Citizen Wins Six Nc Press Awards
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This Weekend FRIDAY Partly Cloudy 61/38 SATURDAY 60% Chance of Rain 49/32 Synchronized skaters SUNDAY Page 5 Partly Cloudy 52/29 carrborocitizen.com FEBRUARY 12, 2009 u LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED u VOLUME II NO. XLviII FREE Board calls for public comment on anti-lingering ordinance BY SUSAN DICKSON Hutchison said police had not ar- of Davie Road, said she had seen Staff Writer “It doesn’t encroach rested anyone for disobeying the people urinate in her yard and also ordinance since it was put into has had to clean up human feces CARRBORO — Following passion- on civil liberties – place and recommended that the from the yard. ate pleas from several residents, the board keep the ordinance on the “We just want our property Carrboro Board of Aldermen voted it’s a preemptive strike books. to be protected. We want to feel on Tuesday to schedule a public “It seems that people who safe,” she said. “I find it really hearing regarding the anti-linger- on civil liberties.” previously lingered respect this reprehensible that we have to deal ing ordinance for the intersection — stEPHEN DEar law and comply with this law,” with this.” of Davie and Jones Ferry roads. Hutchison said. “Police officers Board member Randee Haven- The board approved an anti- find themselves in fewer adver- O’Donnell said she has driven by lingering ordinance for the inter- Day laborers, many of them La- sarial situations.” the intersection several times re- section in November 2007 after tino, often gather at the intersection However, residents have said cently and seen people loitering residents of the surrounding neigh- in hopes that contractors will come people continue to gather at the in the area in the late afternoon. borhood complained of public by and offer them work. The ordi- intersection and cause problems. consumption, public urination and nance prohibits waiting at the inter- Others argue that the ordinance garbage in the areas around the in- section from 11 a.m. until 5 a.m. infringes on civil liberties. SEE ORDINANCE PAGE 3 tersection. Carrboro Police Chief Carolyn Emily Scarborough, a resident Foy pushes regional transit tax BY KIRK ROSS Staff Writer PHoto BY KEN MoorE The bud of the umbrella magnolia looks like a spear. CHAPEL HILL — In his annual state of the town report, Chapel Hill Mayor Kevin Foy said the residents of the Tri- BY KEN MOORE angle have to be willing to show they’ll Flora help pay for a regional public transit system as an important step in getting There’s still time for one built. The region has grown and is in need winter botany of better public transit, he said, “for our tagged along with a friend last economic health in the future, for our environmental health in the future and, weekend in his search to re- frankly, for our sanity in the future, be- discover a favorite very early cause we can’t continue to get on Inter- spring wildflower. Along the state 40 to get around.” way, he came to an abrupt Foy likened building a new transit Ihalt, admiring a single long, infrastructure to the founding of Re- smooth bud, appearing like a search Triangle Park. spear tip. He immediately recog- “The park is the product of a vision that PHoto BY AVA BARLOW a previous generation had and it has now nized it as the deciduous umbrel- Brian T. Rice, a barista at Caffe Driade, measures out organic India Elkhill Estate coffee beans. Though Starbucks recently grown to be the economic powerhouse of la magnolia, Magnolia tripetela. attributed declines in revenue customers’ changing buying patterns. But local coffee purveyors disagree, saying sales of joe our region,” Foy said. “I think we need to You may spot it down along and whole beans are steady. See Land & Table on page 9. take the same kind of bold steps.” your favor creek or river path. He called for residents of Orange, Remember its location, because Durham and Wake counties to follow you will want to go back in the Ellis resignation concerns community Charlotte’s lead and get behind a half- middle of spring to admire the BY SUSAN DICKSON for human resources in Durham Pub- cent sales tax. Showing a willingness to large leaves clustered at the ends Staff Writer lic Schools. She has served as principal help pay for a new system will help to attract state and federal funding, which of the branches like an umbrella. since 2007, and said that while she will The recent resignation of Chapel miss Chapel Hill High, the job pre- will cover the bulk of the cost. The flowers are often missed Foy said Charlotte started planning because of the freshly emerged Hill High School Principal Jackie vented her from spending time with Ellis has sparked concern and spec- her family. for transit later than the Triangle but was foliage of other trees all around. ulation among some community “It’s probably one of the most dif- able to open its regional light-rail system So, in spite of early signs of members that the demands of the job ficult decisions, and yet at the same this year because a half-cent sales tax spring, we still have several prevent the school from maintaining time one of the easiest decisions ... of there gave the transit plans momentum. weeks to practice winter botany. a single principal for more than a course because it’s going to be much The General Assembly is considering a I have a favorite memory of a couple of years. better for my family,” Ellis said. “I measure that would allow local govern- Ellis announced her resignation in get my life back, and my family gets ments in the Triangle to raise the sales summer botanical survey in the tax to begin to pay for a new system. early 1970s. I was assisted by a late January, and will continue as prin- me back. young couple who had taken a cipal until March 20, after which she will serve as assistant superintendent SEE ELLIS PAGE 8 SEE COUNCIL PAGE 7 basic plant identification class. I noticed the young woman was carefully pulling all the leaves Harrington navigates recession, sees mortgage lending increase from a twig in her hand. Her response to my obvious inquiry BY MARGot C. LESTER A: Part of it is we’re in a great open early in 2010. That timing is fine Q: What’s your loan-loss reserve? was: “I have to get rid of all Staff Writer community. Chapel Hill-Carrboro is with us since we opened two last year. A: All banks have a loan-loss re- these confusing leaves because I unique. I don’t expect we’ll have any We’re using the extra time to stabilize serve. We started from scratch and are CHAPEL HILL learned to identify plants in the — With banks still problems here because it’s such an eco- those new branches at MLK Boule- fairly new, so we reserve very heavily sputtering after last year’s huge fed- nomically strong and pretty diverse, ec- vard. in Chapel Hill, and in north since we don’t have any loss experience winter.” She was serious and, eral bail-out – including three bank onomically speaking, community. The Raleigh in Falls River Towne Center, to base on. We’re conservative. Our furthermore, once she had the failures already this year – it would university and hospital provide strong north of 540. loss reserve by industry standards is twig in hand, bare of leaves, she be easy to think that all financial in- anchors for employees and the school Q: Has your mortgage business extremely high – 1.65 percent of total was able to identify it. stitutions are on the ropes. But one system is a major contributor to the eco- slowed with the economy? loans. Any losses we have, we’re well And so it is that plants can local lender is beating the odds with nomic strength of the community. We A: No. In our mortgage activ- reserved for. Historically, we have very often be easily identified in the high reserves and a new branch on will have problems – there’s no way we ity, we’ve seen a huge uptick because few losses. winter. the way. To get the scoop, The Citi- can be immune in an historic reces- of declining rates. We’re busier than Q: Last month, BB&T announced zen spoke with Larry Loeser, presi- sion, but we won’t see them as much. we’ve ever been, with 30-year mort- decreased profits attributed to defaults Striking contrasts of bark dent and CEO of Chapel Hill-based Q: You’ve mentioned expanding gages under 5 percent. by homebuilders and developers. How and shapes of trees are obvious Harrington Bank, recently named into Cary. Is that still happening and Q: How many foreclosures did the is Harrington faring? identifying features. Less often 2008 Large Business of the Year by if so, when? bank have in 2007 and 2008? A: We do lend to homebuilders appreciated are the buds. the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber A: Yes; at Hwy. 55 at High House A: We’re in the secondary market and have some who are “on the ropes” of Commerce. Rd. But it’s gone slower than we would and never participated in subprime because home sales have been slow Q: You’re on the record as saying have liked because of zoning approv- mortgages of any sort. Our mortgages for a good year and a half. Builders’ SEE FLORA PAGE 10 the bank is healthy and lending.