• Breaking Down the 4th Congressional District Race
  • Bull City Solera is Closing. What’s Next?
  • ICYMI: Durham Political Groups Make Endorsements
  • Defining Academic Freedom in UNC Schools
  • Snow Is Looking More Likely This Weekend
Credit: Illustration by Nicole Pajor Moore

Good morning, readers.

When I sat down with Congresswoman Valerie Foushee last month, she was determinedly unapologetic about her reserved approach to politics.

“I’m not one who’s going to be tooting my—hey, hey, hey, look what I did—I’m not doing that. And you can criticize me all day and all night. I’m not doing that,” she told me over coffee in Chapel Hill. She added that she’s developed a way of achieving the goals of the district that doesn’t involve her “standing on steps with a microphone or megaphone.”

That’s a bit of a contrast to her challenger for the congressional seat, Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam, who I first started getting to know this summer when she staged a press conference on the Durham courthouse steps (with, yes, several microphones) after federal immigration agents were spotted there.

The winner of the March primary is set to be the next congresswoman for the deep blue district covering Durham, Orange, and pieces of Wake and Chatham. 

The two candidates—who last squared off for the seat in 2022—have a lot in common when it comes to policy, but they have radically different approaches to politics. Allam is framing herself as a fighter for the district, while Foushee is arguing that “louder is not always better.”

Team INDY has been working on this big ole story for months, and I’m thrilled to finally be able to invite you to take a dive with us into the characters and dynamics of a primary that could be a bellwether for the Democratic Party.

You can check it out below or find it in today’s print edition, which I hope will make it to newsstands, despite winter’s best efforts. And I hope you have a good Wednesday.

—Chase

Read the Full Story on INDYWeek.com

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.

Photo by Lena Geller
Credit: Photo by Lena Geller

Closing Time

Bull City Solera is closing. INDY’s Lena Geller reports the owner did not provide a reason for the closure but hopes to “reopen one day with a new concept.”

Credit: Illustration by Nicole Pajor Moore

PAC Picks

The Durham Committee and the People’s Alliance released their candidate endorsements, agreeing in half of the contests on ballots in March, INDY’s Chase Pellegrini de Paur reports.

Credit: Photo by Angelica Edwards

Working Definition

For the first time, the UNC System may soon define “academic freedom” across the state’s public universities, The Assembly reports.

Sponsored Content

LOCAL: Former students, faculty, and staff who spent time in N.C. State’s Poe Hall are suing the university, saying toxic chemicals in the building gave them breast cancer, WRAL reports.

STATE: The American Society of Civil Engineers gave North Carolina’s airports, bridges, and other infrastructure grades of C- in a new report card, WUNC reports.

LOCAL: At  “Wheels and Wails,” people bond over roller-skating and processing grief, The 9th Street Journal reports.

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  • The City of Durham reports that HEART and partners got 180-plus additional people over normal capacity into shelters during the weekend.
  • There’s an increasing likelihood of snow in the Triangle this weekend, though it’s too early to predict specifics, WRAL says.
  • The UNC chapter of the National Lawyers Guild is holding a virtual legal observer training this weekend.
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