Wake County Schools Screws Spring Breakers
Today’s day off of school due to slight amounts of lingering snow will result in extremely disrupted vacation plans for many Wake County families. The day off will be made up on March 29, Day 3 of a 10-day Spring Break.
What is exceedingly ludicrous about the decision is the fact that the school system is still holding a Teacher Work Day on Monday, April 5. That day is “Easter Monday”, a North Carolina vestigial quirk held over from the days when NCSU/Wake Forest baseball actually meant something.
While the school board frets over ways to discredit a survey that plainly states the public’s discontent with [mandatory] year-round schools, they are forgetting to approach the school calendar logically. If they must ignore Good Friday and hold Easter Monday as a sacred holiday when planning the calendar, at least make Easter Monday a part of Spring Break week.
Has anyone looked at what the year-rounders in Tracks 1, 2, and 4 get? From April 26 thru May 14 those students will be in school for 17 of 19 days. Why are the two Saturday makeup days on consecutive weekends? Fatigue will be a big factor approaching the end of that stretch.
To expect traditional calendar students to return for Day 3 during a 10-day vacation is asking for mass absences and, therefore, drastically reduced productivity. The school board should make up today’s loss on either Saturday, March 27 or on Easter Monday, and allow families to proceed with their vacation plans. The teachers should do what all small business owners must do, find a way to get work done during a holiday or weekend.
Form-Based Coding Workshop Tonight
The City of Raleigh Department of City Planning and Code Studio will hold a lecture on form-based coding from 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. tonight, in the City Council Chamber (Avery C. Upchurch Government Complex, 222 W. Hargett Street).
In August, the City Council approved a contract with to assist the City in the preparation of a Unified Development Ordinance (UDO). The UDO seeks to implement, through code requirements and standards, the type of built environment as set forth in the recently adopted 2030 Comprehensive Plan. The goal of the UDO is to prepare development regulations that address contemporary development and zoning practices that are easily understood by administrators, the public, and the development community and support the goals and policies of the new comprehensive plan.
Lee Einsweiler of Code Studio will present how urban form can be integrated in the UDO and what tools may be used in Raleigh at the neighborhood and citywide level. Topics to be addressed include:
- What is a form-based code;
- What tools are available to achieve good urban form;
- What are some examples of us ing form-based code and tools in other cities; and,
- How might the code and tools be used in Raleigh?
Mr. Einsweiler is a planner with more than 25 years of experience in a variety of settings. As a principal at Code Studio, Mr. Einsweiler’s projects involve planning, zoning and plan implementation. Mr. Einsweiler is experienced in both conventional zoning and new code approaches. He has prepared pure form-based codes and successfully incorporated form-based elements into conventional codes.
Hot Summer Nights Announces 2010 Season, Auditions
Hot Summer Nights at the Kennedy Announces Their 2010 Season and Auditions. The 2010 Season will include:
- Barefoot in the Park (June 9-20)
- The Great American Trailer Park Musical (June 30-July 18)
- Death of a Maiden (July 28-Aug 8 )
- Tell Me on a Sunday (August 18-Sept 5)
Auditions are being held for the first three shows of the season. To be considered for any show, all those auditioning must be available for both production and rehearsals dates (which run two weeks prior to each show’s opening). No conflicts allowed.
Auditions are scheduled for Saturday, March 6th from 12PM-6PM at the Kennedy Theatre in the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts in Raleigh. Those interested in auditioning will be given a total of five minutes and should prepare either two contrasting monologues or a monologue and song. Accompanist will be provided. To schedule an appointment please call Tiffany at 919-770-5892 (between 1PM-7PM ONLY). For more information about Hot Summer Nights, visit
From the Vault: My North Hills Plan
In the summer of 2001 I was eating at Pulcinella’s in North Raleigh. As we left the restaurant, it dawned on me: what if this L-shaped shopping center were reoriented to two parallel strips, and the facade where broken up to look like Franklin Street (in Chapel Hill)? At that point many in Raleigh were worried that the dying North Hills would be replaced by a big box store, a few outparcels, and sea of asphalt. The idea of a village-like shopping center excited me, so I put some thoughts together on paper and dropped them in new North Hills owner John Kane’s mailbox.
Kane kindly responded that wheels were already in place for a very similar project, which was a huge relief to my family. The letter became the seed for the Raleighing.com project, but has not made an appearance on gogoraleigh. So, to celebrate gogo’s 2nd birthday, here is what started the whole blogging thing for me:
September 7, 2001
Dear Mr. Kane:
I am ecstatic that you are interested in redeveloping the North Hills Mall property. I grew up in the mall’s back yard and always felt that it could do more for our area. It is GOOD to have local ownership again!
I am troubled by the recent events with Neal Coker’s Oberlin project, and fear the same from some of the similarly short-sighted neighbors of mine in the North Hills subdivision. When I hear of residents intending to treat the 100-foot buffer like a forest preserve, I worry that logic is being trampled by an emotional fear of change. North Hills Mall is a dump, and it is time to put something there that makes Raleigh a better place to live.
Reorganized Tools Highlights Gogo’s 2nd Birthday
It was January 31, 2008 when gogoraleigh hit the internet. Since then it has grown to overtake Google and is poised to be more popular than Facebook. Well, not quite, but we’re still growing. To celebrate, I wanted to make some changes with the interface. Most obvious was the disarray in the sidebars. I’ve finally put the custodial sections together on the left. However external internet tools to help your life in Raleigh are now more comprehensive, and reorganized in the right sidebar. Hopefully this realignment will not only help readers find what they need quicker, but also realize what tools are available.
Also, don’t forget the iPhone interface! When one visits gogoraleigh on the iPhone, the little arrow in the upper right accesses a pull-down menu where the “Mobile Tools” tab items are found. Quick links to things you want when you’re out from movie times to taxi companies are all listed.
Finally, be sure to follow on Twitter, and friend gogoraleigh on !
Hopefully this couple of years has been as enjoyable for readers as it has been for me. The past 12 months have been a bit slow in the area, but hopefully the economy will get through its second dip quickly and we can get back to building the next great city.
Norah Jones Coming to Durham
On August 8 makes her return to the area. This time she will be at the Durham Performing Arts Center. Tickets go on sale at 10am on February 12.
My Morning Jacket Coming to Cary
Booth Amphitheater will play host to on April 30. The touring group of Preservation Hall Jazz Band will open. are $35 and go on sale Friday at Noon.
Art Mann Attending Krispy Kreme Challenge
HDNet’s , the former host of “Wild On”, will be on hand for this year’s Krispy Kreme Challenge. No word yet about how Mann wants to portray the event.
New John Edwards Bumper Sticker
Tired of the rest of the nation associating us with the #1 butt of all late-night jokes? Let them know by tagging your car with this new bumper sticker that reads:
I’m from North Carolina and John Edwards is NOT my daddy.
The stickers are .
Rey’s Named to Top 50 Most Romantic
OpenTable has named to its list of . The restaurant features “fine dining with a French Quarter flair”, and offers some of the best table service in the area. Rey’s is open for dinner nightly, except for Sunday, and is located in the old Ruth’s Chris location on Buck Jones Road.
No other restaurants in North Carolina made the list, although The Melting Pot chain, with locations on Wake Forest Road and at Southpoint in Durham, was named to the list.
Recent Stories
- Van Halen Coming to Greensboro January 9, 2012
- Corrosion of Conformity Playing Lincoln January 9, 2012
- 2012: The Endangered List January 4, 2012
- Broughton Band Featured in Tournament of Roses Parade January 1, 2012
- 2011: Best of the Year December 31, 2011
- Get Bowled Over with Gogo’s Football Calendar December 26, 2011
- Pour House Going “1989” Friday Night December 15, 2011
- Tilted Kilt Coming to North Raleigh December 15, 2011
- Vesuvio’s Coming to Peachtree Market December 13, 2011
- Preview Ford Focus Electric on Saturday December 2, 2011
- Jolly’s Closing After 130 Years November 30, 2011
- Red Hot Chili Peppers Coming to RBC Center November 28, 2011
- No Mo – Canes Pull Trigger November 28, 2011
- Joel Lane Hosts “Colonial Christmas” November 28, 2011
- Worlds Toughest Rodeo Returning to RBC Center November 28, 2011