To hear phrases like "ambush points" and "target hardening," you might have thought you were at some kind of Navy Seals training course.
No, just another Wednesday at the Raleigh Urban Design Center.
Officer Kyle Kratzer gave a lunchtime lecture on how to use environmental design principles to keep criminals away from your home, business and neighborhood.
If your yard is still littered with debris from last month's tornadoes, there's a new place to turn for help.
The North Carolina Baptist Men have set up a telephone number, 919-834-7911, for homeowners in Raleigh and Wake County to call for free help with removing trees, clearing debris and putting tarps on roofs damaged by the April 16 storm.
Gail Roper, chief information officer for the city of Raleigh, was a featured speaker at Consero Group’s 2011 Government IT Forum at the Hilton Clearwater Beach Resort in Clearwater, Florida.
Roper talked about how Raleigh is finding new ways to use technology to reduce costs and expand services.
The recap comes to us courtesy of Paul Mandell, founder and CEO of Consero, who held a Q&A with Roper during the forum. Mandell shared highlights via email with your loyal blogger here at The Raleigh Report.
Raleigh has been named a bicycle-friendly community by the nation’s top cycling advocacy group, to the delight of local riders who coveted the designation.
The Capital City was among 21 cities lauded this year by the League of American Bicyclists, which unveiled the selectees as part of National Bike Month in May.
With veteran actress Cybill Shepherd sidelined after a foot injury, the North Carolina Theatre had to look elsewhere for some star power to unveil the 2012 NC Theatre and Broadway Series South season at Memorial Auditorium.
Shepherd was supposed to headline Tuesday's kick-off but had to pull out of the starring role in "Hello, Dolly!" after a fall on a staircase left her with a fractured shin and a severe ankle sprain. The play begins an 11-show run Saturday.
Organizers found a pair of stars-- well, local stars anyway-- in the form of Mayor Charles Meeker and City Councilman Eugene Weeks, who ably filled in. (No, the duo did not break into rendition of "It Takes A Woman" from "Hello, Dolly!")
Raleigh faces a projected $1.4 million budget shortfall in its parking fund, but the city won't plug the hole by charging people to park downtown on nights and weekends.
A City Council committee squelched that idea, which had been floated by City Manager Russell Allen as one possible option for raising money.
But be warned, those of you with outstanding parking fines.
After Tuesday, Raleigh homeowners will no longer get billed for sidewalk repairs in front of their homes. Not in the way they're used to, anyway.
Next time you're on a Delta flight, take a moment to thumb through the in-flight magazine. You may find yourself reading about home.
Delta's Sky magazine is planning a feature on the Triangle, and the early word is that it will be quite lengthy.
As in, 45-plus pages, according to Raleigh officials.
A delegation of elected officials and business people from Raleigh and Wake County paid a visit to Denver last week on a trip sponsored by the local Chamber of Commerce.
The group toured Denver's light rail system and got a firsthand look at the city's downtown area, City Councilman Russ Stephenson told me this afternoon. School board member Debra Goldman and Wake County Commissioner Tony Gurley were among the attendees, and Goldman had lots of questions for school leaders in Denver, Stephenson told me.
In describing their recruiting pitch to businesses, Denver officials boast about how the city enjoys 300 days of sun a year, on average. Stephenson said he was impressed, though he wondered if any businesses check the accuracy of that claim.
The Chamber puts together these trips to let Raleigh government and business leaders learn about successful initiatives in other U.S. cities.
Hoping to add more energy to the local foods movement, Raleigh officials say they will take steps to encourage community gardens on private and city-owned land.
City staffers are putting together a set of guidelines that would allow nonprofits to set up community gardens or urban farms on undeveloped "surplus" properties owned by the city.
Groups looking to get started could review a 200-page list of possible sites, planning director Mitchell Silver said this week.
