Editor’s Note: We’re taking a break from the Daily for the New Year’s holiday. We’ll be back in your inbox on January 5. In the meantime, you can find our stories every day at indyweek.com.

  • Looking Back at 2025 Headlines
  • For the Girls Creates Community for Queer Women
  • ICYMI: Candidates Running for Office in 2026
  • Why UNC Is Merging Two Schools
  • Raleigh is a Top City for Young Professionals
Credit: Illustration by Nicole Pajor Moore

Good morning, readers.

As 2025 draws to a close, we’re taking some time to look back at the stories that defined the year in the Triangle. 

At the INDY, we chronicled the local impacts of federal funding cuts on jobs and libraries, growing pressure on local food banks and the presence of immigration agents in the Triangle. We wrote about municipal elections, a renewed interest in recreational third spaces, and our favorite songs of the year from Triangle artists.

It was a busy year in the newsroom and my first as editor-in-chief. I’m so proud of the work our team has done, especially our reporting on local elections, problems at Saint Augustine’s university, and flooding in Durham and Chapel Hill.

If our work enlightened you this year or helped you navigate our community, please consider supporting the INDY going forward by joining the Press Club.

Take a spin through our 2025 coverage below, and thanks so much for reading.

—Sarah W.

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The latest from INDY, plus other stories around the state you’ll want to read. Handpicked every day by INDY Editor-in-Chief Sarah Willets.

Attendees at a For the Girls holiday party. Photo courtesy of For the Girls.

Community Center

Founded in late 2024, For the Girls has become a thriving haven for queer women across Wake County and beyond, Rachel Simon writes for the INDY.

Credit: Illustration by Nicole Pajor Moore

Who’s Running: 2026 Primaries

From local school boards to congress, a host of races will be on voters’ ballots come March. Here’s a look at the candidates.

Credit: Photo by Angelica Edwards

Blinded by Science

The Assembly reports on why UNC-Chapel Hill revived a plan to merge its library science and data science schools, and what AI has to do with it all.

Sponsored Content

LOCAL: Founded at the start of the war in Ukraine, the Ukraine House school in Raleigh has been a source of solace and community for refugees and longtime immigrants, NC Newsline reports.

LOCAL: A Wendell woman detained by Border Patrol in November has been released after a month in detention, ABC11 reports.

EDUCATION: Duke’s efforts to cut costs has resulted in $229 million in savings for next fiscal year, The Chronicle reports.

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  • The African American Dance Ensemble is holding its 40th Annual Kwanzaafest in Durham on Thursday, featuring food, vendors, dancing and a celebration of Kwanzaa traditions.
  • People on Reddit are talking about bars in Durham with fireplaces and fire pits for a cozy winter outing.
  • Liberation Station, the Black-owned children’s bookstore in Raleigh, is re-opening today.
  • The Wall Street Journal says Raleigh is one of the top cities in the U.S. for young professionals.
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