Just in case ...

I couldn't let this week pass without showing this photo (which would have been great in print if we had more space). This is the Orange County Sheriff's Office's urban assault vehicle, which I have only seen at public events and have never seen self-propelled.

(Before you wonder why the county government needed this, it reportedly was purchased from a federal equipment surplus for very,very cheap – as in a few dollars.)

I guess this might be used on Franklin Street or at a really rowdy Hog Day. Or, in its "community watch" function, to slow speeders in Hillsborough's historic district. (Photo by David Hunt)

bureaucracy and coming up

Well, as Josh said, I was out of the office Wednesday. I went down to Charlotte, where I was supposed to have my naturalization interview and take my citizenship (and English language) test.

That didn't happen.

I waited at the INS office in Charlotte for about 3 hours (my poor husband waited at a nearby Starbuck's with a Tom Clancy novel) before finding out my appointment had been canceled and rescheduled for Raleigh, since I live so close to the immigration centre there. Apparently, my attorney should have let me know. So, I've been trying to find out when my new appointment is so I can get this rolling.

So, that's where I was Wednesday.

Now, on to what I'm working on for the upcoming week.

• I went over to Gold Park to see Terry Hackett (with the county), some Boy Scouts and other community volunteers put together some stormwater features in the new park.

• Some Saudi Arabian professors from a teacher's college came to Hillsborough Elementary to find out how the year-round school runs.

• Partnership Academy has an animal lovers club that volunteers over at the Orange County Animal Shelter.

• A Partnership student won a poetry contest out of 5,000 entries in the state.

• The Board of Education has a meeting Monday.

• The Orange High School Fellowship of Christian Athletes sponsored a 3-on-3 basketball tournament that featured a former Tar Heel and NBA player and current ESPN host as a speaker.

Feel free to send me anything else you hear of that's going on to v.shortley@newsoforange.com or 732-2171.

Friday grab bag

To follow up on yesterday's post, we received another photo from Sheila Wilkinson, an employee at Cedar Ridge High School, who sent us what appears to be a cell phone photo from a Cedar Ridge teacher about 10 minutes prior to the photo in the prior post.

Given the distance between Cedar Ridge and St. Mary's Road (west to east), my amateur meteorology skills tell me that's the same funnel cloud.

• Anyways, this is on the Web site as well, but in addition to the Bellevue Mill public hearing and an initial budget proposal from Town Manager Eric Peterson, next week's town board meeting also includes the second request in a few months to lower speed limits on residential streets. From the town:

"In a proposed amendment to the ordinance on motor vehicles and traffic, town staff recommend lowering the posted speed limit on four streets in the Kenion Grove and Granview neighborhoods from 35 mph to 25 mph. The affected streets would be:
— Childsberg Way, from Revere Road to Constitution Way
— Regulators Way, from Childsberg Way to Constitution Way
— Constitution Way, from Regulators Way to Cornelius Street
— Summit Drive, from Beckett’s Ridge Drive to its end
Granview shares an entrance point from N.C. 86 South with the Beckett’s Ridge neighborhood, which has a posted speed limit of 25 mph. Lowering the speed limit within Granview and Kenion Grove would bring the two neighborhoods in line with other neighborhoods in town.
Also included in the proposed amendment is a recommendation to install stop signs on three streets in Kenion Grove. The neighborhood has no stop signs installed, which creates a pedestrian and motor vehicle safety hazard. The affected streets would be:
— Constitution Way as it approaches Cornelius Street from the north
— Childsberg Way as it approaches Constitution Way from the north
— Childsberg Way as it approaches Revere Road from the south
— Regulators Way as it approaches Constitution Way from the north
— Regulators Way as it approaches Childsberg Way from the south"

Is 25 mph the right speed for traffic through town (OK, these streets aren't cutting through town like the streets affected by the most recent changes). Should the town impose a standard speed limit throughout town? I'd like to know your thoughts.

• Also, the Town of Hillsborough is still happy to accept applications from residents for volunteer boards. How do I know? Well, there's this.

When you start seeing that image posted on telephone polls around town, you'll know they're really serious.

on my list

Well, I've got quite a few stories on my list for this week, but with schools and many others off tomorrow for Good Friday, I'm scrambling to get a lot of interviews done today. Here's what I hope to have for the next edition:
• Information on the Board of County Commissioners meeting on Tuesday.
• A more in-depth story on the Orange County Schools superintendent's proposed budget for the 2009-2010 school year.
• I'll be heading over to Cameron Park today for their Earth Day celebration and taking some pictures.
• The Montessori Farm School is doing some interesting stuff as a fundraiser. I'll be heading over there to talk to some people about it.
• Max Carlin is having a speaker at C.W. Stanford to talk to students about life in Kuwait.

I've got a few other things on my list, but they're a little more up in the air. Read Wednesday's paper to find out if they made it in!

On a completely different topic, two deputies in the area I used to live and work where shot yesterday, one killed. They were and are great men — both of them — who went out of their way to help me on my beat and just had and have a great love of serving and protecting. Det. Pearson, who was killed, left behind a wife, and Det. Dawson, who is so far recovering well, has a wife and two children. If you could, keep them all in your thoughts today, that would be much appreciated. And, if you see an officer today, tell them thanks for doing what they do. They've got tough jobs, and they take a tremendous risk every day.