Community-focused posts
There are 776 posts filed in Raleigh (this is page 65 of 78).
I caught my first glimpse yesterday of downtown Raleigh legend Rodney Hines, better known as the No Hand King. I looked up from my desk to see this guy deftly maneuvering his bike on one wheel between the tables outside the Raleigh Times. Using no hands, of course.
Its the first time I’ve seen him and I’ve been working downtown for almost five months. Perhaps that’s the way it should be for legends, n’est pas? It was worth the wait, though: the guy is talented!
I’ve written before about Raleigh Police Chief Harry Dolan, being that he’s eight feet tall and is frequently seen towering over downtown buildings, waiting for Godzilla.
One thing I’ve noticed is that he’s frequently seen. Just like the beat cops under his command, he seems to work out of his car and not an office. So he’s likely to have a good idea about what goes on in the streets. That’s a fantastic trait in a police chief. I can see why he’s such a good leader.
Now if we could only get more pay for our officers . . .
The N&O sacked dozens of newsroom staffmembers today as parent company McClatchy wrestled with sagging revenues. There had been rumors that this would happen, so hopefully those affected had time to prepare.
Continue reading
Lee Wilson, Raleigh Fire Department’s semi-official photographer, just posted his photographs of the fatal Mustang accident that occurred at 2:30 Sunday morning near the bowling alley on Capital Boulevard. This is the accident where the driver was exceeding 105 MPH when his car left the road, hit a tree, and split in two.
I’m amazed that ANYONE walked away from that, but the odds are that all three might be alive if they’d been wearing seatbelts. That and if they were not driving 105 MPH.
Remember when I said Raleigh’s downtown was becoming a place known for happy accidents? I got to witness one Friday.
As I watched from my office window two people, apparently strangers, met on Hargett Street. When the scruffy, T-shirt-clad man stopped the better-dressed woman, I thought “oh, here goes. Another panhandler incident.”
Continue reading
I learned today that my Raleigh Neighborhood College class has voted me the class valedictorian! Not too shabby for a guy who barely got in, eh?
I’m humbled and quite honored that such a fine group of citizens saw fit to name me their leader. Indeed, I’ve learned as much from my classmates as I did the presentations. I will miss the weekly interaction we have enjoyed for the past three months. Raleigh has some sharp citizens, let me tell you!
On the other hand, there’s a good chance my sneaky classmates tapped me just so they wouldn’t have to speak at Thursday’s graduation. Heh.
We certainly made the most of our Memorial Day weekend! Saturday we went on a family sail at Lake Gaston, with even the kids taking turns at the helm. Once it was time to dock, we spent some fun time catching up with the Naylors.
Continue reading
Think Raleigh flubbed the recent disposal ban? That was nothing compared to the controversy Raleigh had in May 1932.
According to David Prerau’s book Seize the Daylight: The Curious and Contentious Story of Daylight Saving Time, in May 1932 Raleigh became one of the few Southern cities to adopt Daylight Saving Time. Like a lot of decisions both past and present, the city held a public hearing when it began studying the matter. The meeting was packed with DST supporters, many of whom touted the recreational benefits of the time change. Local businesses got behind the plan, and shortly afterward city commissioners overwhelmingly approved the move to DST. On May 1, 1932, less than two days after the vote, Raleigh moved its clocks ahead for the very first time.
Continue reading
Tonight’s Raleigh Neighborhood College class was on Raleigh’s Parks and Recreation department. Topics covered the many Raleigh parks, Raleigh’s greenways, and the maintenance the Parks department does.
I found it to be a most enjoyable topic and took pleasure in quizzing the staff for all the questions I’ve saved up. I think I unintentionally dominated the questioning, though normally the whole class gets involved. I suppose parks and recreation isn’t as controversial as some of the other topics, but I sure wanted some answers!
Continue reading
I’ve been having some fun with the RBC Plaza webcam. Click on the presets at the bottom of the screen to look around downtown Raleigh.
My building can’t be seen as its on the north side of the RBC Plaza building. Its fun, nevertheless.
