July 2007

I got to watch the Simpsons last night!

On the rare occasions when I can go straight home after work I like to watch the Simpsons, which is on from 6-7 PM every week night.

But in the past the earliest bus I could get from Raleigh to Chapel Hill when I finished work was at 5:40. By the time the bus got to downtown Chapel Hill and I walked to my apartment it was usually 6:50. No Simpsons for me.

Well TTA has now added two extra routes in the morning and afternoon to give folks who work in Raleigh and live in Orange County more flexibility with their daily schedules.

The bus already left at 6, 7, and 8 AM. There are now 7:30 and 8:30 departures as well.

The old afternoon routes set off from Moore Square in downtown Raleigh at 4:30, 5:40, and 6:40. The new times are 4:40, 5:10, 5:40, 6:10, and 6:50.

What does this mean for me? Took the 5:10 bus home last night, walked in at 6:15 and got 45 minutes of Simpsons watching in!

I learned on Tuesday that our community lost a great warrior for justice and equality. Ever since I met her nearly 20 years ago, Lisa Garmon was a festive rabble-rouser and a tireless worker for what's right. She died of cancer on Tuesday.

I worked with Lisa on environmental issues, on making local media, on organizing peace and justice protests, on keeping Internationalist Books afloat, and on countless other causes. I remember her amazing energy and dependability. She was great for things like coming through with a last-minute food donation for your fundraising event. She was there for you.

Lisa was mostly a face-to-face grassroots organizer, so there's not much of an online legacy to show her work. One great testament to her is the early archives of HA!, a feirce feminist 'zine that she founded in the mid-90's. I remember working on the first issue only to hear that the printer had refused to publish it because it included penis graphics! Never mind all those female body parts, right?

Those interested in water quality may want to attend a Public Hearing for the Proposed Water Supply Nutrient Strategy for B. Everett Jordan Reservoir. The meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, June July 12, at The Century Center.

This is one of three hearings being held by the North Carolina Division of Water Quality. A good overview can be found in their public notice.

The proposed rules call for much more stringent discharge limits for phosphorus and nitrogen. As well as the regulations themselves, a major concern for local government is who pays for the improvements. As Mayor Chilton pointed out at a recent board meeting, the Corps of Engineers laid out the lake to take significant run off from more densely populated areas, those areas are already ahead of the curve on controlling run-off (as compared to others in the watershed), and we will not consume Jordan Lake water.

The proposed rules are here.

As you intelligent readers know, free and fair media is essential to a funtioning democracy, and self-expression is essential to a healthy society. We are fortunate to have The People's Channel here in Chapel Hill who have been doing a great job with minimal resources to keep the airwaves open to residents for whatever we might need to say and do.

That's why I am thrilled to support their upcoming event "A Celebration of Localism" which will highlight the importance of "keeping it local" and also raise badly needed funds for The People's Channel. TPC's Director Chad Johnston has been a strong voice for independent and locally-produced media both here and at the state and national level. We're lucky to have a resources like him in our community.

I think it's great that the event being done with the support (and hosting!) of the Preservation Society. They are also about localism, but in a different way than many of us think of it. I hope to see you there!