Before some of you hit the unsubscribe button, hear me out.

At the height of the COVID-19 outbreak, President Joe Biden signed a $1.9 trillion spending bill to help Americans and businesses to recover from the work-stopping lockdowns, the bar-flopping shutdowns, and the newly home-schooled low-downs. Man, we were down!

It was called the America Rescue Plan Act of 2021. Remember those stimulus checks? That was part of it, and so was the $350 BILLION given to state, local and tribal governments.

Chatham County got $14,464,924 in ARPA money, with strings attached to spend only on things that helped communities recover (in all ways) from the pandemic and fix aging infrastructure - the idea being to bounce back stronger.

The catch was that all of it had to be spent by December 31, 2026. That’s right, Boomer, four months away.

But wait! The magicians in the county budget office found that if they used $10 of the $14 mil to pay the salaries of deputies and emergency management personnel, they could free up the same amount to fund longer term projects.

Being a good liberal, I am going to show you how government has been a force for good. But I’m also a frugal person (friends call me Dinosaur Arms when I try to find my wallet), so I hear all of you who grabbed their chest when opening their property tax bills last week.

Sure, you may wonder why a racetrack in Hickory got $85,000 in ARPA money, but I challenge you to find wasteful spending in Chatham county.

Shake that Money Tree

“At the time it was terrifying. It was a cliff that we didn’t know if we were falling off of,” said Karen Howard, who was the Chair of the Board of Commissioners in 2022.

Kids who relied on school lunches weren’t getting food. Working parents suddenly had kids at home. Healthcare workers were working overtime. Panicked shoppers emptied shelves in stores and folks saw their savings dry up.

“There was this general sense that we wanted to do things that would make a difference in the lives of people who were already struggling,” said Howard.

ARPA money helped stop the careening car from going off the cliff.

For instance, clean air circulating in schools became critical to protecting kids and teachers, but six schools had no air conditioning in their gyms. There were already plans to fix this, but $2 million for HVAC systems jump started the project and the installation is to begin soon..

The commissioners asked citizens, who were now working from home what should be prioritized and they said expanding broadband was the greatest need. Boom! Here’s a million bucks (to AT&T and Brightspeed).

Meanwhile, outside was safe.

“It was like ‘hey, let’s jump on this moment and make some investments in trails and parks and recreational spaces because that is a safe space that people can go to, right?” said Howard.

Other critical needs:

• Vaccine incentives

• Replacing aging fire hydrants

• Expanding the county jail to meet distancing requirements

• Connecting PBO and Siler City with a fiber optic cable.

• Build Parker’s Ridge Park in Moncure

• Rental, mortgage and utility bill assistance

• Emergency housing

• Coaching new entrepreneurs (Webb Squared)

• Supporting Early Childhood education

The following non-profits divvied up a million bucks:

Pittsboro received $4.45 million and used it to replace sewer pipes. The towns of Siler City ($2.621 million) and Goldston ($96K) did not respond to requests for information.

Commissioner Howard wishes they could have funded universal pre-K, but is happy with what was accomplished.

“The investments we made in public spaces are going to endure for years. Future generations are not going to go ‘woo, woo! Look what we got!” but they’re not going to have to do these projects for a very long time,” said Howard.

The Chatham Dispatch wishes to thank Assistant Budget Director William Curvin for the background and data for this story.

And Joe Biden.

Editor’s note: That long break between substacks? We’re now calling it a sabbatical, not a vacation.

Every weekday morning since the 1950’s, Ray Maness has driven the 20 minutes or so on country roads from Robbins to Siler City, first with his dad Woodrow Wilson Maness and older brother Michael but now alone, to pound the rock and clay of Chatham County in search of water.

For over a half-century, their labors allowed people to live out their lives on farms and subdivisions: to grow crops and lawns; to fill swimming pools and flush toilets; to brush teeth and wash clothes — all of those things done without thinking. Turn the knob or lift the handle to dispense the indispensable.

The newcomers in north Chatham pay for “city water,” piped in from Durham or Jordan Lake, while us old timers still drink for free from a straw in the ground. When Ray drives around the county, he knows exactly where all of his wells are and who he dug them for. That’s some deep history right there, no pun intended.

You have to be patient to wedge a steel pipe into volcanic rock, and even more so to deal with people who suddenly find themselves without water. Ray just smiles, knowing you’re just gonna have to wait your turn, because he and his brother are the only ones still doing this work in Chatham County.

Even in their 70’s, they are still the “sons” in W.W. Maness & Sons Well Drilling; not Michael’s son or Ray’s son-in-law or grandson who also work there now. For now. How much longer can the brothers keep this up?

“As the saying goes, until they throw dirt in your face. Time is running out though,” he says with a laugh.

Well drillers in North Carolina have to be certified by the Division of Public Health, pass yearly exams and have about $2 million in equipment to stay in business. That’s why the next generation of well drillers is getting hard to find.

It takes around 3 months to get the Manesses out to your property while you’re cooking and drinking with bottled water, mainly because owners of million-dollar homes want a well to fill up their pool and water their lawns while paying for city water in the house.

It sticks in Ray’s craw, a little bit. These people have $16K “just to have some pretty grass.” He’d rather help out people who rely on his work for their everyday lives.

“(The water) is always gonna be there and all, but who knows?” said Ray. “It’s just like everything else -- the aquifer can run dry. You didn’t used to think that because the population was not as great as it is today. It’s plentiful for now, but who knows what the future holds?”

If you want to see how far below the ground the water table is at your address, go here. Do you love maps like we do? You can see most every well in Chatham here.

Ray rolls his eyes when some old cub reporter asks him about dowsing for water with bent coat hangers (aka, water witching). Nowadays, the homebuilder doesn’t care what Ray thinks, what the hydrologist thinks, what the map says or where someone with dowsing rods says to drill, it’s where the pump looks best.

“They don’t wanna listen to you, what you think. The man’s paying you so I just put it where he wants,” said Ray.

When you have a drill that can go a thousand feet into the earth, you’re going to find water somewhere along the way. Usually. If not, move the rig a little, collect another check and drill again.

Once the water starts flowing, he calculates the volume to see if it’s enough for a home.

“We take a gallon jug and time how long it takes to fill it,” he says. “If it takes 60 seconds, that’s a gallon a minute. Two seconds, you got 30 gallons a minute.”

At a minimum, a single home wants at least 5 GPM, but just the right crack can deliver 100 GPM.

“It’s just gambling … If it’s meant to be, it’s gonna be.”

For some of you who just started subscribing, as well as those who have stuck with me during my sabbatical, The Dispatch will be back soon with in-depth reporting, timely interviews and random metaphors with a dash of snark - all about Chatham County.

Meanwhile, the citizens of Chatham aren’t waiting for me to get my mojo working. Last night about 320 people packed the Ag Center, according to the Raleigh News & Observer (the story is a free gift from us!) to denounce the 12-inch natural gas pipeline that threatens to create a 50-foot wide gash across farmland and residences that have been handed down for generations for hundreds of years.

Amanda Robertson, Chair of the Board of Commissioners, told the crowd that local officials have little control over whether or not it gets approved because much of the authority rests with federal and state officials, but Chatham will not lay down without a fight.

Many a Chathamite made their mamas proud by speaking up, and you can see it all here, thanks to Jenifer Johnson, Clerk to the BoC, who hustled it online in record time.

See you back here, soon.

Time will pass, the sun will rise and laughs will be had, again. But for now, silence and lightning bugs.

No need to be sorry for my loss. We all have it and carry the weight. It was, and is, a blessing to love and be loved in return.

Be back, soon.

I love analogies and metaphors, but they can get a writer in trouble if a reader takes them literally. Or personally. Or be confused by a cryptic inference. But here at The Chatham Dispatch we dare to traverse the razor’s edge of inadvertent insult and flattery to get to a higher revelation, so here it goes.

Imagine you’re making a pizza for the family. Usually it’s cheese, sauce, pepperoni, mushrooms and bananas (at least here at The Dispatch.) Let’s say you want to shake things up one night so you remove the bananas and add jalapeños. Or replace bananas with olives. One is a radical jolt to the mouth and the other is a subtle “what’s this?” Yet both make you notice that something’s different.

The soon-to-be former sheriff Mike Roberson, appointed early to the seat he won on the county Board of Commissioners, is not the jalapeño. (Conversely, the editors are NOT calling him an olive, so let’s be clear on that)

This is the scenic drive to point out that while Roberson is not the firebrand, fist-pounding type, his presence will change the chemistry of the board in unknown ways. It’s going to be fun to watch.

While some commissioners have a deep knowledge of progressive issues or an ethnic community, Roberson brings a connection to Chatham’s history not seen since Walter Petty left the BoC in 2019. Although not a farmer, Roberson grew up on Jack Bennett Road when it was dirt, and has pretty much met everyone in his role as a lawman and community booster for the last 30 years.

“I don’t have a political angle. I listen to everybody,” said Roberson. “I think people know that about me. I don’t like labels.” While he lists affordable housing, clean water and smart growth as important issues, he feels he has a lot to learn and hopes for pragmatic solutions.

However, while keeping people safe and treating people with respect are not controversial, deciding what gets developed next to a neighbor’s property often is. When the NIMBYs storm the courthouse walls, it will be interesting to see how Roberson responds with his why-can’t-we-work-this-out personality.

Here’s an example: last Monday night at the BoC meeting, citizens from the Silk Hope Road farming community showed up in force to protest a change in the zoning designation of a neighbor’s property to allow a practice field for kids in the Triangle Cricket League.

If you’re not familiar with cricket, it’s the British cousin of baseball except outfielders catch with their bare hands and runners run with the bat. Oh, and the pitcher - called a bowler - throws the ball with a single bounce as a leg spinner, an off-spinner, a slider, a flicker ball, or our favorite, the Googly. It’s played in England and all of their former colonies.

It’s a wild game to watch because there are no foul balls - it’s played in a circle. There are 120 teams in the Triangle Cricket League and there is also interest in building six fields in the southern part of the county.

After listening to neighbors’ concerns, the land owner, a person of East Indian descent, agreed to making two pitches (fields) instead of three, limiting practice to the weekend, and only for kids. No matches. No tournaments. No PA system. No lights, just daytime play. Just grassy fields. Sounds reasonable, right?

No.

Hell no, said the neighbors.

One of them said his land was bequeathed to his ancestors by the King of England in 18th century. Referencing land given by Lord Granville and King Charles II is the only time the word bequeathed is used in Chatham County.

“You’d be destroying the character of a community!!”

“These families (coming to play) don’t live here!”

“What if a cow wanders onto the field?”

“They won’t be spending money in the county!”

“Do you even know how to play cricket?”

The Chatham Dispatch is running out of exclamation points. It’s worth noting that these are the same rural conservatives who fought against county-wide zoning years ago because property owners have rights, they believe, to do as s/he sees fit without a tyrannical deep state faceless gubment bureaucrat telling them what they can and can’t do with their land. But yes to telling their neighbors what to do.

So, the commissioners will decide in a few months who wins and who loses after it goes before the Planning Board. The losing side will curse your name until they have another request. That’s the job.

The Chatham Dispatch wishes Roberson all the best. However, be warned dear reader, you may be reading a stack here soon that quotes Amanda Robertson (the BoC chair), Mike Roberson (the new commissioner) and (Nick) Robinson (the developer’s lawyer) all in one sentence.

In case you have a short memory or just landed here, Roberson was elected last March when he won the District 3 commissioner primary race, with no opponent in November. That seat was occupied by David Delaney, who resigned last month when he moved to Wake County. Some citizens have griped online that Roberson’s appointment was made without an election, but they are adverse to facts and learning about state law, nor are they readers of this Dispatch.

Regardless, here is what Chatham County government is proposing to give to area non-profits next fiscal year. If you want to see how ALL of your money is being spent, go here, or proposed for next year, go here. Want to apply? Go here.

There is a lot of grumbling in Chatham and beyond about tax increases - so much so that there will be a constitutional amendment on the ballot in November - and we here at The Dispatch are committed to telling you how your money is spent.

BTW: these are the kinds of programs that would be cut by the “sink-or-swim” conservatives if elected. This stack is the fine print at election time.

Editor’s note: these tables are best viewed on a computer screen that’s not your phone.

The following are contracts for service that Chatham County gives to non-profits that are non-competitive, meaning they are the sole provider for meeting a particular need.

The following Housing grants are for FY25-26. This same amount - $325,000 - will be divided among applicants in November for FY26-27.

Counties in NC are required by state statute to contribute appropriate funds for certain Medicaid services. Vaya Health is the entity in Chatham County that administers these programs.

*Mental health programs funded directly by the County and not administered by Vaya Health.

Non-profit Recreational Grants will be awarded later this year when a pie of $20,300 is sliced up. Here is what was used last year.

Chatham County Partnership for Children is a corporation for improving the number, quality and affordability of child care facilities, as well their teachers.

Since some of these figures are a mixture of this year and next year, The Chatham Dispatch cannot give you an exact figure for non-profit grants in FY26-27, but the total of $2,968,062 will get you in the ballpark.

That’s a drop in a bucket of the $228,389,297 that Chatham will raise with taxes and fees. Or, about the cost of U.S. bombing Iran for 2.37 minutes or a single Tomahawk missile.

This is about where readers are thinking, “Enough with the figures! Get to the point.”

Deep, deep in the budget document is the answer that ye do seek. The commissioners have a “goal to minimize the impacts of poverty and help individuals and families approach self-sufficiency.”

And that, my friends, is a liberal manifesto.

David Delaney, in his last regular Board of Commission meeting before resigning, accused three of his fellow commissioners of violating the North Carolina law. You can watch the the full, 15-minute exchange here.

The issue arose when the Executive Committee of the Chatham Democratic Party met to discuss whom they would nominate to succeed Delaney and fill out his term, which ends in December when the newly-elected Mike Roberson takes the seat for District Three.

In the April meeting with local Democrats, BoC Chair Amanda Robertson and member Katie Kenlan were physically present, and member Karen Howard joined virtually by phone or computer. Member Delaney joined after the meeting had started.

North Carolina’s open meeting law is codified in State Stature 143-318 Section 10 (d) states the following:

“Official meeting” means a meeting, assembly, or gathering together at any time or place or the simultaneous communication by conference telephone or other electronic means of a majority of the members of a public body for the purpose of conducting hearings, participating in deliberations, or voting upon or otherwise transacting the public business within the jurisdiction, real or apparent, of the public body.”

Rebecca Fisher-Gabbard, Assistant Professor of Public Law & Government at the UNC School of Government, said such a gathering is questionable.

“If a majority of the commissioners gathered together and did, in fact, discuss the vacancy and appointment of a board member (which, again, I cannot independently confirm), that would constitute the “transaction of public business,” she wrote to The Dispatch.

North Carolina’s closed session law (G.S. 143-318.11(a)(6)) explicitly states, among other things, that a board “may not consider or fill a vacancy among its own membership except in an open meeting.”

Pate McMichael, Director of the NC Open Government Coalition based at Elon University, agrees.

“If those are the facts (that a majority was in a meeting) without giving notice to the public (48 hours in advance), then it raises concerns,” he said. For him, the phrase ”simultaneous communication” and the subject matter is critical to defining it as an interest to the public.

Chair Robertson said in a heated exchange with Delaney in the May 18th Commissioner’s meeting that she consulted with County Attorney Emily Meeker of Poyner & Spruill after the April meeting, and assured Robertson she had not violated the law.

“We did not break the Open Meetings law, period,” said Robertson.

Commissioner Kenlan wrote to The Dispatch “that since there was no discussion, deliberation or decision-making taking place in that instance, we were not in violation of the law.”

In an email, Meeker wrote that it was her understanding (without being there herself) that the meeting was just about explaining the process.

“The four Commissioners did not conduct a hearing, did not deliberate, did not vote, and did not transact public business at this meeting. As a result, I concluded in my professional opinion that there was no violation of North Carolina’s open meetings law,” she wrote.

Sue Blalock, CCDP chair, wrote to The Dispatch that the Executive Committee decided to recommend Mike Roberson to fill the seat at a later meeting in May. Others have said there was more than one candidate.

Towards the end of the April meeting, Delaney said it was awkward when Blalock thanked him for his service.

“But I didn’t feel like, you know, I was in a position to be able to say anything because that would create a further problem under the Open Meetings law,” he said.

Delaney, himself a practicing attorney, attempted to put the issue on the May 18th agenda, but failed to get a second for his motion. Roberson attempted to move on with the meeting’s agenda, but Delaney persisted in voicing his concerns.

Robertson asked attorney Meeker what could be done if Delaney continued to disrupt the meeting, and Meeker said the Chair could have him physically removed by law enforcement. Delaney relented, and then wrote about it on Nextdoor.

It was not the first time Delaney clashed with the Board Chair over how commissioners should conduct themselves. He complained in 2024 that then-chair Mike Dasher was not revealing his board membership with Chatham County Partnership for Children when he was influencing how much grant money was being awarded to it by the county.

“And, uh, suffice to say that I was the only person who thought that there was a concern with how we as a board were handling that,” said Delaney.

However, now commissioners are required to fill out forms declaring any associations with non-profits before they award any grants at the beginning of the fiscal year.

Over the course of his three and a half year tenure, Delaney often attempted to broach topics for discussion in board meetings but failed to get the votes of a three-person majority necessary to get on the agenda. The board adopted the 3-person rule to cut down on “irrelevant issues,” said Karen Howard at the January 2026 meeting.

For instance, at one meeting Delaney wanted to talk about appointing a racially and ethnically diverse mix of people to county boards - a stated priority - because his fellow board members were nominating mostly White Democrats. Then-Chair Howard said such a discussion was unnecessary, and by the way, she was African-American in case Delaney hadn’t noticed.

Delaney also sympathized with Republicans who didn’t have a voice in local politics. He attempted to place a Republican, Terri Tyson, on the Recreation Advisory Committee on May 5, 2025 but failed to get enough votes from fellow commissioners.

Several people with first hand knowledge said on background that Delaney also complained about the legal advice given to the board by its attorney at the time, Bob Hegemann, to the point that inspired Hegemann to resign from the board, and recommend Meeker, who is at the same firm.

“I think we have very low standards for ourselves for what it means to be a legislative body. But if we start shifting that, we can do a lot better,’ said Delaney.

Commentary

There are no lawyers on staff at The Chatham Dispatch, but I am an expert at acting without thinking, and then trying to bullshit my way out of the consequences. Legal or not, the appearance of four commissioners in a meeting that was clearly the public’s business is a bad look, and makes the public wonder what else is going on - even if the reality is nothing. You can’t convince me the mere presence of four commissioners - talking or not - affected the deliberations if only to reinforce private conversations they may have had with stakeholders before the meeting. Two of them should have left the meeting, but I suspect their interest in the outcome was paramount.

Flock Safety Cameras

Citizen activists got one in the win column when the Town of Pittsboro and the County of Chatham (sounds British doesn’t it?) voted to end their contracts with the surveillance company that takes photos of the rear ends of cars passing by, but mainly license plates.

Advocates cited abuses by out-of-state law enforcement agencies using the technology to track immigrants, people seeking abortions and the boyfriends of ex-wives.

However, law enforcement credited the cameras to preventing a mass shooting in New Orleans by using the cameras to track him to a hotel in Florida before he could commit the crime.

Christopher Gillum, a former cop in Chapel Hill and a detention officer in Orange County, was reported missing by his family and “had expressed recent threats to harm Black people,” according to ABC11.

But if you drive outside of Chatham county, you will likely be seen by Flock. The campus of UNC-Chapel Hill has them installed, as do the police departments of Raleigh, Charlotte and 32 other agencies. The State Bureau of Investigation wants to add the cameras on every state highway that has traffic coming from out of the state.

You can see the location of 98,000 cameras in the United States by visiting Deflocked.org.

MoPho Cars, INC.

The Chatham Dispatch should have put that on a T-shirt before the Vietnamese EV car maker VinFast went dark about its plans to build an automobile and battery plant in Chatham County.

Maybe State Attorney Jeff Jackson could use it in his lawsuit against VinFast to claw back the 220-acre Mega-site near Moncure back to the state of North Carolina. In 2022, with much fanfare, VinFast promised to build a $4 billion factory and provide over 7,000 high-paying jobs.

According to the News & Observer, VinFast missed several deadlines to begin construction after the state spent $80 million clearing and preparing the site with water and electrical hook-ups. The state will offer those improvements to the next, yet-to-be-announced bridesmaid, er, factory.

VinFast told the N&O it blames the political winds (i.e., the Trump Administration) of turning the U.S. away from electric vehicles and has promised to begin building any day now. But JJ has run out of patience, as has The Dispatch. “Give all back!,” we say.

The saga continues....

The Chatham Dispatch accuses the Chatham Journal of using A.I.

Read anything written by “Everett Pitts” and tell me I’m wrong. They are intelligent and thorough, unlike the other articles in the ad rag. Its editor, Gene Galin, has never been very creative about making up names for hit pieces he writes himself, and such is the case here. The B. Everett Jordan Lake is just south of Pittsboro. Get it?

Goodbye, Mr. Delaney

David Delaney, Chatham County Commissioner for District 3, said goodbye to his constituents last week. He had less to say to his colleagues on the BoC, abruptly leaving a budget meeting after submitting his resignation.

Elected in 2022, Delaney, who also practices law, pushed for greater county services for his district, like water and sewer lines, affordable housing, and district-only voting. He had routine community meetings with citizens, wrote on local issues on Substack and honored citizen achievements on Facebook.

(Full Disclosure: Delaney represented this author in a complaint made to the State Board of Elections when I served on the Chatham BoE. A judge didn’t think a joke I made about him on Facebook was funny. Someone had asked why he was removed from a lawsuit over the confederate statute, and I wrote that he was stuffed in a black Prius and taken to a re-education camp. Little did I know he was up for re-election. Delaney’s advice to me during a hearing with State Board members was to keep my mouth shut. Imagine that.)

However, his clashes with fellow board members made for cringe-worthy moments for people watching. Two different board chairs shut him down when he brought up criticism of how they were conducting board meetings.

Water under the bridge, though.

“I think our Board did a lot of great things over the last few years,” said Delaney, in citing fixing staffing shortages in the Board of Elections and Sheriff’s Department.

One thing that remains to be done, however, is putting sewer lines in the Northeast that would replace all of the private, inadequate and smelly spray fields in neighborhoods, according to Delaney. He said it is also the key to building more affordable housing.

“There are over 6,000 people in the Northeast - more than some towns,” he said.

“Even rural folks in the central part of the county are just as concerned about spray fields and privately-run waste water management systems that are unhealthy, unsafe and bad for the environment.”

Delaney and his family are moving to Wake County, closer to work and closer to his kid’s extra-curricular activities.

On his way out, he accused the Board of breaking the law. But you’ll have to read about that next week.

Good Evening, folks, this is Bob Boondoggle back with the second round of the Rukus on the Roundabout. Sammy Snafu will be doing the play by play of another.. (GIANT GONG SOUND) ... Re-Zoning of the Century of the Week!

In the last round we saw the champ Nick Robinson pummeled into a corner by the planning staff and nearly finished off by citizens we call NOPES! (Not On Pokeberry crEeK, Stupid!).

As Chatham County’s premier Shepherd of Subdivisions, attorney Robinson has had a win streak as long as the lines at Sabean’s coffee stand in Cole Park. But, the problem with this one - Fearrington Preserve - is, in the words of a citizen in the last go-round, “They ain’t done their homework.”

There were recreational areas in the flood zone; nothing in the commercial area except a daycare center; affordable housing concentrated like what we called The Projects back in the day; and a single neighborhood exit that would funnel traffic like a python passing a pig. Not to mention spraying treated waste water next to their pickle ball courts.

But after hours of fighting last month the commissioners rang the bell to end the round!!! Nick was getting another month to do his homework!!!

That’s the setup, folks. Now let’s go to Sammy, who has promised there’ll be a winner at the end of tonight.

That’s right, Bob, Nick the Quick has brought digital reams of maps, ordinances and traffic studies to answer all of the jabs he took last month, and appears confident as he scribbles on his legal pad. He wants another hour but the board is saying he has 25 minutes to wrap things up. We’ll see how that works out.

Nick Robinson: “What is the alternative of this compact community proposal, for this project - the version that legally has to be approved? ... a subdivision that will have about 400 homes in it.. you know, high 6 figures, 7 figures .. so that’s the context.”

We’ve heard that threat before, Bob. Approve this, or else we’ll sell to rich people.

On to the creek expert. Basically, he’s saying that Pokeberry can be made to behave by making it wider and slower - just like me, Bob!

And those traffic intersections that got an “F” last month? Now we’re finding out an “F” ain’t so bad! It just means you’ll be able to listen to traffic reports while you’re at a red light for a minute or more.

Think on the sunny side is the message here, Bob. For instance, the developers are thinking of cutting a trail through the woods so residents can walk to restaurants at Fearrington Place, combining fitness AND commerce. They don’t own that land, but hey! It’s a great idea.

On to public comments!

• Sasha Washington: “Imagine four schools trying to release students on a two-lane road and then people coming in and out of a development which sits right in the middle of it all. It simply cannot happen.”

• Amy Coughlin: “I’ve lived in Briar Chapel for 13 years .. it’s proof that good intentions alone don’t guarantee outcomes. We’ve seen wetlands disappear. We’ve seen beaver dams destroyed and beavers drowned. We’ve experience sewer spills; gray water on trails and parks; erosion; wastewater saturating forest floors that kills trees. We’ve inherited sinkholes; hazardous debris left in preserved areas; and 48 poorly built storm water ponds that the community is now financially responsible for.”

• Anne Kachergis: “I am giving you tonight a list of 730 people who signed the petition to deny the compact community zoning request.

• Raymond Ciabattoni: “I’m the father of a one-year-old and a four-year-old. I’m here tonight to talk about what good development could look like on this land. This (traffic) report does not tell us how a child walks safely on Morris Road once it carries this much new traffic. There are no sidewalks. No bike lanes. No pedestrian crossings. My boys will now grow up on that road. The developer should provide real pedestrian infrastructure, not just turn lanes for cars.

Now to county planning staff represented by Angela Plummer:

“It is with regret that I must tell you that we now have three different site plans that we’ve been presented with, so I don’t know which one is actually going to be the Master Plan for this project.

“One question I have is, if there was no project at all, can mitigation be done in Pokeberry Creek? I may not be the sharpest tool in the box, but I don’t understand why it has to wait for a development approval for it to begin.” I hear applause, Bob.

“We do not have an agreement on affordable housing. It ranges anywhere from 32 to 72 units. It’s somewhere in there... If this goes forward they are going to have to ask for a waiver of a commercial area because there would be none.”

Sammy, we’re about to lose our readers here so we’ll be back in a moment.

(cue commercial for Squirrel Away, the peppermint juice that keeps those furry pests from chewing on the wires under the hood of your car)

We’re back for the closing argument by Fearrington Preserve’s attorney, otherwise known as the Schtick of Nick. Take it away Sammy.

Well Bob, he looks unfazed but I’m beginning to wonder if the champ has finally met his match. But hold on! Angela Plummer is saying the commissioners have the option of GIVING THE DEVELOPER MORE TIME TO FIX THE SUBMISSION.

Plummer: “You have some choices we would like to recommend tonight: one, hold this meeting open (until next month) and see if we can get any agreements (to make this more acceptable) or two, closed the meeting and refer the whole thing to the planning board (with no) Master Plan to work by.”

Robinson: “We made changes to the Master Plan because your ordinances changed after we submitted. This is nothing other than responding to, on our feet, to things that are happening.”

Sammy, Commissioner Howard seems like she wants to clean things up before sending it on to the Planning Board, but Commissioner Gomez-Flores thinks that if Nick gets a mulligan - or in legal jargon, “another bite of the apple” - we’ll still be in the same place a month from now.

That’s right Bob, I’ve never seen a subdivision get so many chances. Maybe the commissioners are tired of getting sued for their zoning decisions. But here comes the vote!

Board Chair Amanda Robertson: “All those in favor (of giving Nick two more months) say ‘Aye.’ (Howard, Kenlan, Robertson). All those against say ‘Nay’ (Delaney, Gomez-Flores).”

There you have it, Bob. Two hours and a non-decision. I quit. I’m done with these people.

Yeah, Sammy. Me, too.

In a hastily called meeting of property owners and environmental advocates, it was a big crowd, even by Chatham standards. Organizers had expected about 50 attendees, but about a 100 showed up. Some neighbors had received letters from a gas company wanting to make a deal for a pipe through their property. “What should we do?” seemed to be the pressing question by folks in the room.

In the background was the data center moratorium, which is set to expire next year. That kerfuffle produced many unanswered questions.

Well, now we know the answer to one of the riddles: Where will the electricity come from?

The answer? From a NEW GAS PIPELINE stretching 28 miles from Siler City that may cut a 100 to 200 foot swath through working farms, conservation areas and maybe cross the Rocky River. To which readers of The Chatham Dispatch may say, are you f’ing kidding me?

NO, our highly paid staff are funnier than that.

First reported by Lisa Sorg of Inside Climate News , Enbridge Gas Distribution is making offers to landowners along the route, which has yet to be finalized. In the meeting last Wednesday, lawyers encouraged residents not to take the deal, even if the threat of eminent domain hangs over their head.

“These pipeline companies have a very well-oiled machine to make sure that community members feel like this is a done deal.” said Emily Sutton, Director of the Haw River Assembly. She went on to say that pipeline surveyors will be trespassing if they do not get the permission of landowners. Ultimately, they can get a court order but that slows things down.

Attorney Shiloh Daum, a veteran pipeline fighter, said, “Your objectives, collectively, if you oppose this pipeline, is to stop, slow, delay and make this a whole lot harder and more expensive - at minimum.”

There is already an 8-inch line traveling south from Orange County through Fearrington Village and under the Haw River and Roberson Creek, but it is not big enough to pump enough methane gas for the needs of the Triangle Innovation Point. That’s where Kirk Bradley’s company, ECO TIP West, wants to build data centers. Other heavy industries (like a car and battery factory) near Moncure will want to suck gas as well.

Some in the meeting estimated that the new east/west underground pipe could be as wide as 42 inches. But Enbridge is not showing its cards.

“The project is in the early design phase, so site specific construction methods have not been determined. Open-cut and trenchless methods are being evaluated for road and stream crossings,” wrote Enbridge spokesperson Persida Montanez in an email.

While not confirmed, it appears to many that the present route avoids a fight with billionaire Tim Sweeney by skirting around land that he bought for conservation. The assumption is that Enbridge would rather pick off small farmers and country folk instead of deep pockets.

For those in the fight, it’s gonna be a long slog.

“This fight is going to take 1 -10 years,” said Sutton, who helped get the MVP Southgate pipeline moved out of the Haw River watershed in Alamance County.

Nationally, Enbridge has paid more than $283 million in environmental fines since 2000 for oil spills and exploding pipes. On August 1, 2019, an Enbridge pipeline exploded in Lincoln County, KY, killing one person and inuring 5, sending a fireball into the night air so intense that it showed up on weather radar and shook people sleeping inside their homes.

The National Transportation and Safety Board said the pipeline had corroded and that Enbridge “didn’t accurately assess the condition of the pipeline or properly determine the risks to it,” according to the Lexington Herald Leader.

“Enbridge underestimated the risk posed by (defects in the metal pipe) because its procedures were not consistent with federal guidance and industry knowledge, the NTSB said in the report,” the Herald Leader reported. The same pipeline had failed twice before.

Enbridge will have to get several state and federal permits (if it crosses the Haw) that the public can comment on, as well as the county Board of Commissioners. They are hoping to begin construction in the fall of 2027.

Citizens from last week’s meeting quickly created a Facebook page, Fight Enbridge Pipeline Chatham County to share company correspondence, No Trespassing Signs, maps and other details. In addition to HRA, the indigenous advocates of 7 Directions of Service is adding their voice to the fight.

NC Newsline reports that Chatham County already has 100 miles of natural gas and hazardous liquid pipelines, which industry folks claim is safer and more efficient than transporting by truck.

“We have successfully beaten a pipeline before and we’re ready to do it again,” said Sutton. “There is real hope.”

And on top of that, I did the math wrong on his possible early release. It is not three years from today as we reported earlier, but at a time yet to be determined.

Now, off to the Board of Commissioner’s meeting.

The man who shot and killed his wife, then dumped her body in Jordan Lake in August of 2023 was sentenced to a maximum of 40 years in prison, but would be eligible for early release if he completes treatment and rehabilitation while incarcerated.

Omar Matthew Ibrahim Drabick, 36, apologized to the court and to the victim’s family today as he stood in Chatham Superior Court in front of Judge Allen Baddour after he plead guilty to second degree murder of Hadeel Ghadhanger Hikmat, who was 34 at the time of her death. The case made national news.

Assistant District Attorney Marci Trageser said the case was one of the more difficult to prosecute in her 30-year career. She told a tragic tale of an arranged marriage that Drabick didn’t want, but was brokered by his mother, who fled the courtroom in emotional distress. His mother met Hadeel a year earlier while the two of them worked at Wal Mart in Wake County, and considered her “like a daughter.”

Judge Baddour attempted to console her by saying she was not responsible for her death. “I imagine that you feel some responsibility for her death, but it is not a burden you should bear,” he said.

Hadeel’s brother spoke from Turkey via live video feed: “You killed our sister. Why did you kill her? This can never be answered,” said Frisa Hikmat. He had told ABC11 at the time of her death that she had studied chemical engineering in Iraq before moving to Turkey, and was working two jobs to support her husband, who was working as a substitute teacher in Wake County.

Drabick’s defense attorney, James Rainsford, said his client never wanted the marriage and tried to get out of it by attempting to join the military, twice, and fled to Georgia. Unable to find work, he returned to Apex.

On August 28, 2023, Hikmat’s body was found near the Farrington Point boat dock by a fisherman. The medical examiner determined that she had been shot in the back before being thrown over the bridge. Detectives used facial recognition software to find a photo of her on Facebook which allowed deputies to ask for her fingerprints on a Turkish passport.

Rainsford said Drabick was on the autism spectrum, but did not offer that as an excuse for his actions. ”At the time he felt there was no other way out (of the marriage),” he said.

In addition to second degree murder, for which he was sentenced to 31 years in prison, Drabick got an additional 9 years in for concealing a body in an unnatural death. He has been in the Chatham County Detention Center since his arrest.

Rainsford said Drabick has taken an interest in culinary arts while in jail, and would like to work in a restaurant upon his release.

A heavy-weight champ vs. a contender. There could be only one winner. And The Chatham Dispatch was ringside to chronicle the combat. Let’s get right to it. Take it away, Bob:

Hi, I’m Bob Boondoggle with Sammy Snafu to bring you tonight’s Fight of the Century of the Week.

In one corner, champ Nick Robinson: a shepherd of subdivisions and concierge for Chatham developers. A 1989 Tar Heel law grad who effuses charm and boundless energy for having his way in a public meeting. His downtown office building was built in 1836 (before The Wahrr), and is on the National Register of Historic Places. A Southern Solicitor. When he punches back at NIMBYs, it’s only because he wants to do what’s right.

In the other corner, the challenger: NOPES! - Not On Pokeberry crEek, Stupid! You know, the usual assortment of neighbors, environmentalists and two-lane aficionados present at any zoning change requested by out-of-state developers. These NOPES! potluck to strategize. They quickly tell you how long they’ve lived here. They just don’t hug trees, they get hugged back.

Tell us, Sammy, what are they fighting for?

Well, Bob, it’s about 383 acres just south of Briar Chapel where a Texas developer wants to build 630 homes. The problem is that much of that land floods when the angels cry and the roads can’t be expanded into wetlands. One road already has four schools on it. But the county desperately needs more affordable housing and that’s what the champ will likely pitch.

Wait! What’s Angela Plummer, a staff planner saying? They usually just say the developer has checked all of the boxes and should be approved.

Bob, let’s go to her instead of the commercial break.

“When we first started working on this project over a year ago, I suggested several times that they wait to submit this re-zoning request because there were too many things that have not been answered. Unfortunately, here we are,” says Plummer.

“...this project proposes 183 acres of natural space. This is mainly due to areas that cannot be developed anyway because they are streams, buffers, wetland and floodable areas” (Crowd laughs, applauds).

“To us this is not a compact community.”

• Affordable Housing Director Jamie Andrews is now showing a drawing that has ALL of the 32 proposed AH units on lots kissing the 100-year flood plain that was drawn in 2017.

• Parks and Recreation Director Tracy Burnett says, like in Briar Chapel, recreational areas are being asked to double as treated wastewater spray fields. She reports that people in the middle of a game are not happy when the effluent sprayers come on.

• Stormwater Program Manager Taylor Burton says, “It would be difficult to put trails in a floodable area - you would have to get FEMA approval... we don’t allow any development in a flood plain (which were drawn about 10 years ago).”

• Elaine Chiosso, representing the Environmental Review Advisory Committee, says the applicant didn’t provide answers to dozens of questions, and that “all of the asphalt and concrete will indeed increase the risk of flooding … the Board voted unanimously that the application was incomplete.”

Sammy, what a surprise! We’ve never seen a re-zoning application torn to pieces by staff like this! How does Robinson come back from this?

Bob, Robinson is bleeding from his temple but otherwise looks unfazed from the punches as he enters the ring. The champ has come back from worse, but he’ll need more than his fancy footwork and artist renderings to get the decision.

“Good evening, Madam Chair, Board members.... I’m delighted to be here tonight on behalf of the applicant and owner of this project, Fearrington Preserve,” says Robinson.

“This project is a golden opportunity for Chatham County to make (a neighborhood) that is 100% unique, but also consistent with its stated goals ... of affordable housing. And I mean both with a capital ‘A’ for affordable (see yellow blocks) and a lower case ‘a’ for affordable (see blue blocks).”

Sammy, you better put your waders on, it’s getting deep out there!

“I know this is a major goal for the Board and the county... This project will provide 32 affordable lots, capital ‘A’ affordable housing units ... that has never been accomplished in Chatham County.

“For context this represents, for the developer and the builder, passing on about $8.5 million dollars in revenue that would be attributable to those units. Next door will be (72 units of) lower case ‘a’ affordable housing, meaning workforce housing.

“Add that all up and we expect more than 300 units to be priced under $500,000. This would be a seismic shift in affordability for northeast Chatham County (for teachers, firefighters, etc.).”

Robinson goes on to say if his clients don’t build this project, they will be FORCED to build 200 to 300 homes in the million dollar range on 1-3 acre lots.

And we don’t want that, do we Bob?

Consultants go on to say they can “fix” wild Pokeberry Creek to carry more water; put a daycare center to satisfy the commercial requirement; pump wastewater to a storage tank using new-fangled technology; and make a park for Frisbee Golf! All of this and more taxes for county coffers.

Well, Bob, that’s kind of it. We expected this when you have a half-baked scheme to maximize profit on land that is unsuitable for building - sell the one thing the county wants - cheap housing for the likes of you and me.

Sammy, let’s go to a commercial break before we hear from citizens.

(cue commercial for AI hearing aids that tell you what you want to hear)

I’m Bob Boondoggle with Sammy Snafu back with the Fight of the Century of the Week. We just saw Chatham County staff knock the lights out of a request to rezone over 380 acres from residential to a compact community. Lawyer Nick Robinson countered with, basically, you can have a walk-able community, manageable traffic, environmental protections and flood-free homes OR affordable housing.

Let’s hear what the citizens think.

• “Hello, I’m Davis Andrews ... I’d like to point out one existing condition that makes this parcel unfit for development. It’s been well-documented that the spray fields upstream in Briar Chapel are faulty. Every time there is a heavy rain the outflow to Pokeberry Creek makes the area smell like a dirty diaper... and why should we believe that their spray fields and retention ponds will work any better?”

• “Good Evening, my name is Sam Hudson, I live on Morris Road, named after my grandfather ... the developer is asking for the benefits of compact community zoning - increased density and reduced lot sizes - without meeting the requirements that justify those benefits ...”

• “My name is Jan Nichols ... I’ve been a Chatham resident for more than 36 years and have worked as a local realtor for more than eight ... home-ownership is out of reach for many of the people that work in our community. One of the most effective way to address this is to increase housing supply in well-planned communities.”

• “Good evening, my name is George Chescheir. I’ve spent my career studying water management and hydrology as an agriculture engineer professor at North Carolina State. I have reviewed (the application). My conclusion is that Pokeberry Creek is already under serious hydrological stress due to previous intense development in Briar Chapel. Approving Fearrington Preserve will greatly increase that stress.”

• “My name is Amy Coughlin., I represent the Briar Chapel Community Association. This (proposal) is basically an extension of the Briar Chapel community. This project fails to provide its own amenities (like parks) ... so basically we are subsidizing this cost for developers and it’s not okay with us.”

(Sammy interrupts) Oh no Bob, it looks like my pen has run out of ink to take notes and there’s a dozen more speakers! I’ll be right back. Can someone lend me a pencil? Let’s go to a commercial!

(cue commercial for a School of Rock concert in the Saxysphere)

I’m back!

• “My name is Bob Hulbert, humble resident of Briar Chapel. I went to the meeting back in 2025 and these gentlemen (gesturing to Robinson) put all of their maps up and stuff and it sounded pretty good... But what do I hear tonight? They haven’t done their homework! They haven’t done what they’re ‘spose to do! If I don’t do what I’m ‘spose to do my wife yells at me.

  (Hulbert going for the TKO) “They keep saying affordable housing! affordable housing! and ‘specting you to bite on that and throw away Pokeberry Creek and throw away all that traffic on Andrews Store Road. It’s gonna be bad, I’m tellin’ you. You gotta vote no!”

(Laughter. Applause.)

What a night! The champ is on the ropes. Wait!

Commissioner David Delaney is wondering out loud if Robinson has anything else he wants to say in response.

Robinson’s got his legal pad and is stepping up to the microphone to counter punch. He’s got a list of 13 things that he says “need correcting.”

Commissioner Karen Howard says it’s been too long of a day. It’s almost 10 pm and they’ve been here since 1 pm. Chairperson Amanda Robertson says they are not voting on anything tonight and that it still needs to go to the planning board. Looks like it’s going to continue to the May 18th meeting.

Sammy, WHAT ARE YOU SAYING? Whatya mean they’re not voting tonight? You said they were. That’s why we made this the Fight of the Century of the Week.

Sorry, Bob. That’s what I thought was going to happen.

Well, Sammy you’re fired. You really are a Snafu. I can’t believe we are left hanging like this.

It’s no surprise that the property owners of a proposed data center didn’t just lay down and accept a moratorium on building one.

Last Thursday, Eco TIP West LLC , owned by Mosaic and Governor’s Club developer Kirk Bradley, filed suit in Chatham Superior Court accusing the commissioners of listening to their constituents when they unanimously passed the one-year ban.

From the court filing:

…some or all of the County Commissioners had communicated and/or met with multiple individuals who oppose data centers in the County. These data center opponents were urging the Commissioners to impose a data center moratorium.

Damn you, Democracy!

First reported by Ben Tobin of the Triangle Business Journal, the lawsuit by Eco TIP West, LLC claims they were eligible to build before the moratorium was enacted and the temporary ban has put their $11.3 million investment at risk.

The lawsuit states that the company revealed their plans to the County Manager, Planning Director and the County Attorney in a meeting in October of last year before the moratorium, thereby making their centers exempt.

The 400 acres next to the “Moncure Megasite” are zoned for heavy industry, which includes data centers. Citizens raised concerns about higher electric bills, water shortages and noise affecting wildlife as a reason to slow down the mad rush to build data centers until best practices can be established.

The towns of Apex and Wendell also imposed moratoriums, as well as Orange County. Durham City council is considering one on May 4.

Yes, but … Chatham Economic Development Director Michael Smith told commissioners in their Special (i.e., emergency) February meeting that Bradley’s data centers would bring in about $12 million in tax revenue with little demand on public services.

However, a story by Lisa Sorg of Inside Climate News details that such claims are dubious. Data centers are exempt from sales taxes on the equipment and software purchased, as well as electricity use.

“Tax exemptions for data centers in North Carolina keep as much as $57 million each year from state and local government coffers, state figures show,” she wrote.

What’s the rush? say residents. “We have to be wise. Once we destroy our environment we can’t put it back,” said one resident at the public hearing.

“This temporary moratorium allows us the time we need to properly investigate and plan ahead,” said Amanda Robertson, Chair of the Chatham County Board of Commissioners in a February news release.

“Our goal is to protect residents, natural resources, and quality of life while we develop clear, thoughtful standards that reflect today’s technologies and align with the County’s long-term vision.”

Legal experts (wink wink) here at The Chatham Dispatch predict that the moratorium will be over sooner than a year with new guidelines for data centers. And definitely before Eco TIP West’s lawsuit winds its way through the courts, making this a simple intimidation tactic.

“We look forward to defending the County’s decision to impose a temporary moratorium on data centers while the County develops zoning regulations for these intensive land uses,” Chatham County attorney Emily Meeker wrote in a statement Monday to The Raleigh News & Observer.

“This is important to protect the environment and the quality of life of Chatham County residents. The County legally enacted the moratorium and is properly enforcing it.”

Chatham Dispatch

The future isn't what it used to be.

By by Mark Barroso

Call it The Revenge of the Musketeers. Or a remake of Cheap, Fast & Out of Control. Whatever it is, if you asked AI to pack the most people per square foot in an area that’s not a detention center, it would look like their latest neighborhood proposal called Meridian.

In a meeting last week of the Pittsboro Board of Commissioners, Chatham Park Investors, sought approval of 408 housing units on 100 acres on what’s known as the Womble Tract. It’s snuggled in between highway 64 to the north, business 64 to the south, Chatham Park Way to the west and Eubanks Rd to the east. Two roads in, two roads out.

With a nod to the grille of a 1948 Nash Ambassador automobile (tell me I’m wrong!), the layout has a Lego block esthetic, devoid of any commercial or public recreational areas for new residents (they will take care of that by writing a check to the town for $1.9 million dollars).

Oh, and look away from the wetlands and flood zones bordering the property.

That’s not our problem! we imagine Chatham Park saying. If there’s flooding, the state and local taxpayers will bail out our residents with disaster money.

But what it lacks in imagination it makes up for in efficiency. It promises to pack 4.11 units per acre in the form of 112 townhouses and 296 3-story single family houses that are 3 to 5 feet apart. And not a school, gas station, grocery store or Bojangles in sight. But hey! You can walk on a paved “greenway” as long as the creek don’t rise and you’re not trying to get anywhere in Pittsboro because it’s not connected to anything.

Along with 368 apartments across the street in the form of Comet Pittsboro, you can expect all of the chain-store tackiness, traffic snarls and crime of North Raleigh. The good news is that maybe it will all dwarf Sam White’s giant confederate flag nearby. Am I being elitist? Sorry. But no one talks about the downside of density, just the good parts of affordability.

The Board approved Ugly But Affordable, but the resignation seemed palpable. The vote inspired Commissioner John Foley to ask why the Board can’t meet more frequently than once a month like they did in the past.

While not commenting on Meridian specifically, he told The Dispatch that if commissioners could be part of the process earlier they could get a better product for the community.

“It’s dis-empowering commissioners (when they only see plans at the end of the process),” said Foley. He cited the revisions made to the 350 homes being planned next to Powell Place that commissioners saw the plans early enough to asked for more access roads to lessen traffic in that neighborhood.

Here’s the question that no one has an answer to: How do we know when to stop building cheap housing to accomplish affordability? At what point does this community become just another suburban hellscape for its leaders to say WTF? (Ok, that was two questions but we’re on a roll).

Some folks have asked both the town of Pittsboro and Chatham county to pause in the form of a moratorium on new subdivisions to answer those questions. The Chatham Dispatch agrees. We can do better than gated communities and soul-less townhouses that look like a cicada invasion.

The Dispatch would like to see a commissioners fist pound the dais and a commissioner say “Try Harder!” instead of telling developers what shade of lipstick would look good on their projects. Just say NO until they plan something we’d be proud to show off to visitors.

If Kurt Vonnegut was still alive, he would put his arm around me and say, So it goes.*

(For you non-Boomers out there, this is a quote from his novel, Slaughterhouse 5.

From Goodreads:

Three simple, world-weary words that simultaneously accept and dismiss everything. There’s a reason this quote graced practically every elegy written for Vonnegut over the past two weeks (yes, including ours): It neatly encompasses a whole way of life. More crudely put: “Shit happens, and it’s awful, but it’s also okay. We deal with it because we have to.”

Failing to do a background check, the Sheriff’s Training Academy for Residents allowed The Chatham Dispatch to complete a six-week, 18-hour course that takes civilians behind the scenes of our crime fighting, animal rescuing, DUI-dispensing men and women of the Blue, or in this case, Gray.

I know, I know. They’ll let anybody in.

The 25 residents in the class were a nice cross-section of Chatham county, but mostly older folks who wanted to volunteer at the animal shelter or check a box on a bucket list.

We met deputies who ran the jail, lassoed wild dogs, kept order in the court, went undercover for drug buys, flew drones and rescued cats from ... everything.

We had a mock trial with the District Attorney, toured the jail (I hear the food is great), disarmed a knife-wielding actor, questioned a suspect in a fake crime and best of all, shot an air-pistol at people in video simulations.

We even got to accompany deputies as they patrolled the unlit streets of Chatham, and in dark parking lots where fishermen with buckets of bait and teenagers studying anatomy congregate.

Deputies work 12-hour shifts, four days on and four days off, alternating day shifts and night shifts every two weeks. They eat on the run and pump their own gas. They sometimes drive 350 miles in a single day, all in Chatham county.

On the night before Easter, Deputy Wes Chafa was asked by dispatch to speak by phone to a woman crying to see her son that was at her ex-husband’s house. No allegations of mistreatment, just acute loneliness aggravated by the holidays.

“I just want to lay my eyes on him to make sure he’s safe,” said the voice.

Chafa could empathize, sharing daughters of his own with a former wife. “In order for this to happen I have to call him to make sure it’s okay. We can’t just show up there.” He didn’t want to appear to be taking a side in the dispute.

She said okay, and Chafa called the father of her children. He said their young son had gone to bed (it was 10 PM) and that mom could come by in the morning.

“Thanks, boss,” said Chafa.

Chafa decided to become a deputy at age 41 after a career in residential construction to fulfill a childhood dream of being a cop. He was twice the age of the other recruits, but five years in, he believes his life experiences help him mediate calls like this. He was also the top marksman in his class.

“Seventy-five percent of this job is just showing a presence in the community. People here respect law enforcement.” We continued on the dark two-lane roads of Moncure as people slept in their homes.

On a Friday night at dusk, Deputy Alberto Estrada (no relation to Erik Estrada of CHiPs fame) had a hunch. The manager at Food Lion had shown him surveillance video of two men stealing $400 worth of meat from the store, and he recognized them immediately as frequent flyers. We drove to right their house. A woman answered the door and said, “Yep. That’s them, but they ain’t here right now.”

Later that night, Estrada would file charges with the magistrate for them to be picked up later. Put one in the win column.

Estrada, 44, wears beaded bracelets given to him by his nieces. They moved here from Los Angeles when he was a kid and now lives in Sanford with most of his seven siblings and parents. He smiles a lot.

“I’m the cool uncle,” he said, after pointing out that he’s still single. The adrenaline, even in laid-back Chatham, keeps him going without eating on a 12-hour shift. After clearing a two vehicle wreck on Pea Ridge Road, we help another deputy with a call in Briar Chapel.

Someone called 911 because a dad was yelling at his teenage daughter at a family-friendly block party in a park. This one got an eye-roll from The Chatham Dispatch, but the deputies took it seriously. One took the dad and the other took the daughter and spoke to them separately. Both said it was blown out of proportion. We start to leave in the cruiser and two boys sitting on the curb with light sabers ask Estrada to turn on his police lights. He complies and they squeal with delight.

Back into the night. We drove to a nice house to serve a restraining order on some dude. Estrada asks him if he owns any guns (because he would have to confiscate them) and he says no. “Okay. Thank you, sir. Goodnight!,” he says and walked away.

Interested in going to the next Academy? Apply here. Tell them The Dispatch sent you to be eligible for a free pen.

P.S. Please don’t tell my hippie friends from the 70’s that I couldn’t find anyone in the sheriff’s department to hate. They’re actually really nice people.

Is it the distance from Raleigh and Durham? Is it because of the lower testosterone levels of 49-year olds (the average age in Chatham)? Is it because law enforcement approaches people with “Hi Neighbor!” instead of pepper spray? Is it because affluent and well-educated people don’t generally commit violent crime?

Perhaps all of the above explains why the living in Chatham is pretty chill for its 85,000 citizens spread out over 681 square miles. Even traffic court is pretty laid back - one judge brings her big fluffy dog to sit at her feet while she asks defendants how long they need to pay a fine. No dropping the hammer here.

Sheriff Mike Roberson says if you take out the counties dominated by tourists on the coast and in the mountains, Chatham is about the second safest county in the state.

“I think a part of it is that we’re spread out, that we don’t have an urban area ... and we have a lot of home ownership. People take care of what they own more than when they rent,” said Roberson. He also cites the median household income of $100,641. “People with money don’t bring (street) crime.”

“Crime in the whole state’s been going down for 30 years,” he said.

While a crime occurs about every four hours in Chatham (including towns), it still has less than any of the surrounding counties, according to Crimegrade.org, which uses the latest FBI and SBI data to grade counties. Chatham got a B-.

The types of crimes matter. Below is a screenshot of the crime rates (Note to Boomers - enlarge the photo to read the details!)

“Larceny is the crime that gets most reported here - people stealing stuff,” said Roberson. To which, The Dispatch says “Lock your damn doors, people! The car AND the house!”

Wait. It gets worse.

“The first thing (car thieves) do when they go to a neighborhood is they pull on every car door handle to see if it’s unlocked ... When it’s unlocked the first thing they do is press the brake and hit the start button to see if it’ll start.”

BECAUSE THE CAR OWNER LEFT THE KEYS IN THE CAR!!!

Jesus H... says The Dispatch. (Substack won’t let me make the font larger)

But when The Dispatch looked at the number and types of arrest on this chart of 2024 arrests in Chatham, we saw that nine people were charged for gambling. Please write us if you know who had such a bad poker hand that they had to call the police to sneak out the back door.

(It’s not that the state has a problem with actual gambling, the tax collector just wants in on the action)

In a sign of the times, the Sheriff’s Office has two investigators trying to alert people to the latest telephone scams, like unpaid parking tickets and your daughter needing to make bail.

Citizens can download Chatham Sheriff’s Office app or go to their website for the latest scam alerts, pics of cute animals in the shelter or how to send that money to your daughter in jail.

Next in Part 3: Ridin’ with Johnny Law

After publication of a story by The Chatham Dispatch on surveillance cameras and community activism by PittsboroCameras.org, Chatham citizens demanded the County and town of Pittsboro consider taking them down.

Pittsboro will have a presentation by Police Chief Shorty Johnson tomorrow night, April 13th.

And the county commissioners will debate the use of the Flock Safety’s Automatic License Plate Readers by the Chatham Sheriff’s department a week later at 2 pm on April 20th. ALPR’s take pictures of the rear license plates and other identifying features on the back of cars like bumper stickers. It does not reveal any passengers.

Local public opinion on social media is split on the issue between those who want law enforcement to have whatever tools they deem necessary, and those who worry about them being abused by bad actors using the data for dubious reasons, like tracking immigrants.

“(Flock Safety) makes me a little uncomfortable by using our data from Chatham,” said BoC Chair Amanda Robertson. As reported earlier, a clause in the contract allows Flock Safety to share images of local car traffic with other any subscribers across the country, including ICE.

“I just know this tech has helped a lot when it comes to protecting people and property, stopping and solving crimes. If something ever happens to me or someone I know, I’d be happy that this technology exists,” wrote Jes Daleo of Pittsboro on Nextdoor.

The cameras have been discontinued by the town of Hillsborough and Orange County, but remain in use on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus and the city of Raleigh.

Also, Robertson plans to ask about the use of facial recognition software by the sheriff’s office - a totally separate contract from Flock Safety. Sheriff Mike Roberson, who will become a commissioner himself in November, says Clearview AI has been a great tool for solving crimes.

It allows deputies to upload a crime suspect or victim, and then use A.I. to search 70+ billion facial images on the internet, from news media websites to social media, according to Clearview AI’s website.

In 2023, a body was found in Jordan Lake and sheriff deputies could not identify the person. Deputies used the facial recognition software to identify the person as Hadeel Hikmat, age 34, who was shot in the back and her body thrown over a bridge.

Chatham deputies found a possible match with her Iraqi passport photo that was in a data base, and then confirmed her identity with fingerprints from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Subsequently, they arrested her husband in Apex for her murder.

“But where we use (facial recognition software) the most is larcenies,” said Roberson. “So, say I come home from work and my house has been cleaned out and I happen to have a security camera. We would take that photo and do a facial recognition on the suspect.”

But does that make us any safer? Ed Vogel of deflock.org doesn’t think so.

“Crime and violence are serious issues, but these tools are reactionary, not preventative. A better use of public funds would be to address the root causes of crime and violence, “ said Vogel.

Sheriff Roberson says the software is paid for by police seizures of assets in drug cases, and that only a few detectives in his office can use it, and only for specific criminal cases.

Both the town and the county will consider if they wish to continue the contract with Flock Safety.

Next up: Chatham County gets graded on the crime scale

If you live in Chatham County, chances are you have been “flocked.” What’s that, you say? Fleeced? Well, that may be true, too, but those cameras mounted on poles around Chatham and Pittsboro belong to a surveillance company called Flock Safety, who says it has “over 12,000 public safety customers including cities, towns, counties and business partners in the United States.”

Local residents are trying to convince the town and county to pull the plug.

It was during this year’s Super Bowl that a commercial for Flock Safety showed a kid trying to find his lost dog, and God Bless used all of his neighbors’ doorbell cameras to see where his dog fled and thus, a happy ending & hugs to the dog.

Viewers had a different reaction, which could be described as major freakout about a dystopian future where you can be monitored by law enforcement - or your weird-ass neighbor. Amazon, the maker of the popular Ring camera, immediately canceled the partnership with Flock Safety.

(Ring still complies with search warrants, subpoenas and court orders for anyone’s video)

Within days of the Super Bowl, these photos began to appear in Pittsboro.

What does a Flock camera do/not do?

Flock cameras are Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs). For years, ALPRs have been used for charging drivers on toll roads, catching drivers running red lights or exceeding the speed limit. Drivers are automatically mailed the bill or a court summons.

With Flock cameras, the information is stored for 30 days for Johnny Law to find stolen vehicles, missing persons or investigate car break-ins. But critics say that in the wrong hands it could be a major invasion of privacy and one step towards a surveillance state.

In Texas, investigators searched the Flock data base for a woman traveling out of state for an abortion (and then lied about it when asked by an attorney). Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers have used Flock to search for people believed to be undocumented immigrants. Unlike a phone wire tap, using the flock cameras do not require a judge’s approval.

Nineteen law agencies (nationwide) conducted dozens of searches specifically tied to No Kings protests alone, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

To see if you’ve been “flocked,” you can enter your license plate at HaveIBeenFlocked.org. (Sheriff Mike Roberson says this search would only show if your plate has been publicly released, and not the confidential searches)

While no one has accused local law enforcement of abusing the cameras, critics say because other agencies may have access to Chatham and Pittsboro data, the potential for misuse is there.

Sheriff Roberson says all searches with the Flock camera have a case number assigned to them, which allows auditors to track why a deputy used the cameras. They also try to verify any information before acting on it, which means finding the actual car to see if the license plate matches the one in the photo.

He also says that Chatham only shares data with other law enforcement in the state, not the feds.

He says Flock cameras are a great tool to find people who go missing.

“We might get a call from someone who says, ‘I’m worried about my momma. She’s 75 and has dementia and we don’t know where she went,’” said Roberson. “Sometimes we get those where people just drive and drive and go to the beach.”

Deputies might also get an alert if someone with a domestic violence restraining order, or a sex offender, who has entered a neighborhood they are prohibited from visiting. The same with a stolen car passing by. But again, Roberson emphasizes, it’s not a picture of anyone’s face, just the vehicle’s tag.

“It’s not like a video camera shooting down the road. Our camera only takes the picture of the back of the car and only looks for those numbers and letters to see if they match a list of wanted vehicles,” said Roberson. In other words, if you’re not wanted, you’re not on the list. They don’t store photos of non-wanted vehicles.

HaveIBeenFlocked.com reports that Chatham SO has performed 1,563 searches since August of 2024. Pittsboro PD has done 2,466 searches since January of 2024.

Roberson is also quick to point out that the cameras have been paid for by assets forfeited in drug seizure cases, and not funded with taxpayer’s money.

Ok, but that’s still one scary company.

Get this! Flock Safety also sells video cameras that can automatically follow you if your behavior is judged suspicious by an A.I. algorithm. They also sell a drone that automatically flies to a potential scene of a crime that its cameras and software thinks is suspicious before any deputy gets in their car.

They also sell microphones that are always on, listening for gun shots and any other sounds programmed into the software, like people screaming or shouting. (Durham experimented with this technology in 2022, but has since canceled the contract over concerns of racial profiling)

Chatham and Pittsboro have none of these.

In addition to law enforcement, they sell to businesses, schools, churches and HOA’s. UNC-Chapel Hill uses them.

Flock Safety says it takes privacy concerns seriously, and has put guardrails on the data searches.

But Russian hackers have been discovered selling Flock Safety login credentials on the dark web. Also, some cameras have been shipped with a flaw that allows anyone to watch a live feed. This was just months ago.

Flock’s business model depends on building a nationwide, interconnected surveillance network that creates risks no software update can eliminate, writes the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit organization defending civil liberties in the digital world.

Ed Vogel of Deflock.org doesn’t believe Chatham’s data stays in the state.

“If Chatham or Pittsboro shares data with anyone, it can be re-shared,” said Vogel. He also points to the contract agencies that sign with Flock which allows them to make firmware updates without their knowledge and use the data as they see fit.

So what’s happening about all this?

Pittsboro resident Jennifer Platt and others are hoping Pittsboro and Chatham will follow the town of Hillsborough’s lead and remove the cameras. PittsboroCameras.org is rallying residents to voice their concerns at upcoming town and county commissioner meetings (April 13, and April 20, respectively).

If asked, Roberson will tell you he doesn’t like the idea of being tracked either, but all of us have the greatest threat to anonymity in our pockets - the cell phone. He also points to countries in Europe and elsewhere that have had Closed Circuit TV cameras on nearly every major road for decades for investigating crimes. If you don’t believe him, watch any modern British crime drama.

But what does The Chatham Dispatch think?

The Dispatch believes that as long as people like Mike Roberson and PBO PD Chief Shorty Johnson are in charge, the cameras will be used for the health and welfare of the community.

But then there’s the larger community called America. Time and time again we hear reports of data being leaked, or systems hacked (like in 2020 when hackers brought down the county government’s computers).

And then there’s the possibility of an authoritarian President of the U.S. using the data to attack his enemies by creating the kind of files we haven’t seen since the days of J.Edgar Hoover. Imagine that.

Surveillance is already the key tool for repression in countries like Iran, China and Russia. We don’t want that infrastructure in place, here, for some asshole to use it against us.

Yes, our phones track us constantly, but we can also turn them off, unlike cameras in the hood.

The Dispatch trusts our local law enforcement. We don’t trust a national company intent on making billions for their investors with images of people (or their cars) going about their ordinary, freedom-loving lives.

The Goathouse Refuge

Depending on who you ask, the Goathouse Refuge continues to be in big trouble or overcoming adversity and bouncing back stronger than ever. After extending the deadline for the Refuge to comply with minimal state standards for animal shelters, the Veterinary Division of the NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services found that several cats have a highly infectious disease. It has forbidden the Refuge to take in or adopt out any cats until a veterinarian certifies the disease has been eradicated.

Inspectors wrote that medical records “revealed that multiple cats have recently had full mouth extractions due to severe gingivitis and stomatitis. Stomatitis is a very painful condition typically seen in cats housed in large group settings ...”

“Given the infectious, painful, and serious nature of this disease condition, the shelter may not adopt or transfer out any cats until the written veterinary recommendations have been obtained and implemented.”

However (if there ever was a need for such a word, it is now), the Goathouse Refuge’s Facebook page displays photos of adorable kitties available for the furry-hearted to take home, complete with sad histories of abandonment by vile and callous humans.

For their 17,000 Facebook followers it is the Temple of Purr-fect Love.

On her website, the 85-year old owner and perpetual optimist Siglinda Scarpa wrote that four new people have joined their Board of Directors to help with fundraising, their website, their legal issues and running the non-profit. She reports raising $7,000 despite losing her license to be a charity. Records are incomplete, but in the past it has housed up to 300 cats at one time.

There is no mention of the new state sanctions. Or that it’s no longer a 501(c)(3).

Several former employees and volunteers contacted The Chatham Dispatch after our story in January about the license suspension of the Refuge. Cat lovers all, they told stories of extreme neglect of cats and funds going unaccounted for. Several vendors reported being under paid or not at all.

It appears that the Goathouse Refuge is simultaneously careening towards a great renewal or an operatic ending in the mother tongue of Scarpa, an Italian with her origin story of fleeing the Nazis as a child with a kitten before becoming the Queen of Cats in America, with no succession plan and the State lunging towards her with its daggers out. There you have it in three acts.

The Polemic in the Pines

Remember the lawsuit an Airbnb host brought against the neighbors who put up signs that their guests weren’t welcomed on their gravel road? Well, 9 pm before the morning it was to go before a judge, they dropped their suit. Poof! It was gone, unbeknownst to The Chatham Dispatch, who had to pour out damn fine coffee before entering the courtroom.

The smart money says that McManaman Properties, owners of the Treehouses in Pittsboro, finally listened to The Chatham Dispatch’s earlier prediction that they were likely to lose the case, and a lot of money, trying to deny their neighbors’ First Amendment rights.

Derek McManaman did not return calls for comment, but, boy, the neighbors sure are still pissed at her. This all began when McManaman bought the 3.7 acres deep in the woods of Chatham and built 4 houses on stilts for the sole purpose of inviting total strangers into a close-knit community via Airbnb

The neighbors tried to stop the construction but couldn’t. Shouting matches ensued. Dogs barked. Confrontations bordering on assault occurred. Reservations plummeted. Lawyers began charging by the quarter hour.

The really, really smart money says this ain’t over. The Chatham Dispatch tried to coach everyone into a group hug, but alas, it was meant to be the story that keeps on writing itself.

The Summit Church

Listen up, heathens! The time is nigh. (I had to look up “nigh” to make sure it was still a word from my bible-reading days).

The wheels of justice are grinding it out in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia. The lawyers involved will now be able to buy homes in Chatham Park. The Chatham Dispatch counts no less than 20 highfalutin’ legal beagles billing as fast as AI will let them, including the DJT law firm formally known as the United States Department of Justice.

Team Summit Church has asked for more time to think of arguments to counter Chatham County’s position (and case law) that says the federal courts cannot second guess county zoning decisions. Plus, the magistrate hearing the case retired (can you blame him?) and the new person is getting up to speed.

For those of you with Boomer memory cells, let’s take a quick look back to what the heck is going on.

God spoke to J.D. Greer and said 13 churches in the Triangle is not enough. “You must build a Mega-Church and a small parking lot on about 100 acres on the busiest highway in Chatham County.” (The Chatham Dispatch hacked the zoom call).

The county commissioners said, bless your heart, but … no. Citizens voiced concerns about the church’s size, traffic, the lack of tax revenue from a prime location and the inconsistency with Chatham’s “rural character” not named Goober.

The commissioners, however, being serious people, stated that it was inconsistent with Plan Chatham, the vision document that guides all decision-making by the commissioners, because it would not diversify the tax base or create quality jobs.

Chatham lost in U.S. District Court. The judge agreed that Chatham had violated the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 that prohibits discrimination of religious organizations in zoning decisions. Apparently, the judge believed the commissioners hate Mega Churches. Hmmmmm.

Chatham appealed. Pam Bondi’s Justice Department has weighed in with support of the church. The International Municipal Lawyers Association has weighed in with support of Chatham county. They may have to build a whole new cloud for the legal motions before this is all over.

The Chatham Dispatch believes this will likely head to the U.S. Supreme Court if Greer can convince his flock that his cause is pure and just and over-stuff the offering plate. Whichever side loses will blow a six-figure hole in their bank account.

What ever happens, you’ll hear it here first.