With apologies to Mr. Wolfe Now that he’s not working the campaign trail, John Edwards and family are a lot more visible around town. He was close to courtside in the comfy seats at the Smith Center during last week’s Boston College game and he’s been making the rounds lately to thank the staff and…
Category: Opinion
North Carolina needs to rethink the death penalty
Stephen Dear & Diann Rust-Tierney Recently, law enforcement officers, prosecutors, crime victims’ advocates and both Republican and Democratic state legislators in New Jersey worked together to pass legislation to repeal that state’s death penalty. Gov. Jon Corzine signed the bill into law last month, making New Jersey the first state to legislatively repeal the death…
HFCS: A ban worth getting excited over
Rebekah L. Cowell I was thrilled to read Weaver Street took a stance against high-fructose corn syrup! This January — new year, new resolutions, yadda, yadda — Weaver Street issued a newsletter stating that they would no longer carry any products that had HFCS in them — hip-hip-hooray for Weaver Street, right?
What’s the fuss?
I’m a little surprised by the dust-up that has occurred because of Carrboro’s taco wagons. They haven’t come from out of nowhere. These sorts of food stands have been around forever. I don’t know the specifics of Carrboro’s licensing laws, but I feel certain that these people are paying payroll and sales taxes and that…
For the Record: 01/31/08
A few things to keep in mind As has been reported, a formal complaint has been filed with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency alleging a pattern of environmental racism on the part of local governments in the matter of the Rogers-Eubanks neighborhood. Such a complaint is serious business and should be thoroughly and properly addressed….
Ask the restaurants
In your “Town’s taco trucks in jeopardy†article on Jan. 24 article, Mayor Mark Chilton and Board of Aldermen member Jacquie Gist [said they] don’t understand why a complaint was filed against trucks selling prepared food from parking lots. Gist writes, “I am worried by the real possibility that hard working entrepreneurs who are adding…
Landfill open letter
Editor’s note: following is an open letter to the board of county commissioners. Congratulations for reversing your earlier decision to unilaterally select the Eubanks Road area as the site for the new waste transfer station. That change of heart was a step in the right direction. You are now embarking on a critical phase in…
Crime and civility in Central America
Robert Dickson Our family’s Honduran holiday vacation was feeling like anything but a holiday. Our bags had first been reported as late, then later, then stolen from the truck on which they had been sent from San Pedro Sula to La Ceiba. “Hijacked†was the term used. And I had contracted the Honduran version of…
For the Record: 01/24/08
Caution: heavy traffic It was a relief to hear that a strong emphasis will be placed on downtown parking during the board of aldermen retreat later this month. As the board will tell you and as anyone trying to place a vehicle within the confines of the town’s blocks during a busy evening, the parking…
Seeing the Achievement Gap for what it is and what can be done
 Steve Peha and Margot Carmichael Lester No matter what gains we make in education, the Achievement Gap haunts us. If the Gap seems intractable, it’s because of the way we perceive it as a single phenomenon applying broadly to large groups within our society. In reality, academic achievement is more meaningful in individual contexts, and…
Inauspicious campaign debut
Chris Fitzsimon The pundits and press are still weighing in about the latest gubernatorial debate: a discussion between the four Republican candidates moderated by WRAL-TV’s David Crabtree. The debate covered the usual ground, education, immigration, transportation, taxes, leadership and not much news was made with one notable exception. It was the first appearance of Charlotte…
Can we restore our creeks?
Randy Dodd This question is somewhat of a mantra for me these days. You see, I’ve been fortunate enough to land within the friendly confines of the Bolin Creek Watershed Restoration Team. The BCWRT has manifested at least in part because state and federal environmental agencies have confidence that we locals have the wherewithal to…
Garbage is a communal responsibility
By Taylor Sisk Staff Writer This story is the eigth in a series that examines issues related to environmental justice and to the fight of the Rogers and Eubanks roads community to be relieved of what they allege to be an undue burden. To read the stories in this series and for other resources, go…
Disturbing news about disparities
Chris Fitzsimon It is no secret that there are vast disparities between the races on a wide variety of health indicators. The latest Report Card on Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities from the Office of Minority Health makes it clear that those disparities aren’t going away any time soon.
Moving toward the day when justice just is
Anthony Fleg The Urban Institute estimates that 137,000 Americans died as a result of not having health insurance between 2000 and 2006. Meanwhile, amidst explosions in technology in healthcare, there is an equally deafening silence when it comes to progress in reducing the steep inequities between rich and poor and across ethnic and geographic lines…