July 2011

Open Government work in CH

Submitted by James Barrett on July 1, 2011 - 8:21am

Sorry, Ruby. I know you wanted to write about this topic in the upcoming year, but looks like the town and UNC are a little ahead.  :)

UNC School of Information and Library Science to partner with Town of Chapel Hill
Posted Date: 6/27/2011
 
The Town of Chapel Hill is poised to benefit from a grant received by UNC-Chapel Hill's School of Information and Library Science to increase the digital curation workforce, focusing on the public information and the integration of public policy with information technology. 

Filing Day Open Thread

Submitted by Ruby Sinreich on July 1, 2011 - 12:35pm

Today at noon began the 14-day filing period for candidates running for any of the 21 seats that Damon told us about. We'll celebrate the end of filing with the next OP happy hour on July 15th in Hillsborough.

Think we'll see any surprises? 

Congressional redistricting - NC going Red

Submitted by B Roberts on July 1, 2011 - 4:38pm

Looks like the new congressional map may threaten the seats of four of the state's seven House Democrats. David Price's seat looks even safer under the new map. But it looks like Brad Miller's seat will likely go red in 2012. Barring some scandal, it doesn't look like Battlin' Bob Etheridge won't be able to unseat Ellmers as her district is even more Republican now.

I guess this is done deal as Purdue can't veto redistricting.

I still find it odd that red, the traditional color of communism, is associated with the GOP...

More here: http://www.johndavisconsulting.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/JDPR-NEW-Congressional-Districts-July-1-2011.pdf

carrboro citizen

Submitted by Ellen Perry on July 3, 2011 - 9:26pm

DHHS overhaul to hit home

UNC Housekeepers Facing Poor Working Conditions

Submitted by Molly De Marco on July 6, 2011 - 9:58pm

In the June 8 edition of the Independent Weekly, Joe Schwartz reports that a housekeeper at UNC Chapel Hill has filed a lawsuit against the university alleging sexual harrassment in what appears to be the latest in a series of reports of poor working conditions for UNC housekeeping staff.

Dick Cheney Not Speaking at UNC.

Submitted by James Coley on July 15, 2011 - 2:41pm

There are reports that Dick Cheney will be speaking on the UNC Chapel Hill campus the day after the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

According to an article in the Greensboro News and Record he will be speaking at Memorial Hall on September 12th at 7:00 p.m.

OP Editors Meeting

Submitted by Damon Seils on July 19, 2011 - 7:56pm

The next OP Editors Meeting will be held at 3:00 pm on Saturday, August 6, location to be determined but probably somewhere in downtown Chapel Hill at Top of the Hill (hopefully at the Back Bar). As usual, this meeting is open to the public.

Our standing agenda:

  • Upcoming happy hour planning & promotion
  • Ideas for blogging in the next month
  • Site policy questions and how-tos
  • Debrief the previous month of activity on the site

Feel free to join us! 

Date: 

Saturday, August 6, 2011 - 3:00pm to 5:00pm

Location: 

Top of the Hill, 100 E Franklin St, Chapel Hill

OC Sales Tax Committee met for 1st time Tuesday to discuss work to pass the sales tax referendum in Nov. More to come...

Submitted by Molly De Marco on July 20, 2011 - 8:10am

Interesting thoughts from Anil Dash about building healthy online communities. How are we doing on OP?

Submitted by Ruby Sinreich on July 21, 2011 - 1:39pm

Is Carrboro targeting people of color?

Submitted by bendavis72 on July 23, 2011 - 12:00am

So I am writing because between 6 and 11 Carrboro Police cars have been sitting in front of my house for the past 90 minutes conducting a "license check".  I live on Barnes Street and it is predominantly non white.  I have owned a house here for 7 years and never had this much police presence here even when we worked with the CPD community officers to help with gang violence.

 

I have a lot of respect for Carrboro Police and have dealt with them first hand on many issues, but tonight has been a different story. When I approached them from my yard to ask what was going on, I was met with the polite but aggressive responses that included..." What , are we bothering you?'

 

I replied, "Yes, you have woken up my children and there are 8 police cars sitting directly in front of my house and the lights are flashing in my windows."

These officers were by no means sympathetic nor friendly and just now - at 12:15am with the lights still illuminating inside of my house I went outside and they pointed and laughed at me. 

 

Chapel Hill-Carrboro YMCA Merger Talks Raise Discrimination Concerns

Submitted by Molly De Marco on July 24, 2011 - 7:58am
The Chapel Hill-Carrboro YMCA (CHCYMCA) took a stand recently against discrimination when it asked Boy Scout Troop 505 to find another location to meet because the Boy Scouts of America's policy against LGBT youth and adult leaders is at odds with the inclusive nondiscrimination policy of the CHCYMCA. While the CHCYMCA board members receive complaints about their decision, they should remember that the same complaints were made when the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools and Binkley Baptist Church told the Boy Scouts they could no longer meet at their facilities and when the local United Way determined that it could no longer provide funds to the Boy Scouts.

The CHCYMCA made the right decision in the Boy Scout case, but they are now contemplating another move that members are concerned may not come out right.

The Shape of Things

Submitted by leestorrow on July 27, 2011 - 11:09pm

July 28-31 (Thursday-Sunday)

When: 8:00 pm
Where: The Hanes Art Building on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Cost: $5

Due to limited seating, reservations in advance are highly recommended. E-mail Christine Zagrobelny at zagrobel@gmail.com to reserve.

This production is sponsored by the Cultural Arts Division of the Parks and Recreation Department for the Town of Chapel Hill.

Directed by Christine Zagrobelny.
Featuring: Jacob Williams, Carolyn McDaniel, Jeb Brinkley, and Kirsten Ehlert.

The production is an exciting collaboration between UNC undergrads, community members, and local businesses. The performance will move to multiple venues downtown, in Hanes Art, and on campus. 

Date: 

Friday, July 29, 2011 - 8:00pm

More Information: 

http://shapeofthingsinfo.blogspot.com/

Jaywalking

Submitted by James Coley on July 28, 2011 - 10:40am

In Atlanta last April, a woman named Raquel Nelson, with her three children in tow, jaywalked. They were hit by a car and her four-year-old son was killed. Astonishingly, she was convicted of vehicular homicide, although public outrage has helped her secure a new trial.

This is an extreme example of something we see in Chapel Hill, Carrboro and around the country: blaming the victim when our automobile-dominated transportation system, which is inherently lethal, kills or injures someone just trying to walk from one place to another in the urban environment.

Raquel Nelson did nothing wrong when she jaywalked. In all likelihood, the motorist driving the car that killed her son was breaking the speed limit. But even if, although I find this hard to imagine, the driver was doing everything they could reasonably be expected to do, the proper conclusion in that case is that no one is to blame. It is just another tragic instance in which our insane transportation system proved to be far too dangerous.

NC and abortion

Submitted by Geoff Green on July 28, 2011 - 5:14pm

By a vote of 29-19, the NC Senate overrode the governor's veto of HB 854, the anti-woman bill which imposes significant limitations on the availability of abortions and makes numerous intrusions in the doctor-patient relationship. A 3/5 vote was necessary to override, and the 29-19 margin just made it.

But wait, aren't there 50 members of the NC Senate? And didn't 20 members of the Senate vote against the bill when it came to vote, meaning it shouldn't have passed? You would be right. Senator Stan Bingham, Republican who represents Davidson and Guilford counties, was the only Republican to vote against the bill when it was originally passed and continued to oppose it up until yesterday. However, in an event which will go down in history as one of the most cowardly acts ever taken by a politician, he absented himself from the Senate today and thereby paved the way for the veto to be overriden by the narrowest margin ever.

I wrote a letter to Senator Bingham which I've reprinted below. It's not the height of political criticism, in large part because I wrote it quickly, in anger:

Public Comment Session for Regional Rail Alternatives Analysis

Submitted by Erin Crouse on July 30, 2011 - 2:44pm

 The Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (DCHC MPO) has released for public comment the Alternatives Analysis Reports for the Triangle Regional Transit Program.  The Alternatives Analysis provides information and recommendations on proposed transit light rail transit between Durham and Orange counties, and commuter rail service between Durham and Raleigh.

The DCHC MPO will hold two workshops on the Alternatives Analysis.  Staff will work one-on-one with citizens to answer questions and receive comments.  The workshops are:
·        Chapel Hill Town Council Chambers: August 29th, 4pm to 7pm, 405 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Chapel Hill.
·       August 30th at the Durham Station Transportation Center (515 W. Pettigrew St., Durham), 4pm to 7pm.

 

Date: 

Monday, August 29, 2011 - 4:00pm to 7:00pm

Location: 

Chapel Hill Town Hall

More Information: 

http://www.dchcmpo.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=85&Itemid=35

Why I am a Voter-Owned Candidate

Submitted by dbell4ch on July 30, 2011 - 8:28pm
During my campaign to be elected to the Chapel Hill Town Council this Fall, I have decided to be a Voter-Owned or VOE candidate.  Voter owned programs are sometimes called public funded or clean elections.  The basic premise is that in return for a commitment to limit spending on electoral campaigns, the public provides funds to the candidate for campaign costs.  I decided to be a VOE candidate because I believe the program supports basic tenets of democracy, fairness and accessibility.
 

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