Weekly Update, July 17

Happy Friday, Carrboro. As the number of people sickened by the cyclospora parasite climbs, I'm reminded of the old African proverb about the power of small things: If you think you're too small to make a difference try spending a night with a mosquito. One small parasite is certainly wreaking havoc across the country, and the Orange County Health Department (OCHD) confirmed that cases are rising here. While investigations continue into likely culprits here in NC, the CDC is recommending that consumers avoid bagged lettuce and salad mixes for now, whether at home or served at a restaurant. In my home, that means I'm eating greens from local farmers, and I'm especially keen to begin with a whole head of lettuce, then remove some of the outer layers, and wash it before eating it. Find here advice from OCHD on preparing food safely.

Residents are invited to weigh on the future of the J Branch Rail Corridor, a local rail line running from downtown Chapel Hill to downtown Carrboro to Hwy 70 in Hillsborough, and whether it could be repurposed and converted to a trail corridor. You can read more about the study here and participate in the survey here. The first in a series of community workshops takes place from 2 to 4 p.m. this Sunday, July 19, at New Hope Elementary School. The registration form, which is optional, can be found here.

OWASA's Water Watch tells us that our reservoirs (Cane Creek Reservoir, University Lake, and the Quarry Reservoir) are 72% full, an amount that is estimated to last 373 days, based on recent demand and assuming no new rain fall. Despite that comfort, there are things we can all do to help conserve during this time of Exceptional Drought. (You can check out the Current NC Drought Monitor Map, county-by-county.)

Online this week

We posted a story from Elaine Ellis about a competition featuring some of our local cheesemongers and a summary of a conversation John Rees hosted about affordable housing on WCOM. Pamir Kiciman previewed "Still She Stands," a play about Elizabeth I that you can see at The Arts Center this weekend.

On The Carrborean Radio Hour

Whitney Fry hosted Vianna Fornville, founder of G.L.O.W. Girls and student at Chapel Hill High School, for a conversation about storytelling in youth leadership and student-led advocacy. Find the recording here.

On Monday, we'll talk with residents of Weatherhill Pointe about the anniversary of Tropical Storm Chantal and what the past year has been like in their homes and neighborhood. Tune in Monday at 4pm to listen live on WCOM-FM 103.5 or stream at wcomfm.org. Or find the recording here later in the week.

And after each radio show, join us at a pop-up newsroom to discuss all things Carrboro and stories you'd like to see, hear, or write. This month, you'll find us at Oasis in the Carr Mill Mall on Mondays from 5 to 6pm.

News from CHCCS, Town, and County

In their latest email, CHCCS announced that newly enrolling students and their families might start hearing from their schools once the schools' contact lists are updated, which should happen sometime by the end-of-July.

Meeting last night, the CHCCS Board of Education discussed: Language Program Choices and Rethinking Classroom Technology Use

The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education heard from many parents urging the Board to keep the STEAM Squared dual and world language pathways together, weighed data-driven options for relocating the Mandarin program after Glenwood’s closure and the tight timeline for 2027 redistricting, and approved a new Curriculum and Associates contract while debating how quickly to scale back constant laptop use in classrooms. Find highlights here.

Mark your calendars for two events next Friday, July 24: First, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Collins Crossings Apartments, the Town of Carrboro will cohost a series of free Carrboro In Motion events along with public agencies and partners that include several Orange County departments, Chapel Hill Transit, El Centro Hispano, Orange County Public Library, and Carrboro Transportation Choices. Activities will include a live Zumba class, bike repair, free reflective gear and bike lights, a fire engine to visit, representatives from Orange County housing and public health departments, a Mobile Health Unit, the Town's Party Trailer with kids' games and activities, info packets for new residents, and free sno-balls from Pelican's. Learn more about this event here.

Also next Friday, from 4:30 to 6 p.m., is another Teen Free Time at the Teen Center at the Drakeford Library Complex. Teens 13-17 can be dropped off to hang out, connect with friends, relax, and play games in a safe and welcoming space. Here is the online registration form parents should fill out beforehand or upon arrival.

Before the Orange County Democratic Party closed the window on Monday, six people had registered their names for consideration in filling Jamezetta Bedford's seat on the Orange County Board of County Commissioners: housing professional Leah Bergman; current CHCCS Board of Education Member Rani Dasi; former Chapel Hill Mayor Pam Hemminger, who is offering to fill the seat only until the November election; former Chapel Hill Town Council Member María Palmer; Chapel Hill Parks and Recreation Commission veteran Renuka Soll; and nonprofit consultant Erik Valera. Each candidate submitted answers to four questions to the Orange County Democratic Party. Party leaders will meet on July 20 to consider the candidates and will name the new commissioner at the board's 9 a.m. July 28 meeting.

Orange County's Plastic-Free July initiative challenges us to make small changes to our daily habits that can help reduce waste and protect our environment. Tell the take-out restaurant you don't need the plastic cutlery. Remember to bring your own bags to the grocery store. Opt for the products with less packaging. And bring your own reusable water bottle and coffee mug.

Announcements

Family Reading Partners, the Carrboro-based organization that sends Early Literacy Mentors into homes to help jumpstart and model book-based conversations and reading, has announced the appointment of its first Executive Director. Stephanie Knop will lead the organization in strengthening its programs and community partnerships and expanding the number of families who will benefit from the tools and support the organization provides.

Other Interesting Things

Final Notes

The Community Bulletin Board has announcements and opportunities for giving and civic engagement and is updated weekly.

There's so much going on in Carrboro! Check out The Events Calendar to see what's happening and help us keep it up-to-date.

Please consider a paid subscription to support community journalism (local news from the people living it). Subscribers at the "Angel" tier get the first-ever Carrborean T-shirt, along with the knowledge that they're making it possible for us to keep bringing you grass-roots community news-telling. Thank you to The Merch for printing the shirts! Ask your favorite businesses if they advertise in The Carrborean.

Poetry Moment

For this week's Poetry Moment, we honor our local cheesemakers with the poem "Blessed Are the Cheese Makers," by Marielle Prince, Cheesemaker Emeritus:

Sunday morning we bow

before a two hundred gallon vat,

plunge plastic scoops through a soft soup of pre-brie,

the square-brims swallowing milky clumps

of almost and not yet. Milkmaids and curd couriers

we pivot and slide to the drain table.

With every second the cheese changes, ph dropping

as the culture cooks--fast evacuation the difference

in two weeks' time

between a smooth camembert and an acidic crumble. Now

into rows of sprouting bases molds we herd

what was grass on Wednesday, and break

the delicate fall of the barely solid

by pouring it down the ramp of our palms.

The flood is wet with the whey we have worked from the horde;

the room sounds like a city after a summer storm--

gutters overflowing, sump pump huffing back to work.

We are the lucky children left splashing in the puddles--

our arms gleaming, greasy, our slacks spattered;

the room smells sweet, Jersey-creamy.

In just under ten minutes

we are straining our elbows, lifting the last stragglers,

hassled firm, from the bottom of the vat. They land,

mounds of loose cubes with thin skins

beginning their slow cratering

into the surfaces

of four hundred setting moons.