• Hunting for the State’s Biggest Trees
  • ICYMI: Raleigh’s New Crisis Call Diversion Program
  • The Late Gov. Jim Hunt’s Struggle with the Religious Right
  • What Does the Former Cary Town Manager’s Book Reveal?
  • Add Your Voice to a Collaborative Poem for MLK Day
Luke Ferreira takes stock of a huge overcup oak tree. (Madeline Gray for The Assembly)

Good morning, readers.

Did you know the state maintains a list of the largest trees of each species in North Carolina? 

There’s a black oak in Wake County with a 17.5-foot circumference, a 123-foot-tall shellbark hickory in Durham, a 28-foot wide willow oak in Union County that happens to also be nationally ranked.

They’re nominated by people like Luke Ferreira and Spencer Cain, who scour swamps and forests in central and eastern North Carolina for so-called champion trees. 

Writer Jonathan Pattishall tagged along with them recently as they hunted for big trees, like an overcup oak they’d seen before and suspected could rival the species’ current champion.

Though the tree ultimately fell short, Cain and Ferreira marked its coordinates for posterity.

“Seasoned tree hunters keep running lists of their notable finds, even if they aren’t yet clear contenders. No one knows which trees will keep growing and which will fall,” Pattishall writes. “Should the current champ die, it’s good to have potential replacements at the ready and to know exactly where they are.”

Read more about the hunt for North Carolina’s biggest trees at the link below.

—Sarah W.

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Artist Raheleh Filsoofi returns to the Nasher Museum with BITE, a visceral live performance using clay gathered from the museum’s own grounds. Through the intimate act of biting ceramic plates, Filsoofi explores memory, migration, and the body’s bond to land. The evening includes an artist talk and reception. Free and open to the public. Join us on Thursday, February 5.

Learn More

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.

Credit: Courtesy of the City of Raleigh

Phone a Friend

Raleigh’s 911 call takers now assess whether callers are best served by police and EMS, or a mental health professional, INDY’s Chloe Courtney Bohl reports.

Credit: AP Photo

Keeping the Faith

During his 16 years as governor, Jim Hunt wrestled with how to be a Democratic leader of faith amidst the rise of the Religious Right, The Assembly reports.

Credit: Photo by Matt Ramey

By the Book?

INDY’s Chloe Courtney Bohl dives into the embattled former Cary town manager’s book (about his approach to leadership) and what it cost the town to produce.

Sponsored Content

STATE: Budget airline Avelo is shutting down its base at Raleigh-Durham International Airport and ending its contract with ICE for deportation flights from other airports, NC Newsline reports.

STATE: North Carolina legislators still haven’t passed a budget and likely won’t until April, WUNC reports.

STATE: Starting in February travelers at RDU without a REAL ID will have to pay a $45 fee and undergo additional screening, ABC11 reports.

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  • Kids Voting Durham is taking contributions for a collaborative community poem in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Submit your line here.
  • Duke University shared a clip of a 1978 Grateful Dead performance at Cameron Stadium in honor of guitarist Bob Weir, who passed away this weekend.
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