Santa Claus Comin' to Town + Zoning Laws + DinoLab Breaks Ground

Happy Teddy Bear Day,

Today I have a huge round up of news for you. The headliners include a welcomed return, a spirited debate, and an exciting new addition. I also highlighted some things you may have wondered about, events, and ton of interesting tidbits in the notebook. Check it all out below.

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Today's weather, 9/9: Rain in the morning and afternoon. High: 79 Low: 63.

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Here are the top stories in Raleigh today:

1. The annual Christmas Parade in Raleigh will be returning for its 77th year after going virtual in 2020. The Christmas Parade will begin around 9:30 am in downtown Raleigh on November 20th. The event is put on by Shop Local Raleigh and hosted by abc11 anchors and reporters. The organization is excited to hold the event in person and the community is missing the engagement. The mile-long parade will run until noon and will be televised. (The Herald Sun)
2. Jessica Peacock is working to change Raleigh zoning laws in order to allow community markets in residential areas. Peacock aims to reopen her family store in Raleigh's Walnut Terrace neighborhood. She advocates that southeast Raleigh is in a food desert, and is in need of nutritious food nearby. City Councilor Jonathan Melton is leading the effort to bring healthy, fresh foods into neighborhoods, however other city council members fear rising crime rates with late night markets. The changes to zoning laws should be approved by next spring. (WRAL)
3. In a Tuesday meeting, the Wake County school board discussed the district's COVID-19 protocols. Last week the district made it mandatory for students in athletics, marching band, and other student organizations to mask up. Now the board is considering making all students mask up outdoors, including at recess. The school board also talked about possible expansion to the Virtual Academy, but with staffing challenges it is just not feasible. The meeting sparked passionate speeches from parents, but no decisions were made. (abc11) Right now, school athletics are to blame for 45% of middle and high school clusters. (CBS17)
4. The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences has broken ground on its new DinoLab. The DinoLab will be home to the Dueling Dinos exhibit and will feature 67 million-year-old, life size fossils of a young T. Rex and a Triceratops. The exhibit features the first ever fully recovered T. Rex in history and both fossils contain skin impressions from the dinosaurs. The exhibit is set to open in 2023 and hopes to inspire the next generation of paleontologists as visitors will have the opportunity to interact with paleontologists who will be studying the specimens. (WRAL)
5. Three notable incidents occurred that caused some commotion in our area, without many details released. If you live near the Regency Place Apartments, you probably saw a large police presence as authorities were involved in an 8-hour stand-off in an attempt to serve multiple warrants to one individual. (WRAL) In an apartment complex near Brier Creek Memorial Gardens, police responded to a shooting that happened around 10:00 pm Tuesday night. (CBS17) The last notable incident happened in Garner at Mechanical Boulevard and Hammond Road. A Raleigh resident was killed by a motorist while riding his hybrid scooter. (abc11)

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Today in Raleigh:

• Day 1 Hopscotch Music Festival at Moore Square and City Plaza (3:45 pm-9:30 pm) and Hopscotch Day Parties at Transfer Co. Food Hall (1:00 pm-5:00 pm)
• NCSU LIVE Season Launch Party with The Hamiltones. Open to the public. (5:30 pm)
• Tai Chi in the Park at Dorthea Dix Park (6:00 pm-7:00 pm)
• Sweat and Sangria: Beginners Yoga in Smoky Hollow (6:30 pm-8:00 pm)
• Movies in the Garden: Dreamgirls at RLT's Stephenson Amphitheatre (7:30 pm)

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Raleigh Patch Notebook

• This Teddy Bear Day, check out Teddy Bear Mobile. It brings the create your own stuffed animal experience to you.
• Restaurants in Raleigh are excited about the extension of outdoor dining. (abc11)
• One US Army recruiter in Raleigh talks about recruiting through E-Sports (Spectrum News 1)
• The World of Bluegrass Festival has announced it's 2021 lineup (WOB2021)
• State lawmakers have passed legislation that will bring many changes to the sale and consumption of alcohol in NC. (WRAL)

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Well hot dog, that was a lot of information! (My son is currently obsessed with Mickey Mouse... Hence the hot dog.) Today I heard someone say, "in the race between the tortoise and the hare, we should experiment with being the tortoise." I really loved that message, because in such a rapidly changing world, it's so nice to be able to slow down and reflect. So much happens day to day and often times it feels like we're just trying to rush through and get to the next thing, but let us enjoy being the tortoise sometimes.

— CJ Fullford

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