Police say a Broughton High School student injured when she walked into the path of a car had been distracted by her phone as she stepped into the street.

Mikala Danielle Gleason, 14, suffered minor injuries Thursday afternoon when she was struck by a car as she walked across St. Mary's Street near the high school campus. The Raleigh Police crash report said she was not using one of several marked pedestrian crosswalks nearby, and "she was looking at her phone with earphones in when she was struck by the vehicle."

The student could not be reached Friday for comment.

“We do see this frequently, where people are walking across the street and just not paying attention,” said Lt. Tim Tomczak, who oversees traffic enforcement and crash reconstruction for the Raleigh Police Dept. “Distracted walking as a pedestrian can be even more deadly than distracted driving, because you don’t have anything to protect you.”

James A. Willetts, the driver, said he could not avoid hitting her. No charges were filed. ... [MORE]

View Glenwood speed limit in a larger map

NCDOT says it has reduced the speed limit from 55mph to 45mph on a three-mile stretch of Glenwood Avenue (US 70) from Duraleigh Road to the Umstead State Park entrance.

That gives Glenwood a consistent 45mph limit all the way from Oberlin Road to the Westgate / Lumley road interchange.

The slowdown was ordered after a traffic safety study, requested by Raleigh police, concluded that higher speeds ... [MORE]

View Glenwood Ave repair job in a larger map

Captain Kevin Craghead of the Raleigh Police Department has these suggestions for drivers trying to get from Glenwood Avenue to Whitaker Mill and Fairview roads on the east side of Five Points:

From Northbound Glenwood Avenue:

Turn right on White Oak Road, then turn right on Sunset Drive, which will intersect with Whitaker Mill Road.  (For those drivers trying access Fairview Road, they should continue straight on Sunset Drive and they will intersect with Fairview Road, which is now two-way between Scales Street and Glenwood Avenue during construction).  They can then turn right on Fairview Road to park and access the businesses on the East side of Five Points, such as the BP Gas Station, the Point Restaurant and the Rialto Theater. 

From southbound Glenwood Avenue:

Turn left on Alexander Drive, then turn right on White Oak Road.  Drivers can then access Fairview or Whitaker Mill following the directions above. 

Police have been ticketing drivers who illegally cut through the Five Points BP at the corner of Glenwood and Fairview, where road work has closed the Fairview intersection.

I would like to praise the Raleigh Police Department, Field Operations Division, for its prompt and caring response to an incident on May 24. My laptop was stolen from my vehicle while visiting in Raleigh, and even though this was a minor event in the grand scheme of things, it was still a theft of personal property and important to me. Officers Niemann and Maucher were kind, caring and professional and treated this incident as important. I wish to thank both officers and all police personnel involved for helping to take the sting our of this event for me. I visit Raleigh often and feel comfortable having met some of your finest!

Carolyn Winter

Roxboro

First Look: Staff photojournalist Chris Seward's raw edit from the Raleigh Police Academy graduation at Meymandi Hall in Raleigh on Friday, Aug. 28, 2009.

Groups and individuals affected by government budget slashing offer their impassioned pleas for relief.  The president of Raleigh's chapter of the North Carolina Police Benevolent Association is less than impressed with City Manager Russell Allen's $10,000 pay raise.