By Ken Moore

Several days ago, I spied lots of yellow flowers along the edge of the power line crossing Poplar Avenue in west Carrboro. Infrequently cleared power line right-of-ways are great places to observe a diversity of both native and exotic plants and the critters that depend on them.

This past weekend, I walked through the tall grasses for a closer look. I found a vigorous stand of six-foot-tall rosinweeds, Silphium asteriscus. The Latin, silphium, refers to the rosin content. There are several species of silphium in our state, occurring mostly on dry prairie-like fields and roadsides. They have an interesting heritage of medicinal uses, including tonics given to horses. The rosin was used for gum and candy for the children. The frequently described action of burning the dried root as a charm against lightning during storms really fires the imagination.
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After dozens of cars are towed, residents claim discrimination

by Susan Dickson
Staff Writer

The owner of the majority of Abbey Court Condominiums told Mayor Mark Chilton on Monday that he would not suspend the complex’s towing policy and that management would continue to tow residents’ vehicles that do not have parking permits.

Chilton said he asked Ken Lucas, president and CEO of the Tar Heel Companies, to stop towing residents’ cars, but that Lucas refused. The Tar Heel Companies runs Abbey Court and Lucas owns most of the units in the complex.
Last week, Abbey Court began towing vehicles that were parked in the apartment complex’s parking lot without permits. However, many residents were denied parking permits because their cars have dents, need paint or have a cracked windshield, according to Carrboro police.
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by Susan Dickson
Staff Writer

Tomato enthusiasts, get ready – the peak of tomato season has arrived, and it’s time to head on down to the Carrboro Farmers’ Market to sample some of the area’s best varieties.

For the past eight years, the Carrboro Farmers’ Market has featured a tomato tasting during a Saturday market at the height of tomato season, but this year things are changing slightly.
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Chapel Hill Police have obtained a warrant for a suspect in a robbery Tuesday near the ATM at RBC Centura Bank on Willow Drive .

The robbery occurred at 2:40 p.m. when the victim was returning to his car after withdrawing money from the machine.
According to a police report, the suspect, Keith Robert Webster, Jr. of 516 Burlington Ave. in Durham, was sitting in a car parked next to the victim’s vehicle with a shotgun across his lap. The report says he demanded money from the victim and also demanded the victim withdraw more money from the ATM. Roberts then fled in his car, according to the report. He was apprehended later in Raleigh and is in the custody of the Wake County Sheriff’s Department.
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Landfill gas facility for Carolina North also part of bill

by Kirk Ross
Staff Writer

The General Assembly has cleared the way for UNC-Chapel Hill and UNC Health Care to jointly create an airport authority, which will be charged with locating, building and operating a new airport to replace the field at Horace Williams.

The authority provisions, woven into a bill that authorizes various university system construction projects, require approval by the UNC System Board of Governors for the university and the health care system to set up an authority. Once set up, the authority would have the right to acquire property, condemn land and construct an airport facility.
The bill was held up briefly while Senate and House negotiators settled on language that limited where such an authority could be set up. The Senate’s version of the bill was much broader, allowing other institutions in the UNC system to set up airport authorities. But House negotiators led by Orange County representatives Verla Insko and Bill Faison managed to maintain language the House adopted specifying that the new airport authority should be limited to Orange County.
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By Valarie Schwartz

For years, I’ve admired the gardening I could see while driving past Irene Womble Stevens’ home on Damascus Church Road. From whichever direction one approaches this home perched on the crest of a hill, there’s no doubt that a gardener lives there.

One day last year, I left a note in the mailbox claiming my admiration and included my phone number. She called and we talked about her gardening obsession, but the drought was on and not much was left for the season. After seeing how spectacular it looked while passing by last week, I stopped in and got a tour of the garden Stevens has created around the house her grandfather bought in 1905 and raised seven children in through the deaths of two wives.
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THURSDAY JULY 24
Cat’s Cradle: Hieroglyphics, Blue Scholars, Knobody, Musab, Tanya Morgan. 9:30pm
Local 506: Pop Stomp (Indie Dance Night with DJ Mixcake)
The Cave: EARLY: FEMMEFEST. LATE: Taz Halloween, Val Yumm.
The Station: Near Blind James & Harmonica Bob.
Blue Horn Lounge: Tori Sparks.
General Store Café: Jazz w/ Bo Lankenau & Friends. 8pm
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Carrboro Mayor Mark Chilton expressed his dismay at a new eight-foot-tall, barbed-wire fence that runs along the perimeter of Estes Park Apartments, erected by the complex’s management and blocking a frequently used path for walkers and bikers between northern Chapel Hill and downtown Carrboro.

Chilton’s dissatisfaction with the obstacle mirrors the feelings of others in the area who regularly use the pathway as either an alternative to driving or to walking or biking on the traffic-heavy Estes Drive Extension to North Greensboro Street.
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by Catherine Rierson
Staff Writer

According to Chapel Hill Town public information officer Catherine Lazorko, Town Manager Roger Stancil has promised potential criminal charges and employee termination as repercussions for the perpetrator of a second unsolved case of racist graffiti.

Lazorko was unaware of any new developments in the ongoing investigation promised by the town manager, and Stancil is withholding comments on the investigation, she said.
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Funeral services for James Everett Johnson, age 91, were held July 23 at 1 p.m. at Jones Funeral Home in Chapel Hill. The burial followed in Barbee’s Chapel Baptist Church Cemetary.

He is survived by his wife, Jennie Jones Johnson; one son, Larry Johnson; three daughters, Jeanie Bishop, Carol Johnson and Angelet Alston; and sister Lillie M. Pratt.

Ruth C. French passed away on July 18, 2008 in her home with her family. Born December 14, 1910 in North Tarrytown, NY, Ruth was the eldest daughter to Archibald Eastwood Chace, MD and Ruth Lombard.

She lived in Tarrytown, NY and Texarkana, AR before moving to southern California, where she majored in art and music at Long Beach Junior College and UCLA. Just prior to World War II, she became the first female Production Planner for North American Aviation on the B-25 Mitchell bombers and P-51 Mustangs.
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Glenn Odell Ervin, Sr., 78, affectionately known as “the mayor of Coventry Court” for his friendliness and humor, died at home July 19, 2008 after a short, hard battle with cancer. He was born and raised in Catawba, NC. Glenn served in the United States Air Force and then later graduated from the University of Baltimore in 1960. He retired from the Bell system after 32 years of dedicated service.

He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Marlyn Ervin; son, Glenn Ervin Jr. and wife, Mary Lou; son, Paul Ervin and wife, Cindy; daughter, Margaret Ramsdell and husband, Craig; five granddaughters; and three great-grandsons.He was preceded in death by his parents, John and Macey Ervin, brother, Cyril Ervin, brother, Joe Morris Ervin, and son, David L. Ervin.
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The Orange County Human Rights and Relations Office is accepting applications for the Community Civil Rights Educator Program.

The program is designed to empower community leaders and help residents understand their rights and responsibilities. Five to 10 people will be selected to participate in the program that will start in the fall. After completing the training program, the educators will sign a contract with the office to conduct community outreach for one year. Educators will receive a monetary stipend for successful completion of quarterly requirements.
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County Manager Laura Blackmon announced on Wednesday that Annette Moore will serve as the new staff attorney for Orange County.

As staff attorney, Moore will provide in-house legal services for county departments, reporting directly to the county manager.
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UNC raised $300 million in fiscal year 2008, the highest total ever for the school in one year and the fifth-straight record-setting year for fundraising.

Commitments in 2008 also helped the university create 36 endowed professorships as well as a total of 93 undergraduate scholarships and graduate fellowships.
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