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Credit: Photo by Matt Ramey

Good morning, readers.

The probe into former Cary town manager Sean Stegall’s spending is now in the hands of criminal investigators.

In a Monday press release, State Auditor Dave Boliek, whose office is looking into the town’s spending following Stegall’s resignation last month, said he met with Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman and the director of the State Bureau of Investigation to report on an initial analysis “that indicates potential criminal activity” by Stegall. 

“The data included a procurement card analysis of several transactions that are potentially indicative of fraud,” Boliek’s release stated. He added his office’s goal was to be “as useful as possible” in providing information that may support any future prosecution of criminal activity. The SBI launched a formal investigation on Tuesday at the request of Freeman and Cary police. 

So far, Stegall has not publicly addressed his departure, spending on the job, or the criminal probe. As INDY reporter Chloe Courtney Bohl wrote about what we know about Stegall’s thinking, “the closest we can come to reading Stegall’s mind is to read his book, The Top of the Arc”; the town spent more than $100,000 on marketing for the ghostwritten 117-pager.

Stegall’s severance agreement stipulated he would be paid $194,832 upon his departure, as long as he wasn’t terminated “due to being charged with or convicted of any felony crime involving fraud or moral turpitude,” per Stegall’s original employment contract with the town. We reached out to Cary staff to ask if the severance has been paid out yet but haven’t heard back. 

Following Stegall’s resignation, Cary Mayor Harold Weinbrecht initially said he didn’t think Stegall had broken any laws. He told Chloe last week he felt that Stegall betrayed his trust. In a statement Tuesday, Weinbrecht expressed confidence that “thorough investigations will lead to changes that will help ensure this doesn’t happen again.”

Read Chloe’s piece below on what public records and passages from The Top of the Arc tell us about Stegall’s tenure as town manager. 

—Jane

Read the Full Story on INDYWeek.com

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.

Learn More

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Illustration by Nicole Pajor Moore

Tuning In

A New Year’s resolution to cancel Spotify leads to a bigger question: How do other people find new music? INDY‘s Sarah Edwards emailed Triangle musicians and music lovers to ask.

Dishes at Kaara Modern Indian. Photo by Matt Ramey.

A Growing Appetite

As western Wake County’s international population grows, so does a polished, modern Indian restaurant scene, Jasmine Gallup writes for the INDY.

Credit: Illustration by Nicole Pajor Moore

Raise the Roof

Since Durham voters passed a $95 million affordable housing bond, the city has spent nearly all the money and exceeded several goals for building and preserving units, INDY’s Justin Laidlaw reports.

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LOCAL: Buddhist monks making a solemn 2,300-mile trek across the country to spread a message of peace will pass through Raleigh next weekend, Raleigh Magazine reports.

LOCAL: The Workers Union at UNC says campus housekeepers are being penalized and threatened with termination for using time off they’ve earned, The Daily Tar Heel reports.

EDUCATION: An appeals court has blocked the Trump administration’s effort to cap how much the federal government reimburses universities for indirect costs to research. the Duke Chronicle reports the so-called “F&A rate cap” was the school’s biggest concern amid federal funding cuts.

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