After hearing about police frustration over stopping criminal goings-on around the intersection of South and Enterprise streets near the Durham Freeway, City Councilman Mike Woodard summed up the situation with a quote from his Uncle Buster:

"It's hard to cut grass in a graveyard because you don't get any help from the residents."

Durham police  are trying to identify a suspect in an Oct. 5 attempted armed robbery inside Walmart at 1525 Glenn School Road.

The suspect was described as a black male approximately 6 feet tall with a slim to medium build. He was wearing a black Avirex jacket with designs on it, a green shirt, blue jeans and green and white Nike Air Force shoes.

The suspect demanded money, at knifepoint, from a female customer in a clearance area about 9 a.m. When victim screamed and fought with the suspect, he left the store without taking anything and rode away in a white, 4-door vehicle.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Investigator Walcutt at 560-4281, ext. 29121or CrimeStoppers at 683-1200.

The next step for the Jordan Lake watershed saga must be into court, County Attorney Lowell Siler said this morning.

But it will be up to those opposing the watershed relocation, which county commissioners approved Oct. 12, whether that step is taken, Siler said.

City/County Planning Director Steve Medlin has ruled that the Haw River Assembly's protest petition regarding the Jordan Lake watershed case is valid.

Medlin's finding, included in a memo released tonight by County Manager Mike Ruffin, reverses an earlier decision made in advance of the county commissioners' Oct. 12 vote to change the critical watershed boundary in southwestern Durham County.

Commissioners approved the change 3 votes to 2. A valid protest petition, however, requires at least a 4 to 1 "super majority" to approve.

Durham County has not announced its position on the move in light of Medlin's ruling. Commissioners had scheduled a closed meeting on the petition, and on the related lawsuit against the county by Southern Durham Development, at 10 a.m. Thursday.

The Haw River Assembly, an environmental-protection group, filed the petition on behalf of 24 property owners affected by the change.

Ruffin released the memo upon the advice of County Attorney Lowell Siler in response to several public-records requests. The county has not released Medlin's earlier report, sent to Ruffin Nov. 13, which Siler has said contains information privileged under the law.

Here's a look at tomorrow's headlines:

ELLERBE ON TAP: It's more than just the stretch through Northgate Park. Jim Wise reports on two meetings this week where you can learn more about efforts to clean up Ellerbe Creek before its polluted water reaches Falls Lake.

PAWNSHOP PATROL: It's not the first place you'd think to run a gun safety program. But Jennifer Snyder, the Project Safe Neighborhods coordinator for the Durham Police Department, did just just that recently. Stan Chambers has the story.

ART TO HART: Linwood Hart always wanted to be an artist, but growing up rural you were just expected to join the FFA. Correspondent David Elstein profiles the Durham painter, one of 400 artists with work on display at this weekend's annual Durham Art Walk.

VEGAN FEAST: I'm a vegetarian, but I don't know if I could give up my eggs and milk. So maybe I should sign up for the Triangle Vegetarian Society's Thanksgiving dinner. It's vegan, which means no animal products at all, not even honey. Read columnist Elizabeth Shestak's preview.

SEX: Teen writer Destiney Robinson says kids are doing it, so why aren't more people talking about it. Read her My View column to learn more.

Lots more including Bonitta Best on Southern's tourney chase, a guide to this week's arts and entertainment and your letters. And send more -- they're one of my favorite parts of the paper -- to editor@nando.com.

Thanks for reading,

Mark   

About 40 people turned out for the first Rolling Hills/Southside public planning meeting Monday night, according to Sandra Moore (right) of Urban Strategies, one of the lead firms involved.

That was a "reasonably good" number, Moore said, but less than half of them actually live in the Rolling Hills/Southside area on which the city is spending $745,000 to plan its future.

Her comment came in an email to the project's Steering Committee, pushing its members to show up for the next "community meeting," 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Hayti Heritage Center.

"We are sure that you want to make certain the vision reflects what you and your neighbors and constituents think important," she wrote.

Moore also said the planning consultants expect to have some preliminary drawings and some "human capital findings" to show on Wednesday.

Durham's rate of violent crime continued its decline through 2009's third quarter, Police Chief Jose L. Lopez told the City Council Monday night.

Through Sept. 30, the city had had 18 homicides, four fewer than at the same point in 2008. Overall, cases of violent crime -- homicide, rape, aggravated assault and robbery, were down 13 percent from the previous year and down 6 percent from 2007.

Durham County commissioners are holding a special closed meeting at 10 a.m. Thursday about the Jordan Lake protest petition, County Commissioner Becky Heron said this afternoon.

Sunday's Bronto Birthday Bash drew an estimated 300 people, many of whom came away with souvenir kazoos and a song in their hearts or somewhere.

For the occasion celebrating the dinosaur statue's repair and 42nd birthday, Northgate Park resident and Bronto booster Richard Milward composed "Bronto Song" and performed it, with audience accompaniment, during the party's ceremonial segment. Rendered to the tune of "Swanee," it goes:

Anyone who wants to give the Rolling Hills/Southside planners a piece of his/her mind on the subject is invited -- even urged -- to join any or all of the sessions going on next week at the Hayti Heritage Center.

That includes the planning team's setup, noon to 6 p.m. on Monday.

Formal opening is a public meeting at 6 p.m. Monday. An update session is at 6 p.m. Wednesday and a closing presentation at 5 p.m. Friday. Tuesday-Friday mornings, 8 to noon, are drop-in design sessions. Focus-group and technical meetings at other times are also open to anyone.

"We're never going to turn you away," said architect Tom Gallas, who led a public meeting on the project earlier this week.

See the attachments below for a flyer and a master schedule.

Documents: