It’s that time of year when area churches are revving up the cookers and stew pots.  Merritt’s Chapel will be having their Fall BBQ and brunswick stew -all you can eat- this Saturday from 4-  8pm. 

Coleslaw, hushpuppies, rolls, homemade pickles,  tea(with eat in) and homemade desserts will also be served.  Our pork BBQ is slow cooked and made with a prize winning sauce and the brunswick stew is made from a hundred year old recipe that is hard to beat.  Eat in and take out line. 

Adults $9 and kids 12 and under $6.  Quarts of stew and BBQ by the pound are available for $8 while supplies last.

Merritt’s Chapel is located near Jordan Lake. 1090 Farrington Point Rd. Chapel Hill  phone 968-1184

Don’t want to spend Saturday cooped up inside watching the progress of the hurricane all day long on the TV?

Come out to WoodsRock III indoor venue for a full day’s worth of live music.

The inevitable arrival of Irene has forced a change in the WoodsRock III location. We’re moving to our Woodland Grove home where we can listen to good music, eat good food, and have good fellowship with our community in the comfort of the great indoors!!!!

Family pass – $12, Individual – $5

Location: Woods Charter School is off Andrew’s Store Rd (between 15-501 and Mann’s Chapel) – 1/2 mile from Margaret Pollard Middle School

More info at
http://chatham-county-nc.com/bulletinboard/index.php/topic,22853.0.html

The North Chatham Cardinal Youth lacrosse teams are currently looking for boys from 1st – 8th grade to play this spring. The teams will be broken up by grade and compete against teams from Cary, Chapel Hill, Durham, Raleigh, Apex, Holly Springs. This is a developmental league so players at all levels are welcome.

Please check www.nccardinals.com for more information.

Thanks,

Doug Castleman
douglas.castleman@gmail.com

Bless you Ann for having the courage to re-Post and say you were wrong.  Was about to post something in defense of my friends @ CH (Carrboro & Chatham County)Tire but see a number of you jumped in with POSITIVE remarks!   Good for you!

Just my 2 cents — > It is so easy to be critical these days and I fear as in politics that there are many times a “silent majority” (out there) that do not feel the same as some folks who post negative reports — and then there are others who believe the last thing they hear and will just repeat information regardless of the validity!

There are IMHO many ways for businesses to defend themselves or to “keep” clients and one way is by “bashing” competition – not saying that this was the case here – but I tend to give folks a second chance – same as restaurants!  I’ve gone to certain places to dine for many years and once (in a rare) while get a lousy meal or service -  I might even speak to the owner or manager if I think they’d like to hear about it — but I don’t necessarily “go public” via a blog or chatlist.   I don’t like eatin’ crow and in this day and age it can be easy to do once the “send” button is clicked!   Bet you all know or have heard of similar circumstances!

Mark and Bret following in Al’s, their dad’s footsteps, are I feel are doing a great job: managing their businesses; employing knowledgably technicians; staying current with automotive innovations and computer generated  programs (not all automotive repair services invest in or employ!!) – and I’d rather they tell me what they feel is wrong with my vehicles than to “skip” over any potential problem.

I don’t write often but in this case am moved to support an almost 60 year old business that has been loyal to me, my family my friends, and my business since 1973!

Pete

Pete Jaeger
Flintlock Group, LLC
Flintlock Farm Morgan Horses
4530 Mann’s Chapel Road
Chapel Hill, NC 27516
www.flintlockfarm.com

I wrote yesterday about WHAT I THOUGHT was a lie that I was told by Chapel Hill Tire. I WAS WRONG!
 
The owner of Chapel Hill Tire, Mark Pons, called me today and asked me to come in to check my car again and discuss the problem. When they put my car up on the lift, they actually showed me the 2 problems so I could see them. This was a real eyeopener for someone who knows virtually nothing about cars.
 
From the time I moved here, I had been hearing unfavorable reports about Chapel Hill Tire and went there with a preconcieved notion that they still had problems with their business. What I learned today, is that Mark and his entire company have been working very hard to change the stories that come from Chapel Hill Tire. They were not happy that Chapel Hill Tire had some difficulties with unfavorable rumors and they DO CARE about any questions or problems you have. I am really impressed with Mark’s attitude regarding his customers, community and his family.
 
I am sorry that I made the comments I did without giving Chapel Hill Tire the opportunity to answer my questions FIRST! I know some of you have emailed me to tell me your stories and it is my hope that you will give Chapel Hill Tire a new opportunity to impress you. They SURE DID impress me!!!!
 
Anne Flannery

Taxpayers foot 99% of the Pittsboro Express cost

Read the entire article at
http://www.chathamjournal.com/

By Donna Kelly

Pittsboro, NC – Why did the Board of Commissioners decide not to continue funding the Pittsboro Express Bus after the current contract runs out? Let’s look at some background and numbers.

We should be focusing on solutions that fit the unique conditions within Chatham County, not trying to use programs designed for different areas. If the county is going to invest in anything, it should be investing in Chatham Transit, which uses smaller buses or large vans to run a system more suited to the rural nature of Chatham County.

Chatham Transit had just started building a regular route to Chapel Hill right before the Express Bus was started. Why did we encourage an outside transportation agency to supplant the efforts of a local agency?

Let’s look at the public record < chathamnc.org/Index.aspx?page=457 > as recorded in the minutes of the Chatham Board of Commissioners.

The first mention I’ve found of the Pittsboro Express (PX) bus is at the 9-15-08 regular meeting. Rita Spina, on behalf of CCEC makes some comments about a DOT presentation on development of the 15-501 corridor and describes the desperate need for bus service. In response, George Lucier mentions the Pittsboro Express bus proposal that is being developed. During the commissioner reports section of the 11-17-08 regular meeting, Chairman Lucier expressed concern that there were two public meetings scheduled about the bus, but they were scheduled without coordination with the board of commissioners and both meetings conflicted with Chatham County board of commissioner events. This calls into question the claim that this is a joint project and indicates it’s a Chapel Hill Transit project.

The first official presentation of the program was during the 12-01-08 regular meeting. During that meeting Chapel Hill Transit officials explained that they heard about a grant opportunity in July and applied for it. They were awarded the grant and had been working on gathering information and developing a proposal for service. It appears  there had been very little discussion with Chatham Transit at this point. It’s also clear that this proposal was developed around the grant that had been received that would largely fund it. The grant was a federal reverse commute grant designed to help bring workers into Chapel Hill. Although it might evolve into something that would truly benefit Chatham County, the purpose of the grant that was the foundation for the whole program was to help Chapel Hill. The actual budget breakdown for the upcoming year as presented at the 7-19-10 BOC meeting by Chapel Hill Transit:

Federal $96450 50%

County $46050 24%

UNC(state) $30000 16%

Pittsboro $18000 9%

Riders $ 2400 1%

*Date*: Saturday, May 1st

*Time*: 10 am to 2:30 pm

*Cost*: $30 for Woods Charter students/siblings and $40 for non-Woods Charter students if you’re supplying your own T-shirt.  Please add $5 to camp fee if you need one, please indicate T-shirt size.  This is an 8th grade field trip fundraiser.

*Description of Activities*:  The first part of this camp is to use principles of science to create art.  We will use the chemistry of chromatography of ink to make concentric patterns on a T-shirt.  The physics of optical polarization will be used to create an abstract and colorful window hanging.  Then, we’ll dissect an owl pellet and isolate DNA from fruits.

To sign up for the camp, please contact Phoebe Shih at shisharp@bellsouth.net.  Camp is limited to the first 12 people who sign up..

Young adults in their 20s or 30s are meeting in a casual setting twice a
month to talk about what matters.  Theology on Tap, offered by Chapel in the
Pines Presbyterian Church, meets the first and third Thursdays of every
month at 5:30 p.m. at the Town Hall Grill in Southern Village.

Led by Scott Adams, the group meets twice a month to discuss current events
and theological questions of relevance to post-undergraduates seeking
answers as they navigate many life changes that occur after college. Adams,
known to many in the area as an ultramarathoner who ran across North
Carolina in the summer of 2008 to increase support and awareness of cancer,
holds a Masters in Divinity from Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, VA,
and also earned his Masters in Library Science from UNC where he now works.

The group tries to dig deep and be honest about a variety of faith-related
questions and discussion topics. Young adults of various perspectives,
backgrounds, denominations and faiths attend and encouraged to offer their
unique perspectives.

“It’s really laid back,” said Emily Davis, group coordinator. “Bring what
you will to the discussion.” Recent topics include being a missionary in war
ridden countries, politics and most recently the relationship between
Christianity and other faiths. Suggestions for future topics are welcome.

Interested? Our next gathering is scheduled for March 18. For more
information, contact Emily Davis at emilyrosedavis@gmail.com.

What organization or government entity is coordinating this survey and  what will it be used for?  Despite your claims of non-partisanship, it  sure sounds like you are interested in a specific outcome, which will  quite undermine the validity of the survey results.  Reeks of junk  science and political spin.

While I applaud anyone who asks for accountability in government, I have to comment on Tom Glendinning’s survey. I took the survey, and found it to be very one sided, especially the last question. An unbiased survey would have included more boxes for “need more information”.

I am hard pressed to rate all the services listed, though I recognize that they all are important. I feel well qualified to comment on health and human services. They are are excellent given how little funding they really get and how understaffed they are. Do most people know that the health department is responsible for restaurant inspections, water
quality, well and septic inspection, community and school health and many other programs that happen outside of the “clinic”. There is plenty of research to show that most people have no clue as to all the services provided by the health department. The fact that health and social services were lumped together in your survey proves that and even
reinforces that the health department is a social service. It is not.

In a recent national project to determine county health status by state, Chatham Co ranked number 4 out of the 100 NC counties. This was not due to the availability of primary care providers. There we ranked 49 out 100. The ranking was due to community health initiatives.

Nobody likes paying taxes, but it is a fact of life if we want to have a livable infrastructure. Yes, we always need to make sure that our taxes are being used appropriately, but public opinion should not be based on an unscientific survey.

Janet Place