Pittsboro Journal

Five weeks after asking the Chatham County Board of Education to change the school calendar so students don't have to walk from spring break directly into Advanced Placement exams, I finally received a response from school board chair Deb McManus. Given the board's failure, you can imagine the convoluted reply. It began with a laborious description of the calendar process, which has no bearing on whether spring break could have been shifted one week earlier. The centerpiece of this paragraph was how the board considered an "electronic survey" that included responses from many who had no knowledge about the AP exam schedule or any stake in the scheduling conflict.

In an effort to reduce the number of alcohol and other drug offenses by students, the Chatham County Board of Education has enacted more strict consequences for students who violate the Drugs and Alcohol Policy. The Drugs and Alcohol Policy was first enacted in 1998 and has been revised three times prior to the current version. While opportunity for students to receive help with their alcohol and other drug concerns remains the cornerstone of the policy, additional consequences have been added to help students more carefully consider their choices.

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction announced the 2010-11 United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) policy on free and reduced-price meals for children enrolled in the state’s public schools. The USDA’s National School Lunch Program helps ensure all students have access to a nutritious diet by offering students an affordable, high quality, nutritious breakfast, lunch and after school snack.

The State Board of Education released results from its ABCs testing and accountability model on Thursday, August 5. The ABCs of Public Education is the state school improvement program. It began in the 1996-1997 school year and has three primary goals: 1) strengthen local school accountability; 2) emphasize mastery of basic subjects; and 3) provide as much local decision-making as possible.

Related:
Chatham Results

On August 16, the Chatham County Board of Commissioners received an update from Camp Dresser & McKee, a contract consulting firm, identifying possible sites that meet initial screening criteria for a potential landfill if the county opts to dispose of its solid waste inside the county.

I do not think George Lucier, Tom Vanderbeck, or Carl Thompson can necessarily ask for John Hammond and Jan Nichols resignation, but the other steering committee members of the Chatham Coalition can, and should. It is not that the Coalition endorsed commissioners are actual members of the coalition. If you read commandment seven, it states only actual steering committee members can make official statements. It's a nifty little loophole, but it's done so that the Chatham Coalition can't be held accountable for what others say. Basically, you, the individual, can volunteer, and they darn sure want your money, but keep your mouth shut.

A recently adopted Construction and Demolition (C&D) Recycling Ordinance aims to reduce the amount of C&D debris headed to North Carolina landfills from Chatham County. The ordinance applies to any C&D projects 1,000 square feet or greater within the county’s unincorporated areas. Projects include construction, demolition, deconstruction, repairs, remodels, additions, or any other related activity requiring a building permit.

With the fall semester just around the corner, Consumer Reports offers its best choices for parents and teens out shopping for a car to bring back to school. When looking for the right car for teens, including used models, Consumer Reports recommends picking cars with safety features such as electronic stability control and curtain air bags and good crash-test results.

The commissioners and their Chatham Coalition friends keep saying the funds were not available to honor the employee pay increases promised on the PFP Agreements for the FY2008/2009 work period. Our first question should be: did the county have enough funds to meet these obligations in the recently budget process and the two prior budgets?

The Chatham County Board of Commissioners will meet on Monday, August 16, 2010 at the District Courtroom in Pittsboro, NC at 6 p.m. The work session will take place at the Henry H. Dunlap Building classroom at 2 p.m.

Related:
Official Chatham County, NC

The North Carolina Center for Missing Persons issued a Silver Alert on Wednesday for a missing Pittsboro woman. Jennifer Christine Stumpf, who is believed to be suffering from dementia or some other cognitive impairment, was last seen at 79 Bluff Trail.

Things are not easy for small home-based businesses in Chatham County as seen from the following excerpt from the minutes of the July 19 County Commissioners board meeting.

A new investigation in the September issue of Consumer Reports and available online describes a striking lack of government oversight for the bustling $26.7 billion dietary supplement market and identifies a “dirty dozen” list of supplement ingredients that have been linked by clinical research or case reports to serious adverse events, such as cancer, coma, heart problems, kidney damage, liver damage, or death.

Chatham Social Health Council would like to thank all the sponsors and supporters at the Burrito Bash this past Tuesday night. It was a great turnout!

The school administration presented a draft calendar at the January 11 board meeting. I think the board should have considered the timing of the AP exams more - there was a little discussion, but the board unanimously decided to go with this calendar because the administration recommended it and the plurality of survey respondents chose it. (That detail isn't in the minutes, but I was at the meeting and remember the discussion.) As the mother of sons who took many AP exams, I understand that this is a bad idea - I would have moved spring break a week earlier.

I read with geat interest the post regarding another talking bread making machine in Chatham county. I also have a bread maker that has always seemed to be saying something too. My machine seems to say "Whose Gonna Win?" Whose Gonna Win?" It sometimes almost drives me insane. But my machine has never changed and said anything different.

Shakori Hills Community Arts Center presents The Hoppin' John Old-Time & Bluegrass Fiddlers' Convention, September 17-19. Hoppin' John is a three-day event for musicians, dancers and music lovers to come together to celebrate the traditions of bluegrass and old-time music. There are dance, instrument and band contests, square dances, a cook-off, and many unscheduled special musical moments.

Evan Keiser's post about how excellent Verizon works for him is a reminder that there is no one general answer for which cell phone service is best. Chatham is a big county with lots of different dead spots and coverage areas for all the different carriers. What one person thinks is great may not be great for someone else depending on where you use it.

When I moved to Chatham County, I brought my bread machine. I have taken a class in writing. The instructor said it is important to keep one's thoughts in a paragraph. And to pack as much information into a paragraph as possible. And indent. I was only able to attend one class but feel I gotten the gist of it.

So, Chatham County's "leadership" is being pragmatic when they decide that the Sheriff's department personnel should not spend their time enforcing the law (ICE), to give them the time to arrest those who "break" the law (burglars, drug dealers, etc.), when they are reported by those who are living here against the law (illegal immigrants.)