Technorati Profile

By Valarie Schwartz

Good news arrived in the mail last week with the OWASA bill: The goal of using only 1,000 gallons of water in my two-person household was reached. With the extra cooking and out-of-state guests in December, I’d prepared myself for it to remain at 2,000 gallons. This assuages my guilt over forcing a guest away from the sink when she stood there letting the water run down the drain while washing dishes. More »

Photo by Ken Moore

I relish the winter woods; there is much to see, many subtleties of interest and beauty that are masked in the summer by dense foliage. The varied terrain of bare trees and the deafening silence of the winter woods are reasons enough to bundle up and become part of that scene. More »

The Animal Control Division of Orange County Animal Services will increase several civil penalties and fees effective July 1.

The penalties and fees cover ordinance violations including failure to vaccinate or license pets, public nuisance and animal mistreatment. They are designed to encourage responsible pet ownership and improve the safety of the animals and the community as a whole. More »

Assistant County Manager Gwen Harvey recently received the Credentialed Manager designation from ICMA, a local government leadership and management organization. More »

Healthy Carolinians of Orange County and the Orange County Health Department have been awarded a $30,000 grant by the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust of Winston-Salem.

According to Healthy Carolinians of Orange County coordinator Bobbie Jo Munson, the funds will be used to enhance the organization’s partnership and to carry out activities to address the leading health concerns in the county. More »

The Board of Aldermen annually recognizes the special contributions of one individual or group to the community and will present this award by the end of March. Winners will be recognized at the annual Advisory Boards Recognition Dinner. More »

Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute and UNC’s School of Education received a $12.8-million grant to continue the Family Life Project, a study of the effects of rural life on child development. Researchers for the Family Life Project have monitored 1,292 children from three Eastern North Carolina counties and three Central Pennsylvania counties — regions of high child rural poverty. More »

A Pine Street rooster is too noisy to live in town, a nearby neighbor told the Carrboro Board of Aldermen.
At Tuesday’s meeting at Town Hall, Susan Simone, who lives on North Greensboro Street petitioned the board of aldermen, asking for an amendment to town ordinances.

“I’m presenting this because I’ve been having a two-month rooster discussion with someone,” she said.
Jacquie Gist said she was concerned that some residents who are “sort of growing their own” might be concerned that their efforts to raise eggs would shut down.

More »

By Taylor Sisk
Staff Writer

This story is the eigth in a series that examines issues related to environmental justice and to the fight of the Rogers and Eubanks roads community to be relieved of what they allege to be an undue burden. To read the stories in this series and for other resources, go to www.carrborocitizen.com/main/rogers-road

“I believe the closer garbage is disposed of to where it’s produced, the more responsible you are for it,” says Carrboro Board of Alderman Jacquie Gist. “‘Out of sight, out of mind’ is not a good thing.”

Out of sight is where our garbage would go if the Orange County Board of Commissioners proceeds with its decision to place a solid-waste transfer station in the county. The commission has contracted with a private firm to conduct a search for a transfer station site, from which our waste would be sent out of county – destination as yet unknown. More »

By Susan Dickson
Staff Writer

The Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday postponed a decision regarding who would administer the farmers’ market at the county’s new Public Market House, set to open in Hillsborough in March.
Commissioners expressed aversion at being forced to choose between two groups, and prior to public comment Chair Barry Jacobs asked individuals to refrain from name-calling and personal attacks.
In August, two opposing groups appealed to the board for control of the Hillsborough Farmers’ Market. Jeffry Goodrum, speaking on behalf of 13 vendors, asked commissioners to recognize his group as the official Hillsborough Farmers’ Market board of directors. Beverly Blythe, the market’s founder and co-manager, said most vendors opposed the takeover by the group. More »