It’s been a tumultuous and eventful year in our community.  We are counting down the top news stories of 2015.  See the top newsmakers here.

10. Google Fiber

“We are bringing Google Fiber to the Triangle,” exclaimed Michael Slinger, Business and Operations Director for Google Fiber during a press conference in January.  Chapel Hill and Carrboro are among only a handful of communities in the nation to have this service which brings ultra-fast internet.  The Town of Chapel Hill set up a website to address the concerns of residents about the installation of fiber in their area.

9.  UNC Notice of Allegations

The University of North Carolina received a Notice of Allegations from the NCAA in May.  The NCAA charged UNC with its most serious, and most vague, offense in the Notice of Allegations, “Lack of Institutional Control.”

8.  Refugees

In October, Chapel Hill Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt was one of 18 mayors to sign a letter to President Barack Obama saying their cities are ready and willing to take in even more Syrian refugees than the Obama administration has proposed.  Then, after terrorist attacks in Paris in November, North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory joined a list of state heads asking the President to slow or even halt the flow of Syrian refugees across the country.

Listen to Part 1 of our annual Year In Review show, counting down from #10 to #8.

7.  I-85 Wrong Way Crash

A 20-year-old UNC student named Chandler Kania drove the wrong way on I-85 in July.  He crashed his Jeep into a sedan.  The head-on collision killed three people and severely injured another.  Kania’s case has been continued until January.

Kania’s case also had negative impacts on two Chapel Hill businesses, He’s Not Here and La Res.

6.  Gay Rights

To combat a bullying problem at Efland Cheeks Elementary School, third-grade teacher Omar Currie read a book called “King and King” to his class in April.  The book depicts two princes getting married.  Some objected to the reading of the book.  Currie resigned.

Nationally, same-sex marriage became legal thanks to a Supreme Court ruling.  But, the General Assembly passed “Senate Bill 2” which allows magistrates and employees of county register of deeds offices to opt out of performing same-sex marriages. A lawsuit has been filed to challenge Senate Bill 2.

A homophobic slur was spray-painted on the side of East Chapel Hill High School in September.  More than 400 people added their named to a petition asking East Chapel Hill principal Eileen Tully to take three actions in response to the incident.

Listen to Part 2 of our annual Year In Review show, counting down #7 and #6 (and looking back at the year in sports).

 

5.  Development

A series of contentious debates over development in Chapel Hill took place in 2015.  Construction of Village Plaza Apartments is underway on Elliot Road.   The Town of Chapel Hill approved the Obey Creek development.  The debates over the development process led to the rise of CHALT, Chapel Hill Alliance for a Livable Town, a grassroots organization that had a major impact on the 2015 election.

4.  Tom Ross’ Firing

UNC System President Tom Ross was ousted in January.  The decision was controversial, but the controversy did not stop there.

Margaret Spelling was elected to the position after 10 months of acrimony and accusations.  After Spellings’ election, Board of Governors Chair John Fennebresque resigned.

Spellings’ election has been met with protests from students and faculty.

3.  2015 Election

For the first time in five decades, a challenger beat an incumbent mayor in Chapel Hill.  Pam Hemminger was elected Mayor of Chapel Hill in November.  Challengers also took seats on the Chapel Hill Town Council.  Overall, the 2015 municipal election can be described as the “CHALT Election.”

Listen to Part 3 of our annual Year In Review show, counting down from #5 to #3.

 

2.  Race

After a Confederate Flag waving racist killed church goers in Charleston, South Carolina, the North Carolina General Assembly passed a law requiring approval from the North Carolina Historical Commission for any state memorial or monument (including Confederate ones) to be altered, removed or relocated.

Before that law was passed, the UNC Board of Trustees voted to rename a building on campus.  Saunders Hall is now Carolina Hall.  William L. Saunders served as Secretary of State in North Carolina. He is credited with the accumulation of public records following the Civil War.  Saunders was also credited as the leader of the Ku Klux Klan in North Carolina when the Board of Trustees chose to name the building after him in 1920.

Another monument from the Civil War remains on campus.  The Silent Sam statue has been the cause of multiple protests and counter protests.

Symbols are not the only reason race has stayed in the news.  Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools took aim at racial disparities in 2015.

Listen to Part 4 of our annual Year In Review show, counting down #2 (and remembering those we lost in 2015).

 

1.  Finley Forest Shooting

In February, 23-year-old Deah Shaddy Barakat, of Chapel Hill, 21-year-old Yusor Mohammad, of Chapel Hill, and 19-year-old Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, of Raleigh were killed at the Finley Forest Condos on Summerwalk Circle near the Friday Center.

A fund has been established to continue the service work and honor their memory.  Students in the UNC School of Dentistry gathered for a day of service in September.

Listen to Part 5 of our annual Year In Review show, concluding with #1.