This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

🌱 Wake Book Challenge System + City Council Meeting Changes

The quickest way to get caught up on the most important things happening today in Raleigh.

Christina Fullford's profile picture
Christina Fullford, Neighbor
|
(Patch Media)

Happy St. Patrick's Day Raleigh!

First, today's weather:

A little morning rain; cloudy. High: 67 Low: 49.

Attention, top law firms! We're now offering sponsorship opportunities for local firms interested in building lasting connections with clients in Raleigh. Click here to learn more.

Here are the top five stories in Raleigh today:

  1. On Tuesday night, a pedestrian collision took the life of a man on Six Forks Road. The accident occurred at 11:55 pm while a pedestrian was crossing the road and was struck by a white Toyota. The police department is investigating the incident but does not believe the driver who stayed at the scene was impaired. (CBS17)
  2. Earlier this month, the Wake County Public Library system unveiled its new policy for dealing with book challenges. The policy was presented to the Wake County Board of Commissioners, and included a provision stating the library has "the right to restrict the availability of materials... not protected by the First Amendment." The new policy cites the freedom to read and vows to protect patrons right to access controversial ideas. (INDY Week)
  3. A woman who State troopers say was "distracted by her cellphone" is facing charges after slamming into the back of a stopped pickup truck on Interstate 87. The woman failed to slow down and then hit a Chevrolet truck that was stopped in traffic. Neither suffered life-threatening injuries but both were taken to the hospital. The woman is facing charges of reckless driving and failure to reduce speed to avoid collision. (CBS17)
  4. The Raleigh city council met on Tuesday and discussed some major changes coming to Raleigh:
    1. The city discussed the possibility of creating a convention center hotel in downtown. Real estate company JLL created a plan in 2018 to build a large hotel across from the convention center, but the plans were abandoned at the start of the pandemic. The Destination Strategic Plan revealed that the Raleigh Convention Center lost 68 events between 2018 and 2020, with 45% of the groups blaming a hotel room shortage. The city council is pushing to move forward quickly with the project. (WRAL)
    2. Beginning in April, outdoor dining options will be available year round. The city council voted on Tuesday to permanently extend the ordinance that was set to expire on March 31. Restaurants welcome the passing, as they now have the ability to apply for street seating each year. Bill King, the president and CEO of Downtown Raleigh Alliance has been advocating along with downtown businesses to implement this change. (abc11)
    3. The Raleigh City Council also voted on Tuesday to drop the parking minimum requirements for new buildings. The goal is to encourage people to reduce the amount of driving they do and make the city more environmentally friendly. The parking minimums were required to accommodate people living, working, and traveling downtown, and the new amendment will also require long-term secured bike spaces for apartments. (CBS17)

From our sponsor:

Today's newsletter is brought to you by Ring, a Patch Brand Partner. We all know that Ring is the leader in video doorbells for home security. But did you know that Ring now makes a home security system that is getting raves from consumer electronic experts? (Reviewers at CNET called the new system — known as the Ring Alarm Pro — "a giant leap for home security"). So why the kudos?

In a nutshell: the Ring Alarm Pro can protect your home both online and off. It includes a built-in eero Wi-Fi 6 router to help you get reliable physical and digital security in one, innovative device. Now you can help protect your home with all of the benefits of the Ring Alarm, to keep your home safe and secure, while experiencing fast, reliable connectivity.

To learn more about the system CNET called "the future of home security" or to build your own custom system, you can visit Ring here.

Today in Raleigh:

From my notebook:

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Events:

  • Prismatica Kaleidoscope Experience: A Color-Filled Exhibition Of Lights And Reflections (March 20)
  • American Diabetes Association Diabetes Alert Day: Understand Your Risk (March 22)
  • Add your event

Loving the Raleigh Daily? Here are all the ways you can get more involved:

Now you're in the loop and ready to head out the door on this Thursday. See you all tomorrow for another update!

— CJ Fullford

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Raleigh