In a triumph of science over politics Wednesday afternoon, the Environmental Management Commission’s water-quality committee approved earlier versions of a report on SolarBees that says the devices aren’t working to clean up Jordan Lake, as well as a report on riparian buffers that says buffers are effective and valuable in protecting water quality. Under the […]
Jane Porter
Jane Porter is Wake County editor of the INDY, covering Raleigh and other communities across Wake County. She first joined the staff in 2013 and is a former INDY intern, staff writer, and editor-in-chief.
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Updated: McCrory Spokesman Confirms Taxpayers Footed the Bill for Governor’s Media Appearances, Because They Were “Official Business”
Udated: McCrory spokesman Josh Ellis told the News and Observer that taxpayers did indeed pay for McCrory’s travel to Washington D.C. on two different occasions when the governor appeared on national news talk shows. From the N&O: “That’s ridiculous,” Ellis said of the Democrats’ comments. “The governor will continue to proudly do his job in […]
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After the SolarBee Failure, Will the State Finally Clean Up Jordan Lake?
The state Department of Environmental Quality hasn’t inspired much confidence of late. The Jordan Lake SolarBees debacle isn’t likely to change that perception. Recall that, in 2009, Democrats in the General Assembly approved a set of guidelines for cleaning up Jordan Lake, which, because of runoff from cities and neighborhoods, suffers nutrient-caused algae blooms. But […]
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Raleigh’s New Airbnb Rules Won’t Let You Rent Out Your Whole House
Cynthia Gallon is a registered nurse who works part-time, cares for her elderly mother and disabled brother, and has found a way to stretch her dollars. M.B. Hardy is a sixty-six-year-old empty-nester who enjoys having a supplemental income and interesting company. Colin Keenan lost his job in December and now has a “real sense of […]
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Oops, NC DEQ: Thirteen SolarBees Got Loose During the Jordan Lake Pilot Program
Last week, Secretary Donald van der Vaart of North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality admitted what we all pretty much already knew: SolarBees have been a spectacular failure in cleaning up Jordan Lake. But they’ve been a failure in more ways than one and on more than one occasion, if you can believe it, which, […]
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NC DEQ Will Actually Remove SolarBees from Jordan Lake, Because They’re Not Working
Well, we did not see this coming at all. The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality announced this afternoon that Secretary Donald van der Vaart “made the science-based decision” to “discontinue the SolarBee project after 21 months of data indicated no significant improvement in water quality.” Here’s the full press release: RALEIGH Thursday, May 5, […]
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Jordan Lake Report Revised, Criticism of SolarBees Removed
Remember the Department of Environmental Quality’s March report that essentially said SolarBees weren’t working to clean up nutrient pollution in Jordan Lake, a drinking water source for more than 300 thousand people in the Triangle? Well the report is back, and it got a makeover. The new report from DEQ has been stripped of all […]
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The Morning Roundup: About Those Teacher Raises…
Good morning, everyone! We got news. 1. Republican leaders in the state House and Senate have agreed to a $22.225 billion spending limit for the next fiscal year, a 2.26 percent increase over current spending and meaning the short legislative session probably won’t drag on for weeks and weeks and weeks like it did last […]
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Ruffin Hall Is Raleigh’s Most Powerful Person You’ve Never Heard Of
The key is finding a balance. That’s the strategy Ruffin Hall, Raleigh’s good-humored city manager, says he’s sought to apply to the thorniest issues he’s faced since starting in November 2013. And he’s faced many of those issues, especially downtown. “Raleigh is growing and evolving from a big small town to a smaller big city,” […]
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Southeast Raleigh Residents Want the City to Finally Fix Chavis Park
At ninety-eight, Milly Dunn Veasey is undeniably frail. But speak with her, and it becomes clear that her memory is vivid, her mind still sharp. Veasey, who served as an army secretary in World War II, was born in a wooden cottage on South East Street bordering John Chavis Memorial Parkthe home of her grandparents, […]
