I went to a Bob Dylan concert at DPAC this past weekend, the first rock concert I’d been to in decades. What a change between then and now. One similarity, though: Audience members were still my peers age-wise. Back in the day, I went to concerts with other teenagers and 20-somethings. Last weekend’s Dylan concert […]
All posts in category Community life
What Dylan Teaches About Aging
Posted by Nancy Oates on November 5, 2018
https://chapelhillwatch.com/2018/11/05/what-dylan-teaches-about-aging/
Where are the Republicans?
When I turned 18, I registered to vote as a Democrat, and I haven’t wavered since. So why did I feel uneasy when I went to vote last week and saw a string of Democrats on the ballot running unopposed? Orange County, with the vast majority of its population residing in the southern part of […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on October 29, 2018
https://chapelhillwatch.com/2018/10/29/where-are-the-republicans/
Vote like it’s finals
After my first child was born, I considered making a career change that would involve going back to college for several classes. I lived in New York City at the time, and my babysitter was a student at a different college than the one I attended. All of us relied on public transit to get […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on October 22, 2018
https://chapelhillwatch.com/2018/10/22/vote-like-its-finals/
The cost of crime
In the U.S. 1 in 4 of us has a criminal record; 4 in 4 of us have a criminal history. Ever driven over the speed limit? Had a drink while underage? Inhaled? Three out of 4 of us are the lucky ones, to have had the luxury of not getting caught. Last Thursday, the […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on September 24, 2018
https://chapelhillwatch.com/2018/09/24/the-cost-of-crime/
The Florence side of trees
After our week of worry, it feels like we dodged a bullet when Hurricane Florence shifted south. In Chapel Hill, the power outages were short-lived, the flooding no worse than expected, and no one has died. Those of us who lived here through Hurricane Fran feel a guilty relief — and empathy after seeing the […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on September 24, 2018
https://chapelhillwatch.com/2018/09/24/the-florence-side-of-trees/
Shelter from the storm
The Red Cross thinks of everything. After UNC opened the Friday Center on Saturday to Hurricane Florence victims seeking shelter, the Red Cross swooped in, and with the practiced precision of a military operation, set up camp to welcome people who may have left home in a panic with nothing more than the clothes they […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on September 17, 2018
https://chapelhillwatch.com/2018/09/17/shelter-from-the-storm/
Taking a stand on Silent Sam
Chapel Hill has its own version of Colin Kaepernick in UNC Chancellor Carol Folt. Though instead of taking a knee, Folt took a stand — on whether Silent Sam should be allowed back on the pedestal in the university’s front yard. Up to this point, I’d been disappointed that Folt had been so tentative in […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on September 10, 2018
https://chapelhillwatch.com/2018/09/10/taking-a-stand-on-silent-sam/
What Does Democracy Look Like?
Talk about a baptism by fire: His first day on the job, town manager Maurice Jones had to deal with a “spontaneous” rally by activists that ended with the toppling of Silent Sam, making national news. The statue’s demise happened close to the one-year anniversary of the deadly protest in Charlottesville, where Jones had been […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on August 27, 2018
https://chapelhillwatch.com/2018/08/27/what-does-democracy-look-like/
ID’ing the Enemy
Faithful readers may have noticed that Chapel Hill Watch did not appear among the list of 350 news outlets that ran an editorial rejecting Donald Trump’s dissing of the media. No political agenda here. I totally agree with the editorial published by The Boston Globe. I simply went on vacation last week, a real vacation […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on August 20, 2018
https://chapelhillwatch.com/2018/08/20/iding-the-enemy/
The Bail Trap
Some 40% of Americans can’t cover a $400 emergency expense, according to a federal survey conducted earlier this year. If they don’t have access to credit, they’d have to borrow from family or friends. If they have tapped out those resources, then bills go unpaid, utilities get shut off. Sometimes that $400 bill starts a […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on August 6, 2018
https://chapelhillwatch.com/2018/08/06/the-bail-trap/