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Community Corner

Education Ultimatum + Lights Out Downtown + Digging for Answers

Welcome to the Raleigh Daily! This is your five-minute guide to everything going on in the community.

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Christina Fullford, Neighbor
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(Patch Media)

Happy National Live Creative Day,

Today definitely has more news to note than yesterday. From an exciting expedition, to an initiative to save birds, there is no shortage of things to know today. Catch up on all the notable news, events, and more below.

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Today's weather, 9/14: Clear throughout the day. High: 91 Low: 72.

Here are the top stories in Raleigh today:

  1. Archaeologists in North Carolina are preparing to hunt for more insight on Sir Walter Raleigh's "lost Colony" that went missing more than 400 years ago. The First Colony Foundation has partnered with the National Park Service to dig at Fort Raleigh National Historic Site. Visitors will be welcomed to the site starting on Wednesday to observe the dig, and rangers will be available from 1:45 pm-2:45 pm daily until September 24 to talk with visitors. (Costalreview, WITN)
  2. UNC Rex Hospital is setting up 'surge tents' outside of the Emergency Department to expand its emergency waiting areas and treatment areas. The hospital has seen a surge in COVID-19 patients. On Monday it had 45 COVID-19 patients, with 20 of those in intensive care. (WRAL) The hospital has also suspended non-emergency surgeries and procedures to avoid using staff and space that may be otherwise needed. (CBS17)
  3. North Carolina Superior Court Judge David Lee is intervening in education funding, calling for a mid-October deadline for state funding to avoid him using the court to take action. (FOX8) The US Department of Education has also approved the NC Department of Public Instruction's plan to use the last federal stimulus package for COVID-19 related school improvement. The Department of Public Instruction and the State Board of Education still need to set parameters for fund allocations, and there is no official timeline for when schools can begin to receive money. (WRAL)
  4. If you are downtown late at night, be extra cautious as lights will be turned off to help bird migration. From now through the end of November, non-essential lighting will be shut off from 11:00 pm-6:00 am. While migrating, birds are drawn downward by buildings with bright lights, and sometimes fatally collide into windows. Raleigh is the first major city in the state to commit to the "Lights Out" initiative. (WUNC)
  5. The Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina has expanded it's community garden. the expansion provides more fresh healthy food options to the community, while teaching people how to grow and harvest their own food. The community garden coordinator, Loudes Vinueza is responsible for the community garden's transformation over the last year and takes special care of each crop. The food bank's partners have gotten more than 6,000 pounds of organic fruits and vegetable thanks to Vinueza and volunteers, and they are still searching for more volunteers to help expand the harvest. (CBS17)

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Today in Raleigh:

Raleigh Patch Notebook

  • I choose to feature National Live Creative Day today because North Hills unveiled a new mural and I felt that was really fitting to the day.
  • If your bookshelves are getting a little crowded, Wake County Public Libraries are accepting new or gently used children's books to benefit WAKE Up and Read. (WRAL)
  • A Day of Remembrance was held in Raleigh for the more than 15,000 lives lost to COVID-19 in North Carolina. (CBS17)
  • Student organized "Vigil for Afghanistan" saw a turn out of more than 70 students and community members. (Technician)

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Alright neighbors, that's all for today. I don't know about you, but I am really excited about all of the things happening in our city. I feel like I've had the opportunity to highlight so many positive things in the community lately, and I really hope that trend continues. We live in such a vibrant, exciting city and I can't wait to see what happens next.

— CJ Fullford

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