Steven W. Nelson's Page

This past Saturday, my wife and I had decided that we needed a nice evening out as we both had a very stressful week and needed to unwind. We explored our dining options and settled on a new restaurant to downtown Raleigh, Solas. We had heard some very positive things about it as well as a couple of negatives and wanted to check out this new dining oasis.

We made dinner reservations online and were able to get an 8pm time. This is a little later than I typically eat, but it was a weekend and we… Continue

In the latest twist to our economic woes, the National Association of Homebuilders is petitioning Congress for a "bailout of its own". The builders' lobby is preparing to propose a $250 billion stimulus package called, "Fix Housing First". They argue that the financial markets will not recover until home prices stop their decline and the housing market recovers. Their plan calls for a generous tax credit for home purchasers and a federal subsidy that would lower a homeowner's mortgage rate.

If… Continue

Did you hear the good news? Gas prices are down to the lowest level in 3 months. GAS PRICES ARE DOWN TO THE LOWEST LEVEL IN 3 MONTHS!!!

The average price U.S. consumers paid for a gallon of gas hit a three month low as the cost dropped 7.1 cents last week to $3.81. Yes, this is still $1.04 a gallon higher compared to a year ago, but it is moving in the right direction, primarily due to the lifting of the Executive Order by President Bush to drill off the coast.

This has caused a $33 drop in cr… Continue

On August 5th, the Raleigh City Council selected The Furman Company from Greenville, SC for the massive Randleigh Farm property over bids from two local firms.

The council voted to negotiate a contract with the South Carolina firm to develop a "Green Project" on the 417-acres that is jointly owned by the city and Wake County.

The council has a vision for the land to be developed into a community with two public schools, private homes, public parks, an environmental education center and commerc… Continue

Once again, Raleigh's city manager is requesting that Empire Properties be removed as the developer for the Lafayette project. Russell Allen, city manager, is asking the City Council to reopen bidding for the development on a half-acre, city-owned site bordering Salisbury, Lenoir and South streets. If the council agrees with Allen, this will end the deal between the city and Emp… Continue