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

CHAPEL HILL 2020: Blogger Ruby Sinreich's Tweet about "straight, white affluent men" may have caused a dustup in the town's comprehensive plan talks. But it's not the first time concern about lack of diversity's come up in community conversations about how Chapel Hill should grow. Read Katelyn Ferral's story to learn what the town is doing to bring more voices to the table.     

NO HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS: Here's an issue the Chapel Hill 2020 folks need to help figure out. When we wrote about Colony Apartments last summer (read my story here), I learned how the Section 8 housing voucher safety net was no longer working for many. Katelyn looked at the situation across the Triangle for today's follow-up. 

It's been a busy week. If you missed it, a jury needed just three hours to convict Laurence Lovette in the murder of Eve Carson. The state Court of Appeals ruled a former Orange County paramedic can be sued in the death of Chapel Hill High football player Atlas Fraley three years ago. And two more rabies cases were confirmed; in one case a dog that was not current on its rabies vaccination had to be killed. 

On our editorial pages, several readers respond (read their letters here) to Chapel Hill developer Carol Ann Zinn's guest column last week (read it here), in which she said anti-growth activists distort the development process and drive up housing costs. Tell us what you think at editor@newsobserver.com. And congratulations to associate editor Dave Hart for winning second place for editorials in the N.C. Press Association contest, announced earlier this week.

Got vintage Aretha playing on the eMac and a big dog at my feet before Christmas dinner this afternoon. I hope you are having a wonderful day, and best wishes for a happy, healthy New Year. Thank you for reading the paper.

Mark           

Nothing like a little holiday advertising to drive up the page count and allow us to bring you even more local news. Today's 16-page A section is packed; here's some of what we've got:

SCHOOL CROWDING: The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schoools' new elementary won't open for another year and a half. New correspondent Brooks Dareff reports what the school board might do to ease crowding at Carrboro, Glenwood and Seawell in the meantime.

CONDO SITE SOLD: Developer Carol Ann Zin paid $1.14 million for the Aydan Court site off N.C. 54 in 2007. Find out why she sold it to UNC this fall for $410,000. (And she's not happy about it; read her guest column in today's opinion section.)

LONG LEAF GOODBYE: If you've got tickets to "Amahl and the Night Visitors" today (left), you're seeing one of our local opera company's final performaces. What? You didn't know we had an opera company? Read Dave Hart's story.

Anne Blythe says watch for the Lovette trial closing arguments tomorrow. Katelyn Ferral says watch for the town's report on the Yates Motor Co. raid this week. And police have arested a suspect in the mysterious shooting of a Chapel Hill man in his Ashley Forest home last weekend. 

Julie Moore is learning more things about Chapel Hill in today's My View, and Will Allen, Elias Schwartz, Roy Brock, Harvey Carnes, Jill Bone and Robert Dowling have letters in today's edition. What's on your mind?

Thanks for reading,

Mark

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

YMCA MERGER? Talk of a potential merger between the Chapel Hill-Carrboro YMCA and the Y of the Triangle has some concerned because local Y policies offer LGBT members and workers the same benefits as everyone else. Lana Douglas has our update.   

BOHEMIA ON THE BOULEVARD: A Durham developer has renovated Straw Valley off Durham-Chapel Hill Boulevard (do people in Chapel Hill just call it Chapel Hill Boulevard?). What's Straw Valley? Read Monica Chen's story.

NAACP OPPOSES CHARTER SCHOOL: This proposed Howard and Lillian Lee school is an interesting story, isn't it? Now the Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP is weighing in, saying the charter school would hurt the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools and might not even help those who need help the most. What do you think?  

The CHN goes to print Monday nights, so read today's News & Observer for the latest on the Laurence Lovette trial.  Elsewhere in the CHN, see 3 cool taekwondo pictures, find out why Chancellor Thorp went to the White House and what "dirty business" professor emeritus Robert Cox wants UNC out of, and read what two letters writers have to say about the resurrection of Joe Rowand.

And remember, please send your short essays, poems and photos for our annual Readers Writes issue this coming week. We're asking for submissions around the theme of new beginnings, and we could use some more. 

Thanks for reading,

Mark