Raleigh

Community-focused posts

There are 773 posts filed in Raleigh (this is page 52 of 78).

Highlights of 2009: GPS talks at Conn Elementary

One of the most unexpected joys I had during 2009 was my series of GPS talks for fifth graders at Conn Elementary. It was October 2008 when I stumbled into this unusual speaking gig but January 2009 was when I finally tried it. Soon the accolades poured in and I felt like a star.

It’s hard to stay away from the spotlight once you’ve had a taste of fame, so I signed up for repeat performances again, again, and again. Each time my presentation seems to improve and the kids seem more engaged. I’ve also used my connections to find neighborhood speakers for other topics, too.

The GPS talks have allowed me to see what teaching is like, if only for an hour every other month. I’ve found that it suits me. There is nothing like seeing a kid light up when learning is taking place and he or she discovers the answer. It’s addictive, and just one of the many ways I choose to give back to the community.

NCDOT cleans up

I was concerned last Monday when I drove past a huge pile of garbage scattered near the Davis Drive exit of NC 540. Multiple bags of trash were now all over the road and shoulder. It was a real mess.

Fortunately I have the number for the Wake County division of the North Carolina Department of Transportation and brought it to their attention. By the next afternoon there were a dozen bright orange garbage bags where the scattered trash had been. Not only that, but other parts of NC 540 were cleaned as well.

Kudos to the NCDOT for its prompt response!

Bookstore envy

Yesterday I had the opportunity to pop into Quail Ridge Books and Music in the Ridgewood Shopping Center. I was only there for 10 minutes. It was enough time to browse the magazine rack and enough time to develop a strong desire for such a business to open near our home in East Raleigh. While we have a Borders two miles away at Six Forks and Wake Forest Road, there’s nothing like an independent bookstore.

It’s sad to say that I’ll probably never see it happen.

This makes me sad

Kevin_Lindsey_Jr

Saw that a 21-year old kid got charged with armed robbery today. Kevin Lightsey, Jr. was charged with kidnapping and armed robbery.

I always like to see where suspects live, so I punched up Lightsey’s address in Google Maps: 4828 Forest Highland Drive. He lives not in the ‘hood, but in Hedingham: a fancy golf course community. Nice house, too.

Just for fun I looked up Lightsey’s voting record. He registered last year and voted for the only time in the last presidential election.

So how does a kid living in a good neighborhood and who was a one time enough of a citizen to vote turn into an armed robber? He had no prior record. He had better opportunities available to him. What led him to be accused of a serious crime?

My NBC 17 interview

Due to my role as the chair of the East CAC, I was interviewed today by NBC 17 regarding WakeMed and a nearby club, Black Tie. You can view the interview on NBC 17’s website.

Longtime MT.Net readers know what a huge fan I am of WakeMed. Our daughter spent seven weeks there as a preemie and is thriving in every way thanks to the incredible care she got from WakeMed. Even so, I have to admit I don’t think I’ve heard one complaint from residents about Black Tie over the past year. I’m hoping both parties can agree to work together to help strengthen our community.

Here’s a typical day for me

I thought it’d be fun to document the kind of day I’ve had, so here goes:

5:45 AM wake up (usually 5:15 but “sleep in” because I showered the night before)
6:05 AM take dog for walk around neighborhood
6:15 AM spot car at dog park before park opens. consider dialing 911 but let it go this time.
6:25 AM return home
6:30 AM read and send emails
6:40 AM read N&O
6:45 AM finish reading N&O Continue reading →

Former Garner mayor Don Rohrbaugh dies

Former Garner mayor Don Rohrbaugh died yesterday after a long bout with leukemia. He was 80.

Don was our neighbor for the five years we lived in Garner. He was kind enough to welcome us to the town the very day we moved in. He also talked me into serving on a town committee, so in a way he got me started with municipal politics.

More than that, though, he was just a genuinely nice guy. Condolences to his family.

Here’s his obituary from the Bryan-Lee Funeral Home:
Continue reading →

East CAC history lesson

Tonight’s East CAC meeting was an unforgettable one. Not only was I honored to be reelected as CAC Chair, but a group of about 15 Pakistanis were here to observe an American civic meeting. After that we had a number of members tell us about the history of our area, many of these folks having lived here for almost 40 years.

The real treat in my mind was to hear from a descendant of the original property owners who once owned the property surrounding Lions Park. The history of the land was traced back to 1851 when it was purchased from the Mordecais! Even venerable old Saint Augustine’s College wouldn’t come into existence for another 16 years.

It was fascinating! I never knew there used to be a pond right in the middle of our neighborhood, or that a stream existed at the bottom of Fenton Street, or that Pigeon House Branch creek was once clean enough to drink, or that many picnics were held at the bottom of Fenton, where a beautiful wooded ravine once stood.

The “history lesson” meeting was so much fun that we’ll have to do another one soon!

N&O still not web-savvy

So the News and Observer recently revamped their website yet again and I think I preferred the previous version. Seemed much cleaner to me, and also seemed to load faster.

One thing bit the N&O the last time they upgraded and they didn’t seem to learn the lesson because they made the same mistake again. They didn’t maintain links to their stories, a big webmaster no no! Any favorable ranking Google gave their stories just got shot all to hell because the web team failed to provide forwarding links from their old stories to the versions on their new site. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

And the newspaper industry wonders why it can’t seem to succeed on the Internet.