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?
Ouch. The N & O blog has published some strongly-worded comments from Orange County Commissioner Mike Nelson about this year's budget process, as well as an admission from Moses Carey that he planned it that way. On the one hand, this is Mike's first year on the Board of Commissioners, so maybe he just hasn't gotten the hang of how they do business. On the other hand, if he didn't have access to the budget in advance, how is the public supposed to be informed about what's going on?
After being told that Chairman Moses Carey and Vice Chairman Barry Jacobs were reviewing a draft work session for that night's meeting and that handouts on some of the topics would be distributed that night, Nelson wrote to Blackmon, Coffey and his fellow commissioners:
"With all due respect, we needed this information before now. I don't understand why I've had to ask for it. The public expects us to know what's going on and to come to these meetings prepared. How the hell can I come to this meeting prepared if I don't get the agenda until now?"
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!
Cam Hill asked me to post his guest column in the Herald today about Carolina North:
For several years UNC has been talking about developing
a research campus, Carolina North, which is slated to contain as many
as eight million square feet of buildings. UNC owns the Horace Williams
tract, some 900 acres that currently is the home of the Horace Williams
Airport, a couple of toxic dump sites and the old town of Chapel Hill
public works and transit facility locations. UNC wants to put Carolina
North there. Because the property is largely undeveloped (with the
above exceptions), surrounded by existing neighborhoods and not served
by any existing (or planned) transit or large-scale utility
infrastructure, and because this is Chapel Hill; there has been some
considerable discussion about this. Oh yeah, and the airport is still
open.
The Chapel Hill Town Council was planning to swear in a new Chief of Police at their meeting last night. Instead they got the news that Thomas McCarthy will be unable to serve.
STATEMENT FROM TOWN MANAGER ROGER L. STANCIL
(to Town Council at June 27 meeting)
June 27, 2007
It is with disappointment that I must convey to you information received this morning that Chief Tom McCarthy is unable to take the position of police chief in Chapel Hill due to health issues.
I will read an excerpt from a letter that Tom provided me:
"As you know, I have worked hard to keep myself in shape and be ready for this great opportunity. I am very disappointed that I was unable to meet the standard (of the physical exam required by North Carolina Criminal Justice Training and Standards). However, I believe it is most important that I follow my doctor's advice and address my health issues of hypertension.
If I can ever be of assistance to you or the department, please let me know.
I wish you and the Town the very best."
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