News

The state Department of Transportation has released a survey that identifies a need for improving bicycle and pedestrian safety. Nearly three quarters of respondents said they don't feel safe biking through their communities on a daily basis. That number was about 50 percent for pedestrians. The survey identified a lack of bicycle lanes and sidewalks as the top safety issue. But DOT spokeswoman Julia Merchant says there also needs to be a mutual respect among drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians.

Tanger Factory Outlet Centers is spending the month of May celebrating its 30th Anniversary and its success as a top builder of outlet malls. Shareholders met today in New York for their annual meeting. 

 What better way to celebrate than by ringing the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange. Steven Tanger rang the bell yesterday.  He’s President and C-E-O of Greensboro-based Tanger Factory Outlet Centers.  

  The Town of Garner is getting ready to welcome home "American Idol" finalist Scotty McCreery. Jeremy Loeb reports.

 The 17-year-old baritone advanced to the "Final 3" of the television show "American Idol" last night. McCreery has been wowing audiences with his mature, deep-voiced renditions of country classics. Mayor Ronnie Williams called the singer's success the biggest thing that's ever happened to Garner.

Chapel Hill-bred writer Wells Tower recently traveled to China on assignment for GQ Magazine. There, he caught up with former NBA player Stephon Marbury, who is remembered for his commendable performance on the court and his conversational behavior off the court during his time in the league. After publicly battling with coaches and being benched for most of the 2009 season, Marbury decided to leave the NBA – the same year a series of strange videos starring the player started popping up online. Marbury, also the owner of a sports fashion line called Starbury with offices in North Carolina, now plays in the Chinese Basketball Association with a team named the Foshan Dralions. Marbury’s career move to China is shaping up to be a unique kind of professional makeover.

On Saturday, the inaugural OutRaleigh festival on Fayetteville Street's City Plaza will celebrate lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered lifestyles with entertainment and information. Activities will range from a kids play zone to an appearance by The Tranny Roadshow, a traveling group of all transgendered performers who present songs, comedy and commentary across the country. Host Frank Stasio talks with three performers: Jamez Terry, Modern Day Pinocchio, and Ryka Aoki de la Cruz about keeping the “T” in LGBT. He will also speak with Bobby Hilburn, executive director of the LGBT Center of Raleigh, about the first OutRaleigh festival.

Ari Picker's novelistic childhood and difficult life story has been at the heart of his music since he started writing songs. He describes his band, Lost in the Trees, as making orchestral folk music, combining the passion and pathos of symphonic music with the intimacy and searching of classic folk music. The band's album "All Alone in an Empty House" has had more than one incarnation including the newest, released last summer.

Outlet malls have been a big hit with bargain shoppers this millennium. Those following the industry say the up-and-down economy has resulted in leaner shoppers who demand a deal. The Tanger Family of Greensboro gets a lot of credit for developing the concept of brining up-scale retail merchandise to the suburbs, highways and by-ways. And yesterday – Tanger Outlets celebrated its 30th Anniversary at its retail outlets across the country.  

Another wave of students is set to graduate from area colleges and universities this weekend. Commencement ceremonies will be held at North Carolina Central, Duke, and NC State. 

Congressman and civil rights icon John Lewis will give the commencement address at NC Central on Saturday. Across town and a day later, Duke will hold its graduation. Cisco CEO John Chambers will speak to the Duke graduates.

A proposal from WakeMed to buy Rex Healthcare from UNC is getting a chilly response. UNC president Thomas Ross said in a statement selling Rex Healthcare would be damaging to its core mission and not in the best interest of the people of North Carolina. He went on to say UNC Health Care's board of directors will discuss the proposal on Monday. WakeMed President and CEO Bill Atkinson says there are number of uncertainties over health care in Wake County.

A vaccination incentive program for students in Orange County's school districts is drawing criticism from some parents. The county Health Department is entering students into a drawing for an iPod or laptop if they get immunized for meningitis this month. The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools district says it has received 19 complaints. Alan Phillips says the drawing puts undue pressure on his children to get the vaccination, which is not required to enroll in school.