Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday

Town of Carrboro administrative offices will be closed Monday, Jan. 18, for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. 

Residents who normally receive yard waste collection on Monday will be serviced on Tuesday. 

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He Had a Dream. Are We Living It? 

Join the community from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 16, 2021, to celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in a webinar event with special guest speakers.

The panel discussion titled "He Had a Dream. Are We Living It?" will feature the following speakers: 

• Kendall Lytle – Youth Advisory Board and NAACPYC Member 
• Niya Fearrington – Howard University - Political Science 
• Tai T. Huynh – Chapel Hill Town Council 
• Lt. Will Quick – Carrboro Police Department 
• Adam Davis – NC School of Science and Math, Leader of Republican Club 
• Ryan Kalo – NC School of Science and Math, Leader of Socialist Club

Since we are unable to celebrate in person this year, the youth groups planning this event will have an online discussion with a brief question-and-answer period at the end. 

Register in advance for this webinar: https://townofcarrboro.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_prhGSD38TWaE1NrOiJT9pQ

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 Black Lives Matter Installation at the Century Center

A Black Lives Matter mural was completed Friday, Jan. 15, at the Carrboro Century Center, 100 N. Greensboro St.

The selected artist, Erbriyon Barrett of Atlanta, painted the mural on the building’s side facing E. Main Street. Mr. Barrett noted "a lot of positive energy" expressed by passersby during his work.

The mural was approved by the Town Council on Oct. 27, 2020, along with related public art projects. The Town of Carrboro completed another recent Black Lives Matter mural on Dec. 18, 2020 at Communityworx, 125 W. Main St. View the project documentary video at https://youtu.be/r2_P47dj_jc

Anita Jones-McNair, Town of Carrboro Race and Equity Officer and Director of the Recreation, Parks and Cultural Resources Department, has said the Black Lives Matter murals around Carrboro highlight and advocate for values that are important to Carrboro. They express our community’s acknowledgment of and opposition to systemic and institutional racism. 

Look for images of the Black Lives Matter mural at the Century Center coming soon to the Town of Carrboro Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube channels. 

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COVID-19 Memorial Day

To pause and reflect on the lives that we have lost to COVID-19, Mayor Lydia Lavelle has declared Tuesday, Jan. 19, is COVID-19 Memorial Day in the Town of Carrboro. 

“Carrboro Town Hall will be lit on this evening, and I urge all churches and clergy to toll their bells and all residents of Carrboro to light a candle at 5:30 p.m. to honor the lives lost to the pandemic, and to reflect upon this challenging period in our nation’s history,” Mayor Lavelle said. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has sadly led to the death of over 343,000 residents of the United States. The 59th Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC), under the direction of President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris, is hosting a ceremony at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 19, to memorialize these lost lives. 

Carrboro joins fellow citizens across the country in a moment of togetherness and unity. 

“As we remain in the midst of a deadly pandemic where so many Americans are grieving the loss of family, friends, and neighbors, it is important to pause and reflect on the lives that we have lost, as we continue to work to defeat COVID-19,” Mayor Lavelle said. 

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Town of Carrboro to Commemorate George Henry White as part of Black History Month

The Town of Carrboro will be hosting a virtual program to commemorate the 120th anniversary of George Henry White’s historic farewell address to Congress.  The online event will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 1. 

After serving in the North Carolina State Legislature, George Henry White represented the State of North Carolina in the United States House of Representatives for two consecutive terms from 1897 to 1901.  Congressman White was a leader in the introduction and the fight for anti-lynching legislation.  

At the time of his farewell address, White was the only African American Congressman, and he would be the last until 1929.  It would not be until 1992 that another African American was elected to represent the State of North Carolina in Congress.  Following his last term, White went on to practice law and eventually moved to Philadelphia where he ran a land development firm and founded the city’s first African American owned bank.

Learn more at http://townofcarrboro.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1563 

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NCDHHS Revises the Vaccine Plan to Simplify Who is Eligible

HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. ― The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) revised its vaccine distribution plan on Jan. 14 to simplify who is eligible to receive the vaccine.

North Carolina moves through vaccination phases by aligning to federal priorities while giving local health departments and hospitals the flexibility to move to the next priority group when they are ready. NCDHHS says that providers who are ready may vaccinate individuals in Phases 1 and 2.

• Phase 1 – all health care workers, long term care residents and staff
• Phase 2 – Older Adults (65+)
• Phase 3 – Frontline Essential Workers such as first responders (firefighters, police), education (teachers, support staff, daycare), food and agriculture, manufacturing, corrections workers, U.S. Postal service workers, public transit workers and grocery store workers https://www.orangecountync.gov/DocumentCenter/View/14404/frontline_essential_workers   
• Phase 4 – Adults at High Risk for exposure and increased risk of severe illness
• Phase 5 – Everyone

More at http://townofcarrboro.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1566 

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Carrboro 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 www.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, Jan. 19, to consider the agenda https://bit.ly/3bKfKUm that will be available at carrboro.legistar.com  

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

View this complete update including a summary of the Jan. 12 Council meeting at https://www.townofcarrboro.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1568

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Community Food Distribution

Community Food Distribution event is scheduled for 9:30 to 11 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 28, at Carrboro High School, 201 Rock Haven Road.

Anyone in need is welcome. The distribution is first come, first served. It is free of charge, and there are no eligibility requirements.

Due to COVID-19, distributions are held on a drive-through basis. Boxes are placed inside vehicle trunks.

Free masks will be distributed to anyone who needs them.

The event is sponsored by the Town of Carrboro and the Orange County Social Services Department.

Thank you to all our volunteers and our caring community. 

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Getting to and from Carrboro 

Starting Tuesday, Chapel Hill Transit is partnering with Go Triangle to help customers travel between Chapel Hill and Carrboro on Route 405. 

For more information, contact chtransit.org 

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