Media

When it rains, it pours, I guess. The second-biggest municipality in Orange County has recently been blessed with several new journalistic efforts talking nothing but Carrboro.

The Carrboro Commons is a project of a class at UNC's School of Journalism. It's not clear to me whether it will be sticking around now that the semester is over. They kicked out a few interesting pieces like a profile of Mike Nelson, a Carrboro High preview, and coverage of growth in Carrboro. I haven't seen the print edition but apparently there is one, published semesterly.

It was tucked deep in an Under the Dome item about Edwards hiring former Michigan Congressman David Bonior to be the manager of his Presidential campaign, but apparently it will be run out of Southern Village.

Chapel Hill's really hitting the political big time I guess! And Edwards' presence is already bringing celebrities to town, as Hardball will be hosted live from Memorial Hall next Tuesday.

Setting up shop in Chapel Hill and realizing the importance of hiring political help from Michigan in the same day make Edwards look pretty smart to me anyway :)

So I'll be gone for the rest of the week doing dual duty as a granddaughter and conference panelist. I'll be speaking about OrangePolitics at the National Forum of the Alliance for Regional Stewardship. I'm not telling you this to brag but to a) let you know what a special thing we have going here, and b) ask for your input on the topic:

Communicating Regional Issues in a New Media World: More than one report has noted the demise of newspapers as the principle means by which citizens learn about their region and its opportunities and challenges. In their place, many organizations are now making creative and effective use of new communications technologies to reach constituents. This session will be filled with practical insights into putting the new communication tools to work.