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- Nurses Honor Alex Pretti Outside Durham VA
- ICYMI: Breaking Down the 4th Congressional District Primary
- New Play Captures Familial Fallout from January 6
- What Do UNC’s Area Studies Centers Do?
- Emergency Shelter Helped Needed in Durham
Good morning, readers.
More than 100 people lined the sidewalk outside the Durham VA Medical Center last night to honor Alex Pretti, the Minneapolis VA nurse who was fatally shot by federal immigration agents on Saturday.
Attendees clutched tealights, bouquets, and signs. One sign read “Stop lying, nurses can spot a fib”—a nod to both the contested official narrative of Pretti’s death and to AFib, the cardiac arrhythmia nurses routinely detect.
Pretti’s death came amid an already turbulent period for VA nurses. The agency has shed tens of thousands of employees since Trump took office, leaving those who remain stretched thin. In Durham, that has resulted in VA employees conducting telehealth visits from broom closets and passing out meal trays on top of their regular patient duties.
Read more below. Have a good Thursday.
—Chase
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.
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.
LOCAL
A House District Divided
INDY’s Chase Pellegrini de Paur dives into the 4th Congressional District primary with a look at the candidates and the stakes.
ARTS & CULTURE
Familial Fallout
A play arriving in Durham tells the true story of a son who reported his father to the FBI for his role in the Capitol insurrection, Russ Campbell writes for the INDY.
EDUCATION
Academic Inquiry
UNC-CH plans to close its area studies centers but “preserve the core activities.” The Assembly contacted directors to try to find out what that means.
Sponsored Content
STATE: “Duke Energy is seeking approval to raise rates by more than 15% and public hearings on the proposed hike are coming up, WUNC reports.
STATE: North Carolina has seen a net loss of 367 licensed child care programs since 2020, with 45 closing in the last three months of 2025, EdNC reports.
STATE: North Carolina Health News reports on how First Lady Anna Stein is working to support people leaving incarceration.
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- Volunteers and donations are urgently needed to support an emergency shelter in Durham during another bout of harsh winter weather this weekend. Learn more here.
- Durham, Wake, and Chapel Hill-Carrboro public schools are opening on a two-hour delay, while Orange County public schools have another remote learning day.
- Redditors are talking about where to find independent record stores in the Triangle.
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