In what was a bit of surprise, the UNC Board of Trustees named James W. Dean, a longtime faculty member and current dean of the Kenan-Flagler Business School, provost after a lengthy closed-door session Thursday.

The Orange County Public Library (OCPL) invites youths, teens and adults to participate in the “Dig Into Reading” summer reading program in Hillsborough and Carrboro. Registration begins on June 1 and programs will continue through the end of July.

Orange County Animal Services will be hosting its fourth annual Open House on June 1, from noon to 4 p.m.

Nearly five million people need blood transfusions each year, and with just one blood donation, three lives can be saved. On June 4, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Carolina Blood Drive with a goal of collecting 1,000 units of blood. Campus and community members are invited to attend the drive held from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Dean E. Smith Center.

Erik Myers didn’t expect to win.

The CEO of Mystery Brewing, whose company was one of three competing during a recent episode of CNBC Prime’s “Crowd Rules,” thought another company would win the hearts of the show’s panelists.

And, along with their hearts, $50,000 for capital investment.

Due to the N.C. Department of Transportation (NCDOT) project to widen and enhance South Columbia Street between Purefoy Road and Manning Drive and other road construction projects in the southern portion of Chapel Hill and Carrboro, Chapel Hill Transit began implementing schedule changes last week.

Standing by the sign at the intersection of Efland Cedar Grove and Carr Store roads, in the nostalgic rural community of Cedar Grove, Suzanne Finley is a few years away from her life on a dairy farm.

I read a newspaper column recently that bemoaned the … uh … slutaciousness of the clothing on young girls nowadays, and I was thrilled that someone out there is actually awake! And, upon this subject I must expand.

The Orange County Landfill and Solid Waste Convenience Centers will be closed May 27 to commemorate Memorial Day, honoring all those Americans killed in all wars our country has fought. Curbside recycling collections will be conducted as usual that day. For those in Chapel Hill with residential trash collection on Mondays, collection will shift to Wednesday. In Carrboro and Hillsborough, those with Monday trash will be collected Tuesday.

Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt recently recognized peace officers who, through their courageous deeds, have lost their lives or have become disabled in the performance of duty, by declaring May 12-18 as Police Week.

Apparently, we were wrong.

It happens!

Not so long ago, we surmised in this space that Chapel Hill’s Town Council didn’t want to see popular food trucks trundling around the community.

But last week, as The Chapel Hill Herald’s Gregory Childress reported, council members sent an entirely different message.

They voted to cut an exorbitant vendor regulatory fee from $600 to $200, starting in July.

Tasty decision, we think.

I’ve been grumpy lately, and have blamed it on the weather. 

Until this week, it has been too cold, too gray, too windy and too wet. The weather has also been too unreliable … with promised sunny days that were obliterated by clouds before the coffee was done.

I am not alone in this grousing. I have heard others moan about doused plans, soggy grass and frostbitten plants. I’ve heard exasperated sighs when we pull on wool socks yet again and curses when cold rain rolled in on yet another weekend.

Americans are generous people. We are quick to reach into our pockets to help those in need. Local tragedies have caused us to respond with huge donations. The Boston Marathon attack, which produced numerous injuries and three deaths, has caused us to quickly donate large amounts of money. It dominated the news for several days, it was the main topic of talk shows and is still in the news.

However, our generosity wanes when a tragedy is far away from our shores.

Saving is a critical first step on the path to financial security. But many low-income families find it challenging to choose saving for the future over meeting pressing spending needs today.

John Burnett fully “gets” the power of kindness, as both a deliberate giver and as an unexpected, but ever-grateful receiver. “The least expensive thing in the world is a word of kindness,” said John, 64, of Jefferson, N.C., in Ashe County. “It is a most individual thing. And it quickly gets to be a habit without much practice. More should try it.”