Viewpoints Submissions

Here are some bigger picture thoughts I have about North Carolina’s place in national politics after Tuesday. I think we will look back and see, this past election ushered in a new era.

We know this redistricting process is hard. Changing where a child goes to school touches something deep — for kids, for parents, and for everyone who has built a life around a particular school. Coming on the heels of other challenging decisions, this year has already asked a lot of our community.

Over the past year, CHCCS schools have shown what’s possible when we combine great teaching, strong relationships and a shared belief in what students can achieve. Our graduation rate is up to 93.8%. Our academic proficiency is nearly 14 percentage points higher than the state average.

Extraordinary reporting in the Daily Tar Heel revealed Carolina’s new senior IT director Mark Hoeting resigned from Georgia Tech for ethics violations.

Most of you probably know that the Piedmont of North Carolina habitat is good for snakes, but perhaps you don’t know the details! The most important thing any of us can learn about snakes, is how to properly identify them.

Do you think you have no say over the North Carolina Supreme Court? Do you think it does not matter who sits on it, because judges just “follow the law”? Both ideas are wrong.

As Chapel Hill updates its Land Use Management Ordinance (LUMO), the Town Council is considering options that will fundamentally reshape our physical environment, housing landscape, and civic culture. The Town should adopt a comprehensive plan before adopting the LUMO so that any ordinance revision reflects a clear, unified community vision. 

Yesterday on my weekly drive to Blair, I saw something that appeared to be dead in the middle of the highway. Pretty typical this time of year, especially out in the country. As I passed by, it became obvious that a beautiful Bald Eagle had been hit and likely going to be smashed all over the road by the constant truck traffic.

There are moments in life when an opportunity is more than an opportunity. Sometimes it becomes the bridge between where you are and where you never thought you could be.