I was born in 1959 and raised in Chapel Hill during the '60s. I have incredible memories of the town, our neighborhood on Rosemary Street, the people, and the university where my father was a professor of English Literature.

To my young mind, it seemed like a wildly creative and artistic time. The arts were embraced, stunning mid-century homes were popping up (my uncle was an architect in Raleigh), and the town was alive with energy. My mother would help out on local puppet shows like The Jabberwocky (my fav). My brother and I would meet up with friends and wander the area exploring or digging under the Kenan Stadium fence to catch a football game. We always made sure to be home before dinner though!

We had a large family where the unstated motto was "the more the merrier", so we grew up meeting a kaleidoscope of interesting and provocative house guests. On Sundays, we attended Mass mostly without complaint, because the next stop was always the Franklin Street Dairy Bar for donuts - heaven!

It wasn't totally idyllic, as this was also the turbulent 1960s. My mother made us acutely aware of racial inequality, encouraging us to protest downtown for civil rights and against the war.

I eventually returned as a freshman at UNC in '79 and loved the town all over again. Shout out to all the folks from that era who share memories of that special time! Anyone else remember any old Franklin St stores or the to-die-for Dairy Bar donuts?

Anybody have the link, or know how to access the Orange County early voting turnout numbers? I've searched and have not been able to find anything for this election.

I know it is the first day so it may be too early, BUT when I voted today I heard a poll worker say that they will update the web site at 1PM. So I was just curious.

BTW I waited at least 1/2 hour to vote. I don't ever remember waiting more than a few minutes, so that is a good sign for turnout.

There it is:

Two new items added this week! Heliopsis helianthoides, Early Sunflower, and Phlox divaricata, Wild Blue Phlox.

Wild Blue Phlox is found in the mountains and Piedmont of NC in moist shady conditions. Only growing to be about a foot tall, it makes a great border or ground cover for your shade garden.

https://www.knottybynaturetrees.com/product-page/phlox-divaricata-wild-blue-phlox

Early Sunflower is also found in the Piedmont and mountains of NC but in drier, sunnier spots. It typically only grows to be 3-4' tall and just as wide, but will spread by seed and rhizome to fill in an area or compete in your grassland.

https://www.knottybynaturetrees.com/product-page/heliopsis-helianthoides-early-sunflowe

We will be open this Saturday 9-4 at 5911 Mount Hermon Church Rd. in Durham. If Saturdays don't work for you, you can place an order online and schedule a time to pick up at a time that is more convenient.

Many trees are and all annuals are currently discounted 20-50% off at this time. The annuals are basically being sold as seed for next years plants as of now, but they will all easily germinate without any help.

Do you think this is a good idea? Carrboro town council says it will save Carrboro money and deliver better service. What do y'all over in Chapel Hill think about it?

Any experience with Carraway Village apartments — In particular the tower? Relocating from out of state for a job at UNC.

Please help! Xoxo

Two Comedians enter, One Comedian leaves, armed with nothing but Carefully Crafted Insults and a Microphone, what's not to love?

October 17th at 7 PM, at Transfer Co. Ballroom, don't miss out on what's sure to be one of the biggest shows of the year! Grab a drink, hang out, and watch as the best comics in town throw down.

And for the first time ever, YOU get to Judge who wins!

One lucky audience member will be selected from the crowd at the beginning of the show and invited on stage to judge our Roasters, alongside a panel of (Local) Celebrity Guests!

Tickets for Triangle Roast Battle 10/17

Grab your tickets while they last, cuz they're going fast!

Hi, I'm a freelance reporter working on a story about managing food insecurity when you or a family member has food allergies or sensitivities. Are you able to afford the foods you need or find them at local food pantries? How does the additional cost of the food you need affect your budget? If this sounds like you or someone you know, please reply to this post. I'm hoping to talk for 20-30 minutes on the phone or Zoom. Thanks!

I’m a land surveyor based out of Charlotte. Recently I was doing some work on MLK JR BLVD and the contractor has a question about a pipe I located. I can’t remember if it had a grate on it or not. I just need a picture of this particular pipe at 613 MLK Jr Blvd right by the Red Circle.

Willing to pay

Hey neighbors! Early voting starts soon, and there are still lots of folks who haven't heard about the three constitutional amendments (photo ID, income tax cap, property tax limit) you'll see on your ballot. Over at Carolina Forward, we've put together a lot of research and resources about what these will do that may help you talk to those voters.

Resource #1: Talking Points https://canva.link/5h1db5h4h7m23w7

This quick slide deck names the three amendments, presents the text on the ballot, and recommends simple examples and messages you can use to explain how these work.

Resource #2: Unfunded Infrastructure: https://carolinaforward.org/news/show-skeptics-this-list-to-explain-why-we-need-taxes/

If the state caps taxes at 3.5%, we lose the capacity to increase state revenues and tackle currently unfunded transportation, water/sewer, and stormwater projects across the state. This tool allows you to see lists of projects in each of those categories in your county that didn't get funding in the last cycle.

Resource #3: The Budget Balancer: https://carolinaforward.org/news/before-you-vote-on-the-tax-cap-amendments-try-balancing-the-budget/

We built a tool that lets you see the gap between the 2026 state budget and Governor Josh Stein's recommended budget. You can create custom spending scenarios, custom taxation scenarios, and see how a 3.5% cap would constrain our ability to meet all of these needs.

Resource #4: Property Tax Calculator: https://carolinaforward.org/news/residents-will-lose-local-services-under-property-tax-amendment/

There's no specific property tax limit mechanism in this amendment. But one conservative think tank proposed a 2% annual cap on the increase in property tax revenues. This would be well below the historical average for CPI in the US, which mean a compounding loss for local budgets (and therefore police, fire, EMS, libraries, parks and rec, and so on). Applying it across the board would also hand huge tax breaks to the biggest corporations, like Duke Energy, while doing very little for ordinary people.

Other groups are also doing a lot of great work; for example, one of the easiest one-pagers to read is by YouCanVote: https://www.youcanvote.org/resource/2026-nc-constitutional-amendments/. The NC Budget and Tax Center also has deep financial analyses of how these changes impact you and damages services, facilities, and public jobs that you probably interact with.

Thanks for spreading the word!

Hi, I’m Tori! Reach out to [tori@reflourishnow.com](mailto:tori@reflourishnow.com) with questions or to schedule!