Independent news and updates for South Durham, covering local development, government, health, and community life.

Lakewood plan calls for affordable homes, safer streets

What should come next for Lakewood, West End, and Lyon Park? A proposed neighborhood plan calls for affordable housing, safer streets, and changes at the Shoppes at Lakewood. Here’s what’s up for discussion Oct. 13, along with four development cases.

[Dispatches Received in Error Issue 27] Memo Marked for Horatio Guppman, by Name

A weekly serial fiction project for paid subscribers, unfolding through a growing archive of documents from an alternate-universe Southpoint.

Durham faces damaging wind, brief tornado risks Sunday

Durham could see damaging winds and brief tornadoes Sunday, with the main storm risk between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. Here’s what to know before heading out.

[Video] Nerdspresso Phase II: Next-Gen Horror

Jeff Stanford’s son, Tate, joins Jeff and Wes Platt to talk “Obsession,” “Backrooms,” Halloween favorites, and what makes horror stick with a new generation.

Durham Public Schools Cafeteria Menu: What’s for Lunch Oct. 12-16, 2026

Year-round students return Monday, just in time for DPS cafeterias to celebrate National School Lunch Week. What’s cooking under the “Cafeteria Circus” big top?

[The Gourmand Next Door] What's So Super About "Super Tuscans?"

Sassicaia and Tignanello broke Tuscany’s wine rules and became legends. Preston Wilson explores what makes a Tuscan “super” and how to pick a bottle for your next celebration.

[SoDu We Work] Public service and campus jobs lead this week’s SoDu guide additions

Who’s hiring near South Durham? This week’s jobs guide adds 44 listings, with public service and campus openings leading the update.

South Durham in Five: A fallen firefighter, Lowe’s Grove, gas taxes, Isaias, and housing

Five stories to catch up on, plus Crime Watch, restaurant inspections, grocery prices, jobs, early voting, and a rainy weekend’s worth of plans.

[SeeGov Enhanced] DPS seeks a plan for old Lowe’s Grove School after $18.5 million restoration estimate

What’s next for the old Lowe’s Grove School? An $18.5 million restoration estimate has DPS weighing its options, alongside updates on express bus stops, budget changes, and contract oversight.

[SoDu Crime Watch] Vehicle-related theft leads latest update

The Oct. 2-8 roundup includes 105 selected property and financial reports and arrest entries naming three people under our serious-charge screen. Which reports were closest to you?

N.C. gas-tax pause starts Saturday

A 15-gallon fill-up could save SoDu drivers up to $6.15, but the full 41-cent cut may not show up at the pump right away. Here’s what to expect and how the state plans to protect road funding.

[Nerdspresso] 'Cocaine Bear' and the thrill of a first R-rated movie

What was your first R-rated movie in a theater? Jeff Stanford revisits “Cocaine Bear,” the bloody, ridiculous comedy that made him a cool dad for 90 minutes.