Showing posts in the “politics” category
Joe Schwartz ·
18 Mar 2010, 3:34 PM ·
Comment
Coal-Free UNC bookended Wednesday’s campus Energy Task Force meeting with two events, one to sway opinion through song and the other through intellectual testimony.
In between the rally and the panel discussion, university energy consultants told the task force that it would take significant legislation to drive up the cost of coal and decrease the expense of green energy to make alternative energy economically feasible for the campus.
A dozen members of Coal-Free UNC, which has been campaigning since last year to quash burning coal at UNC’s Cogeneration Plant, sang a parody of the school’s alma mater and fight song with coal free lyrics at the Old Well.
“I’m a Tar Heel born, I’m a Tar Heel bred, and breathing coal, I’m a Tar Heel dead,” they caroled to the six journalists and two onlookers in attendance.
After the boom box died down, the Coal-Free UNC leaders walked across the street to South Building and delivered two letters to Chancellor Holden Thorp’s office. One signed by 43 faculty members calls on the campus to end coal use by 2015. The other asks Thorp to meet with students on coal. Administrative assistant Barbara Leonard received and logged the letters, which will be passed on to Thorp, she said.
Read next week’s Independent for a breakdown of the Energy Task Force meeting and more on the panel discussion.
Continue reading past the jump for an audio recording of the coal-free alma mater and the full lyrics.
Continue reading »
Chapel Hill, Orange County, environment, politics alma mater, biofuels, coal, Coal-Free UNC, cogeneration plant, Holden Thorp, Old Well, Sierra Club, torrified wood, UNC Energy Task Force
Bob Geary ·
8 Mar 2010, 10:26 AM ·
1 Comment
Isn’t it amazing that the the U.S. Supreme Court decision equating free speech with corporate money, the one that allows corporations to spend unlimited sums on candidates and causes they like (or, more often, dislike), came in a case known as “Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission.”
That’s “Citizens” as in “Corporations Hiding Behind a Made-Up Name that Makes Us Look Like We’re Just Folks.”
The ramifications of this, and what we in North Carolina should do about it, will be discussed at a forum, “The Future of Campaign Financing in North Carolina,” on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Beyu Caffe in Durham.
From the Facebook listing:
Panelists:
Damon Circosta, Executive Director of N.C. Center for Voter Education.
Chase Foster, Director of NC Voters for Clean Elections
Representative Henry M. Michaux, Jr., North Carolina House of Representatives – District 31
Moderated by: Laura Leslie, WUNC’s Capitol Bureau Chief
Beyu Caffé is located at 335 W. Main St., Durham, NC 27701
In the January 21st 5-4 ruling of United v. FEC, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned restrictions against corporate spending in American elections. Corporations are no longer viewed separately from individuals and are not limited to spending through Political Action Committees. They can now directly support or not support their choice of candidates.
So what does this mean for North Carolina, cities and counties in the Triangle, and you? Will we see corporations spending more on candidates or is public financing of campaigns in our future?
Durham, North Carolina, politics Citizens United
Joe Schwartz ·
5 Mar 2010, 12:09 PM ·
Comment
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
Samiha Khanna ·
3 Mar 2010, 4:43 PM ·
1 Comment
After a meeting of city and county elected officials, it doesn’t appear that the City Council or County Commissioners will be reconsidering the Durham’s 26-page ordinance on signage any time soon. When asked by Durham’s planning department whether it’s time to revisit the ordinance, Durham leaders vehemently answered, “No.”
“I personally am not in favor of opening the sign ordinance,” said City Councilwoman Diane Catotti, at Wednesday’s meeting of Durham’s Joint City-County Planning Committee, for which she is chairwoman. “I think it’s a lot cleaner in terms of litigation to support the sign ordinance in place. I do fear litigation. It’s a lengthy and costly process and I don’t think I have to remind any of you that the city has significant litigation still pending. I’ll just say ‘lacrosse.’”
Catotti commented that sign litigation is a prominent form of action taken against governments, and that Durham itself went through a nearly 10-year battle over a signage lawsuit from the 1980s and 1990s that cost the city nearly $1.5 million. Continue reading »
Durham, Durham County, North Carolina, news, politics campaign contributions, City of Durham, Diane Catotti, Durham City Council, Durham County Commissioners, Durham JCCPC, Durham Planning Commission, Durham planning department, Durham politics, electronic billboards, Ellen Reckhow, Fairway, litigation, Patrick Byker, Steve Medlin, Unified Development Ordinance
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.
Continue reading »
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
Samiha Khanna ·
26 Feb 2010, 3:57 PM ·
Comment
Several local politicos waited until the last minute to throw their names into the hat in Durham’s local and state elections. Candidates had until noon today to declare their intentions to run.
Several previously uncontested races now boast challengers, and in three offices—Durham District Attorney, Clerk of Court and N.C. House District 29—incumbent Democrats Tracey Cline, Archie Smith and Rep. Larry Hall face no challengers.
The rundown of today’s filings:
- Republican Laney Funderburk, of Glenmore Drive, has filed for N.C. Senate District 20, challenging incumbent Democrat Sen. Floyd McKissick. Funderburk ran for Durham City Council in 2007.
- Republican Patricia Ladd of Shaw Road has filed against incumbent Democrat Rep. H.M. Mickey Michaux.
- Republican Larry Yarbrough of Duck Pointe Drive in Roxboro has filed for N.C. House District 55, facing incumbent Democrat Rep. Winkie Wilkins. Two other Democrats are also vying for Wilkins’ seat.
- Democrat Tony Butler of North Willowhaven Drive will face incumbent Durham County Sheriff Worth Hill in a Democratic primary. Roy Taylor, a Republican, also has filed for this office.
- In the Durham school board election, Regina Stanley-King of Wayne Circle has entered the race against Pastor Fredrick Davis for the District 2 seat. Stanley-King first ran for office in 2005, in an unsuccessful bid against veteran Howard Clement for a City Council seat.
For the full list, visit the Durham Board of Elections Web site.
Durham, Durham County, North Carolina, education, news, politics 2010 elections, Archie Smith, Durham Board of Elections, Durham City Council, Durham County Sheriff, Durham politics, Durham school board, Howard Clement, Laney Funderburk, N.C. House, N.C. legislature, NC Senate, Pastor Fredrick Davis, Patricia Ladd, Regina Stanley-King, Rep. Larry Hall, Rep. Mickey Michaux, Rep. Winkie Wilkins, Sen. Floyd McKissick, Tony Butler, Tracey Cline, Worth Hill
Samiha Khanna ·
26 Feb 2010, 10:58 AM ·
Comment
Randall “Randy” Stewart, of Fox Run Court in Durham, filed Friday morning to challenge 10-term incumbent Rep. Paul Luebke for his seat in the state legislature. Stewart is the second Republican candidate to file for the N.C. House District 30 seat, prompting a primary race with newcomer Jason Chambers. Chambers filed late Thursday.
Mike Ashe, director of Durham’s Board of Elections, says this is the first Republican primary in Durham for N.C. House, at least in recent memory. Durham is a county where Democrats continue to make up a majority.
Candidates may file for office until noon today.
Durham, Durham County, news, politics 2010 elections, Durham, Durham Board of Elections, Durham politics, Jason Chambers, Mike Ashe, N.C. House, N.C. legislature, NC House District 30, Paul Luebke, Randy Stewart, Republican primaries
Samiha Khanna ·
25 Feb 2010, 4:58 PM ·
Comment
A Republican candidate filed Thursday afternoon to challenge state Rep. Paul Luebke in the race for N.C. House District 30, which represents Durham County. Luebke, a Democrat, has served 10 terms in the state legislature.
Jason Chambers, of 7705 Guess Road in Hillsborough, entered the race just before 5 p.m. His address, which is in Durham County, appears to be affiliated with a tax-exempt fraternal organization known as Woodmen of the World Life Insurance. UPDATE - Chambers called to let us know he has lived in Durham County his whole life and has been an avid political follower for several years. He is in his mid-20s.
Candidate filings are open until noon tomorrow.
Durham, Durham County, North Carolina, news, politics 2010 elections, Jason Chambers, N.C. House, N.C. legislature, NC House District 30, Paul Luebke, politics
Samiha Khanna ·
23 Feb 2010, 4:13 PM ·
2 Comments
From Correspondent Rebekah Cowell, cross-posted from the Indy’s Scan blog:
In a packed Durham City Hall Committee Room early this morning, the Durham County Board of Adjustment voted unanimously in favor of issuing a special-use permit to The Broad Street Cafe.
For the past four years, Broad Street has operated as a nightclub in a district that is zoned so that such a special-use permit is necessary to host music after 10 p.m. Less than one year after the first noise complaint was filed by Clarendon Street neighbor Waldo Fenner, who was not present at this morning’s hearing, Broad Street officially received the green light on amping up their regional music bookings in a space that musicians and business owners says is vital to Durham’s art scene.
“Broad Street Cafe is important for more than just music,” says Melissa Thomas, founder of the Durham-based indie label 307 Knox Records. “It provides a great venue space for music, festivals and family events, as well as a place to eat for locals and visitors. This hearing just showed us today how much we all have built in Durham over the past five-plus years.”
Paul Brock, one of four Broad Street owners, says he’s relieved to finally get the permit. “I was very impressed with the board. They were gracious to us, and they asked very smart questions and got a feel for what we are doing,” explains Brock.
Continue reading »
Durham, Durham County, arts, business, music, news, politics 307 Knox Records, Broad Street Cafe, Durham, Durham planning department, music, noise ordinance
Samiha Khanna ·
22 Feb 2010, 8:29 PM ·
Comment
Michael Page, chairman of the Durham Board of County Commissioners, summarized the past year’s accomplishments in his State of the County address Monday night. In his 30-minute speech, Page focused on the progress the county has made on new buildings and other capital projects, such as the opening of the Holton Career and Resource Center and the construction of the county’s Human Services Complex downtown, which will include a new courthouse.
Page also lauded several county departments for winning recognition from professional organizations, and pointed to the county’s new efforts to improve information and communication to the public, including the use of social media platforms Twitter and Facebook.
Page mentioned only briefly some challenges the county has faced in the past year due reduced tax revenue and budget cuts, but pointed out that the county didn’t have to raise taxes or cut any jobs. He also touched on the budget gap the county will face when it begins considering the 2011-12 budget in the coming weeks.
“Until a full recovery is evident, we will do everything in our power to continue to deliver the services most critical to our residents,” Page said. “Know that we will tighten our belts, we will roll up our sleeves and we will work to provide the best service level possible for our citizens. … At the end of the day, I remain confident that we will stay true to the mission and to the values that keep Durham County a wonderful place to work and a wonderful place to live and a wonderful place to do business.”
Continue reading »
Durham, Durham County, North Carolina, economy, education, environment, labor, news, politics Durham Board of County Commissioners, Durham County Library, economy, jobs, Michael Page, social services
