In Carrboro, Mayor Mark Chilton is seeking a third term. He is being challenged by political newcomer Amanda Ashley and Brian Voyce, who ran for mayor in 2007.

There are three open seats on the Board of Aldermen.

Incumbents Jacqui Gist and Randee Haven-O'Donnell are seeking re-election. Challengers Sammy Slade, Sharon Cook and Tim Peck are all vying for a seat.

Polls close at 7:30 p.m. Be sure to follow OrangeChat and look for election stories on chapelhillnews.com this evening.

What are your predictions?

Orange County Schools will present its annual financial audit report and individual school improvement plans to the board of education tonight.

The board meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at the school system's headquarters, located at 200 E. King St. in Hillsborough.

This is the board's only meeting this month. View the full agenda for tonight's meeting here.

Emily Bivins of Carrboro Elementary has been named the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools' Principal of the Year.

Bivins was selected for the honor by her fellow principals. She will now represent the district in regional and state competition. Bivins has been principal of Carrboro Elementary since 2006.

Prior to being named principal of Carrboro Elementary, Bivins served as the school's assistant principal. She was the coordinator of elementary education for Cherokee County Schools in North Carolina, as well as the director of elementary instruction and staff development for the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools. She served as a classroom teacher at Estes Hills Elementary, McDougle Elementary and Alexander Wilson Elementary in Graham.

She holds a bachelor's degree in education from Wake Forest University, a master's of arts degree in elementary education from Elon College, a doctorate of education in curriculum and instruction from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a master's degree in school administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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 individual schools 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.

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

STROM SEAT DECISION DELAYED: The Chapel Hill Town Council has decided to delay appointing a successor to Bill Strom's seat until after the newly elected council is seated. Read Jesse James DeConto's story to see what changed current council members' minds.

HOW SAFE IS THE SLUDGE : That's the question the county Board of Commissioners had recently, as it told the Health Department and Commission for the Environment to proceed with planning a potentially regional forum on biosolids or treated sewage sludge. Orange County ranks fifth in the state for acreage permitted for sludge application.

RURAL RESIDENTS WANT OUT: Several challengers for mayor and Board of Aldermen joined  some local rural residents Friday to call for Carrboro to return land in its planning area back to the county. Read Julian March's report, including a response from Mayor Mark Chilton.

MORSEL: It's light and fluffy. But if you take it home and don't eat it quickly, freeze it. Correspondent Elizabeth Shestak reports on Jamil Kadouras' new pita bread oven in her monthly look at the local food and dining scene.

Lots more, including your letters; a report on Monday's launch of Justice United, the new Orange County community organizing effort; and local sports.

Thanks for reading,

Mark 

An unregistered political-action committee has mailed out a postcard promoting Town Council member Mark Kleinschmidt for mayor and painting rival Matt Czajkowski as a “divisive leader … out of sync with the progressive values Chapel Hill has worked hard to protect.”

Kleinschmidt said he did not authorize the postcard, which violated state law by failing to state that he had not endorsed it, according to Orange County Board of Elections Director Tracy Reams.

Kleinschmidt said he doesn’t know who sent it.

“I have not authorized, and I would not authorized something like this,” he said. “It doesn’t approach the campaign the way that I would.”

Czajkowski also said he did not know who sent the postcards.

We'll have more on this in Saturday's News & Observer.

Mayor Kevin Foy endorsed Mark Kleinschmidt this morning. Here is his statement:

I hope the voters in Chapel Hill will join me in voting for Mark Kleinschmidt for Mayor. I’ve served as mayor for the past eight years, and I’m proud of our town – we’ve adhered to our values as a place that protects the natural environment, works closely with our university, and respects all our neighbors without regard for their economic status. Over the past eight years, with Mark Kleinschmidt helping to lead the way, Chapel Hill has invested in a safe, vibrant downtown, new greenways, the arts, a major new park, a transit center, a new public works facility, and an aquatics center. We’ve done all this with an eye to prudent money management (we have the highest bond rating) and diversifying our tax base.

And it has paid off – just this year Chapel Hill was named both America’s Most Livable City and Best Place in the Country to Start a Business. We’re doing a lot of things right!

We have a bright future. A vote for Mark for Mayor will keep Chapel Hill on the right track.

Kevin Foy

We've had some questions on the News & Observer Web site and by e-mail about our story on Matt Czajkowski's insider-trading case, dismissed in 2005.

One reader wanted to know why we didn't elaborate on who has been questioning Czajkowski about the issue. The fact is, we didn't have room. So, for the record, Czajkowski himself told me he's been getting questions about it.

A letter to the editor in the Independent brought it up last week, concluding that he "got off on a technicality," which is not exactly true. Insider-trading cases often fail to go forward in Delaware because the burden of proof is high. The plaintiffs did not provide any evidence that Czajkowski had material nonpublic information that led him to sell off part of his stock holdings in the company.

At a public election forum held by the League of Women Voters earlier this month, Czajkowski took exception to a question about how management of his personal finances would reflect on how he would handle the town's finances.

"I've tried really, really hard to keep this campaign focused on the issues," he said. "It's almost sad that I have to address questions which are simply innuendo. I personally have a surplus, I have savings which I've worked hard for over the course of my life, and I hope that the town can have the same."

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

But first, in today's N&O we report a story we finished too late to make today's CHN. (The Wednesday paper goes to press Monday night). Staff writer Jesse James DeConto talks with mayoral candidate Matt Czajkowski about a lawsuit that accused him of insider training when he worked for drugmaker Pozen. The lawsuit, filed after top executives sold company stock a month before the value of the stock plummeted, was dismissed by a judge because the plaintiffs did not seek remedy from the company first. 

And in the CHN:

MISSIVES FLY: The fighting between the town of Carrboro, Marilyn Kille and unnamed others in the county's rural planning area continues. Kille, a farm owner who pleaded guilty to forging a town document then held a press conference to say she had proof she didn't, and others in a new Southern Orange County Farm and landowners Committee have sent a letter to farmers saying the town intends to put them out of business. The mayor has sent a counter letter, calling the claims wild and exaggerated. Correspondent Julian March has the story.   

THE VARSITY: As reported earlier this week, there's life in the old theater yet. Staff writerSadia latifi speaks with the new owners about their plans to revive the Chapel Hill landmark as a $3 theater.

We also have stories today about a collaboration between the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce and Piedmont Health Services that is providing affordable healthcare to small business employees, and we report on yet another mayor's race, this one in the town of Pittsboro where newcomer Bill Crawford is challenging incumbent Randy Voller's bid for a third term.

Lots more, of course, including more letters than we know what to do with (We will print as many endorsement letters that arrived past our Oct. 16 deadline as we can, but most will not get in; we were deluged.)

As always, thanks for reading,

Mark 

An FYI to OrangeChat readers requested by the PTA Council:

The video for the Chapel Hill-Carrboro school board candidates forum sponsored by the PTA Council and League of Women Voters is available at ptacouncil.com