Roses to Joe Hackney of Chapel Hill, who will be stepping down after this term, his 15th, in the state House of Representatives.

Hackney, the current House Democratic Leader and former Speaker of the House, has served the people of Orange and Chatham counties for 32 years, and he has done it in a way that his constituents can and should be proud of.

He’s a superb practitioner of the art of consensus-building and a legislator of dedication and integrity. He has fought hard for the people of his district and the state, serving as a leader in working for environmental protections, open and ethical government, and education, among many other issues.

He is retiring after a Republican-led redistricting put him into the same district as his colleague Verla Insko, also a Democrat from Chapel Hill.

Carrboro Mayor Mark Chilton last week proclaimed May 8 Joe Hackney Day in Carrboro. It was well-earned.

Roses to the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools UNITY clubs, which held a successful “Funfest” fundraiser recently at the Carrboro Town Commons.

The event, which featured games, entertainment and food trucks, was intended to celebrate diversity. Donations went to the North Carolina Food Bank.

The UNITY club is a diverse group of emerging leaders committed to creating a more just and inclusive school and community through education and culture.

After last week, we can use all the people committed to “a more just and inclusive” society that we can get.

Roses to the winners of the Preservation Society of Chapel Hill’s awards for outstanding service in the preservation field.

The group named four winners of Preservation Month Awards.

Katherine Kopp, a former president of the society, earned an award for the restoration of the former Chapel of the Cross Episcopal Church Rectory at 501 E. Rosemary St.

She and her husband Vincent purchased the home in 1993 and began their restoration work.

The have worked with local restoration experts Trinity Design Build, which qualified them for State Historic Preservation tax credits.

Beth Isenhour and Ellen Johnson, who have volunteered countless hours and served on multiple boards for the society, won the Horace Williams Award for service to the community.

Finally, the Preservation Society honored volunteer and new member Yvonne Ng. Yvonne is a trained architect who has volunteered her time and energy to two major efforts launched by the Preservation Society, the Altemueller farmhouse and the Hogan-Rogers House.

The efforts of these people, and the rest of the Preservation Society, ensure that even as Chapel Hill moves further into the 21st century, we continue to keep and honor the people and places that made this place what it is.

Roses to the local women who partnered with Lowe’s on the Chapel Hill Women Build Week.

The project, part of the National Women Build program, bought women to work on Habitat homes in the Phoenix Place and Rogers Road communities.

More than 50 women volunteered and celebrated the dedication of the 2011 Women Build House. They also raised money that will help fund the 2012 Women Build House, which will be started this fall and completed next summer.