🌱 Majority Downtown Office Space Leased + Traffic Crackdown Results

Happy International GM's Day Raleigh!

Are you going to nerd out today in honor of GM's Day? Personally, I like to see what I can get away with and give the GM a run for their money. Best that I don't try that in real life though. Thankfully you don't have to roll for intelligence to keep up with what is happening in Raleigh, you can just read it all here, including:

• Shaw alums petition against rezoning.
• Kids Fun Fest at Fortnight
• WRAL's Foodie News

But first, today's weather:

Breezy in the morning. High: 67 Low: 39.

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Here are the top five stories in Raleigh today:

1. Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman says that the new court computer system has put the county in a, "good news, bad news scenario." Freeman says that more staff have been added to courtrooms to get people in and out faster, as technology issues have caused delays. The new system is the largest upgrade to the Wake County court system in four decades. Freeman says that they are not oblivious to the problems that must be fixed, but it's too early to count it as a loss, and if it gets fixed it will all be worth it in the end. (CBS17)
2. The Downtown Raleigh Alliance is celebrating as more than 88% of downtown office space is leased. Since the pandemic, DRA has focused on getting back foot traffic that was lost when many businesses went to remote work. The DRA has put an emphasis on cleanliness, street lights and safety, as well as drawing businesses into occupied space to attract more people downtown. Although restaurants and other businesses say they have not seen a major increase in traffic, President and CEO of Downtown Raleigh Alliance Bill King says it starts at the ground level. (WRAL)
3. Raleigh police gave out more than 100 tickets for speeding during a traffic crackdown over the past week. Raleigh Police chief Estella Patterson has identified traffic problems as one of the cities priorities. Over the last seven days, the Traffic Enforcement Unit pulled over more than 224 vehicles, leading to 15o total chargers, including 101 speeding tickets. Patterson said that the department is working with the city DOT to conduct speed enforcements and implement traffic calming efforts. (CBS17)
4. Thousands of teen drivers are stuck in a backlog of driving training delays that have been caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Two years ago, Governor Cooper signed a law that reduced the time teens had to wait to get their license, but that law was allowed to expire and some teens were stuck in the backlog, without the 12 months required in the reversion. The state DMV commissioner says that the problem requires a legislative fix, and the General Assembly filed a bill that would continue the six-month wait time for teens still waiting for their license, and permanently reduce the wait time to nine months beginning in 2024. (abc11)
5. The Raleigh City Council is discussing the rezoning of Shaw University's rezoning requests, but alumni are still pushing back with concerns of preserving history. Eugene Myrick, one of the organizers of the Save Our Shaw movement says that the master plan could lead to erasure of history. One of the major proposals would place a public walkway and possibly a street though the heart of campus. Myrick and the Save Our Shaw petition has collected more than 1,000 signatures against rezoning. The Raleigh Historic Development Commission voted against the request, but the Planning Commission approved the plan. The Raleigh City Council will now have the final say. (Spectrum News 1)

Today in Raleigh:

• Premium Spades Social at Green Road Community Center Raleigh (12:00pm-3:00pm)
• NC Underground Toy Swap Free Toy Show at Crowemag Toys (12:00pm-4:00pm)
• 2nd Annual Kids Fun Fest at Fortnight Brewing (12:00pm-5:00pm)
• Heyday Brewing 2nd Anniversary (12:00pm) & Raleigh Brewing's 10th Anniversary (1:00pm-9:00pm)
• Karaoke at Scooter's Bar & Grill (7:00pm-11:00pm)
• Raleighwood Fest at Transfer Co. (7:00pm-11:30pm)
• Improv Comedy Show at Theatre Raleigh Studios (7:30pm)

Sunday in Raleigh:

• HeyDay Drag Brunch Anniversary at HeyDay Brewing (11:00am)
• Pop-Up Art at The Museum of Art (12:00pm-3:00pm)
• International Women's Day Network & Shop at Sheraton Downtown Raleigh (1:00pm-5:30pm)
• Open Mic Night at Compass Rose Brewery (3:00pm-6:00pm)
• Music Bingo at Edit Beer Co. (4:00pm) & Mac's Tavern (7:00pm-9:00pm)
• Sunday Night Swing Dancing at Raleigh Elks Lodge (6:00pm-10:30pm)
• Neptunes Comedy March (6:30pm-9:00pm)

From my notebook:

• It's International GM's Day, and I have to admit, before I married my husband, I didn't expect to enjoy Dungeons & Dragons. Now that I've given it a whirl and know it's some good fun, I love that Raleigh has places to go that can help get you started, like Game Theory and Side Quest.
• A Place at the Table has been awarded abc11's March Triangle NC Cares Award. (abc11)
• The longtime chef of Bida Manda and Brewery Bhavana, Lon Bounsanga, will be opening his own restaurant, SAAP, in Cary later this year. That & more Foodie News from WRAL.
• The NC Museum of Art is hosting their Arts in Bloom Fundraiser beginning on March 15 through 18. (The Robesonian)

You're officially in the loop for today! I'll catch up with you bright and early tomorrow with your next update.

— CJ Fullford

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Raleigh Patch newsletter? Contact me at raleigh@patch.com