Chatham Journal Weekly

Former Chatham School Board Vice-Chairman Craig Lisk died on Sunday

Thu, 01 Jul 2009 16:09:00 GMT

Norman Craig Lisk, Sr., 93, of 902 West Fifth Street, Siler City, died Sunday, June 28, 2009, at UNC Hospitals, Chapel Hill. The funeral will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, July 1, at First United Methodist Church with Rev. Clyde Denny officiating. Burial with military rites by the Randolph County Honor Guard will follow in Chatham Memorial Park .

Consumer Reports not happy with Honda Insight's ride, handling, noise, and rear seat

Thu, 01 Jul 2009 15:59:00 GMT

The new Honda Insight posted a lackluster “Good” overall road-test score in Consumer Reports’ testing for the August issue. The Insight achieved an excellent 38 mpg overall in CR’s tests but fell short in ride quality, handling, interior noise, acceleration, rear- seat, access and visibility.

Chatham health department offers guidance on swine flu for children's summer programs

Wed, 23 Jun 2009 02:37:00 GMT

Even though it is summertime and the school year has ended, youth are still at risk of contracting the swine flu. The H1N1 flu doesn’t fall into the regular flu season, which usually lasts from November through March. This is why it is important for parents, vacation Bible school teachers, day and overnight camp employees, and other groups working with young people during the summer to pay attention to H1N1 symptoms to stop the spread of the disease.

Chevrolet Traverse gets “very good” overall rating in Consumer Reports’ tests of midsized, luxury Suvs

Tue, 22 Jun 2009 12:45:00 GMT

With a “Very Good” overall test score, the new Chevrolet Traverse now ranks third in Consumer Reports’ ranking of 18 midsized SUVs with three rows of seats. The only other SUVs in that category that outpoint it are Toyota’s Highlander and Highlander Hybrid.

Suggestions for summer reading - and viewing

Tue, 22 Jun 2009 12:45:00 GMT

It is summertime again and time to put aside a few books for vacation reading. Let me share some suggestions from books I have been reading to prepare for UNC-TV’s North Carolina Bookwatch’s new season beginning on Sunday, July 5, at 5 pm.

Related:
NC Book Watch
Our State Magazine

Pittsboro's historic Community House gets a facelift

Tue, 22 Jun 2009 03:43:00 GMT

If you’ve traveled down Thompson Street lately you’ve probably noticed the flurry of activity at the Community House. First, period arts and crafts lighting has been installed to match the 1930’s era in which the house was constructed. The existing ceiling fans have been patinated and their shades have been replaced to more closely match the new chandeliers.

Related:
Pittsboro Parks Blog

Cary Allred's burial ovation

Tue, 22 Jun 2009 00:33:00 GMT

You remember Marc Antony’s speech from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, beginning with: “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears.” Should it be this way for Cary Allred, whose recent political suicide and resignation from the state house of representatives was the center of attention in the state’s political news last month?

Related:
NC Book Watch
Our State Magazine

We cancelled our satellite service and are watching over the air HDTV

Tue, 22 Jun 2009 00:09:00 GMT

This is in response to the Chatham Chatlist conversations regarding digital tv conversion. My husband made his own antenna for about $5 that he put in our attic. It is working wonderfully with our LCD HDTV and an older TV with the converter box.

Chatham County Republicans seek volunteers to help Habitat For Humanity

Tue, 22 Jun 2009 00:02:00 GMT

On Saturday August 29, 2009 Chatham County Republicans will volunteer a day of Service to help Habitat for Humanity. We will be working in the Chatham Oaks Subdivision in Pittsboro. The day will begin at 8:30 am and end at 3:30 pm. We plan to have two shifts, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

Consumer Reports digital camera tests reveal four standout brands for Point-and-Shoot: Canon, Casio, Panasonic and Samsung

Mon, 21 Jun 2009 17:16:00 GMT

Consumer Reports latest testing of 54 point-and-shoot digital camera models found four brands continue to perform better than others year after year, according to Consumer Reports first ever analysis of point-and-shoot brands regularly tested. Canon, Casio, Panasonic, and Samsung offer the best chance of getting a superior performer, even if the camera was not tested by Consumer Reports. By contrast, Olympus has been the brand least likely to be a top performer.

Potato, corn and cherry tomato salad with basil dressing

Mon, 21 Jun 2009 17:03:00 GMT

If you need inspiration to find a dish that stands up to the heat, author Debbie Moose has a new book out called, simply enough, "Potato Salad: 65 Recipes from Classic to Cool" (Wiley Hardcover, $16.95). An easy and refreshing potato salad recipe to try, Potato, Corn and Cherry Tomato Salad with Basil Dressing, comes from Carol Reuss in Pittsboro, N.C., who got the recipe from a neighbor, Cynthia Jones.

Tear down the Lincoln Memorial?

Mon, 21 Jun 2009 02:49:00 GMT

After reading an important and provocative new book about Abraham Lincoln’s ideas about the proper role of freed blacks in post-slavery times, I wondered if somebody will propose that we tear down the Lincoln Memorial. In “‘What Shall We Do with the Negro?’ Lincoln, White Racism, and Civil War America,” Wake Forest history professor Paul Escott discusses the wide variety of opinions in Civil War times about what to do with blacks after the war ended.

Related:
NC Book Watch
Our State Magazine

Pittsboro-Siler City Visitors Bureau wins marketing awards

Wed, 16 Jun 2009 20:42:00 GMT

The Pittsboro-Siler City Convention & Visitors Bureau has won four destination marketing awards, including the Gold Award for its interactive visitor brochure; the Platinum Award for its electronic newsletter, Tourism ChitCHAT; and two Innovation in Tourism Awards from the Destination Marketing Association of North Carolina (DMANC).

Commissioners approve school funding in Chatham County's adopted 2009-10 budget

Wed, 16 Jun 2009 12:14:00 GMT

The Chatham County Board of Commissioners approved a budget that increases total funding for schools. Funding for K-12 education will be 39% of the county's general fund budget, up from 36.5% in 2008-09. The county's funding per student for 2010 will be $4,010, up $103 per pupil. Chatham County ranked sixth in the state in funding per pupil in 2009-10.

Despite property tax rate decrease some Chatham property owners to pay more in taxes

Wed, 16 Jun 2009 11:59:00 GMT

At its meeting on June 15, the Chatham County Board of Commissioners adopted a 2009-10 general fund budget of $80.5 million, a 3% overall reduction from the current budget, and lowered the tax rate from 65.3 cents to 60.22 cents per $100 valuation. If debt payments are excluded, the general fund budget is actually down 7%.