moving blaze that left 20 of our neighbors with barely more than the clothes on their backs. And though the residents have been stoic as they recover, they’ll need our help to heal both body and soul.

Friday night at Cat’s Cradle there will be a benefit for the victims of the Highland Hills fire. The show starts at 8 p.m. and doors open at 7. We ask that you consider attending, even if it’s just to stop by and make a donation.

It is time to step up, Carrboro.

They’re counting on you.

More »

By Emily Buehler
Correspondent

The weather’s been a bit irregular lately, but whether it’s sunny and hot or breezy and cool, you can’t go wrong spending an October weekend out at a farm. The growing season is wrapping up and many local farms end their season with a harvest festival of sorts, welcoming visitors who want to see what the farm is like. There are pumpkins and mums for sale, animals to visit and my favorite new tradition: the cornfield maze.

More »

Piedmont Feed and Garden Center is hosting a BBQ Grill-Off on Saturday, October 27 from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Four master grilling teams will compete to sell the most and best-tasting barbeque. Supplies may run out, and barbeque must be picked up and paid for by 2 p.m. Any remaining barbeque will be donated to the Chapel Hill Homeless Shelter. Piedmont Feed and Garden Center will also hold a sale.