Weekly Update, October 9

Hello, Carrboro! This town sure has a lot of get up and go! From last weekend's October edition of Le Tour de Carrboro (netting 457 registered racers for the 10K and 273 for the 5K), to the school children who walked, biked, and rolled to school on Wednesday for National Walk & Roll to School Day, to the "Poetry Bus" that will be carting around Second Friday Art Walk patrons tonight: Carrboro folk are on the move. Way to punctuate the end of national Week without Driving!

Speaking of the Second Friday Art Walk, check out Pamir Kiciman's preview.

Later this week, our town will be treated to an embarrassment of riches with the double-header of the West End Poetry Festival (beginning Thursday) and the inaugural Carrboro Songwriters Festival (beginning Friday). Find both previews in the print edition!

Correction to the listing for a charity event in the print edition. Go with the Flow will be Wednesday, October 14.

Carrboro currently has no planning director. John Fussa, who had just stepped into the role in December, vacated his position late last month. A planning director advises the mayor and town council on planning and land use decisions, supervises the staff in the planning and inspections, interprets and enforces zoning regulations, and solicits community feedback on development decisions. The Town is also seeking a permanent Public Works Director. Kevin Belanger, who held the role since 2023 and who helped steer the Town through the long recovery from Tropical Storm Chantal, retired last month.

With the retirement of Chris Atack, the Carrboro Police Department has named Captain Ryan Daniels the interim police chief. Thank you for stepping into this role, Chief Daniels.

As we approach election season (Early Voting takes place October 15-31), the non-partisan Democracy NC has compiled a website with information about voter registration, issues on ballot, the candidates, what different elected officials do, and how and where to vote early—as well as sample ballots.

Find the solution to the crossword puzzle in the October print edition here.

Online this week

Next weekend, October 16-18, the inaugural Carrboro Songwriters Festival will take place at various venues, and The Carrborean interviewed its quick-witted founder, Eric Sommer. The festival needs volunteers! Learn more here.

"Carrboro's jaywalkers have been foiled again," writes Ben Humphries in his piece about the new crosswalk on South Greensboro Street.

On The Carrborean Radio Hour

This past Monday, Derek Askey and Rob Bowers visited WCOM to talk about our local literary magazine, The Sun.

Also listen tonight at 9pm on WCOM-LP FM 103.5 (streaming at wcomfm.org) for a preview of Georgia Moon's cover concert of Joni Mitchell's Blue album. That concert will take place 7 pm Sunday in the Back Room of the Cradle.

Tune in at 4 pm next Monday when Whitney Fry of Flame Tree Story returns to The Carrborean Radio Hour to explore the art and power of storytelling with guest CJ Suitt, Chapel Hill's first-ever Poet Laureate. CJ will share stories about their journey as a poet and facilitator, and will discuss the upcoming West End Poetry Festival.

Our pop-up newsroom will be at Lanza's in October. Come by to say hello and talk about life in Carrboro from 5 to 6pm on Mondays.

News from CHCCS, Town, and County

Long-time Streets Maintenance Supervisor Brian Griffith, who has worked for the Town of Carrboro since 1992, is preparing to retire. Over the years he has fixed broken street signs, cleared fallen trees, and helped residents in myriad ways that largely go unsung but that are important to making us feel safe and connected. The Carrborean thanks Griffith for his service and wishes him a happy retirement.

At its Tuesday night meeting, the Carrboro Town Council heard a cyclist’s account of a school‑zone collision and concerns about how police treated the case, then they listened to residents and staff press for stronger housing security and code enforcement. The Council green-lighted a consultant's study of the next steps for the Bolin Creek Greenway. And Chief Sustainability Officer Amy Armbruster outlined a curbside compost proposal. Watch highlights here.

The Town reminds residents that the leaves that are falling now have a role to play in our ecosystem. We're invited to take the pledge to Leave Your Leaves. Yard signs are available at the Orange County Southern Branch Library (203 S. Greensboro St.). Take the pledge and learn more here.

The Orange County Board of Commissioners also met on Tuesday night. They heard an outside audit of the 2025 property revaluation, which revealed serious problems with commercial assessments, selective reappraisal, and data practices. A resident’s story of a sudden tax spike underscored why the board is promising stronger community oversight, clearer appeals guidance, and a more transparent path to future revaluations. The Board debated how to implement fixes before 2029. Watch highlights here.

As part of its marking of Food Waste Prevention Week last week, Orange County reminded us that, as of June, there were 4,300 households in the county receiving Food and Nutrition Services (FNS), and that 13.7% of county residents are food insecure. To access a list of food distributions, pantries, and other support resources in the county, check out this website maintained by the Orange County Cooperative Extension. To learn how FNS works, go here.

Other Interesting Things

Interested in learning how to can fruits, vegetables, and spreads? A Canning Workshop sponsored by NCSU's Extension will take place from 10 am to 1 pm Saturday, October 17, at the Bonnie B. Davis Center (1020 US-70 W. Suite 130, Hillsborough). Registration closes tomorrow, and the cost is $26. Sign up here.

Also in Hillsborough: tonight is the monthly Sea Chantey Sing at the Colonial Inn, 7 to 9 pm. No tickets, just show up.

And, on the horizon, with registration now open, a Skywatch at Blackwood Farm Park with the Chapel Hill Astronomical and Observational Society (CHAOS):

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.

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Poetry Moment

For this week's Poetry Moment, let's listen to the ode "To Autumn" that flowed out of poet John Keats 207 years ago:

Correction 10/10: Incorrect pronouns were used for CJ Suitt in the newsletter on 10/9. We apologize.