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  • A Council Divided in Chapel Hill
  • What’s In Cary’s Budget
  • Thom Tillis Retiring
  • Ask Us About Parenting in Summer
  • Did You See That Fireball?
Credit: Photo by Chase Pellegrini de Paur

Good morning, readers.

And buckle up, municipal politics nerds. It’s election season in Chapel Hill!

With a dramatic 5-4 budget vote, a Blackbeard impersonator running for mayor, and a new town manager full of optimism, this idyllic college town really does have it all.

With the budget passed, Mayor Jess Anderson (and several other council members who are up for reelection) get to spend the next five months explaining to taxpayers why they did or didn’t support the tax hike that’ll be Chapel Hill’s fifth in as many years. 

The federal cuts have also pushed Chapel Hill’s government, and its candidates, to rethink the local government’s role.

“We can’t make up for all the cuts that we’re experiencing by raising property taxes on people,” mayor Anderson told me last week.

We’ll see how it plays with the electorate in November. Check out my full story about the budget and the election below. And have a good Monday.

—Chase

Read the Full Story on INDYWeek.com

North Carolina’s hemp industry is at risk. Senate-backed HB 328 threatens over tens of thousands of jobs, billions in revenue, and the well-being of local farmers, veterans, and small businesses. This damaging bill could ban widely used hemp products, paving the way for out-of-state marijuana corporations to dominate. Learn how this legislation could devastate our communities and why we must act now. Click to read how you can help protect North Carolina’s economy and hemp industry.

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Credit: Illustration by Nicole Pajor Moore

Cary Approves $511 Million Budget

The plan for the 2026 fiscal year includes pauses on capital projects, increases to solid waste fees, and a new, higher tax rate, Daneen Khan writes for the INDY.

Tillis Announces His Retirement

Via The Assembly: North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis, who has been a target of President Trump in recent days, says he’s not seeking re-election.

Send Us Your Questions About Parenting in Summer

INDY’s Jane Porter is taking all your questions about keeping the kiddos busy, spending time as a family and staying cool together in the Triangle during the summer.

If you’d like to advertise your business to The Daily’s 20,000-plus subscribers, please contact [email protected].

STATE: A bill that would eliminate parking minimums statewide has bipartisan support, Axios reports.

STATE: Legislators have reversed course on cutting funding for road improvements in cities including Raleigh, Durham and Cary, WUNC reports.

STATE: North Carolina Health News explains how the president’s spending bill could take away health care for hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians.

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  • Durham Next wants to create a “Welcome to Durham” (not Raleigh-Durham) sign at the airport. Have ideas? Fill out this survey.
  • People on Reddit are talking about hidden gems in Raleigh, from diners to vintage shopping.
  • News you can use: WRAL has a round-up of free and cheap movie screenings this summer.
  • If you think you saw a fireball in the sky last Tuesday afternoon, you might not be wrong, The Guardian reports.
  • Join us for: ANTICONFESSIONAL : MISTRIAL a 90-minute participatory performance and political workshop by queer artists Telmo Branco and Ren Mauney on July 6th at the Fruit, questioning state allegiance and practicing queer abolition through immersive artistic intervention.
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