This story originally published online at NC Newsline. The Raleigh City Council has approved spending $5 million on a new pilot program that includes a component to provide direct rent assistance to unsheltered individuals. The council approved funding for the “Unsheltered Homelessness Response Program” on Tuesday during its regular business meeting. Approximately $1.9 million is earmarked for direct subsidies to unsheltered individuals living in camps and $1.1 million for administrative cost and staffing. As many as 40 households will receive monthly subsidies to help people experiencing hom ..read more

As a storm crept into the skyline overhead, dozens of Durham residents and public officials huddled into Zweli’s in Brightleaf Square on Monday evening. The crowd waited anxiously for North Carolina gubernatorial candidate Josh Stein, who was in town to celebrate teacher appreciation week and galvanize voters around education, a topic his campaign thinks is a winning issue for the state’s Democratic slate in this fall’s election. Before Stein took to the podium, a couple of opening acts were on hand to hype up the audience. The first speaker was Mo Green, candidate for NC superintendent of pu ..read more

This story originally published online at NC Newsline. On a near-perfect spring afternoon, a crowd of mostly Black retirees and senior citizens poured into Martin Street Baptist Church in Southeast Raleigh to learn about strategies to lower property taxes through Wake County’s appeals process. In their neighborhoods, higher property values have brought higher property taxes. That, in turn, has made it difficult for residents on fixed incomes to make ends meet. Lemuel Sherman traveled across town from the city’s west side with wife, Barbara. “To see if there’s an opportunity for a property tax ..read more

Colm Tóibín | Quail Ridge Books, Raleigh | May 10, 7 p.m.  The Irish author Colm Tóibín will come to North Carolina for the very first time this month on a tour for his latest novel, Long Island, a sequel to 2009’s beloved blockbuster Brooklyn. The first of the two books—of the many that Tóibín, a literature professor at Columbia University and prolific critic and journalist, has written—follows Eilis Lacey, a young immigrant in the 1950s torn between Ireland and her new (titular) home. Long Island picks up the thread many years later when Eilis, now a mother of two children, receives th ..read more

This story originally published online at NC Newsline. More than 750 faculty and staff members at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have signed onto a letter calling on administrators to dismiss the charges against college students involved in the April 30th protest at Polk Place. In an online letter addressed to interim Chancellor Lee Roberts and Provost Chris Clemens, the faculty said prior to the police arriving on the scene, the student encampment was an example of the kind of peaceful free expression that the university claims to uphold. But when the administratio ..read more

Following a physical encounter between pro-Palestinian protesters, UNC campus police, and counter-protesters Tuesday afternoon, students learned that the university’s administration closed the Campus Y, the on-campus hub for social activism—only for the university to suddenly announce on Friday the Y is reopening next week on restricted hours.  Not only is the Campus Y a physical space housing 22 student social justice committees, but it contains Meantime Coffee Co., which employs at least 20 students, and the Mutual Aid Pantry, which serves food-insecure students. The Y also has gender ..read more

The most recognized award in the Triangle is back for 2024, and nominations for Durham County go live May 8th and end May 22nd.   View the Ballot Here Just like last year, we’ve broken it down into county groups, with the winners from each region going head-to-head at the end of the year for the title of “Best of the Best.” The Finals Ballot will be live on June 5th with the winners announced on July 10th.  The post Nominations for “Best of Durham County 2024” Open May 8th appeared first on INDY Week ..read more

The loud rumble of drums and wooden ratchets echoed through downtown Durham as a crowd amassed. Folks wrapped in keffiyehs and wearing T-shirts representing different local labor organizations filled CCB Plaza, holding signs with messages like “They got money for war but can’t feed the poor,” a lyric lifted from the deceased rapper Tupac. Community members, including former council member Jillian Johnson, passed out donated food.  Victor Urquiza, a local workers’ rights organizer, kicked off the rally by highlighting the stakes. “Every single year, we see the cost of living go up,” Urqui ..read more

This story originally published online at NC Newsline. Durham Parks and Recreation is temporarily closing playgrounds in Northgate, Walltown, East End, East Durham, and Lyon Park to conduct further tests for lead contamination, the city announced on Friday. Playgrounds with liners and 12 inches of mulch were not originally tested, because the material is a barrier between bare soil and children playing. However, to ensure no lead has reached the surface, the playgrounds will be closed until the city receives test results and works with community members on a reopening plan. Outdoor activ ..read more

On Tuesday, April 30 at dawn, student protesters sleeping in the Gaza Solidarity Encampment on UNC-Chapel Hill’s campus were awoken by campus police who detained dozens of them and dismantled their tents in a jolting but not unexpected confrontation that crescendoed later in the day. Pro-Palestinian protesters rally in front of South Building at UNC-Chapel Hill hours after police removed a Gaza solidarity encampment on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Chapel Hill. Credit: Angelica Edwards Pro-Palestinian protesters rally in front of South Building Credit: Angelica Edwards Pro-Palestinian protest ..read more