This Weekend FRIDAY MILL Partly Cloudy 43/20 SA TURDAY Partly Cloudy 34/18 SUNDAY Partly Cloudy 34/18 Inside carrborocitizen.com DECEMBER 31, 2009 u LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED u VOLUME III NO. XLii FREE A year of big changes, fading hopes BY KIRk RoSS She was followed in death a month tions were released, that the market Economic anxiety and a highly un- Staff Writer later by another official town treasure woes and housing downturn that had popular property revaluation helped and one of her early political rivals started in the previous fall were go- fuel outrage and tax protests that Early on in January 2009, many — newspaperman and former Cha- ing to have a profound impact on the turned out hundreds to rallies orga- in these towns were still focused on pel Hill alderman Roland Giduz. year ahead. nized by the local chapter of Freedom- the changing of the guard in Wash- In early 2009, the effect of another State and local governments, al- Works, a group led by former U.S. ington, D.C. changing of the guard was being felt ready implementing hiring freezes House majority leader Dick Armey. With close to 72 percent of Or- in town and especially on campus as and squeezing their budgets, cut That put the focus on Orange ange County voters pulling the lever new UNC Chancellor Holden Thorp further, and reports from social ser- County commissioners, who were for Barack Obama, the election of pulled the plug on a search for a new vice agencies and local food pantries faced with not just a tax rebellion, but the first black president was still the airport site in Orange County. showed a quick climb in the need for a rapidly expanding deficit and a fight big buzz, and a major — by Carolina A few months later, the Chapel the basics. The unemployment rate in over proposals for a solid waste trans- standards — snowstorm contributed Hill Town Council finally opened the state would rise from 5 percent in fer station. to collecting around TV sets and ra- official hearings on the first phase April, 2008 to 11.2 in June of 2009. While all this was happening, Roy dios on Inauguration Day. of Carolina North. Approval of the It fell a bit in the latest round of num- Williams and the UNC men’s bas- Prior to taking office, the presi- university’s plan and the town’s new bers but is not expected to its 2008 ketball team brought home another dent lost one ardent supporter, zoning rules for the 975-acre Horace levels until well into 2011. national title. On his way to that tri- though, as Rebecca Clark a tower- Williams tract quickly followed. In Orange County, which has umph, starting forward Tyler Hans- ing figure in the black community While politics were a pre-occu- traditionally posted one of the low- brough became the leading scorer in and the chief marshal of its political pation early on, it was clear by the est rates in the state, unemployment Atlantic Coast Conference history. PHOTO BY KEN MoorE clout, passed away on the first Sat- end of January, when a variety of climbed from 3.2 percent to 7 per- Alligator hide-like bark distinguishes old urday in January. economic reports and budget projec- cent over the same period. SEE YEAR PAGE 3 persimmon trees. FLora BY KEN MOORE The Year in Pictures Begin 2010 enjoying Clockwise from top left: winter’s beauty UNC basketball players Mike Copeland and Danny Green ow well I remem- enjoy a little dance at the ber one winter walk, homecoming celebration when stopped in mid-stride the newly crowned national by the sounds of snow champions returned to the Smith Center. (Photo courtesy falling through the bare of UNC Sports Information) fHorest canopy. That sound of snow touching the earth remains audible Protesters rally at Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina in my recollections. headquarters in Chapel Hill. Driving back from Raleigh on (Photo by Taylor Sisk) I-40 recently, my companion A summertime flu scare saw remarked on the beauty of the hand sanitizers popping up winter landscape, particularly not- all over town. (Photo by Ava ing the magical effect of shining Barlow) copper-colored leaves on trees in Charles Brown, who filed a the forest racing by us. complaint after being stopped In spite of the cold, I cherish the by Chapel Hill police in a case winter fields for their remarkable of mistaken identity, talks colors: browns, burgundy and con- with customer John Berry trasting off-whites, and the mixture at Brown’s barbershop on Rosemary Street. (Photo by of textures of fluffy seed heads Ava Barlow) and starkly bare branches. The forest, shorn of its green See pages 4 & 5 for The Citizen’s annual timeline for 2009. leafy canopy, is filled with low-angled light inviting the woods walker to proceed from room to room, taking in particular furnishings most often hidden by lush summer foliage. The lay of the land is easily vis- ible across the open forest floor, dramatic ups and downs with old erosion gullies crisscrossing every- where. Here and there the path sometimes intersects animal trails. I can never resist taking off on one of these little trails in the hope that I’ll discover the critter at the end, but each time the animal seems to have disappeared with nary a trace. However, off the beaten path, I always find some botanical or other natural feature of interest. In the winter, the true architec- tural characteristics of trees are revealed, with the dramatic sky- ward stretching of massive limbs. In addition, the amazing diversity of bark surfaces becomes apparent. One of my favorite trees is the Board of governors to Defense in Carson case persimmon. They may be de- tected scattered in open fields and review tuition proposal, new asks for tipster info throughout forests by dramatic rules for codes of conduct Defense lawyers for the two men According to search warrants, an horizontal angled limbs. The bark charged in the 2008 killing of UNC Stu- anonymous caller told investigators is dark and deeply fissured into The UNC Board of Governors after the budget was passed. dent Body President Eve Carson are ask- to contact a man who later became chunks that make me imagine al- will take up a proposal next week Also due for review by the board ing for more informa- a confidential infor- to ask the legislature to approve an are new guidelines for student ligator hide. tion on who tipped mant in the case. alternative to a tuition plan adopted conduct codes. The new rules are off investigators. Baddour said he as part of the state’s 2010-11 budget. the result of work by a task force According to search SEE FLORA PAGE 8 In a discovery expects to issue a rul- The General Assembly capped tu- set up by Bowles that looked into hearing in Hillsbor- warrants, an anonymous ing next week. ition increases at the lesser of $200 conduct codes and hate crimes in ough before Superior Atwater also faces or 8 percent for each campus. the wake of racist graffiti at N.C. Court Judge Allen caller told investigators to a May trial in federal The board meets next Thursday State. Baddour , lawyers for court as well as state and Friday at the Spangler Center in The proposal acknowledges the Demario James At- contact a man who later charges. His attor- INSIDE Chapel Hill. need to balance free expression water and Laurence became a confidential neys filed a motion UNC system President Erskine and First Amendment rights with Alvin Lovette Jr. Dec. 11 requesting In memoriam 2009 Bowles plans to ask legislators to the responsibility of students to asked for information informant in the case. a change of venue. consider an alternative to that plan respect the “rights, dignity, worth from Crimestoppers The motion argues See page 6 when lawmakers return to Raleigh and freedom of each member of about the case. The that Atwater, who INDEX in May. the academic community.” two men were charged with first-degree is facing a possible death penalty if UNC officials will outline their The language in the proposal murder in the killing of Carson, who convicted, could not get a fair trial in thinking on tuition and fee increases makes it a violation of the student Community .................................................................................... 2 was found dead on Hillcrest Circle in the North Carolina. at a policy workshop next Thursday, code of conduct to harass and early morning hours of March 5, 2008. Along with hundreds of newspaper Obits .............................................................................................................2 where board of governors members intimidate individuals based on News ................................................................................................ 3 She had been shot several times. clippings, they introduced the results are also scheduled to hear a briefing their race, color, religion, national Year in Review .............................................................4,5 At Wednesday morning’s discovery of a June poll saying 80 percent of the Opinion .........................................................................................6 on the state economy and the impact origin, gender, sexual orientation, hearing, Orange County District Attor- potential jury pool had heard of the Classifieds .................................................................................... 7 of the governor’s 5 percent “hold- gender identity, creed, disability ney Jim Woodall argued against turning case and 52 percent believe Atwater to Almanac ................................................................................................8 back” in funding announced shortly or veteran status. — Staff Reports over the tipster information. be guilty. — Staff Reports 2 THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2009 Community THE CarrBORO CITIZEN Community Briefs Community Calendar Sanofi-aventis donates $2 million to SUNDAY, JAN 3 Compassionate Friends — Free Family to Family — A series of Tutoring — Hillsborough Police ArtsCenter Sampler — Meet self-help support for all adults grieving 12 weekly classes structured to help Department and UNC Habitat for N.C.