For the Love of Carrboro

CARRBORO, N.C. -- The Carrboro Business Alliance and the Carrboro Tourism Development Authority (CTDA) encourage all local residents to show and share their #CarrboroLove this Valentine’s Day in commemoration of For the Love of Carrboro 2021 facebook.com/fortheloveofcarrboro and celebrate all that makes Carrboro a great place to live, learn, work, play, and visit.

• #CarrboroLove Gift Guide carolinachamber.org/fortheloveofcarrboro
  Share your love of Carrboro with the purchase of uniquely Carrboro sweet treats and eats for your Valentine. 
• #CarrboroLove Staycation visitcarrboro.com/carrboro-cares
  Fall in love with Carrboro all over again with a safe, shared weekend experience.
• #CarrboroLove Social Media facebook.com/fortheloveofcarrboro
  Show your love of Carrboro with a selfie with your favorite Carrboro people, places, and spaces, and post on Facebook and Instagram with #CarrboroLove.

Learn more at https://www.townofcarrboro.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1602

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Winter Weather Advisory

A Winter Weather Advisory has been issued for the Carrboro area through noon Saturday, Feb. 13. 

Winter weather includes precipitation of snow, sleet, freezing rain or a mix of the three. 

NC Emergency Management reports a possibility for freezing rain across areas of the state.

Road conditions may become hazardous, so please use caution.  

For the latest forecast, please visit weather.gov/rah 

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Carrboro Celebrates Black History Month 

• February 17th - Black Experiences with Storyteller Donna Washington
  6 to 7:30 p.m.
  Donna Washington is an internationally known, multiple award-winning storyteller, spoken word recording artist, and author. A highly-animated performer, she has been entertaining, educating, and inspiring audiences with her vocal pyrotechnics, elastic face, and deep characterizations that bring folklore, literary tales, and personal narratives to life for over thirty years. This is a virtual show with a question and answer session to follow the show. Parents are encouraged to watch the show with their youth (Ages: Middle School & Up). For more information, please contact Robbin Justice-Jones at rjones@townofcarrboro.org or 919-918-7368. To register for this Zoom program, please go to https://townofcarrboro.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_H0ONe9QOQgePBKP_DvbByg
  
  
• February 28th - Family Fun Sunday Series with JeGhetto
  2:30 to 3:30 p.m.
  Tarish Pipkins a.k.a. Jeghetto has fine-tuned his skills by doing street performances with his puppets. He has worked with Paperhand Puppet Intervention. He has built puppets and performed in several Paperhand productions. Most recently, Jeghetto had the pleasure to work with national recording artist, Missy Elliott on her music video, WTF (Where They From) controlling the Pharell puppet and doing some puppet building. He also worked on the Amazon Echo commercial featuring Missy Elliott and Alec Baldwin as puppets. Children and adults alike will be amazed. For more information on registration, contact Robbin Justice-Jones at rjones@townofcarrboro.org or 919-918-7368. To register for the Zoom program, please visit https://townofcarrboro.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_dfRON1pwQne0CayvSsS4dg
  
  
• Black History Legends, Orange County Style
  We're highlighting local Black Americans who are making a difference in our communities. Together with Orange County, the Town of Chapel Hill and the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, the Town of Carrboro is posting videos out across our social media. You can also find these at YouTube.com/CarrboroNC where we have added features on local Black Americans, Black Lives Matter murals, and Town of Carrboro programs including the Frederick Douglass Community Reading. 

If you have any questions, please contact the Recreation, Parks, & Cultural Resources Department at programsdivision@townofcarrboro.org or 919-918-7364.

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Carrboro Town Manager Announces New Police Chief

CARRBORO, N.C. -- Town Manager David Andrews has announced the appointment of Police Capt. Chris Atack, a 22-year veteran of the Carrboro Police Department, as the next Police Chief for the Town of Carrboro, effective Feb. 15, 2021.  

“Chris has the right combination of experience and qualities that will make him a successful police chief,” said Town Manager David Andrews. “We have chosen a leader who will continue to make positive progress toward community policing, equal justice, and continuous improvement going forward.” 

The appointment follows Police Chief Walter Horton’s retirement. Police Capt. Atack was selected from a field of 36 applicants in a competitive recruitment process.

“I am humbled, honored and excited with this opportunity,” Atack said. “The year 2020 was a challenge for a number of reasons and laid bare many of the persistent inequities in our country.  Our department has unique opportunities to address, respond, and adapt to these realities as we focus on community service, transparency, and solution-driven thinking.”

More at https://www.townofcarrboro.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1604

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Town Council Update

Meeting agendas and updates are issued from the Town Clerk’s Office. To receive these by email or text, sign up for Carrboro Town News at townofcarrboro.org/signup

Civic involvement is a valued tradition in our community.  Reach the Town Council with your ideas, views and questions at council@townofcarrboro.org

Coming Up
The Town Council will meet virtually at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 16, to consider an agenda xxxxxxxx also available at carrboro.legistar.com.  

To view, livestream at carrboro.legistar.com OR YouTube.com/CarrboroNC OR Cable TV 18 (in Carrboro). To speak at the meeting, email publiccomment@townofcarrboro.org

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Carrboro Town Council to Recognize Black Lives Matter Mural Artists

The Carrboro Town Council plans to recognize the artists who were commissioned for Black Lives Matter murals at its next virtual meeting scheduled at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 16. 

The community is invited to join the live stream program at YouTube.com/CarrboroNC, carrboro.legistar.com or Cable TV 18. 

More at https://www.townofcarrboro.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1607

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Carrboro Seeks Volunteers to Serve on Racial Equity Commission

The Town of Carrboro is recruiting for the newly established Racial Equity Commission. 

The Racial Equity Commission is empowered to make short, mid- and long-term recommendations that will make significant progress toward repairing the damage caused by public and private systemic racism, boosting economic mobility and opportunity, and creating generational wealth in the Black community. The commission was established by the Carrboro Town Council on Jan. 19, 2021. 

Apply at townofcarrboro.org/AdvisoryBoards    

View and share the information flyer at https://www.townofcarrboro.org/DocumentCenter/View/8721/Racial-Equity-Commission-Flyer

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Food Distribution Set for Feb. 25

A Community Food Distribution is set for 10:30 a.m. to noon Thursday, Feb. 25, at Carrboro High School, 201 Rock Haven Road. 

Food boxes are open to all and available on a first-come, first-served basis. There is a limit of two households per vehicle. 

This event is hosted by the Orange County Department of Social Services in collaboration with the Town of Carrboro. 

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Fire Strikes Multi-Family Dwelling

On Friday, Feb.12, 2021, at 3:04 a.m., members of the Carrboro Fire Rescue Department responded to the 200 block of Cedarwood Lane, for the report of a smoke coming from the roof of a residence. There were no civilian or firefighter injuries due to the fire.

Responding fire crews arrived in just over five minutes and found a six-unit townhome with smoke and flames emitting through the roof at the rear of a middle unit. Fire crews immediately initiated a fire attack in the attic and along the roofline. The fire was brought under control in approximately 20 after arriving. Fire crews were able to contain the fire to the original townhome without allowing the fire to extend into neighboring residences that share a common attic. Fire damage was limited to the attic, roof, a second floor bedroom, and water damage on the first and second floor. Initial damage estimates are approximately $175,000.

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PreK-12 School Personnel and Child Care Workers Become Eligible for the COVID-19 Vaccine Feb. 24

News Release from Orange County Health Department 

Governor Roy Cooper announced Feb. 10 that childcare workers, educators and school personnel in pre-K through grade 12, including private and charter schools, will be eligible to receive a COVID vaccine beginning Feb. 24. Other frontline essential workers listed in Group 3 will become eligible Mar. 10.

“This gradual approach will allow the state to balance the number of people in Group 3 with the limited supply,” Cooper said. “Educators and childcare providers will be the first members of Group 3 eligible to receive the vaccine. They have worked throughout this pandemic.”

Orange County Health Department will work with the two public school systems, private and charter schools and childcare providers within the county to develop a plan to vaccinate eligible staff. More information about the process will be available soon on the Orange County website.

Orange County continues to register individuals in Groups 1 and 2 (healthcare workers and long-term care providers and anyone 65 or older). The county will announce its plans for registering the other essential frontline workers from Group 3 soon.

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From the National Audubon Society

The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is a free, fun, and easy event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of bird populations. Participants are asked to count birds for as little as 15 minutes (or as long as they wish) on one or more days of the four-day event and report their sightings online at birdcount.org. Anyone can take part in the Great Backyard Bird Count, from beginning bird watchers to experts, and you can participate from your backyard, or anywhere in the world.

Each checklist submitted during the GBBC helps researchers at the  National Audubon Society, Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Birds Canada learn more about how birds are doing, and how to protect them and the environment we share. Recently, more than 160,000 participants submitted their bird observations online, creating the largest instantaneous snapshot of global bird populations ever recorded.

The 24th annual GBBC will be held Friday, Feb. 12, through Monday, Feb. 15. Please visit the official website at birdcount.org for more information.

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