ROSES to Kasha Mammone, a local 15-year-old who was doing a common enough routine before the new school year -- cleaning out closets and sorting through her clothes -- when she hit upon a great idea.

She decided to see whether she could find a particularly worthwhile place to donate clothing that she no longer needed but which was still in good shape.

Kasha's family is of Native American heritage, and her mother, Kindra Mammone, was born and raised in New Mexico. So Kasha did some research. She got in touch with the Cochiti Pueblo Council in New Mexico and learned that the tribe was in need of children's clothing.

Kasha didn't just pack up her old clothes and send them west. She started a group on the Facebook Web site to ask other young people to donate clothing. Within a week and a half she had filled eight big boxes with 75 pounds of clothing apiece.

She hadn't factored in the considerable cost of shipping that much stuff all the way to New Mexico, but the UPS Store gave her a bit of a discount, and her mom pitched in to pay the shipping charges.

A lot of youngsters in New Mexico are going to be wearing much-needed new clothes to school this year, thanks to Kasha.


RASPBERRIES to downtown businesses that use excessively punitive means to protect their parking lots.

Several people have complained in recent weeks that they had parked in restaurant lots downtown, taken a brief stroll and returned a short time later to discover their cars had been towed or were just about to be towed. The towing companies charge a hefty fee, paid in cash, to release vehicles they've locked up.

Businesses have the right to monitor and patrol their parking lots, of course, and to reserve spaces for their customers. And, so far as we can tell, the people whose cars were towed did park where they weren't supposed to. But let the punishment fit the crime. Seizing cars and stranding people downtown at night seems a bit too "off with their heads!" in a town that likes to think of itself as friendly and welcoming.

No doubt the towees learned their lessons and won't ever again park in those lots when they aren't patronizing those businesses. But we strongly suspect they won't ever park there in order to patronize them, either.


ROSES to coach Patti Fox and the Carrboro High School girls tennis team.

History will record that Fox's Jaguars defeated Graham High School 7-2 to post the first victory in any official athletic event for Carrboro High School. It came in the team's season opener, in the first match on Carrboro's brand-new home court, and it put the Jaguars into at least a tie for first place in the Mid-State 2-A Conference.

Nicely played, Jags.


ROSES to Gayle Silver and Lisa White, two local women who teamed up last year to launch Play It Forward, a concert to raise money for programs for children with cancer.

The show benefits Rock Against Cancer, an organization White founded at UNC. Among other things, Rock Against Cancer provides young cancer patients with music therapy and with VIP seats and visits with musicians at concerts.

Silver has been the driving force behind the Play It Forward concert. Last year's show was a hit, and this year's looks to be even bigger. Yo Mama's Big Fat Booty Band, Roman Candle and other acts will play the show at Southern Village on Sept. 8.