• Durham’s Downtown Skate Park Is Getting an Overhaul
  • Remembering Folk Artist Clyde Jones
  • Calls to Reinstate Fired NCSU Pride Center Staffer
  • Two Op-Eds on the Durham DA Race
  • Favorite Memories of Living in Durham
Credit: Photo by Justin Laidlaw

Good morning, readers.

What would you do with $2.4 million?

Renovate the guest bathroom? Become an art collector? Maybe build a skate park in your backyard?

Well, residents of Durham did almost exactly that, and more, with the projects selected as part of the fourth Participatory Budget (PB) cycle.

Durhamites selected to fund six initiatives through the PB process, which were announced last week at a city council work session. They include a public restroom downtown and charging stations across the city. And to the delight of the skate community, about half the money is being invested to overhaul the Durham Skate Park, which is approaching two decades old.

“I’m a huge proponent of skateboarding, and the skate park gives kids a positive thing to do,” said Mike Johnston, owner of Manifest Skate Shop in Durham.

Residents have submitted skate projects for every round of participatory budgeting, which launched in 2018. Even though this is the first year a skate project has made it through to the final voting round, they are popular submissions during the PB process.

Carmen Ortiz, senior community development manager for the City of Durham, who spearheads the Participatory Budgeting program, said the city tries to deliver projects within a two-year window, even ones as ambitious as a new skate park.

Learn more about this year’s participatory budget winners below.

—Justin

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Artist Clyde Jones in 2008, next to one of his creations. Photo by MJ Sharpe.

Folk Legend

In December, the prolific Bynum folk artist Clyde Jones passed away. His legacy lives on in the playful animal sculptures he made and gave away freely, Andrea Richards writes for the INDY.

Credit: Photo by Angelica Edwards

Fired Up

Students and faculty groups are calling for NCSU to reinstate its LGBTQ Pride Center’s assistant director, who was fired after an anti-DEI group secretly recorded him, Jasmine Gallup reports.

Dig In

Black-owned barbecue restaurants have continued the whole-hog tradition and anchored communities across the state. But there aren’t many left, Nikki Miller-Ka writes for The Assembly.

OP-ED: Durham’s district attorney is up for reelection. Here are two perspectives on her record: “Durham Deserves Better in the DA’s Office” is by Eugene Brown and  Zack Czajkowski; “Satana Deberry is a Terrific District Attorney” is by Steve Schewel,  Jillian Johnson and Carl Rist.

LOCAL: A report states the Durham County Youth Home and other juvenile detention centers across the state are locking youth in their cells for much of the day, NC Newsline reports. The county says that’s untrue.

STATE: A man killed by Secret Service agents at Mar-a-Lago was a recent high school graduate from North Carolina who drew illustrations of golf courses, The New York Times reports.

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  • The City of Durham has postponed a hearing planned for Tuesday night on sweeping changes to its land use ordinance due to legal issues.
  • Raleigh’s annual chlorine conversion starts Thursday, so your water may taste a little funny.
  • This week is Apex Restaurant Week, with specials for lunch and dinner around town.
  • People on Reddit are sharing their favorite memories of living in Durham, and surprisingly, a lot have to do with presidential elections.
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