Dec. 6 - 12, 2018
bringing the local news home to northwest Guilford County since 1996
NWHS, community face ‘long work’ to improve climate after racist video
NCDOT is considering the installation of up to three roundabouts in Oak Ridge’s commercial core area to improve safety for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists at the town’s busiest intersections. Adobe stock photo
Traffic issues have residents, town leaders going in circles Reactions include skepticism and curiosity regarding concept of three roundabouts in the town’s commercial district by CHRIS BURRITT OAK RIDGE – The prospect that driving in Oak Ridge will require navigating three traffic circles has drawn mostly
www.nwobserver.com
skeptical reactions from residents, along with curiosity and a wait-and-see attitude until state highway officials provide more details about the proposal, Town Council members said in interviews last week. The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) is evaluating ways to slow down traffic in Oak Ridge’s commercial district. It is working with town officials seeking to improve safety
IN THIS ISSUE
...continued on p. 6
Shock over a vulgar, explicitly racist video posted on Snapchat by two students has motived classmates to take steps to encourage unity and overcome negativity by CHRIS BURRITT GREENSBORO – “Racism has always been part of the past; do not allow racism to be our future.” Christy Ma, staff writer for Northwest Horizons, the student newspaper at Northwest Guilford High School, wrote those lines last week after two students had posted a vulgar, explicitly racist video on Snapchat. The video spread like wildfire on social media, drawing negative publicity for the school all across the country and
prompting some students to speak out. While denouncing the racial rant as unrepresentative of the majority of NWHS students, some students said minority classmates do endure slights and taunts. Writing in the student newspaper and posting on social media, they urged the student body, which is 75 percent white, to examine their attitudes and behavior in light of what a Northwest Horizons editorial referred to as “so much tension and hate being spread these days.” A video posted by student Nick Volinksi encouraged classmates to visualize a can with “racism” written on it. “Crush the can,” he said. “Crush it, just like we’re doing to racism and just like we’re going to do to all of the hate because we need to stand together.” Other students of different races posted pictures of themselves together. “There was a lot of darkness, but there’s always light, too, if you try to
...continued on p. 2
Keep pets healthy during the holidays ...... 12
Oak Ridge Light Up the Night Photos .........20
Pet Adoptions ................................................ 14
Crime/Incident Report ................................. 21
Pet Briefs ......................................................... 15
Student profiles..............................................22
Oak Ridge music minister releases CD ....... 8
Stokesdale Tree Lighting Photos.................. 18
Grins & Gripes................................................24
Community Calendar .................................. 10
Business Notes ............................................... 19
Classifieds ...................................................... 27
Pets & Critters ................................................. 11
Celebration ................................................... 19
Index of Advertisers ...................................... 31
Your Questions ................................................ 4 Stokesdale to buy clock for downtown ....... 5