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Community Corner

🌱 RPD Yet To File for Body Camera Footage + Sir Walter Walley Retires

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Christina Fullford, Neighbor
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(Patch Media)

Happy Black History Month Raleigh!

There's so much history in Raleigh and such a rich beautiful community to celebrate. I hope that this month you take some time to actually enjoy Raleigh's history and progress. I'm certain this month will have no shortage of news and events to stay on top of, but before that all unfolds, make sure you're caught up on the last of January's need-to-know info, including:

  • NC's annual Eggs & Issues breakfast
  • The 2023 Southern Farm Show
  • "We Built This" exhibit comes to Raleigh

But first, today's weather:

Cooler; an a.m. shower or two. High: 45 Low: 38.

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Here are the top five stories in Raleigh today:

  1. Protests have taken place in the wake of Darryl Williams' death in police custody, along with the death of Tyre Nichols in Memphis. Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson has responded to all activity, emphasizing that transparency is the department's top priority. In her responses, she has said multiple times that they are petitioning to release body camera footage, however as of Monday afternoon RPD has yet to file a petition to get the footage released. It has been nearly two weeks since the incident, six officers are still on administrative duty, and the delay in filing will add to the lengthy process. Body camera footage is not considered public record in North Carolina, but some lawmakers are looking to change the process to give citizens and media access to footage without roadblocks. (CBS17)
  2. After more than 20 years of weather predictions, Sir Walter Walley will not be predicting the weather tomorrow as he takes his retirement. The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences announced Sir Walter Wally's retirement on Monday. He began his forecasting in 2001, and has predicted the season with a 43% accuracy rate. The museum said that there will not be a Groundhog Day Shadow Ceremony or live groundhog this year, but visitors can still learn about animals in winter and partake in groundhog-related crafts and games tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.. (abc11, CBS17, WRAL)
  3. North Carolina's annual Eggs & Issues breakfast was held on Tuesday morning, where educators and advocates discussed their top five education issues for 2023. The top five issues include fair and competitive pay and benefits for educators, addressing mental health and school safety crises, diversity incoming teacher pipelines, "prepare students for the world they live in," and implementing the remedial plan in the Leandro lawsuit. Many of the speakers acknowledged that the solutions they offer differ from what the North Carolina General Assembly may offer this spring. (WRAL)
  4. Police have arrested a man from Youngsville in the January 20 shooting that took place at a McDonald's restaurant in Raleigh. On Monday, Mandrell Antionio Johnson was arrested and charged with one count of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, and four counts of discharging a weapon into an occupied property. Johnson is being held at the Wake County Detention Center under a $400,000 secured bond. The Raleigh Police Department also released 911 calls from that night on Monday. (CBS17, WBTW)
  5. On Wednesday, Raleigh Durham International Airport installed a new system to help speed up security checks. Raleigh is now the 50th city that CLEAR biometric security lanes have been installed in. The terminals scan passengers eyes or fingers to verify identity, instead of requiring a driver's license. Passengers are then taken to a physical security checkpoint. For a monthly premium membership, travelers can utilize expedited identity verification lanes. CLEAR estimates that the service will bring around 44 jobs to Raleigh and generate $2.6 million for the local economy annually. (FOX8)

Today in Raleigh:

Thursday in Raleigh:

From my notebook:

  • It's Black History Month and there are events to attend and places to go to celebrate throughout the whole month. (City of Raleigh, NC Museum of History, Visit Raleigh, WRAL)
  • The "We Built This" exhibit has been travelling, and is currently on display at the historic Oaks View County Park in east Raleigh. (abc11)
  • A local crossing guard, Teressa Gill, received the "Community Hero" award from the Raleigh-Apex chapter of the NAACP. (CBS17)
  • If you're planning ahead for the month, here are 50+ events to enjoy in Raleigh this month, courtesy of WRAL.

That's it for today. I'll catch up with you bright and early tomorrow 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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