By ALIRIO ESTEVEZ “What did you ask al Niño Dios (Baby Jesus), my child?” It was the question my beloved grandmother asked me every Christmas when I was a little boy — or “pela’o,” as we said in Colombia. Christmas is the time of year that I love and miss the most. It brings back […]
By VICTORIA JOHNSON For most people, the idea of tourism generates images of long trips to faraway places, thousands-year-old monuments and tacky fanny packs — not overnight occupancy taxes, parking fees and sales tax. Yet, that’s crucial to how Neha Shah, director of the Pittsboro-Siler City Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB), explains tourism in Chatham […]
By VICTORIA JOHNSON PITTSBORO — The Odd Company, or ODDCO, has a new next-door neighbor on West Street — and as luck would have it, this newcomer, the Small Museum of Folk Art, is just as offbeat. After nearly five years at 219 East St. beside the Small B&B Cafe, the Small Museum of Folk […]
By VICTORIA JOHNSON SILER CITY — The Siler City Board of Commissioners appointed seven inaugural members to the town’s first Immigrant Advisory Committee Monday, reinvigorating a years-long initiative to better serve its immigrant population. Among the new committee members, all migrated from Latin American countries or have Hispanic ancestry. According to 2020 census data, Siler […]
By VICTORIA JOHNSON SILER CITY — The Siler City Board of Commissioners on Monday postponed appointments to the town’s first Immigrant Advisory Committee to mid-November, opening a third application period to bring in more candidates. Under the board’s stay, the new application deadline is Nov. 1. According to town manager Roy Lynch, town staff will […]
By VICTORIA JOHNSON SILER CITY — The Hispanic Liaison’s Hispanic Heritage raffle raised $5,200 in donations and gave away nine prizes, including the top prize, a Nintendo Switch, and a “surprise.” The Liaison held the raffle at 8 p.m. on Oct. 15 at the Chatham Rabbit Cafe courtyard and via Facebook Live with Mexican-American artist […]
By VICTORIA JOHNSON & TAYLOR HEEDEN PITTSBORO — The Pittsboro Board of Commissioners voted 3-2 Monday night not to renew its Memorandum of Understanding with the nonprofit Main Street Pittsboro organization for the next fiscal year, opting instead to form a Downtown Advisory Board to manage the program. Commissioners Kyle Shipp, Jay Farrell and John […]
By VICTORIA JOHNSON When Honduran immigrant José Héctor López Barrera arrived in Siler City in 2006, his top priority wasn’t learning English. It was finding work. “(We left) searching for a better life for our family and personally because in our countries, it’s hard,” López Barrera, 38, told the News & Record in Spanish. “The […]
By VICTORIA JOHNSON SILER CITY — The Siler City Board of Commissioners initiated the redistricting process Monday night, setting mapmakers’ five guiding principles for creating the town’s new voting districts. Those criteria include preserving the core of existing districts; avoiding pairing incumbents; planning for future growth; preserving communities of interest (i.e. prioritize the intactness of […]
By VICTORIA JOHNSON Chatham County artists looking for the means to advance their careers can apply to the Emerging Artists Program for grants of up to $1,500 by Oct. 31. Managed by the Durham Arts Council, the Emerging Artists Program (EAP) has been offering emerging and established artists financial support critical to reaching the next […]