VOLUME 148 ISSUE 35 | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2025
CHATHAMNEWSRECORD.COM
THE CHATHAM COUNTY EDITION OF NORTH STATE JOURNAL
CHRIS SEWARD / AP PHOTO
Being heard A weekend filled with protests against kings and maps continued into the week as N.C. House Minority Leader Robert Reives (D-Chatham) spoke against a proposed redistricting map on Tuesday in Raleigh.
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Chapel Hill moving forward with BRIEF this week 9-story, mixed-use development Massive Amazon cloud outage resolved after disrupting internet use worldwide A problem at Amazon’s cloud computing service disrupted internet use around the world. The outage on Monday took down a broad range of online services, including social media, gaming, food delivery, streaming and financial platforms. Amazon said the outage was resolved as of Monday evening. The all-day disruption and the ensuing exasperation it caused served as the latest reminder that 21st-century society is increasingly dependent on just a handful of companies for much of its internet technology, which seems to work reliably until it suddenly breaks down.
U.S. appeals court says Trump can take command of Oregon National Guard troops Portland, Ore. A U.S. appeals court has ruled that President Donald Trump can take command of 200 Oregon National Guard troops. A panel from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 Monday to put on hold an order that kept Trump from taking command of the troops. Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield, a Democrat, said he would ask for a broader panel of the appeals to reconsider the decision.
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The project proposes 175-200 multifamily residential units By Ryan Henkel Chatham News & Record CHAPEL HILL — The Town of Chapel Hill has approved a big step toward the construction of a new mixed-
use, multifamily development. The Chapel Hill Town Council approved a conditional zoning application at its Oct. 8 meeting for property located at 701 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. to be rezoned into MixedUse Village-CZD for the development of a 175-to-200-unit, nine-story multifamily and commercial development. The plan for the project is for
the ground floor to contain retail space (a minimum of 1,000 square feet for office and commercial) while the rest is dedicated to multifamily residential. The project will include an outdoor plaza and a 10-foot multiuse path intended to complement the North-South Bus Rapid Transit station on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The application was first
brought before the council on Sept. 10, and at that meeting, the council wished to see more of a commitment to affordable housing, which the developers adhered to. “Our previous (affordable housing) proposal included 10% on-site, affordable units,” said Landmark Properties See DEVELOPMENT, page A7
New Deep River access opens Friday in Moncure The paddle access completes 26-mile trail section with five entry points Chatham News & Record staff A NEW BOAT access on the Deep River State Trail opens Friday in Moncure, providing paddling and fishing opportunities on the Deep
River above Lockville Dam. The access, located at 7140 Moncure Pittsboro Road, completes a continuous 26-mile paddle trail section with five access points that starts at the Carbonton Access in Sanford. It will be open daily from dawn to dusk and managed by Jordan Lake State Recreation Area. The section of river is popular with experienced paddlers, novices and families, featur-
ing only a few Class 1 rapids. The access sits within 760 acres known as the Justice Lands, which Triangle Land Conservancy acquired in 2003 before transferring the property to North Carolina State Parks for long-term stewardship. The land is part of a larger 2,400acre conservation area that includes TLC’s 31-acre White Pines Nature Preserve along the Deep River.
American colleges fighting to prove return on investment As tuition continues to rise, parents and students are wondering if it’s worth the price By Collin Binkley The Associated Press WASHINGTON, D.C. — For a generation of young Americans, choosing where to go to college — or whether to go at all — has become a complex calculation of costs and benefits that often revolves around a single question: Is the degree worth its price? Public confidence in higher education has plummeted in recent years amid high tuition prices, skyrocketing student loans and a dismal job
market — plus ideological concerns from conservatives. Now colleges are scrambling to prove their value to students. Borrowed from the business world, the term “return on investment” has been plastered on college advertisements across the U.S. A battery of new rankings grade campuses on the financial benefits they deliver. States such as Colorado have started publishing yearly reports on the monetary payoff of college, and Texas now factors it into calculations for how much taxpayer money goes to community colleges. “Students are becoming more aware of the times when college doesn’t pay off,” said Preston See COLLEGES, page A8
“I’m not saying kids shouldn’t go to college. I’m just saying all kids don’t have to go in order to be successful.” Education Secretary Linda McMahon
“Chatham County is thrilled about this new access opening on the Deep River in Moncure. The Deep River is one of Chatham County’s most important natural treasures — a place of history, wildlife, and beauty that connects communities and ecosystems across our region,” said Tracy Burnett, director of Chatham County Parks, See ACCESS, page A7