March 2005
In January I wrote about my first experience shopping at Weaver Street Market for my major grocery needs. I've been an owner for several years, but primarily limited my purchases to single meals at the cafe, doing the majority of my shopping at the neighboring Harris Teeter.
I thought I'd follow that up by shopping at the Whole Foods in Chapel Hill. Not as convenient to me in Carrboro as the Harris Teeter or Weaver Street, but after having a friend laughingly call it "Whole Paycheck," I decided to put my paycheck on the line and see how it compares.
This experiment was never intended to be rigorously scientific, but I did bring my standard grocery list of cold cuts, cheeses, fresh fruits and vegetables, granola bars, mixed nuts, crackers, chips, bread, milk, juice, eggs, morningstar products, and room for anything else that might catch my eye. Since I go out to eat (and drink) fairly frequently, I tend to avoid purchasing some pricer individual items like beer, wine, and meat.
The annual regional tally of homeless folks has been completed and it does not look good. According to the Chapel Hill Herald, "In Orange County, the survey counted 230 homeless people. That number included 38 children and 70 chronically homeless." They found that the Triangle (Orange, Durham, and Wake counties) has higher than average rates of chronic (repeated or on-going) homelessness.
These results were announced along with a 10-year regional initiative to "end homelessness." Now, I am all about the continuum of care that is needed to address the many complex layers of poverty - from short-term shelters and food pantries to transitional housing and long-term counseling. Having sustainable affordable housing and jobs that pay a living wage are also keys to not having families fall over the edge financially.
Those who hold out the hope that local government can have a progressive impact beyond its immediate and often parochial borders must have been pleased with last night's Town Council meeting.
At Sally Greene's initiative, the Council placed the repeal of GS 95-98 on its legislative agenda. This is the unfortunate law that prevents collective bargaining by public employees.
This is not a case of liberal Chapel Hill taking a stand on its own. While Chapel Hill is the first, UE-150 is taking its campaign statewide and expects other communities to also stand up for the repeal. It make take years to prevail on this issue but a growing NC labor movement may ultimately succeed.
Bill Strom also deserves credit for encouraging UE-150 on this issue. He, along with Greene, was a member of the worker's rights board that took testimony at December 4 hearing on the union's International Worker Justice Campaign.
Pop the Cap has been lobbying since at least last summer's World Beer Festival in Durham (which I highly recommend) to remove the 6% alcohol cap on all malt beverages produced in or imported to the state of North Carolina.
Currently only 5 states (Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, North Carolina, and South Carolina) have this limitation, and removing it, as the argument goes, shouldn't contribute to underage or binge drinking due to the expense and rarified taste of these beers. Several establishments in Orange County stand to benefit, including Tyler's Taproom, Carolina Brewery, and Top of the Hill as well other "progressive" bars, breweries and restaurants with a hankering for Scottish Ales, German Bocks, Russian Imperial Stouts, and Barleywines.
The Independent reports that veteran journalist Mark Schultz will be returning to Orange County:
The N&O has also lured away longtime H-S reporter and current metro editor Mark Schultz, who will be in charge of both the Orange County bureau of the newspaper and its community paper there, The Chapel Hill News.
This can only be good news for the local news. It indicates a serious commitment to our area by the N&O and a willingness to compete with the Herald for coverage and circulation. The competition should keep both papers engaged in Orange County, much to our benefit.
From a reader's perspective, Schultz did a great job when he previously edited the Chapel Hill Herald. He is a fitting replacement for Ted Vaden.
Welcome back, Mark.
Many entertaining theories were hatched in an attempt to explain what happened to the almost 5,000 pounds of marijuana that disappeared while in the custody of the Chatham County Sheriff's department in 2001. Just to give you a sense of scale, that's 80,000 oz. Most recreational users buy a quarter of an ounce at a time. Maybe someone had a party and generously smoked out every single person in Chatham, Orange, and Durham counties. Probably not, but they could have with that much pot!
When it comes to our wild theories, it appears that the truth may be stranger than fiction.
...former Chatham County Deputy Dan Phillips is suing former Chatham County Sheriff Ike Gray for wrongful termination.
Phillips claims the sheriff fired him Jan. 18, 2001, because he tried to bring attention to racism at a Chatham County high school and because he took an informant to the FBI who had information about thousands of pounds of seized marijuana that went missing from the Chatham County Sheriff's Office.
- Chapel Hill Herald, 2/26/05
at Monday night's Town Council meeting if that's what it takes to demonstrate Chapel Hill's commitment to gay and lesbian rights.
My intro is glib but the issue is serious, especially in the aftermath of the recent attack on a gay UNC student. The Herald reports today that "A Christian activist group plans to bring 200 to 500 people to Monday night's Town Council meeting to protest the council's stance on same-sex marriage." Groups like this live off and in turn breed the intolerance that leads to hate crimes.
As I discussed in my Chapel Hill Herald column of 4/3/2004, there are over 1000 automatic federal protections, benefits, and responsibilities that come with a marriage license, many more at the state level. All Americans, and all North Carolinians, should have an equal right to these privileges and responsibilities.
Here is Equality NC's action alert:
Guest Post by Sarah Myers
With Chapel Hill debating how to spend extra transit money, Carrboro looking at several major downtown development projects, and Carolina North looming over it all, encouraging integrated transportation is a hot topic and one important to the entire community. The UNC Sustainability Office has invited Spenser Havlick to speak Monday, 3/7. This is a great opportunity for Orange County residents to learn more about transportation strategies from a well-known expert in the field.
Blurb from the UNC Sustainability Office:
Maybe I am overly swayed by the convincing arguments for children's suffrage laid out on last week's West Wing, but I think that a recent proposal from the Chapel Hill High Civics Club to have a student serve on the school board makes a lot of sense. This would probably be a non-voting position, but I have also heard of students getting elected directly to the board (which is pretty impressive considering few of their peers are old enough to vote).
Locally, students have been active in board discussions -- although not as members. Most recently, Chapel Hill High students complained that they hadn't been more involved in a discussion of changing the high school schedule.
Students have lined up to speak at recent school board meetings, and hundreds attended a forum they planned at Chapel Hill High to tell district officials they didn't want block scheduling.
Guest Post by Lance McCord
Chapel Hill Herald, Saturday, March 05, 2005
On Feb. 16, 141 nations celebrated the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol, an unprecedented global response to the greatest crisis facing the world -- global warming. In one respect, Kyoto represents the culmination of a process that spanned the last century as nations worked to build the capacity to cooperate in the face of global challenges.
Unfortunately, the celebration of this historic moment is sadly diminished for Americans. Alone among the world's great powers, the United States steadfastly refuses to participate.
Reading the various reports and analyses of what one commentator called America's "monumental shame," it struck me that this was a time for local government to truly step into the breach. Symbolic measures, like our towns' occasional protests of national policy, would not be sufficient. Action was needed, the only question being what form that action should take.
are the topic of tonight's Sierra Club forum:
Chatham County Growth Issues
Prospects and Possible Solutions
Wednesday, March 9th, 7:30 p.m
Chapel Hill Town Hall, 306 North Columbia Street
Loyse Hurley, president of Chatham Citizens for Effective Communities, Jeffrey Starkweather, president of Chatham Coalition and Mike Cross and Patrick Barnes, two newly-elected Chatham County commissioners who were endorsed by the Sierra Club, are the presenters.
The meeting will be televised on public access.
These public art projects always seem to come out more interesting and more valuable than they seem from the description. This one is especially vague as a dream could be anything from a hope for the future to a psycheledic fantasy. It will certainly be interesting!
THE DREAM DEADLINE IS QUICKLY APPROACHING!
Submissions for the Chapel Hill Public Arts Commission's Community Art Project – DREAM – are due March 18 and 19 from 10 am to 4 pm at the Chapel Hill Museum.
What do you dream? The dream exhibition, which will be on view in public places throughout Chapel Hill and Carrboro from April 7 to May 27, will be a peek into the dreams of our community. Take this opportunity to let us know what's on your mind. We invite you to explore, remember, imagine, express and dream. To be a part of this community-wide exhibition the CHPAC is asking everyone who lives/works/plays in Chapel Hill and Carrboro to create an artwork that expresses your dream. Any definition of "dream" is acceptable--be creative!
Sweet dreams - Nightmares - Goals - Premonitions - Recurring dreams - Desires - Visions - Daydreams - Fantasies - Aspirations
Chapel Hill Herald, Saturday, March 12, 2005
If you were in the Town Council chambers last Monday night, you probably felt as Bill Strom did. "I am constantly moved and blown away by Chapel Hill citizens who stand before us and share their life experiences," he said. He referred to the dozens of citizens who came out that night to speak on behalf of the rights of gays and lesbians in the face of not only denial but further restriction of those rights under a right-wing assault.
The council's proposed legislative agenda has three items that speak to the rights of same-sex couples. It asks our state legislators to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, to oppose the proposed constitutional amendment defining marriage as a union of one man and one woman and to include sexual orientation as a protected category under the hate crimes law.
A handful of local fundamentalists brought in a busload of their con-freres from Wake County to preach intolerance to the Town Council. They soon learned they'd come to the wrong place. Their position received not a word of support from Chapel Hillians outside their small group.
This word is just in from a source who spoke with the Governor's office. The new Superior Court Judge for Orange and Chatham counties will be . . .
District Attorney Carl Fox!
According to Gerry Cohen, an attorney for the North Carolina General Assembly (and who is not the source who spoke to the Governor's office), Article 4 section 18 of the North Carolina Constitution gives the Governor the power to appoint an interim District Attorney when there is a vacancy in the office, so the next question is who will the Governor appoint to replace Carl Fox?
Seems like the Governor would not create a vacancy unless he knew how he was going to fill it. We shall see . . .
Meanwhile, congratultions to Carl Fox!
On tonight's Chapel Hill Planning Board agenda there are a number of interesting issues including rezoning the Horace Williams tract (the future home of Carolina North), rezoning the Greenwood neighborhood to prevent redevelopment, and a report on increasing health and mobility in Northside. Since I can't be there in person, I wrote the following to my colleagues on the board:
Horace Williams Tract re-zoning.
This in from the Interfaith Council:
The House and Senate are getting ready to pass budget resolutions that will profoundly affect how much funding is available for housing and homelessness programs next year.
Contact your Representative and Senators Dole and Burr TODAY!
Tell them the Budget Resolution is going to hurt our successful efforts on ending homelessness in North Carolina.
Contacts:
Senator Dole's Office: 202/224-6342 staff: Al Garesche, if not available, ask for Amanda Nealy
Senator Burr's Office: 202/224-3154 staff: Drew Elliot
To find contact information for your Representative, go to www.house.gov and enter your zip code
What if I don't know very much about the federal budget?
It doesn't matter! Members of Congress need to know that you are paying attention to the federal budget process and that you expect them to prioritize the needs of homeless and low-income people and families. How much detail you go into is up to you. A simple call from you tells them that their vote on the resolution impacts North Carolina.
Chapel Hill Herald, Saturday, March 19, 2005
[modified slightly from published version to reflect that the event is now past]
Last Saturday's March and Rally to Bring the Troops Home Now in Fayetteville was not your typical peace rally. The location was chosen to focus on support for the troops.
Among the main sponsors were Veterans For Peace, Iraq Veterans Against the War and Military Families Speak Out.
Fayetteville, of course, is the home of Fort Bragg, one of the largest military installations in the country. Twenty percent of those serving in Iraq hail from North Carolina.
The event promised a supportive environment for soldiers and military families concerned about the Iraq war. It allowed them to speak out and to raise their questions about Bush administration policy while still having their patriotism honored.
This is the question on many minds as UNC says they want to work together with the town on Carolina North, while simultaneously attempting to block a pro-active initiative of the town to re-zone the Horace Williams tract to OI-2, which realistically reflects the current capacity of our public infrastructure and the lack of any formal proposal for the land from UNC.
The process of trying to zone this land in a way that allows the University to innovate, while mainataing the health of the surrounding community has a long history. In fact, the Council considered re-zoning this land to OI-2 back in 1994, and spent subsequent years trying to develop a custom mixed-use zone for UNC, which was ultimately rejected..
The Terri Schiavo case is a bit far afield for this blog but it's worth reminding people that in North Carolina it is possible to record both a living will and a health care power of attorney. There are many attorneys in the area who do this work, and who can make sure that the language of each accords with North Carolina law.
I found a good overview of these items including links to pdf files for the necessary forms at the New Hanover Health Network.
As reported in the News & Observer:
"The Al Franken Show" is coming to Chapel Hill on April 13. Al Franken and co-host Katherine Lanpher will broadcast the show live from the Carolina Union Auditorium. "The Al Franken Show" airs weekdays from noon until 3 p.m. on News Talk 1360 WCHL-AM. The station announced the visit Tuesday.
Perhaps someone at WCHL can provide more information on Franken and Lanpher's plans for their visit to Chapel Hill.
I have emailed Franken inviting him to visit orangepolitics to find possible topics.
Some that might be relevant to a national discussion are the change of ownership at the Herald, the rally in Fayetteville, and the Bell Award.
I can't say that Franken is looking for suggestions but what do others think are big issues in Chapel Hill or at UNC that have national saliency for progressives?
An interesting debate has erupted nationally over the lack of women among the punditry. Katha Pollitt (niece of our own celebrated Dan Pollitt) wrote in the April 4 Nation about recent reports including one that only 20% of the LA Times op-ed authors were women. The Washington Post has only one woman among its 19 pundits and only 10% on its op-ed page.
Pollitt quotes the NY Times' Maureen Dowd that there are "plenty of brilliant women.... We just need to find and nurture them." To which Pollitt replies "Oh, nurture my eye. It may be true that more men than women like to bloviate and 'bat things out'--socialization does count for something. So do social rewards: I have seen men advance professionally on levels of aggression, self-promotion and hostility that would have a woman carted off to a loony bin--unless, of course, she happens to be Ann Coulter."
Opposed to the Iraq War? Concerned about the deficit? Support gay marriage? Want Democrats to find a spine? Surprised at support of corrupt, conservative Chatham County politicians?
Our Congressman, David Price, is holding in district meetings including one in Chapel Hill on Thursday. Give him a piece of your mind!
Fourth District, Mar 24 - US Rep. David Price (NC-04) will host two town hall meetings next week, one in Durham and one in Chapel Hill. Constituents are invited to attend and ask Price questions about the federal issues that matter to them.
Price regularly hosts town hall meetings and office hours as part of his commitment to keeping in touch with the 4th District. Last month, he hosted a special town hall meeting in Wake County dedicated to Social Security.
CHAPEL HILL
Thursday, March 31, 2005
7-8:30PM
Chapel Hill Town Hall
306 N. Columbia Street, Chapel Hill
Thanks to Paul Jones for the tip.
OWASA cordially invites citizens to participate in a community outreach meeting on Thursday night, March 31st at 7:00 pm to discuss our plans for the future and to receive comments and questions from customers.
The meeting in the Century Hall at the Carrboro Century Center, 100 North Greensboro Street, will begin with a presentation on questions such as:
- Will our community have enough water when the next major drought occurs?
- How much water per day can our existing lakes provide in a drought?
- How much will water use rise in coming decades?
- What is OWASA doing to prepare for future growth in water demand?
- How important is the future reuse of highly treated wastewater for non-drinking purposes?
- How important is water conservation for our community's future?
- Can we have an adequate water supply for the long term with our locally-protected water sources?
The floor will then be open for questions and comments about any of OWASA's plans, services and policies.
Chapel Hill Herald, Saturday, March 26, 2005
Last week I felt as if I'd climbed into Dr. Emmett Brown's souped-up DeLorean and ridden with Michael J. Fox's Marty McFly character back to 1985. The occasion was the annual State of the Local Economy Breakfast sponsored by the Orange County Economic Development Commission.
With a few exceptions, the report, as presented by EDC Director Dianne Reid, was a mundane and conventional affair. Despite stalwart efforts by past board members like Bob Hall, Mark Marcoplos and Bill Strom, the EDC seems to have missed out on the progressive trends that can be seen elsewhere in Orange County.
The event had its moments, however brief: celebrating the success of the recycling program, applauding open space preservation and lamenting the shrinking availability of modest-cost housing.
But, all in all, the presentation (56 slides in around 45 minutes) had little relevance to the lives of Orange County's working stiffs and much relevance to the business leaders who, along with a bevy of elected officials and government staffers, were on hand for the event.
I've noticed a lot of people grumbling lately about the Town of Chapel Hill's "Percent for Art" Program, which designates 1% of the budget for new facilities toward public art. Some penny pinchers feel this expenditure is extravagant during our current budget squeeze. I disagree.
Creativity is a fundamental part of humanity. I picture a world without art as something between George Orwell's "1984" and Cary - in short, not a place I want to be. We live in a community that is uniquely expressive. For example look at Franklin Street on Halloween, you will see thousands of adults publicly expressing their creativity and humor. This is not something that happens in other towns.
On her blog, Council Member Sally Greene wrote a thoughtful response to the Chamber of Commerce Director Aaron Nelson's questions of why the new Town Operations Center should waste money on public art. According to the Chapel Hill Public Arts Commission:
Guest Post by Theresa Champion
What: The Really REALLY Free Market, a celebration of alternative economics.
Where: Carrboro Town Commons
When: 1:00-5:00pm, Saturday, April 2nd.
Everyone is invited to arrive between 1:00 and 5:00 pm with goods, services, performances, stories, crafts, food, games, music, clothing, furniture, and resources to give and share (fully free of charge!) with others in the community. There is no buying, selling or exchanging involved - in this market, everything is strictly free. Better than a yard sale, the Really Really Free Market welcomes all items for giving and receiving, and has no price tags!
This event is approved by the Town of Carrboro and is organized by a small coalition of community members. This is a "self-organizing" event, in that it is not corporately sponsored or institutionally organized. The Carrboro Really Really Free Market is organized in the spirit of other free markets cropping up around the South, the U.S. and the world as ways for communities to come together, give, share and receive.
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