October 6

  • UNC-Chapel Hill sociologist, writer, and public scholar TRESSIE MCMILLAN COTTOM is named as a recipient of the MacArthur “Genius” Grant.

October 8

  • Nonprofit talent identification program DUKE TIP, a division of Duke University, announces that it will lay off 75 employees, effective January 6. The program stated that the decision was “a direct result of COVID-19.”

October 9

At a press conference, Senate hopeful CAL CUNNINGHAM dodges repeated questions about whether there are more extramarital-affair skeletons in his closet, stating that North Carolinians are tired of hearing about “personal issues.”

October 10

North Carolina sees an increase in COVID-19 CASES for the third day in a row, with a statewide case total of 229,752. This spike includes a recent rise in K-12 cases.

October 11

The TOWER AT MUTUAL PLAZA—previous headquarters of the North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company and one of Durham’s most recognizable buildings—is sold in a foreclosure auction to New York real estate company Turnbridge Equities for $37.2 million. 

October 12

  • Senate confirmation hearings begin for Supreme Court nominee AMY CONEY BARRETT.
  • Less than two weeks after his COVID-19 diagnosis, PRESIDENT TRUMP resumes campaigning and appears at a packed rally in Central Florida. “I feel so powerful,” he told the crowd. “I’ll walk into that audience. I’ll walk in there, I’ll kiss everyone in that audience.”
  • A SurveyUSA poll finds that CAL CUNNINGHAM’S ODDS have improved by 7 percent since last week’s revelations—which included news of an extramarital affair for Cunningham, and a COVID-19 diagnosis for Tillis—with Cunningham holding a 49-39 percent lead over Tillis.
  • Governor Roy Cooper declares October 12 INDIGENOUS PEOPLE’S DAY, a proclamation honoring North Carolina’s eight indigenous tribes

Follow Deputy Arts & Culture Editor Sarah Edwards on Twitter or send an email to [email protected]. 

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Sarah Edwards is culture editor of the INDY, covering cultural institutions and the arts in the Triangle. She joined the staff in 2019 and assumed her current role in 2020.