VOLUME 147 ISSUE 48 | THURSDAY, JANUARY 23, 2025
CHATHAMNEWSRECORD.COM
PJ WARD-BROWN / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
Newly appointed Chatham County Manager Bryan Thompson, left, and assistant county manager Darrell Butts stand outside the Chatham County Government Annex last week in downtown Pittsboro.
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Thompson takes helm as BRIEF this week Chatham County manager Jackson, other Democrat AGs file lawsuit over birthright citizenship Attorneys general from 22 states, including North Carolina’s Jeff Jackson, have sued to block President Donald Trump’s move to end a century-old immigration policy known as birthright citizenship, which guarantees that U.S.-born children are citizens regardless of their parents’ status. Trump’s roughly 700-word executive order, issued late Monday, amounts to a fulfillment of something he talked about during the presidential campaign. Whether it succeeds is far from certain after it was challenged in court Tuesday. A group of more than a dozen Democrat attorneys general, including Jackson, also moved to intervene in an ongoing gun rights case.
Trump directs all federal DEI staff to be put on leave The Trump administration is directing that all federal diversity, equity and inclusion staff be put on paid leave and that agencies develop plans to lay them off, according to a memo from the Office of Personnel Management. Tuesday’s memo follows an executive order that Trump signed his first day ordering a sweeping dismantling of the federal government’s diversity and inclusion programs that could include antibias training and funding for minority farmers and homeowners.
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The former Siler City manager brings 18 years of local gov. experience By Dan Reeves Chatham News & Record PITTSBORO — Just weeks into his new role as county manager, Bryan Thompson is focused
on managing growth and infrastructure while building on the county’s legacy of strong leadership. Thompson stepped into the position Dec. 28 following Dan LaMontagne’s retirement. Thompson, who served as assistant county manager since July 2019, brings 18 years of North Carolina local government experience. Prior to joining the county, he served as town
manager in Siler City, Erwin and Mount Gilead. A Campbell University graduate with a master’s degree in public administration from Appalachian State, Thompson previously oversaw several county departments, including finance, budget, tax, emergency communications, emergency management, information technology, GIS, and parks and recreation.
In an interview with Chatham News & Record last week, Thompson emphasized the importance of continuing LaMontagne’s focus on employee development. “All of those things point to part of what makes Chatham County’s culture so impressive,” Thompson said of his predecessor’s investment in training opportunities and the internal leadership academy. Among Thompson’s priorities is implementing the county’s unified development ordinance. “This is a project that our planning team, consultants and board have been working on for See MANAGER, page A8
WCOM celebrates 20 years of community radio The local station aims to raise $60,000 for a new home in Drakeford Library Complex By Dan Reeves Chatham News & Record CARRBORO — For 20 years, listeners have tuned in to 103.5
FM to hear volunteer DJs broadcasting diverse viewpoints, news, music and cultural experiences from local and global perspectives on WCOM radio, one of North Carolina’s first low-power FM stations. Since its humble beginnings as a volunteer-run community radio station, WCOM has had a lasting impact on the communi-
ty. While its 100-watt transmitter limits the broadcast range around Carrboro, listeners worldwide can tune in through wcomfm.org. On Jan. 12, supporters packed Carrboro’s Cat’s Cradle for a fundraiser supporting WCOM’s planned move into a new building at the Drakeford Library Complex in the coming weeks. The station aims to
Pittsboro Commissioners approve expansion of mixed-use developments
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The number of acres to be donated to the town for a fire station and/or public park
More than 150 acres of property that will mirror the Chatham Park development were approved for rezoning By Ryan Henkel Chatham News & Record PITTSBORO — The Town of Pittsboro recently paved the way for the expansion of mixed-use developments around the Chatham Park area. At its Jan. 13 regular business meeting, the board held three public hearings with the main two hearings dealing with rezoning requests submitted
by Highcroft Investors LLC. One request was to rezone approximately 34 acres of property located off of U.S. 64 Business East at the intersection of Eubanks Road from Residential (RA, RA2) to Community Mixed-Use Center (CMUC-CZ). The property abuts Chatham Park’s PDD and plans to mirror in a lot of ways the neighboring property. “This particular piece is going to presumably house 140 residential parcels and a maximum of 100,000 square footage of nonresidential,” said Planning Director Randall Cahoon-Tingle. See MEETING, page A9
raise $60,000 to fund the move and purchase essential radio equipment. Jacques Menache, founder and CEO of WCOM and founder of Carrboro’s ArtsCenter in 1979, launched the station as what he describes as pirate radio. “Twenty years ago, I was See RADIO, page A7