Showing posts in the “Orange County” category
Joe Schwartz ·
5 Mar 2010, 12:09 PM ·
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Dan Pollitt, who dedicated his life to fighting for civil rights in courts and academia, died this morning at age 88, according to the Carrboro Citizen, which first reported the story.
Dan Pollitt and his wife, N.C. Sen. Ellie Kinnaird, with President Barack Obama at a campaign event.
Pollitt, who married State Sen. Ellie Kinnaird in 2009, is a past chairman of the faculty at UNC and helped lead the charge against the speaker ban in 1963.
He will be remembered as a champion for equality and justice, especially in liberal circles.
Rob Schofield, director of research at the progressive think tank N.C. Policy Watch, called Pollitt a “brilliant attorney who used his intellect and commitment to fight for the underdog.
“Throughout the last half decade, there was scarcely an important civil rights or social justice cause in our state that Dan didn’t impact for the better,” Schofield wrote at the N.C. Policy Watch blog. “He will be missed tremendously.”
Pollitt was also an occasional contributor to the Indy. You can read his work here.
North Carolina, Orange County, politics Carrboro Citizen, civil rights, Dan Pollitt, Ellie Kinnaird, NC Policy Watch, speaker ban
Joe Schwartz ·
3 Mar 2010, 4:21 PM ·
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Topeka municipal leaders renamed the town Google, Kansas. Others across the country are forming Facebook groups and bringing tech gurus together hoping to be selected for Google’s high-speed Internet project.
Chapel Hill, Carrboro and UNC are forming a joint task force, holding a forum and inviting residents to complete a survey.
The group is geared toward becoming a pilot community for Google Fiber, a program announced last month that seeks to build and test Internet service that’s one gigabit per second — 100 times faster than what’s available today.
To qualify, towns of 50,000 to 500,000 people must apply by March 26 and demonstrate that they have adequate resources and infrastructure to make the partnership successful.
The forum is set for 7 p.m. March 15 at Chapel Hill Town Hall.
Read next week’s Independent for a story on what else local municipalities are doing to try to woo Google.
Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Orange County Add new tag, Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Durham, fiber, Google, UNC
Joe Schwartz ·
1 Mar 2010, 5:57 PM ·
1 Comment
Twenty-eight candidates are vying for 16 seats tied to Orange County this election season. This cycle, which centers on a May 4 primary and climaxes during the Nov. 2 election, features a crowded race for a spot on the Orange County Board of Education and experienced contenders competing both in the sheriff and county commissioner at-large races.
Lindy Pendergrass, who won his first term as Orange County sheriff back when Michael Jordan hit the shot to down Georgetown, is seeking his eight term and will square off against Hillsborough Police Chief Clarence Birkhead in the democratic primary. Republican Buddy Parker, who lost to Pendergrass in 2006 and earned just 19 percent of the vote, awaits the winner in the general election.
Meanwhile, the Board of County Commissioners race will see three-term incumbent Barry Jacobs face a challenge from former Hillsborough Mayor Joe Phelps and current Carrboro Alderman Joal Hall Broun in contest for the at-large seat. Long-time incumbent Alice Gordon doesn’t face competition for the District 1 seat and three newcomers, Earl McKee and Renee Price on the Democratic side and Greg Andrews on the Republican end, are seeking the District 2 slot.
District 1 consists of Chapel Hill and Carrboro and two-thirds of the Chapel Hill Township, while District 2 makes up the northern parts of the county.
Candidates have a one-in-two shot to gain a seat on the Orange County Board of Education with eight hopefuls eyeing one of four seats. Two incumbents, Chairwoman Anne Medenblik and second-term hopeful Debbie Piscitelli, face Will Atherton, Brenda Stephens, Laura Nicholson, Donna Coffey, Keith Cook and Charles Williams.
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Orange County, politics 2010 election, Anne Medenblik, Barry Jacobs, Bill Faison, Board of County Commissioners, Brenda Stephens, Buddy Parker, Cathy Wright, Charles Williams, Clarence Birkhead, clerk of court, Debbie Piscitelli, Deborah Brooks, Donna Coffey, Earl McKee, Ellie Kinnaird, Greg Andrews, James Stanford, Joal Hall Broun, Joe Hackney, Joe Phelps, Jon Bass, Keith Cook, Laura Nicholson, Lindy Pendergrass, NC General Assembly, Orange County, Orange County Board of Education, Orange County sheriff, register of deeds, Renee Price, Rick Smith, Ryan Hilliard, Soil Conservation District Supervisor, Verla Insko, Will Atherton
Joe Schwartz ·
17 Feb 2010, 12:14 PM ·
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Durham’s El Centro Hispano plans to open its Orange County branch on April 1 in Carrboro Plaza, though they are yet to secure a lease, leaders said in both Spanish and English at the Seymour Center on Tuesday.
The group hopes to bring financial stability, consistent leadership and a successful service and funding model to Carrboro after El Centro Latino closed in November, leaving a hole in translation, job finding, after school and legal services for Spanish speakers.
“There are no guarantees. We are out on a limb,” El Centro Hispano Board Chairwoman Susan Denman said. “It’s because we support what Carrboro and Chapel Hill have been doing, and we have faith in the foundation the board has laid.”
More than 100 community members, some former volunteers or members of churches that supported El Centro Latino, attended the meeting during which El Centro Hispano outlined its plans for Orange County and pinned for support.
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Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Durham, Durham County, Orange County, education Carrboro Plaza, El Centro Hispano, El Centro Latino, Latino Community Credit Union, Seymour Center, Susan Denman
Joe Schwartz ·
11 Feb 2010, 5:29 PM ·
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It’s a slow news day down at the Orange County Board of Elections with only two candidates filing for office. N.C. Speaker of the House Joe Hackney surprised no one by declaring his intent to run for a 16th term. Newcomer Renee Price signed up to run against fellow challenger Earl McKee for a county commissioner seat in district two.
“We’ve had a quiet day,” said Tracy Reams, Orange County Board of Elections chairwoman. “We’re hoping to get some more candidates in here. I think when you have races that are opposed, more people feel like their vote matters.”
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Orange County, politics Carrboro Town Hall, clerk of court, Joe Hackney, Morehead Planetarium, NC General Assembly, one-stop voting, Orange County Board of Commissioners, Orange County Board of Education, Orange County Board of Elections, Orange County sheriff, OrangePolitics, register of deeds, Renee Price, soil conservation supervisor, Tracy Reams
Joe Schwartz ·
11 Feb 2010, 3:53 PM ·
3 Comments
UNC burned 104,586.00 tons of coal at its cogeneration plan in 2009, public records show.
During the past five years, they’ve used 568.703 tons of coal purchased from eight mines all in Virginia or Kentucky.
You can access the data here. Next week’s Indy will feature an analysis of the mines and their practices.
Regina Stabile, director of institutional records and reporting compliance, filled our public records request Wednesday, the same day that our story on UNC coal use hit the stands. The request, which asked for the amount and cost of coal used each year since 2005 along with the name and location of the mines, was filed Jan. 29.
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Chapel Hill, Orange County, environment coal, Cogeneration Facility, Energy Task Force, Regina Stabile, UNC
Lisa Sorg ·
9 Feb 2010, 6:23 PM ·
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Who knew what when: The N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources wants answers from UNC-Chapel Hill about the 53-day gap between the time workers at the Bingham Facility suspected a leak in a treated-wastewater storage pond and when the university notified environmental officials that said leak did occur.
The treated wastewater did flow into nearby Collins Creek, a violation of UNC’s discharge permit.
A letter from DENR to UNC (160kb, pdf denrletter24) stated that the state regulators are considering “enforcement action,” and asked for a response from the university.
Mary Beth Koza, director of UNC environment, health and safety, said the university is preparing a response to DENR. “We try to do everything in compliance,” she said.
Because of the discharge DENR revoked UNC’s “deemed permit status,” a general permit classification, and is requiring the university to apply for an individual discharge permit. UNC has until early March to submit its application.
There have been several malfunctions or leaks at the facility’s wastewater treatment ponds, which have raised questions about the quality of the construction. Koza would not address that issue, but added “We’re working with the contractors to fix the problem.”
Orange County, environment Bingham Facility, discharge permit, N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, UNC
Joe Schwartz ·
8 Feb 2010, 11:55 AM ·
2 Comments
Carlo Robustelli, former aide to Chapel Hill Mayor Kevin Foy, has been named director of Orange County operations for Durham Technical Community College.
We profiled a Robustelli in December, when he concluded two and a half years in the Chapel Hill mayor’s office as Foy opted against running for re-election.
Robustelli, who took classes at Durham Tech and transferred the credits to UNC, now is charged with running student services, recruitment and overseeing daily operations for the Orange County campus.
“I am delighted that Carlo Robustelli has joined us,” Durham Tech President Bill Ingram said in a press release. “He is uniquely qualified to help us strengthen and sustain Durham Tech’s programs and services in Orange County.”
Chapel Hill, Durham, Orange County, education Bill Ingram, Carlo Robustelli, Durham Technical Community College, Kevin Foy
Joe Schwartz ·
3 Feb 2010, 6:26 PM ·
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Durham’s El Centro Hispano announced plans today to open an Orange County branch, which would fill the gap left when El Centro Latino shut its doors in November.
Leadership from both nonprofits will host a public meeting at 7 p.m. Feb. 16 in the Seymour Center auditorium in Chapel Hill to garner input on the collaborative effort.
Pilar Rocha-Goldberg, executive director of El Centro Hispano, said her organization is ready and willing to provide much-needed translating, English lessons and job finding services for Orange County’s Spanish-speaking community.
“We are confident that the structure we have here will allow us to give good service to the community,” she said.
El Centro Latino closed after a 10-year run as a nonprofit due to a lack of funding and constant turnover of its leadership.
Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Durham, Orange County El Centro Hispano, El Centro Latino, Orange County, Pilar Rocha-Goldberg, Seymour Center
Joe Schwartz ·
2 Feb 2010, 4:47 PM ·
2 Comments
James Hansen, one of the nation’s leading experts on global warming, joined a group of UNC students today in calling for the university to become coal-free.
Standing in front of UNC’s Cogeneration Facility, which powers the campus, about 20 students held signs encouraging Chancellor Holden Thorp to “be a climate champ.”
They were joined by Professor Jose Rial, a UNC glaciologist, Patricia Leighten, a Westwood neighborhood resident who lives about a quarter-mile from the plant, a handful of Sierra Club members and Carrboro Alderman Sammy Slade.
The speakers praised Thorp’s creation of an Energy Task Force and said it provides an opportunity for UNC to become a national leader in renewable and clean energy.
“The best way for the Energy Task Force to address energy use on campus is to get UNC off of coal as quickly as possible,” said Stewart Boss, a freshman and media outreach coordinator for the Sierra Club’s Coal-Free UNC Campaign. “Coal is the dirtiest possible energy source we could be using today.”
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Chapel Hill, Orange County, environment Coal-Free UNC Campaign, Cogeneration Facility, Holden Thorp, James Hansen, Jose Rial, Sammy Slade, Sierra Club, UNC
