DOWNTOWN RALEIGH WIDE OPEN

Raleigh, N.C. — A Monday morning shooting at a downtown Raleigh barbershop left one man dead, police said.

Officers responded to the shooting at Total Styles and Cuts, 203 E. Cabarrus St., at about 9:15 a.m. and found a man dead inside the shop, police said.

His identity was withheld, pending notification of relatives.

A week ago, a store owner was stabbed during a robbery of his men's clothing outlet on South Wilmington Street, about three blocks from the site of Monday's shooting.

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/8105836/

WRAL - Monday, August 9, 2010

Still not close enough to King Charles "I care about minorities, I really do" Meeker the Resegregationist's downtown Fayetteville Street Mecca for him to do anything about it.

Now if the criminals would shoot someone on Fayetteville Street, then that would be a different story....

King Charles, we don't need to hear your rhetoric about caring for the other downtown community made up of Raleigh's poor and minorities, we can see it in your investments for your "Livable Streets" and the rest of downtown Raleigh which because of the lack of your support remains "Unlivable."

GOT AN IDEA ON HOW TO WASTE MORE MONEY IN DOWNTOWN RALEIGH?

Got a great idea for Moore Square Park?
What do you like about the Park today?
What would you like to see in the future?

Bring your big – and not so big – ideas to the Moore Square Park Community

Open Call for Ideas

Wednesday, June 17, 20094:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. drop in anytime
Marbles Kids Museum 201 E. Hargett Street
Refreshments will be served

Saturday, June 27, 200912:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. drop in anytime
Chavis Community Center 505 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Light lunch will be served

Same meeting, different locations for your convenience

There will be activities and displays for all ages and perspectives:
Presentation to kick off the day on the Open Call Process and Moore Square Park Historic and current large-scale maps and images of the Park

Write a post card from the year 2030 about your visit to the Park
Participate in a tour of the Park
Work at tables with facilitators and drafters to translate your ideas onto Park site plans (participants also have the option to work on their ideas off site and bring them to one of the Open Calls)
Discuss your ideas with the City of Raleigh Planning and Parks & Recreation staff
Raleigh’s first-ever design competition starts with you!

Join us for the Open Call for Ideas.

Your ideas will help competitors design a Park that meets the needs and dreams of the community.To register (not required, but helps with planning), for more information or to post your comments: www.raleighnc.gov/greatplacesMooreSquare or call 919-807-8480

Future planned web developments: Community big – and not so big – ideas on Facebook and Flickr.

Check back often!

HERE COMES THE NEXT BUDGET BUSTER FOR DOWNTOWN RALEIGH

An Amphitheater down by the convention center.

Related link.

SIR WALTER WALLY

Sir Walter Wally saw his shadow today.

After having Wally held close to his ear, Mayor Meeker announced six more million dollars for downtown Raleigh. (Don't get your hopes up Bragg Street.)

As if we could be so lucky......

(Of course this is satire, Mayor Meeker would never come this cheap.)

MAYOR MEEKER'S STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS

What perhaps was fascinating about Mayor "downtown first" Meeker's State of the City speech was not all that was in it, but what was lacking.

What he avoided talking about.

Mayor Meeker went through a litany of items - lavish spending for Fayetteville Street, Raleigh's new Convention Center, etc. All things that are not basic functions of local government.

But addressing crime is. And it was completely absent from his remarks. Not a single word said.

NOTHING.

Just think about the high profile murders that have occurred this year. Crime remains rampant along Tarboro Road and Bragg Street. Just this past week found yet another violent murder committed on Camden Street - just blocks from where Mayor Meeker has pushed multi-million dollar public investments along Fayetteville Street.

Raleigh saw a 48% increase in murders in 2008. One might think that would be worthy of discussion among the Mayor's overview of the "State of Raleigh."

Raleigh's violent crime went against national trends last year and saw a substantial upswing.

So the next time you personally experience theft of your personal property or are the unfortunate victim of violent crime, remember what Mayor "benign neglect" Meeker had to say about it........

NOTHING.

DOWNTOWN RESTAURANTS NOT CASHING IN ON MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR PUBLIC INVESTMENT DOWNTOWN?

Sciolino said souring food costs and a lack of promised convention center traffic took a toll on his restaurant. “It’s become an insurmountable equation,” Sciolino said.

Comments made by Joe Sciolino of Joe's Restaurant at the corner of Dawson and Martin in downtown Raleigh in a WRAL News interview.

LATEST INCIDENT IN MEEKER'S "UNLIVABLE STREETS"

Here's your weekly murder in Mayor Meeker's "Livable Streets/Raleigh Renaissance."

Murder in 300 block of Camden Street in downtown Raleigh.

Not exactly a "mint" of an area.

What would $1 million do to revitalize this area with increased police protection and strategic social services? Instead it was used to revitalize a building into a plush restaurant.

IF THIS HAPPENED ON FAYETTEVILLE STREET WITH THE CLOCKWORK FASHION OCCURING AT THE ENLOE HIGH SCHOOL AREA ...

What would Charles "Livable Streets" Meeker do?

Yet another violent crime has been committed at/in the Enloe High School area.

Of course this area around Tarboro Road, Raleigh Boulevard, Glascock Street, etc. doesn't fall within Mayor Meeker or Mitch Silver's vision for livable streets.

They've dumped millions onto Fayetteville Street and in the process completely neglected areas of Raleigh desperately in need of true social services and more importantly police protection.

Police moral is low. The Raleigh Police Department is understaffed. Ask some of Raleigh's finest off the record and they'll tell you how disappointed they are in Meeker and City Manager Russell Allen.

Maybe you can tell folks at the MLK celebration tomorrow how much you've neglected their community in favor of pouring millions into upper crust "white-collar" restaurants on Fayetteville Steet.

Maybe an apology is more in order....

Or maybe you can just blame President Bush's "human rights" record for the problem as you did recently. After all you're just a Mayor and this is your city.

Anne McLaurin - could you please talk to your husband and ask him to fix the problem? He is the Mayor and you are on the school board.

WHEN RALEIGH GETS A NEW MAYOR THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF TARBORO ROAD AND BRAGG STREET RESIDENTS SHOULD START IMPROVING

"A mention of human rights led Mayor Charles Meeker to say America's human rights record should start improving now that Obama is replacing Bush."

(N&O 12/6/08)

Maybe when somebody replaces Meeker the human rights and public safety of residents around Tarboro Road and Bragg Street will start improving.

Pot meet kettle Mr. Meeker.

RALEIGH ARTS COMMISSION WANTS TO SPEND AT LEAST $1.13 MILLION FOR PUBLIC ART AT NEW CLARENCE LIGHTNER PUBLIC SAFETY CENTER ..... FOR STARTERS

The economy's in the tank. Raleigh has just significantly raised taxes and fees on Raleigh residents with Mayor Meeker seeking further increases, crime is soaring and basic police protection services remain underfunded.

So what do you do?

Well of course, blow more money on sprucing up downtown Raleigh.

Raleigh's Arts Commission has proposed that "half of one percent of expenditures of capital improvement municipal projects (involving public buildings, parks and streetscapes) to the creation and development of public art.

The additional millions required to meet this proposal is staggering.

Just think how many more Light + Time Towers could "grace" Raleigh under this proposal.

For the new (not voted on) Clarence Lightner Public Safety Center new art would run $1.13 million under this proposal.

Maybe if their lucky, the residents on Bragg Street and Tarboro Road can get the nets changed on their basketball courts.

Raleigh's Budget and Economic Development Committee was scheduled to meet this morning to discuss this proposal. Let's hope this idea was properly flushed.

Of course I would not be surprised if they don't find a way to blame the homebuilders for lacking the funds to put more beautiful art like Light + Time around Raleigh.

IS PEDER ZANE OF THE N&O HAVING SEX WITH DOWNTOWN RALEIGH?

Cue the music.

Related Story (N&O - April 13, 2008)

Okay, let's "strip-bare" this story. I suspect we can reach climax quick enough.

From the N&O Lifestyles section.

First the title: Raleigh rising.

Next the subtitle: As arts, dining and entertainment options expand bit by bit, downtown throbs with a glorious sense of possibility. (emphasis added)

I feel dirty already.

If we have any of Raleigh's finest still left on the force, can some of you run down to Fayetteville Street and make sure he's not doing anything indecent.

I think he and downtown need to get a room. I'm sure our Mayor would recommend this one.

On a more serious note, beyond Zane's obvious attempts to sex-up downtown Raleigh, is the fact that he has partaken of way too much flavor-aid on this infatuation with downtown Raleigh. I've never heard anyone put "Raleigh's Renaissance" in such overt sexual overtones though.

IS RALEIGH'S MILLION DOLLAR MINT GOING UNDER?

It would appear there's something to the rumors.

VarmintBites reports the chef, pastry chef and operations director have left or will be leaving soon.

Who's going to pay back Raleigh? Related Story (See Page 16)

RALEIGH: WASTE ON THE MOVE

So the City of Raleigh’s Arts Commission in partnership with CAT launched Art-On-The-Move on September 22, 2007. Photos from the News & Observer at the time featured City Councilman Russ Stephenson smashing a bottle of water on the side of a CAT bus (in the middle of the drought).

So where do Raleigh’s priorities stand as it relates to mass transit? Apparently more-so with decorating buses rather than decorating bus stops with benches and shelters.

According to the Raleigh Arts Commission, public funds are used for this project and the honorariums paid for the project (12 at $1,000 a piece) come from public funds.

Other costs with the project include:

12 sets of bus wrap graphics, digital transfer with protective laminate: $7,168.32
Installation of 12 wraps, onsite at CAT: $4,560.00
Honorariums: $12,000
Total: $23,728.32

After making an inquiry with the City of Raleigh on bus stops, I received this timely and thorough response from Transit Administrator David Eatman:

The City of Raleigh has 1450 bus stops that are served daily by Capital Area Transit (CAT) buses. Of the 1450 stops 36 are currently equipped with shelters and 259 have benches available.

CAT currently has just over 100 stops that are without passenger amenities that meet the Raleigh Transit Authority policy for the placement of benches and shelters. The policy states that bus stops must have 25 boardings per day to qualify for a shelter and 10 boardings per day to qualify for a bench, this policy may be waived at locations used by seniors or persons with disabilities. With the obvious need for quality facilities that provide a safe and comfortable place for transit patrons, the Transit Program has embarked on an aggressive campaign to install these facilities as quickly as possible. This will result in the installation of approximately 40 new shelters and 75 new benches, some of which have already been completed.

In support of this effort, the transit program has submitted 20 engineered site plans to NCDOT in order to receive easements for the placement of our first round of shelters in Southeast and Southwest Raleigh. The majority of the bus stops meeting the passenger amenity standard lie within NCDOT right of way. Our next effort will concentrate on heavily utilized stops in North Raleigh, including Wake Forest Road and Capital Boulevard.

I could go on and on about the fact that apparently the bus service is so low that the stops don’t meet the low standards of 25 boardings per day for a shelter or 10 boardings for a bench.

Still what about the others that meet the guidelines that have been neglected for so long? The passion for benches sure doesn’t seem to match the fevered intensity to spend $14.8 million for City Plaza – now does it?

Now Mayor Meeker is seeking a regressive sales tax increase and increased vehicle registration fees for you guessed it – more buses.

Is this really how we need to spend transit oriented funds? For artwork on grungy buses? Is that part of that great concept that makes Raleigh a “world-class city?”

Not as much money as this Raleigh gem, but it sure does give it a run for the money.

Final note – the picture is from Morgan Street right near the “Hope in Government HQ.” Guess folks weren’t taking the bus down there to volunteer huh?

FAYETTEVILLE STREET CLOSED TO ATTRACT BUSINESS

Who knew we would spend millions of dollars in downtown Raleigh to open Fayetteville Street to attract visitors and we would have to CLOSE Fayetteville Street to do it?

Related Link

OUR DING-A-LING

RELATED STORY

ANOTHER MURDER IN THE UNWASHED AREA OF DOWNTOWN RALEIGH

Shots fired and police find a dead man behind the Valero Mart on New Bern Avenue.

No need to worry. It's well away from the the special landmarks and hundreds of millions of dollars in public investment in downtown Raleigh.

What makes Raleigh great? A walk with a river or a walk with safety?

Kudos to folks like Octavia Rainey who have been working tirelessly over the years to push our elected officials to do right by the less privileged areas of downtown Raleigh.

Related Story

WELL WHAT DO YOU KNOW - CAPITAL BOULEVARD AT PEACE STREET CLOSED DUE TO A SHOOTING

But thank goodness Raleigh leaders want a "special landmark."

Personally, I think Raleigh residents would be happy with some more police officers and less shooting.

But that doesn't seem to be where the hearts of Raleigh's illuminati are right now.......

Related link

RIVERWALK FOR RALEIGH? HEY MARY-ANN, MAYBE THE GANGS CAN FIGHT THERE TOO.

Memorandum

To: Mary Ann Baldwin/Raleigh City Council

From: Wake Community Network

Re: Wade in the Water

First, let's get some definitions resolved.

Gateway: any passage by or point at which a region may be entered

Your recent comments that:

"It's one of our gateways into the city. It's almost an embarrassment to me that that's one of the first things they see when they're coming into our downtown," Baldwin said.

You, along with most every other member of the Raleigh City Council, seem to have this misguided perception that Raleigh begins and ends somehow with the geographical boundaries of the Livable Streets initiative.

How about a nifty concept called a "Livable City."

Also the geographical entrance/"gateway" to Raleigh is not where Peace Street intersects Capital Boulevard. It's several miles further north up Capital Boulevard.

Of course, when you live across the street from where the project is planned and your property values might substantially benefit, it certainly suggests an economic interest in the project. Baldwin should refrain from any future votes concerning the project.

There's a lot more to Raleigh than just downtown.

So what about North Raleigh, road repairs, and oh ..... PUBLIC SAFETY?

Let me them eat cake?

What's embarrassing is that several nights ago, just a stone's throw from Raleigh's latest multi-million dollar public venture you support, we had yet another purported "gang-related" fight break out.

Yet we have no bold pronouncements of concern, no statement of ramping up the investment in public safety dollars for Raleigh. Instead Raleigh's finest had to show up in force to plead with Raleigh's City Council for more funding to stop the ongoing departure of officers to other venues.

No, we have Raleigh dumping a mint into The Mint so downtown intellectuals can discuss how great Raleigh is away from the unwashed and crime ridden areas of downtown Raleigh.

Nothing like the level of crazed enthusiasm for spending millions on a riverwalk by you and Mitchell Silver:

"Our goal is to really establish Raleigh as an emerging, 21st-century city. We want those special landmarks, those special icons that define this city," Raleigh Planning Director Mitchell Silver said.

Mitchell, I can tell you what is defining Raleigh. It made the Drudge Report.

I just love this special landmark on Capital Boulevard just down the street. It's quite "special."

Maybe in the future the gangs will adjourn to the riverwalk to fight and fire guns instead of at the Sprint Store on Capital Boulevard.

It's all a question of priorities and what makes Raleigh great.

PS Mary-Ann/Raleigh City Council: You can't brag about Bragg Street. Where's the enthusiasm for curing the crime problems down there? It's downtown. I bet the good folks down there would love to have a "livable street" as well.

IT'S NOT LIKE THEY TORE DOWN THE SHIMMER WALL OR PUT GRAFFITI ON THE SIDE OF THE MINT RESTAURANT

So should we care? It only made the national news and has been on Drudge all day.

Related Story

Tell me once again about the hundreds of millions spent within a few blocks in downtown Raleigh and priorities........