Raleigh Public Record

Nonprofit, independent news for the Raleigh community

Author Archive

Gauging Wake’s fight against homelessness

By Chrystal Bartlett • Feb 26th, 2010 • Category: The Latest

The recession continues and the news is rife with stories of struggles from board rooms to homeless shelters. Corporate cutbacks, unemployment extension and insurance losses abound, but how’s the recession impacting those who never had much to start with?



Wake County’s water quality report card

By Chrystal Bartlett • Jan 26th, 2010 • Category: Environment, Featured, News, The Latest

Tension is rife these days between Raleigh and Durham about Falls Lake water quality. Raleigh contends “its” water source – whose headwaters are located in Durham County – is dirty, getting dirtier and Durham allowed it to get that way.

Dirty water is neither cheap nor easy to clean. Raleigh may have to pay $450M to boost its water treatment plant’s cleaning capacity if Falls get dirtier. Durham likely would pay considerably more to clean Falls Lake. Finger pointing is all very fine, but everybody lives downstream.



An interview with David Benson

By Chrystal Bartlett • Dec 31st, 2009 • Category: News, The Latest

Chrystal Bartlett talks to David Benson, the designer of the Raleigh acorn the city drops on New Year’s Eve and the owner of Third Place coffee shop.



Fair goes greener and hopes you will, too

By Chrystal Bartlett • Oct 14th, 2009 • Category: News, The Latest

Going to the State Fair this year? You’ll find plenty to eat, drink, ride and play, but a closer look reveals the fair’s efforts to green up the state’s largest annual event and its visitors, too.



WPTF, The story – Part 2

By Chrystal Bartlett • Sep 29th, 2009 • Category: News

To mark the 85th birthday of Raleigh’s longest-running radio station, the Raleigh Public Record presents a two-part series on the history of WPTF. Part 2 looks at stories from the station’s long history and looks forward with owner Don Curtis.



WPTF, the story – Part 1

By Chrystal Bartlett • Sep 22nd, 2009 • Category: News, The Latest

Happy Birthday to WPTF 680 AM, Raleigh’s oldest and (almost) first radio station. Since signing on September 22, 1924 at a mere 50 watts, the station has changed its call letters, frequency, air personalities and programming, but its impact lives on. Learn how WPTF influenced Raleigh and was influenced in turn as we look back at the city’s oldest radio station.



An interview with Maha Chambliss

By Chrystal Bartlett • Sep 9th, 2009 • Category: News, The Latest

Maha Chambliss has chaired the Raleigh Planning Commission through the development of the city’s 2030 Comprehensive Plan. She has served on the planning commission for the last six years, but her time on the board will end in January. As the comprehensive plan development process came to an end late last month, Raleigh Public Record contributor Chrystal Bartlett sat down with Chambliss to talk about her time volunteering on one of city government’s most important commission. Photo by Andrew Mayo.



Nancy McFarlane

By Chrystal Bartlett • Aug 11th, 2009 • Category: Election Profiles

Nancy Louise McFarlane
District A incumbent
Age: 52
Address: 8016 Selfridge Court
Hometown: Born in Washington DC, grew up in Falls Church and in Arlington, Virginia.
How long Have you lived in Raleigh?
Twenty-five years
What brought you to Raleigh?
A job change. Actually, my husband was changing jobs. He was transferred. We had the options of Chicago, Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Raleigh [...]



Charles Meeker

By Chrystal Bartlett • Aug 11th, 2009 • Category: Election Profiles

Charles Carpenter Meeker
Mayoral incumbent
Age: 59
Address: 324 South Boylan Avenue
Hometown: I was born in Washington DC in 1950.
How long Have you lived in Raleigh?
I’ve lived here full-time since the summer of 1975, after I finished law school. I was here with summer jobs in 1970, 1972 and 1974. I didn’t live here full time until the [...]



Champ Claris

By Chrystal Bartlett • Aug 11th, 2009 • Category: Election Profiles

Robert “Champ” Champion Claris
At-large contender
Age: 31
Address: 1328 Palace Garden Way
Hometown: Born in Chapel Hill, grew up in Wilmington.
How long Have you lived in Raleigh?
Eleven years
What brought you to Raleigh?
To be at N.C. State. I came to join the Wolfpack.
In two to three sentences, please share something that you believe the City of Raleigh does well.
I [...]