Ray LaHood, the U.S. transportation secretary, will visit Raleigh Wednesday to announce a federal grant that will help Wake County Human Services establish a “one-call / one-click” telephone and Internet transportation communication center.

The center will improve public access to the county's Wake Coordinated Transportation Services provided to rural residents through Medicaid, public health and other programs.

Wake County is receiving a share of $34 million in grants to be awarded across the country in the Veterans Transportation and Community Living Initiative. The program is aimed at improving transportation services for military families, wounded veterans and other people with disabilities.  Veterans make up 16 percent of the county population.

LaHood will speak at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Wake County’s A.A. Thompson Center, 567 E. Hargett St.

Triangle residents will get a glimpse tomorrow at an app-based and texting technology that will provide mass-transit users with real-time updates on bus arrival times throughout the region.

Transportation officials say it will be the nation's first such technology that incorporates routes and buses from multiple transit agencies.

The GoLive network, which goes online Nov. 15, will include six local transit systems to help riders plan trips across the region, from Chapel Hill and Durham to Raleigh and Cary.

Raleigh and Chapel Hill have been offering riders real-time arrival notifications for several years, but it will now be expanded to the other agencies and coordinated.

"Folks are more prone to ride transit if they have the comfort of knowing when the bus is going to arrive," said Brad Schulz, a spokesman for Triangle Transit.

Chapel Hill Transit will provide shuttle service on its "Tar Heel Express" to and from  the North Carolina-Virginia football game this Saturday.

A Raleigh company that provides shipping, transportation and various support services for pharmaceutical companies and other customers is seeking to hire more than 50 drivers as its business expands.

Longistics will hold a job fair at its headquarters on Saturday to find qualified candidates. The average starting salary for its drivers is $60,000 a year.

The private company, run by the husband-and-wife team of Duane and Pat Long, has won several new contracts and is also seeing a pickup in business with existing customers.

UNC will host the NCAA Chapel Hill Baseball Regional Games this weekend, June 3-5, and on Monday, June 6, if a game 7 is necessary. Ridge Road will be closed to thru traffic approximately four hours prior to game time each date and until the end of the egress each night. However, Chapel Hill Transit buses will be allowed entrance along this corridor to maintain their normal routes.

CHT routes traveling along Ridge Road and Stadium Drive may experience schedule delays because of the expected increased pedestrian traffic along this area. These possible schedule delays may affect the following routes during the event: A, CCX, NU, RU, PX and U. CHT will attempt to operate the normal printed schedule on these routes. While every attempt will be made to maintain schedules, CHT is advising customers to expect delays due to traffic congestion and to allow extra travel time.

For questions concerning any of the information, please contact a CHT at 969-4900.
 

Chapel Hill Transit will provide "Tar Heel Express" shuttle service to and from the Dean E. Smith Center for Saturday's (Jan. 29) men’s basketball game between the Carolina men and N.C. State's Wolfpack. The game is scheduled to tip off a 2 p.m.

 Tar Heel Express shuttles will begin at 12:30 p.m. from the park and rides located at Friday Center, Southern Village, University Mall (next to Dillards) and Jones Ferry Road.  Shuttles will also be available from the Carolina Coffee Shop located at 138 East Franklin Street (no parking provided).
The shuttles will provide continuous and fully accessible service, running every 10 to 15 minutes between the park and rides and the Dean E. Smith Center.  The shuttles will operate for forty-five (45) minutes following the game. 
 
Shuttles drop off and pick up on Bowles Drive in front of the Dean E. Smith Center.  Shuttle rides are $5 for a round-trip or $3 for a one-way trip.  Rides from the Carolina Coffee Shop are $2 one-way or $4 round-trip.
 
For additional information on the Tar Heel Express Shuttle, please visit CHT's website at  www.chtransit.org or call a customer service representative at 919-969-4900.

The civil engineering firm that Barbara Mulkey founded in 1993 survived the recession, but it was painful learning experience.

Like many companies, Mulkey Engineers & Consultants came out "leaner and meaner" after slowing demand forced the Raleigh firm to retrench.

Now there are signs that things are picking up again, but the company is sticking with its retooled strategy for competing in the new economy and won't rush to hire. Last week, Mulkey Engineers named three new board members to beef up its expertise and bring in fresh ideas.

Mulkey, an N.C. State alumnae who is on the university's board of trustees, spoke by phone about her company, the economy, the importance of staying politically active and more. Click for highlights:

Boeing has blown off North Carolina, again. South Carolina still has a chance.

CEO Jim McNerney told Wall Street analysts on an earnings conference call today that the company has narrowed its choices for a second 787 Dreamliner assembly plant to Charleston, S.C., and Everett, Wash. He expects to announce a decision in the next couple of weeks.

The N.C. Global TransPark in Kinston was cited as a competitor for the new plant in a report that Washington state officials used to lobby Boeing.

The Kinston park, about 90 miles southeast of Raleigh, also was in the running for a Boeing assembly plant earlier this decade, but lost to Washington.

It's not clear whether North Carolina was a legitimate contender this time, since state and local officials have kept quiet about any efforts to lure Boeing here, despite vocal lobbying in Washington state. But Gov. Bev Perdue and others repeatedly have said they want to expand this state's aerospace and aviation industries and attract new jobs.

Also today, Boeing reported a $1.56 billion third-quarter loss, one of the biggest in its history. The loss was partly because of delays in the 787 Dreamliner program.

We've got some very sad news to report.

A 6-year-old girl died today after she was struck by a vehicle. She had just gotten off a school bus shortly after 1:30 p.m.

The Green Elementary student was struck near the intersection of North Hills and Hillock drives in Raleigh by a vehicle driven by 83-year-old woman.

UPDATE

Click here for the online story. According to witnesses, the driver ignored the bus stop arm and flashing signals.

School officials are saying they'll have the bus routes for traditional-calendar schools online by tomorrow afternoon.

You should be able to find the bus routes by clicking here on Friday. School officials are cautioning that bus routes may go through many revisions between now and the end of September.

The routes are adjusted as Transportation responds to ongoing student registration, parent requests and ridership decisions. Click here to download the form for requesting a change to a bus stop.