-
1 week ago | 
indyweek.com | Justin Laidlaw
The Republican-held North Carolina state legislature has passed two bills that could have a major impact on the Triangle community. Senate Bill 153 would require state law enforcement to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), prevent UNC system schools from obstructing ICE activity, and make “sanctuary cities” liable for crimes committed by illegal immigrants.
-
1 week ago | 
indyweek.com | Justin Laidlaw
The Durham City Council put their final stamp of approval on the 2025-26 fiscal year budget, garnering a round of applause from the packed audience inside city hall during Monday’s meeting. The total budget remains at the city manager’s proposed $722 million. The city council also approved an additional $2.48 billion for its five-year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP).
-
2 weeks ago | 
indyweek.com | Justin Laidlaw
In 2020, the city of Durham was at a crossroads. After a decade of growth, the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged the local economy and stilted progress. That same year, Durham native Joshua Gunn, a creative entrepreneur and local hip-hop musician best known for “bodying cowards” on the local rap battle circuit and for his contributions to G Yamazawa’s 2017 “sauce-with-the-slaw sensation,” North Cack, was facing his own crossroads.
-
3 weeks ago | 
indyweek.com | Justin Laidlaw
Psychic Hotline, the Durham-based record label founded by Nick Sanborn and Amelia Meath of Sylvan Esso with longtime manager Martin Anderson, has planted its flag in downtown Durham with a retail pop-up called Psychic Hotline Mailroom. The Mailroom, located at 316 Holland Street, sits at the end of the cobblestone alleyway next to the Durham Hotel.
-
3 weeks ago | 
indyweek.com | Justin Laidlaw
On Monday, the city of Durham voted to adopt revised rules of procedure to govern conduct within City Hall, stirring concerns that public comment procedures were being changed. The rules of procedure establish basic principles of governance between the city council, city staff, and residents during regular meetings and work sessions.
-
3 weeks ago | 
indyweek.com | Justin Laidlaw
I’ve been a full-time bike commuter since 2014 when I sold the only car I’ve ever owned, a beat-up 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee, and fully embraced life on two wheels. “Cyclist” was not my identity. Bikes were just how I got from point A to point B. But the streets of Durham radicalized me. Bike commuting is like a game of Mario Kart where everyone has blue shells and gold stars except you.
-
1 month ago | 
indyweek.com | Justin Laidlaw
The beating sun was nearly inescapable, on Saturday, stepping onto the open field at Rock Quarry Park, where the City of Durham hosted its 55th Bimbé Cultural Arts Festival, a free event hosted in a public space that’s accessible by car, bus, and bike thanks to the Ellerbee Creek trail, which I used to ride right up to the front entrance. A sea of umbrellas were staked in the section of lawn nearest the stage, ready to deploy in case of rain but mostly bracing against the sun.
-
1 month ago | 
indyweek.com | Justin Laidlaw
Durham city manager Bo Ferguson shared his budget proposal for the 2025-26 fiscal year at Monday’s city council meeting. The recommended total budget is $772 million, a $53.9 million, or 8 percent, increase from last year. Ferguson’s budget proposal centered on four priorities: community safety, infrastructure, employee support, and service delivery. To meet the city’s growing service needs, Ferguson recommends adding 42 new full-time employees across several departments.
-
1 month ago | 
indyweek.com | Justin Laidlaw
After the arduous 2024 election, Democrats were forced to do some soul searching. One of the primary takeaways is that party leadership is, quite frankly, too damn old. A new class of political leaders are gathering their forces and preparing to upend the gerontocracy. In North Carolina, 27-year-old Anderson Clayton, chair of the statewide Democratic Party, has been hard at work cultivating enough resources to prop up a Democratic candidate in every open seat in the state.
-
1 month ago | 
indyweek.com | Justin Laidlaw
Scrap Exchange, the longtime community reuse hub, is building a skate park in the Lakewood shopping center. Heather Anne, interim executive director at the Scrap Exchange, says the plan for the new skate park involved “some divine timing.”Scrap Exchange moved to Lakewood in 2014 with big plans for creating a “Reuse Arts District” that would revitalize the shopping district.
