VOLUME 8 ISSUE 20 | THURSDAY, JULY 13, 2023
CHATHAMNEWSRECORD.COM
C HATHAM NEWS & R ECORD THE CHATHAM COUNTY EDITION OF THE NORTH STATE JOURNAL
Tips on bearing the July heat from the Chatham County Public Health Department Tips To Deal With Heat Keep windows and doors closed Reduce oven and clothes dryer use Drink lots of water Find air conditioned environments Remove extra bedding during sleep Reduce activity levels Increase use of fans
The month of July across the world has seen record heat highs. How can Chatham County residents cope? By Valeria Cloës Chatham News & Record Turn on your ACs and head inside. The month of July has been one of the hottest months ever recorded across the world, according to the Associated
Press, and between June 11 to 17, the N.C. Dept. of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) has recorded 361 heat-related illness emergency department visits. Since 2020, the number of heat-related illness emergency department visits have steadily increased through the years, according to the N.C. Heat Reports from NCDHHS: Through May 1 to Sept. 30, 2022, NCDHHS recorded 3,739 cases, while in the same time span in 2021, there were 3,201 cases,
and in 2020 there were 3,099. Because of increased temperatures, Zachary Horner, communications specialist at the Chatham County Public Health Department, provided tips and resources available for community members to get through this hot weather. “The best things to do in times of high temperatures and extreme heat include drinking more water, spending more time in cool or air-conditioned environments, and reducing outdoor activity levels,” Horner
said. However, he said that since not every household has access to air conditioning, turning on box, ceiling or stand fans can help combat heat. Keeping doors and windows closed, as well as limiting oven and clothes dryer use during the hottest times of the day can help reduce creating more heat in households, he said. Finally, removing extra comforters or thick bedding during the night See HEAT, page A6
CCCC’s Building Bridges Program helps to give second chances The community college continues its program for underemployed, unemployed and justice involved individuals, adds OSHA-10 training
By Valeria Cloës Chatham News & Record SILER CITY — Back in 1996, then-29-yearold Greg Singleton was ready to start his life over. With passion, enthusiasm and a new positive outlook, he took a job at a dry cleaning business. He was happy and got along with fellow coworkers. “They loved me,” he said. After three days, they promoted him from separating dirty clothes to working the front register and drive-through — and gave Singleton a 40-cent raise. They even made him a birthday cake when he turned 30. His co-workers got curious about why someone with so much enthusiasm was working there. They asked him, and he told the truth: He’d just been released from prison as a firsttime, non-violent offender, and he was doing what he could to move his life forward. A few days later, Singleton was fired after his boss found out he’d been convicted of a crime. “And I felt like that was going to be the norm of my life … ,” he said. “That really hurt.” Now, as dean of workforce & continuing education programs at Central Carolina Community College, Singleton’s personal experience is just one example of the barriers formerly-incarcerated individuals face when trying to reenter society, hurdles which can trap them in vicious cycles of recidivism (repeat offenses). But thanks to his passion to reduce recidivism and his own experience, Singleton has spearheaded CCCC’s Building Bridges Program, a free week-long program for underemployed, unemployed and those with a criminal record — individuals to gain career readiness skills. CCCC’s program offers Job Readiness Boot Camp soft skills, forklift training and OSHA-10 certification, making its graduates work-ready in a very short time. “This program provides options — not a handout, but a hand up,” Singleton said. “And there is a difference.” Program history The five-day program launched in JanuSee BUILDING BRIDGES, page A12
FILE PHOTO
Students walk across the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus.
UNC Chapel Hill says students from families making less than $80K to receive free tuition By Matt Mercer North State Journal THE U.S. SUPREME COURt ruled on Thursday, June 29, that affirmative action practices within college admissions were unconstitutional in a 6-3 decision. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the opinion of the court, joined by Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. A lawsuit spurred by Students for Fair Admission — a nonprofit organization of more than 20,000 members made up of students, parents and supporters — said “racial classifications and preferences in college admissions are unfair, unnecessary, and unconstitutional” on their website, and sued Harvard and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill over their
admissions policies. “A student’s race and ethnicity should not be factors that either harm or help that student to gain admission to a competitive university,” their website says. Roberts, writing in part, said, “Eliminating racial discrimination means eliminating all of it. And the Equal Protection Clause, we have accordingly held, applies ‘without regard to any differences of race, of color, or of nationality’ — it is “universal in [its] application.’” Colleges and universities as a result must reshape admissions practices, with many committing to finding alternate ways to maintain diversity on college campuses. University of North Carolina System President Peter Hans issued a statement in response to the case, saying his team was
reviewing the decision but will follow the law. “Our public universities do “Beginning extraordinary work every day with the to serve students of all backincoming grounds, beliefs, income levels and life experiences,” Hans said. class in “ … The most important work 2024, we will of higher education is not in deciding how to allocate limited expand the admissions slots at highly com- University’s petitive schools, but in reaching and encouraging more students long-standing to take advantage of our 16 re- commitment markable public universities.” to access and In the days following the decision, UNC Chapel Hill Chancel- affordability lor Kevin Guskiewicz authored a for North letter about the decision. The chancellor began by say- Carolina ing that the ruling marked a families.” fundamental change and will affect thousands of universities. “We will follow the Supreme Guskiewicz See UNC, page A7
Board of Education approves renaming of Chatham School of Science and Engineering, grants sidewalk easement By Valeria Cloës Chatham News & Record PITTSBORO — The Chatham County Schools Board of Education met at 6 p.m. for open session on Tuesday, July 11, agreeing to rename the Chatham School of Science and Engineering, grant a sidewalk easement and accepted multiple other action items. One of the most important action items is that the board agreed by 4-1 votes to rename Chatham School of Science and Engineering to Chatham Early College (CEC). This will allow CEC to be able to provide more career pathways to Chatham
County students. Dr. Amanda Moran, assistant superintendent for Academic Services and Instructional Support, said this will help position the early college for future expansion as businesses come into the area and the community grows. Second, the board of education unanimously agreed to “grant the easements and rightof-way for construction and use of a sidewalk on the northern shoulder of Pittsboro School Road between Farrell Street and McClenehan Street to the Town of Pittsboro,” according to the meeting agenda. “This will help children and
parents who are walking to and from Pittsboro Elementary,” Assistant Superintendent for Operations Chris Blice said. Third, the board of education also unanimously agreed to declare the Central Services facility at 369 West Street, “minus the 0.736 acres encumbered by the Pittsboro Elementary gravel parking area,” as surplus for around $2.77 million, which is at fair market value. This plot of land will also be offered to Chatham County. Finally the board of education discussed updates to language pertaining to the 20232023 Student Code of Civility, and its language will continue
to be updated based on questions and requests asked by the commissioners. In addition to the action items, Ilana Dubester, Selina Lopez and other team members and program participants of Orgullo Latinx Pride (OLP) were in attendance to give first hand accounts explaining how helpful the program has been. OLP is a free after school youth program through the Hispanic liaison for Jordan Matthews and Seaforth High School Hispanic students, to help them succeed in school, graduate high school and pursue a higher education, according to their website.
Six students and parents went up to the podium and said that the program has boosted their confidence, given them a sense of community and helped them reach their goals of going into higher education. This program will continue into next school year. The next Chatham County Schools Board of Education meeting will take place at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 14, in the Central Services Board Room at 468 Renaissance Drive in Pittsboro.