Halberd-leaved swamp mallow remains fully open for one day. Photo by Ken Moore.

Locally we frequently spot the common white-flowered, swamp mallow, Hibiscus moscheutos, growing in wet depressions and along the edges of Jordan Lake. Fortunately, they have numerous buds, for each flower remains open for only one day. However, in my opinion there’s a finer wild hibiscus out there, but you’ll have to go further afield to find it. This one sports a rose-pink flower with a two-day appeal.
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[Breakdown series main page]

Taylor Sisk
Staff Writer

Valerie Kramer calls Carrboro her “fairy-tale town.” She and her son, Jeff, moved here when Jeff was entering the second grade and left, in 1997, when he was 14. Kramer was ending a bad relationship, was diagnosed with clinical depression and decided she and her son needed a new start in a new environment. She and Jeff moved to Asheville.
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Kirk Ross
Staff Writer

After approving a residential complex that would be its next-door neighbor, the Carrboro Board of Aldermen opened a public hearing Tuesday night at Town Hall on 300 East Main, one of the largest redevelopment projects in Carrboro history.
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Third graders in Stephanie Wittman’s class at Morris Grove Elementary School work with the SMART Board and do other activities in math on Monday, the first day for Chapel Hill-Carrboro schools. Photo by Ava Barlow.

Despite a couple of traffic jams and a few desks that were a little too small, the first day of school for Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools was a smooth start to the school year.

“It was a quiet opening of school, which is a good thing,” said Todd LoFrese, assistant superintendent for support services for the district. “It’s good to see the kids with smiles on their faces arriving to school.”
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Photo by Valarie Schwartz

Guilt drove me to write this story.

A few weekends ago, after shopping at the Farmers’ Market, I succumbed to the lure of fresh fish from the boys selling by the Short Stop on Main Street. The fish was fine, but what stuck in my craw was the fact that I’d taken away business from our own local fishery — Tom Robinson’s Seafood on Roberson Street.
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The lovely bride

Amy Weaver Norwood and Donald Irwin Roush were united in marriage August 23 at 6 p.m. at University Presbyterian Church in Chapel Hill. The Reverend Dr. Anna Pinckney-Straight officiated at the double ring ceremony.
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Special Events

Aging in Stride 5K Run/Walk — Sept. 6, 10am. UNC Bell Tower. Benefits the Frail Elderly Fund which buys services or supplies for frail seniors who have exhausted all other resources. Come out to walk, run or volunteer. Pre-registration (‘til Aug. 27) Ages 55 and Under: $17 Ages 55+: $7 Late Registration: $22 all ages Participants will receive a t-shirt and a chance to win prizes. kimharr@email.unc.edu or http://studentorgs.unc.edu/senate/ for an entry form.
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Fiesta de la familia

Fiesta anual de El Centro Latino. Mucha diversión para todos: comidas, bailes, actividades, información. El domingo, el 31 de agosto, 11am-6pm. Town Commons, Carrboro. 932-4652

¿Estresada?

Talleres de relajamiento gratuitas para mujeres. En las oficinas de El Futuro en Carrboro. Cuidado de niños. Los miércoles, 6-7.30pm. Para más información, llame al Amy Marietta 338-1939 x514

Festival del cine

Puede ver una colección de películas cortas en el festival Hi Mom!. El viernes, el 5 de septiembre, 8pm, Parqueadero de Rosemary Street (por el correo/la corte), $5. El sábado, el 6 de septiembre, 6pm, ArtsCenter. Otras películas no aptas para niños:el viernes, el 5 de septiembre, 11pm, Artscenter. Tarjeta de pase $10. himomfilmfest@gmail.com

Comentarios, sugerencias y preguntas al betsy@carrborocitizen.com

Susan Dickson

Heavy rain and thunderstorms on the fringes of Tropical Storm Fay soaked Carrboro and Chapel Hill early Wednesday, flooding several roadways and forcing detours.
More than two inches of rain fell between 8 and 9 a.m. Wednesday, according to readings taken by the National Weather Service at Horace Williams Airport.

On South Columbia Street near UNC’s Fraternity Court, the edges of the street were flooded so badly that pedestrians were forced to walk through water above their knees. One woman lost a flip flop in the water, and chased it as it floated away.
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Carrboro police responded to 10 complaints regarding vandalism and theft in the Arcadia neighborhood on Saturday.

According to police reports, police first responded to a call regarding vandalism to the Arcadia common house at 134 Circadian Way. Inside the house, which was left open Friday night, it appeared as if someone discharged the contents of a fire extinguisher throughout the upper and lower levels, reports said. In addition, fecal matter was left on a table in a room in the upper level of the house.

Several cars belonging to residents of the Arcadia neighborhood were broken into and vandalized between late Friday night and early Saturday morning. According to Capt. J.G. Booker, items were stolen from several of the cars, but police found most of the stolen items nearby.

Booker said kids could have been involved in the crimes, but that police had no suspects.

“Often times, these [leads] are very, very difficult to develop,” he said.
Booker said he would encourage everyone to make sure their belongings are secure overnight.

On Tuesday, the Carrboro Board of Aldermen accepted the North Carolina League of Municipalities (NCLM) Green Challenge.

The NCLM issued a three-level challenge to municipalities to pursue sustainability initiatives. By accepting the challenge, the aldermen agreed to choose practical actions that can save energy, money and natural resources.

Cities and towns participating in the challenge will receive recognition for completing one or more levels of the challenge and special recognition will be given for exceptional accomplishments.

A sprinkler head extinguished a bedroom fire in Carolina Springs Apartments on Hwy. 54 last week, prior to the arrival of Carrboro Fire-Rescue.

Fire personnel were called to the scene for a structure fire in a second-floor apartment, where a mattress had burned. The apartment’s sprinkler system had completely extinguished the fire and the unit was filled with heavy smoke when firefighters arrived.

Carolina Springs, an independent-living facility, is home to nearly 150 elderly residents. All of the occupants were safely evacuated. Damage is estimated at $45,000.

The Chapel Hill Police Department recently received a national award from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention for efforts toward preventing underage drinking.

The Coalition for Alcohol and Drug Free Teenagers of Chapel Hill and Carrboro nominated the Chapel Hill Police Department for 2008 Law Enforcement Partner of the Year, which is presented for reductions in teen drinking and binge drinking, identified through surveys of youth.

The award was presented at the 10th annual National Leadership Conference in Nashville on Saturday.

More up, less out

The way planning and zoning law works in North Carolina, there’s not a lot that can be done to stop or even slow growth.

As much as people — even nice, friendly, neighborly people — want to shut the gate, we can’t.

This state is an inflow state and although there’s a lot of grousing about the headaches caused by all these folks moving here, our leaders would sooner have an inflow problem than the opposite.
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Grady McCallie

If polls are to be believed, a segment of the public has recently swung from opposing offshore oil drilling to seeing it as a plausible response to America’s energy problems. One possible answer, of course, is that these particular polls aren’t to be believed. For example, one survey asked, “Are you worried about gas prices?” (most answer “yes,” of course) then, “Should we drill to lower gas prices?” — rather than, “Should we drill even though it almost certainly won’t lower gas prices?,” which, though factual, would probably have yielded a very different response.
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