Construction work is underway on the Lake Johnson Greenway extension, part of ongoing improvements to the Lake Johnson Dam.

Most of the greenway will remain open through construction, but the parking lot on Lake Dam Road and the trail leading to the lot are now closed, as is the trail next to the spillway. Portions of the greenway will be closed in the coming weeks as the city moves to other phases of construction.

For more information, contact the Lake Johnson Park office at 233-2121 or the City of Raleigh Public Utilities Department at 857-4540.

Several people have asked already this morning about the city and county's role in regards to parks at the North Wake Landfill site.

Keung Hui and I both had stories in today's North Raleigh and Midtown Raleigh News that either focused on or mentioned Wake County's new North Wake Landfill District Park, which opened Saturday.

To be clear, that park belongs to the county - not the City of Raleigh. It was the county's landfill, and the county opted to build its eighth park on the site after the last cell closed in 2008.

Raleigh does have plans to build a community center and recreational fields on the landfill site in the future, thought no money currently is budgeted for such a project.

The landfill site is more than 200 acres, and the county's new park only occupies about 36 of those. So there's plenty of room for the city to build it's own facilities. It's also worth noting that residents who live in northeast Raleigh, where the landfill is located, have for the last several years complained about the lack of recreational parks in their part of the city. This would seemingly help that.

Twenty-one bands and a combined 20 hours of rock music are scheduled for Raleigh Wide Open 5, which kicks off at 11 a.m. July 31. Three stages will be set up near Fayetteville Street from 12:30 to 10:30 p.m.

The day of music is set to begin with a parade on Fayetteville Street at 11 a.m., and conclude with a fireworks display at 11 p.m.

The Cherry Bounce Stage on Hargett Street will offer six hours of Indie Rock from seven different banks. Six other bands will play reggae, soul, blues, country, bluegrass, funk and hip hop on the World Stage on Martin Street. And eight local bands will play on the Raleigh Rocks Stage on Martin Street.

For more information and a list of the bands, go here.

HAPPY MONDAY: We're set for another hot week in Raleigh - temps in the mid 90s all week.

TRASHY FUN: Wake County opened its eighth park on Saturday - this one on a heaping pile of trash. The North Wake Landfill District Park in northeast Raleigh is on the site of the county's closed North Wake Landfill. The park sits on $5 million worth of garbage, and is one of the highest points in the county. Matt Ehlers had the story Saturday. Look for more in Wednesday's North Raleigh and Midtown Raleigh News sections.

WELCOME: Jason Foster joined us last week - he's the new editor of North Raleigh and Midtown Raleigh News. Jason comes from Rock Hill, S.C., where he wore various hats. He'll have a column in this week's community sections. Contact him at jason.foster@newsobserver.com.

RAIL RESERVATIONS: Raleigh restaurants and pubs fear a new high-speed rail route could deter customers. The NCDOT is evaluating two routes through Raleigh for the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor, which would give passenger trains a fast new shortcut to Richmond, Va., Bruce Siceloff reports.

ROCKIN' THE RBC: Michael Buble packed the RBC Center Saturday, and played songs that represented 50 years worth of music. David Menconi had the story.

WHERE'S MEEKER?: Monday: Fair Housing Board's summer reading program at Biltmore Hills; Tuesday: Presiding over a Budget and Economic Development Committee Meeting; Wednesday: Meeting with Dominion Park Homeowners Association; Thursday: Welcoming the AME Zion Convention; Friday: Triangle Area Mayor's Meeting; Monday: Wake County Mayor's Association.

COUNCIL: No meeting this week.

COMING SOON: Read Wednesday about a sidewalk feud in west Raleigh, Wake County's new park, new elementary school sites in Raleigh and a man who walks barefoot up and down the east coast in the North Raleigh and Midtown Raleigh News.

BOMB CLAIMS RALEIGH MAN: A former Raleigh resident was the lone person killed in Sunday's bombing in Uganda, which tore through a crowd watching the World Cup finals.

KID POLITICO: Matt Ehlers had a fascinating story this weekend about a 12-year-old who's on the fast track to the governor's mansion. He knows more about state politics than this blogger, to be sure, and probably more than many elected officials.
 

It's official: Raleigh's Latta House is a historic landmark.

The City Council made that approval at its meeting Tuesday. The historic designation was recommended by the city's Historic District Commission in June.

The property, located at 1001 Parker Street, comprises the remnant land area of Latta University and is the site of the former residence of Rev. M.L. Latta. The university was an African-American coeducational institution founded in 1892 by Rev. M.L. Latta, a freed slave and teacher, to educate underprivileged and orphan children in Raleigh’s African-American community. The Latta House was destroyed by fire in 2007.

It originally was designated as a Raleigh Historic Landmark in 1993. The designation was based on the architectural and historical significance of the house. The site is a unique remnant of a significant period of African-American education in Raleigh. The university also played an important role in the historic Oberlin community.

The City of Raleigh awarded its highest art honors to six local artists, the city's Arts Commission announced Thursday.

This year’s winners for the Medal of Arts are Ruth Green, community arts advocate and owner of the Little Art Gallery; William Ivey Long, an award-winning Broadway costume designer; Nancy Olson, literary arts promoter and owner of Quail Ridge Books and Music; Dwane Powell, nationally recognized editorial cartoonist; J. Mark Scearce, renowned classical composer; and Banks C. Talley, Jr., long-time Raleigh cultural arts leader.

The Medal of Arts ceremony is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 6 in the Fletcher Opera Theater at the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts. Betty Ray McCain, former secretary of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, will serve as mistress of ceremonies. The ceremony will feature special guests and performances to be announced later. The event will be free and open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis.

The  Medal of Arts is awarded for lifetime extraordinary achievement in the practice of, or in support of, local arts. Originally based on the National Medal of Arts program, the Raleigh Medal of Arts was inaugurated in 1984 by the City of Raleigh Arts Commission so that excellence in the arts could be given special recognition. Over the years, 128 medals have been awarded. Past winners include poet Lenard Moore, choreographer Robert Weiss, the North Carolina Theatre, and Arts Together.

For more info on the winners, go here.

UPDATE: Report missed a prime opportunity to blow its own trumpet. We didn't realize one of the winners was legendary N&O cartoonist Dwane Powell. From the Raleigh website:

Dwane Powell’s career as an editorial cartoonist at The News and Observer of Raleigh spanned 35 years. He used his artistic ability, keen perspective and no-holds-barred sense of humor to become a trademark of political commentary that was recognized around the world through his syndication with the Los Angeles Times and appearances of his work in Time, Newsweek and U.S. News and World Report. His work has also been recognized artistically with appearances in area galleries and recently a major museum exhibition curated by the Nasher Museum at Duke University;

The City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved installation of a sidewalk on Merwin Road, despite a majority of residents in the area voting against it.

In a report to City Manager Russell Allen, Raleigh's public works director writes that 73 percent of homeowners in the west Raleigh neighborhood attending a public meeting about the sidewalk, and 64 percent of those voted again a sidewalk on either side of the road.

Immediately after City Manager Russell Allen reported those facts to the council, Thomas Crowder, whose District D includes Merwin Road, moved to install the sidewalk.

More to come in next week's Midtown Raleigh News.

July is scheduled to be a busy month for downtown Raleigh's Convention Center. Here's the list of events, from the city's website:

July 8 through July 11 – The National Agents Alliance will hold its summer conference at the Convention Center. The event is expected to draw approximately 3,000 people downtown.

July 16 through July 18 – The Raleigh Antiques Extravaganza will be held downtown. The antique expo is expected to draw more than 5,000 people.

July 16 through July 21 – The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church will hold its Christian Education Division Quadrennial at the Raleigh Convention Center. The event is expected to draw more than 3,500 people.

July 22 through July 29 – The Omega Psi Phi Fraternity will meet at the Convention Center. The event is expected to draw more than 2,000 people.

July 31 – Raleigh Wide Open 5 will be held downtown along the City Plaza, the Raleigh Convention Plaza, Fayetteville Street and the new Raleigh Amphitheater. The event is expected to draw more than 70,000 people and will start with a parade and conclude with Circus Maximus and a fireworks display.

You’re not imagining it if you thought June was hotter than normal in Raleigh.

The National Weather Service announced Thursday that last month was the warmest June on record for Raleigh, with an average temperature of 81.5 degrees. Records have been kept since 1887.

Last month, 27 of the 30 days recorded average temperature above normal. At Raleigh-Durham International Airport, 22 days had high temperatures of at least 90 degrees.

Seven daily temperature records were broken in June, with one tie. Six record high minimum temperatures were either tied or broken in June. The high temperature of the month was recorded last Sunday at 101 degrees.

Before this year, the warmest June in Raleigh was in 2008, with an average temperature of 80.8 degrees. Before then, you had to go back to the 1950s for a June with an average temperature of at least 80 degrees.

Today we ran a story about a smart phone application that will let residents tell city councilor Bonner Gaylord about problem places in the city. The city's public works department wanted to pass on that anyone can report graffiti by emailing graffiti@raleighnc.gov or potholes by contacting pothole@raleighnc.gov.

And Gaylord said the quickest way to get to his application to download is to go to click on his campaign website.

Now, go find those potholes!