From a news release from the county, sent at 5:24 p.m. today: Durham City-County Planning Director’s Protest Petition Ruling will be defended County Attorney Lowell L. Siler stated today that upon receipt of an appeal, his office will defend the Durham City-County Planning Director’s determination that the Jordan Lake protest petition is invalid based on […]
Samiha Khanna
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People’s Alliance backs HRA, SELC on protest petition
The People’s Alliance this morning released a letter it sent (pasted below) to Durham County Commissioners, Durham’s county manager, planning director and county attorney supporting the validity of a protest petition filed earlier this year by two environmental groups looking to preserve development restrictions around Jordan Lake. The petition, filed by the Southern Environmental Law […]
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Medlin on petition: One land owner can’t sign for three
The latest update from Durham’s planning Director Steve Medlin: His staff is still evaluating a protest petition filed last month by the Haw River Assembly and Southern Environmental Law Center, and is looking specifically at signatures. It appears, he said, that one property owner signed the petition for himself, but also on behalf of the […]
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Rolling Hills community meeting Nov. 10
The city and planners for the revitalization of Rolling Hills and Southside, two neighborhoods just south of downtown, are holding a community meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10, at the Hayti Heritage Center at 804 Old Fayetteville St. The public will be able to ask questions of the project’s steering committee and learn about […]
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Durham superintendent to take federal post
The superintendent of Durham’s public schools, Carl Harris, is leaving Durham to take a job with the U.S. Department of Education, DPS announced this morning. Harris, who has been Superintendent since July 2006, will serve as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Education for Policy and Strategic Initiatives. “Durham’s loss is definitely our nation’s gain,” said school […]
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Update on Jordan Lake protest petition
Though the Durham planning department hasn’t released any new findings on the Jordan Lake watershed rezoning protest petition, which was contested again this week, County Manager Mike Ruffin confirmed this afternoon that the planning department is sorting through signatures on the petition to ensure they are valid. But, Ruffin said, the planning department still won’t […]
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Haw River Assembly, SELC contest ruling on petition
The Southern Environmental Law Center announced this morning that it is contesting a ruling by Durham’s planning director that its recent protest petition on the rezoning of Jordan Lake’s watershed was invalid. The SELC and the Haw River Assembly argue that Durham’s planning director miscounted the amount of land owned by people who signed the […]
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Duke police officer charged with rape
As reported today in The News & Observer and The Herald-Sun, a Duke University police officer was arrested Monday in Alabama and charged in a “bondage rape,” and faces two felony charges – first-degree rape and first-degree sodomy. The officer, Webster Delenn Simmons, 37, is noted in the article as a resident of Rougemont who […]
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Five Durham candidates file pre-election finance reports
Five Durham candidates filed pre-election campaign finance reports this week, and the lists of contributors didn’t include many surprises, but were interesting nonetheless. Candidates raising or spending more than $3,000 in their campaigns this fall were required to file pre-election reports. Among the highlights: Mayor Bill Bell received contributions from Charles Wilson, of C.T. Wilson […]
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Failures in DPD secondary employment oversight rampant prior to OT scandal
UPDATE: Download the PDF >> Long before a city audit revealed excessive overtime being paid out to the Durham Police Department’s coordinator for secondary employment, an internal review showed many problems with oversight. The issues ranged from a failure to adhere to policies to possible “hoarding” of work, according to a report from 2008 posted […]