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Community Corner

🌱 Raleigh Homeless Population Doubles + New NCSU Lab to Fight Viruses

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Christina Fullford, Neighbor
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(Patch Media)

Happy National Support Public Education Day Raleigh!

First, today's weather:

Showers and a heavier t-storm. High: 89 Low: 73.

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Here are the top five stories today in Raleigh:

  1. The Point-in-Time Count attempts to determine the number of people without a home in a city or county on a given night. According to new data, the number of homeless people in Wake County has nearly doubled since 2020. The 2022 count showed a 68% increase over 2021, and a 99.5% increase over 2020. The financial and occupational insecurities caused by the COVID-19 pandemic triggered a rise in homelessness, creating what some are calling a "pandemic within a pandemic." (abc11)
  2. Activists calling for the arrest of Carolyn Bryant Donham held another rally in front of the General Assembly on Tuesday. The civil rights group True Healing Under God hosted Thursday's rally, as activists continue to pressure North Carolina and Mississippi to take action on the unserved arrest warrant. The rally took place as activists and family of Emmett Till in Mississippi spoke in front of the LeFlore County District Attorney's office. (CBS17)
  3. A new lab launched at N.C. State University on July 22 that is working to advance the fight against deadly viruses. The lab was created to manufacture new gene therapies and viral vectors to get necessary genetic material into cells. The program is part of a new partnership called the "NC-Viral Vector Initiative in Research and Learning." (WRAL)
  4. A patient at Duke Raleigh Hospital is accused of physically assaulting a staff member on Thursday morning. Stanley Scarboro was receiving care at the hospital when he assaulted the employee, leaving significant injuries. Security consultant Tim Shipman says that emergency room environments are more susceptible to violence due to emotions running high when people experience emergencies. Duke Health released a statement expressing their concern with escalating incidents of violence in health care nationwide. (WRAL)
  5. According to the city of Raleigh, some parts of the city are known as urban heat islands and can experience temperatures up to 20 degrees different from shadier areas. Heat islands are places where there is less shade or more hard, dark surfaces. As the Triangle continues to grow and hotter temperatures become more frequent, urban planners are tasked with planning for smart growth to keep residents protected from climate hazards. (abc11)
  6. A Cary parent is expressing her outrage, after her 6-year-old son was left behind on a field trip with his daycare. The KinderCare Learning Center on Kilymane Drive took students to Jack Smith Park, but departed while the boy was still in the bathroom. The daycare released a statement saying the incident is not reflective of KinderCare's values, and the teachers involved are "no longer KinderCare employees." (WRAL) Many Wake County parents are already on high alert as a former employee at Kids 'R' Kids in Wake Forest was terminated and is facing misdemeanor charges of child abuse for incidents at the daycare. (WRAL)

Today in Raleigh:

Sunday in Raleigh:

Bonus: 8 Things to do with kids (WRAL) & Weekend Best Bets (WRAL)

From my notebook:

  • It's National Support Public Education Day, and as I previously shared WakeEd Partnership has begun the Tools 4 Schools summer drive.
  • Check out all of what's to come in Raleigh's restaurant scene as we're about to get our first cidery and a mashup of soul food and Latin American cuisine opened. (WRAL)
  • If you're planning for August, WRAL has put together 40+ events to check out in the area.
  • The Town of Cary ranked third in a ranking of the safest places to live in the nation in a new report by HomeSnacks. (CBS17)

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Now you're in the loop and ready to start this Saturday. I'll see you back in your inbox tomorrow morning with a new update!

— CJ Fullford

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

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