INDY Stories That Stood Out In 2024

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Good morning, readers.

It’s the last full week of 2024 and the INDY’s final Daily newsletter of the year. I wanted to take a look back at some of our writers’ work and share a few of my favorite ‘stories that stood in 2024’ with you. 

The year started with a payroll crisis in Durham Public Schools. In January, the Durham Association of Educators organized a sickout for DPS teachers and staff; Justin Laidlaw and our partners at the 9th Street Journal captured that day through photos and scenes. Justin followed the DAE’s organizing work through the year and their effort to secure a meet-and-confer policy with the school board. He also kept a watchful eye on Durham happenings: this report on local bar owner’s frustrations with ongoing construction downtown taps into the broader struggle downtowns are facing post-COVID. And he wrote this comprehensive profile of Mayor Leo Williams whose seat is up for election in 2025.

In May, we published Lena Geller’s haunting story about a group of tenants mired in a legal dispute with the family of former U.S. attorney general Loretta Lynch. This summer, Lena wrote about an incident at Plum restaurant in which the restaurant’s owner repeatedly said the N word and fired a Black employee who confronted her about using the slur. It was our most-read story of the year. 

Chloe Courtney-Bohl, our Report for America corps member, joined us in July and quickly got to work covering Raleigh and Wake County. She captured all the ins and outs of the Raleigh City Council at-large and Districts A and C races. She also wrote about a new short-term homestay program for college students experiencing homelessness.  

And writer Chase Pellegrini de Paur has an eye for the offbeat and a humorous touch: I enjoyed these stories on Bill Clinton’s and Donald Trump’s visits to the Triangle, Flagstock, and the 20th annual Beaver Queen pageant.  

There were so many other INDY stories from 2024 that are worth a re-read: Arts and Culture editor Sarah Edwards’ report on Bull City Summit. Lena’s profile of Durham DA Satana Deberry, a collaboration with The Assembly, as well as her farewell to downtown’s COPA restaurant. Chase’s piece on the last day of Mark Robinson’s ill-fated gubernatorial campaign. Our staff photojournalist Angelica Edwards also did some impressive work, capturing the student protests at UNC and the portraits of the Lynches’ now-former tenants, to name just two examples.

Thank you for reading our work this year and supporting the INDY. Have a wonderful rest of the year and we’ll be back in your inboxes in 2025.

—Jane

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Durham

The Durham Public Schools board approved new walk zones, in which bus service won’t be offered, near 21 elementary schools. The zones will impact around 800 students.

Wake

ICYMI: A Florida firm is planning a mixed use housing development on 55 acres of downtown Raleigh property it’s leasing from Saint Augustine’s University. 

Following arrests at the RDU1 Amazon warehouse in Garner, union organizers addressed the Garner Town Council. 

Orange

Orange County DA Jeff Nieman dismissed all charges against the pro-Palestinian protesters at UNC.

North Carolina

A federal judge denied Jefferson Griffin’s request for a temporary restraining order in the disputed race against Allison Riggs for a seat on the NC Supreme Court. 

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