Raleigh

Community-focused posts

There are 773 posts filed in Raleigh (this is page 48 of 78).

Could Raleigh’s greenway paths be fiber paths?

Capital Area Greenway

I was thinking again (I know, I know. I should stop that bad habit) about Raleigh and the potential for a municipal Internet network (or a Google one). It occurred to me that the miles and miles of greenways Raleigh enjoys would make the perfect place to run a fiber backbone across our city. We’ve got greenways stretching into every corner of our city and more are being built and stitched-together every year. Why not make burying conduit part of every greenway construction project going forward?
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Bonner Gaylord: genius app developer?

The City of Raleigh sent out this breathless press release this week touting a new mobile application called SeeClickFix. People can use the service to report things around the city that need attention, such as a traffic light that needs replacing, graffiti that needs to be removed, etc. It’s a very useful service: one that I plan to use on a regular basis.

The only issue is the press release itself. It reads as if Bonner developed the whole thing himself:
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My photo of Raleigh seen again in the wild

My public domain picture of Raleigh I uploaded to Wikipedia continues to make the rounds. Flipping through the newspaper this morning, I spotted a small ad on page 2B of the Triangle section. The ad, placed by the City of Raleigh Recycling, featured the picture in the header, with a “swoosh” ribbon thing coming out of it. There’s no doubt that it’s my picture as the cars line up perfectly.

Some photographers get upset when their work gets used without their permission. I suppose there might be a time in the future when I work professionally as a photog. Even then, though, there will be shots I take that I’ll be happy to pass around, either because it’s the right thing to do or because it’s a great way to advertise my skills.

Graffiti delete-y?

Since my blog posting about the Beltline graffiti attracted so much attention, I thought it only right that I publicly thank the N.C. DOT for being on the case. I sent this email to them this past Thursday:

From: Mark Turner
Sent: Thursday, June 24, 2010 2:56 PM
To: Jones, Brandon H
Cc: Jernigan, Hannah; Halsey, Steven M; Holmes, Jason M; Elmore, Thomas R; Bowman, John W; Hopkins, Joey
Subject: Re: Graffiti

Mr. Jones,

I see that graffiti around the I-440 Beltline is being painted over. Thanks to you and the NCDOT for your prompt service in addressing this. Already it has made a huge difference in Raleigh’s appearance. I do appreciate it!

Regards,

Mark Turner

This drew this prompt response from Mr. Brandon Jones:
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My LTE ran today

The N&O ran my letter to the editor today.

I don’t understand why some people (including certain reporters) don’t like Meeker. While there are lots of things I wish he would do differently, I think Meeker is an honest, hardworking mayor who cares about the city. Unlike many politicians, he doesn’t appear to be in it for ego or to treat it as a stepping stone to higher office. I think some people forget what a thankless job being mayor is; that it’s essentially an unpaid job. We’re lucky that people still choose to do it.

That being said, I see nothing wrong with disagreeing with a politician’s choices or decisions. In fast, that’s healthy. But I do not agree with hating someone personally for the decisions they make.

There are a lot of misguided political leaders out there and many have raised my hackles. Even so, I like knowing I could sit down with them and calmly discuss our differences without it becoming personal.

Wade and Oberlin smells like cat urine

Ok, I know I’m not imagining it. For the past few days when I’ve driven past the intersection of Wade Avenue and Oberlin Road, I’ve been confronted by the smell of … cat urine!? As a long-time cat owner it’s a smell I’m all too familiar with. The first few times I drove by I chalked it up to imagination but this morning I decided it must really be what I smell.

The Care First Animal Hospital at that intersection is the vet where I took my cat for years. The sewer line from the vet must be full of pet urine. Could that be what I’m smelling?

Meeker’s East CAC appearance in the news

The appearance of Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker at our Monday evening East CAC meeting has generated news, with Meeker calling for the school board’s reassignment policy to be scrutinized by legal experts. I could tell when he took that question that he was fired up about the issue. He should be: over 40% of student families are Raleigh residents.

I dashed off this letter to the editor this morning:

Thank goodness Mayor Meeker is fighting this RECKLESS WASTE of TAXPAYER DOLLARS by our irresponsible school board majority on their pet project social experiment. There are serious and lasting repercussions to the board’s ill-conceived changes, not the least of which is to your wallet and mine!

As mayor of over 40% of the students in the Wake County School System, Meeker is rightfully concerned about the abject destruction taking place at the hands of the current school board.

I applaud Meeker’s efforts!!

Hopefully the board will consider the magnitude of their reckless changes. But I doubt it.

Update 29 June: The N&O ran my letter today.

Do you know your CAC? | WakeMed Voices

WakeMed visited Monday’s East CAC meeting and came away impressed. WakeMed is Wake County’s largest private employer and is located in East Raleigh.

Yesterday evening, I had the distinct pleasure of attending the East Community Advisory Council (CAC) meeting at Lions Park Community Center off Dennis Drive in Raleigh. At WakeMed, we are more committed than ever to being involved with the communities we serve and want to understand community issues from citizens’ perspectives so we can be even better neighbors. This commitment led me to the East CAC meeting to represent our WakeMed Raleigh Campus, which is located in the district.

One thing that Ms. Monackey didn’t mention is that Raleigh’s CACs are chaired and organized solely by community volunteers.

via Do you know your CAC? | WakeMed Voices.