Hello Readers!
Thanks for stopping by. There’s not going to be any new content this week, as both Record editor James Borden and Record reporter Chris Tepedino are taking some time off to spend with their respective families. We’ll be back next week, but in the meantime, why don’t you check out some of our most popular (in terms of traffic) articles of all time!
1. Court Shuts Down North Raleigh Party Mansion
June 17, 2013: Then-freelancer James Borden looked into a series of legal complaints filed by North Raleigh neighbors against one resident who decided to turn their Florida-style mansion into a suburban nightclub. This story was later picked up by local and national media outlets.
2. City Employee Salaries
First published on March 15, 2011, we recently updated our list of Raleigh city employee salaries. In 2015, the median income for a permanent, full-time city employee was $34,282. The highest paid employee was city attorney Thomas McCormick at $232,405/year.
3. Raleigh’s Top 10 Most Dangerous Intersections of 2013
December 12, 2013: Then-freelancer James Borden decided to investigate the most hazardous intersections in Raleigh. The article also includes the location of the most hazardous stretch of roadway in the state, which is located here in Raleigh just out the outskirts of downtown!
4. Party Mansion Sells at Deep Discount
In August of 2014, Record editor James Borden noticed that the infamous “Party Mansion” had been sold. While this follow-up wasn’t as fun as the original, our readers flocked to it anyway. It’s too bad we can’t switch our coverage to a 24/7 look at suburban party mansions, or else we might actually bring in enough traffic to sustain ourselves!
5. Nazareth: Orphans, Ghosts and a Saint
April 27, 2009: Record freelancer Kate Pattison took readers on an in-depth look at Raleigh’s old Nazareth Catholic Orphanage, which opened in 1898. Following several gruesome fires, a number of ghost stories surrounding this property have emerged as part of the local lore of the place.
6. Union Targets Wal-Mart; “Flash Mob” at Brier Creek Store
September 9, 2013: Then-freelancer James Borden followed up on reports of a flash mob/step-dance performance at the Brier Creek Wal-Mart. The protest was organized as part of a nationwide September 5 protest by a group called OUR Wal-Mart that called for an increase in the minimum wage paid to the store’s employees.
7. City Contributes $150,000 to Jehovah’s Witnesses Convention
In October 2012, our former city hall reporter Ariella Monti looked into a contribution by city council to a Jehovah’s Witness convention that was set to be held in 2013 at the PNC Arena. Minutes from the closed session in which these funds were approved noted that city manager Russ Allen stated “Council knew his feelings about the request.”
8. Raleigh Police Officer’s Upcoming Film Stirs Controversy
In July of 2013, then-freelancer James Borden looked into the controversy surrounding a faith-based movie based loosely on the experiences of a Raleigh Police Officer in the South Park neighborhood of the city. Wagner would end up leaving the department the following year when he was not granted a leave of absence to work on the film.
9. ATM Skimming Explained
In December 2009, Laura Michaud, an employee of the North Carolina State Employees Credit Union and a graduate student at North Carolina State University wrote an article for a graduate technology writing class at NC State about the criminal phenomenon known as ATM Skimming.
10. Uncovering Downtown’s Forgotten Creek
On March 3, 2014 longtime Record freelancer Laura White looked into the Pigeon House Branch Creek, one of Raleigh’s most polluted waterways. The creek originates under Cameron Village and flows under the city until it meets up with Crabtree Creek. Although many are unaware of or indifferent to the waterway, it may play a large role in future city planning efforts.
