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Community Corner

Back to School Concerns + Felon Voting Rights + Waffle Day

The Raleigh Daily is the quickest way to get caught up on everything worth knowing around town today.

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Christina Fullford, Neighbor
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(Patch Media)

Happy National Waffle Day,

I'm sure you're probably thinking "gee, there's so much news about back to school," and you are 100% right! I tried to filter through the textbooks of school news and give you a mix of everything going on. I also struggled to not use 800 Parks and Rec quotes while writing about Waffle Day... I mean "yes, every diner claims their waffles are the best waffles in the world. But somewhere, in some town, there really are the best waffles." - Leslie Knope. So check all that out plus events and more below!

Today's weather, 8/24: Humid and partly cloudy throughout the day. High: 93 Low: 75.

Here are the top stories in Raleigh today:

  1. Wake County traditional students returned to in-person learning yesterday, with nearly 116,000 students. With students and staff feeling excited to be back in person, they're finding creative ways to be close and cautious, like elbow kisses and air high fives. (CBS17) On the first official school day, Wake County Public School System has reported nine COVID-19 clusters. Most of those clusters were reported in elementary schools. (CBS17)
  2. A panel of North Carolina judges has ruled to expand voting rights to ex-offenders. The panel will allow tens of thousands of residents who have been convicted of felonies but are not serving prison time to register and vote. The law states that felons can register after completing all aspects of their sentence including probation and parole. This verdict comes after civil rights groups and ex-offenders sued lawmakers and state officials in 2019 over 70's era restrictions. The order does have the potential to be appealed. (FOX8)
  3. For the next two weeks you may need to plan an alternate commute. If your daily routine passes through Wade Avenue, you will not be able to access the eastbound ramps on and off at Oberlin Road. The ramps will be closed at 7:00 am each morning in order to work on a water improvement project. (WRAL)
  4. With schools returning to in-person education, the CDC is recommending canceling indoor sports as well as any sports that cannot take place without a mask unless all participants are vaccinated. With North Carolina almost completely classified as high transmission, the North Carolina State High School Athletic Association has no plans to create a detailed adjusted guidelines document. Dr. David Wohl, an infectious disease specialist at UNC says that he doesn't think high contact sports should be played at this time, even if a vaccine requirement was in place. (CBS17)
  5. A Nextdoor user is sharing the gruesome story of an animal cruelty incident that is allegedly being investigated by Raleigh Police. According to the neighbor's posting, a man was caught on video killing a domestic cat. The incident is said to have occurred in the vicinity of Henslowe Drive off Lake Wheeler Road. The user urges anyone with young children or unattended animals that may find their way outside to be cautious of what is hoped to be an isolated incident. (Nextdoor)

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Today in Raleigh

Raleigh Patch Notebook

  • It's National Waffle Day and what better way to celebrate than kicking back at Benelux and enjoying a signature waffle.
  • The City of Raleigh is welcoming back members of the Raleigh Fire Department who spent time in Western North Carolina to aid in rescue efforts. (Twitter)
  • Downtown Raleigh Alliance has announced some of the leaders that will be speaking at the State of Downtown 2021 (Instagram)
  • The City of Raleigh is looking to fill various positions involving specialty trades and licensing. (CBS17)

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Events:

Alright neighbors, that's it for the news. In the wise words of Leslie Knope, "We need to remember what's important in life: friends, waffles, work. Or waffles, friends, work. Doesn't matter, but work is third." So enjoy what matters, and we'll get through the rest together.

— CJ Fullford

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Raleigh Daily? Want to see your local business featured? Email me at raleigh@patch.com and we'll talk!

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