Tuesday Open Line


Chapel Hill’s town council voted Monday to ban all cellphone use behind the wheel, including hands-free devices. The ban is the first of its kind in the state.  Read the full article here


With spring here, a device that’s been around since time immemorial is being honored — it’s National Umbrella Month.  No one knows who invented the umbrella or exactly when, but it’s estimated that it was being used as much as 4,000 years ago.  It’s thought the original purpose of the umbrella was to provide a shield from the sun — noting the name comes from the Latin word for shade — “umbra.”  However, in many U.S. cities, trusty umbrellas will be popped open to keep people from being drenched.  Mobile, Alabama has the highest annual rainfall at more than 66 inches.  New Orleans is next at 64 inches, and Miami registers over 58 inches a year.  You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at www.census.gov


Discuss and more on today’s Open Lines!