From the paper:

This party honors Mary Norwood Jones, the neighborhood activist who died in February. She would regularly walk the streets picking up litter, and she organized neighborhood watch meetings in the Northside neighborhood. On Tuesday, neighbors will walk the streets celebrating cleaner streets and first-time homebuyers. Afterward, there's a moon bounce. The party will be at the Hargraves Community Center at 216 N. Roberson St. at 6:30 p.m.

A friend who lives in St. Paul just sent me this link to a new project in their city. In order to calm traffic on residential streets (like mine), the city has employed bump outs, traffic circles and speed bumps. Now they're trying something new - Art Signs. The same size as traffic signs that say things like "Slow Children" (and wouldn't I like one of those on my street these days).

The object is to get drivers to slow down to look at the new unusual sign and then to subtly convey a message of traffic calming. The Teddy Bear is a pretty obvious choice as is the photo of children, but I personally like the lotus blossom with the labyrinth.

I just saw Minister Robert Campbell and he reminded me about this annual event coming up again this year to support the kids of the Rogers Road neighborhood. Their goal is to give out 100 bags filled with school supplies for students returning to school this fall. You can donate bags, school supplies, or money to support the effort.

The event on August 9th will be a big party with fun stuff for kids and, as always, an opportunity to learn more about the community that has hosted our landfill for over three decades.

From http://www.historichillsborough.org/calendar :

From http://www.historichillsborough.org/calendar/ :

2nd Saturday Hillsborough Guided Walking Tour, 10am & 2pm, The Alexander Dickson House, 150 E. King St., Hillsborough. Explore Hillsborough's history on a 90-minute guided walking tour through its historic district. $2-$6, More Information at 732-7741

Greg Brusseau of Save Glen Lennox will be the guest on the Wednesday edition of WCOM's West End Report with LMT hosting. Greg will discuss the inside scoop he got from a N&O reporter about Grubb properties backing out of their bid and caving into the community to redesign their plan.

Tune into 103.5 LP FM (Carrboro/Chapel Hill area) at 6pm or you can stream us by clicking here. I'm hoping that Ruby calls us at the studio LIVE from the OP Happy Hour with an update: 919-929-9601. Freel free to call with questions. The first caller gets a Save Glen Lennox T-shirt!

I just learned that there was a rally this morning at Carrboro Town Hall where residents of Abbey Court called for the town to do more to protect them from the increasingly-discriminatory policies of their collective landlord. In short: the owners have begun towing residents' cars if they don't meet a certain aesthetic standard. It really is that ridiculous. And probably quite racist, in my opinion.

Thanks to the Town of Carrboro's new Official Correspondence archive (kudos for openness!) I can offer some background about the situation.

From: Carolyn A. Hutchison [Carrboro Police Chief]
Sent: Thursday, July 17, 2008 3:50 PM
To: Steven Stewart [Carrboro Town Manager]
Subject: FW: Towing today
Importance: High

Steve,

Management at Abbey Court apartments is actively towing vehicles from
their lots today.  We do not have any authority on their property;
however, we are dealing with this situation to the extent that we are
able.  Officers are concerned that Management is towing vehicles that
belong to their own residents.  Many of the residents are trying to make
ends meet and need the vehicles to get to and from work, etc.
Apparently, Management is towing cars that do not "look good."  In other
words, if your vehicle has dents, needs paint, or has a cracked
windshield, Management will not issue a permit to park and Management
will tow the vehicle.  As you might imagine, Abbey Court residents may
not have the means to drive a pristine vehicle, but many are paying
their rent, and now are unable to get a permit to park in their own home
parking lot.  Then, their vehicles are towed from the lot; they're
responsible for the towing fees; and they have no car to get to work,
etc.

CARRBORO BICYCLE PLAN WORKSHOP #2

WEDNESDAY, JULY 23, 2008

4:00 – 7:00 pm (DROP-IN FORMAT)

On CARRBORO TOWN COMMONS (at the Farmer’s Market)

Thank you for attending the first public workshop for Carrboro’s bicycle transportation plan, back on April 10^th. The second workshop will be held on July 23, 2008 on the Carrboro Town Commons, at the Farmers’ Market. Please stop by anytime between 4:00 - 7:00 PM to learn about preliminary recommendations (this will be new information from the consultants), talk to Town staff and project consultants, and provide more of your input to the process.