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Community Corner

Plea for Pardon + Stolen Car Crashes + Mental Health Matters

Here's a five-minute guide to everything worth knowing today in Raleigh.

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Christina Fullford, Neighbor
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(Patch Media)

Happy National Swimming Pool Day,

I should probably say, I'm sorry. There is simply too much happening in Raleigh, and I had to give you a little extra. Extra news, extra events, and hopefully an extra special Sunday to follow. There's so much below I simply couldn't narrow it down, so check it out to plan your day.

Today's weather: Humid and partly cloudy throughout the day. High: 89 Low: 76.

Here are the top stories today in Raleigh:

  1. After passing a budget with marginal raises for state employees last month, Republicans in the State House are introducing a separate bill to increase state employee salaries even more. Lawmakers faced heavy criticism of the 3% raises over the next 2 years initially introduced and say that this is an attempt to "make sure that we provide reasonable pay increases for educators and other state employees while not creating a baseline problem as far as overall budget." - Phil Berger (R). Thus far there has not been any concrete numbers given for this plan, but the official proposal should come in early August. (WBTW News 13)
  2. Dontae Sharpe speaks out after his wrongful murder conviction. He is seeking a full pardon from Governor Roy Cooper to pave the way toward financial compensation and expungement of DNA samples and evidence. Sharpe was convicted in the 1994 murder of George Radcliff in spite of recanted testimony and an impossible scenario painted by the prosecution in his case. The Office of Clemency has received Sharpe's petition and it is under review. (abc11)
  3. Christopher Alex Small has been charged with one count of murder in relation to the shooting at a home on Jones Franklin Rd. in Raleigh on Friday night. Witnesses say that Small was arguing with the victim, Logan Carl Jones before the shooting. Small left after the shooting occurred, and eventually turned himself in. (WRAL)
  4. Correctional workers are speaking out about the staffing shortages and what that is doing to their work and safety. NC DPS has confirmed that there is 30% vacancy in functional correctional officers. Correctional workers are expected to maintain order with pepper spray, a baton, and a radio and are only paid around $33,000 annually. Many officers left corrections positions after short staffing led to an attack that ended in 4 prison employees being killed. (CBS17)
  5. NC State Researchers are investing their efforts into preventing widespread power outages. Joe DeCarolis and his fellow researchers are looking into incorporating solar into the mix of other energies that make up a cities power grid. After hundreds died from heat exposure in the Pacific Northwest and more than a hundred died in Texas' recent winter outage, DeCarolis believes that it is an urgent need for our nation.
  6. There were two major crashes that happened in Raleigh involving stolen vehicles. One juvenile driver in a stolen Hyundai crashed into a state trooper's cruiser during a high speed chase. (CBS17) Another person driving a stolen Honda Civic crashed into a Jeep, causing it to land on top of a white car parked in the McDonalds lot. (abc11)

Today in Raleigh

Raleigh Patch Notebook

  • For National Swimming Pool Day, check out Raleigh NC's Aquatics Page for a comprehensive list of pools and aquatic facilities near you.
  • Pullen Park hosted an event aimed to end the stigma around mental health in communities of color. The inaugural event of the My Mental Health Matters campaign took place yesterday. (abc11)
  • New information has been released that states 75 snakes were seized from the home of Christopher Michael Glifford, including numerous venomous ones. (WMBF News)

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Well everyone, I hope you get the opportunity to get out and do something. There's so much happening, and if events aren't your thing check out that list I shared to find some spots to beat the heat with Raleigh aquatics. I hope you guys have an awesome Sunday, and I cant wait to see what happens today that I can share with you.

— CJ Fullford

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Raleigh Daily? I'm all ears. You can reach me at raleigh@patch.com.

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