This came too late to get in the paper this morning:

HILLSBOROUGH — A man was shot by a homeowner Friday night during a burglary to a home on Faucette Mill Road.

Christopher Jerome Williams, 19, of 626 Wildaro Court in Hillsborough was shot in the chest at 11:30 p.m. He was transported to UNC Hospitals, where he underwent surgery. He is expected to survive.

Hillsborough police have charged Williams and Audricus Southerland, 18, of 316 Lakeshore Drive in Hillsborough with first-degree burglary. They were found within a few minutes of the initial call at a relative’s residence, less than a mile away from the burglarized home. The burglary and shooting were reported by the homeowner at 11:34 p.m.

Police are seeking two others involved in the incident and expect to file additional charges soon. No charges have been filed against the homeowner involved in the shooting.

The homeowner reported the following to Hillsborough police: On Friday night, the homeowner heard the door to his residence being forced open. He retrieved his weapon and found three people standing in his living room. He fired one shot from a pistol and struck Williams. After the shooting, he saw four men running from his residence.

Southerland is in Orange County Jail under $100,000 bond. Williams remains at UNC Hospitals.

Longtime Hillsborough resident Bryant Kelly Warren Jr. has announced that he will seek election to the Hillsborough Town Commissioner. 

“The members of the current board are doing a good job,” Warren says, “but many concerned citizens have urged me to run in belief that it's time for new people with my type of experience to become commissioners and carefully oversee the growth of this town we all hold dear.”

I am running for re-election to the Hillsborough Town Board.  I have served three terms on the board and have made many accomplishments with the current board members.  I believe we make a great team and I would like to continue to be of service to the Town or Hillsborough.

Michael Gering just announced he is running for re-election to the Hillsborough Town Board of Commissioners. Here is his statement:

When I ran for election in 2001, and again in 2005, I wanted to help shape Hillsborough’s future in order to preserve its unique qualities, improve its financial health, and enhance the quality of life of all its citizens. I’m proud that the town has made progress towards these goals, and I would like to continue guiding Hillsborough’s future in constructive ways.

Here are a few of the things I’ve done over the past eight years:
    •    I initiated the town’s purchase of 20 acres of the Collins property, currently the site of the HYAA baseball fields.  This exciting purchase has made possible a future train station and other municipal services. I am the chairman of the newly-formed committee that will start the planning process for this area.
    •    I chaired the task force that responded to the county’s plans to locate a waste transfer station in our economic development district.
    •    I am the chairman of the Way-Finding Signage Committee, which has created a recommendation to the Town Board for replacing many of the signs cluttering our streets with an attractive and coordinated system of signs to guide tourists and others into and around Hillsborough.
    •    For the last six years I have been the Town Board’s representative on the Hillsborough Tourism Board, and I am currently its chairman. We are in the process of implementing a Tourism Ambassador program and an updated internet presence.
    •    I co-chaired the US 70/Cornelius Street Task Force, a joint effort with the county that created a plan to improve and redevelop the Cornelius Street portion of US 70.
    •    I led the Town Board in opposing an asphalt plant and in changing our ordinances to prevent similar proposals in the future.
    •    I chaired the Town Clock Restoration Committee.  We guided the renovation of the old county courthouse clock in time for Hillsborough’s 250th anniversary celebration in 2004.
    •    I co-chaired a task force that helped educate the Town Board on senior housing options and how best to address them in Hillsborough.
    •    I initiated the work that led to the creation of the water rate assistance program, which helps people who need temporary assistance in paying their water bills.
    •    I worked on many other efforts to improve our town, including: the Churton Street Corridor Task Force, the Library Services Task Force, the Orange Grove Road Task Force, and school capacity planning.

Although we face many challenges, these are exciting times for Hillsborough. In recent years, our downtown has seen a new vitality, the town has opened new parks, and we have improved our economic base through new developments that include senior housing and a community college.  Through it all, Hillsborough continues to preserve and celebrate our natural and historic heritage. There is still work to be done, and I have the experience needed to lead the town forward.  I love this town and would be honored to continue guiding its efforts to be a vibrant, safe and prosperous community.

Thousands turn out on a hot Saturday for the 27th Annual Hillsborough Hog Day.

Hillsborough Mayor Tom Stevens announced today he will seek a third term.

In an open letter posted on his website, Stevens said he wanted to “continue to be a passionate spokesperson for our town and community, and offer seasoned leadership aimed at bringing the efforts of many people together.”

“Mayors across the Triangle are letting their citizens know whether they are running again,” said Stevens. “I wanted to let people in Hillsborough know I am ready to stay on the job.”

Here is the text of his letter:

Dear Friends & Fellow Citizens,

It is a privilege to serve as Mayor of Hillsborough, and I am pleased to announce I will run for a third term.

In my initial 2005 campaign for office, I pledged “to be a passionate spokesperson for this town that is my home,” and to offer “strong leadership so our town board and citizens together can create a vision and action plan for Hillsborough’s future.” I wrote about our town’s potential to be a “showcase of what is right about small town America.”

We are moving in the right direction. I believe a widely shared vision of our town has emerged, a vision that emphasizes small-town character, celebrating our heritage, sustainable prosperity for folks from all walks of life, and community vitality you can feel walking down the street. As a community we are taking action to fulfill that vision, as evidenced by new parks, new businesses, new events, and new neighborhoods that contribute to the community. No less important is the growing interest in celebrating and preserving our natural and cultural heritage. A steady stream of local, state, and national attention highlight great things that are “happening” in Hillsborough. Our small town gives us much to be proud of and enjoy.

While we can point to many achievements, we can’t afford to be complacent. Especially in these current times, our decisions have far-reaching impact in shaping our quality of life both in the near future and for generations to come.

It takes many heads, hands, and hearts to preserve the Hillsborough we love while shaping the Hillsborough we envision. As your mayor I will continue to be a passionate spokesperson for our town and community, and offer seasoned leadership aimed at bringing the efforts of many people together for the benefit of our town.

Tom Stevens

About the only thing less popular than City Manager Russell Allen's raise at Tuesday night's budget hearing was the Hillsborough Street roundabout project. One speaker told the City Council that instead of spending $11 million installing roundabouts on Hillsborough it should have used that money for something more useful, like beefing of city employees pay. The comment drew a standing ovation from much of the crowd, something even the most strenuous condemnations of Allen's raise couldn't do.

It will be interesting to see whether the Hillsborough Street project becomes an issue during this fall's election. The result of more than a decade of dialogue, the redevelopment plan for the street has its supporters. But it's clear the project has its critics. And many of those critics are likely to become more vocal as the street gets torn up and inconveniences drivers.

Of course, the completed project may end up being a smashing success. But that success won't reveal itself until long after the election.

The Hillsborough Town Board will consider lowering the posted speed limit for five residential streets in the Historic District during its regular board meeting Monday.

In two proposed amendments to the ordinance on motor vehicles and traffic, town staff recommend lowering the posted speed limit on the five streets from 35 mph to 25 or 20 mph. The affected streets would be:

• Caine Street, from Union Street to St. Mary’s Road
• Mitchell Street, from Corbin Street to Queen Street
• Cameron Street, from Corbin Street to King Street
• East Corbin Street, from Churton Street to the end of the town limit
• East Tryon Street, from Churton Street to St. Mary’s Road

Other streets in the Historic District have a posted limit of 25 mph, such as Union Street from Nash Street to Cameron Street and Orange Street from North Cameron Street to Occoneechee Street.

A few streets, such as the main Historic District sections of King and Churton streets, are 20 mph. These streets include Margaret Lane from Cameron Street to Nash Street; South Cameron Street from East King Street to its dead end; and West Tryon Street from Churton Street to Wake Street.

A Historic District resident requested that the speed limits on Caine and Cameron streets be reduced to 20 mph because of what the resident believes is speeding and cut-through traffic through the neighborhood to and from Cameron Park Elementary School, Orange County government offices and the courthouse. The posted speed limit for the Cameron Park school zone is 25 mph.

Staff from Hillsborough Public Works and Police departments suggested reducing the speed limit on the additional nearby residential streets.

The expected cost for materials, without labor costs, will be about $500 for new signs.

The Town Board will meet at 7 p.m. in the Town Barn, located in the Town Hall complex at 101 E. Orange St

The town of Hillsborough, like Chapel Hill, is aiming for no increase in the effective tax rate. But if there has to be a tax increase, the Town Board wants to keep it below the inflation rate.

Staff recently presented cost-containment ideas to the Town Board. Ideas the board might pursue include:

• Reorganizing the Police Department structure — Under the proposal, positions would be transferred from the community policing division to the patrol division. The change from a two-squad to a four-squad patrol structure would help contain overtime costs while also increasing officer safety and police presence as more backup police officers would be available. The restructuring also would help expand the community policing philosophy throughout the department, increasing officer engagement with the community.

• Delaying the eligibility for longevity pay for town employees — The Town Board discussed delaying eligibility for the bonus pay to three to five years of service for the town. The bonus is given annually during the week of Thanksgiving and increases with the number of years an employee has worked for the town.

• Delaying the eligibility for retirement insurance benefits for town employees — The town currently provides medical coverage at age 55 for regular employees and at age 52 for sworn law enforcement employees who retire from the town with 20 years of continuous service. Under the proposal, the time required for new employees to become eligible for retiree health benefits would be increased to 30 years of service. The eligible age for benefits also would be increased to age 60 for regular employees and age 57 for sworn law enforcement.

• Having the Orange Rural Fire Department help with fire inspections.

• Starting a fire code self-inspection program for those facilities found non-compliant during an initial inspection by the fire marshal — The fire marshal currently re-inspects non-compliant buildings up to two additional times.

The Town Board also found the idea of adding a purchasing officer to the town as worth pursuing with additional investigation. Currently, each town department is responsible for purchasing needs with little, if any, coordination between departments.

Folks eager for a railroad station in Hillsborough will want to attend a meeting next Wednesday in the Big Barn, 388 Ja Max Drive.

The Rail Station Task Force will host an open house from 4 to 9 p.m. to discuss suggested rail station sites and the rating criteria it will use for recommending a site to the town and county boards. A presentation will be given at 5:30 p.m. and repeated at 7 p.m. The information also will be available on a drop-in basis.

An Amtrak and N.C. Department of Transportation analysis says a rail stop in Hillsborough could be financially viable. Hillsborough Mayor Tom Stevens had formally requested the study on the possibility of a rail stop on behalf of a number of citizens.

Based on costs at that time, construction was estimated at about $1 million for a platform with lighting and a canopy and $5 million to $6 million for a station building.

The task force is expected to report on the site selection Feb. 19 at the joint meeting of the Hillsborough Town Board and Orange County Commissioners. Its work is expected to be completed by the end of May.