On Tuesday afternoon, the News & Observer blogs will be moving to a new system and a new server. This change will make getting to our blogs quicker and easier. Most of the blogs will change their appearance, while blogs like Taking Stock and Under the Dome will remain the same.

This change requires nothing from the reader. There will be a link to the older posts, and you won't need to change your bookmarks. If you have trouble finding your favorite blog or you have a comment, please email feedback@newsobserver.com.

— Rachel Carter

On Tuesday afternoon, the News & Observer blogs will be moving to a new system and a new server. This change will make getting to our blogs quicker and easier. Most of the blogs will change their appearance, while blogs like Taking Stock and Under the Dome will remain the same.

This change requires nothing from the reader. There will be a link to the older posts, and you won't need to change your bookmarks. If you have trouble finding your favorite blog or you have a comment, please email feedback@newsobserver.com.

— Rachel Carter

Galaxy Cinema in Cary will present a special showing of the animated feature "Ghatothkach" at 6:30pm tonight. The film has a mythical storyline while featuring Bollywood-style musical production numbers. "Ghatothkach" follows the adventures of the mischievous son of Bhim, a figure in Hindu mythology. The film opens on a regular schedule tomorrow. There will be door prizes at the showing tonight. Galaxy Cinema is located in the Village Square Shopping Center, at 770 Cary Towne Blvd.

Green Hope center J.D. Pelham was named to the N.C. Coaches Association East team for this summer’s East-West All-Star basketball game.

The 6-foot-10 Pelham averaged 13 points, 11 rebounds, four blocks and four steals per game his senior season at Green Hope. He also set two school records last winter. He recorded the first triple-double in school history (17 points, 12 rebounds and 10 blocks) and he set the single-game record for rebounds (17).

The 60th annual East-West game will be played July 21 at Greensboro Coliseum. Tip-off is scheduled for 20 minutes after the conclusion girls’ all-star game, which will tip at 6:30 p.m.

The complete East roster is after the jump.

=> Read more!

The RailHawks begin the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup tonight at WakeMed Soccer Park. They will face the Brooklyn Knights of the USL’s Premier Development League on Field 2 at 7:30 p.m.

The game is being played on Field 2, where they played most of their preseason games, because the stadium’s field has been resodded. That’s also why the RailHawks are playing away from Cary for most of the month, Chris Economides, the team’s president and general manager, said Monday.

Last year, the stadium surface was torn up by the summer and it never had a chance to recover. So the town, which operates the park, and the RailHawks scheduled the resodding for this month so the pitch will be perfect all summer.

=> Read more!

We just received a press release with a name that I immediately recognized. I interviewed Kathy Sturgis a few months ago for a story about help for people starting a small business. At the time Kathy was working on a children's book and gave me a sneak peek.

The theme of the book is one she had been thinking about for a while, ever since, early in her career, she was teaching a class in career-life revitalization.

By the end of the class some older employees who had felt "stuck" careerwise, felt more empowered that they, too, had options.

"At that point I realized people spend so much time being the color they're supposed to be that they forget what color they are inside," she said in the story.

And so she had the beginnings of a book, "Dance of the Chameleon."

Kathy, a Cary resident and president of Capital Consulting Group, will host a reading from the book, which is about understanding and appreciating your unique gifts. The star of the book is Joey, a rainbow chameleon who has trouble blending in with the crowd. How can he learn to appreciate the talent that makes him different? The reading will take place Thursday, June 12, at 10:30 a.m. at Planet Child, 305A Ashville Ave. in Cary.

Kathy's last name may sound familiar. That's because her husband is none other than Al Sturgis, the music director for the N.C. Master Chorale.

Brad Nelson, a 2000 Cary High grad, is scheduled to start for the Richmond Braves tonight against the Durham Bulls at the DBAP. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05.

For Nelson, a 6-foot-3, 210-pound righthanded pitcher, it will be his fourth start and seventh appearance this season. He is 1-2 with a 9.88 ERA.

Nelson, a 10th-round pick by the Atlanta Braves in 2003, started this season with the Braves double-A affiliate in Mississippi. He was promoted to Richmond on April 17. He was sent back down a week later, only to be recalled to Richmond on May 11, three days after winning his May 8 start against West Tennesse.

He has a career record of 24-11 and 3.46 career ERA.

We'll have more on Nelson in the June 11 edition of The Cary News.

The N.C. Coaches Association released last evening the roster for this summer’s East-West girls’ soccer all-star game, which will be played July 22 at 7 p.m. at the UNCG Soccer Stadium in Greensboro.

Green Hope midfielder Nicole Danford, Apex defender Katy Dodd, Apex midfielder Stephanie Partenheimer and Cardinal Gibbons midfielder Lauren McAnallen are among those expected to play for the East in the 17th annual showcase.

The complete roster is after the jump.

The boys' basketball, boys' soccer and football rosters are expected to be released in the coming weeks, once all the paperwork is finalized.

=> Read more!

Athens Drive High grad Josh Hamilton was on the cover of Sports Illustrated last week, and there was a wonderfully written story by Albert Chen about the former Jaguar’s comeback from drug addiction to now realizing the potential every one saw when he was chosen as the No. 1 pick in the 1999 MLB draft.

There was a discussion about the piece at sportsjournalists.com, and there was a comment about how someone recalled reading an exceptional story about Hamilton in The Cary News while he was a senior at Athens Drive.

I finally found the time today to dig through our archives and find the story. It was written by Lisa Coston, and it was absolutely tremendous. I’ve posted it here.

Enjoy.

The Carolina RailHawks announced today four additions to their women's team, Green Hope's Nicole Danford among them.

Danford, a forward/midfielder, was named the Tri-Eight Conference and N.C. Gatorade Player of the Year this spring after leading the Falcons to a 16-3-1 season. She scored 16 goals and had seven assists. She will play at UNC Greensboro in the fall.

The other additions are Ashley Gregory, a goalkeeper from Barton College, and two former Catawba College players, McKenzie Berman and Kim Crowley.

The RailHawks (3-1-1) are currently fourth in the W-League's Atlantic Division. They play their next match on Friday at WakeMed Soccer Park at 7:30 p.m. against the Bradenton Athletics (2-2-0). Tickets are $8 and can be purchased at the LGFCU Box Office or by calling 859-KICK.

I attended an event sponsored by the Friends of the Page-Walker Tuesday night, their annual "What Have We Got to Lose?" update on local historic buildings and places and the preservation group's protection efforts.

Did you know that the Baptist church downtown once, years and years ago, expelled 24 members for "drinking, dancing and so on"? Or that the Ashworth building was built in 90 days, for about $6,600? Or that, as the story goes, Green Level got its name from a Native American?

The Friends have not only done a lot for preservation in Cary — they're the ones responsible for the restoration of the building they're named after — but they've also collected a lot of interesting historical information along the way.

Read more of those stories and also more about current preservation efforts in Cary in my column next Wednesday, June 4.

Animal Control officers urge residents to be watchful in the wake of at least two, and probably three, wildlife rabies cases during the past week in the Sunset Lake/Optimist Farm Road area of Holly Springs.

Wake County Animal Control sent out automated telephone messages Tuesday afternoon within a two-mile radius of a home on Optimist Farm Road where a rabid fox attacked a pet dog.

Town Animal Control officers have set out traps and searched for the litter of a second rabid fox. That fox had attacked a homeowner in Sunset Lake Village. Town officers have also used reverse 911 technology to alert area residents.

Animals impaired by rabies may act unpredictably or aggressively, approaching or even attacking people and pets rather than running away. In Holly Springs, call 557-9111 if you see an animal acting unusually, especially near homes. Call 911 immediately if a person or pet is exposed.

Cases in Holly Springs within the past week include:

• A confirmed case of rabies in a fox that attacked a pet Chihuahua on Saturday, May 24 outside a home at 4905 Optimist Farm Road.

• A suspected case of rabies in a raccoon found Saturday, May 24 in one of the traps that Animal Control officers had set out in Sunset Lake Village. The animal did not meet state criteria for testing since no known exposure to people or pets occurred.

• A confirmed case of rabies in another fox that scratched a woman Tuesday, May 20 behind a home in Sunset Lake Village. The woman is undergoing rabies prevention treatment.

Rabies tests were negative in a fox pup that was killed Monday, May 26, apparently by a dog. That fox pup was found near where the raccoon had been trapped two days earlier.

State law requires rabies vaccination for dogs and cats. An unvaccinated pet that is exposed to rabies must be euthanized or quarantined for six months, Animal Control officers said.

Homeowners should not set out food for foxes, raccoons or other wildlife, police said. Securing garbage can lids and removing attractions such as pet food bowls also can help keep wildlife at an appropriate distance.

Carolina RailHawks midfielder Martin Nuñez was named to the USL First Division Team of the Week for Week 6.

Nuñez scored his first goal of the season in Saturday's 1-1 draw against Rochester.

In the 14th minute, Nuñez received a pass from Kupono Low 25 yards from goal. He went straight at the defense and beat three defenders with a series of stepovers before taking a left-footed shot that tucked into the net to give Carolina 1-0 lead.

Nuñez and the RailHawks (2-0-4) will be back in action tonight at WakeMed Soccer Park against reigning league champion Seattle (3-1-3).

The Town of Cary has upped the ante on gang prevention and begun a comprehensive publicity campaign to help educate the community about gang activity and gang prevention in Cary. A new Web section, public service announcements, flyers and brochures are some of the tactics the Town will be using to suppress gang activity in Cary. The measures come on the heels of the Cary Town Council’s proclamation in support of gang prevention measures, including declaring May 2008 as Youth Gang Awareness and Prevention Month.

Citizens can now access gang awareness and prevention tips on the Gang Prevention section of the Town’s Police Department Web site. In addition, residents can also read more about the signs of gang activity in the June edition of the Town’s BUD newsletter. Also, PSAs will begin running in early July on Cary TV 11, the local government access channel, and the PSAs will also be available on the video section of the Town’s Web site later this week.

Statistics show the number of people in Cary affiliated with gangs at just below 100, compared to an estimated 3,000 gang members in Wake County, 14,500 in North Carolina, and 1 million nationwide. In Cary, 33 of the total 6,793 crimes reported in 2007 had some known link to gangs, which is down 33 percent from 2006.

Also part of the campaign, representatives from the town will be going out in the community to speak to local civic and professional groups, including local Parent-Teacher Associations, community watches and homeowners’ groups. During the presentations, town staff will share key facts and messages on gang prevention. town staff will also distribute printed materials, including the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s “Parents Guide to Gangs” brochure, during special events and presentations.

If you think a member of your family might be in a gang or considering joining a gang, get help by calling the Cary Police Department at 469-4366 or Wake County ’s gang hotline at 256-0919.

The Carolina RailHawks will play the PDL's Brooklyn Knights in the first round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on June 10 at WakeMed Soccer Park. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m.

It will be one of only two matches the RailHawks will play at WakeMed Soccer Park in the month of the June. The other date is a USL-1 fixture against Portland on June 27.

The RailHawks were semifinalists in the 2007 Open Cup. They beat two amateur teams before beating MLS' Chicago Fire 1-0 in the third round and the USL-2's Richmond Kickers 1-0 in the fourth round. Carolina lost 2-1 in overtime of the semifinal to MLS' New England Revolution.

The U.S. Open Cup field is comprised of eight teams from Major League Soccer, eight teams from the USL First Division, eight teams from the USL Second Division and 16 amateur teams (eight from the USL Premier Development League and eight USASA regional qualifiers).

Open Cup second-round matches will be played June 26. The third round will follow on July 1, the quarterfinals on July 8, the semifinals on Aug. 12 and the final on Aug. 24. Sites for all future matches are to be determined.