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It’s Wednesday, May 21.

Thanks to this week’s sponsor the North Carolina Museum of Art: Visit the North Carolina Museum of Art to experience special exhibition, “Grace Hartigan: The Gift of Attention,” This exhibition explores the creative exchange between Hartigan and the bold New York poets who inspired her, sharing a fresh perspective on a pioneering American artist, now on view through August 10, 2025.

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Good morning, readers.

Local governments are in the thick of budget season, and that means we are, too. INDY staffers have been hard at work tracking county, city, and school district budgets across the Triangle.

On Monday night, Durham’s city manager presented a $772 million budget proposal. INDY’s resident city hall expert Justin Laidlaw has the details on what’s included—pay raises for city workers, money for street improvements (like possible two-way conversions of Roxboro and Mangum streets), and funding to expand HEART, but not take the popular alternative response program 24/7, as advocates have pushed for, just yet.

TL;DR we weeded through the proposed city budget so you don’t have to, and we’ll keep following local budgets for the next few weeks until they’re finalized. If you value this reporting on how your tax dollars are being spent and whether the things that matter to you are being funded, keep it going by supporting the INDY Press Club. 

We’re in the middle of a Spring member drive with a goal of getting 150 new members. Click here to help fund the future of independent journalism at the INDY, and read more from Justin about the city budget below.

 —Sarah W.

Read more here.

Durham

ICYMI: Meet the newly elected Durham County Democratic Party chair, who talked to INDY’s Justin Laidlaw about showing voters Dems aren’t “just asking for money and votes” every four years.

Wake

INDY’s Chloe Courtney Bohl has a look at Raleigh’s proposed city budget, which includes raises for staff, $11 million for Dix Park, and $23 million for affordable housing.

Orange

The Daily Tar Heel talks to Chapel Hill Town Council member Karen Stegman about her two terms in office and her decision not to run again.

North Carolina

Domestic violence programs across the state saw more than 40 percent cuts in funding from the federal Crime Victims Fund since 2019, and more may be coming under the Trump administration, The Assembly reports.

Today’s weather

Partly cloudy with a high of 82 degrees.

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