By Melissa Ledgerwood

The trail of a Georgia murder suspect led U.S. Marshals to Siler City last week. However, by the time authorities arrived the trail turned cold.

Authorities believe Angel de Valle is responsible for the May 14 murder of an Atlanta woman, according to Siler City Police major Bill Harman.

U.S. Marshals received word on June 8 that de Valle was living in a residence on East Third Street in Siler City, the major stated.

“Siler City was his second stop,” Harman continued.  “He was in Concord before he came here.”

more- See Thursday, June 3 paper: Vol 84, No. 27

By Randall Rigsbee

Chatham County commissioners last week concluded a series of lengthy work sessions on the county budget for the upcoming fiscal year, though commissioners won’t formally adopt the budget until next week.

Chairman Tommy Emerson, in an interview Monday, said the budget remains “tight,” though commissioners did allocate more funds to the school system and to the Sheriff’s Office than had originally been recommended in county manager Charlie Horne’s proposed budget.

At the conclusion of budget work last week, commissioners decided to allocate a total of $17,972,623 to the county school system, which is more than originally proposed by the county, though $361,313 less than the Board of Education requested.

Likewise the Sheriff’s Office had asked for an additional $1.5 million to meet growing needs, but will receive approximately $240,000 more than was originally proposed.

Emerson said commissioners were able to increase the allocation to the school system by using a combination of funds from the county’s fund balance and utilizing some of the impact fees the county has collected on new residential construction.

more- See Thursday, June 17 paper: Vol 84, No. 29

By Randall Rigsbee

Chatham County commissioners are agreed last week to seek proposals for waste disposal options from private companies.

“We’re not committing to anything,” said chairman Tommy Emerson. “We’re just trying to flesh out the possibilities.”

Commissioners have had an ongoing discussion in recent years about future solid waste options for the county and the requests for proposals authorized by the board last week is a means of gathering more data.

“What we haven’t had is a very tangible look at what the options are,” explained county manager Charlie Horne. “That’s what this does.”

The proposals will allow the county to study the cost of privatizing the county’s waste management division and waste disposal options.

Commissioners said the aim is to gather data from various private solid waste companies for an “apples-to-apples” comparison between what those companies can offer and the county’s program.

“We’re testing the waters to see what the feasibility is,” Emerson said.

The county is seeking information from private companies regarding a variety of services, including curbside collection, operation of collection centers, and landfill options.

more- See Thursday, June 10 paper: Vol 84, No. 28