Categories
Miscellany

Deer thread

Nice discussion on deer going on over at Orange Politics.

Categories
Miscellany

CHPD issues holiday shopping safety tips

This from the Chapel Hill Police Department:

Shopping Safely this Holiday Season

The holiday season is quickly approaching. The Chapel Hill Police Department would like to remind all citizens to be vigilant this holiday season and to report any suspicious activity to the police by calling 911.

Some crime prevention tips while shopping this holiday season:

• Park in well-lit areas, preferably near the door.
• Don’t leave anything in plain view inside your car. Place items in the trunk.
• Carry one credit card for all purchases.
• Shop with a friend.
• If you are alone, don’t be afraid to ask a security guard for an escort.
• If you are carrying cash for purchases, split the cash between several pockets to avoid showing a large amount of cash when paying for items.
• Have your keys in your hand when you leave the store.
• Walk to the parking lot with a group.
• Do not be so overburdened with shopping bags that you cannot defend yourself or enter your car quickly.
• Before unlocking your car, quickly check to make sure no one is hiding inside or underneath.
• If you see something or someone that looks suspicious, go back into the store and call 911.

Categories
Miscellany

East Chapel Hill 77 in top 100 list

Newsweek’s annual rankings of the top 100 high schools in the country puts East Chapel Hill High at 77.
No other schools in Orange or Chatham counties were on the list although Woods Charter and Chapel Hill High received honorable mentions. The Early School at Guilford and Raleigh Charter were in the top 25 on the list. Here’s the link to the full NC list.
The list ranks the schools mainly on the basis of advanced placement tests.

Categories
Miscellany

Recycling just gets easier

This from our friends at the county:

Orange County’s Drop-Off Recycling System Now Easier to Use

Beginning the week of December 8th, all cans, bottles, jugs and jars recycled at County’s ten drop off sites can be recycled together. Recyclers will no longer have to separate each color of glass bottle, metal cans and plastic bottles, jugs and jars. Instead they can all be dumped together into the large blue recycling containers.  This change, known as “commingling” will also apply to 150 bars, restaurants and other businesses that are now part of the County’s commercial recycling program.

Categories
Miscellany

Carrboro Cyberry discussions and classes

BOOK DISCUSSIONS
On Thursday, Dec 11 at 7:00pm, the Movie/Book Club meets to discuss Twilight and the
bestselling novel it is based on by Stephanie Meyer. See the movie, read the book,
or both and you are invited. Carrboro Cybrary, 100 N. Greensboro St., 918-7387,

On Thursday, Dec 18 at 7:00pm, the Contemporary Fiction Book Club meets to discuss
2008 Pulitzer Prize Winner, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz.

COMPUTER CLASSES
Free computer classes: Computer Basics, Web Basics, Intoduction to Email, MS Word,
MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, Health Information on the Internet, Exploring Facebook.
Registration required. Wednesdays, Jan. 21 – Mar. 4, 7:00pm, Carrboro Cybrary, 100
N. Greensboro St., Carrboro, 918-7387

Categories
Community

Chapel Hill Town Council agenda

Draft agenda for next Monday’s Chapel Hill Town Council Meeting

Monday, December 8, 2008
7:00 p.m.
Draft Agenda – Last Updated 12/04/08
Town Council Regular Business Meeting
1. Proclamation and Special Reports:
1. Proclamation recognizing Bill of Rights Day.
2. Update on Carolina North.
2. Public Forums and Hearings: None.
3. Petitions by citizens and announcements by Council members. Petitions will not be acted upon at the time they are presented. It shall take a unanimous vote of the Council members present for a petition to be acted upon immediately upon its presentation. After receiving a petition, the Council shall, by simple motion, dispose of it as follows: consideration at a future regular meeting of the Council; or referral to another board or committee for study and report; or referral to the Town Manager for investigation and report; or receive for information. (Receiving does not imply approval, agreement, or consent.)
1. Petitions by citizens on items not on the agenda.
1. Chandler’s Green Homeowner’s Association regarding speed humps.
2. Petitions by citizens on items on the agenda.
3. Announcements by Council members.
4. Consent agenda: Items of a routine nature will be placed on the Consent Agenda to be voted on in a block. Any item may be removed from the Consent Agenda by request of the Mayor or any Council Member. (R-1)
1. Adoption of minutes.
The Council will consider adopting minutes from the May 5, 2008 Legislative Breakfast, May 5, 2008 Business Meeting and May 12, 2008 Public Hearing.
2. Nominations to various boards and committees (R-2).
The Council will consider nominations to fill vacancies on the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board, Chapel Hill Public Arts Commission, Historic District Commission, Parks and Recreation Commission, Planning Board, and Sustainability Committee.
3. Resolution amending Council Calendar. (R-3)
The Council will consider amending their meeting calendar to include joint meetings with the UNC Board of Trustees regarding Carolina North.
4. Fee schedule change for Communications & Public Affairs. (R-4)
The Council will consider a resolution amending the 2008-2009 user fee policy to include new merchandise made available to the public by Communications and Public Affairs.
5. Acceptance of FY2008-2009 COPS Law Enforcement Technology Grant. (R-5, O-1)
The Council will consider a resolution authorizing the acceptance of the COPS Law Enforcement Technology grant funds and a budget ordinance amendment appropriating the COPS grant funds.
6. Budget Ordinance to approve a Grant for Project Safe Neighborhoods. (R-6) (O-2)
The Council will consider a resolution authorizing the acceptance of the Project Safe Neighborhoods grant funds and a budget ordinance amendment appropriating the PSN grant funds.
7. Resolution to approve the purchase of seven light duty transit vehicles. (R-7)
The Council will consider a resolution to purchase replacement EZ Rider lift-equipped vans.
8. Authorization to contract with an artist for the Greenways Trail Extension Art Project. (R-8)
The Council will consider a resolution to authorize the Town Manager to contract with Al Frega for the Greenways Trail Extension Art project.
9. Resolution to call public hearings regarding several Land Use Management Ordinance Text Amendments. (R-9)
The Council will consider pending Land Use Management Ordinance Text Amendments and a proposed schedule
10. Resolution moving the date of the Aydan Court public hearing. (R-10) The Council will consider a resolution, which continues the public hearings for the Aydan Court Zoning Atlas Amendment and Special Use Permit Applications from December 8, 2008 to February 9, 2009.
5. Information items. These items are reports or information for the Council.
1. Report on gymnasium for Elementary School #11.
The Council will consider a report which recommends that the Town of Chapel Hill decline this opportunity to participate with the school system to build a full-sized gymnasium while encouraging continued cooperation between the school system and the Parks and Recreation Department.
2. Response to a petition regarding accessory apartments.
The Council will consider information on a petition requesting that the Town consider revising the Land Use Management Ordinance to require property owners to reside in the primary dwelling unit if an accessory apartment, associated with the primary residence, is rented.

Main Discussion
6. Report on Pedestrian Safety Improvement Projects (Staff Presenter: Roger Stancil, Town Manager)
The Council will receive reports that includes background information and updates regarding the following items:
1. Update on Transit Safety Activities (Staff Presenter: Steve Spade, Transit Director)
2. Report on Pedestrian Safety Measures (Staff Presenter: Kumar Neppalli, Engineering Services Manager)
7. Follow-up Report regarding night work for the Greenbridge Project (Staff Presenters: Kumar Neppalli, Engineering Services Manager and Brian Curran, Police Chief)
The Council will consider a follow-up report regarding night work on the Greenbridge project located adjacent to the intersection of West Rosemary Street and Merritt Mill Road.
8. Presentation for art at Lot 5 (Presenters: Jeffrey York, Public Arts Administrator and Mik Young Kim).
The Council will consider a report on the artwork design process, comments on the preliminary design by the public, staff, and Public Art Review Committee leading to the revised design presentation.
9. Library expansion project scheduling options and their respective budget implications. (Staff Presenter: Bruce Heflin, Assistant Town Manager) (R-11)
1. Impact of Economy on Town Budget (Staff Presenter: Kenneth C. Pennoyer, Business Management Director)
2. Library Expansion Project Scheduling Options and Their Respective Budget Implications (Staff Presenter: Bruce Heflin, Assistant Town Manager)
The Council will consider reports and a resolution concerning the potential impact of the financial crisis on the Town’s budget, additional Library expansion project information and an opportunity to consider three project scheduling options.
10. Concept Plan: Elementary School #11 (Staff Presenter: J.B. Culpepper, Planning Director) (R-12)
1. Review of process by the Manager
2. Presentation by the applicant
3. Comments from the Community Design Commission
4. Comments from citizens
5. Comments and questions from the Mayor and Town Council
6. Resolution transmitting Council comments to the applicant.
The Council will consider the memorandum from the Town Manager and the resolution, transmitting comments to the applicant for the Concept Plan.
11. Appointments:
1. Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board.
The Council will consider an appointment to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board.
2. Transportation Board.
The Council will consider an appointment to the Transportation Board.

Categories
Arts & Music

Attacked by Mimes in Carrboro

Sitting around the office on a quiet Friday with Contributing Editor Taylor Sisk when suddenly two Mimes came through the door bearing signs about the 3Cups opening and juggling and balancing roses on their noses and so forth. Film at 11.

Categories
Sports

Fireworks in Chapel Hill

5:42 p.m.

Lots of fireworks coming from the stadium.

Downside: Yates in for X-Rays.

Update on Yates: nothing broken

Update on team: Ru-roh

Categories
Miscellany

Trouble in, uh, paradise

Lady preachers? Nooooooooooooo!

Bookstores pull gospel mag.

The group says women pastors go against its beliefs, according to its interpretation of the New Testament.

Categories
The Eater

Oily issue

Fish or nutrient delivery system?

This Times article sets up the argument.

Superfood or Monster from the Deep?

Are we really that close to a world in which food functions as a nutrient delivery system, made possible by microencapsulation and fine-spray coating? And what would this mean for food and human nutrition?

Categories
Weather

Gas prices shooting up

Over on the corner of Main and Weaver gas prices have shot up by about 50 cents in the past hour.
Ike news seems to be getting worse. CNN video