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

Here's a look at tomorow's headlines:

TALE OF TWO STREET FAIRS: That would be CenterFest, of course. We speak with people who feel the annual arts festival has lost some pizzazz in its Foster Street parking lot and with others who say the site works. What do you think? Did you go this year? Tell us here  or at editor@nando.com. If we get enough responses we'll print them Saturday.

GREAT SCOTT!: Bonitta Best writes on this past weekend's historic Duke-NCCU matchup. Three former Hillside High Hornets started the big game, she reports, with Duke freshman Desmond Scott leading the Blue Devils to their 49-14 victory.

PRIMARY COUNTDOWN: The races for the Ward 1 and 2 primaries are winding down, with Tuesday's primary to winnow the fields to two candidates each for the general election in November. Jim Wise has part 1 of a 2-part look at issues the city will face in the next four years and how the candidates say they would respond.

NEW CHEF IN TOWN: Phil McLaughlin is new to Durham's Six Plates, but he's a veteran of the Triangle dining scene, having worked at Il Palio and Elaine's. Check out this month's Morsel column by Elizabeth Shestak to get the latest on the local food and restaurant scene. 

We've got pics from the Pride Parade, a letter (pro-hunting this time) on the deer hunt in Duke Forest and columns by Brenda James and A.J. "TENs" Donaldson ('cause he's from Tennessee and he's intense, he says). Plus a look at this week in the local arts.

Hope you're having a good week, and thanks for reading.

Mark

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

But first read today's N&O for stories by Sadia Latifi on last night's school system meeting on a closing the achievement gap grant (150 people showed up!) and for a story by Stan Chambers on the city investigating a police officer with a big overtime tab.

NCAWARE: At last. The state has finally brought to Durham a new software program that will tell magistrates, judges and police when suspects have outstanding warrants. It rolled out last week. Virginia Bridges has the story.  

CENTERFEST: It's this weekend, and no matter what you think about the asphalt parking lot, it's worth the trip downtown to see the art and hear the music. Virginia Bridges talks to Bobby Hinton, whose band takes the stage at the 36th annual CenterFest on Saturday. (And if Virginia's name sounds familiar, it's because she too worked at the Herald-Sun -- like Jim, Eric, Flo and I -- before heading home to Alabama. She's back in the Bull City now, and we could not be happier.) 

BUNGALOWS: (Anybody know where the word bungalow comes from? I mean it's a fun word; just say it.)The one on our front page looks nice enough to me, so read Jim Wise's story to find out why Healthy Start Academy wants to tear down two of them on Jackson Street -- and why the plan has upset members of the Morehead Hill and West End neighborhoods.

Damion Graves has today's My View (and don't those SEEDS kids do a good job with this column?), Jane Norton says Duke should ditch the deer hunt, and Bonitta Best brings you tales from the press box. We got some good letters last week, as well as some from Town Hall. Keep us in mind when you have something to get off your chest by sending a letter to the editor at editor@nando.com

Thanks for reading,

Mark

Here's a look at tomorrow's headines:

But first, check out tomorrow's N&O for coverage of tonight's City Council meeting. Space permitting, Jim Wise expects to have the latest city-wide crime stats from the police chief.

ELECTION ROUND-UP: So that Durham Committee endorsement has given 21-year-old Donald Hughes some serious buzz, huh? Read Jim Wise's roundup of the races, who's supporting whom, how much money they're raising and more.

MUSIC FOR ART'S SAKE: Emily Weinstein was a Durham artist before she became a Chapel Hill artist. I met her this summer as she painted a wall in Carrboro. So she called me to her studio a few weeks ago to see her latest work. What's shaving cream got to do with the Durham Symphony Orchestra? Read our story.

THEY'RE NO. 1: NCCU is posting some big numbers this summer. No. 1 HBCU in the state, No. 10 in the nation and a record freshman class that's boosting enrollment 30 percent. They're also asking your help for a community cleanup on Fayetteville Street this Saturday. Read the story and get the details.

Pam Spaulding almost sits in Lavonia Allison's chair, Duke professor Will Wilson says trees are a social equity issue (I never thought of it until I read his column), and the Durham County Library tells you about everything they've got coming up, starting with a free Picasso talk this weekend. There's a lot in the little paper, but make us better. Tell us what you want to see and issues in the community we need to know more about. 

And thanks for reading,

Mark 

Here's a look at today's headlines:

Note: For more on last night's officer-involved shooting, GO HERE.

NEW TUNE: Can Durham learn from Venezuela? Correspondent Virginia Bridges has a story on KidsZNotes, a new program that will use classical music to reach out to poor children in East Durham. If you saw the "60 Minutes" segment on Venezuela's El Sistem (The System), you will see the inspiration for the program. We provide a link to that as well.  

GONE FISHING: You've heard of those programs where you can sign up for locally grown produce. Now Duke student Josh Stoll has organized a similar program to bring fish to your table straight from Carteret County fishermen. Read Duke News Service's Tim Lucas's story and learn how to sign up. (This month's Prevention magazine says you should eat fish at least twice a week.) 

FRAGRANCE FREE: Durham educator Richard Pressinger says fragrances and certain chemicals are more than a nuisance; they can interfere with learning. Read about a new school he is trying to open in staff writer Sadia Latifi's story.

Lots more, including Karen Perron on her own Marley & Me, Bonitta Best on NCCU sports and Institute for Southern Studies director Chris Kromm on what John Hope Franklin might have said about our legislature's honoring Jesse Helms.

Got halfway to work this morning, stopped for gas and forgot my wallet. Let's see how the rest of the day goes.

Thanks for reading,

Mark

The first time I went to meet Karen Perron, she missed our meeting and I read a couple of chapters in “A Separate Peace” in the back of her classroom.

In the book, two boys climb a tree. One jumps on a limb, making the other lose his balance and fall. John Knowles never really says why, which makes for a good discussion.

Southern High isn’t Devon, but the stories Karen Perron has brought Durham News readers the past six months have been just as real: She’s written about students who have lost friends violence, about defusing racial tension through humor, about how stressful teaching has become.

We ask our My View columnists to commit to six months. We want to make sure they enjoy the monthly column, that they cover different topics, that they tell stories. Don’t tell us what to think, we say. Tell us what you think … and why.

Karen told me more stories Saturday as we met outside Whole Foods, Flo-Rida and Kristiana DeBarge blasting over the East Campus stone wall.

Her mother died recently. She’s started a club so the kids at Southern can help plan the school’s next peace festival. She’s joined The Gathering, a new church for people like her who “don’t want to be there.”

That surprised me, because I met Karen through Marcia Owen at the Religious Coalition for a Non-Violent Durham. She even had a radio show and a Christian ministry for a while when she lived in California. 

So I asked what she’s looking for in church that so far has
eluded her.

“I want to see miracles,” she said.

“I want to see the power of gangs broken, I want to see less
people killed in Durham,” she said. “And if I’m not doing that I’m 'playing church.’”

Karen has a lot more stories to tell.

Tell us what you think of her column tomorrow (Wednesday) and share some of your own by sending a letter to the editor editor@nando.com.

Here's a look at tomorrow's headlines:

10 YEARS LATER: Durham's gun safety team preached to deaf ears when it first started talking about gun safety. Now, with young people accounting for half of Bull City homicides, more people are paying attention. Read Stan Chambers' story.

NO GUTS, NO GLORY: As in Old Glory. Elizabeth Shestak brings you the story of a man with the most unlikely of jobs. Read what keeps Jesse Murphy up in the air after 40 years and ask yourself if anyone could pay you enough to trade jobs with him.

OCT. 31: No, not a story about Halloween, just the deadline for Scarborough and Hargett to move its funeral home from Dillard Street to make way for the new county courthouse. Read Jim Wise's story.

SOMETHING FOR THE PAIN: We told you about Dr. Paul Austin's book a while back. Now The Durham County Library has picked the Durham Regional doc's book for a community read. Read the story and check out the awesome list of free events the library has planned during the month of October.

BLACK MAN WALKING: And don't miss Carl Kenney's return to The Durham News with a timely essay about his walk in Woodcroft.

Lots more, including Flo Johnston's faith column and news you can use from Durham Tech. Send your letters to editor@nando.com. Tell us how we're doing and speak out on local issues. Have a good weekend, and thanks for reading.

Mark   

Here's a look at tomorrow's headlines

But first, make sure to read the N&O tomorrow to see Stan Chambers report on how one Durham neighborhood is taking aim at speeders -- with paintball guns!

SCHMEIDLER'S BACK: Lloyd Schmeidler quietly left Urban Ministries, which runs one of the city's homeless shelters and its community kitchen, about 10 months ago. He and they have never really said why. He's back now in a new role, serving as community education specialist for Durham's 10 Year plan to End Homelessness. Jim Wise has the scoop.

PAINTING DURHAM: At 24, Annemarie Gugelmann is the youngest winner of the Durham Arts Council's Emerging Artist grants this year. But what really impresses are her new 6 by 6 abstract paintings of downtown. Check out my story and John Rottet's photos of the artist at work.

SPARTAN DEFENSE: Sports writer Bonitta Best has an interview with Adrian Jones, now entering his third season as football coach at Southern High School. Read why, with his most experienced team year, Jones is gunning for the elusive state championship.

EL HOMBRE DE LA CALLE: That's means man of the streets, and Julio Martinez knows the streets. He'll be in Durham this weekend for the annual Latino festival at Rock Quarry Park. Read what the radio personaility and activist told correspondent David Elstein about living la vida latina. (the Latino life). 

Steve Rogers is tired of Tiger Woods, Maurice Glenn wants to know why his history book is making some older members of the black community upset and Minnie Forte Brown says there is a cultural divide between home and school in this week's editor's note. 

It's a good issue. Tell us what you think by sending a letter to the editor to editor@nando.com

And thanks for reading,

Mark 

Here's a look at today's headlines:

But first, make sure to read Jim Wise's story in today's N&O to find out the latest on the Falls Lake cleanup bill.

NEW COACH IN TOWN: Is John Rottet's photo of new coach Antonio King great or what? Read Bonitta Best's sports column to find out why the new Hillside football coach is aiming high.

BUILDING HOPES ON ANGIER: Jim Wise has been following Joseph Bushfan's project in East Durham for months. With wiring ready for inspection and insulation going up, read today's update to find out why the developer says Superlative Fine Foods, a much-needed neighborhood grocery, is in the home stretch. 

PAM AND FRANK: My View columnist Pam Spaulding was not just a fan of Angela's Ashes author Frank McCourt, she was one of his students when she was in high school in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. Read how lives intersect in her essay today.

SLUMLORD?: Tenants say yes. Santosh Bhotika says no. Read Stan Chambers' report on an ACORN demonstration that ended with the community organizing group bestowing a dubious disinction on the Durham property owner.

Autumn Winters (now there's a name) tells you why the Durham County Library is a great place for teens this summer, Michelle Johnson says come get radicalized in Carrboro (a close second to Durham in its radical cred), and Julianna Rhodes has a sweet photo of interspecies communication in today's Best Shot.

Enjoy the respite from the heat, and thanks for reading,

Mark