Raccoon rabid, lab determines

CHAPEL HILL -- Using gardening tools, a Chapel Hill resident working outside separated the family dog from a raccoon that later was determined to be the first confirmed case of rabies in Orange County in 2010.

Orange County Animal Services received the positive rabies result from the N.C. Rabies Laboratory on Thursday. The exposure occurred on Tuesday in the vicinity of Mount Caramel Church Road and South Columbia Street in Chapel Hill. After she removed the raccoon from her dog a neighbor shot and killed the raccoon. She put the raccoon into a garbage bag while wearing gloves, then called Animal Services to remove the raccoon for testing.

The dog was currently vaccinated against rabies, and it received a booster shot.

As a result of the positive test result, the case has been referred to a communicable disease nurse from Orange County's Health Department to evaluate the risk of rabies exposure so that the resident can decide whether to obtain medical treatment for herself and other potentially exposed family members.

Of concern in this case is the risk of secondary exposure to family members from their contact with the dog after the attack. The dog was not immediately isolated from family members and likely had saliva from the raccoon on its coat.

Clergy set Earth Day speaker

CHAPEL HILL -- Jill Drzewiecki Rios, director of N.C. Interfaith Power & Light, will be guest speaker at the next meeting of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro community clergy and congregational leaders, on April 22, Earth Day, at United Church of Chapel Hill. This will be a lunch meeting beginning at noon.

Rios will have a few remarks, answer questions and discuss the many resources available on earth ministry or creation care.

Rios is also a member of the Z. Smith Reynolds Advisory Panel, the Board of N.C. Conservation Network, an ambassador of Oxfam America's Sisters on the Planet program, and serves on the Human Hurt and Hope Fund and Stewardship Committee for the Episcopal Diocese of WNC. She is a GreenFaith Fellow alumna and also has degrees in environmental education and international studies.

She has worked in Colombia, Mexico, and the U.S., and lives in West Asheville with her husband, the Rev. Canon Austin Rios, their 3-year old daughter, Aja Isabel, and their energetic dog, Denali.

Young hoopsters finish second

CHAPEL HILL -- The Chapel Hill Police Department along with the Chapel Hill Parks and Recreation Department co-sponsored a 12 and under parks and recreation basketball team in the Statewide Athletics Committee Annual Tournament in Roxboro March 12-14.

The Hargraves Warriors finished second in the event by defeating Alamance Whitney 42-21, then defeated Mebane 34-29 before losing to Northern Alamance 51-27 in the championship game.

The youth played well together and learned lessons that go beyond the basketball court. The Hargraves Warriors were coached by officer Kenneth Lennon and John French.

Friday interview on NC SPIN

CHAPEL HILL -- NC SPIN, North Carolina's only statewide, independently produced TV and radio talk show, will be celebrating the production of its 600th show by presenting a special "Evening with Bill Friday," a one-on-one interview with the former UNC president and host of the UNC-TV interview show, "NC People."

"This is a milestone event," Tom Campbell, producer and moderator of NC SPIN said. "In fact, there are only two statewide talk shows we can find that have produced this many editions, NC SPIN and NC People. We thought it would be exciting to turn the tables on Bill and interview him. Bill Friday is unquestionably one the most influential and respected people in this era. President Friday has participated in and witnessed many significant events that have shaped our state and we are eager to hear his insights and wonderful stories from more than 60 years of service to North Carolina."

The 600th edition NC SPIN will be filmed in front of a small audience Tuesday at the Dorothy and Roy Park Alumni Center on the Centennial Campus at N.C. State University.

Outdoor play area gets grant

HILLSBOROUGH -- The Orange County Partnership for Young Children has received a $2,500 grant from the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation to improve the outdoor play area at the Children's Learning Center of Hillsborough.

In the spring of 2009, a project was launched to address the issue of low-quality outdoor learning environments as well as the trend of childhood obesity in the state. The Orange County Partnership for Young Children joined nine other Smart Start agencies from across the state to participate in the Preventing Obesity by Design (POD) project. POD is a result of a partnership between the Natural Learning Initiative (NLI) of N.C. State University and the N.C. Partnership for Children, Inc., with support from the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation.

The POD project is designed to improve the outdoor play and learning environments at 30 child care centers in 10 counties over a three-year period through training, design assistance, and technical support from the NLI team. By the end of the project, other teachers in Orange County will be able to visit The Children's Learning Center of Hillsborough to get ideas for their own programs.

The Children's Learning Center will be installing its new garden on April 24, and volunteers are needed. To volunteer, contact Judy O'Connell, center director at 644-6590 ext 4850 or e-mail her at joconnell@kidscope.chtop.org