newsobserver.com blogs -- bullseye

Craft on the craft

mschultz — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:21:39 -0500

Write what you know.

All Howard Craft knew was how he felt after getting called up for Desert Storm, watching Rodney King getting pounded on TV.

“It just really shook me up,” he says.

“As an African American, who was getting ready to lay it on the line for red, white and blue and apple pie, to watch the television and see somebody that looks like you get beat mercilessly in the streets, and then have to get up, put your boots on and go salute,” he explains. “That really shook me up.”

Tensions play out in Craft’s “Caleb Calypso and the Midnight Marauders,” now playing at Manbites Dog Theater. Go see it and its standout cast.

I interviewed Craft, the playwright, for tomorrow's Durham News. Here's an excerpt:

Q: Where did the idea for this play come from?

A: “A lot of the plays written about the military, they don’t get to the essence of who the people are. I wanted to write something that gave you real human beings that allowed you to see past some of the stereotypes.”

Q: What was your experience like? What was your job in the military?

A: “Like the people in the play I was a tank driver, well a tank crewman. I drove. I loaded. I got out before it was time for me to become a gunner and went to school.”

Q: Why’d you get out?

A: “I’ve never really been good as a joiner ... When people ask me was your experience good or bad, I can’t put it in those terms. I learned a lot about myself, I learned a lot about other people. My roommate was from Idaho my first year. What that does is it knocks down walls. The stereotype of what you think a person is, it goes out the window pretty fast.”

Craft will hold an question and answer session after Sunday's matinee. Call 682-3343 for reservations.

Durham Performing Arts Center earns $400K for city in first eight months

mschultz — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:53:10 -0500

After eight months, the Durham Performing Arts Center has generated $401,706 for the City of Durham, more than four times the first full-year expectations, according to a draft audited financial statement for period ending June 30, 2009.

According to the financial statement released today, the Durham Performing Arts LLC made a profit of $1,004,265, of which 40 percent, or $401,706, is to be shared with the city, which owns the building.

Most of the overall income was generated by ticket sales, rental income, and concessions totaling nearly $7.9 million, with most of the expenses involving stage show costs amounting to more than $5.6 million, according to a news release. Other expenses were administrative related to building operations, including utilities and other operational costs.

During the first year of operation, Nederlander and PFM loaned DPAC about $100,000 to cover pre-opening and marketing expenses of the facility, the release said. That amount will be deducted from the final remittance to the City.

To read the draft audited financial statement, go here.

Hundreds expected at Middle School Career Expo today

sadialatifi — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:00:00 -0500

Hundreds of Durham students are expected at this evening's career expo for middle school students.

Over 200 professionals from fields like video game development to law are slated to come out and talk about their careers.

The first 200 students to show up will receive a free Chick-Fil-A Kid's meal and a chance to win door prizes. Parents and guardians are encouraged to attend. They can enter to win one of two $50 gas cards.

The Expo takes place today from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m at Northgate Mall, 1058 West Club Blvd. A map of the events and more information is available here.

Kids Vote their own way

jaydub — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:50:54 -0500

Mayor Bill Bell and three City Council members swamped their challengers in today's election, but kids saw things a little differently.

While Bell took 77 percent of the grownups' vote, he beat challenger Steven L. Williams just 57 percent to 43 percent in the Kids Voting Durham program of the Durham County Cooperative Extension.

In the Ward 1 council race, youngsters chose 22-year-old challenger Donald Hughes over incumbent Cora Cole-McFadden, while in the official election Cole-McFadden won 76 percent of the votes.

The other council races were close. Ward 2 incumbent Howard Clement got 1,159 votes to challenger Matt Drew's 1,096, and in Ward 3 Mike Woodard beat opponent Allan Polak by just 12 votes.

Grownups gave Clement more than 71 percent and Woodard 86.5 percent.

About 2,500 young people cast ballots in Kids Voting, according to program coordinator Carolyn Kreuger.

For Kids Voting, the Octagon Club at Durham School of the Arts prepared Candidate Guides with the candidates' answers to questionnaires about involving young people in local government, making public transportation more youth-friendly and enhancing recreation opportunities for teens among other issues.

The guides even gave a personal touch, detailing candidates’ favorite ice cream and activities when they were young.

Tips wanted on bank job

jaydub — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:06:17 -0500

Durham police are seeking information about a bank robbery that occurred Oct. 26 at the Wachovia Bank, 2000 West Main Street.

According to police spokeswoman Kammie Michael, a male entered the bank around 3 p.m. and handed a teller a note demanding money. The suspect did not display a weapon, but fled with an undisclosed amount of money and was last seen running toward Ninth Street.

The suspect was described as a tall, thin black male with a dark complexion. He was wearing a ball cap with a design, sunglasses, a brown tweed jacket, a white T-shirt and dark pants. He was carrying a bag similar to a laptop computer case with a shoulder strap.

Anyone with information is asked to call Investigator Rogers at 560-4935, ext. 29416 or CrimeStoppers at 683-1200

Turnout low, but better than last time

jaydub — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:32:58 -0500

All systems have been running "teriffic," Elections Director Mike Ashe said this afternoon.

Except for voter turnout, that is.

Participation in today's municipal election for mayor and three City Council seats has been low, Ashe said, but better than the Oct. 6 primary in which only 4.36 percent of Durham's registered electorate turned out.

By about 1:45 p.m., the polling place at Forest View Elementary School was far ahead of its primary total, with 243 ballots in compared with just 182 last month.

By 3:10, 61 voters had been through the process at Brogden Middle School, well past the 54 who turned out last month; and Edison Johnson Recreation Center had seen its 85th ballot cast. That was one more than the total voting there in the primary.

At midafternoon, several precincts appeared on track to beat their primary numbers. The N.C. School of Science and Math, historically one of the city's busiest precincts, saw its 123rd voter around 2:20; its primary total was 148.

The Forest Hills Clubhouse had seen 151 voters by 1:45, closing in on its October total of 151, and at the same time St. Stephen's Episcopal Church had had 150, compared with its primary total of 187.

"Democracy is having a great day," Ashe said.

Mixed message

jaydub — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:25:08 -0500

The Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People, as it is wont, is passing out cards at some of the polls today listing the candidates it's endorsed.

That list includes incumbent mayor Bill Bell. But the committee's poll workers are also passing out campaign cards for Bell's opponent, Steven L. Williams.

A case of impartiality, or what?

Durham schools fill 'Barrels of Love'

sadialatifi — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:00:00 -0500

Durham schoolchildren have again begun their annual tradition of filling "Barrels of Love" with food for the Salvation Army's pantry.

Each school in Durham has collection barrels for nonperishable foods. Some are holding competitions for the most food collected, too.

“Every year, this drive is one of the biggest sources of nonperishable foods for our pantry,” said Debbie Avolin, director of social services for The Salvation Army, in a press release. “Durham’s young people work really hard to collect tons of canned goods for people in need.”

Continue reading to learn more about how you can help:

If you don't know a school child but still want to donate, additional barrels are located at:

The Salvation Army Family Store, Durham Regional Hospital, St. Luke's Episcopal Church, CitiFinancial at Cross Creek, SECU at Ben Franklin, South Duke Street and Cross Creek; Teleflex at Weck Drive and TJ Alexander; and Wal-Mart at New Hope Commons.

City reconsiders "landmarks" and tax breaks

jaydub — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:26:56 -0500

The City Council voted 6-0 tonight to re-evaluate the historic landmark program, deferring action on six properties that were up for the designation and a 50 percent property-tax break.

At the request of City/County Planning Director Steve Medlin, the council put off voting until May to allow staff time to research the available options and make recommendations.

Council member Farad Ali abstained from the vote. Ali was not present at the council work session where reviewing the landmark program had been discussed.

Several council members, as well as several Durham County commissioners, have raised concerns in recent weeks about the loss of tax revenue from properties approved as "landmarks." Such properties are taxed at half their assessed valuation.

Seventy-two houses, places of business and public buildings already have the designation. Capping the number of designations per year and changing the size of the tax break have been mentioned as possible program amendments.

Several citizens spoke against any changes to the program, among them Preservation Durham Director John Compton and developer Michael Lemanski, whose Liberty Warehouse is one of the properties deferred.

"The landmark program is an economic development program," Lemanski said.

Compton made the same point, and pointed out that landmark owners give up some property rights in exchange for the tax break.

"They're subjecting themselves to a ... process their neighbors are not subject to," Compton said.

1,006 early ballots cast in city election

jaydub — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:38:49 -0500

Early voting in Durham's city election closed Saturday with 1,006 citizens having cast ballots.

That's 112 more than the 894 who voted early in the Oct. 6 primary. The primary set a record low for voter turnout, 4.36 percent according to the Board of Elections' official count.

Precincts open at 6:30 tomorrow morning and remain open for voting until 7:30 p.m.

The mayor's chair and three City Council seats are on the ballot.

Sculptor unveils Lowe's Grove library art

jaydub — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:23:53 -0500

Sculptor Thomas Sayre and Durham Public Library Director Skip Auld unveiled this morning a model of the piece of art commissioned for the new branch library at Lowe's Grove.

The yet-unnamed sculpture is an 17-foot tall stack of earth-cast concrete slabs.

"This harkens back to the tobacco barns and other rural structures that were at that site," Sayre told the county commissioners. "A totem for the cars zooming up and down Alston Avenue."

"There needs to be some kind of explanation," commissioner Becky Heron said.

The library is being built at the former site of the Lowe's Grove Farm Life School, at Alston Avenue and N.C. 54. Nearby residents established a school there more than a century ago.

Sayre plans to cast the slabs in red-clay molds, to give the concrete a coppery color suggestive of logs.

"It is from the earth," he said.

The stack is eight feet by nine feet at its base.

"It will be here 100 or 200 years from now," Auld said.

Another Sayre sculpture, "Gnomon," is at the N.C. School of Science and Mathematics in Durham.

Commissioners OK names, walls

jaydub — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:35:54 -0500

Durham County Commissioners approved names and aesthetic touches for two new county buildings this morning.

The new headquarters on East Main Street for public health and social services will be called "Durham County Human Services." Previously it had been called a "human-services complex."

" 'Complex' sounds complicated," commissioner Ellen Reckhow said.

The new courthouse on Dillard Street will be the "Durham County Courthouse." Previously it had been referred to as the Durham County Justice Center.

But when people are trying to find the building where court is held, said architect Travis Hicks, they look for the Durham County Courthouse. Adding "Justice Center" to the county's current "Judicial Building" and "Old Courthouse" would compound confusion, he said.

The name "Durham County Justice Center," he suggested, would denote the block including the new courthouse, a new parking deck and the county jail.

The wording on the glass wall by the Human Services entrance in the architect's rendering above will be replaced by:

"Durham's vitality is built upon the health of our residents and the capacity of our community to foster and enhance the wellbeing of every citizen."

"It is about the county and its citizens," said architect Phil Freelon. "And why that's important to us as a community."

Commissioners also liked an idea for a three-story wall backing a stairway inside the new courthouse: using hundreds of small historic photographs as a mosaic making up a wall-sized image of a Durham landmark such as the 1916 Old Courthouse.

"Commemorating our history is a great idea," Reckhow said.

Durham superintendent to leave, work for Obama administration

sadialatifi — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:25:35 -0500

Durham Public Schools superintendent Carl E. Harris will leave the school system at the end of the calendar year in order to work for the U.S. Department of Education, according to a news release sent this morning.

Harris has accepted a position as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Education for Policy and Strategic Initiatives with the federal agency.

“It is with heavy but deeply grateful hearts that the members of the Durham Public Schools Board of Education accept the resignation of Dr. Carl Harris. Dr. Harris has provided a quiet strength in his leadership of our district over the past three-and-a-half years,” said Minnie Forte-Brown, chairwoman of the Durham school board. "Durham’s loss is definitely our nation’s gain. We wish him well as he takes his wisdom and his experience to Washington to improve schools across our country.”

Harris has served as superintendent of Durham Public Schools since July 1, 2006. Previously, he was the superintendent of Franklin County Schools.

Update: Harris is expected to stay in his post through "at least" Dec. 31, according to DPS spokesman Michael Yarbrough. The school board will soon decide who will serve as an interim superintendent, he said. They'll then work out the details for picking a new superintendent. The board's next meeting is Nov. 19.

The full news release is posted after the jump:

Dr. Carl E. Harris, Superintendent of Durham Public Schools has accepted a position as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Education for Policy and Strategic Initiatives with the U.S. Department of Education.

Harris has served as Superintendent of Durham Public Schools since July 1, 2006. He previously served as Deputy Superintendent. At DPS, his focus is on advancing academic achievement, fostering relationships with parents, businesses and the community and improving school administrative leadership.

From 1999 until 2004, Dr. Harris was Superintendent of Franklin County Schools, where he was instrumental in bringing about significant increases in student achievement for all ethnic groups.

The Central Carolina Regional Superintendent of the Year award was presented to Dr. Harris in August 2009. Earlier in the year, Dr. Harris was appointed a member of a steering committee of The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards to develop advanced certification for school administrators.

Among a number of DPS accomplishments during Harris’s tenure are:

o Increased student achievement in a number of areas;

o A lower dropout rate

o Increased Advanced Placement participation and identification of Academically Gifted Students

Six new schools opened in Durham under Harris’s administration, with a seventh in the works. Hillside New Tech High School, Southern School of Engineering, City of Medicine Academy, Spring Valley Elementary School, the Performance Learning Center and the Holton Career and Resource Center all have opened in the last three years. Lakewood Middle Montessori School will begin serving sixth-graders next fall and will open in the renovated Lakewood YMCA in fall 2011.

“Durham is a community that truly cares about its children. I am proud that we have earned the respect and support of our community,” said Harris. “I am especially proud of the leaders we have in place at the district and school level. We have great classroom teachers who focus each day on improving academic achievement for all students and many other dedicated staff members who support teaching and learning. The collaboration among our leaders, teachers, staff and parents will allow Durham Public Schools to continue providing quality educational opportunities for all students.”

“It is with heavy but deeply grateful hearts that the members of the Durham Public Schools Board of Education accept the resignation of Dr. Carl Harris. Dr. Harris has provided a quiet strength in his leadership of our district over the past three-and-a-half years,” said Minnie Forte-Brown, Chair of the Durham Public Schools Board of Education. “Dr. Harris leaves a school system that has improved academic achievement, a significantly lower dropout rate and a slate of new schools that offer support targeted to specific student needs. Durham’s loss is definitely our nation’s gain. We wish him well as he takes his wisdom and his experience to Washington to improve schools across our country.”

DPS board to discuss school improvement plans, AP/IB curriculum today

sadialatifi — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:00:00 -0500

The Durham Public Schools' board of education plans to talk about individual school improvement plans and Advanced Placement/International Baccalaureate classes at their monthly instructional services committee meeting today.

They'll also be discussing contracts for supplemental educational services (SES), or the mandatory extra tutoring supports that must be available for students when schools don't pass federal testing standards.

The meeting will be held at 4:30 p.m. at the school system's headquarters, located at 511 Cleveland St. Committee meetings are open to the public.

The entire agenda for today's meeting can be viewed here.

How's your school doing?

sadialatifi — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 18:12:45 -0500

The state's Department of Public Instruction released School Report Cards for districts and individuals schools late last week.

Each school's report card can be viewed at www.ncreportcards.org. You can click to view details on each school district and each school in categories like technology usage, funding, test scores, suspensions and teacher quality.

It's a quite interesting and comprehensive read. In addition to the standard testing reports, you can also check out how many of your school's computers have Internet access, or how many teachers have advanced degrees.

Public invited for Rolling Hills/Southside sessions

jaydub — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:26:09 -0400

Planners for the Rolling Hills/Southside are holding a community meeting on the project Nov. 10 at 6:30 p.m. in the Hayti Heritage Center, 804 Old Fayetteville St. just south of the Durham Freeway. The public is invited.

According to Kate
Casas of Urban Strategies, one of the firms involved, the project's steering committee is also holding a public planning charette charette, November 16-20. Details are not final.

Polak calls for ethics probe on Woodard forum comment

jaydub — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:26:24 -0400

City Council Ward 3 candidate Allan Polak has requested a city inquiry into a code of ethics violation he alleges his opponent, council member Mike Woodard, committed this week.

Polak has claimed that Woodard lied during an exchange about city email records during a candidates' forum Tuesday night. Woodard said that Polak's account of what happened is confused.

Last week, Polak requested Woodard's official email records for October 2008. Council members' email regarding city business is public information under state and city law. The records contained only emails received, none sent

According to Bull's Eye's audio recording of the forum, Woodard said, "You're incorrect," after Polak said Woodard had inquired about the missing emails only 'because in fact I raised the issue and I discovered the issue. And he was alerted either by the city clerk’s office or someone at city hall" that Polak was reviewing his emails.

Woodard made no further response during the forum except to say, in answer to an
audience question, that if the missing emails are found he would be
willing to make them public. Afterwards, and again this morning, he told Bull's Eye that he inquired about the missing emails before Polak did.

Woodard said he knew of Polak's request to review the emails because the city clerk sends all such requests to council members.

Woodard's "you're incorrect" comment interrupted Polak's account of an encounter on Monday when Woodard told Polak he knew that Polak had requested the emails.

Polak then said, "That is a complete lie. Yesterday, when we were outside of Duke University, Mr. Woodard specifically stated to me in front of Mr. Clement that he knew that I had reviewed his emails. He said this to me yesterday. ... That's unbelievable, sir."

In an email sent this morning to City Manager Tom Bonfield, Polak said, "I believe his behavior was in direct violation of the Code of Ethics Section III which states that "every public official shall Act Honestly. ... I formally request that an inquiry be made regarding this matter." was in direct violation of the Code of Ethics Section III which states that "every public official shall Act Honestly. ... I formally request that an inquiry be made regarding this matter."

Census office gets staff

jaydub — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:41:47 -0400

The U.S. Census Bureau has appointed a slate of managers for its 2010 Census office in Durham:

Yvonne Sanks, office manager;
Lawrence Alston, field operations;
Glenda Smalls, quality assurance;
Rebecca Savitski, administration;
Stephen Foreman, recruiting;
John Davis, technology.

The Durham office will support census operations in Durham, Franklin, Granville, Orange, Person, Vance and Warren counties.

Durham's office, at 201 W. Main St., is one of 15 census offices in North Carolina.

City plans no tax hike -- yet

jaydub — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:20:42 -0400

City Manager Tom Bonfield said this morning that the city administration does not expect a hike in the tax rate next year.

So far.

"There is nothing being contemplated at this point," he said. "I'm not saying it's not a possibility."

County Manager Mike Ruffin told the county commissioners yesterday that an increase in the county's property-tax rate will probably be required in light of projections for falling revenue and rising expenses.

The city has not started its budget process for 2010-11 yet, Bonfield said. He expects a report on first-quarter income and spending "in a couple of weeks." Those figures will give a basis for preliminary projections and starting to plan ahead.

Bonfield is introducing three-year financial planning at City Hall, replacing the conventional process of budgeting year by year. Preliminary work on a plan for 2010-13 should be done by the end of 2009, he said.

Haw group says Jordan Lake petition is valid, wants boundary change reversed

jaydub — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:14:26 -0400

The Haw River Assembly isn't giving up its fight against changing a watershed boundary line for Jordan Lake.

The Assembly and the Southern Environmental Law Center claim that the Durham City-County Planning Department erred in ruling its protest petition invalid. They want the county to acknowledge the change did not win county commissioners' approval by a 3-2 vote Oct. 12.

If valid, the petition would require a 4-1 vote for approval.

SELC attorney Kay Bond (right) said Durham County has not responded to its claim except to say it is seeking more information.

Planning Director Steve Medlin said the only contact his department has had with the SELC is a Tuesday telephone call for information. The department has not evaluated any claim regarding the petition since the invalid ruling prior to the commissioners’ vote, he said.

The commissioners' approval for a rezoning and land-use plan amendment, which effectively relocated a protected area beside the lake, removed one obstacle from Southern Durham Development Inc.'s plan for a subdivision between Jordan Lake and N.C. 751 in southwestern Durham County.

Durham conservationists, the Haw Assembly and the SELC opposed the change, claiming it it reduces protections for the most polluted part of Jordan Lake and allows development within an area originally designated as critical for water quality.

The protest petition was signed by 24 property owners affected by the boundary move. The planning department ruled it invalid because those owners represented less than 20 percent of those affected.

After reviewing property maps, SELC and the Assembly claim planning incorrectly omitted some property, and that the signatories in fact represent 20.9 percent, making the petition valid under Durham regulations.

"We cannot find any reason those properties should have been left out," said Elaine Chiosso, Haw River Assembly director. "We feel quite confiddent that they have made a mistake."

Bond said there have been no decisions made on next steps, if Durham County does not agree that the change was not approved.

"I think we'll wait and see," she said.

Skateboard park opens Nov. 7

jaydub — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:56:40 -0400

Durham opens its taxpayers' nifty new skateboard park (the one City Council candidate Donald Hughes says wasted taxpayers' $500,000) Saturday week, Nov. 7.

For the occasion, the Ujamaa Boardhouse and Durham Central Park are throwing a party from the ribbon cutting at noon to 4:30 with bands, giveaways and the Toy Machine Skateboard Team showing its stuff.

The Skate Park is on Foster Street next to the Liberty Warehouse, across from the Durham Farmers' Market. To find out more: wwwDPRPlayMore.org, 560-4355.

County expects tax-rate rise next year

jaydub — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:32:33 -0400

Durham County began its 2010-11 budget process today, with projections for more expense, less revenue and an increase in the property-tax rate.

"Next year is really going to be worse than this year," County Manager Mike Ruffin told the Board of Commissioners during a budget work session this morning.

The prospect of raising taxes in the current economic climate did not sit well with the commissioners, but staff estimates for the county's balance sheet were grim.

The county faces a $4.37 million increase in debt service costs, with county revenue expected to drop $9.8 million from the current fiscal year. Appropriations from the state government are expected to go down as well.

Vehicles and other hardware will need servicing and replacement, and staffs for two new libraries will have to be paid. County employees will see no raises and spending will be cut, Ruffin said, but, all in all, a tax increase appears inevitable.

"It's not a question of whether, but of how much," Ruffin said. "What do you want to do?"

Ruffin was not asking for an answer right away, but did want a consensus on some proposed guidelines that included a 75.53-cent cap on the property-tax rate. The current rate is 70.81 cents per $100 valuation.

"We are still looking at doing a lot of reducing in the county’s budget next year,” Ruffin said.

Today's meeting was the earliest county staff has ever brought the commissioners into a budgeting process, Ruffin said.

"It's important to have you involved early," he said. "This is a different climate."

Mangum leader named DPS principal of the year

sadialatifi — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:53:54 -0400

Gwen Johnson, principal of Mangum Elementary School, was named Durham Public Schools' Principal of the Year this morning.

Johnson was chosen by a committee of former award recipients and DPS administrators. She will now repesent the school system in the North Carolina Wachovia Principal of the Year competition.

Johnson has been principal at the school since 2004. Before that, she taught at Oak Grove Elementary. She holds degrees from UNC-Chapel Hill, NCCU and East Carolina University.

In today's Durham News

mschultz — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:06:59 -0400

I'll post later today on last night's InterNeighborhood Council meeting. There was an interesting presentation by Sue Dayton of the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League on neighborhoods polluted by Perc, a dry cleaning solvent now known to be a likely carcinogen and cause other serious health problems.

That happened too late to get into this morning's Durham News (we go to press Monday nights). Here are some other local headlines:

UP THE CREEK: A plan to restore Ellerbe Creek as it flows through Northgate Park is pitting water safety against public safety. Staff writer Jim Wise reports on what happens when good intentions have unanticipated consequences.

THRILLER IN THE PARK: Personally, I don't think the woman in the Michael Jackson jacket on our front page got MJ's hair right (and I heard on the radio this morning his new movie is expected to make $250 million its first week!). Virginia Bridges has our story on the attempt to set a world record Saturday night in Durham Central Park.

CONNECTING THE DOTS: So I took a walk with Marcia Owen last week. The director of the Religious Coalition for a Non-Violent Durham spoke with me about restorative justice. I explain it for those who don't know what it means in today's Editor's Desk column.

Lots more, including Bonitta Best on sports, Alan Teasley on music and Simon Woodrup on dogs.

As always, thanks for reading,

Mark

Polak calls Woodard comment "complete lie"

jaydub — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:34:09 -0400

City Council candidate Allan Polak (below right) called a statement by councilman Mike Woodard "a complete lie" during a candidates' forum Tuesday night.

The accusation came after Woodard told Polak a statement he had made was "incorrect." Woodard did not respond to Polak's "lie" statement. Woodard and Polak are opponents for the City Council's Ward 3 seat in next Tuesday's election.

Their exchange came after Polak revealed what he called "a gaping hole in the City’s Electronic Records Retention practices" in his opening statement at the forum, sponsored by the Black Law Students Association of the N.C. Central University Law School.

In particular, the "hole" was in council members' email records.

Under city and state law, city officials' email concerning city business is public information, available for any citizen to see. Last week, Polak asked the city clerk for Woodard's records for October 2008. The record included 118 emails Woodard received, but none he had sent.

Polak found the same results for September 2008. When he requested another council member's record, he found emails sent, but none received.

In a prepared statement read at the forum, Polak suggested Woodard (left) might have answered his emails from a personal account, a practice city policy discourages.

"Mr. Woodard should have known better," Polak said.

"In fact, I do," Woodard said, and read an email he sent the city attorney, city clerk and information services director on Friday, after seeing Polok's request and the record provided to him. Council members are routinely notified whenever their email records are requested, Woodard said after the forum; one reason is, they have to provide a password for the clerk to access their records.

Woodard's email expressed his own surprise at the absense of sent messages. "I'm confident something has been overlooked," he wrote. "Please review the system again."

Polak then said Woodard sent his email only "because in fact I raised the issue and I discovered the issue. And he was alerted either by the city clerk’s office or someone at city hall. He was told."

Woodard started to interrupt, but Polak continued,

"Mr. Woodard, you mentioned to me yesterday -- "

Woodard: "No."

Polak: " -- that you knew I had reveiwed your emails. How were you aware of that? How were you aware of that? You mentioned to me while we were outside -- "

Woodard: "You're incorrect."

Polak: "That is a complete lie. Yesterday, when we were outside of Duke University, Mr. Woodard specifically stated to me in front of Mr. Clement that he knew that I had reviewed his emails. He said this to me yesterday in front of Duke University as we went to enter the [candidates'] forum.
"That's unbelievable, sir."

Woodard did not reply, but, responding to a question from the audience later during the forum, said he believes the problem is "a technical issue that can be easily fixed" and that he would be willing to share the sent emails once the records of them are located.

Polak said, in his statement, that his discovery of the missing records, consultation with the city clerk and attorney and suggestions for solving the problem demonstrated "is the type of experience and public advocacy that I would bring to City Council."

"Historic" tax breaks getting reconsideration

jaydub — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:46:22 -0400

Tax breaks for owners of "historic" properties are coming under scrutiny from Durham's City Council and Board of County Commissioners.

With new candidates for "historic" status nominated every year, the number is mounting up and so is the hit to the city's and county's revenue. For the county, the amount is about $42,000 per year, commissioner Becky Heron said during the commissioners' meeting tonight.

“As historic properties build up in your community," commissioner Ellen Reckhow said, "it’s taking a lot of value off the tax books.”

The commissioners approved a set of tightened standards for "historic" nomination tonight, and the council holds a public hearing on the same proposal Monday. But both council members and commissioners are calling for a review of the whole program, adopted years ago to encourage historic preservation.

"We could have hundreds of these houses," Councilman Eugene Brown said during last week's council work session. "There has to be some limitation placed on this program, in my judgment."

Drought "moderate," water supply OK

jaydub — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:30:00 -0400

Durham County moved into the "moderate drought" category last week, as defined by the state Division of Water Resources. Here's how Durham's water supply stands, according to the city water department:

Days of supply of easily accessible, premium water remaining (Lake Michie, Little River Reservoir): 162 days
Days in Teer Quarry storage remaining: 15 days
Days of less accessible water below the intake structures remaining: 48 days
Total days of supply: 225

Early votes mounting up

jaydub — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:00:38 -0400

As of 5 p.m. today, 393 voters had cast ballots in early voting for mayor and three City Council seats.

That's more than a third of the 894 total early votes cast in the municipal primary earlier this month.

Early voting continues through Halloween (Saturday) at the Board of Elections office, 706 Corporation Street.

Help wanted for Bronto birthday

jaydub — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:32:01 -0400

The Northgate Park Neighborhood Association's Bronto committee is looking for willing volunteers and other aid for the restored dinosaur's birthday party Nov. 15.

According to committee spokeswoman Nancy Rizzo, the group could use raffle prizes, photographs and videos of Bronto, recorded recollections about the statue and stuff to keep kids amused.

The party celebrates the 42-year-old brontosaurus's repair after vandals decapitated it last spring.

"We hope to have additional good news to announce as well," Rizzo writes in an email appeal. "There are many opportunities to participate and celebrate this joyful success. Bronto continues to hold his head up high thanks to all who cared enough to give."

The party goes on 1 to 4 p.m. on the lawn beside the statue, on Murray Avenue at Ellerbe Creek (just west of the Museum of Life and Science). For information, contact nrizzo@nc.rr.com.

DPS board member Kainz: standardized test critics engage in 'hypocrisy'

sadialatifi — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 02:14:33 -0400

Durham Public Schools Board of Education member Dr. Kirsten Kainz offered strong words at the board's meeting last night to critics of standardized tests and the Reading Street curriculum.

Kainz made a lengthy statement before offering an update on elementary instruction initiatives. She also directly responded to parents who spoke earlier about their concerns over Durham's emphasis on testing and the Reading Street curriculum. These parents brought up the school district's ties with the Broad Foundation, a controversial group that trains and awards large amounts of money to reform school districts - especially in urban areas. (I'll do a separate post on Broad tomorrow.)

Click 'Read More' for her full statement:

"I want to talk about our culture of testing. The culture of testing is not defined by Durham Public Schools. And I can think of a time in my life that wasn’t too long ago where I had very little value for standardized testing. And perhaps some fundamental disagreements with standardized testing and some informed, fundamental disagreements with standardized testing borrowing from some authors we might have heard referenced tonight.

There was a certain point where I knew there was hypocrisy to my rejection of standardized testing. That hypocrisy I recognized in myself I often hear when listening to the critics of standardized testing, and I want to share that.

The hypocrisy that I identified in myself was that my living wage, my ability to go on vacation, the neighborhood where I can purchase a home, the safety and health of my children are all benefits of my social status that have been conferred to me from two sources: one, the family I was born into and two, my performance on standardized tests.

When I applied to college, I didn’t say: 'You know what? I participated in an enriched curriculum, and I am a unique and special individual. I am too dignified to show you my SAT score on this application. You will have to accept me on my statement of personal worth.'
When I applied to graduate school, I didn’t have the guts to say: 'You know what University of North Carolina, I’d like you to take me because I'm a deep thinker. I'm a rich participant in my community. I have an expansive vocabulary. No, I showed them my GRE scores.
And my social network, people who are lawyers showed their LSAT scores. The people who went to Fuqua showed their GMAT scores. My physician showed his MCAT scores. That’s the way it works in this society. It doesn’t have to work that way forever, but it’s the way it works now.

To sit in my position of relative social comfort and fail to work for a system that can not only enrich the educational experience of its students but also improve the test scores of its students is to reap the benefits of my society while simultaneously denying them to other people.
And its not just any other people. It’s not the people who live next door to me. I’ll be honest, in Durham, it’s the people who live on the East side of Durham. It’s the people who live on the East side of Durham primarily, and I think we’re done with that.

I want to talk about standardized testing as both a stepping stone and a stumbling block. Stumbling block is pretty clear and well communicated in our society. The stepping stone is not so clear. When we talk about the Aldine School District [in Texas] that recently won the Broad Prize [for Urban Education], and we realize that their SAT scores went down over the past five years. There’s a reason why the SAT scores went down. It’s because people who 20 years ago never woud've had the chance to take the SAT are now taking the SAT in Aldine, Texas. That’s a very important point for us to discuss and for us to be aware of.

The burden our generation has inherited is a stiff one. Thirty years ago, it was easier to sweep people under the rug. Thirty years ago, it was easier for us to push them into special education. It was easier to push them into education tracks where their performance was not being evaluated. I don’t think we've reached the final point in developing a quality education program for all students in the United States. And I don’t think our current testing program is the best it will ever be. I think there are many improvements to be made. But the burden that my generation has inherited is that we can't sweep the children under the rug anymore, and we must do right by them.

We talk about the achievement gap often. We talk about the achievement gap based on standardized tests. That’s how we define the achievement gap, that’s the only reason we know there’s a gap because of the standardized tests. The burden of my generation is to eradicate the achievement gap. The problem is we might not have the tests that will help us to do that. Again, the burden of my generation. But something to think about as we think about testing.

I am much more reluctant in my public life to criticize standard testing because I am daily aware the benefit my society confers on me based on my test scores, my husband’s test scores, my family’s test scores. But [in Durham] we’re going to use those test scores as a marker for awhile."

Kainz closed up by talking about the elementary departments and emphasizing that standardized tests would continue being used.

Wanted man

jaydub — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:53:28 -0400

Durham police are looking for Jimmy Edward Brown, wanted on child molestation charges.

Brown (in Police photo at right), 26, of Folsom Lane in Morrisville has been charged with taking indecent liberties with two male juveniles in 2008. He is also charged with two counts of sexual offense with a child in the same case.

Brown is currently out on bond on a charge of first-degree sexual assault from 2006.

Anyone with information on Brown’s whereabouts is asked to call Investigator Ochman at 560-4440, ext. 29331 or CrimeStoppers at 683-1200.

Have coyote, live with it

jaydub — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:25:45 -0400

After last Saturday's Durham News story about coyotes wailing in West Point Park came out, Bull's Eye heard from one Becky Pomponio, who identified herself as Virginia Citizen Leader for Project Coyote and offered some advice for getting along with "song dogs" in the neighborhood.

Don't feed coyotes. If you do, they will lose their natural fear of humans and come too close.
If a coyote comes too close, simply make noise, like clapping your hands or banging pots, to scare it away.
Don't leave pet food outside.
Keep trash covered tight.
Don't let small pets wander, especially at night. They're more likely to get run over than snatched by a coyote, but it can happen.

Coyotes help keep rodent, rabbit and insect populations under control. They also clean up carrion and cull the deer population.

To find out more, see www.projectcoyote.org.

Candidates face off before crowd of 30

jaydub — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:45:25 -0400

Early voting opened Monday in the city's mayoral and three City Council races, and Tuesday night all eight candidates made their pitches to about 30 voters at a forum held by the League of Women Voters.

Incumbent Mayor Bill Bell and council members Cora Cole-McFadden, Howard Clement and Mike Woodard talked about experience and achievement during their times in office.

Challengers Steven L. Williams, Donald Hughes, Matt Drew and Allan Polak talked about “difference,” “new leadership,” “fresh air” and “different kinds of experience,” respectively.

Questions had to do with taxes and fees, water and sewer infrastructure, crime, federal stimulus money and merging the city and county governments.

Clement and Drew, opponents for the Ward 2 council seat, both said they favored merger, a recurrent issue since the 1920s. The other candidates were more cautious, with Woodard and Bell pointing out that planning, inspections and tax administration have been merged already.

Polak, opposing Woodard for the Ward 3 council seat, seemed caught unprepared for the federal stimulus question, saying he was not familiar with any coming to the city. Woodard and the other incumbents ticked off appropriations received for resurfacing several streets, new hybrid buses and bus shelters, energy conservation and law enforcement.

Drew, after calling for fiscal responsibility at all government levels, criticized a $1 million incentive the council approved Monday night in hopes of a Research Triangle Park expanding its Durham operation, saying the money would be better used on the city's decaying water and sewer lines; and Hughes, opposing Cole-McFadden in Ward 1, critized the council spending $500,000 on a skateboard park that produces no revenue.

To reduce crime, Polak called for a “zero-tolerance” policy, Williams called for more money for recreation centers, Drew for abandoning the “war on drugs” and Hughes for vocational training. Both Drew and Hughes alluded to the recent police department overtime scandal. The incumbents talked about measures already taken, such as higher bails and mentoring children.

“We have worked as best we can,” Bell said, “to address this problem.”

What it takes to lead through chaos

StanChambersJr — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 13:07:16 -0400

Creating structure and knowing what your company is about seems to be the main themes at this year's Fuqua School of Business and Coach K Leadership Conference at Duke University.

This morning's opening session focused on preparing for and leading through a financial crisis. The second workshop, "Leading through organized chaos," revolved around similar themes.

Surviving chaos requires a company to have complete transparency, said Thomas A. Rizk, chairman and CEO of MediTrack. It helps to build confidence within employees and customers, he said.

Being open should also transcend to employees knowing their company's mission and corporate strategy, said Howard Lerman, CEO of Yext.

"The biggest risk is a risk of execution, not someone else stealing from it," he said. "That level of transparency builds a level of trust with my team."

A management team should have a shared vision, engage in dialogue and make decisions, said Shannon Wallis, director of leadership development for Microsoft. Developing leaders should learn from a manager who also has high potential, engage in on the job development and have a quality career aspiration statement, she said.

Planning key to leading through bad times

StanChambersJr — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 10:20:30 -0400

Preparing for crisis isn't sexy.

Abigail P. Johnson described it as boring. But doing so is key towards a company's survival through difficult situations.

Johnson, president of Fidelity's personal and workplace investing business unit, talked about preparation during the eighth annual Fuqua School of Business and Coach K Leadership Conference this morning.

Johnson and Brian L. Derksen, deputy chief executive officer of Deloitte LLP, discussed strategy for preparing for and leading during the financial crisis. The discussion was part of the two day conference, located at Duke University's business school, which focused on leading during uncertain times.

Preparation takes strategy and planning, bringing on new business, driving operational efficiency and high levels of service and capital spending, Johnson said. Such planning should happen during times of calm.

“As people routinely get together to discuss and debate issues, a culture starts to emerge," she said. "A culture is a byproduct of a mission that’s clearly identified, well communicated to the organization. Rigorous processes that drive informed decision making towards advancing the organization. The goal that emerges, people's behaviors that ultimately emerges as your culture. And that’s when you know that you have a potentially resilient organization.”

Having a well led team with a decisive chief executive officer is key, Derksen said. This team should understand the importance of communication, focus on the employees and customers, adjust quickly to challenges and change direction after realizing a bad decision.

Deloitte occupied the 97th through 103rd floors of the World Trade Center during the 1993 terrorist attacks. The firm's then managing partner of the New York office did not want to put his employees in a similar position again - employees had to walk down over 100 flights of stairs in the dark.

The firm relocated to the World Financial Center across the street. Only one Deloitte employee was killed on Sept. 11, 2001.

That managing partner is now Deloitte's CEO.

"Leaders really do learn from prior experiences," Derksen said.

Hillside New Tech receives $7,000 grant

sadialatifi — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 09:27:08 -0400

Hillside New Tech High School was recently awarded a Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam to create a residential green roofing system.

The school is one of only 15 high schools nationwide to be selected as an InvenTeam recipient and the first school in the state selected in the program's eight-year history.

InvenTeams are teams of high school students, teachers and mentors who receive grants to invent technological solutions to real world problems.

Hillside New Tech, the small engineering-focused high school within Hillside High, received $7,000 for a project that will allow plants to grow on sloped roofs, reducing storm water runoff and providing natural shade to homes.

Matthew Sears, Hillside New Tech math teacher, attended training over the summer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in June to help prepare the final proposal, according to a press release.

“It is going to be wonderful to watch our students design, build, test and implement their invention this year,” said Sears, in the release. “These are dedicated students who love to solve difficult problems, and I am excited to see what they can accomplish.”

The team will also work with Michael Barnes, manager and horticulturalist of Duke University Greenhouses, Scott Saxson of the Durham TechShop, and other mentors from local companies and government.

The InvenTeam will develop its residential green roofing system over the next nine months. Students will then showcase a prototype of their invention at EurekaFest at MIT in Cambridge, Mass in June. EurekaFest, presented by the Lemelson-MIT Program, is a multi-day celebration designed to empower a legacy of inventors through activities that inspire youth, honor role models, and encourage creativity and problem solving.

Durham schools win big at N.C. State Fair

sadialatifi — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:17:56 -0400

Two Durham schools took first place overall in their respective categories for art in the North Carolina State Fair.

George Watts Montessori Elementary School and Chewning Middle School took first place for elementary and middle school, respectively.

Watts art teacher Carol Barnes and Chewning teacher James Hensley each will receive $650 for use in the classroom. Durham School of the Arts student Jillian Clark took second place in the Kim Crenshaw Photography Seniors Awards. She will receive $50.

Developers aided Howerton campaign fund

jaydub — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:15:56 -0400

Individuals associated with Southern Durham Development Inc. donated $3,000 to the Brenda Howerton for County Commissioner committee last year.

Howerton was one of the three commissioners who voted last Monday for a rezoning and land-use plan amendment that removed an obstacle to Southern Durham's plans for a 160-acre subdivision between N.C. 751 and Jordan Lake.

However, she was also one of three commissioners who voted last April to send the rezoning and amendment through a public-hearing process to which Southern Durham objected and over which the company has filed suit against Durham County.

"I haven't voted for or against the [subdivision] project," Howerton said today.
"I am following a process ... and made sure whatever decisions I made are made
[based] on research and not what I feel. ...

"There is absolutely no conflict of interest," she said. "No one's checkbook
will make my decisions for me. My decisions are based on research and not dollar
bills."

Financial reports filed with the Durham County Board of Elections show $500 contributions from Alex Mitchell, Tyler Morris and F. Neal Hunter during the third quarter of 2008. Mitchell and Morris are Southern Durham Development's owners, and Hunter owns an interest in the firm.

Fourth-quarter reports show a $500 contribution from Morris and a $1000 contribution from Alex and Drewry Mitchell.

Howerton's election to the county Board of Commissioners was assured by her fifth-place finish in the May Democratic primary election. No Republicans ran for county board seats in 2008.

Reports for other winning candidates Becky Heron, Michael Page and Ellen Reckhow do not show contributions from Mitchell, Morris or Hunter. Commissioner Joe Bowser, who was also elected in May, was not required to file financial reports because his campaign pledged to receive and spend less than $3,000, Elections Director Mike Ashe said.

Overtime claimant's fate revealed Thursday

jaydub — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:26:51 -0400

City authorities will issue a statement Thursday morning on the status of Alesha Robinson-Taylor, the Durham Police officer who improperly claimed $60,000 worth of overtime.

"We're not really ready to release anything on that," City Manager Tom Bonfield said Wednesday afternoon when asked about an unconfirmed tip that Robinson-Taylor has been fired.

City officials had withheld comment on her status, citing state personnel regulations, since announcing Sept. 30 that an audit showed Robinson-Taylor's claim was "not justifiable or reasonable."

The audit also found that the police administration had been lax in oversight on overtime pay and that high-level officers, including Chief Jose Lopez, failed to adequately respond when they learned in April how much Robinson-Taylor was claiming.

Deputy Chief B.J. Council is on leave until her early retirement Jan. 1. The State Bureau of Investigation has been investigating whether criminal charges should be brought in the case.

Planning commissioner resigns over watershed, shopping center approvals

jaydub — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:22:25 -0400

Reacting to the Durham County commissioners' Monday-night vote on the Jordan Lake boundary, Durham Planning Commissioner LaDawnna Summers resigned Tuesday night.

"It has become clear to me that our development process is broken in Durham," she said, reading from a prepared letter to commission Chairman Don Moffit and Planning Director Steve Medlin. "I can no longer be a part of this process."

Summers announced her resignation at the end of Tuesday's monthly meeting of the Planning Commission, a volunteer citizens' body that advises the county Board of Commissioners and the City Council on zoning and land-use plan changes, planning policy and amendments to the development ordinanace.

Explaining her resignation, Summers mentioned the Brightleaf Commons shopping center case as well as the Jordan watershed vote as examples of governing bodies acting against Planning Commission recommendations and the opinions of citizens "in huge numbers."

The commission voted 12-0 against recommending approval of the Jordan Lake watershed boundary change; and 10-2 against the shopping center, which the City Council approved in August.

"The Planning Commission members tirelessly research each of the cases that come before them -- visiting the sites in person, diving into the details of development plans, listening to the citizens, and understanding the science involved," Summers said. "So when the Planning Commission votes in strong accord against a case, it is alarming that [a] majority of the County Commissioners or the City Council would approve the case."

Several commissioners asked Summers to change her mind.

"I feel in my heart what you just said," said Wendy Jacobs, "[but] I urge you to reconsider because we need you here."

"We need your grit," said Barbara Beechwood, "your willingness to stick your hand up when no one else will."

"I empathize with your frustration," Moffit said. "You will be missed."

Coming tomorrow in The Durham News

mschultz — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 18:12:58 -0400

Here's a look at tomorrow's local headlines:

But first, read Jim Wise's story in tomorrow's N&O on what's next in the Jordan Lake boundary dispute.

DURHAM CAN:What were 40 people with clipboards doing on Fayetteville Street Saturday morning? Come to Pilgrim United Church of Christ this Sunday at 5 and find out ... or you can read our lead story.

SWOOP THERE IT IS: And at the same time Saturday, another 40 people (all women and Frank Hyman) were buiding a garden. The former city councilman called it a Florida garden, but the plants and trees actually come from China. Something to do with the climate. Read more about it.

FLU VACCINES: They've arrived, but not enough for everybody. Jim Wise has the latest on local clinics and who's eligible.

LOOP-DE-LOOP: Which makes me think of the little guy on Fantasy Island ("dee-plane, boss, it's dee-plane!"). Only in this case it's Jim again previewing Thursday's public meeting where you can learn more about plans to make the Downtown Loop two way.

There's lots more, including my interview with homelessness educator Lloyd Schmeidler, writer Bonitta Best on NCCU baseball coach Henry White and Dave Hart's ArtsWeek guide to the week's cultural events in the Bull City.

So what else would you like to see in The Durham News? Tell us at editor@nando.com or call me at 932-2003.

Thanks for reading,

Mark

Jordan boundary vote goes developers' way, 3-2

jaydub — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:46:37 -0400

Zoning and land-use changes that remove a proposed subdivision site from a critical area near Jordan Lake won approval from the Durham County Board of Commissioners Monday night.

Their 3-2 vote culminated months of controversy, but left multiple matters unresolved, including whether the "751 Assemblage" can be built at all.

"Knowing the development is going to come back to us, I know this is not the end of this process," commissioner Brenda Howerton said after the vote.

Howerton voted for the changes, along with commissioner Joe Bowser and Chairman Michael Page. Commissioners Becky Heron and Ellen Reckhow opposed them.

This is only to move a watershed boundary line," said Commissioner Joe Bowser. "The other part of the process is to follow."

Southern Durham Development Co., which wants to build the subdivision on a 160-acre tract about a mile southwest of Southpoint shopping center, has a rezoning request of its own that is yet to enter the public-hearing process required by Durham's development ordinance.

Also, it will have to gain the city's agreement to extend water and sewer lines to serve the subdivision. The city has approved water-sewer service for a smaller project at the site, but a development the size of what Southern Durham proposes will require a new agreement.

Southern Durham also has filed a lawsuit against Durham County, contending that the boundary location had been properly set in 2006, with an administrative decision by former planning director Frank Duke and that the public-hearing process concluded Monday improperly delayed the project.

Durham County has yet to respond to the suit, which was filed in June. How Monday's vote affects the lawsuit is yet to be determined.

In Durham County, the lake's critical watershed, in which development is highly restricted to protect water quality, is the area one mile from the "normal pool elevation" of 216 feet above sea level.

Duke based his decision to reset the boundary based on a 2005 survey commissioned by Southern Durham partner Neal Hunter. He regarded the survey's location of the 216-foot point more accurate than the 1970s data used to set it originally.

After Southern Durham announced its plans in early 2008, then-County Attorney Chuck Kitchen concluded that Duke had exceeded his authority by not getting state approval for the boundary adjustment. The state Division of Water Quality concurred and, subsequently, approved Durham County's use of the Hunter survey data to set the 216-foot point and relocate the boundary.

Since moving the boundary would affect zoning and land-use designations for dozens of properties, Kitchen and current Planning Director Steve Medlin maintained that the Uniform Development Ordinance required public hearings by the Durham Planning Commission, a citizens' advisory body, and the commissioners.

The Planning Commission voted 12-0 to recommend against the changes' approval.

"It doesn't matter what that commission says," said former City Councilwoman Jackie Wagstaff, who spoke in favor of the changes and told the commissioners, "I hope you don't succumb to political bullying."

Wagstaff was referring to the changes' opponents, who outnumbered advocates in the audience Monday.

Opponents have claimed that changing the watershed's boundary reduces protection for the already-polluted Upper New Hope Creek arm of Jordan Lake, the reservoir's most-polluted section.

This past summer, the state General Assembly approved a program for restoring the lake's water quality and cutting pollution flowing in. Levels of nitrogen and phosphorus exceed those allowable under the federal Clean Water Act.

Complying with the Jordan Lake Rules will cost Durham taxpayers an estimated $570 million over a 20- to 30-year period.

"The pollution is going to cost us hundreds of millions of dollars, so what is the logic of adding additional development that is ... going to add to our cost?" former county commissioner Deborah Giles said.

A survey commissioned earlier this year by the environmental group Haw River Assembly, however, indicated a location for the 216-foot point that would have kept the 751 Assemblage within the critical boundary. That survey, though, used a different method than Hunter's for determining the 216-foot point. DWQ has no guidelines for which method is preferred.

The Haw River Assembly also filed a protest petition against the rezoning and land-use change. The petition would have required a 4-1 commissioners vote to approve, but the planning department ruled the petition was invalid.

Updated: American Idol contestant visiting Hillside this morning

sadialatifi — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 09:56:56 -0400

UPDATED: It's Scott Savol, a finalist on American Idol season four. Savol is giving a guest motivational speech for students in a Hillside assembly. He is also likely to sing this morning.

Savol made it to the top 5 of contestants in season four. He is married and a father - but he was also known for a controversy that season. That's because Savol had previously been charged with misdemeanor assault for hitting his girlfriend and mother of his son with a telephone on Valentine's Day 2001. Savol pled the charge down to disorderly conduct and received probation while also taking a domestic violence class. I wonder if he'll be discussing that with the students.

Looks like there's going to be a surprise visitor at Hillside High school tomorrow.

New principal Hans Lassiter hinted as much on his Twitter account:

"Someone SPECIAL is coming to HHS on Friday morning! This is the FIRST in our HOPE Series! Stay tuned! It's gonna be DA BOMB!"

Following a visit by Bill and Melinda Gates to the Performance Learning Center two weeks ago, I'm betting it won't be small potatoes.

Jordan petition invalid, Heron says

jaydub — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 17:15:41 -0400

The Haw River Assembly’s protest petition against relocating a critical Jordan Lake watershed boundary has been found invalid, Durham County Commissioner Becky Heron said Thursday afternoon.

A public hearing on the move is on the commissioners' agenda at their regular meeting Monday night.

The petition does not carry signatures of enough property owners in the affected area to qualify, she said. Heron said she and commissioner Ellen Reckhow learned of the conclusion after a meeting with Planning Director Steve Medlin.

Medlin said, though, that the determination was not final. He has scheduled a news conference Friday afternoon to announce a ruling on the petition’s validity.

“We have not finished,” he said. “We have some preliminary information we’ve been … sharing with the county commissioners.

“Until we have a final version of our determination, I’m not in a position I feel like I can share any additional information.”

County Attorney Lowell Siler could not be reached for comment.

The announcement is to be made at 3:30 in the commissioners’ chambers, 200 E. Main St.

If the petition is ruled valid, it would require four of the five county commissioners to vote in favor of moving the critical area boundary for the move to be approved. Usually, commissioners' items are approved by a simple majority.

If the petition is ruled invalid, "We're going to have to look at their rationale pretty carefully," said D.J. Gerken, an attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center who worked with the Assembly to prepare the petition.

The petition, filed at the planning office Monday, has 24 signatures from property owners who would be affected by the county's request to move the critical area boundary. Heron said she and Reckhow were told they represented only 17 percent of the owners eligible to sign a protest petition. A valid petition must have at least 20 percent.

The Haw River Assembly objects to the proposed move, which would allow a subdivision to be built on a tract now within the critical area. Development on the site, the petition says, would reduce protection for "the most polluted part of Jordan Lake."

The Durham City-County Planning Commission unanimously recommended against the move's approval.

Taxpayers' Tuesday tab: $29.22 per vote

jaydub — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 12:32:29 -0400

Unofficially speaking, 5,988 Durham voters exercised their franchise in yesterday's municipal election.

Unofficially then, the election cost Durham taxpayers $29.23 per vote.

"Unofficially," since the results won't be official until the Board of Elections completes its canvass next Tuesday. But, getting back to the point, according to elections Director Mike Ashe, it costs about $175,000 to hold a city election.

And it's as official as you can get that Tuesday's 4.2 percent voter turnout set a new low, in recent recorded memory, for public participation in the process of picking the people who decide whether your potholes get paved and how your refuse gets recycled and how much tax you have to pay for things like elections.

Early this year, the elections board modestly suggested that the city change its election process to get rid of primaries and just use a winner-take all single election for mayor and City Council seats; or at least, spare the public the cost of a second election when a top vote-getter comes in with a majority the first time out.

The council opted to keep the system as it was, and the elections board isn't going to be making any more suggestions, Ashe said today.

"We went into it with the best intentions," Ashe said. "We thought this was nonpartisan, nonpolitical. ... get the same good government and save money."

But after making the suggestion, its members found themselves in the awkward position of being part of a political debate.

"We have to be perceived as nonpartisan, nonpolitical," Ashe said.

So the board will stay out of any talk of change. But that's not to say the idea won't come back from another direction. Some folks were already talking about it this morning at City Hall.

After all, the taxpayers will be running up another $175,000 bill Nov. 3.

Petition protests Jordan Lake boundary move

jaydub — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 09:57:17 -0400

DURHAM -- The Haw River Assembly has filed a protest petition at the Durham City-County Planning Department regarding the proposed relocation of the Jordan Lake critical watershed boundary.

Elaine Chiosso, director of the environmental group, said the petition was filed Monday on behalf of about 20 property owners in the area that would be affected by a boundary move.

Planning Director Steve Medlin said his department is in the process of determining whether the petition is valid. He said Tuesday afternoon he did not know how long that would take.

If it is valid, four of the five Durham County commissioners would have to vote in favor for the rezoning and land-use plan change required to move the boundary to be approved. The item is scheduled for a public hearing at their Monday-night meeting.

“We have no reaction,” County Attorney Lowell Siler said. “We're going through the information and don't have any definite conclusions so far.”

Former planning director Frank Duke changed the boundary in 2006. In 2008, the state Division of Water Quality confirmed then-County Attorney Chuck Kitchen's belief that Duke had exceeded his authority. DWQ has approved Durham County's making the change, which under Durham's development ordinance requires a series of public hearings before the commissioners vote.

Moving the boundary would remove an obstacle from Southern Durham Development's plan to build a subdivision on land now within the critical watershed.

The Haw River Assembly opposes the change, claiming it would remove protections from a reservoir that is already polluted. The General Assembly approved a program for restoring the lake to acceptable quality during its 2009 session.

Coming tomorrow in The Durham News

mschultz — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 16:52:57 -0400

Here's a look at tomorrow's headlines:

But first, make sure to check out newsobserver.com tonight and tomorrow for the results of tonight's Durham City Council primaries. They're happening too late to get into tomorrow's Durham News.

SECOND CHANCE: Would you give a drug dealer a second chance? The Durham Police Department is, with some encouraging results. Read Stan Chambers story.

CLEANUP COSTS: The Durham County commissioners don't want to be left to pick up the check for cleaning up Falls Lake. Read Jim Wise's story to see what they're doing about it.

PHOENIX FEST: Monique Williams's got legs. And you can see them on our front page. We only had room for a couple of pics from Saturday's Phoenix Fest. But check 'em out. Thanks for the Hillside Marching Hornets, it was a heck of a show.

'HEY, OLD WHITE LADY!' That's what some of Southern High English teacher Karen Perron's students call her. Read her My View column to find out why she doesn't mind.

We've got more, including an interview with Duke chemist James Bonk, a column from the Museum of Life and Science about spider webs (smart folks, those museum types) and longtime newspaper columnist Betty Hodges on things that go meow in the night. (Hint: They're not always cats.)

Thanks for reading,

Mark

Durham News' Jim Wise to read at Regulator Friday

mschultz — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 16:42:53 -0400

The Regulator Bookshop has started a new, quarterly program called Reading with the Stars. Every few months a local luminary picks a book for everyone to read, and then leads an evening's discussion.

This Friday at 7 p.m. local historian and Durham News/N&O staff writer Jim Wise will discuss "Dandelion Wine" by Ray Bradbury (with some references to Bradbury's "The Martian Chronicles" and "Something Wicked This Way Comes"). This event is free and open to the public.

"Dandelion Wine" stands out in the Bradbury literary canon as the author's most deeply personal work, a semi-autobiographical recollection of a magical small town summer in 1928, according to a Regulator press release.

"To me, Bradbury is one of American lit's under-appreciated prose stylists -- maybe because he's usually labeled a science fiction writer (science fantasy, maybe; science fiction, not)," Wise says. "He writes the sort of stuff you can wallow in, reading and re-reading just for the pleasure of his words and rhythms; he also has the knack for picking pieces of what's personal and everyday and making them everybody's and wonder-full. And the wonder endures, but not without a tempering of darkness to make it all the more real.

Wise has been a journalist in Durham since 1981. He has also authored a number of books, including "Durham Tales," "On Sherman's Trail," and "Durham: A Bull City Story."

DPS plans policy revisions for suspensions, magnet schools

sadialatifi — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:34:57 -0400

Durham Public Schools posted their planned revisions to the district's suspension and magnet policies on their website after the last school board meeting in September. There was still some debate over the changes, which were further discussed at a DPS committee meeting today.

The suspension policy, hotly debated years ago, is up for revision to meet new General Assembly guidelines. The changes are minor, but strengthen rules for parental notification and due process.

The magnet policy revisions will affect assignment preferences for rising sixth-graders planning to enroll in George Watts' Montessori school as well as from the Morehead Montessori elementary to the new Lakewood Y middle school montessori, scheduled to open next year.

To view the changes (the changes are bolded and made with strike-outs on the original policies) and submit your comments to the board, click here.

Keeping Durham beautiful

jaydub — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:30:00 -0400

Eight organizations and schools have received Keep Durham Beautiful grants for the fall quarter:

Burch Avenue Neighborhood Association
Durham Community Land Trustees
Forest Hills Neighborhood Association
J.E. Shepard IB Middle School
The Summit Church
Ivanhoe Subdivision
Forest View Elementary School
Southern High School

Keep Durham Beautiful makes grants of up to $500 four times a year to volunteer groups and public-school teachers, for use in litter-control, recycling and/or beautification.

Application deadline for winter grants is Dec. 20. See www.keepdurhambeautiful.org/grants.