VOLUME 146 ISSUE 50 | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2024
CHATHAMNEWSRECORD.COM
C HATHAM NEWS & R ECORD THE CHATHAM COUNTY EDITION OF THE NORTH STATE JOURNAL
the
BRIEF this week
Pittsboro moves forward with Phase II at water plant Pittsboro is implementing new water treatment measures as part of Phase II improvements at the Pittsboro Water Plant, the town said in a statement. These include an expanded Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) filtration system and Ultra-Violet Advanced Oxidation Process (UVAOP) systems. The expanded GAC filtration will increase filtration capabilities up to two million gallons a day. Because of rules around grant funding and the fact that Sanford may keep the water plant operational after a merger of water systems, improvements at the plant continue even as merger talks meander.
Last chance to register for primary election North Carolinians looking to vote in the March 5 primary election have until Friday Feb. 9 to register or make changes to party affiliation. State law sets the voter registration deadline as 25 days before an election. To vote in a NC primary, residents must be a U.S. citizen, live at the address on their registration form for 30 days before the election, and be at least 18 years old by the date of the general election — that means that 17-yearolds can vote in the March primary if they will turn 18 by Nov. 5. Existing voters with a NC driver’s license can update their address or party affiliation through NCDMV’s website. Voters can register during the in-person early voting period from Feb. 15 through March 2, but will not be able to change party affiliation.
NCDOJ data breach report has sobering finds According to a recent report from the North Carolina Department of Justice: Businesses reported a record 2,033 data breaches in 2023, the highest number ever reported to the NCDOJ. More than 4.9 million North Carolinians were affected by data thefts, second only to the 5.3 million affected in 2017 following the Equifax breach. Hacking-related breaches were at a record high of 1,607, causing 80% of all reports. That number surpassed the previous high of 1,492 in 2021. On a positive note, phishing, ransomware, and breaches involving email were all down in 2023.
CHATHAM COUNTY SCHOOLS YOUTUBE
In a screengrab from the Chatham County Schools YouTube channel, Pittsboro resident Belle Boggs addresses the Board of Education to plead for increases in teacher pay to address staff shortages and retention challenges.
Chatham school board commits to school in Chatham Park, accepts $35k from Wolfspeed By Robert Owens for Chatham News & Record PITTSBORO — The Chatham County Schools Board met January 16 for its first board meeting of 2024. The district is looking to restart apprenticeships and internships with Chatham hospital, Superintendent Anthony Jackson told the board, sharing details of a meeting he had with administrators at the hospital. EL/ML teacher and MTSS Coach Catherine Oldham from
Moncure School was honored as this month’s Power of One award recipient, a monthly award given to a district staff member who has a powerful impact on shaping the direction of someone’s life. “Ms. Oldham is such a positive impact on everyone at Moncure School even though her titles only include EL/ML teacher and MTSS Coach she goes far beyond those jobs,” said one nomination for the award. “She is a person that can stop, pivot, and change roles for the situation on a dime.” Another stated: “Ms. Oldham
Pittsboro begins regular operations after latest 1,4 dioxane release Chatham News & Record
“The small portion that made it into our system is gone or rapidly decreasing.” Town of Pittsboro Statement
TESTING RESULTS from the Pittsboro water distribution system delivered good news for the town’s water supply. Results received by the town indicated that a minimal amount of the substance had entered the water supply system and the “slug” of 1,4 dioxane has passed by the town. “The small portion that made it into our system is gone or rapidly decreasing, and any remaining 1,4 dioxane is heavily diluted or moved downstream,” a statement from Pittsboro officials said. Out of an abundance of caution, the statement went on, minimal pulls from the Haw River continued through the end of last week and regular operations have resumed with weekly testing of the town’s water supply. Results received on Friday, Feb. 2 showed no detection of chemicals at four of the five locations tested. At Million Gallon Tank, an amount of 1.18 µg/L was detected. Pittsboro continues to offer free filtered water at Chatham Marketplace until 1,4 dioxane is undetectable at all of the town’s testing sites. The filtration system at Chatham Marketplace consists of both Reverse Osmosis (RO) and Ultraviolet Light (UV) filtration. Customers may use Code 64261 to fill jugs and bottles for free. The staff at Chatham Marketplace asks that individuals bring jugs and bottles to fill from home, as only a limited supply is available for purchase at the store. Chatham Marketplace, at 480 Hillsboro Street in Pittsboro, is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.
helps run the school store, runs intervention groups, runs EL/ML groups, works at the PTA Thrift Store, helps lead the MTSS PLC meetings, and much more and still has time to help out in any situation when needed. She is dependable, flexible, and enthusiastic.” Chatham Schools will begin a reaccreditation with Cognia, an accreditation body that the district has been using for more than 20 years, in Spring 2025. the accreditation body for Chatham County Schools. The process
The district will have five years to begin construction, with a delivering a development plan to Chatham Park Investors being the next step. helps to identify strengths for improvement and to ensure that the whole district is working together to meet the needs of students. Next year’s site visit will be done virtually and is now on a 6-year cycle. The board formally committed to acquiring a no-cost site in Chatham Park Northern Village for a new school to serve the growing See SCHOOLS, page A7
LGBTQ groups file Title IX complaint over Parents’ Bill of Rights, Fairness in Women’s Sport laws By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — A trio of LGBTQ activist groups in the western part of North Carolina that previously threatened to file a Title IX complaint over the Parents’ Bill of Rights law filed paperwork with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. The groups that filed the complaint are the Campaign for Southern Equality, Youth OUTright WNC, and PFLAG Asheville. In addition to the Parents’ Bill of Rights law (SB49), the complaint has added the bill known as Fairness in Women’s Sports (HB574), which bars males from playing on female sports teams. Instead of suing the legislature over the two laws, the groups are targeting the state educational agencies responsible for carrying out the law; the N.C. Department of Public Instruction and State Board of Education. Title IX is designed to prevent sex discrimination in education via the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause,
enforced by the federal Department of Education, which provides significant funding to public schools across the country. “Under the leadership of the North Carolina State Board of Education (SBE) and the Department of Public Instruction (DPI), local school districts are barring LGBTQ-affirming content, outing transgender students, erecting barriers to LGBTQ students receiving needed health care at school as well as support from educators, and prohibiting transgender girls from playing athletics consistent with their gender identity,” the complaint claims. “SB49 provides transparency for parents—plain and simple. Parents, not the state, are ultimately responsible for raising their children,” State SuperSee TITLE IX, page A7
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