Web Run

Pittsboro to watch plans for 1,770 acres
[Feb. 10, 2006] Town officials said Thursday they would be looking carefully at the development of a recently purchased 1,770-acre tract of land just south of Pittsboro. "A development of that size is going to require quite a bit of input from all citizens, governments and stakeholders," Pittsboro Mayor Randy Voller said. By WEB RUN - Herald-Sun

1,800 acres sold in Chatham for $17.4 million
[Feb. 9, 2006] Developers backed by SAS Institute founder Jim Goodnight have bought about 1,800 acres in eastern Chatham County from retired Superior Court Judge Wade Barber and his family. Preston Development, which built the Preston subdivision in Cary, paid $17.4 million for the land, or about $10,000 an acre, said Barber, who retired from the Orange-Chatham bench in January. By WEB RUN - N&O

Chatham group combats gang activity
[Feb. 9, 2006] Deputy Jynnifer Harrell can read the writing on the wall. And if the writing on the wall is gang graffiti, it's her job to be able to read it, understand what it means and then do whatever she has to do to stop gang members from writing more. Harrell is one of three deputies at the Chatham County Sheriff's Office to make up the department's gang unit. By WEB RUN - Sanford Herald

Chatham loans raise ethics questions
[Feb. 2, 2006] A Chatham County commissioner is calling for two planning board members to resign because the chairman of the county commissioners co-signed their personal loans. Commissioner Patrick Barnes said Clyde Harris and Martin Mason cannot serve impartially if they might owe money to Bunkey Morgan. By WEB RUN - N&O

Struggling Bynum General Store to drop postal service
[Jan. 31, 2006] In a time when most everything in northern Chatham County has started to grow, tucked into the curve of the Haw River is a sleepy little country store that has been left behind by the trend. Soon it may be left behind for good. Store owner, Jerry Partin, says he doesn't know if the Bynum General Store will remain open past the end of March. By WEB RUN - Herald-Sun

Siler City go-to person Hobbs, 81
[Jan. 30, 2006] Pemberton Hobbs was born in Wilmington and educated in Raleigh but made a name for himself guiding change in a little town, Siler City. In the past two decades, "Pem" Hobbs ran for Siler City mayor twice, helped revive the town's defunct Fourth of July parade, served on the Chatham County Board of Commissioners, became the driving force behind four downtown
murals capturing the spirit of old Chatham County, and launched a Hispanic Task Force that helped public and private agencies respond to the county's rapid demographic and cultural shifts. Hobbs died Friday at the age of 81. By WEB RUN - N&O

Shopping center rezoning OK'd
[Jan. 24, 2006] The Chatham County commissioners have approved a rezoning request for their largest commercial development yet on the fast-growing U.S. 15-501 corridor between Chapel Hill and Pittsboro. The 500,000-square-foot Williams Corner will include about 200,000 square feet of retail space, as well as medical offices and 40 to 60 townhouses targeting established professionals and early retirees. By WEB RUN - N&O

Man at home with distinctive herd
[Jan. 23, 2006] A sleek BMW Z-4 zoomed by. An Acura TL followed it. But it was the hum of Bob Strowd's red, double cab Ford 250 that got the attention of the Belted Galloway cows at Fearrington Village. About a dozen of the cows, whose coloring makes them resemble Oreos, ran to the fence and called out to him with deep-voiced moos. By WEB RUN - N&O

Efforts aim to preserve retail in Pittsboro
[Jan. 12, 2006] After four downtown antique shops closed in 2002, Wendy and Jacques Dufour wanted to stanch the retail bleeding. So the owners of French Connections, an eclectic shop offering French antiques and African artifacts, rented a vacant storefront two blocks down Hillsboro Street, filled it with overflow merchandise, and named it The Annex. By WEB RUN - N&O

Chatham eyes local landfill
[Jan. 9, 2006] Renewing a conversation that has been ongoing for years about the county's solid waste practices, Chatham commissioners have once again brought up the idea of a local landfill. County trash is currently shipped out to Sampson County, but commissioners -- with a nod to the county's rapidly growing population -- said last week at a summit that the idea of handling solid waste inside the county was an idea whose time may soon come. By WEB RUN - Herald-Sun

Neighbors rally to preserve Mann's Chapel
[Jan. 8, 2006] Long before the world of paved roads and subdivisions, a simple white chapel served as the gathering place for those who lived out in the country near the Chatham-Orange County line. Mann's Chapel, founded in 1888 by John Henry Mann, sits in the curve on Poythress Road off Mann's Chapel Road in northern Chatham County. By WEB RUN - Chapel Hill News

BOE backs touch-screen voting option
[Jan. 7, 2006] A unanimous vote by the Board of Elections Friday approved the purchase of 150 electronic touch-screen voting machines to stock the county's 21 precincts. The final decision on the purchase of the machines will be made by the Board of Commissioners on Jan. 17. By WEB RUN - Herald-Sun

Chatham approves Habitat project
[Jan. 5, 2006] The Chatham County Board of Commissioners gave the go-ahead Tuesday for a 60-home affordable housing neighborhood south of Pittsboro. At Commissioner Mike Cross' request, the board told Chatham County's Habitat for Humanity to start negotiating to buy the land. The money for the neighborhood -- $1.1 million -- is being paid by the developers of the Briar Chapel subdivision, located south and east of Manns Chapel Road and west of U.S. 15-501. By WEB RUN - N&O

Voting machine meeting turns feisty
[Jan. 5, 2006] A public hearing to examine new voting machines turned heated Wednesday night when more than 100 Chatham County residents gathered to hear the Board of Elections describe the options. The subject of new voting technology was clearly an emotional one for many voters, with the discussion becoming so intense that members of the Board of Elections actually threatened to throw one audience member out of the room. By WEB RUN - Herald-Sun