2011 RPR Year-End Timeline

Timeline created by SFer916

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Event Date:	Event Title:	Event Description:
01/04/2011	Park Rates Increase	See full story here In one of its first acts of the New Year, city councilors approved new rates for city parks, with increases in tennis court rentals, Pullen Arts Center studio fees and rental and reservation fees at Walnut Creek Softball Complex and the Buffaloe Road Athletic Park.
01/04/2011	Council moves forward on Operations Facility at Hazardous Waste Site	Full story here The city council votes to move forward on developing a new Downtown Remote Operations Facility on a hazardous waste site after depleting a $300,000 escrow account set aside for environmental cleanup.
01/12/2011	Author Scott Huler named Piedmont Laureate	Read our interview with Huler here Author and former RPR board member Scott Huler is named the 2011 Piedmont Laureate.
01/25/2011	Wake County School Board agrees to cooperate with accrediation investigation	Read full story here Wake County School Board members vote to cooperate with AdvancED's, Wake’s high school accrediting authority, investigation of the board's decision to do away with its income-based diversity policy.
01/31/2011	Anthony Tata becomes Wake County School Superintendant	Read our interview with him here
02/01/2011	City Council bans smoking in parks	Read full story here The City Council votes 6-2 in favor of banning smoking in parks. The ban excludes Nash and Moore squares, located downtown.
02/01/2011	Wake County court staff faces possible layoffs	Read full story here Wake County court staff faces possible layouts, receives memo offering people within five years of retirement buyout packages.
02/09/2011	Raleigh conducts first street tree inventory	Read full story here Raleigh conducts its first street tree inventory--a complete survey of all trees and planting sites within the city right-of-way or on city-owned land such as parks. This will help identify tree needs, priorities in pruning or removal and document urban forest benefits.
02/21/2011	County approves trail plans on condition that the trail isn't subject to Raleigh park rules	Read full story here The Wake County Board of Commissioners moves forward with plans to construct Lower Neuse Greenway Trail, so long as county portions are not subject to Raleigh park rules -- namely the city's smoking ban.
03/14/2011	Mayor Meeker Paints a Bright Future in State of the City Address	Read full story here Mayor Charles Meeker focuses on sustainablity initiatives, favors the transportation bond, discusses failing downtown condo sales and thanks public for its involvement with NHL All-Star Game in his State of the City address.
03/22/2011	Raleigh Wide Open is Cancelled Due to Budget Concerns	Read full story here City Manager Russell Allen cancels this year's Raleigh Wide Open festival due to budget concerns, saying it will save the city $150,000-180,000 for the year.
03/30/2011	School Board releases third response to Department of Education Investigation	Read full story here The Wake County School Board releases its third response on the U.S. Department of Education's investigation--defending itself against racial discrimination charges.
04/05/2011	School Board Approves Assistant Principal "Demotion"	Read full story here The Wake County School Board moves assistant principals to 10-month contracts as part of a budget savings plan.
04/06/2011	First draft of Unified Development Ordinance set for release	Learn more about the UDO in the Record's interview with City Planning Manager Christine Darges
04/16/2011	Tornado hits Raleigh	View photos and videos of the aftermath here Read full story on the aftermath here A tornado hits just south of downtown Raleigh. Three children died and two dozen people were injured as a result.
04/16/2011	Wake County Democratic Party Annual Convention is held	Read full story here The Wake County Democratic Party holds its annual convention. This year's focus was on schools.
04/26/2011	Mayor Meeker announces that he won't seek re-election in October	Read full story here Mayor Charles Meeker announces that he will not seek a re-election bid in the fall, leaving an open race in October.
04/27/2011	Councilor McFarlane announces Mayoral bid	Read full story here One day after longtime Mayor Charles Meeker announced that he would not seek re-election, Councilor Nancy McFarlane announces her plans for a mayoral bid.
05/03/2011	School Board Approves Budget	Read full story here The Wake County School Board narrowly approves Superintendant Anthony Tata's proposed $1.2 billion budget--including a $313.5 million lump sum appropriation request to the county, so it may allocate the money as it chooses.
05/17/2011	City Taxi Drivers Threaten Strike, Seek Commission	Read full story here The North Carolina Taxi Workers Alliance threatens a strike if the city does not correct issues forcing drivers to work for less than minimum wage. The group also called for the creation of a commission to advise the council on issues that affect the industry.
05/17/2011	School Board Approves Redistricting Plan	Read full story here The Wake County School Board approves new redistricting plan, which is required after each census.
05/17/2011	School Board Cuts 174 Clerical Jobs	Read full story here The Wake County School Board cuts 155 school-based clerical and 19 central services clerical positions as part of Superintendent Anthony Tata's budget proposal, set to save the district more than $5 million.
05/23/2011	Superintendent Tata Unveils New Student Assignment Plans	Read full story here Superintendent Anthony Tata unveils nine student assignment plans, with the Blue and Green plans as frontrunners.
05/23/2011	City Committee Approves Tornado Relief Funds	Read full story here The City Council's Budget and Economic Development Committee approved a measure to provide $400,000 to low-and moderate-income residents who have used all other financial means to repair tornado-damaged homes and bring them up to code.
06/07/2011	City Council Creates Tornado Victim Loan Program	Read full story here The city council set aside $400,000 to loan money to homeowners who do not have insurance and cannot find other assistance to repair homes damaged by April 16 storm.
06/14/2011	County Adds Money to Elections Budget	Read full story here The Wake County Board of Commissioners restored $83,000 to the county's Board of Elections budget after cuts in the county manager's proposed budget. Board of Elections Secretary Aida Havel argued for the $325,188 needed to fund 12 precincts, stating that they are required by statute to make such decisions.
06/20/2011	Wake County Passes Budget	Read full story here The Wake County Board of Commissioners passes the $952.1 million budget, a week after restoring $600,000 in cuts to community programs, the Board of Elections and a position for the county’s Cooperative Extension program.
06/20/2011	Board of Elections Has “Statutory Responsibility” to Split Precincts	Read full story here The Wake County Board of Elections considers getting a lawyer to obtain funds from the County Commission for 12 additional, needed precincts.
06/21/2011	Tedesco Elected School Board Vice-Chair after 56 Rounds	Read full story here Conservative school board member John Tedesco is voted to Vice-Chair after 56 rounds of voting.
06/21/2011	City Postpones UDO Public Hearing	Read full story here The city council agrees to postpone the public hearing on the Unified Development Ordinance so the advisory group can work out concerns.
06/21/2011	City Council Adopts Budget	Read full story here The city council adopts a $660.8 million budget for the next fiscal year.
06/21/2011	City Council Creates Creative District	Read about the Creative District here The city council approves an economic development and rebranding initiative to attract businesses to the areas around N.C. State University.
06/27/2011	County Board of Elections Settles for Two Precincts	Read full story here The Wake County Board of Elections backs off on its fight to create 12 districts, and settles for the two funded by the County Commission.
07/05/2011	New County Commissioner Sworn In	Read full story here Erv Portman is sworn in as the newest County Commissioner, filling the District 4 seat left by Stan Norwalk, who resigned May 2.
07/12/2011	County Makes Cuts to Teacher Assistant Contracts	Read full story here The Wake County Board of Education votes to shifts teacher assistants from 10-month to 9.25-month contracts, resulting in about a 7.5 percent salary reduction.
07/12/2011	Planning Commission Approves Food Trucks Code Change	Read full story here The Planning Commission approved a code change that would allow food trucks to park on private property.
07/12/2011	School Board Makes New Discipline Policies	Read full story here The Wake County Board of Education passes a massive overhaul of the district's code of student conduct, preventing long-term suspensions for relatively minor infractions.
07/25/2011	Filing Begins for Raleigh and Wake County School Board Election Candidates	Read full story here The filing period began for Raleigh city council, mayor and Wake County School Board.
08/02/2011	Raleigh Chooses Downtown Light Rail Route	Read full story here The city council chooses a downtown light rail route, which will run down West Morgan Street and Harrington Street and join at the CSX line to run west through the N.C. State University campus.
08/11/2011	City Council Candidate Arrested	Read full story hereDistrict C Candidate Lent Carr III is arrested by federal marshalls for violating parole.
08/16/2011	Wake Republicans Endorse Redmond for Mayor	Read full story here The Wake County Republican Party makes its endorsements for the October election, including Billie Redmond for mayor.
08/18/2011	District C Candidate Removed From Ballot, Faces Possible Charges	Read full story here District C Candidate Lent Carr III is taken off the ballot by the Wake County Board of Elections since he was still on probation when he filed to run. The case was sent to the District Attorney since he claimed that he was an eligible voter when he was not.
08/23/2011	Earthquake in Virginia felt in Raleigh	Read full story here A 5.8 magnitude earthquake hits central Virginia, with aftershocks that are felt in Raleigh.
08/29/2011	Hurricane Irene Blows Through Raleigh	View our photo here Hurricane Irene hits Raleigh, leaving little damage.
08/30/2011	Wake Democrats Endorse McFarlane for Mayor	Read full story here The Wake County Democratic Party made its endorsements for the October election this week, including its pick for Nancy McFarlane for mayor.
08/31/2011	Bell Tower Merchants: No Notice on NCSU Hotel	Read full story here N.C. State awards a contract to build a luxury hotel between Enterprise Street and Maiden Lane. Although business owners knew about the plans, they weren't given advanced notice before the news went public.
09/06/2011	Food Trucks Allowed in Raleigh, With Conditions	Read full story here After a year of debate, the city council votes to allow food trucks to operate in Raleigh, but the approval comes with some conditions.
09/10/2011	Protest Held Over new William Peace University	Read full story here A large protest is held over the announcment that the university will now become co-educational. Protestors say its not men's admittance they dislike, but changes they say will destroy the college’s educational reputation.
09/13/2011	Hundreds Protest State Gay Marriage Amendment	View our photo gallery here Hundreds of protestors rallied after the state legislature approved an amendment to the North Carolina Constitution banning same-sex marriage.
09/15/2011	President Obama Visits N.C. State	View our photo gallery here President Barack Obama visits N.C. State, talks about jobs to a packed house at Reynolds Coliseum.
09/16/2011	Three Years on the Record	Read our piece on the three-year anniversary here The Raleigh Public Record celebrates its three-anniversary.
09/20/2011	Red Light Camera Program Halted	Read full story here The city council fails to pass the vote to extend the city's Red Light Camera Program, which captures drivers who run red lights on camera and sending a ticket by mail.
09/20/2011	St. Aug's to Get New Stadium	Read full story here The city council unanimously approves a special-use permit for Saint Augustine's College to build a 2,500-seat stadium on their campus.
10/04/2011	Red Light Camera Program Restored	Read full story here After Councilor Eugene Weeks brings the issue back to the table, the city council re-votes to approves the city's Red Light Camera program.
10/11/2011	School Board Race Turns Into Runoff	Read our live blogging of the election here In the race for Wake County Board of Education, the District 3 race turns into a run-off for Kevin Hill and Heather Losurdo. Keith Sutton wins for District 4, Jim Martin for District 5, Christine Kushner for District 6 and Susan Evans for District 8.
10/11/2011	Raleigh Gets New Mayor	Check out our live blogging of the election here City Councilor Nancy McFarlane takes the helm as the next mayor, with Mary-Ann Baldwin and Russ Stephenson taking the two at-large seats, new councilor Randy Stagner for District A, incumbent Eugene Weeks for District C, and John Odom, Thomas Crowder and Bonner Gaylord returning to the Districts B, D and E seats, respectively. In the school board r
10/11/2011	The Bonds Have It	Read our live blogging of the election here Both the Housing and Transportation bonds are approved by voters.
10/15/2011	Nineteen Arrested Following Occupy Rally	Read full story here While the Occupy Wall Street movement picks up in New York City, Occupy Raleigh holds its first major rally at the Capitol. Nineteen protestors are arrested for remaining on Capitol grounds.
10/22/2011	St. Aug's Football Field Opens	Check out our photo gallery of the new stadium St. Augustine's College debuts its new football field, with the first game held on campus in 144 years. The University of San Diego Toreros played Campbell University.
10/25/2011	Planning Commission Reduces Membership, Still Violates State Law	Read full story here The Planning Commission agrees to reduce its membership from 12 to 11, but state law requires a reduction to nine.
11/01/2011	Council Further Reduces Planning Commission Membership	Read full story here The city council unanimously approves a Planning Commission membership reduction from 12 members to 10, but this reduction is still in violation of state law.
11/01/2011	Iconic Acorn to Get Repairs	Read full story here The city council agrees to pay the $3,400 bill to repair the acorn, used in the city's yearly First Night celebration. The monument was damaged in April's tornado.
11/07/2011	County Loses Administrative Control of Mental Health Services	Read full story here County Commissioners voted to merge their mental health services with the Durham Center. The county applied for a waiver in order to comply with a new state law, which requires all counties to drastically overhaul how they pay for mental health with Medicaid or face a outside takeover. The state rejected their application.
11/08/2011	Democrats Gain Control of the School Board	Read full story here Kevin Hill defeats Heather Losurdo in November's runoff race for District 3 of the School Board, giving Democrats control of the Board.
11/15/2011	Occupy Raleigh's Park Permit Request Denied	Read story on Occupy Raleigh's new camp here Read full story here The city council denies Occupy Raleigh's request to set up camp in the park across from the municipal building, following denial from the Law and Public Safety Committee a week earlier. The committee encouraged them to seek private property, which they have since found at the corner of West and Edenton streets.
12/05/2011	New Mayor, City Council Sworn In	See photos and story here New Mayor Nancy McFarlane, as well as the newest city council lineup, in sworn into office.
12/05/2011	County Commissioners Re-elected	See full story here Commissioner Paul Coble is re-elected as chair of the Board of County Commissioners, as well as Phil Matthews as vice-chair.
12/06/2011	City Approves Concealed Weapons Law, With Hesitation	Read full story here The new city council approved a new gun law, making it legal to carry a concealed weapon in the city, in order to come into compliance with state law, with some city-owned parks being exempt. It was met with hesitation by some city councilors.
12/06/2011	City Council Opposes Gay Marriage Amendment	Read full story here The city council voted in favor of a public proclamation voicing its opposition against a state amendment that would make marriage between a man and a woman the only legal domestic union in North Carolina. Councilors Bonner Gaylord and John Odom opposed the measure.
12/06/2011	New Democratic School Board Takes Power	Read full story here New School Board members Jim Martin, Christine Kushner and Susan Evans, as well as returning members Kevin Hill and Keith Sutton, were sworn in.
Timespan Dates:	Timespan Title:	Timespan Description:
01/01/2011 to 12/31/2011	2011