Citizen, Indy Week

[Updated x 2: Another 'Moral Monday' next week: AP] Progressives promising Monday protests while General Assembly's in session

Bob Geary — Thu, 09 May 2013 16:32:06 -0400

[Update x 2, Thursday, May 9: The AP is reporting that next Monday will be another "Moral Monday" at the General Assembly, with non-violent civil disobedience again in the offing.]

[Update, Tuesday, May 7: The NAACP called for a candlelight vigil and protest rally tonight outside the Legislative Building. Because of predicted bad weather, they've moved to Martin St. Baptist Church, 1001 E. Martin St., Raleigh.…

UNC-CH senior arrested at the General Assembly: "I cannot in good conscience stand idly by"

Bob Geary — Thu, 02 May 2013 11:06:00 -0400

Five UNC system students, members of the NC Student Power Union, were arrested at the General Assembly yesterday. They were part of a larger demonstration of about 100 students and others in the front of the General Assembly building, the purpose of which is explained in the statement released this morning by NCSPU.…

Rep. Deborah Ross to TTA, former Rep. Grier Martin on deck

Bob Geary — Wed, 01 May 2013 13:41:00 -0400

It's one good progressive out, another ready to step back in: State Rep. Deborah Ross, D-Wake, is leaving the General Assembly to be general counsel at Triangle Transit. Former Rep. Grier Martin, D-Wake, who was moved ("double-bunked") into the same Wake County district with Ross by the Republicans and stepped aside to let her stay in office, is willing to return — very willing, according to his Twitter account:

Former 4-term legislator Grier Martin will run for the House District 34 seat being vacated by Rep. Deborah Ross.... fb.me/KObFUbN7
— Grier Martin (@GrierMartin) May 1, 2013

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[Updated] Losing Jamie Hahn: Raleigh and the power of passionate people

Bob Geary — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 15:53:00 -0400

[Update, Friday, 11 a.m.: Visitation tonight at Pullen Baptist has been extended to accommodate an expected large turnout. The time is now 5-8 p.m.…

Raleigh cyclists, ho! BikeRaleigh's spring events 4 you

Bob Geary — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 15:36:00 -0400

Nice day to think about fun rides for cyclists — check the link below for a list.

Hey, nice job!…
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Breaking: Raleigh City Manager Allen out on 6-2 City Council vote

Bob Geary — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 10:07:09 -0400

The City Council just met in special session and voted to end the tenure of City Manager Russell Allen effective July 1. The vote was 6-2.…

Why are they converging on Raleigh ... and when?

Bob Geary — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 11:38:00 -0400

Answer: Climate Convergence on Raleigh is coming next weekend, April 20-21. It's a major coming-together of the growing network of people and groups working on climate change and related issues (e.g., fracking) in North Carolina.…

Conscience, Raleigh: Protesters highlight Gitmo prisoners still in hell though "cleared"

Bob Geary — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 14:54:49 -0400

Jule Shanklin, Peggy Misch and Christina Cowger (in the picture below, from right to left) were part of the anti-Gitmo protest contingent at the federal building on New Bern Avenue in Raleigh today. Did you know that 80-some prisoners at Guantanamo have been "cleared for release" — i.e., they've never been charged with anything, because there's no evidence they were ever more than in the wrong place at the wrong time in the "War on Terror" — yet they continue to be held more than a decade later.…

[Updated] Wake County voters are 2-to-1 for Dix Park plan, strongly oppose state reneging: Public Policy Polling

Bob Geary — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 09:36:00 -0400

[Update, 10:30 a.m. Dix Park supporters are gathering on the site this afternoon at 5. See below for more.]

Wow, if there was any question about whether the Wake County Board of Commissioners — the Republican-led board of commissioners — were representing their constituents or their political party by coming out against the Dix Park plan, it's answered in the poll released today by Public Policy Polling.…

Prognosis good: Raleigh Councilor Crowder being treated for testicular cancer

Bob Geary — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 16:01:45 -0400

Raleigh Mayor Nancy McFarlane began today's budget preview session with news about District D Councilor Thomas Crowder: He's been diagnosed with testicular cancer and will be enduring chemotherapy treatments over the next few weeks. His prognosis is good for a full recovery.…

A Good Friday note: Resurrection will "Save Our State" (plus two upcoming events in Raleigh)

Bob Geary — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 13:51:00 -0400

First up, there's a strategy meeting set for 6 p.m. next Tuesday, April 2 at Pullen Memorial Baptist Church in Raleigh — 1801 Hillsborough St. If you are among those outraged by what's going on in the General Assembly these days, and especially with the new voter-suppression legislation — this will be the NAACP and allied social justice groups and individuals coming together to make some plans.

Then, the following Tuesday, April 9, is a day for mass lobbying at the General Assembly.…

Fitzsimon: State Republicans aim to reduce voter turnout — because more voters bad for GOP

Bob Geary — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 12:32:00 -0400

The bill Chris Fitzsimon is talking about in the tweet below is House Bill 451, introduced yesterday by Rep. Edgar Starnes, a Republican from Hickory. (Democracy NC calls it the "Screw the Voter Act of 2013" — like!)…

Senate Republicans to Raleigh: Drop dead. (Contract? What contract?)

Bob Geary — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 14:26:00 -0400

As expected, Senate Republicans this morning started the wheels in motion to tear up the state's lease with the City of Raleigh for the Dorothea Dix tract because, the GOP legislators said, former Gov. Perdue shouldn't have signed it. Perdue, as is required for contracts involving state land, won the approval of the Council of State before finalizing the lease.…

Calling all Wake schools, Dix Park backers: Show-of-force time Monday at General Assembly

Bob Geary — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 06:24:00 -0400

The Wake County legislative delegation is meeting Monday at 4 pm in the General Assembly building on the first floor. It's an open forum and a chance to take a stand — with the county's Republican and Democratic legislators listening — on the inflamed issues surrounding the Wake school system and Dix Park.…

Wealth inequality in America: Take 6:23, see why it's a crisis

Bob Geary — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 13:08:30 -0500

The middle-class. The American Dream.…

Oaks & Spokes: Our 10-day Raleigh bicycle fest starts with First Friday events

Bob Geary — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 13:52:00 -0500

March comes in tomorrow. March means spring.…

Hey, Pat McCrory! You're national (bad) news for sticking it to the jobless.

Bob Geary — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 16:19:50 -0500

Gov. McCrory signed the bill slashing unemployment benefits in North Carolina, a measure which also makes North Carolinians the only folks in America who, if they lose their jobs, will not be eligible for federal emergency benefits as of July 1. Think Progress, the voice of the Center for American Progress Action Fund, found this outrageous ... in a story I just tweeted:

So not proud: N.C. Governor Signs ‘Unprecedented’ Gutting Of Unemployment Insurance thkpr.gs/YEd0Y9 via @thinkprogress
— Bob Geary (@rjgeary) February 19, 2013

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