coming up!

IN THIS WEEK'S EDITION: • Birkhead to resign April 2. • 'Egg-citing' events and photos from the Burwell School's Easter egg hunt. • Book will stay in high schools. • Local frame shop honored. • Plus, Cameron Park girl beats school record, middle schools students learn about biotechnology at Durham Tech and this week's Educator of the Week and more!

in the 0120 edition

Despite a long night, Robin and I managed to put out a pretty nice paper, if you ask me.  So here's what you can find in this week's edition:

• COUNTIES DISCUSS LINE SOLUTION: This one comes from our sister paper, the Mebane Enterprise, about what Orange and Alamance county managers Frank Clifton and Craig Honeycutt are proposing their respective boards do about the county line. This is on the agenda for this week's Orange County Board of Commissioners meeting, so Robin will have more on that next week, too.
• 3 OCS VETERANS RETIRING: Orange County Schools is losing three more veteran administrators: Dr. Greg Hicks, assistant superintendent for human resources and finance; OHS principal Roy Winslow; and CRHS principal Gary Thornburg. 
• KEEPING THE DREAM ALIVE: There is plenty of coverage on this year's Martin Luther King Jr. Day commemorative march and other festivities in Hillsborough.
• LOCAL OFFICERS TAKE PART IN CRISIS INTERVENTION TRAINING: Hillsborough Police Department was among several area departments that took part in a crisis intervention training that taught them how to deal with someone who has a mental illness.

Plus, check out our Educator of the Week, Lynne T. Gronback, a science teacher at Cedar Ridge who has much love for her subject and her students.

...and now, for something completely different

Well, I hope you like this week's paper; I have to say, I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out. Robin did a really great job designing the front, and there's a nice mix of stories on there.

Expect your paper to look different in the coming weeks than it has in the past. We've got some interesting ideas for some new elements and the placement of old elements. We hope you like what we have in store.

About the Web:  Apparently, the password is different now than the one I have saved in my computer, so please bear with me as I try to figure it out.

In a little bit, I'll have a recap on Monday's Board of Education meeting up here.

welcome, 2010

Who can believe it's 2010 already? It seems not too long ago, we were all waiting for something horrible to happen with Y2K. That year, like this one, changed over pretty smoothly.

As for what I'll have this week, that's a bit up in the air, but I've talked to some teachers for our feature Educator of the Week (though I might hold that until I get an Ed page back!), one who has retired after nearly 40 years, a school opening, library preview and the list goes on!

Above, there's a preview of the school's new campus' art room. Read this week's paper for more!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year.

What's coming next week

Yeesh, the holidays sneak up. We've reached that time of year when stories are being wrapped up for two of the slower news weeks of the year (the two weeks in late July usually being the others). But, not to fear — we are flush with photos and fresh content for next week, and the annual Year in Review package will be in the Dec. 30 issue. As for what I am working on for next week:

– End-of-year awards continue, with the Hillsborough/Orange County Chamber of Commerce and the Orange-Durham Cattleman's Association handing out the hardware.
– A few items remain from Monday's 3.5-hour town board meeting, including discussion of possible development in Fairview and on the northern end of town limits. I'll have some more details.
– I'll also have a recap of what is changing with the Bradshaw Quarry Solid Waste Convenience Center.
– I am working on a story about the county's shifting spaces and one property that's in high demand.

Thanks for reading.

What's coming next week

Amidst all my other musings, I neglected to tell you what we were working on for next week. Vanessa is out today, but I'll speak for her and say we have been holding on to many school-related items because of space. We'll be printing about twice the normal amount of education content because it has been waiting and it needs to be read.

I am attending the town board meeting Monday, which includes discussion of the downtown parking study, the town's official stance on Elizabeth Brady Road and discussion of the cemetery proposal discussed last month.

I will also have several end-of-year award announcements ('tis the season); we'll have basketball and swimming stories from Preston Spencer; and we'll have Letters to Santa.

Thanks for reading and have a warm, safe weekend.

upcoming

Man. Learning Gregg shorthand sure isn't easy, but I think it will make me a faster — and most importantly — a super accurate notetaker if/when I master it.

But, in the meantime, here's some of what I've got coming up this week:
• I talked to someone at Orange High School for the newly-restarted Educator of the Week feature. If you've got someone you think is doing great things for students, drop me a line at v.shortley (at) newsoforange.com.
• The Little School is having an open house this weekend, and I'll be there.
• Hands for Habitat is having their first community build this weekend, and I'll be there for that, too. Hopefully, the weather is better than today!
• I'll be at the BOCC meeting with the Waste Transfer Station siting on the agenda. If for some reason the date on that gets changed, I'll be at my regularly-scheduled BOE meeting instead. This will only be the second one I've missed in the 1 + years I've been here.

I've got other features and photo ops in the pipeline, but as always, let me know what's going on at the schools! Call me up at 732-2171 or send me an e-mail to v.shortley (at) newsoforange.com.

This week

And a happy Veterans Day to you. We had plenty of material related to the holiday in this week's edition, from our interviews with local veterans to coverage in the schools of their celebrations. And, amazingly, we're only a few weeks from the holidays, though Christmas season apparently starts sometime in early October in grocery and department stores.

This week, I will be working on the following (not including anything newsy that happens in the next few days):

• I sat down with Hillsborough Mayor Tom Stevens to discuss the future of the town, being unopposed for the job and some of what residents can expect in the coming months. Portions of the interview will be in next week's issue.

• I will have updates from this week's town board meeting regarding the Colonial Inn, events fees and a potential cemetery arrangement that could be a good deal for town residents. (Hopefully not included in that story: A gratuitous use of the phrase "put this issue to rest" that was favored by some town board members.)

• I'll have some community news on an award-winning designer and other odds and ends.

• Look for an announcement on a new Web feature we'll be rolling out.

I will be working on another publication, the Woodcroft Gazette, this week, so I'll be in and out. As always, send an e-mail is you don't catch me here — josh.kastrinsky(at)newsoforange.com.

This week

You can read the basics of downtown parking caused by the Handmade Parade changes here. The town released official details today:

"Traffic will be rerouted around downtown Hillsborough on Saturday afternoon, Oct. 17, to allow for the Hillsborough Handmade Parade.
At 1 p.m., the Hillsborough Police Department will close South Cameron Street between East King Street and Burnside Drive as well as East Margaret Lane between South Cameron Street and the Orange County Courthouse. This will allow parade participants to line up.
Beginning at 2:20 p.m. until about 3:45 p.m., Churton Street from Margaret Lane to Union Street will be closed for the parade, which starts at 2:30 p.m.
The parade will head west on East Margaret Lane to Churton Street. It then will continue north on Churton Street to Union Street, where a grand finale will take place on the lawn of Burwell School Historic Site.
During the parade, southbound traffic on Churton Street should use U.S. 70 or Corbin Street as detours around the downtown. Northbound traffic should use U.S. 70-A or Eno Mountain Road as detours.
No on-street parking will be allowed along South or North Churton Street from noon until the parade is completed. Anyone wishing to park downtown should use the free parking that is available on King Street or in various lots, including two off King Street. Parking also is available in the Eno River Parking Deck, which charges a fee. The parking deck is located in the Gateway Center campus off Churton Street.
A map of public parking options in downtown Hillsborough is available on
the town’s Web site at www.ci.hillsborough.nc.us under the “About Hillsborough” section.
Vehicles parked along shoulders of road or in places that are not properly marked and designated for parking may be ticketed.
For more information on the parade or to participate, contact the Arts Council at 643-2500 or visit its Web site at www.hillsboroughartscouncil.org."

You can expect to see pictures from the event in next week's edition. You can also expect

• Candidate interview responses — I sat down with Frances Dancy, Michael Gering and Bryant Warren this month to ask general questions on five subjects of debate in town. We'll print their answers in next week's issue and put more from the interviews online.

• Two of the three candidates attended a Northern Orange Black Voters Alliance forum this week, and I'll have a report from there as well.

• I'll have a recap of this week's town board discussions on access to Gold Park and potential sidewalks along Margaret Lane.

• The Myers House story will run. Seriously this time.

Provided we have good weather, there will be pictures from football, volleyball and tennis games.

There are some other stories I am working on, but time will tell how much typing I have in me this week.

UPDATE: I received word from members of Orange County Voice, who said they were removed from county property last weekend while distributing a survey, that the county now has a legal waiver they will provide to anybody distributing materials at solid waste convenience centers to ensure their safety. I also received a copy of said waiver, if anyone wants me to post it.
OCV folks tell me they are getting hundreds of responses to their survey. We'll let you know the results once the survey is complete.

what's next?

Here's some stuff that's coming up for next week's paper:

• I talked with the directors of the Little School, who gave me a tour around their new campus.

• Middle schools are now engaging in clubs — one of them, with a literacy twist.

• The eco classroom is making some great progress.

• I'll be at the Board of Education meeting Monday.

• A local bus driver was nominated by a 5-year-old who rides his bus for an award.

• Something interesting from Durham Tech.

• And some photo ops from local elementary and middle schools.

That's what I've got for now. As always, let me know if anything interesting is going on in any area schools, not just the county schools.

coming up this week

Here's what I've got on my plate and what you can expect to see (more or less) in this week's paper from moi:
• The McKee CornField Maze is up and running. I'll have a feature on this perennial local favourite.
• An EcoEternity forest is opening up at Camp Chestnut Ridge. Don't know what that is? Find out next week.
• The middle schools have started organizing clubs this year, and A.L. Stanback's selection is literacy-based.
• I participated and photographer International Walk to School Day (as mentioned in a previous post).

There's a few other things I'm working on, but we'll see if they pan out for this week.

I'm also trying to resurrect the Educator of the Week feature, and I would love nominations from the public. Is there a teacher in your child's school that is especially talented? A media assistant or assistant principal that deserves recognition? What about a teacher assistant or custodian? Let me know! Drop me a line at v (dot) shortley (at) newsoforange (dot) com or give me a ring at 732-2171.

This week

Here's what I am working on. Items will likely be added, subtracted or replaced, but here's where we sit on Thursday:
• I'll have a story on the county commissioners' discussion of drive-thrus and what they want to do about them. There's no true consensus on their views as a group, so this discussion will continue.

• Only certain people can view a masked man with a knife and a camera at their home as a normal development. I'll have a follow-up on the Myers House NC, the now-completed tourist attraction in the Buckhorn community that is modeled after Michael Myers' home from the "Halloween" film franchise.

• Orange's 1978 football team had an undefeated regular season and 30 years later, they'll be honored at Orange's homecoming game. We'll have some details.

• I spent a little bit of time at Project Homeless Connect today and will have some more information about the role of that event and the turnout.

• The town board meets Monday, and I will be there.

• Also, look for more on the upcoming election, endorsements and oodles (yes, oodles) of stuff from Vanessa.

what's new?

As always, there's lots to do and not enough time to do it in, especially since I'm the latest in the office to succumb to some kind of cold/flu-like illness.

This week I'll (hopefully!) have:
• A story about Monday's Board of Education meeting
• Something on the work Central's PTSA is doing (they're awfully busy!)
• A local boy got a story published in a magazine
• The McKees cornfield maze is back up and running.

And other odds and ends as I hear about them.

So let me know! Give me a ring at 732-2171 or drop me a line at v (dot) shortley (at) newsoforange (dot) com.

This week

So, last night I walked across the street to the Hillsborough town board candidate forum, put together by the Orange-Chatham Group of the Sierra Club, only to find 20 people huddled in front of the Old Courthouse as a light rain fell.

Apparently, the courthouse was booked for the night, but nobody in attendance — town or county officials included — had a key. They discussed new locations, including our office, but as anyone who has been here can tell you, we can't fit 20 people comfortably in our conference area. Eventually we all moved to the Town Barn, but it was an odd scene to begin a candidate forum.

The three candidates — Frances Dancy, Michael Gering and Bryant Warren, running for two seats — answered a variety of questions on sustainable development, walkability and the rural buffer, among others. It appeared they were well-prepared for the questions, and their answers indicated they pretty much agreed with one another on most major points. I'll have something small recapping it next week. I've saved my questions for one-on-one interviews in the coming weeks. Your questions are welcome as well. Comment on the blog or send me an e-mail at josh(dot)kastrinsky(at)newsoforange(dot)com.

Also coming from me this week:

• An 11th-hour vote will keep the Bradshaw Quarry Solid Waste Convenience Center open through at least December. It will cost the county $5,000 per month in non-budgeted expenses. Read more about what it means next week.

• From last week's loaded town board agenda (the density of which, in paper form, is somewhere between sheet rock and a concrete block) are several items — town employee awards, the annual citizen survey and a discussion of the town's event policy (which has been discussed before).

• I'll have something about the downtown parking study, an art program feeding supplies to the schools and county buildings on the block.

• We'll have sports coverage, most prominently of the Orange/Cedar Ridge football game (we can no longer use some variation of "Schock-er" in the headline).

• Also, find out what's in store for the final Last Fridays of the season. Hopefully, it stops raining by then.

As always, contact me at the above-listed e-mail with what's going on in the county.

what's next?

So, I've got a few things coming up this week, and this paper is shaping up to be a good one.

• I talked to a local reverend who has a prison ministry.
• The "eco" classroom group at C.W. Stanford has another meeting (hopefully, indoors!).
• A teacher at one of our elementary schools plants a garden each year; now, it's ready for harvest.
• The Board of Education meets this Monday.

And a few other odds and ends.

As always, send me your events, pictures and anything else you've got that has to do with the schools to v (dot) shortley (at) newsoforange (dot) com.

Hillsborough candidate forum held next Wednesday

It may lack the intrigue of the 2010 races (U.S. Senate, county commissioners, school board), but there is a municipal election this fall in Hillsborough, and we're entering the campaign season.

The Orange-Chatham Group of the Sierra Club will hold a Hillsborough candidate forum from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 16 at the old Orange County Courthouse, 100 E. King St. Invited are town board candidates Frances Dancy, Michael Gering and Bryant Warren, as well as unopposed mayoral candidate and incumbent Tom Stevens. Questions from the audience can be submitted.

For more information, call 489-3046.

what's next

Well, despite the four-day workweek, I've still got a bunch of stories coming in for the 9 Sept. edition.

Here's a look at some of what I've got so far:

•I got my hands on the district-level numbers for SAT scores, and there's some interesting stuff in there.

• The state teacher turnover report was released today, and the district's rate is a bit higher than the state's, though not nearly as high as Jones County, which has the highest turnover rate of more than 25 percent.

• I'll be heading over to Central Elementary School for two stories, but you'll have to wait and see what they are!

• Durham Tech is having a JobsNOW orientation tonight at the Orange County Campus. I'll have some information about that.

As Josh said, I'll be off tomorrow, so I hope everyone has a great Labour Day weekend!

This week

A quick note before we launch into August. Not in the paper (but now online) is a brief mention of Cedar Ridge football practice, repeated below. My apologies that it did not appear in print:

Cedar Ridge football practice begins Aug. 1
Cedar Ridge football will kick off its first official practice on from 8:30 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Aug. 1. Athletes will need to have a current physical and meet with Coach Lou Geary in the wrestling room. For more information, call Coach Geary 245-4000, ext. 21605.

OK, so I am going to be back and forth between the courthouse and the office for a good part of the next 1.5 weeks or longer. Thankfully, I have wireless access at the courthouse, meaning I can get around to some e-mails and some additional work. But, I will be following the Alvaro Castillo trial, which is expected to move past jury selection today/tomorrow and get into the thick of proceedings. I'll attempt to make daily updates.

You can reach me via e-mail pretty much all the time, and if you leave a message at the office, I will return calls at the end of the day once I'm back in here. Thanks.

Also, for this week, I will be working on:

• An update on the town's potential smoking ban in publicly-owned spaces. You'd be surprised by what towns can or can't actually ban under current state law.

• I'll have a quick follow-up on the 4-H Youth Voices program.

• I'll finally have some information about the Orange Literacy Council and "the need" in Orange County.

• I'll be taking some pictures at Last Fridays.

There are plenty of other items floating around, and it is only Wednesday, so more is likely to come ...

what's next

I was at the Children's Handmade Parade this morning, which went from Central Elementary School to Hillsborough Elementary School and back, which was part of the Summer Enrichment Academy going on at Central. Of course, I'll have more pictures and information in the upcoming paper.

Here's some of the rest of what I've got coming up:
• I talked to a new business owner who's opening up shop in town.
• I'll have photos from the upcoming production of "Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat," which I saw, incidentally, in Toronto when I was a kid, with none other than Donnie Osmond as the title character.
• I'll be at the Jason and Jessie Jam III (Saturday at the Big Barn).

And there's a few other things I've got cooking. I wouldn't want to give away too much, though.

Coming up

I sat down with Alice Denson and Katharine Walton of the Orange Literacy Council yesterday, and Denson threw out a startling number: one in seven Orange County adults can be classified as "functionally illiterate," with an even greater percentage of the population falling into that category in the northern end of the county.

The reason we were talking is that, while the need is great, the council no longer has an office in Hillsborough; their lease on their Churton Street property (across from the Gulf Rim) ended June 30. Next week, I'll have more about why they say they need a northern OC location through which to serve the public (they are currently in Carrboro but want to re-open a second "hub").

Also for this week:

• The town board approved a coordinated sign project that was three years in the making. More details to come on what they will be and where they will be. The board also approved some changes to park fees and discussed the smoking policy at publicly-owned parks.

• I sat in on a Hillsborough/Orange County Chamber of Commerce luncheon yesterday to hear what developers and other local businesspeople had to say about the proposed 18-month development moratorium set for discussion tonight (7 p.m., Town Barn). They aren't fans of the idea. This would not be a "blanket" moratorium — town officials point to almost 400 homes and several commercial developments that could continue to seek approval and be built over the next 18 months. Developers have said the moratorium, during which town staff would rewrite the town's zoning ordinances in full for the first time in 23 years, would be the equivalent of hanging a "closed for business" sign at the town entrances.

So, needless to say, more on the discussion (but likely not decision) from tonight's meeting in next week's paper.

• At the same meeting (a quarterly town and planning board public hearing), officials will also get their first extended look at the details of the UNC Hospitals project in Waterstone. Town board members have already said the tax-exempt status of the 83-acre property will warrant further discussion of how the town is supposed to benefit financially from the project.

We'll have an election filing wrap-up (currently three candidates for two town board seats and no challenger for mayor) and some other items that will probably filter down in the next few days.