Turn to The N&O for the latest on teacher shortages, Hurricane Lee and downtown safety
For the seven subscribers who wake up Sunday mornings and immediately turn to this column, I’m back after a one-week absence.
(And by “immediately turn to this column,” I mean AFTER you’ve yawned 10 times, drank two cups of coffee, walked the dog, made pancakes, ate pancakes, called Spectrum to ask about “The Golden Bachelor,” napped and walked the dog again. I get it; we all have priorities.)
We were in Boston for Labor Day weekend, but I’ll spare the travel details. Except for our Realtor/friend Nancy Caggia, who seemed pleased that I visited her alma mater, Boston College, for its football season opener. Or the Charlotte woman who sat in our row at Carolina native James Taylor’s concert — and mentioned having a sister from Cary. Or the other folks we met on the North End, who also had relatives from Cary.
It’s a small, yet complicated world. And apparently everyone knows someone from Cary.
So, let me catch up with three things you could have missed while doing any or all of the above:
Let’s talk about teachers
It’s been a rough start to the school year. The bus driver shortage is so significant that 3,000 Wake County students are scheduled to arrive each day after classes started, according to a recent story from The N&O’s T. Keung Hui.
Add in hot, humid temperatures and some classrooms with no air conditioning. And then there’s the unsettled state budget and the impact it could have on school districts.
That’s why when N.C. State University’s College of Education reached out to talk about educators, we listened.
Thanks to Dean Paola Sztajn and Cherry Crayton, the College of Education’s executive director of marketing and communications, we’re pleased to co-host a public conversation on the teaching profession on Monday, Sept. 18.
You’ll hear from a panel of five first-year education majors talking about the challenges and opportunities they see facing teachers today and sharing why they are interested in teaching. The event is from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the Piedmont/Mountains Ballroom on the 3rd floor of NC State’s Talley Student Union. Parking is free on campus after 5 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. You can register at go.ncsu.edu/gen-z-on-teaching.
We’re all hoping for the turn
You’ve seen the weather map and how Lee — as in Hurricane Lee — seems to be charging toward our shoreline at NASCAR-level speeds and with the same reckless abandon as the delivery trucks that take on the speed bumps in our neighborhood.
The N&O audience has been highly attuned to Martha Quillin’s tracking of Lee’s path in the Atlantic’s warm waters. Perhaps by the time you read this, we’ll know whether Lee has shifted enough to its right that the only impact to the Carolina coast are bodacious waves.
Keep checking back. And please pay attention to Triangle meteorologists, who provide scientific context behind our state’s evolving weather patterns.
More patrols in downtown Raleigh
It’s a balancing act to make this column personable and informative. My opinion shouldn’t be a factor.
But I am personally relieved that Raleigh plans to hire private security to patrol parts of downtown. The N&O’s Anna Johnson reported that the Raleigh Police Department has about 100 vacancies. Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin also recognizes the importance of public safety.
“Whenever I talk to my colleagues around this country, this is one of the biggest challenges they’re facing right now.” she said. “We are trying to work with our partners such as Downtown Raleigh Alliance and the Glenwood South (Neighborhood) Cooperative to come up with solutions and implement them, because safety is our number one priority.”
I feel safer walking in Boston or New York City than I do in downtown Raleigh. It is a rare week when I’m not confronted by panhandlers or need to cross the street to avoid someone yelling at someone they know. So, thank you, Mayor.
And thanks to those who made it to this point. I appreciate your patience.
Bill Church is executive editor of The News & Observer. He prefers blueberry pancakes. He once gave an umbrella to a downtown panhandler.
This story was originally published September 9, 2023 at 10:00 AM with the headline "Turn to The N&O for the latest on teacher shortages, Hurricane Lee and downtown safety."
