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	<title>the Carrboro Commons</title>
	<link>http://carrborocommons.org</link>
	<description>Where Carrboro Gets Together</description>
	<pubDate>Thu, 11 Jun 2009 13:24:27 +0000</pubDate>
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		<copyright>&#xA9;the Carrboro Commons 2003-2006</copyright>
		<managingEditor>jock@email.unc.edu (the Carrboro Commons)</managingEditor>
		<webMaster>jock@email.unc.edu</webMaster>
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		<ttl>1440</ttl>
		<itunes:keywords>carrboro, commons, community, journalism</itunes:keywords>
		<itunes:subtitle>Where Carrboro gets together.</itunes:subtitle>
		<itunes:summary>The Community Journalism class at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill covers the city of Carrboro in a bi-weekly internet publication.

Relentlessly local.</itunes:summary>
		<itunes:author>the Carrboro Commons</itunes:author>
		<itunes:category text="News &amp; Politics"/>
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			<itunes:name>the Carrboro Commons</itunes:name>
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			<title>the Carrboro Commons</title>
			<link>http://carrborocommons.org</link>
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		<item>
		<title>A sentimental journey back to The Wake Weekly</title>
		<link>http://carrborocommons.org/2009/06/11/a-sentimental-journey-back-to-the-wake-weekly/</link>
		<comments>http://carrborocommons.org/2009/06/11/a-sentimental-journey-back-to-the-wake-weekly/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 11 Jun 2009 13:19:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>jock</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://carrborocommons.org/2009/06/11/a-sentimental-journey-back-to-the-wake-weekly/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In this, the 9th summer of the Community Journalism Roadshow, our latter-day Johnny Appleseed is targeting indy and semi-indy non-daily newspapers, which are clearly weathering The Great Recession far better than their corporate-owned big-city daily bretheren. This week our rambles take us to the Wake Weekly, a paper we&#8217;ve been following for 40 years. Forty [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[In this, the 9th summer of the Community Journalism Roadshow, our latter-day Johnny Appleseed is targeting indy and semi-indy non-daily newspapers, which are clearly weathering The Great Recession far better than their corporate-owned big-city daily bretheren. This week our rambles take us to the Wake Weekly, a paper we&#8217;ve been following for 40 years. Forty years, y&#8217;all!
by Jock Lauterer
Director
The Carolina Community Media Project



The Wake Weekly staff gathers for a team portrait in front of their charming downtown offices in Wake Forest.
Jock Lauterer photo



Q: What kind of a weekly can support a staff of 17?
A: A very good one.
There has always been something special about the Wake Weekly. I first heard about the paper 40 years ago when I was myself in the community newspaper biz, having just started THIS WEEK, an innovative weekly in Forest City (with partners Ron Paris and Bill Blair) that leaned heavily on my large black-and-white photographs. 
After we pretty much swept our first NCPA competition, I got this call from this total stranger in Wake Forest named Bob Allen wanting to know how I managed to capture high school football action photos without using flash. 
Im not about to tell you, I responded impolitely, because then youd know my secret and youd try to beat us next year in the photo competition.
Bob has long since forgiven me for my youthful arrogance, but I still wince at the memory. 
JUST ANOTHER ALLEN BOY
Because 15 years later, when I was a freshman perfesser at UNC and in need of a summer job, who made a spot for me? Yes, Bob (and Peggy) Allen of the Wake Weekly. And I dont think they really needed me, so much as they just realized I was needy. That summer of 84 I slept on a chaise lounge on their screened in porch by the swimming pool, and I pretty much became just another Allen boy.
Speaking of kids, if Bob and Peggy hadnt had four sons, they wouldnt have had much of a staff back then. But I mustnt forget Production Manager and Fixer of All Things Al Merritt, who, though he is not an Allen, might as well be.
Ten years after that wonderful summer of 84, I wrote the first edition of my community journalism textbook and field guide, and in that field guide, I held up the Wake Weekly as the gold standard of excellence for a community paper. All these years later, it still is.
Now in 2009 as much has changed in the ecology of the newspaper industry as it has with the Wake Weekly. But one thing has remained, its still a drop-dead great indy newspaper, though Peggy has passed on and Bob has retired after selling the paper to son Greg. The roughly 8k paid circulation 32-page broadsheet paper is now run by wife Janet Rose, with able assistance from General Manager Marty Coward, in my humble opinion one of the really great community journalists in this state &#8212; and of course, Al Merritt, who is still there after 53 years!
And who should greet me at the front desk but smiling Davis Allen, third-generation newspaper guy, all grown up and getting ready to go off to Elon this fall.
THE PEGGY ALLEN AWARD
Following Peggys untimely death in 04, I set up a scholarship fund at the J-school to honor the life and legacy of one of North Carolinas truly great ladies of community journalism. Each year I select an outstanding UNC-CH student who is awarded $4,800 to support a summer internship at an excellent N.C. community paper. Here are the winners and where they interned:
 Jake Potter, the Whiteville News Reporter, 2005
 Carrie Crespo, the Stanly News and Press,  Albemarle, 2006.
 Meghan Cook, The Mount Airy News, 2006.
 Sara Gregory, the Salisbury Post, 2007.
 Colin Campbell, the State Port Pilot, Southport, 2008.
And for 2009, it seemed high time to send this years recipient of the Peggy Allen Award home " as in home to the Wake Weekly. And thats where Heather Mandelkehr is spending her summer, already having a memorable summer, by the looks of things. 
A DIFFERENT KIND OF WORKSHOP
So, you can see, coming to Wake Forest was a sentimental journey for this old community newsie. And because I respect this paper and its people so much, I really wanted to do them justice and to give them something they could use.



Assessing their assets: Franklin County Reporter Brian J. Slattery makes a point as General Manager Marty Coward takes notes.
Jock Lauterer photo



Southern Pines PILOT publisher David Woronoff provided the inspiration earlier this year when he had me lead a think-tank session with his staff " sort of a strategic long-range planning session. Using poster-sized Post-It Notes we first assessed our assets, then plotted out the challenges and speed bumps, and finally brainstormed blue sky about what we want to be when we grow up as a local news/information gathering organization.

ASSESS YOUR ASSETS
All 17 Wake Weekly staffers participated in this session, coming up with these conclusions: First of all, I kept hearing we like working here, and we love the paper. This staff has a high level of collegiality, evident during the workshop as an almost palpable sense that these folks realize they are a part of something larger than themselves. 
Janet Rose knows how special and rare this is. The bond of trust and loyalty is so strong she says it makes her want to cry sometimes. For example, how the Wake Weekly is weathering the Great Recession is an indicator of their bonds. Rather than see any of their fellow workers laid off, the entire staff cut back on their hours so as to spread the burden evenly and still keep everyone on staff. Thus when Marty Coward says, Our people are our biggest asset, he is not exaggerating. 
Every journalism teacher wants to see his or her best students graduate and land a job at a great community paper. Little wonder then that the WW has been a newspaper of destination for many UNC community journalism grads and or interns including Tim Conlon, Iris Padgett, Heather Mandelkehr and Carrie Crespo.
The paper is housed, literally, in a lovely two-story house just off a bustling and charming historic main street. That proximity and the papers long-standing open access policy contribute to the Wake Weeklys continued success. We are the nucleus of this community, one staffer said.
In addition, the WW has a long tradition of quality community journalism. This culture of excellence is manifested in new computers and professional level Nikon 35mm camera equipment for staffers. The result is a visually robust newspaper that is always chocked full of large compelling photographs and original local content. Staffers are encouraged to be innovative with design " and the results have been terrific. Sports writers Matt Morgan and Tommy Kopetskie put together sports page layouts that knocked my socks off. Little wonder that the WW is a must-read for local high school kids. Yes, thats what I said: kids reading newspapers.
THE BOONIES NO MORE
Old Wake Forest, back in the day, used to have the luxury of grand isolation, and thus, the paper was THE paper of its region. But no more. Raleigh, spilling and sprawling its way into northern Wake County, has come knocking. In the last decade huge developments have sprouted, full of new residents who may work at RTP and only sleep in Wake Forest. Reaching these new potential readers has been and will continue to be one of the Wake Weeklys biggest challenges.
Marty says they do it by welcoming the newcomers, then targeting them with coverage of their kids (school news, sports) and local government news that affects their pocketbooks. 
The growth has been something of a paradox. While some staffers fear the loss of the old small-town feel, that same expansion of the formerly village-like town has fueled the papers growth. 
Staffers listed competition as one of their toxic assets.  Theres a new freebie in town called the Gazette, as well as McClatchys North Raleigh News that keeps us sharp, says Marty.
SPEEDBUMPS
Even for the very finest papers and most enlightened publishers, this is a challenging time to be in the newspaper business. Ive heard more than one publishers lament: Its not so much that the local advertising has dried up &#8212; it hasnt&#8211; its that advertisers are taking LONGER TO PAY US.
But I remain confident. Community newspapers will survive and thrive, especially the high-quality indy weeklies with a clear sense of who they are and whom they serve. And the Wake Weekly is still that gold standard.
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Garner Citizen: “Put on your seat belts!”</title>
		<link>http://carrborocommons.org/2009/06/04/the-garner-citizen-%e2%80%9cput-on-your-seat-belts%e2%80%9d/</link>
		<comments>http://carrborocommons.org/2009/06/04/the-garner-citizen-%e2%80%9cput-on-your-seat-belts%e2%80%9d/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 04 Jun 2009 18:12:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>jock</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://carrborocommons.org/2009/06/04/the-garner-citizen-%e2%80%9cput-on-your-seat-belts%e2%80%9d/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[by Jock Lauterer
Director, the Carolina Community Media Project
Over the last nine summers, I&#8217;ve led community journalism workshops at over 130 Tar Heel newspapers. This summer, I&#8217;ve decided to focus on the independent (or semi-independent) community papers, particularly the so-called &#8220;non-dailies,&#8221; which are clearly weathering The Great Recession far better than their big-city daily cousins. Last [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[by Jock Lauterer
Director, the Carolina Community Media Project
Over the last nine summers, I&#8217;ve led community journalism workshops at over 130 Tar Heel newspapers. This summer, I&#8217;ve decided to focus on the independent (or semi-independent) community papers, particularly the so-called &#8220;non-dailies,&#8221; which are clearly weathering The Great Recession far better than their big-city daily cousins. Last month I went to one of the state&#8217;s most &#8220;dug-in&#8221; pair of weeklies, the Clemmons Courier and the Davie County Enterprise Record of Mocksville where the average tenure of the staffers was in the double digits (including 85-year-old Sara Campbell, who&#8217;s been there 63 years!) This week, by contrast, I wanted to find out about a daring start-up over in Garner, just southeast of Raleigh.  What I found there should restore your faith in the future of journalism.

WHAT KIND OF A FOOL&#8230;?



Garner Citizen staffers proudly hold up fresh copies of their paper, hot off the presses. The paper&#8217;s owners are Barry Moore, second from left, and Debbie Moore Rodwell, far right.
Jock Lauterer photo



Newsprint, the office cat, had left her gray catnip mouse on the newsroom floor of the Garner Citizen, bearing silent witness to the old saying: You can tell its a community newspaper if there are kids and animals in the newsroom.
But the Garner Citizen (News &#038; Times) isnt just another 2k paid circulation weekly, of which there are literally thousands across the country. The bold newcomer to the Wake County newspaper wars, an almost 2-year-old indie, gives the lie to a snarky blog post I read recently: What sort of FOOL starts a newspaper in 2007?!
Answer: Adventurous entrepreneurs, who love journalism and their communities and who, in these times of newspaper churn, see and seize the opportunity. 
In Garners case, that would be the sister-brother team of Debbie Moore Rodwell and Barry E. Moore, whose Vol. 1, No. 1, hit the streets of this great little all-American blue collar town (Debbies words) on July 24, 2007, out of a sense that Garner needed a great hyper-local newspaper.
From the get-go, Debbie and Barry have had a no-holds-barred attitude, thinking of themselves as pioneers taking part in a newspaper revolution and redefining the newspaper world, says Debbie, the energetic 40-something publisher with a career in marketing and sales. We re open to try anything. We think outside the box. Put on your seat belts!
Its difficult not to get pumped about community journalism when youre around someone with so much positive energy. This is the most rewarding job Ive ever had, she vows.
Brother, as Debbie addresses Barry, strikes me as a good business match. A retired police officer, Barry serves as executive editor, and grounds the paper with his solid business sense. When I asked him why they decided to charge (75 cents per copy and $39 a year) for their start-up, and why they didnt go with the free model, Barry responded without a pause, It never occurred to me to give anything away.
BIG NAME; LITTLE PAPER
The Citizen has a curious handle for a start-up with News &#038; Times in smaller type tacked onto the bottom of the larger The Garner Citizen on their flag and business cards " a tribute Im told, to the historic Garner News and a defunct paper named the Garner Times. Making this more confusing, there IS a Heartland Publications LLC-owned paper across town named The Garner News, and the competition includes the relatively new McClatchy bureau paper, the Garner-Clayton Record. If that sounds like a lot to go up against, Barry is confident: I really dont consider them competition, the latter of which he says is spread too thinly over too much territory to be effective.
Both Debbie and Barry are locals, and they think that is central to how well theyve done. We are at all the functions, Barry explains.  We partner with everybody. We serve on commissions. We are local-local- local. Debbie chimes in, Our relationship to this community is organic. Were home-grown. 

THE YOUNG AND THE ENERGETIC
If business acumen and energy describe Debbie and Barry, the word to describe their newsroom is: Youth. Its a young and enthusiastic crew throwing themselves into this start-up, led by 28-year-old City Editor Paul Tambasco, a former 8th grade teacher who started at the Citizen in September after coming over from the Garner News. The other staffers I met were: 31-year-old Rachel Healy, the Web designer and editorial and production manager whos been there about a year; Creative Director Courtney Flaherty, 23, whos been there a year; Amy Townsend, 23, editorial assistant, who started in October; and Graphic Designer Jay Gross, a senior at Campbell, who just joined the staff. 
Here&#8217;s another another dynamic: not one of the young newsroom staffers is actually from Garner. So, bottom line, the staff of The Garner Citizen is still just getting to know one another. And they are still getting to know Garner. 
But novelty is one of the engines of a start-up, and Debbie is confident: There are so many people out there cheering us on, she says. Its like Christmas every week when I open the newspaper.
THIS AIN&#8217;T CARY, YALL
Although at first Garner appears to be just another former small town engulfed by Raleigh sprawl, Citizen staffers make it very clear, their town is NOT Cary. So while in-growth has increased rapidly in recent years, the town situated just southeast of Raleigh still boasts a significant indigenous population of Garner natives.
Garner has a very strong sense of identity, explains Paul. As an example, Debbie points to the annual turnout for Garners Relay for Life, which she claims, eclipses the efforts of all the surrounding communities.
Also, Garners proximity to downtown Raleigh makes it attractive, says Barry. Garner is closer to Raleigh than Raleigh is to Raleigh. What used to be the best-kept secret in Wake County, is being discovered by families seeking small-town amenities within easy commuting distance of the big city. However, Garner is not the bedroom community it used to be, insists Barry, because the town now provides work, entertainment, lifestyle opportunities and options for its own residents. You dont have to leave Garner anymore, he says. 
But when you go looking for a downtown Garner, you will be hard- pressed to find much. Surely nothing like Mocksville with its classic tree-shaded courthouse square. Sadly, much of the Garner I saw was that mind-numbing generic American strip Sprawl Mall layout straddling highways devoid of a shred of local atmosphere, originality or character. 
GIVING THEM WHAT THEY WANT
All the same, the Citizen aims at tapping in on Garner pride by giving them a product they cant get anywhere else, Debbie says, pointing to two exhaustive graduation special sections devoted to the local high schools. The photographs, printed in the 32-page tab on hi-brite paper, are so crisp that they just about leap off the page.
Owners and staffers alike say they are looking forward to their first NCPA competition this coming year when they expect theyll be in the thick of the folks walking up to the podium to collect press awards. And that wouldnt surprise me one bit either.
ON TO WAKE FOREST
Next week I get to take a sentimental journey back to old Wake Forest, where the Allen family, in some iteration, has owned the Wake Weekly since the early &#8217;50s. My own association with the Allens dates back to the &#8217;70s when I had my own community paper. Since then, it has been my remarkable pleasure to watch the Wake Weekly grow into one of the state&#8217;s very finest weeklies. 
I can&#8217;t wait to find out what they&#8217;re up to this summer. Stay tuned.
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		<item>
		<title>What&#8217;s the secret of N.C.&#8217;s successful weeklies?</title>
		<link>http://carrborocommons.org/2009/05/18/whats-the-secret-of-ncs-successful-weeklies/</link>
		<comments>http://carrborocommons.org/2009/05/18/whats-the-secret-of-ncs-successful-weeklies/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 18 May 2009 11:52:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>jock</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://carrborocommons.org/2009/05/18/whats-the-secret-of-ncs-successful-weeklies/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[by Jock Lauterer
Director
the Carolina Community Media Projecte
Permit me to disabuse you of the notion that all newspapers are failing.
Sure, we all know that many major metro dailies were already in a dismal state prior to the economy tanking last fall, due largely to investor greed and corporate owners taking on too much debt. Since then, [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[by Jock Lauterer
Director
the Carolina Community Media Projecte
Permit me to disabuse you of the notion that all newspapers are failing.
Sure, we all know that many major metro dailies were already in a dismal state prior to the economy tanking last fall, due largely to investor greed and corporate owners taking on too much debt. Since then, their sad demise has been all too well documented.
So take a deep breath and allow me this summer to take you beyond the beltways, off the interstates and out onto our states blue highways where we boast at least 190 smaller newspapers, including about 140 weeklies &#8212; many of which are still independently owned, or at least owned by small groups which could hardly be called a chain in the sense of a company the size of a McClatchy or a Gannett. 



Most everybody who works at the Davie County Enterprise Record and Clemmons Courier has been there since dirt. Veteran Editor-Publisher Dwight Sparks, with 24 years behind the mast, knows his staff is committed to their paper and the community.
Photos by Jock Lauterer



Im interested in this size newspaper, not only because I used to help run a pair of weekly papers and the fact that I teach community journalism, but also because of what Ive observed firsthand over nine summers of workshops statewide from Murphy to Manteo.
 In spite of the economy, Ive witnessed in weeklies (and especially in the non-chain weeklies) a strength of community spirit and a vitality of robust sustainability that will restore your faith in journalism.
So wouldnt it be instructive to ask: what are these folks doing right? How are these community papers weathering what some are calling The Great Recession? Is there a formula, or at least a common denominator among these successful small-town news institutions? 
I decided to start with a pair of western Piedmont papers Ive long admired, the Clemmons Courier and the Davie County Enterprise Record of Mocksville, both owned by the Evening Post Co. of Charleston, S.C., and printed at their sister paper in Salisbury.
WELCOME TO MOCKSVILLE
Turn left off the mind-numbing sameness of 1-40 thirty minutes west of Winston-Salem and almost magically find yourself driving through the soundstage of Meredith Willsons THE MUSIC MAN: An old-fashioned picture postcard tree-canopied county seat downtown square dominated by a classic 19th century cupolad courthouse with IN GOD WE TRUST emblazoned over the white columns.  
Ringing the square are law offices, eateries and local small-town businesses with names like the coffee shop Kool Beanz. Not a national franchise chain store in the lot.
Big city reporters would call Mocksville sleepy, but I find it just right. Diagonal parking along the main street forces traffic to creep and defer to pedestrians. The sweet pace of life makes me jealous. (To my way of thinking, Chapel Hill shot itself in the foot years ago when they did away with diagonal parking on Franklin Street, where pedestrians like me take our lives in our hands trying to get across the 100 block.) 
But Mocksville (locals pronounce it MOCKS-vul) feels just the right size to me, several thousand folks who clearly love it here. The New York native who runs the Davie County Senior Center is one, telling me she couldnt take the frantic pace of nearby Winston-Salem. She loves the town and the neighbors who let me know right away" no running power equipment on Sunday.
That pretty much says it all &#8212; that and the chimes of the Mocksville First United Methodist Church playing old hymns at noon. The kind of place where at the Senior Center a retired Baptist preacher kept wanting to know Whats your church affiliation? until I told him I was a fallen-away Unitarian.
BEEN THERE SINCE DIRT



Part of the staff that puts out the Davie County Enterprise Record and Clemmons Courier assembles for a team photo. And they ARE a team.
Jock Lauterer photo



It never fails, but when I find a town like Mocksville, I imagine cloning myself into whoever is lucky enough to run the local community newspaper. 
Today its Dwight Sparks, whos been a fixture in the local journalism world for 24 years. 
But compared to some other staffers, the editor-publisher of the two papers is a newcomer.
So it didnt take long to figure out one of the major reasons for their success. In a word, its continuity. Just look at this line-up. 
Sara Campbell, who just turned 85, started at the Enterprise Record in 1946 and has been there 63 years. Now she just works on Wednesdays when the paper comes out, and some people refuse to buy the paper from anyone other than Sara herself. Dwight tells me shes said many times that she wants to die at her desk.
Legendary photographer James Barringer, who just turned 70, started in 1965 and been there 44 years. To this day he still takes drop-dead great prep sports photos.
Vivacious General Manager Robin Snow started in 1973 and has been there 36 years " long enough, in her words to have made photographs of three generations.
Check out these other employment records:
Clemmons Courier secretary Kay Henderson, 25 years.
Courier sports editor Chris Mackie, 23 years.
Enterprise Record Managing Editor Mike Barnhardt, 24 years.
Advertising Director Ray Tutterow, 19 years.
E-R Sports Editor Brian Pitts, 14 years.
Staffer Jeannie Trotter, 14 years.
Staffer Jackie Seabolt, nine years.
Staffer Linda Morison, eight years.
And Dwight points to two county correspondents with even longer track records. In an email, Dwight writes, Our Advance News and Four Corners New writers have both been at it for 50 years.
So you can safely assume that Dwight runs a happy shop, the kind of place people love to work at. Fact is, thats exactly what they told me. We love this newspaper, vowed Robin. This is our newspaper.
The bald truth is that its legally owned by folks in Charleston, but the psychosocial-spiritual ownership lies here, AND with the enviable reader loyalty exhibited by the approx. 2,000 paying readers of the Courier and the 9,000 paid subscribers of the Enterprise Record, some of whom insist on buying the paper on Wednesday even though theyll get it in the mail the next day! 
What does this sort of staff commitment gain the papers, I asked? Access and trust, they told me quickly. I dont need a press pass, says Robin.  Politicians often time their announcements and law enforcement officials schedule their busts and perp walks to Tuesday afternoon so the local weeklies can get the scoop. 
In my humble view, these two papers are perfect examples of the beloved institution of which MLK spoke. Dwight observes, The years we have invested in this community is remarkable. 
The community has noticed. Even in this lousy economy, there are local businesses that advertise with the papers, I learn, just because they understand they need to support their local newspaper. 
HISTORY ON THEIR SIDE



Eighty-five-year-old Sara Campbell, who has worked at the paper for 63 years, says, This is a town that loves to know everybodys business.
Jock Lauterer photo



As Dwight explained, the first paper in the region was the Record, started in 1899 as a Republican Party paper. Next came the Cooleemee Journal in 1901, and then the Enterprise in 1916, the Democratic Party paper. The Enterprise and Record merged in 1958. The Cooleemee paper was significant because it was the first (or one of the first) papers in the state to go cold type or offset in 1965. That technology allowed them to run huge photographs that impressed everybody " and to this day, the legacy of the Cooleemee Journal can be seen in the photo-heavy, family-oriented pages of both papers, printed expertly at the Salisbury Post.
RIGHT ON THE SQUARE
Both papers got an A+ on the Lauterer Accessibility Test. Thats where I walk in the front door unannounced and ask to see the editor or publisher. Papers where I can walk right in score the highest. Papers with locked newsrooms, keypad entry only, a receptionist Nazi, video cameras and/or a uniformed guard with a gun flunk my test.
Lauterers Virtuous Triangle goes like this: the more Accessibility the public has, then more likely the community journalist is to feel Accountable, and therefore the more Accurate he or she will try to be.
Heres another of my litmus tests: is the paper office located centrally downtown so pedestrian traffic is facilitated and even encouraged? Again, Mocksville particularly gets another A.
So I barged right in the office (located smack-dab across the square from the Courthouse), with the old heavy glass and wooden door creaking just like your Aunt Maudes. It was the homiest sound, and there to greet me with a smile (me, a rank stranger) was Sara, who, when we got to talking about her age, said with a smile, Im kind of like that old door; the older I get, the squeakier I become.
THE HOOVER ADAMS FORMULA
Veteran publisher Hoover Adams of the Dunn Daily Record is famous for saying that his papers formula for success is simple: just run lots and lots of photos of local people. 
OK, so lets put these two papers to the Hoover Adams Test.
In a random issue of the Enterprise Record, I counted 154 identifiable faces in that weeks 30-page broadsheet. In the 26-page broadsheet Courier, I counted 160 faces (many IDed in the caption too). Multiply 314 times 8 (all the family folks, etc. who care) and you get 2,512 local people impacted this week alone by just the photos in these papers. Dont you think theyre gonna want to buy the paper? You betcha.
This is no accident. We run lots of big pictures of kids, Robin says. We can make stars out of middle school and high school kids, and theyre a star for a week. 
Speaking of school coverage, both papers mine their local schools relentlessly. Up at Clemmons, theres been a 30-year tradition of high schoolers writing The Titan Tattler column for the Courier. Students come begging to write for the paper, Dwight says. Repeat: begging.
THE NEWSPAPER OF RECORD
When I asked Dwight and his staff to assess their assets, heres something else he mentioned: We are the old newspaper of public record, meaning that they run arrests, court records, fire/police/arrest log, tax liens and legal ads. In fact, the Clemmons Courier, located in the southwestern edge of Forsyth County, gets the countys legals because as one staffer told me, the major metro paper has priced itself out of the market&#8230;Were racking up on their stupidity. 
NOT ALL SUNSHINE CARE BEARS AND RAINBOWS
So what are their weaknesses, the greatest challenges theyre facing? Not surprisingly, Ads are a struggle, concedes Advertising Director Tutterow, with formerly dependable real estate and automotive advertising down significantly. Theyre just not advertising, he says. 
But the papers are profitable, and Sara Campbell thinks thats due in part to their relative isolation, particularly Mocksville, located midway between Winston-Salem to the east and Statesville to the west. Were the only paper hereand doing well because theyre no competition " and were a FAMILY paper too!
The absentee ownership factor in distant Charleston, S.C., has not been without its speedbumps, with some furloughs and the loss of one part-time ad typesetter. Corporate did move all the classified ad administration to the larger paper in Salisbury, a change that chaffs some staffers used to controlling all their content in-house. But compared to their big-city cousins where entire newsrooms have been decimated, this is nothing and they know it. As long as we are profitable, says Dwight, they leave us alone. And there is absolutely no prior restraint on news content. 
ONLINE



Regulars head for a great lunch at Snooks Old Fashion Barbecue on NC 158 between Clemmons and Mocksville.
Jock Lauterer photo



The Enterprise Record has a fairly handsome nothin-fancy online version, (though I truly detest those winking/blinking adds poking me like a stick in the eye). All the same, theres veteran photographer James Barringers consistently excellent sports photos to anchor the sports pagea local angle on the H1N1 flu, and a lead story about gangs (gangs?!) in rural Davie County. Good readinguntil you get to the end of the brief, where it abruptly stops, and then you see SUBSCRIBE TO THE DAVIE COUNTY ENTERPRISEETC.
Pretty clever marketing, if you ask me. They get you hooked and then jerk away the carrot. Hmmm. How much do they want, I wondered. See? It worked for me and I dont even live here! I like this online model: a taste for free but you pay for the whole enchilada. If I lived here, Id shell out for sure.
But truth be told, the e-version of both the Courier and the Enterprise Record dont hold a candle to the print product. And I think its obvious theyre putting their best efforts into their proven, profitable hold-and-fold newsPAPER. The online version, clearly, is a work-in-progress.
A TALE OF TWO CITIES
Dwight is also the editor of the Clemmons Courier 11 miles back toward Winston-Salem. The two towns of Clemmons and Mocksville couldnt be more different. After driving around Clemmons for an hour looking for its center, I conclude its been Caryized. There is no there there. What there is is one after another boring homogonous tickytacky developments with predictably boring names: Asbury Place, Meadowbrook, Hampton Way. Im sure wonderful people live here, but I mourn for this McCity, an exurb to Winston-Salem. Creating a sense of community at the newspaper must be a stretch.
AUTHENTIC NORTH CAROLINA
Leaving the sameness of Clemmons and Driving west on 158 back toward Mocksville, not far from Dutchmans Creek you come to rolling farmland of nodding blue bachelor buttons blooming " and suddenly there is Andys General Store and Snooks Old Fashion Barbecue " and you know that all is still right with the world.



Snook&#8217;s daughter, Rita Reavis, offers a first-timer a test taste of Snooks delicious barbecue. Nothin could be finer.
Photo by Jock Lauterer



At Andys store (glass counters, wooden floors) nothing much has changed in 40 years, and you can still get Moravian Chicken Pies there. Across the highway and over at the corner of Juney Beauchamps Road, Snooks BBQ joint caused my car to mysteriously do a U-turn. 
A gaggle of oddly-arranged clunky little buildings huddle around a parking lot filled with pick-up trucks: a sure barometer recommending a great good place.
Inside the tiny take-out booth, Rita Reavis offers me, an obvious first-timer, a forkful of BBQ for my culinary inspection. She did this completely on her own; I did not ask. But I did receive. Truthfully, I wasnt even hungry, but hows any true Tar Heel gonna pass up an honest-to-God-greasy-spots-on-the-brown-paper-bag BBQ joint? Exactly. I chowed down. 
On the walls inside Snooks I spot a framed yellowed newspaper clipping from 1984 spotlighting Ritas dad, Snook, in the Clemmons Courier. And what was the by-line on that full-page feature? Who else? Dwight Sparks!
As Im leaving, Rita hollers at me, You come back and have some banana pie, now!
THE FORMULA
Before leaving Mocksville, I swing through Rich Park, an oasis of a mid-town forested park within the town limits, complete with picnic shelters, nature trails and manicured baseball fields, around the outfield fence stand the large advertising signs from long-time local businesses that made that ball field possible: Graham Funeral Home, Caudell Lumber, OReilly Auto Parts&#8230; and then my eyes rest on another long-time local business that is a community institution right there amid the othersDavie County Enterprise Record.
Why am I not surprised?
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		<title>Katrina survivor&#8217;s photo project captures art, hope</title>
		<link>http://carrborocommons.org/2009/04/17/katrina-survivors-photo-project-captures-art-hope/</link>
		<comments>http://carrborocommons.org/2009/04/17/katrina-survivors-photo-project-captures-art-hope/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 17 Apr 2009 16:14:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>jock</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[A&amp;E]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Features]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[40 days and 40 nights]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Carly Brantmeyer]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[carrboro commons]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[donn young]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[hurricane katrina]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://carrborocommons.org/2009/04/17/katrina-survivors-photo-project-captures-art-hope/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[By Carly Brantmeyer
Carrboro Commons Photo Editor
I have lived through hell, said documentary photojournalist Donn Young, while recounting his experiences as a survivor of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the storm that has been deemed one of the nations worst natural disasters.
  Donn Young, the director and curator of 40 Days &#38; 40 Nights, holds the [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[By Carly Brantmeyer
Carrboro Commons Photo Editor
I have lived through hell, said documentary photojournalist Donn Young, while recounting his experiences as a survivor of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the storm that has been deemed one of the nations worst natural disasters.
  Donn Young, the director and curator of 40 Days &amp; 40 Nights, holds the projects signature print, as he sits in his in-home office. Young made the photo after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005.
Staff photo by Carly Brantmeyer

Young moved to Carrboro in August 2008 and recently moved to Chapel Hill last month, after living in New Orleans since the early 1980s.
Last month, he shared with UNC-Chapel Hill lecturer Jock Lauterers introductory photojournalism class his journey and mission to archive, restore and preserve his photography and the artwork of other New Orleans artists, for the state of Louisiana and for future generations.
The storm hit on Aug. 29, 2005. Young and his family evacuated on Aug. 27. Despite a sense of hopelessness and destruction after the storm hit, Young said he felt called back to New Orleans.
For years, Young documented human rights, housing projects and jazz musicians.
After Katrina struck, he proposed to the state of Louisiana a vision for a project that would document the face of Hurricane Katrina and the destruction that flooded the city. Young, who became the director and curator for the project, called it 40 Days and 40 Nights.

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		<title>Chancellor to speak at church for men&#8217;s weekend</title>
		<link>http://carrborocommons.org/2009/04/17/nccu-chancellor-to-speak-at-church-for-mens-weekend/</link>
		<comments>http://carrborocommons.org/2009/04/17/nccu-chancellor-to-speak-at-church-for-mens-weekend/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 17 Apr 2009 16:13:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>jock</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Features]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://carrborocommons.org/2009/04/17/nccu-chancellor-to-speak-at-church-for-mens-weekend/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[By Katie Reich
Carrboro Commons Staff Writer 
Chancellor Charlie Nelms of North Carolina Central University will be speaking at St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church in Chapel Hill this weekend for its fifth annual Men of Destiny conference. 
Im going to deliver a message about what we must do as men to raise, nurture and mentor [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[By Katie Reich
Carrboro Commons Staff Writer 
Chancellor Charlie Nelms of North Carolina Central University will be speaking at St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church in Chapel Hill this weekend for its fifth annual Men of Destiny conference. 
Im going to deliver a message about what we must do as men to raise, nurture and mentor a generation of character-centered, service-oriented boys and girls to become leaders in our communities, our state and in our nation, Nelms said.
The 11 a.m. worship service titled 100 Men in Black will be held Sunday, April 19, at the church, which is located on the corner of Merritt Mill Road and Franklin Street. 
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		<title>Aldermen see final plans for second fire station</title>
		<link>http://carrborocommons.org/2009/04/17/aldermen-see-final-plans-for-second-fire-station/</link>
		<comments>http://carrborocommons.org/2009/04/17/aldermen-see-final-plans-for-second-fire-station/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 17 Apr 2009 16:13:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>jock</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Carrboro Connections]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Growth and development]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Town government]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://carrborocommons.org/2009/04/17/aldermen-see-final-plans-for-second-fire-station/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[By Elisabeth Arriero
Carrboro Commons Staff Writer
Carrboro residents can soon feel twice as safe when it comes to fires.



Only one fire station, located at 301 W. Main St., serves all of Carrboro.  But by next year, Carrboro should have a second fire station at 1411 Homestead Road.
Staff photo by Elisabeth Arriero



The Carrboro Board of Aldermen [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[By Elisabeth Arriero
Carrboro Commons Staff Writer
Carrboro residents can soon feel twice as safe when it comes to fires.



Only one fire station, located at 301 W. Main St., serves all of Carrboro.  But by next year, Carrboro should have a second fire station at 1411 Homestead Road.
Staff photo by Elisabeth Arriero



The Carrboro Board of Aldermen accepted the final plans for a second fire station in town at its Tuesday night meeting.
Kenneth Newell of Stewart-Cooper-Newell Architects, the company that created the design, updated the board on some minor changes to the new station, which will be located at 1411 Homestead Road.  
This is just a stunning plan, said Alderman Randee Haven-ODonnell after the board heard Newells update.  
The Board of Aldermen plans to budget $3 million for the new station during the 2009-10 fiscal year.  That figure does not include funding for the estimated 12 new staff positions that the station would create.
Carrboro town manager Steve Stewart said that due to the recent economic downturn, now is the best time to plan for such a construction project.
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		<title>Midweek farmers&#8217; market opens with tomato author</title>
		<link>http://carrborocommons.org/2009/04/17/midweek-farmers-market-opens-with-tomato-author/</link>
		<comments>http://carrborocommons.org/2009/04/17/midweek-farmers-market-opens-with-tomato-author/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 17 Apr 2009 16:13:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>jock</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Features]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Lifestyles]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://carrborocommons.org/2009/04/17/midweek-farmers-market-opens-with-tomato-author/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[By Kelsey Kusterer
Carrboro Commons Staff Writer 
At the spring opening of the Wednesday Carrboro Farmers Market  on April 8, a sizable crowd turned out for free seedlings and advice from Tim Stark, author of Heirloom: Notes from an Accidental Tomato Farmer. 



Tim Stark, farmer and author of Heirloom: Notes from an Accidental Tomato Farmer, [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[By Kelsey Kusterer
Carrboro Commons Staff Writer 
At the spring opening of the Wednesday Carrboro Farmers Market  on April 8, a sizable crowd turned out for free seedlings and advice from Tim Stark, author of Heirloom: Notes from an Accidental Tomato Farmer. 



Tim Stark, farmer and author of Heirloom: Notes from an Accidental Tomato Farmer, signs a copy of his book for Allison Hayes, a Chapel Hill resident and volunteer at the Carrboro Farmers Market. Stark discussed his book and gave advice on gardening to farmers market visitors Wednesday.
Staff photo by Kelsey Kusterer



Sarah Blacklin, the farmers market manager and a Carrboro resident, said the midweek market starts
each year on the second Wednesday in April when the danger of the last frost passes. The first Wednesday market, located at 301 W. Main St. in Carrboro, was stocked mostly with herbs and baked goods. 
Its a nice way to break up the week, said Blacklin of the midweek market.
Blacklin knew that Stark would be attending a public dinner in Chapel Hill at Lantern Restaurant the evening of April 8. When Blacklin approached Stark about hosting a discussion of his book at the farmers market, he agreed.
Along with having the chance to speak with Stark, market-goers also had the opportunity to get a free seedling at the market entrance. Local farmers donated a variety of seedlings like bok choy and sun gold tomatoes. 
Jane Saiers, a medical writer from Chapel Hill, and Anne Jackson, a portrait artist from Carrboro, came to the Wednesday market for the seedlings and a chance to talk to Stark. They have tried growing tomatoes in the Northside Community Garden, located at 400 Caldwell St. in Chapel Hill.
Blacklin hoped the free seedlings would encourage visitors to plant their own gardens and give visitors the opportunity to ask Stark and other farmers for gardening advice. 
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		<title>New shop features alternative bikes</title>
		<link>http://carrborocommons.org/2009/04/17/new-shop-features-alternative-bikes/</link>
		<comments>http://carrborocommons.org/2009/04/17/new-shop-features-alternative-bikes/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 17 Apr 2009 16:12:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>jock</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Lifestyles]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://carrborocommons.org/2009/04/17/new-shop-features-alternative-bikes/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[By Kelly Esposito
Spanish-Language Coverage Team
Leave it to two scientists to shake up the bicycle business in Carrboro. 



Cycle 9 bike shop employee Kristen Scheckelhoff demonstrates one of the many possible uses of a cargo bike. Some bikes can carry up to 400 pounds of cargo, including people, groceries and luggage. A cargo bike can work [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[By Kelly Esposito
Spanish-Language Coverage Team
Leave it to two scientists to shake up the bicycle business in Carrboro. 



Cycle 9 bike shop employee Kristen Scheckelhoff demonstrates one of the many possible uses of a cargo bike. Some bikes can carry up to 400 pounds of cargo, including people, groceries and luggage. A cargo bike can work as a car replacement, Scheckelhoff said.
Staff photo by Kelly Esposito



Co-owners Morgan and Elise Giddings opened Cycle 9 bike shop, located at 601 W. Main St., in December. The store sells electric, cargo and folding bikes that are intended for practical uses instead of just recreation. 
Elise Giddings is trained in environmental science and is a former biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey. And Morgan Giddings is a professor at UNC-Chapel Hill, where she teaches microbiology and immunology, biomedical engineering and computer science.
Morgan Giddings said she has always been a bike aficionado, and she first started using an electric bike in 1994. She said she was disappointed that the idea never seemed to take off.
I realized a few years ago that one of the biggest barriers is that the standard bike shops just dont promote them, she said. Theyre mostly interested in the recreational market.
But the need for a different type of bike shop was not the only impetus for starting the business. Both Elise and Morgan Giddings have concerns about oil dependency and want to promote greener forms of transportation.
We can take the bike beyond what it is now, Elise Giddings said. People could use it more readily for shorter trips and use their cars less.
Cycle 9 was originally an online store that began last spring. The pair opened a retail location in May 2008 in nearby White Cross, west of Carrboro. Elise Giddings said they thought Carrboro was a good place to move the store because of the towns bike-friendly reputation.
There are a lot of bikers here, and the town itself is encouraging of biking, she said. We thought it was a really good fit with the theme of the business.
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		<title>Chefs join forces to raise money for Hidden Voices</title>
		<link>http://carrborocommons.org/2009/04/17/chefs-join-forces-to-raise-money-for-hidden-voices/</link>
		<comments>http://carrborocommons.org/2009/04/17/chefs-join-forces-to-raise-money-for-hidden-voices/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 17 Apr 2009 16:11:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>jock</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://carrborocommons.org/2009/04/17/chefs-join-forces-to-raise-money-for-hidden-voices/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[By Corey Inscoe
Carrboro Commons Co-Editor
Think chocolate clair cake, strawberry balsamic tiramisu, New-Orleans bread pudding, Mamas coconut pie and Cinnamon-Toast-Crunch cupcakes. Is your mouth watering yet?



Katrina Ryan, owner and executive chef of Sugarland on Franklin Street, is making a wild-berry crostata with buttermilk gelato for the A Taste of Home, event at The ArtsCenter Friday. All [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[By Corey Inscoe
Carrboro Commons Co-Editor
Think chocolate clair cake, strawberry balsamic tiramisu, New-Orleans bread pudding, Mamas coconut pie and Cinnamon-Toast-Crunch cupcakes. Is your mouth watering yet?



Katrina Ryan, owner and executive chef of Sugarland on Franklin Street, is making a wild-berry crostata with buttermilk gelato for the A Taste of Home, event at The ArtsCenter Friday. All the proceeds from the event help fund Hidden Voices latest project Home is Not One Story.
Staff photo by Corey Inscoe



Then satisfy your sweet tooth Friday at the ArtsCenters latest benefit, A Taste of Home.&#8221; Starting at 8 p.m., the event will feature wine, appetizers, live music, a silent auction and tasty treats courtesy of 30 area chefs. The benefit supports Hidden Voices, a group created in 2003 and based in Cedar, N.C., that aims to challenge, strengthen, and connect our diverse communities through the transformative power of the individual voice, as stated on the groups Web site.
 Proceeds from A Taste of Home will go directly to Hidden Voices latest project, Home is Not One Story, which focuses on homelessness. 
We have been working with folks around North Carolina who are dealing with or have dealt with homelessness, said Lynden Harris, director of Hidden Voices. For months, Hidden Voices has worked with local shelters and organizations to raise awareness and work to overcome the stereotypes and shame associated with homelessness. 
For example, Harris said that most people think of an older white male when they think of a homeless person. But in reality, white males only make up a minority of the population, she said. 
The average homeless person is nine years old.
For the event, A Taste of Home, Harris asked 30 area chefs  " her dream team " to create desserts that remind them of home. The team includes Mark Day, the 2007 National Association Catering Executives Caterer of the Year, Karen Barker from Magnolia Grill in Durham, Chris Holloway from A Southern Season as well as Dorette Snover, the owner of Chapel Hill cooking school Cest Si Bon.
Katrina Ryan, the executive chef and owner of Sugarland on Franklin Street plans to make a wild-berry crostata with buttermilk gelato for the event.
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		<title>People with disabilities find work in Carrboro</title>
		<link>http://carrborocommons.org/2009/04/17/people-with-disabilities-find-work-in-carrboro/</link>
		<comments>http://carrborocommons.org/2009/04/17/people-with-disabilities-find-work-in-carrboro/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 17 Apr 2009 16:11:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>jock</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Carrboro Connections]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Employment]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Features]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Growth and development]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Lifestyles]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://carrborocommons.org/2009/04/17/people-with-disabilities-find-work-in-carrboro/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[By Sarah Shah
Carrboro Commons Staff Writer
Every Wednesday morning, Luke Glatz collects raffle tickets from people attending a business leaders meeting. Later, he reads out ticket numbers to announce the lucky winners.
  Luke Glatz, 20, collects a raffle ticket from Margaret Cannell, executive director of the Hillsborough Chamber of Commerce, at Extraordinary Ventures. Luke is [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[By Sarah Shah
Carrboro Commons Staff Writer
Every Wednesday morning, Luke Glatz collects raffle tickets from people attending a business leaders meeting. Later, he reads out ticket numbers to announce the lucky winners.
  Luke Glatz, 20, collects a raffle ticket from Margaret Cannell, executive director of the Hillsborough Chamber of Commerce, at Extraordinary Ventures. Luke is just one of 18 people with disabilities employed by Extraordinary Ventures, located at 200 S. Elliot Road in Chapel Hill.
Staff photo by Sarah Shah.

Despite having a developmental disability, the 20-year-old Glatz is one of the young adults who are employed at Extraordinary Ventures. 
The Arc, the worlds largest community based organization for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, estimates that the unemployment rate for people with developmental disabilities is nearly 75 percent.
Extraordinary Adventures is a Chapel Hill non-profit organization whose primary mission is to provide employment opportunities for people with developmental disabilities ages 15 years and up.
&#8220;It&#8217;s important for them to have a sense of accomplishment, and know that they are worth something,&#8221; director of Extraordinary Ventures, Marc Roth said.
Roth said he rents out a 3,000 square feet conference center in Chapel Hill at which businesses and organizations can conduct meetings. The proceeds go directly to the employment of young adults with disabilities, who work at the center by helping to set up and clean up for events.
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		<title>Antique store still making sales after 13 years</title>
		<link>http://carrborocommons.org/2009/04/17/antique-store-still-making-sales-after-13-years/</link>
		<comments>http://carrborocommons.org/2009/04/17/antique-store-still-making-sales-after-13-years/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 17 Apr 2009 16:11:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>jock</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Antiques]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Economy]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Features]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://carrborocommons.org/2009/04/17/antique-store-still-making-sales-after-13-years/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[By Becky Wessels
Carrboro Commons Staff Writer
There is no big sign on the street marking its location. The front entrance is actually on the side of the building and can be driven past without notice. However, Oddities and Such, an antique store owned and operated by Richard Watts, is about to celebrate its 13th anniversary on [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[By Becky Wessels
Carrboro Commons Staff Writer
There is no big sign on the street marking its location. The front entrance is actually on the side of the building and can be driven past without notice. However, Oddities and Such, an antique store owned and operated by Richard Watts, is about to celebrate its 13th anniversary on July 4. 



Richard Watts enjoys collecting odd and unusual things to sell in his store, Oddities and Such, like this singing toy rabbit.  Watts collection includes five singing Billy Bass fish, some discontinued laserdiscs and a flag portraying Elvis, among other objects.
Staff photo by Becky Wessels



At Oddities and Such, located at 501 W. Main St., Watts has been selling all sorts of antiques, used furniture and unusual items for the past 13 years in the store that his father built in 1948. The other half of the building is occupied by Ink Spot Copy Shop.  
Ive been doing this about 18 years, Watts said. For five years, he would sell antiques at a flea market where Carolina Fitness is located. He decided to move into the store property since his family owned the space.  
Watts said he prefers to sell items from the 1950s, lamps and waterfall furniture.  
Watts does not stock the store with extremely expensive items but with things he thinks are reasonably priced.  
I have fair prices on fair things. I look for different, unusual things, Watts said.
Watts, who has lived in Carrboro his entire life, cant believe he has been operating Oddities and Such for so long. Im just surprised that Ive been here 13 years, Watts said. My life revolved around three years, and then things would change.
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		<item>
		<title>Exhibit hopes to inspire respect for animal habitats</title>
		<link>http://carrborocommons.org/2009/04/17/art-exhibit-hopes-to-inspire-respect-for-animal-habitats/</link>
		<comments>http://carrborocommons.org/2009/04/17/art-exhibit-hopes-to-inspire-respect-for-animal-habitats/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 17 Apr 2009 16:10:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>jock</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[A&amp;E]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[School news]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://carrborocommons.org/2009/04/17/art-exhibit-hopes-to-inspire-respect-for-animal-habitats/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Carrboro Branch Library unveiled its second art exhibition in the Global Perspectives series on April 4 with more than 60 pieces of artwork that portray animals from all seven continents.
Animals Without Borders will be on display until June 9 at the Carrboro Branch Library at McDougle Middle School on Old Fayetteville Road. The show [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[The Carrboro Branch Library unveiled its second art exhibition in the Global Perspectives series on April 4 with more than 60 pieces of artwork that portray animals from all seven continents.
Animals Without Borders will be on display until June 9 at the Carrboro Branch Library at McDougle Middle School on Old Fayetteville Road. The show is presented and funded by the Friends of the Carrboro Branch Library and the Orange County Arts Commission.



Carrboro Branch Library Art Committee chairwoman Nerys Levy paints at Infinity Farm in Cedar Grove.  Levy works primarily with mixed-media watercolor and is one of the artists featured in Animals Without Borders.
Photo by Frank Twitty, Courtesy of Nerys Levy



Featuring work from 23 local artists, the exhibit displays a wide variety of styles that use different artistic media, like oil and acrylic paintings, sketches, photography, mixed-media watercolors and textile collages. Through its display of different animals in their natural habitats, the exhibit strives to encourage respect for animals habitats and increase awareness that those habitats are shrinking, according to Carrboro Branch Art Committee chairwoman Nerys Levy, who is also an artist in the show.
 Animals have no borders, Levy said. We really wanted to give a sense of animals being pretty expansive and needing space.
Originally from Wales, Levy said she understood this concept at an early age. When she was 3 years old, she saw a polar bear for the first time and was fascinated by it, she said. One of Levys paintings in the exhibition prominently displays a polar bear. It is titled Polar Bear on Sea Ice, Arctic Region and is a work of mixed-media watercolor.
In particular, polar bears illustrate that animals habitats are spread across political boundaries, Levy said. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that there are about 22,000 to 25,000 wild polar bears across the globe, but these bears are not confined to any specific territory. As a species, polar bears live in eight different countries on two continents.
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Graduation project&#8217;s fate undecided for CHCCS juniors</title>
		<link>http://carrborocommons.org/2009/04/17/graduation-projects-fate-undecided-for-chccs-juniors/</link>
		<comments>http://carrborocommons.org/2009/04/17/graduation-projects-fate-undecided-for-chccs-juniors/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 17 Apr 2009 16:10:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>jock</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[School news]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://carrborocommons.org/2009/04/17/graduation-projects-fate-undecided-for-chccs-juniors/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[By Virginia McIlwain
Carrboro Commons Staff Writer
Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools high school juniors who had thought they had won a reprieve from the upcoming high school graduation project requirement might want to think twice before tossing away their project proposals.



Peggy Haythorn, Carrboro High Schools Graduation Project coordinator, serves as a resource and advocate for students as [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[By Virginia McIlwain
Carrboro Commons Staff Writer
Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools high school juniors who had thought they had won a reprieve from the upcoming high school graduation project requirement might want to think twice before tossing away their project proposals.



Peggy Haythorn, Carrboro High Schools Graduation Project coordinator, serves as a resource and advocate for students as they work to fulfill new state graduation requirements. She believes the statewide project, which was supposed to take effect this year but has since been delayed, is a valuable opportunity for students to gain the real-world skills they need to be successful after high school. 
Staff photo by Virginia McIlwain



Despite voting earlier this month to delay implementation of the North Carolina Graduation Project requirement by one year, the North Carolina State Board of Education agreed to let individual school districts decide whether to leave the plans in place for the class of 2010.
&#8220;Many schools and districts across North Carolina have had a graduation project in some form or fashion for a decade or more, State Board of Education Chairman Bill Harrison said in a statement. By giving the entire state more time to implement the North Carolina Graduation Project, we can ensure its success in every school and community.
As of now, the school district requires next years senior class to successfully complete the project. At the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools school board&#8217;s next meeting on Thursday, April 23, the board could vote to maintain the statewide project as a local requirement for the class of 2010, or delay the project until it is required by the state in 2011.
The change caught local teachers and administrators by surprise, at a time when many were moving forward with plans to get students projects off the ground in order to meet swiftly approaching project proposal deadlines. 
I didnt know of the delay until I heard about it on the news, said Peggy Haythorn, Carrboro High Schools Graduation Project coordinator. It came as quite a surprise.
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		<item>
		<title>New coffee shop supports environment, local artists</title>
		<link>http://carrborocommons.org/2009/04/17/new-coffee-shop-supports-environment-local-artists/</link>
		<comments>http://carrborocommons.org/2009/04/17/new-coffee-shop-supports-environment-local-artists/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 17 Apr 2009 16:10:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>jock</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://carrborocommons.org/2009/04/17/new-coffee-shop-supports-environment-local-artists/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[By Kafi Robinson
Carrboro Commons Staff Writer
If youre driving around Carrboro and you need a place to buy coffee, sip on some jasmine pearl green tea or a buy a skateboard, you can do it all in one spot.



Carolyn Griggs, 24, is the owner of Looking Glass Caf and Boutique.  She has lived in this [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[By Kafi Robinson
Carrboro Commons Staff Writer
If youre driving around Carrboro and you need a place to buy coffee, sip on some jasmine pearl green tea or a buy a skateboard, you can do it all in one spot.



Carolyn Griggs, 24, is the owner of Looking Glass Caf and Boutique.  She has lived in this area for 17 years and love the friendly and environmentally conscious atmosphere of Carrboro.
Staff photo by Kafi Robinson



Carolyn Griggs, 24, is the owner of Looking Glass Caf and Boutique, one of the towns newest coffee shops. The coffee shop is located at 601 W. Main St. in Carrboro. Griggs has had the basic plan for the shop for about 10 years and has always wanted to have a store of her own.
I think I was in the 8th grade when I decided I wanted to have my own little business, she said. She took her prior experience in retail and the coffee business and used them to create a unique shop.
Looking Glass Caf and Boutique, which officially opened April 3, is all about creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere for such a diverse community. Not only will customers find the usual coffees and teas here, but they will also have the chance to hear local bands, view local artists&#8217; work and buy fun souvenirs from the boutique. I dont think theres any place in the area where you can get a skateboard and buy a cup of coffee at the same time, Griggs said.
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Poets to speak at Carrboro Cybrary</title>
		<link>http://carrborocommons.org/2009/04/17/poets-to-speak-at-carrboro-cybrary/</link>
		<comments>http://carrborocommons.org/2009/04/17/poets-to-speak-at-carrboro-cybrary/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 17 Apr 2009 16:10:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>jock</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[A&amp;E]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Cybrary]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Open Eye Cafe]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[poetry]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://carrborocommons.org/2009/04/17/poets-to-speak-at-carrboro-cybrary/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[By Allison Miller
Carrboro Commons Co-Editor
April may bring flowers, but at the Carrboro Cybrary it also brings a celebration of national poetry month.
  Laura Dallas holds up DVDs featuring recordings of poets reading their works. The DVDs are part of the Carrboro Cybrary&#8217;s collection.
Staff photo by Allison Miller

Poetry on Your Plate is a series of [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[By Allison Miller
Carrboro Commons Co-Editor
April may bring flowers, but at the Carrboro Cybrary it also brings a celebration of national poetry month.
  Laura Dallas holds up DVDs featuring recordings of poets reading their works. The DVDs are part of the Carrboro Cybrary&#8217;s collection.
Staff photo by Allison Miller

Poetry on Your Plate is a series of weekly poetry recitations at noon in Century Hall inside of Carrboro Century Center. Poets will read from their works and discuss their careers
on April 16, 23 and 30.
It&#8217;s an opportunity to feature local poets who have been published in a sort of meet and greet type venue, said Laura Dallas, branch librarian at the Cybrary.
During each hour-long event at the Cybrary, Open Eye Caf will provide free coffee, and participants are invited to bring their lunches, Dallas said.
Dana Hughes, recreation supervisor for the town of Carrboro, said the three poets selected to present " Kim Holzer, Gilbert Neal and Lizh " were chosen after they performed at West End Poet&#8217;s weekend. Neal performs April 16, Lizh on April 23 and Holzer on April 30.
If people are sitting politely and quietly during one of my presentations, then I don&#8217;t feel like I&#8217;m doing my job very well, said Holzer, an English teacher at Carrboro High School.
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