Dave Pearson

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Alleged robber charged with multiple crimes

By Dave Pearson | August 21

Chapel Hill police handed down 30 criminal charges to a Durham man in connection with a string of break-ins Tuesday morning. Johnny Gray, 38, was stopped Tuesday when police officers saw a man fitting the description of a suspect involved in a break-in. When he was arrested near Telluride Trail at 3:43 a.m., police found belongings of several victims in Gray's car. Lt. Kevin Gunter, spokesman for the Chapel Hill Police Department, said Gray had originally been arrested on three felony charges, including possession of stolen goods and possession of burglary tools.

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Lawson granted prayer

By Dave Pearson | August 20

Ty Lawson made a brief court appearance Tuesday to plead guilty and end the story which began with his June 6 arrest for driving after consuming alcohol underage. "I don't think anybody will ever see Mr. Lawson again in a courtroom," said Ann Petersen, the attorney who represented Lawson. Judge Alonzo B. Coleman granted Lawson a prayer for judgment continued. This means that Lawson admitted guilt but that he will not be convicted for the charge, Assistant District Attorney Jeff Nieman said.

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Neighborhoods see progress

By Dave Pearson | August 19

Two recent Carrboro's housing developments, Claremont and Winmore, have a lot in common but not their histories. UNC sold a 62-acre section of the Horace Williams tract in 2002 to Winmore with the stated goal of providing affordable housing for University and town employees. Since that time, the development has been the subject of resident dissatisfaction and environmental concerns. Claremont, on the other hand, ruffled few feathers as it passed quietly through the town's permitting process.

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Details of teenager's death still uncertain

By Dave Pearson | August 18

Correction: Due to a reporting error, this story states that Atlas Fraley was hospitalized last year for dehydration. Atlas was not hospitalized, he was treated by EMS at home.Several fail-safes were unable to prevent the death of a Chapel Hill High School student Tuesday.Atlas Fraley, 17, had a physical completed two weeks before.

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Local transit could face gas-price woes

By Dave Pearson | August 18

CLARIFICATION: Monday's story "Local transit could face gas-price woes" states that the BCX route runs from the UNC campus to Chapel Hill Bible Church. That route was discontinued this week. The Daily Tar Heel regrets the omission. Chapel Hill Transit will switch to full services today despite predicting a deficit due to high gas prices. Transit Director Steve Spade said that to trim costs, the town is streamlining its operation in as many places as possible without cutting services.

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Community support key for area farmers

By Dave Pearson | August 18

Saturday mornings and Wednesday afternoons in Carrboro are a chance to see firsthand the changing face of farming. Community Supported Agriculture is a growing trend for farmers and consumers.

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Town reacts to blue lights

By Dave Pearson | May 15

Chapel Hill might lose a few residents as a result of the Town Council's May 5 decision to install increased streetlights and emergency call boxes in residential areas. The council voted to put street lights and call boxes at locations on Mallette Street and Colony Court, Church and Short streets and a third location yet to be determined. The project drew sharp criticism from a small-but-vocal group of residents, two of whom threatened to move from the neighborhoods.

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Jones highlights activism

By Dave Pearson | April 18

When told she'd been described as a "fireball," Neloa Barbee Jones laughed and said she's having the best time of her life. Jones is one of three Democratic candidates on the May 6 primary ballot for the at-large Orange County commissioner seat. A steady voice in the Rogers Road neighborhood debate about a waste-transfer station, Jones said she thinks the skills she has accrued from both her activism and her education career prepare her for the county commissioner position. "I'm not a politician," Jones said in an interview last month as she waited for her hamburger.

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Pelissier stresses perspective

By Dave Pearson | April 18

Bernadette Pelissier started a long way from here. But the path that took her to Orange County has had a deep impact on her perspective, she said. Pelissier is one of three candidates for the at-large county commissioner seat that is on the ballot for the May 6 primary. After working until retirement in the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Pelissier has spent time on the boards of the Orange Water and Sewer Authority and the Sierra Club, as well as several county planning commissions. "I've always had this thing of wanting to work for the larger good of the community," she said.

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Sapikowski will plead guilty

By Dave Pearson | January 28

HILLSBOROUGH - Adam Sapikowski pleaded guilty Friday to the first of three charges against him for the slaying of his parents in 2005. Ranks of reporters watched from the back rows of the courthouse as the next 40 to 50 years of the young defendant's life were decided. Sapikowski stood, his head slightly bowed, as his sentence was told to him: between 40.4 and 50 years for all charges. He will not receive credit for the time he has spent incarcerated since May 2005.