City briefs

Airport Road committee to finalize recommendations

On Saturday, the Special Committee to Consider the Renaming of Airport Road will finalize the recommendation it will make to the Chapel Hill Town Council on Dec. 6.

The group met Nov. 5 and 6 and voted 15-3 to rename Airport Road in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.

According to a draft of the final report to the council, the committee will advise as its primary recommendation that the road name be changed to "Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard" and have separate signs underneath with the designation "Historic Airport Road."

Flag-burning protester fails to appear in court Thursday

The man who burned an American flag in the Pit on Oct. 6 failed to show up for his first appearance in Orange County District Criminal Court on Thursday.

Kevin Sellers, a homeless protester, was charged with the burning of personal property, a felony charge, after he set fire to the flag adorning a booth operated by the UNC College Republicans. Reports state that the damage was minimal.

Public Defender Glen Gerding said there could have been a number of reasons for Sellers' failure to appear but added that because he did not show up, an order for his arrest likely will be issued.

No date has been set yet for his next scheduled appearance.

Va. man robbed at gunpoint at Carrboro gas station

A Virginia man was robbed at gunpoint at 1:10 a.m. Thursday while filling his fuel tank at the Short Stop Food Mart at 300 W. Main St. in Carrboro, police reports state.

According to reports, a masked gunman tapped the victim on the back, pointed a sawed-off shotgun at him and demanded all the money he had. The victim gave up his wallet, which contained $40, and the perpetrator fled, reports state.

The suspect was described as wearing a brown coat, blue jeans and a black ski mask, but police were not able to locate him in the area, reports state.