Attention market goers: Please note that the Carrboro Farmers’ Market is now open at 7 a.m. There’s plenty on hand (see “What’s at the Market,” page 10) and a lot of farmers who long to see you in the morning light.

A statewide hat tip to Carrboro resident James Evans, who helped make it a little harder for North Carolina’s voters to have their identity stolen.
A recent story in the Charlotte Observer says Evans noticed that the state board of elections website allowed him to lookup the birthdates of every voter on the rolls (close to 6 million folks). After he alerted state officials, they changed the site.

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Thursday March 20

Blue Horn Lounge: Blake Tedder. 10pm
Cat’s Cradle: Ingrid Michaelson, Bob Schneider, Cary Brothers, Joshua Radin, AM, Chris Denny. 7:30pm. Sold out.
The Cave: Early: The Woos. Late: Hege V, Hwyl, $5.
Local 506: Dub Trio, Foreign Islands, Grappling Hook. 9pm. $8
Nightlight: Icarus Himself, The Nothing Noise, The Men. 9:30pm

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By Kirk Ross
Staff Writer

After receiving an update on water-conservation efforts among Carrboro and its neighbors, the town’s Board of Aldermen discussed how best to build conservation into the town’s ordinances.

An interlocal work group made up of officials from Carrboro, the Orange Water and Sewer Authority, Chapel Hill and Orange County have formed a work group to consider water-demand management and water conservation. In a new report to local governments presented to the Carrboro board at its meeting at Town Hall Tuesday night, the group recommends new conservation rules for new development and several regulatory approaches for existing developments, including mandatory irrigation retrofits, a possible retrofit-on-sale ordinance and water audits. All of those proposals would likely require action by local governments. In addition, the group suggests that either OWASA or the local governments launch an extensive education program and start retrofitting facilities in schools, parks and public buildings.

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SECU Family House, a 40-bedroom hospital hospitality house for adult critical care patients and caregivers at UNC Hospitals, will open its doors to its first patients and families on March 31.

SECU Family House will provide housing to thousands of pre- and post-surgical patients from the transplant, oncology, burn, eating disorders and trauma units, making it possible for their family members and caregivers to stay nearby during lengthy stays that stretch a family’s budget and drain mental and emotional reserves. The facility, located at 123 Old Mason Farm Road, was funded with $8.1 million in cash and in-kind gifts. More »

Senator Kay Hagan, Democratic candidate for the United States Senate, will speak on Wednesday, March 26 at 6:30 p.m. in the multipurpose room of the Central Carolina Community College in Pittsboro.

The event, which is sponsored by the Chatham County Democratic Women, will be open to the public and free of charge. There will be a question and answer period following her remarks.

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Triangle Transit will not operate bus and shuttle routes on Friday, March 21st in observance of the Good Friday holiday. Triangle Transit offices will also be closed. Triangle Transit will resume regular Saturday service on Saturday, March 22nd.

“Ellie Fest 2008” is a celebration of state Sen. Eleanor Kinnaird’s contributions to the state of North Carolina and a rally for her re-election campaign. It will be held on Sunday, April 6 from 2 to 5 pm at the Carrboro Town Commons. Music will be provided by Tim Stambaugh, Jimmy Magoo and Saludos Compay. Paperhand Puppet Intervention will entertain and state Sen. Janet Cowell will be the featured speaker. Refreshments will be provided by Open Eye Cafe.

Safety improvements for pedestrians and bicyclists at the intersection of Fordham Boulevard and Manning Drive and at the intersection of Old Mason Farm Road and Fordham Boulevard should be finished by August. Kumar Neppalli, engineering services manager for the Town of Chapel Hill, reported on the progress of the project to the Chapel Hill Town Council on Monday night. Crosswalks at both intersections will be equipped with pushbuttons, audible beepers, bicycle activated signal loops and a timer.

At the Manning Drive and Fordham Boulevard intersection, pedestrians will be able to cross Fordham Boulevard on the south side of the intersection and a crosswalk will be installed across Manning Drive on the residential side. A small 30-to-40-foot section of concrete sidewalk will be built at the corner to protect people waiting to cross Fordham Boulevard.

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Wei-Lee Kuo, 46, of Chapel Hill died Saturday, March 15, 2008 peacefully after a battle with ovarian cancer.

The former Taiwan native was a dedicated wife, mother, and friend to many. As a talented artist and an interior designer specializing in office space design, she worked for Alfred Williams & Company and Closet by Design. She loved to communicate with others.  She was the organizer of a Chapel Hill Lady’s club.

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Mr. Charlie A. Carden, Sr., 97, of Greentree Drive in Hillsborough, died Saturday, March 15, 2008 at Greensboro Commons in Greensboro after a brief illness.

Mr. Carden was born February 17, 1911, to the late George and Gertrude Carden.  He was a lifelong resident of Hillsborough and a U.S. Army veteran of World War II, where he received the Purple Heart.  More »

The Orange-Hillsborough Relay For Life is holding its Annual Multi-Group Flea Market from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 5th at the Hillsborough Suntrust Bank at 260 South Churton Street in Hillsborough. Treasures are waiting to be discovered. Concessions and baked goods will also be available. For more information, contact Dawn Berry at dberry18@nc.rr.com or 730-6361.

The Carrboro Century Center will host the Sixth Annual Carrboro CD and Record Show on Sunday, April 6 from noon until 6 p.m. About 40 tables of new and used CDs, vinyl records and music memorabilia will be on display for sale and swap. Admission is free.

The Friends of the Library will hold a book sale from Thursday, March 27 to Saturday, March 29. Thousands of books in all categories will be available, but particularly in art, history, biography and fiction, along with classical music CDs. Pre-K through 12th-grade teachers with identification are entitled to a 50 percent discount. Proceeds will benefit the University Library Endowment. On Thursday only members of the Friends of the Library may buy. Friday is open to all, and Saturday is a Bag Day Sale, in which all books are $3 for a bag. More information at http://www.lib.unc.edu/spotlight/2008/BookSale.html.

The premiere screening of the documentary Change Comes Knocking: The Story of the N.C. Fund will take place at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 25 at Union Auditorium on the UNC campus. The showing will be followed by a discussion with filmmakers and professors. The documentary tells the story of the anti-poverty North Carolina Fund established in 1963 by Gov. Terry Sanford. Fund employees worked to empower poor NC blacks and whites against a background of national racial unrest. The film was made by Durham’s Video Dialog Inc. and sponsored by the Southern Documentary Fund.

Carrboro

El Sur Comes South — Pedro Lash with Los Artistas & local sonideros; Center Gallery. Kardelen (Snow Drop) — Works by Pelin Yazar Canez, Orhan Alpaslan, Asuman Dogan, Atanur Dogan and Nihal Kececi to celebrate International Women’s Month. The ArtsCenter. 300-G E Main St. 929-2787, artscenterlive.org

Kardelen: Turkish-American Artists Celebrate International Women’s Month — Paintings by Pelin Yazar Canez and Orhan Alpaslan. Showing through Mar 30. East End Gallery, The ArtsCenter.

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