The 5:00 News – Statement from Sheriff Blackwood, Splashpads, and More

Chapel Hill Mayor Jess Anderson spoke with 97.9 The Hill's Andrew Stuckey on Thursday, October 9, discussing town news and events. She discussed Wednesday night's town council meeting, which saw an affordable housing report, a vote on a nine-story development on MLK, an upcoming closure to Rosemary Street, and more.

This Week: Emily Sutton is the Executive Director of Haw River Assembly ("HRA") as well as being the Haw Riverkeeper. She joined the staff of Haw River Assembly in 2016, managing citizen science projects to watchdog against sediment pollution and monitor the tributaries and main stem of the Haw River. She has been Haw Riverkeeper since 2018, leading the fight for HRA against pollution in the Haw River on many fronts, including emerging contaminants, Jordan Lake nutrients, and sediment pollution. She is a current member of the NC Sedimentation Control Commission. Emily grew up paddling rivers in the Midwest, and moved to North Carolina to receive her B.A at Appalachian State University in Sustainable Development, where she studied Agroecology, Watershed Ecology, and Outdoor Education. Emily lives in Durham, NC.

An Orange County nonprofit recently took home a statewide award for helping make homes permanently affordable for a group facing eviction.

Chapel Hill Mayor Jess Anderson spoke with 97.9 The Hill's Andrew Stuckey on Thursday, October 2, discussing town news and events. She talked about football gameday impacts on downtown businesses, including an upcoming study with the university, the Chamber, and the visitor's bureau to measure that impact. She discussed the Chapel Hill Police getting their new headquarters up and running. The talked about a recent trip to Raleigh with some of the economic development for the North Carolina Starter's Launch, and more.

Chapel Hill Police will begin formally working out of 7300 Millhouse Road on Monday. Before that, they opened their doors to local media.

Chapel Hill Mayor Jess Anderson spoke with 97.9 The Hill's Andrew Stuckey on Thursday, September 26, discussing town news and events. She gave updates on three development projects from the town council meeting on Wednesday, including a large housing development on Weaver Dairy Road. She also discussed a move in the state legislature to limit local authority over construction projects for UNC. She also talked about upcoming events in the community and more.

The Hill's Andrew Stuckey presents the afternoon news. Included in this edition of the news, we learn of an Orange County correctional employee being fired after a conservative group flagged what the Sheriff's office called "concerning social media posts." We check in on a local government meeting schedule for the day. We hear a story from Carolina Connection on Playmakers Repertory Company's current production, "The Royale," and more. In sports, we get a recap of UNC's brutal 34-9 loss on the road against the University of Central Florida. We check the rest of the weekend's sports results, including two big wins for field hockey, and more.

The Hill and Chapelboro.com Social Media Manager Henry Taylor spoke with 97.9 The Hill's Andrew Stuckey on Monday, September 22. He discussed social media in the news, including a recent firing in Orange County over social media posts.  He also discussed an upcoming Instagram Reel highlighting some of our pets. He encouraged folks to follow and add us on social media by searching @wchlChapelboro, and more.

The Town of Chapel Hill announced Thursday its new headquarters for the police department at 7300 Millhouse Road will open Monday, Sep. 29.

A pair of candidates in two Chapel Hill elections withdrew recently. Meanwhile, the town council is taking applications for a vacant seat.