Brighton McConnell, Author at Chapelboro.com

Orange County Honors Community Heroes After Saving Drowning Children

Posted by Brighton McConnell | Jun 22, 2018 | Safety | 0 |

Two children were rescued by community members in May after falling into pools in Orange County. The emergencies, which happened in Hillsborough and Chapel Hill, occurred within a week of each other and almost ended in tragedy. The first incident happened on May 12. A 4-year-old boy named Parker was found unresponsive in the community pool by his father. Dr. Anita Skariah, a local physician talking with Parker’s father at the time, started CPR. Gabe Walker, an Orange High School student on the scene, assisted her. The child became responsive after more than two minutes of compressions and was...

Orange County Native Named North Carolina’s Poet Laureate

Posted by Brighton McConnell | Jun 21, 2018 | Arts | 0 |

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper announced his choice of Orange County native, poet, author and teacher Jaki Shelton Green as the state’s next poet laureate on Thursday morning. Green will become North Carolina’s ninth poet laureate, while becoming the first African American and third woman to serve in the role. Poet laureates promote poetry and spoken word throughout the state and are often chosen due to their literary excellence and connections to state culture. “Jaki Shelton Green brings a deep appreciation of our state’s diverse communities to her role as an ambassador of North Carolina literature,” Cooper said in...

Malawian Health Officials Visit UNC, Cancer Hospital

Posted by Brighton McConnell | Jun 21, 2018 | UNC | 0 |

A delegation of 10 officials from Malawi’s Ministry of Health toured the North Carolina Cancer Hospital Monday afternoon, examining the facilities and hearing from doctors about the resources on-hand. The Malawians were in town for a three-day trip prior to the opening of the country’s first cancer center. The Ministry of Health has had a long relationship with UNC, going back to 1990. The two organizations conducted joint research on HIV and STDs for many years before starting an institution together. Now, UNC-Project Malawi has over 300 university employees and works to improve the country’s health systems. Dr. Satish...

Historical Civil Rights Task Force Presents Findings to Chapel Hill Town Council

Posted by Brighton McConnell | Jun 20, 2018 | Local Government | 0 |

Last fall, Chapel Hill mayor Pam Hemminger created the Historic Civil Rights Commemorations Task Force after receiving community interest in honoring those who lived in the town during the 1960s. Their goal, according to special projects coordinator Molly Luby, was straightforward. “The charge to the group was to create a timeline that identifies people, places and events significant in the town’s the civil rights struggle,” said Luby, “so that they may be commemorated in historical context by the town.” After months of research and interviews, the task force’s efforts culminated with a presentation of the resulting timeline to the...

New UNC Master Plan Looks at Future School Space

Posted by Brighton McConnell | Jun 19, 2018 | UNC | 4 |

As the nation’s oldest public university has nearly built out its main campus, UNC officials are planning for its future reach on university-owned properties throughout Chapel Hill. The university owns nearly 4,000 acres throughout the town, according to university documents. And while not all of that is developable, Chapel Hillians can expect to see projects and changes throughout the community as the university looks to expand its footprint to the university’s outlying parcels. Associate vice chancellor for facility services Anna Wu presented a draft of the university’s master plan to the Board of Trustees late last month laying out...

Poor People’s Campaign Continues in North Carolina Ahead of National Rally

Posted by Brighton McConnell | Jun 18, 2018 | State | 0 |

For the fifth week in a row, citizens involved with the Poor People’s Campaign were arrested at North Carolina’s legislative building last week. Participants gathered in the building to disrupt a Senate meeting while some sat in House Speaker Tim Moore’s office to protest. Others stayed out in the street, holding signs and calling for change. And it is all expected to happen once again today. It’s all part of the Poor People’s Campaign’s 40-day call for “moral action” from legislators. Based off the teachings and efforts of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., it’s a coordinated movement advocating for...

Paul Hardin’s Legacy Lives on Through Carolina Blood Drive

Posted by Brighton McConnell | Jun 14, 2018 | UNC | 0 |

Barbara Hardin arrived in the Dean Smith Center last week ready to encourage donors at the 30th Carolina Blood Drive. Her late husband and former UNC Chancellor, Paul Hardin, was to be honored for his work with the drive. She didn’t expect to learn something new about Paul from the presentation. “I didn’t know that he had started it,” Hardin said. “I knew he was a believer; his blood type was O negative. So he took that very seriously.” Paul Hardin founded the Carolina Blood Drive in 1989. Over time, it’s become one of the largest single-day drives. In...

Carrboro Hosting Public Input Sessions on 203 Project

Posted by Brighton McConnell | Jun 13, 2018 | Development | 0 |

Carrboro’s ‘203 Project’ is expected to bring a big change to the town. After having no buildings built downtown in over 100 years, the $15 million project is a break from tradition and why town officials want citizen feedback. Carrboro will be holding an input session Wednesday for residents to hear more about the ‘203 Project’ and voice their visions for the new space. The project’s name came from its address: 203 South Greensboro Street. The building will largely house the Orange County Southern Branch Library, although the 65,000 square-foot building will house other functions too. In an interview...

Jerry Stackhouse Hired for Grizzlies’ Coaching Staff

Posted by Brighton McConnell | Jun 11, 2018 | Professional | 0 |

Jerry Stackhouse appears to be headed back to the NBA. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Saturday that the former UNC star has agreed to an assistant coaching position with the Memphis Grizzlies. The news comes after Stackhouse reportedly interviewed with three NBA teams in the last few months for their head-coaching positions. Instead, he will become an assistant to the Grizzlies’ new head coach, J.B. Bickerstaff. Stackhouse earned national attention after leading the Toronto Raptors’ D-League team, Toronto 905, to a title in 2017. He was awarded D-League Coach of the Year honors for his work, despite it being his...

Chapel Hill’s Food for the Summer Kicking Off Third Year

Posted by Brighton McConnell | Jun 8, 2018 | Pre-K - 12 Education | 0 |

Food for the Summer is about to begin its third year serving food to Chapel Hill and Carrboro students. Its kickoff event on Tuesday afternoon started the season by spreading the word about the lunches and summer activities in store for this year. Children played basketball, jumped on a bouncy house and picked vegetables from a farmer’s market stand outside Northside Elementary. The program serves lunches in 15 community areas, allowing students up through high school to receive a free meal for an hour each day. Liz Cartano is the child nutrition director for the Chapel Hill-Carrboro school district....