(The latlu ®ar UM
INSIDE
TUESDAY*
SEPTEMBER 24,1996
Housekeepers’ discrimination suit postponed for talks
■ Judge Brenda Becton
agreed to give the disputing
sides time to negotiate.
BY KELLY O'BRIEN
STAFF WRfTER
A motion to delay the racial discrimi
nation lawsuit hearing filed by members
of the UNC Housekeepers Association
was granted Monday during a telephone
meeting between the University’s and
the Housekeepers’ attorneys.
DtH ■ II I
Rep. Melvin Watt, D-N.C., addresses the crowd at a rally at N.C. Central
University. The rally was held to promote voter awareness.
New Town Council member could be chosen tonight
■ The two candidates will
make presentations at
tonight’s public hearing.
BY MARY-KATHRYN CRAFT
STAFF WRITER
The Chapel Hill Town Council might
fill a seat tonight that has been vacant
since July.
The council has been working minus
one member since since the July 7 death
of six-year council member Barbara
Booth-Powell.
Edith Wiggins and Louise Stone, ap
plicants for the vacant seat, will present
their platforms and answer questions at
the public hearing.
Wiggins, interim vice chancellor for
student affairs at UNC until her Oct. 1
retirement, said she planned to focus on
her background, qualifications and views
Timberlyne residents upset over pending development
BY KATE HARRISON
STAFF WRITER
A proposed development of apartment
complexes and single-family homes in
the Timberlyne area has many residents
in the north Chapel Hill area upset about
potential traffic congestion.
Mary Reeb, chairwoman ofthe Chapel
Hill Planning Board, said the board rec
ommended unanimously that the Town
Council approve the proposed develop
ment, despite complaints.
“We didn’t see any problems with the
development itself,” Reeb said. “The
developer has tried to be creative about
addressingpubliclyperceived problems."
Reeb said the 34-acre area directly
t Garden griefs
A second cleanup day has
been scheduled to clear
Fran damage from the
N.C. Botanical Garden.
Page 2
“We made substantial headway in our
negotiations and identified several areas
we can come to agreement on," House
keepers’ attorney Alan McSurely said.
The idea for the motion stemmed from
a compromise proposal developed by the
BlackFaculty-StaffCaucusthatsuggested
the lawsuit hearings be postponed for 60
days.
The time will be used to set up a task
force to make recommendations on how
to improve housekeepers’ working con
ditions and wages. The Housekeepers
endorsed the plan and requested that it be
implemented.
about town issues during her presenta
tion.
Because she was a member of the
Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Educa
tion for eight years, Wiggins said she felt
qualified to serve on the council.
“There are several similarities between
the two boards,” she said.
Wiggins, who has lived in Chapel Hill
for more than 32 years, said she wanted
to use the extra time her retirement will
give her to give back to the community.
“My intent is to become involved in
the life of the community and the council
is a good way to do so,” she said.
Stone has been a resident of Chapel
Hill for five years. In a previous inter
view, Stone described herself as a “prag
matic liberal,” and “pro-education, pro
arts, pro-environment and pro-choice.”
Before relocating to Chapel Hill, Stone
was involved in city government in Phila
delphia and Washington, D.C., includ
ing managing various campaigns and
south of the Timberlyne Shopping Cen
ter would be called The Estates and in
clude 240 apartments and 22 houses.
Reeb said the developer had made
some accommodations. A one-way en
trance into the property will decrease cut
through traffic. The developer also plans
to separate the multifamily housing from
the single homes.
Reeb said residents remained dissatis
fied with the development plans.
“I think the only thing that would
really make them happy is for the devel
opers to go away,” she said.
Melissa Bowler, a resident of
Timberlyne Apartments on Westminster
Road, said she was opposed to the devel
opment because of increased traffic.
If we don’t change direction soon, we’U end up where we’re going.
Professor Irwin Corey
Healthy bytes
Nutrition and vegetarian ▲
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something to chew on.
Page 4
“The initiative by the Black Faculty-
Staff Caucus was an inspiration for a lot
of thinking on the part of the Housekeep
ers,” McSurely said.
Judge Brenda Becton granted the
Housekeepers’ motion to continue the
hearing because her immediate schedule
had time restrictions.
“The judge decided that in light of the
pretrial orders submitted that it would
notbe possible to hear thecase this week,”
said Special Attorney General Tom Ziko,
who is one of the attorneys representing
the University. “Her schedule would also
prohibit hearing the case within the next
NCCU rally promotes voter empowerment
■ Monday’s rally also
marked the importance of
historically black colleges.
BYSARADEMANIGOLD
STAFF WRITER
National, state and local politicians
joined N.C. Central University’s dance
team, color guard, cheerleaders and
marching band Monday in urging stu
dents to make their voices heard and
their votes count this November.
Thousands of students gathered to
celebrate Historically Black Colleges and
Universities Day. Speakers took the op
portunity to liven the day up by giving
impassioned speeches, dancing and lead
ing students in chants.
The NCCU marching band, the Sound
Machine, played up-to-date hip-hop
music to which the crowd swayed. The
band adheres to the motto “Excellence Is
No Accident,” an idea the speakers and
students turned into the day’s theme:
getting more people out to vote.
“We are kicking off a drive to make
sure everyone is voting here,” NCCU
Chancellor Julius Chambers said.
David Price, candidate for 4th District
U.S. representative, said people could
make a difference in the political arena
with their vote.
“This is a pivotal voting year,” Price
said. “You all need to come out and
Council member JOE
CAPOWSKI said he
was interested in the
candidates views.
serving on school
boards. Although
she has only lived
in the area for five
years, she said she
was certain her ex
perience in city
government would
help her serve the
town council well.
“Everyone is faced
with the same prob
lem of crime and
education,” she
said. “Some prob-
lems are common
to the city and the village.”
Council member Joe Capowski said
he was most interested in how the candi
dates felt about specific issues.
“I am going to ask them whether or
not they would have voted for
Meadowmont, and how do they feel
about (constructing) streets through ex-
“Rightnow, we’re on adead-end street,
which makes Timberlyne Apartments a
little safer and quieter,” she said. “The
added housing they’re talking about
would make the traffic skyrocket.”
Alleen Barber, a Timberlyne Apart
ments resident, said, “Of course I’d rather
the area wouldn’t be developed,” she
said. ‘Tmsureitwilladdalotoftrafficto
Airport and Weaver Dairy roads.”
Planning director Roger Waldon said
although the plan would definitely in
crease traffic and add to congestion, there
had been a call for development in the
area and plans had been in the works.
Waldon advised that the planning
board recommend the development be
cause it met all planning requirements
Parks 101
Carrboro park users can
register for classes in a
variety of subjects,
including cooking. Page 7
couple of months, (so) she decided to
take it off the calendar for the time be
ing.”
A court date will be set for after Thanks
giving and possibly not until February,
McSurely said.
Despite the agreement to delay the
hearing, the attorneys disagreed about
the outcome of a Housekeepers motion
for a third party mediator.
McSurely said the motion for media
tion was granted.
“The judge seemed to think that me
diationwouldbeuseful,”hesaid. “Itwas
my understanding that both our motions
DTH’MISTI MCDANIEL
Organizers of Historically Black Colleges and Universities Day planned the event around voter registration and
education about political issues that affect college students. A number of students registered to vote.
vote.”
Similar celebrations were held across
the country yesterday in honor of His
torically Black College and University
isting neighborhoods,” he said.
Joyce Brown, another council mem
ber, said she also was concerned with
candidates’ views on particular issues.
“I think growth and development and
solid waste management are particularly
in focus,” she said.
Council member Richard Franck said
both candidates had strong experiences
that would contribute to the council.
“I don’t expect (the new member) to
be terribly familiar with Chapel Hill town
government, but they need to bring in a
positive attitude,” he said.
Council member Pat Evans said she
believed whoever was chosen would
make a strong addition to the current
council. She said both Wiggins and Stone
earned different but excellent qualifica
tions.
“It will be a difficult choice,” Evans
said. “No matter who we choose, I hope
they will both be active in town govern
ment.”
such as density, open space and buffers,
even though the development would bring
more traffic to the area. “Citizens who
came to the Town Council’s public hear
ing were especially concerned about
Kingston Road because there are no side
walks, and they were worried about
safety,” he said. “But I think the en
trance-only access onto Kingston Road
that the developer proposed would cut
down on the through traffic.”
Although the planning board didn’t
make any recommendations to the de
velopers, it did recommend accommo
dations the town should make, including
a stoplight at Weaver Dairy Road.
The Town Council will hold a public
hearing on the issue this fall.
Today's
. Weather
“ Mostly sunny; low
80s.
Wednesday: Sunny; mid 70s.
were granted.”
But Ziko said the issue was not de
cided Monday, and he and McSurely
would continue discussions today to see
if an agreement could be reached. Ziko
said he and McSurely would report to the
judge, and she would decide if a media
tor was needed.
Becton could not be reached Monday
to clarify her decision.
Prior to the Monday meeting, both
sides negotiated the compromise pro
posal.
“Everyone (in the UNC Housekeep
ers Association) felt hopeful at the end of
Day.
NCCU did not officially cancel classes
for the day, but many professors allowed
students to take part in the celebration.
Heineman’s extended stay
in hospital raises questions
■ His spokesman says the
illness will not affect his
re-election campaign.
BY HOLLY HART
STAFF WRITER
Rep. Fred Heineman, R-N.C., will be
out of the hospital and back on the cam
paign trail very soon, his press secretary
Mike Scanlon said.
“He’s fine, he’s healthy, he’s recov-
ered and he should
be getting out any
daynow,” Scanlon
said.
Heineman has
been in the hospi
tal since Sept. 5 for
surgery to correct a
hole in his intes
tine, but his office
has issued very
little information
during that time
regarding his con
dition.
Robert Wilkie,
directoroftheN.C.
Rep. FMD
HEINEMAN. R-N C„ is
expected to rejoin
Congress before it
adjourns Friday.
Republican Party, said Heineman was
expected to be back in Congress before it
adjourns Friday. Wilkie added that
Heineman had only missed about seven
days so far and had been in contact with
Congress during that time.
During his absence, Heineman’s re
election campaign has been moving along
despite rumors to the contrary, Wilkie
said.
Wilkie denied that Heineman might
be replaced on the 4th District Congres
sional ballot against Democrat David
Price, a former representative. “It hasn’t
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the day that a resolution could be made
without a hearing,” McSurely said.
Although agreements with the House
keepers have been made, the problem of
class representation still remains,
McSurely said. Since it is a class action
suit, all blacks must be represented in the
settlement.
“Even if the Housekeepers Associa
tion agrees on a settlement, we have a
larger responsibility to the whole class (of
black employees),” McSurely said. “The
problem of ensuring that the class is fairly
and adequately represented in the settle
ment has to be addressed.”
Bridget Wiley, NCCU senior and po
litical science major, said she took off
See HBCU, Page 2
even been discussed,” Wilkie said. “We
expect the Congressman to be back and
campaigning hard before the election."
Scanlon said there was never any
speculation that Heineman might drop
out of the race. “It was blatantly false,”
Scanlon said. “He’s in the race, and he’s
going to win.”
Julia White, Price’s press secretary,
said she hadn’t heard anything regarding
Heineman dropping from the race. “Our
campaign is in full swing,” White said.
Heineman’s illness has prevented the
candidates from speaking together about
issues though, White said. “We’re disap
pointed that we haven’t been able to do
that.”
White said Hurricane Fran took a lot
of public focus away from the election
and Heineman’s illness. “It’s impossible
to say if (Heineman’s illness) will have
any effect on the election,” White said.
Thad Beyle, professor of political sci
ence at UNC, said voters might not vote
for Heineman because ofhis illness. Beyle
added that the voters won’t necessarily
vote for Price in this situation, but that
they might not vote at all.
Beyle compared Heineman’s illness
to that ofßussian President Boris Yeltsin,
who recently has been hospitalized for
heartsurgery. “When people get ill, espe
cially when they’re in the public eye, and
there’s not a lot of information given,
there’s a case there that there’s more
damage than they let on.” Beyle said a
lack of information feeds suspicions.
Beyle said Heineman had let things go
too long for him to drop out of the elec
tion, but added that this could come back
to haunt him if he’s really not recovered.
“It’s just members ofhis political party
tellingus he’s okay,’’Beyle said. "There’s
going to have to be some information
sometime.”