This story originally published online at NC Newsline. More than 40 people living in a tent encampment on a state-owned, unused lot at the intersection of Highways 401 and U.S. 70 near the Raleigh-Garner border were told to leave by 10 a.m. Tuesday or face arrest for trespassing. Advocates for the people in the encampment called a 9 a.m. press conference Tuesday to bring attention to what they are calling an “act of unmitigated cruelty,” coming as it does during the National Week of Action to Oppose the Criminalization of Homelessness.  Patrick O’Neill (Photo: Kings Bay Plowshares 7) “Th ..read more

When Kara Hess asked for a show of hands from returning attendees at the Emerging Women in Sports Leadership Summit (EWSLS) in late March, only a few signaled their return. The Durham Convention Center was packed to the brim with young women sporting business casual attire and Nike dunks, but most were newcomers to the newish summit. Co-hosted by the Durham Sports Commission (DSC) and Women Leaders in Sports, the EWSLS gave attendees the opportunity to network within a quickly-growing industry. Hess, the deputy director of leadership development and events at Women Leaders in Sports, kicked o ..read more

For 24 years, Diana Huerta has been the only member of her family living in the United States. The rest, still in Mexico, are in touch often, but talking to them on the phone doesn’t cure the anxiety and depression she feels from being isolated in a primarily English-speaking area. Huerta tried to get on the waitlist for the only bilingual therapy clinic in Orange County, El Futuro, but there was always too much demand. Then the Carrboro location shut its doors in 2015 and she lost hope, turning to virtual sessions with a therapist in Colombia just so she could speak with someone who understa ..read more

On a cool evening last Friday, Durham’s CCB plaza swelled with members of North Carolina’s creative community; the four elements of hip-hop all present. Dozens of emcees, DJs, breakdancers, and graffiti artists were gathered to rap, cry, dance, laugh, sing, pray, and grieve together. We were mourning the passing of our brother Kevin Joshua Rowsey II, known to many in our beloved community as Rcherowdy, who passed on Wednesday, April 17. He was 32.  Precisely at 9:19 PM on April 19th, Rowdy’s mentee and protégé JAMM (aka Just Another Master Musician) passionately called out: “CYPHER, CYPH ..read more

If March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb, there’s a similar simile from the natural world to be made for April of this year, at least for those of us in the central and eastern United States.  This month came in with a stunning rare solar eclipse, and it will go out with a buzz from the emergence of trillions of periodic cicadas, another rare occurrence in which two broods will surface from under the ground at the same time. It’s an event we haven’t seen in 200 years, and here in the United States we won’t see another total solar eclipse again until 2044. The infrequency of thes ..read more

This story originally published online at the 9th Street Journal. After months of uncertainty about the school system’s payroll and budget, the public had a chance to speak on interim superintendent Catty Moore’s proposed budget for Durham Public Schools at a public hearing Thursday. And for a change, the mood in the boardroom was pretty calm. Many speakers expressed gratitude for the superintendent’s proposal, while advocating for more funding for Exceptional Children (EC) and English as a Second Language (ESL) staff.  “I feel heartened by this bold ask and proposal after the year ..read more

Nyssa Collins is a multidisciplinary artist and musician originally from Burlington, North Carolina, and currently based in Knoxville, Tennessee. She creates puppetry, giant creatures from unconventional materials, and experimental animation. In March, she unveiled Rubbish the Raccoon, a seven-foot-tall sculpture at West Franklin Street Plaza commissioned by the Town of Chapel Hill for Earth Day to bring awareness to sustainability. Collins is currently an MFA candidate at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, studying studio art. How long have you been doing art? I started professionally m ..read more

This story originally published online at UNC Media Hub. The student-athletes on UNC-Chapel Hill’s baseball team have received negative messages from fans expecting certain performances before. But now that sports betting is legal in North Carolina, as of March 11, the messages and pressure from sports bettors may increase.  Carter Hicks, the baseball director of player and program development, said that legalized sports betting and access to social media provide an avenue for fans to share their opinions.  Sometimes, that’s at the expense of the players.  “They live in th ..read more

This story originally published online at The Assembly. Codie Bruce Schiene was sitting in his SUV in a hotel parking lot, scrolling through his phone, when two Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers approached him back in 2020. He told them he was a guest at the Baymont Inn.  The officers quickly ordered Schiene and his nephew out of the GMC Acadia and handcuffed them, then searched the vehicle.  It was a warrantless search, but Sgt. William Buie said he had probable cause: He smelled unburned marijuana, according to court records. The officers said they found one open jar of mariju ..read more

Lakewood Shopping Center has been a commercial hub in Durham for decades. Now, a developer has plans to revitalize the shopping district and residents in the surrounding neighborhoods want to have a say in its future.  On Tuesday evening, residents weighed in on the potential redevelopment of the shopping center during a virtual meeting hosted by Morningstar Law Group, the law firm representing BrodyCo, the developer of the proposed project. BrodyCo is a Greenville, North Carolina-based development firm with nine projects in the state, including Lakewood Shopping Center, according to the ..read more