A Questionable Use of Our Tax Dollars
The North Carolina General Assembly allocated more than $18 million in taxpayer dollars to crisis pregnancy centers across the state.
Read MoreGuest Columns
What’s in a Name?
‘A Little Lower than God’ and ‘Crowned with Glory and Honor’
Green Thoughts in a Green Shade
If Texas Should Pick Up and Leave Us One Day
Everything is Wilder in Texas
More Than a Game
Chapel Hill’s Affordable Housing Strategy Has Failed
Whither Development in our Chapel Hill neighborhood?
Securing our long-range water supply
Few public services are more important than having an adequate supply of good quality water.
Why We Should Care about the Impacts of Stormwater in “Chapelboro”
Having lived in Chapel Hill and Carrboro for over 40 years, I’ve seen plenty of rainstorms that cause rapid, massive flooding to homes and yards, streets and parking lots.
In Carrboro, Community Input Needed for Better Land-use Decisions
I am a concerned citizen in Carrboro. I have recently become aware of several town projects that are underway, projects of which I and most of my community were unaware.
Building Trust with Parks and Affordable Housing
Most locals recognize that Chapel Hill faces an affordable housing crisis.
The Future of Coolville
By the end of the decade, I predict that …
Keeping Faith with the Voters
Trust is a fundamental value for residents of Chapel Hill.
On Ravaging Gaia’s Web of Life
Our children deserve the prospect of a future that is good enough.
Struggling to be Happy in the Present Moment
My namesake, the philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, once said in his seminal book Either/Or: “Marry, and you will regret it; don’t marry, you will also regret it; marry or don’t marry, you will regret it either way.
What Will We Tell Our Children?
In his Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech of 1986, Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel said…
North and South
“Sidewalks and basements” would be my answer to Mr. A.C. Snow. “A dearth of one and a paucity of the other.”
Creating a Spectrum of Permanently Affordable Housing
The process of determining what kind of housing is needed and creating it must be led and controlled by those with the need — not politicians, developers and banks.
Upcoming Joint Community Meeting about Greene Tract
Recently, concerns have been expressed about the appropriateness of holding community information meetings regarding the Greene Tract between the Nov. 2 election and the time when newly elected officials will be sworn in Dec. 8.
On the Future of the Greene Forest, Let the People’s Voice Be Heard
During our current Chapel Hill election season, the sale of public lands to developers and the increasing threats to our parks and public open space have been major issues.
The Hoot in the Holler
Autumn is owl season, and not just because of the birds’ long association with otherworldliness.
To Empower Marginalized People of Color, White Americans Should Recuse Themselves from Positions of Institutional Leadership
ELECTION 2021 By Zachary Boyce Note: The Local Reporter has invited all candidates for local office in the upcoming Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Chapel Hill-Carrboro school district elections to submit…
Effective Collaboration Delivers Results
ELECTION 2021 By Pam Hemminger Note: The Local Reporter has invited all candidates for local office in the upcoming Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Chapel Hill-Carrboro school district elections to submit…
It’s Time for a Change: Hongbin Gu for Mayor
ELECTION 2021 By Trisha Lester I’ve lived in Chapel Hill for 30 years and what originally attracted my late husband and me to the town is disappearing before my very…
Triangle Vegan Restaurant Week Celebrates Plant-Based Foods
More and more Triangle-area restaurants have added vegan options to their menus as demand continues to grow for plant-based foods. There’s more to eating vegan than just salads and to prove it…
Local Churches Step Forward to Meet the Needs of Afghani Refugees
The scenes of the exit from Afghanistan were horrific. More than anything, the scenes of Afghanis trying to escape dominated the coverage, and the picture of the bay of the C-17 military cargo plane…
The Music Man and the Town that Let Him Down
In October 2018, the Carrboro Arts Center screened a classic 1926 silent film, The General, starring comic actor Buster Keaton. Local musician Tim Carless accompanied it with his own live score…
The Mother Road
I had read the explanation in enough different places by enough different writers to believe that it must be true. Bobby Troup, whom we last saw in the movie “M.A.S.H.,” was driving west — in a ’41 Buick…
Stop Digging
“Your garden’s so pretty! How do you do that?” my neighbor gushed. She: stylishly dressed, walking her dog; me: wet and muddy squatting down with my hands in the soil. I was about to explain that I enjoy tending my garden and that, with a little effort…
Echinacea Worth Meeting
Let me introduce my latest fascination — Echinacea x hybrida ‘Red Ombre.’ I know what you’re thinking: What could possibly be special about an Echinacea? Readers of this column may recall that I like to meet new plants by first learning their botanical name, so let’s start with the genus Echinacea…
Your Garden’s Supporting Cast
When I first began to garden, I was only interested in those plants that made a big statement, plants…
Think Contrast, Think Texture
We gardeners sometimes think way too much in terms of flowers when, perhaps, we should instead concentrate more on the color green. After all, it’s the color green that permanently resides in our gardens. I have written before about the…
Daisies: Surprisingly Complicated Flowers
Recently, I have been marveling over the complexities of the common daisy. Daisies belong to the family Asteraceae, a family that contains…
Responsible Gardening
A packet of seeds, meant to catch my eye, arrived in the mail. A seed company in a faraway state, trying to get my business, wants me to look at their catalog. Its strategy backfired. I’m not happy with the little gift; in fact, I’m rather huffy about it. The colorful packet featured a watercolor image of several different unidentifiable….
Vote Yes on Aura
On Wednesday, the Chapel Hill Town Council will be considering the Aura project, a mixed-use infill project at the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Estes Drive. We believe this is an excellent and appropriate project on a rare, transit-convenient piece of Chapel Hill land.
Council’s Vote on Aura Will Leave a Legacy
After the May 26 Chapel Hill Town Council public hearing about the Aura development plan, I wonder if it is too late for a better project for the Butler property at the corner of MLK Jr. Boulevard and Estes Drive.
What Makes a Great Plant?
As any gardener will tell you, there are lots of good plants out there but few truly great plants. This got me thinking: What makes a plant great? Bob Solberg, hybridizer extraordinaire of hostas and owner of Green Hill Hostas in Franklinton, wrote an article on great hostas…
Consequences of Yet Another Dense Apartment Development
Over the last years, our town has seen a tremendous increase in high-density apartment developments. Aura is yet another proposed apartment development at the corner of MLK Jr. Boulevard and Estes Drive.