Community-focused posts
There are 776 posts filed in Raleigh (this is page 58 of 78).
I’ve been dreading renewing my driver license because I never look forward to spending half a day waiting around. Since my license expires in two weeks my options were running out.
That’s why I was glad I went to the N.C. DMV website and discovered the mobile DMV office. It just so happens it would be downtown today and tomorrow, so I figured I’d take my chances there. My hunch was that since this office is mobile there would be no lines. I was right!
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I pity the fool who robs Crazy Fire. He’s lucky he didn’t get a beat-down from all the geeks who eat there.
I wouldn’t be surprised if his rap sheet mysteriously gained a few prior convictions.
I thought there would be at least one David Byrne sighting when he played in Raleigh yesterday and I was right. N&O music guru David Menconi gave Byrne directions to the Raleigh Times yesterday, where Byrne ordered a salad. No word on whether Byrne brought his bike with him.
While I would’ve been thrilled to meet him, I certainly couldn’t afford the $47 ticket price, especially after my concerns in mid-October about the economy came personally, painfully true. Still it would’ve been interesting to meet a talented, unassuming, veteran rock star like Byrne up close.
MT.Net readers know I like to take swipes at the News and Observer, but I have to applaud the paper for spotlighting the state’s broken probationary system. Far too many convicted criminals go back to their criminal ways upon leaving prison. While probation officers can’t turn those ex-prisoners into saints, they can at least keep tabs on them – information that might prevent the next crime.
I hope the attention the probation system is getting spurs our legislators to fix it. Thanks, N&O, for spreading the word!
I read today with concern that MT.Net friend and Garner mayor Ronnie Williams has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease.
I wish him well with his treatment.
Kelly and I danced with glee when we discovered this morning that Wake County School System’s proposed reassignment will have the kids going to nearby Enloe High School rather than across town to Leesville High. Its nothing against Leesville itself, of course. Its just that the distance to travel to and from Leeesville would cut considerably into the kids’ free time.
Enloe is an award-winning high school roughly a mile away. It is ranked by Newsweek as one of the top 100 high schools in the country. And Ligon Middle School is a fantastic school as well. We’re all very excited about the proposed changes.
If all that wasn’t enough to cheer about, the reassignment webserver runs Linux! Too cool.
I was out taking my downtown lunchtime walk when I passed the Marriott hotel. Looking inside, I was amazed to see every table occupied at my neighbor Gianni’s restaurant. The AASHE conference (aashe2008) is in town and business is obviously good!
With the Posta restaurant full, some hungry conference attendees spilled out onto the sidewalk. They were discussing lunch options as I walked by. What the heck, I thought, why not give them some advice?
I walked back to the group and introduced myself to a Canadian man and a woman from Maine. Then I walked with them to a few other downtown restaurants, chatting as we went.
Call me a boy scout, but I sure do love showing off this city.
On my walk around downtown yesterday I found a message on the sidewalk on the east side of the Capitol. Written in neat pink chalk were the words “Hi from Chalkman.” A smaller “good morning” was written on the northern sidewalk, too.
I look forward to more messages from Chalkman, whoever he is.
On the way in to work I heard a car horn and turned to see a jubliant African-American woman spontaneously shouting “Obama! Obama!” through her open windows. I couldn’t help but laugh.
What an amazing night.
No matter which candidates you supported in yesterday’s elections, I think you’ll agree that the Wake County Board of Elections did an outstanding job managing the election. Early voting was super-easy and wildly successful, voting machines worked well, ballots were easy to understand and counted fairly, and poll workers knew their jobs and performed those jobs efficiently. Rarely did I see anyone waiting more than 5 to 10 minutes at the polling places I visited. Even the Board of Election’s post-election results webpages, farmed out to SOE Software, easily handled the load.
Managing a presidential election is a mammoth project but from what I can see Wake County pulled it off flawlessly. Kudos to all the poll workers who put in long hours to make voting so effortless!
