So I recently found out from the Coker Arboretum that lighting is, apparently, a pretty big deal in the plant world. I say "apparently" because my experience in botany peaked with growing peas in my third-grade science class. Keeping this in mind, when I visited Los Angeles earlier this year, a very persuasive street vendor convinced me I really needed to buy a plastic terrarium sphere thing.
And after some creative packing/concealing to get it through airport security, my little garden of hope was settled safely on my desk at The Daily Tar Heel. The vendor mentioned something about lighting and watering recommendations as I walked away, but there was an American Girls store in front of me, and I had more pressing concerns.
As I type this four weeks later, the crispy, lifeless bodies of two succulents lie hopeless on the shelf above my desk. The cute, pink cactus is now a shade of brown I wasn't sure existed. But the two spiky cacti are going strong — so I'm at least equally as nurturing as the driest parts of the Gobi Desert.
— Danny
QUICK HITS
- House Bill 318's becoming law leaves Chapel Hill to figure out what that means for its status as a sanctuary city for immigrants. Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt said it's unclear if the change in law will affect the town's policy.
- Duke Energy has proposed a $120,000 fine for a third party selling electricity to a church, which is apparently illegal to do in North Carolina.
- Following Tom Ross' forced resignation, officials speculate whether the martyrdom with which many people perceive him will last.
- Next week, the Student Congress Finance Committee will vote to allocate the remainder of the fall budget to groups aiming to prevent sexual assault through compostable cups and improve health care access to women and children in Kenya.
IN MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT
The results from election night are in. Pam Hemminger won the Chapel Hill mayoral race against incumbent Mark Kleinschmidt. Jessica Anderson, Nancy Oates, Donna Bell and Michael Parker won positions on the Town Council, ousting incumbents Lee Storrow and Jim Ward. Sorry for being uncharacteristically boring here. Journalistic objectivity and all that.
IN PARKING
Despite more residents moving in, Chapel Hill's number of parking spaces is estimated around 4,100 to 4,200. Which has remained pretty constant for about a decade. Other things hovering around (or exceeding) that number include the global populations of the snow leopard, gray wolf and San Joaquin kit fox.
IN NEEDY PLANTS
In a plan to make campus safer, UNC might be putting lights in the Arboretum. It could make the paths safer for students taking shortcuts at night, but officials are concerned about how the extra lighting could affect plant life in the Arboretum. The best course of action, most likely, is to have the perimeter only dimly lit and keep up the whole Forbidden Forest aesthetic.
IN CRYPTIC YIK YAKS
A Yik Yak posted early Tuesday morning concerned students and sparked an Alert Carolina message. The post read: "Tomorrow at 949 am is a time you don't want to be on campus," and it freaked the heck out of some first-years — the people on campus who, like, weren't here for last year's fiasco with Rita Balaban's class.
IN HELPING MUGGLES
No matter why you're struggling in your classes right now, the world of Harry Potter's got some solid advice for you. OK, so technically it was compiled by our dear Kelsey — but it's filled with the warm and fuzzies only J.K. Rowling can provide. Also solid advice on forgiving that douchey professor I have who evidently might actually be dealing with being a werewolf.
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