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(08/22/06 4:00am)
Everyone knows back-to-school shopping involves more than buying pencils and glue sticks.
There's the first-day outfit, the book covers, the gel pens - and that ever-important Hello Kitty lunchbox and backpack set.
But sometimes the costs of getting children back to school can be overwhelming for parents.
They go from buying tissues and crayons in first grade to parking passes - running $100 at East Chapel Hill High --- and prom tickets as their children get older.
(08/22/06 4:00am)
The first day of school can be a source of excitement, worry or dread, but however you feel about it, there always is a sense of relief when it's finished.
But students who will be attending Gravelly Hill Middle School get to do it again in October.
The opening of Gravelly Hill was postponed multiple times because of the installation of the sewage and water treatment infrastructure, said Dennis Whitling, chairman of the Orange County Board of Education.
"The building is essentially done," he said. "The water is scheduled to be hooked up real soon, but the sewage is going to take a little longer."
The school is planning to open its doors to students Oct. 3.
With classes starting Friday, students will attend C.W. Stanford Middle School until then.
"It's not ideal," said Stanford Principal Richard Kozak. "But sometimes there are things you have to do when things are unavailable."
Gravelly Hill students will have their own classrooms at Stanford, as well as their own buses and drivers who will move with them.
"It's going to be the school-within-a-school principle," Whitling said. "The teachers and principal (of Gravelly Hill) are going to be there while the students are."
Their presence at Stanford will help faculty and staff of Gravelly Hill make the transition between the schools as seamless as possible.
"Our sixth-grade academy dealt with a lot of transition - things like locks, conflict management and organizational skills," said Gravelly Hill principal Jason Johnson. "The things the kids really want to know."
And two open houses - one at Stanford and one at Gravelly Hill - also will ease the students into the change.
The later open house, held at Gravelly Hill, will be more of a celebration, Johnson said.
And Kozak said the students have plenty to celebrate.
"I'd be excited about going there," he said. "I know the kids, their jaws are going to drop."
The parents will have their first opportunity to tour the school during the open house. Students will be taken to see the facility sometime in September.
As for extracurricular activities, they will be tweaked a bit to fit around Gravelly Hill's schedule.
Clubs will not begin meeting until after the move to the facility.
Sports teams will begin practice at Stanford and play all away games during the fall season. The winter and spring sports teams will be able to play a normal home schedule.
Johnson said he's excited for students to move in and get settled later this fall.
"They're going to be able to call it home."
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(04/27/06 4:00am)
"Seven hopefuls are vying for your votes to remain in the top three" - it might sound like a tag line for American Idol, but it actually concerns the Orange County Board of Commissioners Democratic primary.
Two incumbents and five challengers, most of whom are established figures in Orange County, are on the ballot for the May 2 primary. One Republican candidate, Jamie Daniel, will meet the three Democratic candidates in the November race.
This election puts the power of incumbency on the line - commissioner Alice Gordon and board chairman Barry Jacobs have a combined 24 years of experience on the board.
Candidate Mike Nelson is another familiar face in Orange County, having served as the mayor of Carrboro for 10 years after a stint as an alderman.
Nelson said he is not approaching the election any differently as a challenger.
"I've been both an incumbent and a challenger in the past - you go about the election in the same way," he said.
Candidate Fred Battle, president of the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, expressed a similar sentiment, citing the futility of trying to neutralize incumbency. Instead, he said he is just approaching the race to the best of his ability.
"Sometimes we just got to take our turn and let the chips fall where they may," Battle said.
Though Betty Tom Davidson, a former member of the Orange County Board of Education, recognizes that being a newcomer is challenging, she said she does not think the two incumbents' seats are lost causes. "I certainly have approached this race believing there are three seats available," she said.
But Robin Cutson, who ran for Chapel Hill Town Council in 2005, is skeptical about the availability of the two seats, based on the successful records of the incumbents.
"The two incumbents have excellent records of struggling with difficult issues," Cutson said.
Still, the incumbency effect might not be as powerful in this election - most of the candidates have been actively involved in the community and might already boast name recognition.
Candidate Artie Franklin, who ran an unsuccessful campaign as a Libertarian in 2004, said he thinks he has attended about 85 percent of the commissioners' meetings.
Battle served on the city school board in addition to his work with the NAACP.
And old-timers and newbies alike find themselves on familiar ground when it comes to platform planks. Many of the same issues at stake in previous years are prominent in the 2006 race.
"Generally, they've been the same," said Gordon of her platform points, many having to do with the environment. "The things that have endured have been embodied in those things (on my platform now)."
With candidates' concerns about the environment, transportation and housing -all issues that would affect University students - Cutson said students should place stock in this election. "This should be important to everyone in the community, and that includes students."
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(04/27/06 4:00am)
Contrary to the other incumbent-dominated primaries, the Orange County school board election pits five newcomers against zero incumbents.
All four board of education members whose terms expire this year have chosen not to run for re-election.
"It's more of a wide open race," candidate Ted Triebel said. "There are more unknowns that haven't been in front of the public eye before."
Candidate Susan Hallman said the new voices will provide a healthy mix with the experienced board members who will greet them.
Anne Medenblik said that even though neither she nor her fellow candidates are incumbents, they still have the background needed to fulfill the positions successfully.
"All the candidates have been involved in the school system, as volunteers and some as employees," she said, citing such involvement as experience that qualifies them for the posts.
But with incumbency comes name recognition, something these fresh-faced candidates have had to earn from the bottom up.
Some candidates said they are hanging up fliers, making phone calls and going door-to-door.
"I'm working very hard to meet as many members of the community as I can," Hallman said.
Others agreed that the best way to gain name recognition was by communicating with residents.
The student achievement gap - a dominant concern among sitting board members - is a common concern among the candidates.
Candidate Debbie Piscitelli hopes to focus on equalizing opportunities at schools around the district so students do not miss out on programs because of location.
The drop-out rate and continual assessments also were common concerns expressed by candidates.
While funding is always an issue with the school system, Triebel said he recognizes that the money can be hard to come by.
"I am a strong advocate of full funding, but I've worked in government a long time," he said. "I've never run into an agency that gets fully funded."
Candidate Tony McKnight stressed that he will not renege on his campaign pledges.
"I'm not going to be one who makes all these promises to get elected," he said. "I plan to address these issues."
One issue that candidates won't have to address appears to be conflict with one another.
The candidates have displayed a good working relationship - a camaraderie that might help ease nerves come election time.
"We've all been very kind and supportive in going through it together," Piscitelli said.
The primary for the nonpartisan race is May 2.
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(04/20/06 4:00am)
Orange County school districts are asking for raises in their allowances - and they don't even have to wash any extra dishes.
As they put together their proposed budgets for the 2006-07 fiscal year, school-system superintendents are facing increases in numbers from last year to fund new developments and projects.
Neil Pedersen, superintendent of Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, proposed on April 6 a 10 percent increase, totalling $4,820,694, to this year's local budget.
But Pedersen said the increase is mostly due to circumstances outside the schools' control, citing state-mandated salary increases for teachers and the opening costs of the district's third high school, Carrboro High School.
"Those seem to be things we have to do," he said. "They total about 75 percent of the total request."
After the governor declared a mandatory increase in teachers' pay for the next year, school districts have had to try to find a way to fork up the extra cash - a price tag that reaches $2 million for city schools.
County schools are requesting $5.1 million from the county this year.
Orange County Board of Education Chairman Randy Copeland echoed Pedersen's sentiments that the increases in budget requests are unavoidable.
"When you look at our funds, two-thirds are being driven by factors we don't have control over," he said.
Copeland continued, saying that if the district were to disregard the governor's call for higher salaries, it would be sure to lose teachers from the district.
The construction and opening costs of county schools' Gravelly Hill and Chapel Hill's Carrboro High also impact both budget requests significantly.
City schools include salaries for administrators and telephone and start-up costs, totaling $396,666.
Besides the opening tax, city schools' new seven-block program also will increase funding needs, as eight more teaching positions will be needed.
"We could use more than that," Pedersen said. "But that number seemed reasonable."
There already is much compromising on specific budget items, but more is to be expected.
Though superintendents hope to use the funds both to pay for programs neglected last year and to create new programs this year,, the Orange County Board of Commissioners Chairman Barry Jacobs said funding for significant new programs might be scarce this year.
"I anticipate having a difficult time meeting all needs being mandated by growth and by the state, let alone meeting the requested increases by the school systems," he said.
The Orange County Board of Commissioners will receive the school budgets and discuss the county budget at a meeting May 25.
Copeland said that at the end of the day, though, Orange County school districts still live the high life.
"I look at what we've got, and we're one of the best-funded districts in the state," he said.
"It may not always be enough to get all you want, but it's probably enough to get what you need."
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(04/18/06 4:00am)
After a two-year hiatus, the Orange County political action committee NoMerger.org is back just in time for the May 2 primaries.
The group sent out a survey to all of the candidates for the Orange County Board of Commissioners asking their opinions on merging the county's two school districts - Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools and Orange County Schools. The results are posted on nomerger.org.
All eight candidates replied that they would not support a merger at this juncture.
Even though all the candidates agree on the issue, the group will use their views on education in general to issue endorsements.
"We look at candidates we believe are strong in education," said Mark Peters, a steering committee member for the grassroots organization.
Endorsements will be released Wednesday.
David Weinberg, the group's treasurer, said the endorsements come from more than just a candidate's stance on the merger.
"We always have had several criteria in endorsing candidates," he said. He cited electability, overall support for schools and the degree of opposition of merger as key elements.
Views of the current commissioners are in line with those of the candidates.
Commissioner Moses Carey Jr., who was a staunch supporter of a merger, said the board has made it clear to him that it would not happen.
Carey initiated a conversation about merging the two districts to even out funding disparities in 2003.
"I think it would be fruitless on my part to push it," he said. "I think I'll let it stand for a while."
Another merger factor is at work due to the possibility of a state budget line item that would provide funding for only one school district per county.
This would leave 15 districts in the state without funding, one of which likely would be the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools.
Though Peters emphasized that the item was nowhere near a sure thing, he said the group would take it into consideration in giving out endorsements.
"It's important to ask candidates what their positions are," he said. "If the state does decide to fund only one district, there would have to be a decision made."
The N.C. General Assembly only will be an issue if it goes through the entire approval process, which Carey said he doesn't think it will do.
"I think the state initiative is not likely to go very far," he said.
Weinberg agreed, noting that the item comes up every year in looking for ways to save funding for schools.
"From what we understand, this is an item that comes up annually but is not a priority for the (Gov. Mike) Easley government," he said.
For now, NoMerger.org will focus on looking for candidates it believes support schools and education - not to mention the removal of a merger as an option.
"Basically, we think that it's important to inform voters about what their choices are," Peters said.
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(04/13/06 4:00am)
Chapel Hill and Carrboro residents already recycle cans, bottles and newspapers - why not water?
By the end of 2008, a new water reuse system should be in place at the University, thanks to a recent contract signed between UNC and the Orange Water and Sewer Authority.
The contract, approved March 23 and signed by University officials Monday, dictates funding, planning and implementation for a new system that will use "highly treated" water for non-drinking purposes on campus.
The water will be used for toilet flushing, street cleaning and irrigation, among other uses.
"There are about 2,000 communities in the U.S. that use reused water," said Patrick Davis, sustainability administrator for OWASA. "They use it in cooling towers, or for irrigation on private lawns or golf courses."
Before use, the recycled water will go to the Mason Farm Wastewater Treatment Plant for advanced filtration and disinfection.
As part of the normal process in a wastewater plant, solids first are settled out of the water. The water then is decomposed using microbiology and goes through a series of filters.
Finally it is disinfected using ultraviolet light - an effective way to kill germs - in carefully designed channels.
Uniquely for this process, the water then is treated to adjust the pH balance and receives treatment with chlorine to make it acceptable for use again.
Mark Sobsey, a UNC professor in the environmental science and engineering department as well as a national expert in microbiology, studied the process and how the new treatment for disinfecting water would work.
"The purpose was to determine the reductions of microorganisms by these processes, in particular the ultraviolet light and the chlorine," he said.
Sobsey's team set up a pilot plant about two years ago to test the techniques and saw great success.
"We found there was really no public health risk in using the water for its intended purpose," he said.
Talk of such a reused water system came about around the time of the 2002 drought, Davis said.
"2002 was the worst drought on record in 75 years," he said. "Water supplies dropped drastically."
Carolyn Elfland, associate vice chancellor for campus services, said the drought got so bad that Lenoir Dining Hall began using paper plates to avoid using the dishwasher.
With the new program, Davis hopes the lowered demand for drinking water will help fend off another such crisis.
"As the community continues to grow and develop, there is a greater demand on the community's resources," he said. "We need something to offset the demand."
OWASA public affairs administrator Greg Feller expressed similar thoughts, saying that prevention methods will be key in warding off another massive drought.
"The more conservation we have, the better off we'll be in the situation where we have a drought."
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(04/10/06 4:00am)
Chapel Hill and Carrboro residents walked four miles in someone else's shoes Sunday as part of a global hunger campaign.
"We walk because they walk," the motto of the CROP Walk charity explains.
The CROP Walk, or Community Reaching Out to People, is part of a national campaign that provides food to people around the world.
Sponsored by Church World Service, the walk raises funds to be divided between the national organization and local charities.
Seventy-five percent of the profits will go to CWS, an international group that works to promote long-term solutions for providing basic needs such as food and water.
The other 25 percent will benefit the Interfaith Council for Social Services and its local campaigns.
"Hunger relief comes from our food pantry and community kitchens," said John Dorward, financial and operations director for the IFC. "We do on a local level what they do internationally."
About 650 people - and several of their four-legged companions - met at the Carrboro Town Commons on Sunday to begin their trek around Carrboro, Chapel Hill and the UNC campus.
"It's a solidarity thing," Josie Hartman, event coordinator, said before the walk. "It's neat to see that many people walking together."
Made up mostly of church congregation members, the walkers also included the IFC Striders, various IFC residents and clients who have used the group's services.
"We've all experienced homelessness," strider Michael Corbitt said. "We're trying to give back for what we're receiving."
Other volunteers and participants came from elsewhere in the community.
Delta Sigma Pi's pledge class volunteered at the event's registration table.
"We thought it was a good way to get involved in the community and interact with other people," said Ashley Barriga, a freshmen student and pledge class president.
She said because the fraternity is a professional group, its members are responsible for charity work in the community.
Some volunteers, such as IFC board member Gloria Brown, have been working with the event for several years.
"This is my fourth year here," she said. "Everybody - not just people you think - is affected by homelessness. There are people who work 40, 60 hours a week and can't get a full meal."
IFC Executive Director Chris Moran said he hopes the walk will increase community awareness of the problem in Orange County and on a wider span.
"Thinking locally is thinking globally, too," he said. "If we pay more attention to people here, it will resonate to a global response."
Staff Writer Anne Hillman contributed to this article.
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(03/31/06 5:00am)
Orange County leaders are trying to put a new head on their shoulders.
Since county manager John Link announced his retirement, after 18 years overseeing financial and community services, the Board of Commissioners has been considering options for his replacement.
The first step in the process was completed Thursday when the commissioners chose The Mercer Group Inc. to be the county's consultant in finding a replacement.
The commissioners said they like president and chief executive officer Jim Mercer's commitment to the project and his willingness to continue working with the board even after the search is finished.
"Even after his work is really completed, and he's got his paycheck, he's still willing to look beyond that closure and keep you in assistance mode," said Stephen Halkiotis, vice chairman of the board.
The other consulting groups approached for the task were Slavin Management Consultants and Smither & Associates Inc.
The commissioners met with all three groups last week to gauge first impressions and evaluate their ideas for the process.
Most presentations seemed to contain about the same information, the commissioners said Thursday.
"They're similar in a lot of ways," Commissioner Alice Gordon said. "I think it's down to just who we feel comfortable with."
Smither & Associates withdrew its interest before the meeting because its vice president, Anita Badrock, is heading the search for Chapel Hill's new manager.
Barry Jacobs, chairman of the board, said that he spoke to Badrock, and that she said the scheduling conflicts would be too difficult to manage between the two governments.
"It was pretty clear that it was going to be a reach to try to do two of these simultaneously," he said.
Gordon placed her loyalties with Bob Slavin and his consulting group, citing a positive impression from the board's meeting with the groups.
Jacobs and Commissioner Valerie Foushee echoed Halkiotis, saying Mercer seemed dedicated to the project, and they liked the way he presented himself to the board.
After a unanimous approval of Mercer's consulting proposal, the board began to look for dates to meet with the group for the first time.
The board will discuss with Mercer summaries of elements each member believes are necessary in the process.
Jacobs and the commissioners settled on three dates in April to set up a meeting with Mercer.
The board hopes to move relatively quickly in its search, facing two deadlines in the next few months - Link's retirement Aug. 31 and the November election featuring three commissioner seats up for grabs.
Jacobs said if a new manager is not hired by Link's departure date, the board may appoint an "internal interim" to fill the post until someone is hired.
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(03/30/06 5:00am)
In light of growing tensions on opposite sides of the town, Carrboro officials are hoping to increase community bonds with new programs designed to involve residents on a more personal level.
The Carrboro Board of Aldermen discussed Tuesday plans to increase visibility in the Brewer Lane area, which is just west of Franklin Street, where the board is making some zoning changes.
Also on the minds of aldermen is an upcoming meeting which will focus on relationships with residents in the recently annexed section of Carrboro.
The moves follow recent challenges testing the board's community involvement.
"The mind-set we're working toward is re-centering activities in different areas so that folks feel the sense of community is inclusive," Alderman Randee Haven-O'Donnell said.
Haven-O'Donnell said that the board's retreat in December focused on community building and that the aldermen hope to continue that work.
Newly annexed neighborhoods in northern Carrboro will be some of the first to experience attempts at outreach from the board.
Alderman Dan Coleman said the board expects to put into place a task force - known as New Horizons - made up of the new northern residents.
The task force proposal will be up for approval at the board's meeting on April 4.
Coleman will act as one of the liaisons between the task force and the board.
"The purpose of the task force is to create a natural community conduit for newly annexed areas," Haven-O'Donnell said.
But Katrina Ryan, a former alderman candidate and resident of one of the neighborhoods annexed into Carrboro on Jan. 31, said she is wary of the new task force and the board's other considerations.
"Unfortunately, the way they are going about it is not going to bring a lot of people into the fold," Ryan said.
She underscored concerns that because the task force will be appointed by the aldermen, it might harbor interests too similar to theirs.
Facing similar uneasiness in Brewer Lane, a historically black community being considered as a site for a mixed-use development, aldermen are looking to reach out to those residents as well.
The residents have expressed concerns about property values declining with the new plans, and in the past they have noted problems with sewer capacity and erosion.
At Tuesday's meeting, the board attempted to find a way to best accommodate Brewer Lane residents' needs and increase the neighborhood's visibility and involvement in the town.
Alderman John Herrera was the only one to disagree with plans to send small groups of aldermen into the area to talk with residents one-on-one.
Several residents from Brewer Lane attended the meeting Tuesday and invited the aldermen to come by the community and take a tour.
Coleman was enthused by the idea and said Wednesday he had planned to do something similar anyway. "I am taking the initiative to set up a meeting for myself."
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(03/23/06 5:00am)
A group dedicated to ending homelessness in Orange County sharpened its focus Wednesday.
About 10 homeless people attended a meeting of the steering committee of the partnership to end homelessness.
Acting as members of the committee, they responded to questions and spoke of their greatest needs: homes, clothes, rides, food and money among them.
During the meeting, steering committee members also considered the results of focus groups that met to discuss homelessness in the area.
Aiming to end homelessness in Orange County through a 10-year plan, the group is in the preliminary stages of gaining information about the issue.
A five-member team from the School of Public Health attempted to fill in some gaps, presenting a more detailed analysis of the community's views.
Through interviews, focus groups and observations at food banks and shelters, the team gathered information on the issues county community members say they believe are the most pertinent.
"We want the community to sit down and say, 'This is how we can work to meet these challenges,'" said Rebecca Davis, a member of the team.
The presentation included a discussion of the recurring themes found in the interviews and other communication efforts.
"They were based upon prevalence, how many people said it," Andre Brown, another group member, said.
Transportation and housing needs were among the main themes.
In addition to the public health group, representatives from J-Quad & Associates LLC, the consulting company working with the committee, attended the meeting.
Yolanda Jackson, urban planner for J-Quad, presented the findings of 19 recent focus groups held to gain information about attitudes toward homelessness in Orange County.
But many members were unhappy with the lack of specifics in J-Quad's presentation, citing the need for more information to understand the problems clearly and to arrive at solutions.
There also were concerns among members about a set of community forums planned as a follow-up to the group's discussions.
The work groups had planned two meetings consisting of several 30-minute sessions.
Each would inform people about some of the topics found to be important based on the preliminary research and would allow attendees to discuss solutions.
"Yes, we want to get more input," said Doug Frederick, planning and policy consulting division manager for J-Quad.
"But there's an educational component to it, as well."
Carrboro Alderman Jacquelyn Gist said she thinks the committee was spending too much time regurgitating information back at the public and not enough looking for solutions to the problems.
"I know this community, and I know what loses this community," she said.
"And if you spend too much time gathering information and spitting it back to them, you're going to lose them."
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(03/21/06 5:00am)
In a meeting today, the Orange County Board of Commissioners will decide if it will react to yet another merger in the area - this time, a combination of nonprofits.
The Orange-Person-Chatham Area Program, an organization providing mental health counseling, will be joining forces with the Caring Family Network branch in Durham, shifting many of its services to the nonprofit.
Sean Schreiber, development director of the family network, said his nationally connected group's work focuses on psychological case management, counseling and specialized crisis management for children.
OPC offers similar services, but for adults.
The local program is asking the commissioners for a onetime payment of $41,012 to make the merger go smoothly.
That aid would bring the total funding supplied by the county to $67,000.
According to a memorandum concerning the shift, that money - equal to one month's operating costs - would "assure a smooth transition for area staff and consumers in Orange County."
In accordance with new state requirements concerning mental health, OPC now will be considered a "local management entity."
Debra Farrington, project leader for OPC, said the new title means that the organization will shift its focus from providing services for the community.
"It means we're a public government entity that is responsible for management and oversight," she said.
The family network will assume its treatment and counseling services in Orange County.
"This is an inevitable result," Farrington said of the switch.
The new state reforms left little budge room for the organization.
"OPC has a long and proud history of serving the area, but we recognized that we couldn't do it anymore," Farrington said.
The state legislature has altered the role of organizations such as OPC to now operate more as centers of care rather than service.
The family network has operated in the state for about 12 years.
It merged with the national Youth Development Corporation of America about five years ago.
Its experience in North Carolina is what makes the group so successful, Schreiber said.
"We've delivered community-based services for more than 10 years," he said.
Schreiber said the family network's experience in North Carolina will help create a smooth transition despite all the changes occurring in and around the organization.
With so many new services to uphold, the family network will require a larger employment base - a need members hope to fill without displacing anyone from OPC.
"We plan on offering employment to the current staff," said Schreiber.
"We hope the needs will be met by the current employees."
Farrington said while the employees at OPC had only general information so far, there had been a favorable response to the invitation.
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(03/10/06 5:00am)
There's a new anti-drug in Orange County.
A program created by a Chapel Hill mother focuses on increasing communication between parents and their middle and high school children in hopes of decreasing alcohol use by minors.
Safe Home Networks, created by Dale Pratt-Wilson, encourages parents to talk to their children about alcohol use early on to prevent influence from peer pressure in high school.
"Our long-term goal is to change the community norm from underage drinking and drug use as a normal rite of passage to something that is dangerous, not to mention illegal," Pratt-Wilson said.
Safe Homes Network is part of the Coalition for Alcohol and Drug Free Teenagers of Chapel Hill and Carrboro, a group Pratt-Wilson started in May 2004.
Through the Safe Homes program, parents are asked to take a pledge that they will not "knowingly allow underage youth to consume or use alcohol or illegal drugs" at their homes.
Parents also pledge to increase communication with their children and their neighbors and to become more involved with what their children are doing on a daily basis.
Pratt-Wilson said she thinks many people don't feel comfortable calling parents of their children's friends to check on the home and what will be going on there.
She said she wants to see this stigma disappear.
"The key is to communicate with each other about what we think is important," she said. "Right now, that's the lives and health of our children."
In Chapel Hill statistics show higher substance abuse, including binge drinking and marijuana usage, than the state average, said Carole Groux, a licensed professional counselor and Safe Homes Network coordinator.
Groux said that fact makes the work the group is doing even more important. She said the time is opportune because the teenage years are when addiction starts.
"Addiction forms during adolescence," she said. "If you can abstain from alcohol until you're 21, your chances of ever being dependent go substantially down."
Groux said teenagers who start drinking at age 14 have a 40 percent chance of being addicted to a substance at some point in their lives. Those who wait until they are 21 have only a 10 percent chance of ever being dependent on a substance.
Groux's comments reflect similar figures as 1992 data from the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism found on the coalition's Web site, www.cadft.org/safehomes.htm.
But the message is not just for middle and high school students, Groux said.
"It's really important for college students to understand, as well," she said. "Your brain is still developing at that time."
Pratt-Wilson said she wants to see alcoholism in minors of any age become a nonentity.
She said communication with parents can be key in that goal.
"Let's change our culture and band together as a group of concerned parents."
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(02/23/06 5:00am)
This time when local officials say "merger," they're not talking about the schools.
Recently, discussions about joining the forces of the Chapel Hill and Carrboro fire departments have been brought to the table.
At the Carrboro Board of Aldermen meeting Tuesday, the possible merger was a topic of debate with regards to the town's budget for the next fiscal year.
"I'm interested in looking at it," Carrboro Mayor Mark Chilton said Wednesday.
He said the merger was a possibility that might create benefits for the towns.
The effects on both the towns and the individual departments are unclear until thorough research is completed.
"There are a lot of issues to consider," Carrboro Town Manager Steve Stewart said.
The situation in Carrboro is unique because the town is in the midst of departmental transition.
Former fire chief Rodney Murray, on medical leave until March 1, will retire after facing multiple criminal charges and spending time in jail.
The Carrboro department now is under the control of interim chief Travis Crabtree.
The department also is in the early stages of building a new substation in northern Carrboro to provide service to recently annexed neighbors - a cost which could be shared with the Chapel Hill government if a merger is executed.
Carrboro officials said the possible financial benefits of a merger are appealing, but Stewart said he is unsure whether the merger would be positive financially.
"It could be cost saving; it could actually cost more," he said.
Chilton agreed, adding that his staff is doing preliminary research on the possible effects of a merger.
"We need to see if there is a significant amount of money to be saved," Chilton said. "If there is, I think we need to explore it."
The discussion of the merger began 10 years ago, but no plans have come to fruition.
Chilton said he will continue with the application process for a new chief, keeping the merger possibility on the back burner.
But officials note that all planning is premature.
"We are aware of this conversation, but there has been no request to the Chapel Hill Town Council on this matter," Chapel Hill information officer Catherine Lazorko said in an e-mail.
And as for the fire department staff, Chapel Hill fire Chief Dan Jones is waiting for further instruction.
"If the elected officials decide this is something we want to do, we can make it happen."
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(02/21/06 5:00am)
As many students across the country took a day to relax, several Chapel Hill police officers spent Presidents Day back at school.
During a daylong training session in a classroom at the Chapel Hill police's central station, officers were taught efficient ways to deal with domestic violence complaints, which have become a growing problem in the area.
No group of students - not even police officers - can resist a bit of gossip during a movie when the teacher leaves the room, but for most of the session, attendees were focused on the instruction.
One officer in attendance said she did so to learn how to best deal with reluctant victims, a topic covered in one of the presentations.
"Sometimes it's difficult to get a victim to cooperate," said officer Debbie Timmons.
"If you know what to look for, you can gather evidence to prosecute the suspect without the victim's cooperation."
With a 6.8 percent increase in domestic violence complaints in 2005 compared with the previous year, the department's domestic violence response team's role has become even more significant.
"We're making sure we have a good, accurate response," said Sabrina Garcia, the domestic violence and sexual assault specialist for the department.
Garcia taught officers who volunteered to participate. She said the training was meant to specialize the work of the officers in a single area aside from their basic duties.
The team will aid officers in responding to domestic violence calls. Garcia said the volunteers will receive their acceptance letters and pins soon.
"In addition to (answering) regular calls, they will act as field agents for the primary respondents," Garcia said.
With videos, computer presentations projected onto a wall, testimonies and police reports detailing incidents, the officers were exposed to many different mediums to help drive the concepts home.
Officers also shared anecdotes of situations they had encountered.
One of the more serious segments of the training session considered dangerous disputes.
Garcia explained that often abusers begin to think they are victims as their spouses destroy their lives - taking away their children, their jobs or another important aspect of their lives.
She said if victims were reluctant, she would ask to whom the victim would like his or her death notification sent.
"Harsh? You bet," she said. "But I will use whatever works."
Garcia also placed an emphasis on the value of children's accounts and evidence in domestic violence cases. She stressed that children also are victims in cases of abuse.
Other topics covered included interpreting victim-offender dynamics and a historical perspective of police intervention and domestic violence.
Much of the second half of the session was spent discussing types of evidence and how to collect it.
Garcia suggested checking less obvious sources such as answering machine messages, calendars and children's diaries.
Though small sources might not convict a suspect by themselves, Garcia stressed that when added to other evidence, they can make a big difference.
"The more (evidence) you have, the more the puzzle comes together," she said in her presentation.
"That's the painting of the picture."
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(02/21/06 5:00am)
Five local nonprofits are requesting funds to hire a rental property manager to oversee their work.
Empowerment Inc., for whom the manager officially would work, is joined by Orange Community Housing and Land Trust, Habitat for Humanity of Orange County and Affordable Rentals Inc. in pursuing funding in the area.
Such an alliance is meant to help better serve the people of Orange County who need affordable housing.
"Collaboratively we can do a better job managing than we would individually," said Delores Bailey, Empowerment executive director.
At an Orange County Board of Commissioners meeting Feb. 9., Bailey requested money from the commissioners to help pay the first year's expenses of hiring a manager.
The groups also plan to ask the Chapel Hill Town Council and Carrboro Board of Aldermen for funding.
But this year will be a tight budget, said Alderman Jacquelyn Gist.
"I think it's a good idea, but there are a lot of good ideas," she added.
"I'd have to see what the other needs are and see how they balance out."
For the town of Carrboro, at least, it simply is too early to tell whether providing funding will be plausible.
If the position is created, the manager would be responsible for all five organizations' rental properties, a number which leaders hope will climb in the next few years.
Because the groups hope for continued growth, they are seeking a candidate with experience in managing more than 30 housing units, Bailey said.
As the work stands now, leaders of the housing groups have to juggle daily activities with the work of maintaining rental properties, a practice which sometimes can get messy.
"Managing requires more than just selling a home," Bailey said. "It means fixing a light bulb or a jammed door and maintaining the application program."
Other organizations agree that the responsibilities placed on their staffs are too much to handle in the current setup.
Habitat Executive Director Susan Levy said a grant from the county government to build five rental properties for owners with special disabilities still has not been used because of time constraints.
"It would really help us be able to meet that goal," Levy said of the oversight position.
Though Habitat is only minimally involved in the project because it does not focus its energy on rentals, Levy said she was excited about the prospects as well.
"We just generally support it," she said. "It's a good thing for housing development and just for Orange County."
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(01/31/06 5:00am)
A joint meeting today between two key players in Orange County could affect health care services in the area for the next five years.
The Orange County Board of Commissioners and the Orange County Board of Health will meet in a joint session to discuss health plans for the next five years.
The health department will present to the commissioners its strategic plan for 2006-11. After the presentation, the commissioners will provide comments and feedback.
The meeting will take place at 5:30 p.m. at the Southern Human Services Center.
Recent Medicaid and Medicare cuts will be discussed at the meeting. Developmental disabilities are not covered by the new state plan and will need a new source of funding.
Starting in the end of March, many community-based services will be eliminated in the area due to funding cuts. How the state will handle such changes is on the front burner for many Orange County residents.
Barry Jacobs, chairman of the board of commissioners, said he hopes to get input from the board on this potential problem for the county.
"We will want their help," Jacobs said. "We've been picking up the services we consider crucial."
Jacobs said the board tries to provide funding for issues that might fall through the cracks, such as developmental disabilities.
With the removal of some services, Jacobs said, the commissioners will consider the health department's suggestions Tuesday.
Commissioner and Board of Health member Moses Carey Jr. said it would be difficult to recreate such services out of the county's budget.
"They are items we are concerned about because they concern residents we care about," Carey said. "But we can't make adjustments that dip into the county budget."
Carey added that an "abdication of responsibility" of the federal government should not be a burden on "the poorest people of the county."
Commissioner Alice Gordon said she also expected to discuss the cuts and proposed actions today. "We're hoping to do the best we can," she said. "It's a difficult situation."
Jacobs also said he hopes to look at general issues during the work session such as water quality, emergency services and public health.
Jacobs said he usually is impressed with the way the health department handles its duties and is excited to hear the suggestions of its members.
Carey said he thinks the health board is a great help to the commissioners as well.
"We can see what each other has on an agenda that we may not mutually be aware of," he said.
Carey also said the board will examine the county as a whole rather than target a specific issue.
"We want to protect public health in the community," he said.
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(01/26/06 5:00am)
Parents of Orange County Schools students will have two chances to tell the school board who they think should fill the district's newest middle school.
The Orange County Board of Education has expressed interest in approving plans for student reassignment to populate Gravelly Hill Middle School.
Public hearings will be conducted at 7 p.m. today and Feb. 2 to gain feedback from residents who might be affected by the move.
"I hope we have a lot of attendance," said school board chairman, Randy Copeland. "I want people to come out and let us know whether they agree (or) disagree."
Copeland said several parents already had expressed clear opinions about the reassignment - some were happy about the changes, and some just had questions about how the redistricting would work.
School board member Libbie Hough said few students will need to change schools due solely to the reassignment.
Current plans would move 1,361 children. Of those students, 611 are at the middle school level, with many moving to Gravelly Hill.
Of the 1,361, rising fifth-, eighth-,
11th- and 12th- graders will be allowed to grandfather -- to stay at their old school - as long as they can provide their own transportation to and from school.
Gravelly Hill will not have an eighth grade the first year. The seventh-graders of next fall will move up to be the school's first eighth-grade class.
Staff and the reassignment committee aimed to logically reassign the district, while still maintaining certain criteria the school board set for them.
Among those criteria are proximity, socioeconomic balance, feeder patterns and racial and ethnic balances.
"The most heavily weighted criteria was proximity," Hough said. "That was our driving force."
In a rural county, Hough explained, proximity is important when dealing with reapportionment because students already can have a bus ride of up to an hour in length.
The school board also asked that the percentage of students who receive free or reduced price lunches, the measurement of socioeconomic factors, should be no more than 40 percent.
Another important aspect both the committee and the school board considered was the capacity of the schools.
Copeland said the school board thought it was important to leave the schools at 80 percent capacity to allow room for growth.
Hough said that cushion was to prevent another reassignment in a few years due to expected population growth in the area.
The final approval of the committee's plan is scheduled for February.
Hough said, "Now we're just looking to the constituents to see if there is something this committee didn't consider."
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(01/19/06 5:00am)
By any other name, a rose might smell as sweet, but apparently a high school might not be as well received.
In a meeting tonight, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education will address three names proposed for the third high school in the area.
The list consists of Carrboro High School, South Chapel Hill High School and Howard and Lillian Lee High School.
The meeting also includes the possibility of a write-in.
Though the school geographically is located in Carrboro, the high school has become a source of conflict as protests about the name fly both ways.
"The only one I would find acceptable is Carrboro High School," Carrboro Alderman Jacquelyn Gist said in response to requests to have "Chapel Hill" in the name.
"People are saying we're not good enough," she said.
"As a tax-payer and a leader, I find it very insulting."
Gist said she thinks many people who had moved here for the school system - citing city schools' reputation - now are trying to protect against what they see as a stain on the system by calling the school Carrboro High.
"They'd be embarrassed to have any kind of progressive taint with their schools," Gist said, explaining that she found many protesters more conservative than "those who built the system."
Lisa Stuckey, board chairwoman, agreed that the school should be called Carrboro High School, but she maintains that the public's concerns will be addressed.
"The other board members and I read our e-mails and listen to people communicate, and we consider their opinions," Stuckey said.
A group of Chapel Hill residents from Southern Village sent 36 e-mails to school board members proposing naming the school after Chapel Hill despite the geography.
The main concern portrayed to the school board is that the reputation of exceptional education - one that Chapel Hill schools have built for many years - would not apply to a Carrboro high school.
"Where Carrboro has a growing reputation, Chapel Hill already has a reputation - a reputation of high-quality education," said Stephanie Knott, assistant to the superintendent for community relations.
Tom Jensen, a UNC student and member of the Chapel Hill planning board, supports the name Carrboro High and said many of the fears about college admissions and name recognition are unfounded.
"Most people who work in college admissions around here will tell you that it's the school district's name that matters, not the school's," he said.
And just to throw more controversy into the mix, a group of students from East Chapel Hill High School have created a petition of their own.
With the direction of history teacher Michael McElreath, they are proposing that the school be called Lincoln High School, after a former all-black high school in the area.
Howard and Lillian Lee High, though less controversial, also seems to be a less prominent option.
"They were strong leaders in the community for decades," Knott said.
Howard Lee was the first African-American mayor of Chapel Hill and served as a state senator. He is now the chairman of the state board of education.
But Jensen explained that he has reservations about the name. "The Town Hall in Chapel Hill will be named after them eventually."
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
(01/18/06 5:00am)
The corner of South Columbia and Franklin streets has it all.
One side features a haven for late-night junkies itching for greasy food, while the other is home to a local religious landmark.
There's a restaurant serving smoked salmon and filet mignon, as well as one featuring chili and shrimp and grits.
The corner always has been one of the focal points of campus and local life in Chapel Hill.
Four major establishments call it home - Top of the Hill Restaurant and Brewery, Qdoba Mexican Grill, Spanky's Restaurant & Bar, and University Baptist Church.
University students and locals alike flock to Franklin Street on the weekends, each seeking a favorite attraction.
"It's really nice to be able to sit down with a group of friends and just connect," said Lauren McAlee, a University student.
Other students agreed that they enjoy running into people they know.
Many locals and graduate students troop to Franklin Street for the restaurants and bars, looking for people from their own age group.
Scott Derth, a University graduate student, said he likes to stop in at Spanky's or Top of the Hill.
"It's an older crowd," Derth said.
"It's not a bunch of 18-year-olds with fake IDs. That gets annoying after a while."
Regardless of age, most people agree that this corner is home to some of the area's most popular stops.
"That is the happiest place in Chapel Hill," said resident Michael Noble about Top of the Hill. "And from there all happiness spills out onto the street."
But the corner is home to more than just the bar-hoppers.
University Baptist, a church founded more than 150 years ago, has been an important part of town and University religious life since its emergence on Franklin Street.
"This is an excellent strategic position to do ministry," said Mitchell Simpson, the church's pastor.
Today the church deals with students out late Saturday night - and far into Sunday morning.
"There are the things you would expect: beer bottles on the lawn and things," Simpson said, noting that events such as Halloween and basketball victories attract the most people but also the most police.
"That's sort of part of the turf," he said. "I think most people are very respectful."
Drunken students aren't the only ones hanging around - the area near Qdoba is a popular hangout for the homeless community.
And on top of the daily visitors, many restaurants on this corner have seen local landmark events as well.
Opened in 1977, Spanky's has experienced more than a few University celebrations - three national championships and almost 30 Halloweens.
"It's definitely a focal point," said Tom Herzog, a manager-owner of Spanky's.
He said the corner is usually the site of the makeshift bonfires.
"Where the center of attention used to be on the middle of Franklin Street, the center of attention is now on this corner."
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
