A few markers were chiseled blocks of granite with names and dates. They were much newer, closer to the road, and seeing them you at least had a name to connect with the depression in the undergrowth. But further into the place, deeper into woods that had grown up since those markers were placed, there were only stones here and there and it took a while before you could see that there were rows of stones. Some were very small, just the size of a hand and barely poking out of the vinca minor that covered the forest floor.  More »

Town leaders and key town staffers met for two days at the OWASA community room last weekend at the annual retreat for the mayor and board of aldermen. Photo by Kirk Ross

By Kirk Ross
Staff Writer

After spending the first day of their annual retreat discussing the type of town they’d like to see Carrboro become (or remain), their personal values and how they apply that to their work, members of the board of aldermen waded into the thorny issues of parking and economic development in hopes of crafting a strategy to move forward on those issues in the year ahead. More »

Edward Sigurd Hasselblad, 98, died on Saturday, January 19, 2008 at his Carolina Meadows residence in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He was born in Seattle, Washington on December 17, 1909. He lived there until he and his wife moved to Durham several years ago. More »

Renée Fontaine Krusa, 90, died January 22nd at Carol Woods Retirement Community in Chapel Hill, NC.

Renée was born in Roslyn Estates, Long Island, NY to André and Mildred Arey Fontaine. Her father was born in France and her mother’s heritage can be traced to the Mayflower’s arrival in 1620. The Fontaines owned and operated the first summer camp for girls in the U.S. in the New York Finger Lakes Region. There Renée got her start in athletics, especially competitive swimming. More »

Adam Sapikowski agreed to plead guilty last week to two counts of second-degree murder for killing his parents in 2005.

Sapikowski, 19, was set to go on trial for murdering his parents, James and Alison Sapikowski, but instead will plead guilty for the murder of his father on Friday and for the murder of his mother next week. He will serve between 40 and 50 years in prison.

The Chapel Hill Police Department has obtained warrants for two teenagers in connection with a string of residential break-ins this month in the Pinehurst area. More »

The UNC Board of Trustees last week approved the purchase of a parcel of land off Merritt Mill Road adjacent to the university’s railroad corridor for $3.5 million.

The majority of the 8.44-acre property is located in Carrboro, while about one acre is located in Chapel Hill. More »

The Board of County Commissioners will hold a public hearing on Tuesday to receive citizen comments regarding the county manager’s recommended 2008-18 Capital Investment Plan as well as the Local Revenue Options Referendum. More »

At least two students have been summoned to appear in court and hear charges in connection with a fight at Carrboro High School on Jan. 17.

According to the Carrboro Police Department, Joseph Keith Stifler, 17, of 2701 Homestead Rd., has been charged with public affray and ethnic intimidation. Lamont Powell, 16, of 201 Westbrook Dr., has been charged with public affray. More »

The Fearrington House Country Inn has been awarded, for the ninth year in a row, a Five-Star rating from Mobil Travel Guide. Forty-one hotels in the country have been rated at five stars and The Fearrington House is the only one in North Carolina. The 32 rooms in the hotel underwent renovations in 2007.

Playground Peacemaker, Cafeteria Champions among awards given

Carrboro Elementary School students and teachers present special classroom awards, including Hallway Heroes, Cafeteria Champions, Playground Peacemakers and Cleanest Classroom, as part of the school’s Second Quarter Awards assembly on January 18. Photo courtesy of Carrboro Elementary

Students in grades K-2 met in the school’s auditorium to recognize both individual and class-wide special achievements during the second quarter of the school year. An assembly for students in grades 3-5 followed.

Individual awards were given to students who exhibited the character trait of kindness, as well as to students who reached personal educational achievement goals.

In addition, one student from grades K-2 and two students from grades 3-5 were recognized as Presidential Fitness Award winners. More »

Ten Phillips Middle School students placed in the Central District Bandmasters Association auditions on Jan. 5 at Southwest Guilford Middle School.

In the Symphonic Band division, four students placed, including Li Zhang, sixth-chair clarinet; Anna Quercia-Thomas, tenth-chair clarinet; Justin Morrell, fourth-chair trumpet; and Jon Aycock, third-chair euphonium. More »

The Culbreth Middle School Sixth Grade Quiz Bowl Team placed third in the North Carolina Knowledge Master Open last week.

Team members include Pranshu Bhardaw, Tom Clark, Varun Dalmia, Will Dozier, Anna Merritt, Calvin Wagner and Katie Wilson.

The team competed against representatives from more than 330 schools from  around the state.

The Phillips Middle School Winter Orchestra Concert will be held tonight (Thursday) at 7:30 in the Phillips Auditorium.

All sixth, seventh and eighth-grade string students will perform in the concert, led by orchestra director Ann Daaleman.

The concert is open to the public.

The Drug and Alcohol Awareness Team and the Chapel Hill Police Department will sponsor a series of workshops on parent education awareness of teen alcohol and drug issues. More »