Lauren Zola

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Gillian Faski

City & State

Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools meets to discuss budget cuts to language programs

By Lauren Zola | March 24

Ninety three positions will be reduced by June 2025 across the school district.

Olivia Paul

City & State

'Build and maintain': Orange County Visitors Bureau introduces four new board members

By Lauren Zola | March 17

Craig Lloyd, Lisa Kaylie, Sally Greene and Creston Woods will join the board of the Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau.

Hannah Zinn

City & State

Gov. Josh Stein discusses aims to increase free school meals for students

By Lauren Zola | February 26

At the 14th annual N.C. Child Hunger Leaders Conference on Tuesday, Stein said it is unacceptable that one in five children experience hunger in North Carolina and emphasized the audience to stay motivated while fighting to eradicate child hunger in North Carolina.

Angelina Katsanis

Data

North Carolina fourth and eighth grade math and reading scores show decline

By Lauren Zola and Ivy Nangalia | February 18

Disruptions from COVID-19 pandemic have continued to impact students' scores, with no statistically significant improvements since 2019.

Matthew Breiner

City & State

Orange County Board of Education discusses resolution to support immigrant students, families

By Lauren Zola | February 11

The Board's resolution affirms the district will disclose student information only as required by law, and that the district is committed to keeping immigrant families safe.

Podcast

Heel Talk: New Governance and Green Spaces: What You Missed Last Week at UNC

By Lauren Zola , Lucy Wu , Natalie Bradin and Kshitiz Adhikari | February 3

Welcome back to Heel Talk, where AV Editor Natalie Bradin recaps the biggest local news stories with colleagues Kshitiz Adhikari, Lauren Zola and Lucy Wu. In this episode, the group discusses the appointment of a new trustee, the latest Regional Principal of the Year and the grand opening of a Tree Museum down the road in Pittsboro.

Kaitlin Stratemeier

City & State

UNC Health and Duke partner to open first standalone children's hospital in N.C.

By Tulsi Asokan and Lauren Zola | February 2

The new campus' location has not been determined and construction is set to begin in 2027.

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Emma Plumly

City & State

Orange High School Principal Jason Johnson selected as Regional Principal of the Year

By Lauren Zola | January 27

“It’s every teacher, it’s every student, it’s every community member that has poured into me and poured into my growth,” Johnson said. “It's really an Orange County award, right? It's not just a Jason Johnson award — it's an Orange County award.”

Grace Richards

City & State

N.C. DEQ hosts public hearing on UNC's application for fuel pellets at cogeneration plant

By Lauren Zola | January 20

According to the University’s webpage, the pellets are created from pre-consumer paper and plastic scraps that would contain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as "forever chemicals.”

Carly Evans

City & State

Town of Chapel Hill begins planning a new flexible downtown space

By Lauren Zola | January 12

Chapel Hill Mayor Jess Anderson said she does not think the downtown project will negatively affect parking because of the 125 East Rosemary Street parking deck — which opened in August 2024.

Mini doc: Chapel Hill Town Council holds public hearing for cogeneration facility

Lauren Zola, Natalie Bradin, Amelie Fawson

News

Mini doc: Chapel Hill Town Council holds public hearing for cogeneration facility

By Lauren Zola , Natalie Bradin and Amelie Fawson | February 16

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality's Division of Air Quality held a public hearing on Jan. 16 at the Chapel Hill Town Hall to receive comments on UNC’s application to test a new fuel source at its cogeneration facility. The cogeneration facility, located on West Cameron Avenue, uses natural gas and coal to create energy. In July 2024, the University submitted an application to the DAQ to test engineered fuel pellets at the coal plant, according to UNC's energy services webpage. The webpage also says that it aims to "transition away from coal while increasing the use of renewable fuels” by testing the fuel pellets. According to the University’s webpage, the pellets are created from pre-consumer paper and plastic scraps that would otherwise end up in landfills. Writer Lauren Zola spoke to attendees at this public hearing to gather their thoughts on this proposed fuel source. Here is what they had to say. Story: Lauren Zola Video: Amelie Fawson, Lauren Zola & Natalie Bradin