And so our biannual cluster-eff begins. Friday noon marked the end of qualifying for the Triangle’s municipal elections, which means we can step back and take a lay of the land. The biggest surprise, at least in Raleigh, was that Councilor Wayne Maiorano declined to seek reelection, citing a desire to spend more time with […]
Jeffrey C. Billman
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Raleigh’s wages of poverty
If the city of Raleigh one day got a bug up its butt and decided it wanted to hike its minimum wagelike 29 states and many other large cities across the country have donewell, tough luck. The General Assembly doesn’t allow that. Nor, as of 2013, does it permit cities to require their contractors to […]
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Liveblogging the (rezoning) apocalypse: Raleigh UDO bitch session, take 2
So I was going to live-blog this here rezoning apocalypse, except that there was no Wi-Fi in the Duke Energy Performing Arts Center, where the Council session was moved to accommodate the large, angry masses—probably 150 in Fletcher Hall, though I’m terrible at head counts. And then, just as I was getting going, my hotspot […]
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Raleigh’s Athens Library gets temporary reprieve
My goal is to prove you wrong,” former Wake County Commissioner and neighborhood activist extraordinaire Yevonne Brannon told us. “We’re gonna save the library. And when we do, we’ll have to get a glass of wine or something.” Three days earlier, after a county commission meeting, we’d made the mistake of telling Brannon we didn’t […]
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Raleigh food trucks losing appetite over new zoning
Since food trucks first began popping up around town a half-dozen years ago, Raleigh has had some of the tightest restrictions in the entire Triangle. Until 2011, when the city passed an ordinance after an excruciating year of debate, trucks were prohibited from operating within city limits. Until December 2012 they could not operate in […]
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Wake, school board reach deal to keep Athens Drive library open a little while longer
At a rather well-attended community forum this evening, Wake County Commissioner Caroline Sullivan announced that the county and the school board had reached an agreement to keep the imperiled Athens Drive Community Library open for a little while longer while they negotiate for a permanent fix. Per the statement, which comes from county manager Jim […]
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North Carolina Republicans love them some Donald Trump
So you know that Donald Trump character who is pretending to run for president—and who, in the process, is pissingoffanyoneandeveryonewho’s ever done business with him? In case you haven’t been following along, here’s what The Donald said in his presidential-campaign announcement that got him in so much hot water: “When Mexico sends its people, they’re […]
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Raleigh must pay for people pooping in its parking garages
A few weeks back, without much fuss, the Raleigh City Council approved a $5 fee to park in currently free city-owned downtown garages. The fee was intended to pay for maintenance and cleanup, as city garages have seen an increase in things like discarded beer bottles and other detritus (we’re judging you, litterbugs) and human […]
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Athens Library’s short shelf life
Community Meeting on Local Public Library Service Where: Athens Drive High School Library, 1420 Athens Drive When: Thursday, July 9 at 7 p.m. Who: County commissioners, staff, the public More: Staff will brief the public on the school district’s security concerns as well as options for the library’s relocation I don’t want to throw the […]
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Downtown Raleigh business owners ask City Council to reconsider parking fees
A few weeks back, and without much of a fuss, the Raleigh City Council approved a $5 fee to park in city-owned downtown garages, which are currently free. The fee, the city explained, was intended to pay for maintenance and cleanup in the garages, as the city has seen an increase in things like beer […]
