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Community Corner

🌱 Historic Hotel Demolition + Conviction Overturned on Jury Pick

The quickest way to get caught up on the most important things happening today in Raleigh.

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Christina Fullford, Neighbor
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(Patch Media)

Hey, neighbors! Christina Fullford here with your brand-new copy of the Raleigh Daily.

First, today's weather:

Cloudy, a little rain; cooler. High: 46 Low: 30.

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Here are the top five stories in Raleigh today:

  1. The iconic circular Holiday Inn in downtown Raleigh is scheduled to be torn down and replaced with a new skyscraper. New York-based Tidal Real Estate Partners plans to redevelop the site into a 20-story mixed-use luxury tower that will include hotel rooms, hundreds of apartment units, retail and restaurant space. (abc11)
  2. The conviction of a man accused of robbing a Wake County sweepstakes parlor in 2014 has been overturned due to racial bias in jury picking. The North Carolina Supreme Court decision came on Friday and is the first time in state history that a criminal conviction was invalidated because of a prosecutor's unlawful exclusion of a Black juror. The conviction of Christopher Anthony Clegg has been vacated, but the Wake County district attorney will decide the future of charges for the incident. (WRAL)
  3. 18-year-old Daniel Elijah Bayley was arrested and charged with kidnapping, and sexual assault on NC State's campus. Bayley met the 17-year-old victim online, and assaulted the teen in Lee Residence Hall on Thursday night. A Wolf Alert was sent to students and revealed that the male victim was not a student at NC State University. (WRAL)
  4. State lawmakers believe that this time next year, residents of North Carolina will be able to legally place bets on sporting events. Governor Roy Cooper supports the move noting that the city will be able to benefit from tax revenue as many place bets regardless. Under the bill passed in the Senate, the state would impose an 8% tax of adjusted gross revenue and charge licensing fees to companies that want to facilitate betting. (CBS17)
  5. Wake County is the largest school district in the state with county population growing by 62 people per day, however the school system is continuing to feel the pandemic's effects of reduction in student population. Charter school enrollment in Wake County has grown by 8.9%, home schooling by 20.4%, and private schools by 1.5%. The county trend mirrors the statewide decline in public school enrollment dropping by 63,000 students in 2020-2021 with only a 12,571 rebound in 2021-2022. (Carolina Journal)

Today in Raleigh:

From my notebook:

  • It's Super Bowl Sunday and I could make a whole post of events happening. Thankfully, I don't have to because Triangle on the Cheap, WRAL, and Raleigh Magazine already did!
  • Make sure to tune into the Puppy Bowl to catch a glimpse of Raleigh's own Sunny, an adoptable cat at SAFE Haven for Cats Adoption Center. (CBS17)
  • Check out a sneak peek of "Finding Patience: The Musical," that centers around Black History in Holly Springs and is set to premier in June. (abc11)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Events:

  • Top 10 Divorce Mistakes and How to Avoid Them – Vesta's Charlotte, NC Hub (February 16)
  • Online auction of Containers, Shotblast, & EDM Machines (February 16)
  • Taxes in Retirement Webinar (February 16)
  • Taxes in Retirement Webinar (February 21)
  • Taxes in Retirement Webinar (February 22)
  • Prismatica Kaleidoscope Experience: A Color-Filled Exhibition Of Lights And Reflections (March 20)
  • Add your event

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Now you're in the loop and ready to start this Sunday off right. I'll see you soon!

— CJ Fullford

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