May 2009

Durham-Orange Friends of Transit forming: buses/light rail

I got this on one of the many e-mail lists I am on:

Smith Level Road

For approximately 25 years, DOT has been wanting to widen Smith Level Road. The latest effort to expand the number of vehicle lanes between Ray Road (town limit) and Morgan Creek bridge, was voted down by the Carrboro Board of Aldermen on April 20.

This morning's Herald-Sun reports that DOT staff has offered Carrboro 3 options:

Developers want more say?

Let me see if I've got this straight: Real estate developers want more say over real estate development?

The council is planning a 12-member committee with two Planning Board members, one Transportation Board member, one Sustainability Committee member, one Justice-in-Action Committee member, one business community representative and five citizens at-large. The petitioners, many of whom work in real-estate related fields, want to add six more members to represent: small businesses, downtown businesses, development professionals, large businesses, UNC-Chapel Hill and UNC Healthcare.

- OrangeChat: Business people want more representation on development task force, 5/4/09

I see.

The 75-year Plan?

Partly because I ran for the Chapel Hill Town Council in my Senior Year (Fall 1991), I took five years to graduate from UNC, but I have absolutely nothing on Griffin Miller who will graduate from UNC this Saturday - 75 years after enrolling as a Freshman:

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/5096793/

On many levels, Mr. Miller, congratulations!

 

'Sludge Diet' - movie show times & locations

Are you eating a SLUDGE DIET!?

It was dumped in the ocean until it killed fish and other ocean life - now it’s being spread on farmlands in N.C. Hear how sewage sludge or ”free fertilizer” may be affecting our health and environment...

In Orange County, 3057 acres are permitted for land application of residuals!

Come to the premiere showing of “Sludge Diet,” a 50-minute Canadian-produced film documentary.

FREE admission!

Locations:

  • Central Carolina Community College, Pittsboro, Tues. May 12
  • Carrboro Century Center, Tues. May 19
  • Burlington Public Library, Wed. May 20
  • UCLA Community Center, Hwy. 87, Thurs May 21
  • Graham Public Library, Fri. May 22

Movie times: 7-8:30 p.m. all locations

For more information:

Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League / NC Healthy Communities: 336-525-2003 sdayton at swcp.com

OR

Sewage Sludge Action Network: 919-270-7534
myradotson at hotmail.com

If you would like a free showing of “Sludge Diet” for your group or organization, please contact Sue Dayton. telephone (336) 525-2003 or email sdayton at swcp.com

Location: 

various

The recession and town-gown planning for CN

The NY Times today ran a brief, not particularly incisive, story on increased town-gown friction because of the recession. "Slump Revives Town-Gown Divide Across US"  http://tinyurl.com/NYTtownoGown  (registration required) "As endowments everywhere sink with the economy, town-gown relationships, often carefully nurtured during the boom years as colleges and universities sought to expand, are fraying."  

The Downtown "Riddle"

If you are interested in the Downtown "Riddle," you must read the May/June edition of the Chapel Hill Magazine.  On page 56, there is an interview with Fayetteville's own Joe Riddle, the well-known owner of some of our empty Franklin St. property.

In the "Letter from the publisher," Dan Shannon says the interview is "a lively mixture of raw honesty, combativeness, disingenuousness and skepticism."  The wary Riddle doesn't treat reporter Lisa Rossi with much respect and obviously doesn't believe that any interview will do him justice.

Smoking ban

Smoking ban passes General Assembly
Cigarette smoking

Posted: May 13th at 11:07 a.m.

RALEIGH, N.C. — The House narrowly approved a broad indoor smoking ban Wednesday that was previously passed by the Senate, delivering another jolt to the tobacco industry that once was a key piece of North Carolina's economy.

House Bill 2, which lawmakers approved by a 62-56 vote, bans smoking in nearly all restaurants and bars. Private clubs and cigar bars are exempted from the no-smoking restrictions.

The bill now heads to Gov. Beverly Perdue's desk, and she said Wednesday that she was ready to sign it into law.

"Today is an important and historic day for North Carolina," Perdue said in a statement. "I have vigorously supported efforts to reduce and eliminate smoking, and this bill will help more North Carolina citizens avoid the dangers of second-hand smoke."

House Majority Leader Hugh Holliman said the proposal is a good step toward protecting the public's health.

"Tobacco has a great legacy in North Carolina. It's done some great

One Man. One Woman. Thats Marriage?

Originally posted on Amplify: http://www.amplifyyourvoice.org/u/dandaman6007/2009/5/14/NCmarriage

One man. One woman. That’s marriage.

This is the tagline of the conservative North Carolina organization called NC4marrige. They are trying to pass the Defense of Marriage Act, which would protect marriage under the state constitution, making it harder to legalize same-sex marriage in the future. North Carolina is the only southern state that doesn’t have a constitutional same-sex marriage ban in place, which makes it a target for conservative activists and same-sex marriage advocates alike. Basically, these groups tell their supporters that North Carolina could become the next state to legalize gay marriage unless it becomes banned under the constitution.

Advocates for Youth opposes the bill, saying:

Great Op-Ed in the Carrboro Citizen about Sex Education

Planned Parenthood of Central North Carolina's Paige Johnson wrote a great piece in the Carrboro Citizen about the Healthy Youth Act and comprehensive sex education.

 

You can follow all of their policy/activist efforts on twitter at http://twitter.com/ppcnc.

Comprehensive sex education will equip our children to survive 

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