The Raleigh Tribune

Road project

At the January 19 meeting, the Raleigh City Council approved a design agreement with Kimley-Horn and Associates for the Mitchell Mill Road widening project. The construction project will widen the road to a multi-lane section with raised median, curb and gutter and sidewalks on both sides from Louisburg Road to east of Watkins Road. Also included in the project will be turn-lane improvements, water main installation for the entire length of the project and a culvert upgrade at the intersection of Mitchell Mill Road and Forestville Road. The project is a part of the 2005 Transportation Bond package.

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Popularity: 13%

Lake Johnson

At the January 19 Raleigh City Council meeting, the Council approved a contract with Faulconer Construction Company, Inc. for nearly $2.3 million for the Lake Johnson Dam Rehabilitation project.

In June of 2006, Tropical Storm Alberto dropped 7.2 inches of rain on the Lake Johnson watershed. The water level at Lake Johnson rose to within approximately one foot of the crest of the dam and caused extensive damage to the spillway.

The City completed emergency repairs within six weeks and completed a comprehensive engineering evaluation study of the dam and the spillway. The study indicated that the existing spillway had less than 20 percent of the capacity necessary to pass the Spillway Design Flood as required by North Carolina regulations.  It recommended a system of articulated concrete blocks (ACBs) to provide overtopping protection as the most cost-effective approach to bring the dam into compliance with State regulations.

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Popularity: 5%

Chris Matthews, host for MSNBs political talk show Hardball, has been criticized for a comment about Obama’s race when he made remarks after the presidents State of the Union address Wednesday night when he said:

” I forgot he was black tonight for an hour …”

Watch Matthew’s comments below:

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Popularity: 3%

Ron Paul’s opinion on government intervention.

Click on “more” to watch entire video.

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Popularity: 5%

Conan's last skit staring Will Ferrell

However anyone perceives the latest late night TV wars, I see it as a power struggle, Jay Leno vs. Conan O’Brien, and the better of the two lost his spot.

Also, the intro to Jimmy Fallon’s show paying his respects to Conan and more …

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Popularity: 26%

The Raleigh City Council voted unanimously to approve a special use permit and preliminary site plan for a City-owned outdoor amphitheater and festival site in Downtown Raleigh. Council members also awarded a construction bid for the venue.

The outdoor amphitheater and festival site will be constructed on City-owned land bounded by McDowell, Cabarrus, Dawson and Lenoir streets, just west of the Raleigh Convention Center. The amphitheater and festival site will have seating capacity for up to 5,000 people, and is projected to attract up to 225,000 visitors annually. The amphitheater and the festival site will be used to host concerts and musical festivals, cultural festivals, comedy shows and other special events. The venue is scheduled to open in late spring.

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Popularity: 14%

Fur, Feathers, and Scales
Join a nature instructor to discover the texture of wildlife.  Learn that snakes aren’t slimy and not all mammals are soft.  We’ll have live reptiles, furs and other items to touch and see.  This program is open to participants ages 3-5 and the fee is $3.  This program will be held at Brier Creek Community Center on Tuesday, January 19th from 9:45-10:30 a.m. and held at Optimist Community Center on Thursday, February 4th from 10:15-11 a.m.  Pre-registration is required four days in advance.

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Popularity: 20%

The lion’s share of the more than $1,216,446,892 the City of Raleigh has invested in capital projects since July 1, 2006, has been spent in improving Raleigh outside the Beltline.

Sixteen of the projects, representing more than $65 million, involved projects that extended across the transportation loop.  That left 256 other projects; 179 or nearly 70 percent of the projects were located outside the Beltline.

The 256 projects were either transportation, parks, stormwater, public utilities or general public improvements.  They represent an investment of $490,193,476. Raleigh communities located outside the Beltline received 87.80 percent ($381,348,643) of these funds.

The largest number of projects was the 126 in the public utilities category.  A whopping 84 percent (or 106) of the projects were located outside the Beltline.  Twenty-two percent of the public utilities projects’ price tag was absorbed by the inside the Beltline projects.

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Popularity: 5%

The 2010 U.S. Census will be conducted this spring.  The Census figures will be the basis on which $400 billion in federal funds annually are distributed for essentials such as hospitals, job training centers, schools, senior centers, transportation and public utility infrastructure and emergency services.

The data collected by the census also help determine the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives.

In March, census forms will be delivered to every residence in the United States. When you receive yours, just answer the 10 short questions and mail the form back in the postage-paid envelop provided. If you don’t return the form, you may receive a visit from a census taker who will ask you the questions from the form.  Any personal data that you provide is protected under federal law.

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Popularity: 22%

Can you sing?  Can you dance?  Do you have other talents?  Raleigh Parks and Recreation is holding an open call/audition for anyone who would like to showcase their talents at the July 4th Celebration at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds.    Auditions will be held February 6th at Greystone Village Community Center from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. and February 20th at Biltmore Hills Community Center from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.  Greystone Village Community Center is located at 7713 Lead Mine Road, Raleigh, NC 27615 and Biltmore Hills Community Center is located at 2615 Fitzgerald Drive, Raleigh, NC 27610.

For more information, please contact Kaylah Nance at 919-831-6895 or Kaylah.Nance@ci.raleigh.nc.us or Daniel Price at 919-831-6640 or Daniel.Price@ci.raleigh.nc.us.

Popularity: 15%

Lack of confidence in economic recovery led employers to lose up to 85,000 net jobs last month.

The drop in the workforce shows that more of the jobless are giving up. Once people stop looking for jobs then they’re no longer counted among the unemployed, according to the AP.

The participation in the labor force – the portion of adults either working or looking for work – fell in December to 64.6 percent, the lowest since August 1985.

But, speculators or on both sides of the aisle in Washington suggest things could get better or worse.

Some economist suggests that the stimulus is solely keeping the unemployment rate holding steady at 10 percent, and there has not been enough support for main street business, which employees nearly half or more of the American workforce.

Other economist remain optimistic that the Obama administrations stimulus program will work, but warn that the jobless rate could reach as high as 11 to 11.5 percent before waning, according to MSNBC.

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Popularity: 25%

Adult Beginning Spanish Class
Wouldn’t it be great talking to your Spanish-speaking friends, co-workers, and neighbors in their native language?  What about traveling through Latin America and Spain and being able to communicate with the locals?  If you’ve ever dreamed of learning Spanish, here is a perfect opportunity.  Our teachers help you learn basic Spanish in an interesting and interactive environment.  Classes are held at Method Road Community Center and Millbrook Exchange Community Center on Thursdays, January 28th through March 4th from 6:30-8:00 p.m.  The cost is $50 for participants.

Parent/Toddler Spanish

It is never too early for your toddler to learn a new language. Spanish speaking skills are taught in the same way that a child learns his/her first language-by watching and listening to Mommy or Daddy and interacting with daily objects. This class will teach basic colors, counting and numbers, shapes, songs and greetings. Come prepared to participate (as Mommy or Daddy learn Spanish, too), and become part of your child’s development into a second language.  Classes are held at Pullen Community Center on Saturdays, January 9th through 30th from 10:30-11:15 a.m.  Cost is $35 for participants.

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Popularity: 35%

Commerce Secretary Keith Crisco has announced that the N.C. Green Business Fund is seeking proposals to help small businesses statewide develop and commercialize promising green and alternative energy technologies, products and services.  The competitive grants, worth up to $500,000 each, are funded by the federal Recovery Act through the N.C. Energy Office.

“Gov. Bev Perdue has made fostering the development of innovative commercial technologies, products and services a priority to make North Carolina a national leader in the green economy,” Crisco said. “This fund helps our state’s entrepreneurs create the cutting-edge technologies we need to fuel our state’s future and meet that priority.”

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Popularity: 30%

The threat of sprawl is the title of a Sept. 10, 1998, News & Observer article. Apparently, some city of Raleigh officials were worried about urban sprawl and some weren’t. It’s obvious who won that fight?

The Sierra Club, established in North Carolina in 1970, advocates across the state for a clean and healthy state that is safe for both current and future citizens, according to their website.

The Sierra Club released a report on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 1998, and stated Raleigh was named one of the 20 most “sprawl threatened” cities in the country.

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Popularity: 26%