Justin Laidlaw

1 day ago | indyweek.com | Justin Laidlaw

On Monday night, Durham County Manager Claudia Hager presented her proposed budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year. The recommended Durham County budget totals $1.04 billion, a $71.55 million, or 7.4 percent, increase from last year. Hager said the additional funding prioritizes education, public safety, and personnel compensation. Property tax revenue, the county’s main source of revenue, is expected to jump nearly $48 million.

6 days ago | indyweek.com | Justin Laidlaw

A new affordable housing complex in downtown Durham will start accepting leases next week. Renegade, a 110-unit apartment complex built on county-owned land at 335 E. Main Street offers units ranging from studio to three-bedroom. Notably, twenty-two units are available for folks making up to 30 percent of the area median income (AMI), which is about $32,000 for a four-person household. Another 68 units are set aside for folks making up to 60 percent AMI, and 20 units for folks up to 80 percent AMI.

1 week ago | indyweek.com | Justin Laidlaw

If you catch yourself in need of a lift in downtown Durham—maybe you’ve left your Broadway show at DPAC and need to jet over to Geer Street Garden to make your dinner reservation—standing by the roadside and throwing up the iconic “bull city” hand gesture could land you a trip on the Bull Ride, a new shuttle service from Downtown Durham Inc. DDI rolled out a new fleet of fully electric, golf cart-esque vehicles as part of a relaunch of its Downtown Ambassadors program.

1 week ago | indyweek.com | Justin Laidlaw

Central Park, a five-acre green space in the heart of downtown Durham and one of the city’s most vibrant community hubs, is the latest downtown mainstay slated to get a makeover in coming years. The project is part of a broader comprehensive plan for the Durham Parks and Recreation department, which the city council will vote to adopt at its meeting on Monday, and other strategies in the works to make the most of downtown spaces.

2 weeks ago | indyweek.com | Justin Laidlaw

Republicans up and down the state and federal government have put progressive values squarely in the crosshairs for cuts and condemnation. Initiatives that support diversity, equity and inclusion are being walked back. Federal funding for climate change and public education are being slashed. Judges who stand against illegal immigration and deportation tactics are being targeted and harassed.