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THE CHAPEL HILL INSIDER
FROM THE INSIDE…
Inside This Issue: the 13.8-ounce baby who lived 255 days and what her mother and a student-led club are still building in her name. Plus, the Orange County budget proposal that could eliminate funding for the Chapel Hill Public Library, and a fresh angle on Meri's May Market Watch as Chatham Park's Paddles pool opens this Saturday. Iron & Wine, Future Islands' three-night run at Cat's Cradle, the inaugural Chatham Artists Guild Spring Art Festival — plus everything else worth your time over the next two weeks.
LET’S STEP INSIDE →
Feature Story
Mariah's 255 Days:
The Story Behind the NICU Project at East Chapel Hill High
Mariah Brielle Cook weighed 13.8 ounces when she was born. The doctors didn't think she'd survive 24 hours. She lived 255 days. And the things she set in motion are still expanding, three years after she left.
If you walked past the Chapel Hill Public Library a few weekends ago and heard the siren’s song of a table of cupcakes, as I did, you may have encountered some of those things in motion: a high school club called the NICU Project. The bake sale was (delicious and) low-key. The story behind it is anything but.
Shari Manning Cook is the club's faculty advisor. She's also a Chapel Hill native, a counselor at East Chapel Hill High, and Mariah's mom. An observant, attentive doctor saved her life when her heart failed at 13% ejection fraction. Mariah saved it the rest of the way.
Market Watch With Meri Lynch
Did you miss Meri's May Market Watch?
Three things worth circling back for: Paddles Swim & Pickleball opens this Saturday at Chatham Park — Meri points you exactly where to look. Moncure's average home value is sitting almost 30% below Pittsboro's, with VinFast still on the way. And if you're thinking five years out, Meri names the Chatham County corner that hasn't been priced like the others — yet.
— Meri
We would like to thank Meri Lynch Realty for sponsoring this issue!
Upcoming Events
🎉 LOCAL EVENTS THIS WEEK
May 14 – May 28
🎭 Theater & Arts
Through Sat, May 17 The Ballad of Johnny Whitmore | The ArtsCenter, 400 Roberson St., Carrboro | 7:30 pm; 2 pm Sun matinee | $25 adv/$30 DOS | Mark Cornell's world-premiere Appalachian drama wraps this weekend. Last chance. | artscenterlive.org
Through Fri, May 22 Every Brilliant Thing | PlayMakers Repertory Company, Gillings Center for Dramatic Art, UNC Campus | If you skipped it in last week's issue, this is your final week to catch the funniest play about depression you'll ever see. | playmakersrep.org
Sun, May 17 Chatham Artists Guild's first-ever Spring Art Festival | The Plant, 220 Lorax Lane, Pittsboro | 11 am – 5 pm | FREE, family-friendly | Fifty-plus local artists on 17 acres of eco-industrial village. Inaugural year — be there at the start. | chathamartistsguild.org
Sat–Sun, May 23–24 Gentle Revelations: A Literary Performance | The ArtsCenter, Carrboro | Sat 7:30 pm, Sun 4 pm | $20+ | Perihelion Theater Company brings flash plays to the new Roberson Street space. Smart, short-form, surprising. | artscenterlive.org
🎵 Live Music
Fri, May 15 Elizabeth Cotten Freight Train Blues Concert Series opens (Fridays through June 12) | Carrboro Town Commons, 301 W. Main St. | 6:30–8:30 pm | FREE | Opening night, the Town officially recognizes Cotten descendants Brenda Evans and Derrick Fennell Jr. Bring a blanket. Food and drink for sale. | townofcarrboro.org
Fri, May 15 Megayacht | Local 506, Chapel Hill | Doors 8 pm | Chapel Hill's own indie-rock weirdos. Local 506 is small for a reason — pack in. | local506.com
Fri, May 15 The Lids @ The Plant | 220 Lorax Ln., Pittsboro | 6–9 pm | Free with grounds admission. Easy Friday-night Pittsboro plan. | theplantnc.com
Fri, May 15 + every Friday Fridays on the Front Porch | The Carolina Inn, 211 Pittsboro St., Chapel Hill | 5–8 pm | FREE | The original. Bluegrass, rocking chairs, drinks. The most Chapel Hill thing you can do on a Friday. | carolinainn.com
Sat, May 16 Andrew Marlin & Josh Oliver (seated show) | Cat's Cradle, 300 E. Main St., Carrboro | Doors 7 pm, Show 8 pm | The Watchhouse mastermind, right here at home. Tickets still available — that won't last. | catscradle.com
Sat, May 16 + every Saturday through August Saturdays in Saxapahaw | Outside Haw River Ballroom, 1711 Saxapahaw-Bethlehem Church Rd. | Market 5 pm, music 6–8 pm | FREE | Local bands, farmers' market, food trucks, the river right there. The reason you live within driving distance of Saxapahaw. | hawriverballroom.com
Sat, May 16 Iron & Wine w/ Improvement Movement | Haw River Ballroom, Saxapahaw | Doors 7 pm, Show 8 pm | SOLD OUT — but check resale. | catscradle.com
Sun, May 17 Iron & Wine w/ Improvement Movement | Cat's Cradle | Doors 7 pm, Show 8 pm | Second night. Last we checked, still had tickets — don't wait. | catscradle.com
Sun, May 17 + every Sunday through Sept 20 Sunday Night Live | Southern Village Green, 600 Market St., Chapel Hill | 7–9 pm | FREE | Twenty straight Sundays of free live music. Pack a chair. | southernvillage.com
Mon–Wed, May 18–20 Future Islands | Cat's Cradle | Doors 7 pm, Show 8 pm | Three nights. Monday sold out fast last week; Tuesday and Wednesday still had tickets when this went to press. The energy in that room is going to be unreal. | catscradle.com
Wed, May 20 The New Pornographers w/ Will Sheff (of Okkervil River) | Haw River Ballroom, Saxapahaw | Doors 7 pm, Show 8 pm | Power-pop perfection. If you've only heard them on record, fix that. | catscradle.com
Thu, May 21 Hiding Places w/ Verity Den, Supermutt | Cat's Cradle Back Room | Doors 7 pm, Show 8 pm | catscradle.com
Sun, May 24 Awen Family Band @ The Plant | 220 Lorax Ln., Pittsboro | 3 pm | Sunday afternoon, family band on the grounds. Easy. | theplantnc.com
Sun, May 24 Laurelyn Dossett | Cat's Cradle | Doors 7 pm, Show 8 pm | NC songwriter's songwriter. Quiet brilliance. | catscradle.com
Tue, May 26 Persimmon w/ Snide | Cat's Cradle Back Room | Doors 7 pm, Show 8 pm | catscradle.com
🌿 Community & Civic
Thu, May 14 CHCCS Recognition Celebration | Carrboro High School, 201 Rock Haven Rd. | 5–8 pm | CHCCS honors staff, students, and community partners. | chccs.org
Thu, May 14 Orange County Budget Info Session — Library Funding | Whitted Human Services Center, Hillsborough | 6 pm | First of three public sessions on the proposed FY27 budget. If your library matters to you, this is your room. | orangecountync.gov
Thu, May 14 Orange County Commissioners Budget Work Session — Education Funding | Whitted Building, Hillsborough | 7 pm | Focus is CHCCS, Orange County Schools, and Durham Tech. | orangecountync.gov
Sat mornings Carrboro Farmers' Market | 301 W. Main St., Carrboro | 7 am–12 pm | Peak strawberry weeks. The heartbeat of this town every Saturday. | carrborofarmersmarket.com
Sat mornings & Tue afternoons Chapel Hill Farmers' Market | University Place, 201 S. Estes Dr. | Sat 8 am–12 pm, Tue 3–6 pm | All local, all within 60 miles. | thechapelhillfarmersmarket.com
Tue, May 19 Carrboro Town Council Public Hearing | Carrboro Town Hall, 301 W. Main St. | 6 pm | Public comment on the budget Patrice Toney just unveiled. | townofcarrboro.org
Wed, May 20 Orange County Budget Info Session (virtual) | 6 pm | Same conversation as May 14, on your couch. | orangecountync.gov
Thu, May 21 Orange County Budget Info Session | Southern Human Services Building, Chapel Hill | 6 pm | Third and last session. Chapel Hill residents — this is the one closest to you. | orangecountync.gov
Thu, May 21 CHCCS Board of Education Meeting | Lincoln Center, 750 S. Merritt Mill Rd. | 6–10 pm | chccs.org
Mon, May 25 Orange County Veterans Memorial Day Program | Veterans Memorial Site, 2501 Homestead Rd., Chapel Hill | 8:45 am | townofcarrboro.org
💛 Family & Kids
Thursdays through June 13 Twilight Thursdays at the NC Botanical Garden | 100 Old Mason Farm Rd., Chapel Hill | Display gardens stay open until 7 pm | Some Thursdays bring food trucks and music. Free to walk in. Stroller-friendly, kid-friendly, dog-friendly (on leash). | ncbg.unc.edu
Sun, May 17 Chatham Artists Guild Spring Art Festival | The Plant, Pittsboro | 11 am – 5 pm | FREE | Seventeen acres of open green space, family-friendly art browsing, plenty of room for kids to run. | chathamartistsguild.org
Sat mornings Carrboro Farmers' Market | 7 am–12 pm | Bring the kids early for strawberries before the heat sets in. Live music most weeks. | carrborofarmersmarket.com
📣 Heads Up
📣 Library funding fight — three chances to weigh in | The county's proposed FY27 budget would cut Chapel Hill Public Library funding by half this year and zero it out the year after. Public info sessions are Thursday, May 14 (Hillsborough), Wednesday, May 20 (virtual), and Thursday, May 21 (Chapel Hill) — all at 6 pm. Show up, write the commissioners, or both. | orangecountync.gov
📣 Memorial Day closures, Mon, May 25 | Town of Chapel Hill, Town of Carrboro, and Orange County offices will be closed. Chapel Hill Public Library closed. Trash and recycling routes shifted by one day. Plan accordingly.
📣 Future Islands tickets | If you're aiming for the Cat's Cradle three-night run (May 18–20), don't sit on it. Last we checked, Monday was already gone; the other two nights were still moving fast. | catscradle.com
Readers' Poll
How Did We Do In This Issue?
Local News
FROM AROUND TOWN
LOCAL NEWS
The county wants to cut the library's funding in HALF and ZERO it out next year. Orange County's proposed FY27 budget would slash Chapel Hill Public Library funding from $631,323 this year to roughly half that, with full elimination the year after. The county manager points to the new Carrboro Southern Branch as the rationale; Friends of Chapel Hill Library says the cut would gut 72% of the library's operating budget. Public budget info sessions are scheduled for tonight, Thursday, May 14, at the Whitted Human Services Center in Hillsborough; virtually on Wednesday, May 20; and Thursday, May 21, at the Southern Human Services Building in Chapel Hill — all at 6 p.m.
A fatal house fire on Redbud Lane on Monday. Chapel Hill Fire-Rescue responded to a blaze at the corner of Redbud Lane and Honeysuckle Road just before 7 a.m. on May 11. One person was found dead inside the home, believed to be a resident. Eight Chapel Hill units and two Carrboro units worked the scene. The cause is still under investigation, and the medical examiner has not yet released the victim's identity. It's the third fatal residential fire in our area in five weeks.
Chapel Hill may avoid a tax increase next year. Following improved revenues and the arrival of a new town manager, the Town of Chapel Hill may enter FY27 without a property tax hike or significant cuts, per a Town report released May 8. That would be a notable shift from last year's revaluation-driven jump.
Enbridge proposes a 28-mile gas pipeline through Chatham County. The pipeline, announced in late April, would run from Siler City to Moncure. Environmental advocates and Chatham County residents have begun raising questions about easements, water impacts, and route disclosure.
The state finally has a budget — nearly a year late. The NC House and Senate reached a compromise on the 2025–27 budget Monday night. Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger called the agreement "a starting point." It was originally due July 1, 2025.
Chapel Hill Insider is your weekly guide to the people, places, and stories that make our community special. Know someone we should feature? Have a story tip? Reply to this email.
INsight from the INSIDER
"The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths."
— Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
Until next time,
Be in the know!