By Susan Dickson
Staff Writer

This past year saw more than the usual degree of change for Chapel Hill-Carrboro Schools, with new schools, school board elections and shifts in principals.

While some changes were a loss to the district – the retirement of longtime board member Liz Carter and the death of tireless schools advocate and board veteran Mary Scroggs – change also brought fresh ideas and improvements. More »

In January
The Carrboro Board of Aldermen approved plans to create a Greenways Commission.

A winter storm settled in and closed the schools for a day.

Promising he’ll push through ethics reforms, Joe Hackney, a Chatham County native and longtime representative of Chatham and Orange counties, was elected speaker of the North Carolina House.

The ArtsCenter held a community meeting to discuss ways to leverage the area’s arts. More »

Alfred Henry Baumhover, 85, who was known within Carrboro’s Webbwood community as “Sir Alfred” because he was knighted by Queen Juliana of the Netherlands in 1955, died Feb. 21.

Former Carrboro city attorney and district court judge Lowry Matthews Betts, 76, died July 9, having practiced law in North Carolina for more than 50 years. More »

Contested elections
Things were looking dull in this year’s municipal elections — at least that’s what some folks thought. But the idea that no one should have an unchallenged stroll to re-election was at least some of the impetus behind a number of those who decided to seek public office. The result was a lot more discussion and give-and-take. If you were paying attention, you learned a lot. If you weren’t, it was at least entertaining. More »

Chaining wrong
In response to Mr. Stern’s letter of December 12, I am outraged that he thinks that a chained dog might be perceived as “spoiled.” There is no difference between his dog and the hunting dogs that he claims are the ones who are being abused. This issue is not due to the transgressions of a few. More »

Chapel Hill – John Allen Bryant (“JB”) died on December 12, 2007 at UNC Hospital.  JB served in the US Navy and was a surgical assistant in the Department of Vascular Surgery at UNC before he became ill. More »

Burlington – Roger C. Downs, Sr., 89, of Burlington, NC died at Alamance Regional Hospital on Wednesday, December 19, 2007.  Born in Arlington, MA and a graduate of Harvard University, Mr. Downs served in the US Army and spent his career in management with Burlington Industries as Vice-President of  Manufacturing.  He was a member of Civitan International, the Burlington  Rotary Club, and the Burlington Mediation Group. More »