Kirk Ross
Staff Writer

CHAPEL HILL — For those trying to build a four-story residence for 140 students at the corner of Rosemary and Church streets, the third time is a charm. Those opposed to it say they don’t feel so lucky.

A site along the south side of Rosemary Street now occupied by three small buildings is the third site the Wesley Foundation has proposed as home to a residence hall it has been trying to locate in downtown Chapel Hill for several years.

A previous proposal near the foundation’s center on Pittsboro Street was met with opposition by its neighbors and town council members and a proposal to swap the Pittsboro Street center for university-owned property on East Franklin Street was turned down by UNC officials. More »

Taylor Sisk
Staff Writer

There was mischief in the man – in his voice and eyes – the expression of a quenchless appreciation for the wonders of this world, absurdities and all. He was once called “a combination of Don Quixote and one of the best legal minds we’ll ever have.” He spoke up for the little guy and in the face of the Man, any place and any time he perceived injustice.

UNC Kenan Professor Emeritus Dan Pollitt died last Friday at the age of 88 after a brief period of declining health, characteristically gracious and kind through it all, reassuring his caretakers and warmly greeting the tide of friends and family who gathered at his side. More »

Kirk Ross
Staff Writer

CHAPEL HILL — When members of the Chapel Hill Town Council sit down to discuss issues with the local legislative delegation this morning, they’ll bring an additional request beyond the usual fiscal and planning matters.

Chapel Hill Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt reminded the council at its meeting Monday night that trying to find a better way to select replacements for council vacancies is among the items under consideration. More »

Kirk Ross
Staff Writer

Carrboro — Affordable-housing rules changes being studied in Chapel Hill could lead to similar changes for rules in Carrboro.

The Carrboro Board of Aldermen, in a meeting Tuesday night at Town Hall, agreed to look at Chapel Hill’s effort to enact inclusionary zoning and consider whether such a method might work in Carrboro.

Inclusionary zoning is a planning tool that requires developers to include low- and moderate-income housing in projects. Under present rules in both towns, a developer seeking a change in zoning for a project is required to include a percentage of affordable housing. More »

UNC News Services

CHAPEL HILL – A new study that followed participants for 20 years shows both weight and risk for diabetes decreased for people in communities where fast-food prices increased.

A UNC study, published in the March 8 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, also showed the reverse – when fast-food prices fell, consumption, weight and diabetes risks rose. More »

The Orange County Health Department and the Town of Carrboro are teaming up to offer free H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccines at Town Hall in honor of the late Tom Robinson.

Robinson, whose Carrboro-based seafood market is a downtown landmark, died last month from pneumonia caused by H1N1.

The vaccine clinic will be held at Carrboro Town Hall on Saturday, March 13 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The vaccines are free of charge and county health officials are cautioning those who remain unvaccinated that despite a lull in attention, the threat of serious illness from H1N1 is still significant.

The vaccine is available to all persons 6 months of age and older, without regard to residence. County officials report that the vaccine supply is currently plentiful in both the injectable form and nasal mist.

The towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro and UNC have teamed up to apply for Google’s ultra high-speed Internet project and hope to build support for the effort at a public forum scheduled for Monday at 7 p.m. at Chapel Hill Town Hall.

In early February, Google announced the initiative to deploy and test fiber optic networks that will deliver Internet services at a speed of 1 gigabit per second, which is more than 100 times faster than the speeds available in most places in the country.

The communities selected by Google will be “testbed” communities that will help the company demonstrate the new capabilities enabled by faster and better broadband access.

Supporters want to use the forum to hear from the public on the fiber optic trial, including how residents would use an ultra high-speed Internet network.
There is also a public survey posted at surveymonkey.com/s/QLM5QST.

House Speaker Joe Hackney, who represents all of Chatham and parts of Orange and Moore counties, will be honored by People of Faith Against the Death Penalty for his work in passing the North Carolina Racial Justice Act.

Hackney, a former assistant district attorney for Orange and Chatham counties, helped steer the legislation through the legislature last year. The act allows for a person facing a death sentence or someone already sentenced to die to have a court review over whether racial bias influenced his case or the prosecutor’s decision to seek the death penalty. “The N.C. Racial Justice Act is one of the most significant reforms of the death penalty anywhere and a model piece of legislation nationwide,” said PFADP Executive Director Stephen Dear.

The reception is free and open to the public. Reservations are required and should be placed with PFADP by March 17 by contacting Kristen Smith at 933-7567 or kristen@pfadp.org

Orange County announced this week that it had refinanced existing bonds for a total savings of over $1.1 million dollars.

Representatives from the county and its bond counsel closed on the sale of $22,455,000 in General Obligation Bonds originally issued in 2001 and 2003 at an interest rate ranging from 4 percent to 4.7 percent. The new interest rates range from 2 percent to 4 percent, saving $1,120,542.50 over 12 years.

Savings are attributed to the higher than typical number of bidders and lower interest rates currently on the market.

Daniel Hubbard Pollitt, Graham Kenan Professor of Law emeritus of the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Law died March 5, surrounded by the love of his family. Dan loved his family, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, Holden Beach and Tar Heel Basketball. More »

Civil Rights lawyer, UNC law professor and activist Dan Pollitt died this morning. He was 88.

Last year Pollitt was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine.
From the Citizen story at the time:

He served as defense council in a number of historic civil-liberty trials, including those of Lillian Hellman and Arthur Miller before the House Un-American Activities Committee in the ‘50s, and has been active with numerous organizations associated with the left, including the ACLU, the National Sharecroppers Fund and Southerners for Economic Justice.
More »

The Orange County Health Department and the Town of Carrboro are teaming up to offer free H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccines at Town Hall in honor of the late Tom Robinson. More »

By Kirk Ross, Staff Writer

Carrboro Alderman Joal Hall Broun filed last week to run for the at-large county commissioner seat, setting up a three-way primary between her, former Hillsborough Mayor Joe Phelps and incumbent Commissioner Barry Jacobs.

In an interview Wednesday, Broun said she is concerned about the county’s future in an era of constrained budgets. More »

By Taylor Sisk, Staff Writer

Feelin’ good, Orange County? According to a report just released by the Robert Wood Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, relatively speaking, you are – and Chathamites aren’t doing so bad either. The County Health Rankings report indicates that Orange is the second-healthiest county in the state, with Chatham checking in fourth. More »

By Beth Mechum, Staff Writer
Chapel Hill – Due to weather issues, the Chapel Hill Town Council was unable to complete its 2010 retreat, but council members agree the work that did get accomplished was positive. More »