Quick Castillo trial update

The Alvaro Castillo trial is off today. Three days in, they appear to have 12 jurors, and were working on the alternates when they ended the day yesterday. It looks like Monday will be the start of "openings," so I'll have more in next week's paper.

In Session (formerly Court TV) has a five-person crew covering this trial, and they've been camped out most of the week. I'll be enjoying a day catching up on work in the office (boy do I know how to have fun) and running around Last Fridays for a bit.

Speaking of Last Fridays, as most people in the area with a calendar are aware, it will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. tonight all over downtown Hillsborough. Adjust your evening schedules accordingly. Here the rundown we published last week (this week, really, but our weeks begin Wednesday morning), courtesy of the Hillsborough Arts Council.

odds and ends: 'joseph' and children's handmade parade

I went to the Orange Community Players' rehearsal of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat" on Monday. (For more information about when "Joseph" will be performed, see Josh's post below.) If the rehearsal is any indication, those who go this weekend will be in for a treat. Everyone sounds wonderful — including the orchestra, shown at left — and the costumes and sets are imaginative and lovely.

I'm also in the process of uploading photos from the Children's Handmade Parade to our gallery. It should be done in half an hour or so, and it will be available here when it's done.

'Technicolor' starts tonight

The Orange Community Players will bring Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s renowned “Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” to the stage at Orange High School, 500 Orange High School Road, with the July 30-Aug. 1 shows set for 8 p.m. and the Aug. 2 show set for 2 p.m.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for students and seniors in advance, $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors at the door.

Tickets can be purchased at Triangle SportsPlex, Orange Recreation & Parks Department, Colonial Insurance, Central Orange Senior Center and from cast members. For more information, call 732-4476 or visit www.ocpnc.com.

CASTILLO UPDATE: Jury selection is still ongoing. The beginning of of opening statements by today seems quite unlikely. The trial is off tomorrow, so the best bet is a full start on Monday (maybe the afternoon). Either way, we'll have the latest as of next Tuesday in next week's edition.

WOODCROFT GAZETTE: fitness world run/walk map

For all the readers of the Woodcroft Gazette, here is a map of the route for the Fitness World 5K Run/Walk, which benefits the Ronald McDonald House of Durham.

For more information about the run/walk, visit www.fitnessworldnc.com.

Town will pursue new 'artist laureate'

Mike Troy's poetry could still grace local coffee shops and other venues around town, but his reign as the town's first Poet Laureate is coming to an end.

Among the odds and ends addressed at Monday's town board meeting, board member Eric Hallman said he was in touch with Hillsborough Arts Council members to work on finding the town's next "artist laureate." This ceremonial position would have a two-year term and doesn't appear to allow re-elections.

By making the position "artist laureate," it is open to any kind of artist in town. Officials details will likely follow.

So, add that to the competitive races for the fall. Maybe we can have an "American Idol"-style competition for the title.

Who would you nominate?

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 ...

omm case: statements from ocs, mcwhirters, autism society of nc

Here are the statements from various parties involved (or not, as the case may be) in the case OMM v. Orange County Schools.

Orange County Schools, via attorney Rachel B. Hitch with Schwartz & Shaw. Click on each page to get a larger view.


















































Here is the statement from the McWhirters:

On Friday, we had a very productive IEP meeting with representatives of the Orange County Public Schools. We unanimously agreed upon extended year service plan for Owen. I am disheartended and dissapointed at the County's release of a press statement. We were moving forward, appeal or not, communicating well, and focusing on what was important: Owen's education.
It is important to note that regardless of what the county wants the public to focus on, which is the much controversial issue of "appropriate" vs best" this case was about a whole lot more, including substantive deprivations of federal rights. Contrary to the County's claim that the proposed IEP was developed by the team, the County admitted in testimony and the Judge clearly found as fact that the IEP was delegated to non-team members outside of the room. On page 39 of her final decision, Judge
Lassiter writes, “In doing so here, Respondent violated that procedural requirement of the IDEA. The procedural violation was not a "technical failure" and it was neither trivial nor inconsequential. Because of Respondent's improper delegation of decision making authority over OMM's services and placement. NM and AM were deprived of their rightto participate meaningfully in the decision-making process with respect to OMM s IEP placement and services.” The county denied our son a free and appropriate public education, and the judge ruled that we are entitled to equitable remedies.
To prevail in its appeal the County will have to overturn five separate rulings made by Judge Lassiter in her decision. While the County has every right to appeal, we think that there are better ways to spend taxpayer money then this.

Here's an e-mail I received from Scott Badesch, CEO of the Autism Society of North Carolina, responding to the use of a quote from one of their staffers in the OCS release:

1. The Autism Society of North Carolina’s staff person quoted in the New and Observer article is a parent advocate who informed us that she was not responding to the case mentioned in the article, but rather about the legal responsibility of Public School Systems when it comes to providing education for people living with a developmental disability.
2. The Autism Society of North Carolina does know about the case mentioned in the article and fully supports the rights of a parent to advocate fully for assuring that his or her child is provided all rights that he or she is allowed under the law. In the case you mentioned, the issue has more to do, we are told, with due process of law than about defining appropriate.
3. Unfortunately, the Orange County School District chose to use a quote of an Autism Society of North Carolina staff member to appear to justify its position. We feel that might imply our approval of the actions that the School District is taking in this case. The Autism Society of North Carolina fully supports the rights of all parents to advocate for what their child is legally entitled to and to the right of due process in seeking an appropriate education for their child.
4. This case is more about the civil rights that a person living with autism is allowed under the law. Just as the right of appeal is allowed under law, so is the right to due process and the right for an appropriate education for a child living with autism.

Castillo trial

Alvaro Castillo's trial on murder and assault charges begins this week, with preliminary steps and jury selection expected to take much of the week.

District Attorney Jim Woodall last week said he expects the trial to last slightly more than two weeks. This means I'll probably be in the courtroom for a good part of the next two weeks.

Another case we plan to follow, the murder trial of Reshaun Cates, will not begin until November because many of the same personnel assigned to the Castillo case are involved in that case as well, we learned last week.

Happy Monday.

This weekend

• It appears to be TomatoFest at various farmers' markets in the area, including at the Eno River Farmers Market on Margaret Lane. That will take place Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon. The festival will feature more than 57 varieties of heirloom tomatoes in every size, shape and color, all harvested fresh by the market’s local farmers. Each produce vendor will feature a favorite heirloom tomato variety and offer samples, as well as special information about its growing qualities and taste characteristics. The market will provide recipes, cooking, canning and storage tips for all kinds of tomatoes. For more information, visit www.enoriverfarmersmarket.com.

Personally, I think the gap between the taste of a fresh, local tomato and one coming in from far away is unrivaled. So naturally, I like to stock up during this time of year.

• The third Jason and Jessie Jam will take place Saturday as well, from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Big Barn. Dinner will be served from 6 to 7:30 p.m., with live music throughout by Good Rockin’ Sam. Ticketscan be purchased at Kuttin’ Korner, 190B Orange Grove St., or McAdams Mufflers, 1001 Efland Cedar Grove Road in Efland, or by calling 563-1063. For more information, visit www.jasonandjessiejam.webs.com or see our recent article here.