Police Capt. Walter Horton was hired Thursday to replace retiring police Chief Carolyn Hutchison.

Horton was chosen from 101 applicants, including one from as far away as the U.S.Virgin Islands. Hutchison will retire Oct. 1.

Town Manager David Andrews said he was surprised by the number of applicants.

“It was really intense and competitive. We were fortunate to have so many qualified candidates,” he said.

Horton was born and raised in Carrboro and attended Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools. He has been a member of the Carrboro Police Department since September 1993, starting as a patrol officer and working his way through the Community Services Division, to a corporal in the Patrol and Investigations divisions, and to a lieutenant in Criminal Investigations. He was promoted to captain of administrative services in June 2011.

He also is a graduate of Mount Olive College with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and earned his Advanced Law Enforcement Certificate in 2001. He also is a graduate of the N.C. Justice Academy’s Management Development Program.

Hutchison announced in January that she would retire Oct. 1 after 29 years with the Carrboro Police Department.

Southern Village resident Gary Kahn has become the first official candidate for the 2013 Chapel Hill Town Council race.

The filing season for this year's municipal election starts July 1. Election Day is Nov. 5.

Kahn, a retail specialist from New York, has lived in Chapel Hill for three years and wants to be the voice for southern Chapel Hill. While he lacks political experience, Kahn has been a familiar face at council meetings and events for more than a year.

In January, he unsuccessfully sought the seat that former Council member Penny Rich vacated when she joined the Orange County Board of Commissioners in December.

Kahn said the proposed mixed-use development Obey Creek is a high priority. He also supports a limited operating schedule next year at the newly expanded library. The alternative would be cutting something that could have a worse effect, he said.

“Some things people aren’t going to like, but it has to be done,” Kahn said. “Even with the library, it’s not as bad as it seems.”

There will be at least one new face on the council. Council member Laurin Easthom said in January that she is not seek election to a third term. Other members facing re-election are Ed Harrison, Gene Pease and Sally Greene.

Mike Gering announced Monday afternoon that he will not be seeking another term on the Hillsborough Town Board of Commissioners.

"I am honored and privileged to have served three terms, but 12 years is a long time. The town is in good shape, and I believe change is healthy - both for me and for the town," Gering said in a news release.

Gering said his proudest accomplishments since first winning election in 2001 are the Waterstone development off Old N.C. 86, the planning for a future Amtrak train station, Riverwalk, tourism programs in Hillsborough and Orange County, and the courthouse clock restoration project.

"Though I took a personal interest in these projects, none of them would have been possible without the teamwork and dedication of the other Town Board members and of our great town staff," he said.

Town Commissioner Frances Dancy and Mayor Tom Stevens also face potential re-election bids in the November election.

The University of North Carolina will host the NCAA Regionals, Friday, May 31, through Monday, June 3 -- and that's likely to cause a huge surge in traffic along South Road and Ridge Road in Chapel Hill.
To facilitate the hosting of NCAA baseball, several parking lots plus Ridge Road will be impacted.
Tow officials note that, while Stadium Drive will be re-opening to through traffic by Friday, May 31, other roadways-including South Columbia Street (one-way northbound) and Cameron Avenue (no through traffic)-are currently impacted by construction.
For more information, visit the "Breaking News" link through the Public Safety website at http://www.dps.unc.edu.

State Sen. Ellie Kinnaird writes to her constituents weekly. Here is an excerpt from her latest message.

A far-reaching environmental measure was passed several years ago. It was called the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard (REPS) and required energy companies to purchase 7 to 14 percent of their energy from alternative sources by 2020. It has proved successful, providing a boost to our solar energy industry as well as preventing the need to build more coal or nuclear power plants.

This session, a bill was introduced that would have repealed this alternative energy requirements. In a victory in this grim legislative session, a House committee voted down the chair’s own bill to repeal the renewable energy requirement. Even Republicans joined to vote the bill down.

Interestingly, Duke and Progress Energy that have participated in the alternate energy production goals, and neither asked to have the requirement repealed. The bill was purely ideologically based on the idea that government shouldn’t force industry to meet such requirements. Solar is one of the fastest-growing industries in the state. And while there are complaints that the solar industry is subsidized, the oil and gas industry is much more heavily subsidized.

What did you learn from your mom?

Or what did you learn from watching someone else be a mom?

The Chapel Hill News and The Durham News are seeking short reader essays about motherhood in time for Mother's Day. All the people who send us an essay will be entered in a random drawing for a free copy of Maya Angelou's new memoir "Mom & Me & Mom" or Richard Russo's "Elsewhere." (So you don't have to write the "best" essay, just send us one to be in the running.)

Try to keep your essay in the 200 to 400 word range. All entries must be received by 5 p.m. Monday, May 6, one week from today. Send them to editor@newsobserver.com with your photo and a photo of your mom if you like.

We'll pick two winners, and all the essays may get published in the newspaper.

Good luck, and Happy Mother's Day.

Maple View Farm is voluntarily recalling pint containers of Cookies & Cream, Carolina Crunch and Cookie Dough ice cream because the products contain allergens that were not declared on package labels.

Some or all of the products contain wheat, soy, almonds and peanuts, which can cause serious allergic reactions in people who have an allergy or sensitivity to these ingredients, according to a news release.

The recall affects 2,650 pints of ice cream distributed between Sept. 5, 2012, and April 24, 2013. The products were distributed to a limited number of grocery stores and specialty shops in Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Durham, Hillsborough, Mebane, Morehead City, Morrisville, Pittsboro, Snow Camp and Wilmington, the release said.

Hillsborough-based Maple View Farm initiated the recall after a label review during a routine inspection by the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services determined the presence of allergens. The product was distributed in packaging that did not declare the presence of those allergens.

No complaints of allergic reactions to this product have been reported to date, according to the release.

Consumers who have allergies to these ingredients should return the product to the place of purchase or throw it away.

Maple View Farm is cooperating fully with the department and taking all steps necessary to ensure an effective recall, the release said.

Two articles in today's Chapel Hill News highlight Chapel Hill's shrinking African American population.

In our lead story today, staff writer Tammy Grub reports on work of a new group trying to preserve the character of the historically black Northside community. In 1980, 1,159 black residents called the area home; by 2010, there were just 690.

We have long reported the trend and those who attribute it to student encroachment, gentrification and other causes. To be fair, many of the older residents have died and passed on property to multiple heirs who have chosen to sell. At the same time, some community leaders say black middle class homebuyers moving to the region have chosen to live in other areas, such as Durham, where there is a large, thriving black community and cultural scene.

But an essay by UNC business professor Michael Jacobs on today's editorial page points to another reason for black flight.

Of the 25 largest counties in North Carolina, only two saw declines in their black population in the past decade -- and Orange County saw the biggest drop. The professor, a former U.S. Treasury official, says high taxes, overreliance on property taxes, and high government expenditures have made Orange County unaffordable to people of moderate and less means.

The professor did not mention the rural buffer, the ring around the urban southern part of the county past which water and sewer lines may not go. Critics say the buffer, which has preserved Orange County's rural character, has also artificially constrained housing supply, further driving up costs.

And last night, Carrboro aldermen grappled with their own affordability dilemma as the renovations and new owners of Collins Crossing challenge one of that town's affordable rental communities. The aldermen have formed a task force to look for answers, though the mayor says it is too late to affect what happens at Collins Crossing, the former Abbey Court condominiums.

Orange County's cost of living is the story right now, and for years to come. Work is under way to course correct: infrastructure is coming to the county's economic development districts to lure industry. Chapel Hill and Carrboro are embracing mixed use to help shift the tax base. But it will take more to hold on to and grow Orange County's shrinking racial diversity. The question is whether our leaders and the public that elects them are willing to take it on.

Tell us what you think at editor@newsobserver.com. Let's keep the conversation going.

Chapel Hill’s Town Council joined UNC students Monday in support of early voting and student voting rights.

An N.C. House bill would shorten early voting periods, end same-day voter registration and require students to vote in their home county or by absentee ballot. A second, Senate bill would keep parents from claiming students as dependents on their taxes if they register to vote in another county or register their vehicles at a different address.

Shelby Hudspeth, director of state and external affairs for UNC’s Student Body, said the proposed legislation would negatively affect student voting rights and create a tax burden on parents. Similar resolutions have been sent to more than a hundred House and Senate members, news outlets and others, she said.

“UNC students consider the town of Chapel Hill their home. Many of us are active in the community, whether it’s through volunteering, having a job on Franklin Street or spending time on Franklin Street, so we feel that we should be able to participate actively through voting in elections here,” she said.

Before the council voted, Council member Matt Czajkowski pointed out that the town's support probably wouldn’t carry any authority with the state.

“Do you think that the town of Chapel Hill endorsing this will strengthen or weaken your position with (House) Speaker (Thom) Tillis and (Senate) President (Pro Tem Phil) Berger? If it were up to me, for what it’s worth, I wouldn’t start here,” he said.

Two Chapel Hill 2020 leaders will be honored Wednesday at the Governor’s Mansion in Raleigh for their service to the community.

George Cianciolo and Rosemary Waldorf, who served as Chapel Hill 2020 co-chairs, are among five winners of this year’s Governor’s Medallion Award. They also won the Key Volunteer Award (group/team category) and the Governor’s Service Award (group/team category) at an April 15 ceremony hosted by the Volunteer Center of Durham. The volunteer center manages the program in Durham and Orange counties.

According to a news release, town officials nominated them “for their extraordinary commitment to making Chapel Hill 2020 a plan that unifies the community and reflects our collective needs.”

They led more than 10,000 people in a yearlong discussion of Chapel Hill’s future in dozens of community meetings, events and in newspaper articles.

“George and Rosemary are truly deserving of these awards,” Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt said. “Their commitment and leadership played a major role in Chapel Hill 2020’s success, and it is wonderful to see their service recognized.”

Waldorf is project manager for Bryan Properties and former mayor of Chapel Hill. Cianciolo is a Duke University associate professor of pathology and former chairman of the town Planning Board.