Kelly Fahey, Author at Chapelboro.com

Chapel Hill Receives Visit from Netherlands Embassy

Posted by Kelly Fahey | Jun 22, 2018 | News Around Town | 0 |

The Town of Chapel Hill received a visit from officials from the Embassy of the Netherlands last week. Mayor Pam Hemminger said that the reasons for the visit included learning more about the town and considering the area for possible corporate relocation in the future. “There are several Dutch companies in North Carolina,” Hemminger said, “and they employ many, many people, so there is interest. And they talked about thinking about North Carolina differently from California because our quality of life and our cost of living here and the things we offer.” Since Orange is the color of the...

Chapel Hill Public Library Expanding Programs Through Grants

Posted by Kelly Fahey | Jun 20, 2018 | News Around Town | 1 |

The Chapel Hill Public Library has recently received several grants that will be put toward two new projects. According to executive director of the library Susan Brown, the first will focus on developing and producing a community-driven podcast focusing on the history of Chapel Hill. “It’s about a $45,000 grant for equipment, skill-building, production for the first season of a podcast all about Chapel Hill history,” said Brown, “and the idea of the history, how it informs the present, and how we might design the future based on what we learn about the past.” The podcast will be called...

Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Name 3 New Principals

Posted by Kelly Fahey | Jun 16, 2018 | Pre-K - 12 Education | 0 |

Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools have hired three new principals this week. Aisha Howard has been named principal of McDougle Elementary after serving as principal of Oak Grove Elementary in Durham. She worked in the Durham Public School System her entire career after earning her Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from UNC-Greensboro and Master of School Administration from UNC. Charles Blanchard is the new Principal of Chapel Hill High. He has served as a principal in many North Carolina schools and is currently the executive director of Career and Technical Education for Guilford County Schools. He studied at East...

Local NAACP Lobbies for Chapel Hill Affordable Housing Bond Priorities

Posted by Kelly Fahey | Jun 15, 2018 | Local Government | 0 |

Earlier this year, the Chapel Hill Town Council approved a $10 million bond referendum for affordable housing on the November ballot. Last Week, president of the Chapel Hill – Carrboro NAACP Anna Richards penned a letter to the council recognizing the bond as a “first step” in the fight for affordable housing in the area but urging for more action. Among her concerns listed in the letter is the lack of a clear, well-defined plan for the $10 million. “How is it going to be spent,” Richards asked in an interview with WCHL. “Where is it going to have...

Orange County Schools Names New Grady A. Brown Elementary Principal

Posted by Kelly Fahey | Jun 12, 2018 | Pre-K - 12 Education | 0 |

Chris Marks has been named the new principal of Hillsborough’s Grady A. Brown elementary school. Marks is moving from his former position as assistant principal at the school after serving for 15 years as a teacher in the Alamance-Burlington School System. Marks said in a release he is looking forward to building on the success of the positive culture already in place at the school. “The students, staff, and community have a deep appreciation for our school, and I look forward to honoring the legacy that many hold so dearly,” said Marks. “Each day, students walk through the doors...

Chapel Hill Police Encourage Vacationers to Complete House Check Requests

Posted by Kelly Fahey | Jun 6, 2018 | Crime | 0 |

With the summer vacation season upon us, Chapel Hill Police Chief Chris Blue is encouraging citizens to once again inform the police of when their house will be vacant by filling out a house check form. Blue said the police saw a dramatic 38 percent decrease in residential break-ins during the past holiday season, which he credits to the house check program. “It provides more visibility in your neighborhood in your absence, and you can’t argue with those results,” said Blue. Blue said that student housing can be a target for break-ins during the summer as well. “We know...

Food for the Summer Prepares for Its Third Year

Posted by Kelly Fahey | Jun 5, 2018 | Non-Profit | 0 |

While the onset of summer is a positive for many school children in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School District, it also means that about 30 percent of kids will no longer have access to nutritious lunches. That’s why Food for the Summer, a summer lunch program for school-aged children of Chapel Hill and Carrboro, is hoping to surpass the 45,000-plus meals the initiative served last summer. Director of Food for the Summer Carolyn Brandt, who is currently working toward her master’s degree in social work and public health, said nutrition is central to the development process of kids. “Nutrition...

UNC Keeping Open Mind on Mass Transit Amid Light Rail Uncertainty

Posted by Kelly Fahey | Jun 4, 2018 | UNC | 1 |

After the North Carolina Republican legislators passed a budget that contained a provision which negatively impacts plans for the Durham-Orange Light Rail project, UNC officials said the university is taking a broader approach for the future of transportation in its master planning process. “We are planning for mass transportation,” Chancellor Carol Folt said at last week’s Board of Trustees meeting. “We know that’s part of it; we already do it. So, the way we’re designing is flexible, but I continue to feel very strongly that we can do anything we can to help the state build out those capacities...

NCDOT Announces Plans to Resurface Churton Street

Posted by Kelly Fahey | Jun 1, 2018 | Traffic | 0 |

The North Carolina Department of Transportation will be working to resurface Hillsborough’s Churton Street and Old NC 86 between U.S. 70 and the intersection with Arthur Minnis and New Hope Church roads. NCDOT has started preparatory work on the project and has informed the town that work will be completed by the end of August. All work involving lane shifts and closures in Downtown Hillsborough will be done at night. Once the resurfacing is complete, the town will be installing stamped, brick-pattern crosswalks at the intersections of Churton Street with Margaret Lane and Nash and Kolluck, King and Tyron...

Chapel Hill Municipal Services Center Conversations Progressing ‘Really Nicely’

Posted by Kelly Fahey | May 30, 2018 | Development | 1 |

Chapel Hill Police Chief Chris Blue recently said that the discussion surrounding the proposed construction of a new municipal services center off Estes Drive is moving along “really nicely.” According to Blue, construction on the joint venture on land owned by UNC could begin sooner than expected. “The conversation has been moving along really nicely, and we’re excited,” said Blue. “If things go well, maybe this time a year from now we’ll actually be turning some shovels over.” While many Town of Chapel Hill departments are in need of new facilities, it is not yet clear how many of...