By Ken Moore

Every time I walk by one of these little flowers, I feel a smile inside and my instinct is to pause long enough to say: “Hi, how you doin’?”

Early this week, I took one of these little flowers to Padgett Station, one of my Carrboro coffee spots, and set it in front of Jami and Logan, who were working behind the counter.
More »

by Rich Fowler
Staff Writer

Thabet Thabet hospital sits atop a large hill in the West Bank town of Tulkarem, and on a clear day from the rooftop you can see the Mediterranean Sea only 30 miles away. But the hospital has to function without computers, microscopes, saws, drills and a lot of other equipment you would ordinarily find in hospitals in the U.S.

That hospital is where John van Aalst’s mother was born.

For about 10 days every May and December, van Aalst brings a small team of medical professionals from the U.S. to Tulkarem to operate on children with cleft palates and to teach Palestinian doctors how to treat them. Van Aalst, a plastic surgeon at UNC Hospitals, has treated over 250 Palestinian children since he first came to the region in 2005. His wife, Cindy, a registered nurse who also works at UNC Hospitals, comes and assists him on his trips to the West Bank.
More »

by Susan Dickson
Staff Writer

The homeowners’ association for Abbey Court Apartments announced on Tuesday that they had relaxed the complex’s towing policy and asked residents who had been denied parking permits due to vehicle appearance to reapply.

“We would ask that anyone who has been denied a parking permit due to a vehicle appearance issue revisit the office at Abbey Court,” said Ken Lucas, president and CEO of the Tar Heel Companies and owner of the majority of Abbey Court’s units, in a press release. “We will be reassessing any vehicle that has been previously denied due to an appearance issue. The policy regarding the need for vehicles to be properly registered to residents remains unchanged.”
More »

by Kirk Ross
Staff Writer

After recently closing the deal for an 8 1/2-acre parcel off Merritt Mill Road on the Chapel Hill-Carrboro border, university officials OK’ed plans to start studying the site for a new rail siding.

At its meeting last week, the UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees approved a recommendation to enlist Raleigh design firm Moffatt & Nichol to study the site, most of which is in Carrboro.
More »

By Valarie Schwartz

With wide-open mind, heart, arms and face, Joy Williams has returned this week to Mali, the West African nation she first visited in 2002, where she learned the dances of her ancestors. During this trip, she will participate in The Bloodline Project, striving to fight Mali’s number-one killer of children — malaria — killing one child every 30 seconds. The problem is compounded by the 70 percent illiteracy rate in this country we Americans may best know as the land of Timbuktu.
More »

The building at 214 W. Franklin Street, formerly Wicked Burrito, is undergoing construction as it is transformed into a Noodles & Company, a restaurant offering an assortment of Asian, Mediterranean and American pasta dishes. The building was chosen by the company because of its age, character and image, which they intend to preserve, according to Jon Brockway, superintendent on the job with U.S. General Construction out of Georgia.
More »

by Jack Carley
Staff Writer

The Town of Carrboro held a meeting July 23 to hear public comments on the initial stages of a new bike plan for the town. Consultants from Greenways, Inc. presented a preliminary plan for improving the town’s bicycle facilities and about 50 people dropped by to see the plans and offer their opinions, said town Transportation Planner Adena Messinger.
More »

The regional favorite Southern String Band will play the Saxaphaw Rivermill Market & Music Series this Saturday. The music-combination-farmers’ market is every Saturday from 5-8 p.m. until the end of August, with a special Oktoberfest celebration on Oct. 18. To come and enjoy the show, bring a blanket and chairs. Vendors sell prepared food and farmers offer produce; arts and crafts are also available along with activities for kids. Drivers are encouraged to park at the Saxapahaw General Store or the Collins Community Center. Dogs are not allowed at the event. For more information visit www.rivermillvillage.com or call 336 675 7704.

The Center for Environmental Farming Systems in Goldsboro will host a workshop on August 20 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. entitled Organic Certification to teach farmers how to get a farm certified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program.

On August 25, a workshop entitled Developing Community Based Food Systems will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The workshop will look at the framework of local food systems, including conducting food assessments, developing new markets, policies that affect food systems and more.
More »

OWASA will waive the fee for boat users on University Lake on Fridays until August 15. There is still a fee for renting an electric trolling motor. For a waiver, bring in a recent bill to prove you are an OWASA customer. If you have OWASA service but not a bill, bring identification that can confirm your address. University Lake is open Friday through Monday from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Call OWASA at 942-5790 for more information.

The N.C. Botanical Garden will host several events for the public in August.

On Aug. 2, it will hold a workshop, “Local Flora: Summer,” from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. An instructor will give classroom lectures and lead explorations to teach about a variety of local habitats and the summer’s woody and herbaceous plants.
More »

The next date for the ChathamArts Potluck in a Pasture was incorrectly reported in last week’s paper. The next Potluck in a Pasture will be held September 14 at Castle Rock Gardens from 5-7 p.m. Details to follow, for information call 219-9840.

by Susan Dickson
Staff Writer

When Mychal Wynn was in second grade, he failed math, science, social studies, language and vocabulary. His teacher doubted that he would ever make it out of elementary school, despite his early goal of going to college.

As a young black student in rural Alabama in the 1950s and ‘60s, the odds were against him. Wynn made it out of elementary school, but continued to struggle in high school. However, his work for his high school yearbook landed him in front of a black representative from Northeastern University, who put an application in his hands and sent him on his way. Wynn was accepted to Northeastern, and went to Boston the next year, where he turned himself around.
More »

UNC News Services

The Ackland Art Museum has received $1.25 million from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to deepen and expand the museum’s role in the education of university students.

The museum will use the funds to engage UNC scholars and students in research, publication, interpretation and creation of exhibitions from the Ackland collection; give students opportunities to learn about the substance and methodology of museum work; and introduce graduate teaching assistants and faculty to ways of using artworks to support teaching and learning strategies that apply across academic departments and disciplines.
More »

University Mall in Chapel Hill has its own Facebook page now as part of an effort by its owners to find out what area residents want. Washington, D.C.-based Madison Marquette owns the 366,000-square-foot mall and shopping center and plans to redevelop it over the next few years. The mall was built in 1973 and was last renovated in 2003. To visit the mall’s Facebook page, go to www.universitymallnc.com.