Lead storyteller. Game designer and journalist. Recovering Floridian. Email: southpointaccessnews@gmail.com.
Business
Lapels Cleaners, a franchise of Clean Brands LLC, on June 22 opens its new location in South Durham’s Renaissance Village near The Streets at Southpoint. The shop is the second for Sukhjiwan Singh – also known as Jay – a U.S. Army veteran who previously established a location in Cary.
![[Fiction] Dear Posse No. 11: Perpetual Half-Light](/content/images/size/w600/wordpress/2024/06/birdintwilight.png)
Fiction
I’m working on a serial fiction project. Each segment will be published here and on Patreon. It is available in full to Patreon supporters: Dear Posse, Eliza and I decided to venture further into the twilight today. The dusky glow seems to touch everything now, wrapping the world in
Local Government
What’s happened with funds received by Durham County from the national opioid settlement? That’s the topic of a meeting planned June 24 in the commissioners’ chambers from 5 to 6:30 p.m. The annual community meeting provides a follow-up to the 2023 input session and online survey.
![[SoDu Reading Room] Could Increased Physical Activity Mean Mentally Healthier Durham Kids?](/content/images/size/w600/wordpress/2024/06/mental-health-youth.png)
Columns
North Carolina students’ mental health is improving as they become more physically active, according to the results of the 2023 NC Youth Risk Behavior Surveys (YRBS) presented to the State Board of Education. After nearly a decade of declining physical activity and mental health metrics, the new data shows positive
![[Video] To the Point Episode 5: Know Your Durham School Assignment](/content/images/size/w600/wordpress/2024/06/to-the-point-video-5-thumbnail-template.png)
Commentary
In the fifth episode of To the Point, Wes Platt, editor and publisher of Southpoint Access, discusses confusion over a recent letter from Durham Public Schools, plus the City Council’s passage of a new budget – with a property tax rate increase – for Durham. * Visit Southpoint Access: https://southpointaccess.news/
Local Government
The Durham City Council on Monday unanimously approved the $668 million budget for the 2024-2025 fiscal year, with a property tax rate increase of 3.85 cents per $100 of property value. The new rate is 59.62 cents, up from 55.77 cents in 2023. According to the property
Features
The Durham Arts Council Artist Support Grant is now open to artists who have lived in Durham, Orange, Person, or Alamance counties for at least one year before the application deadline of Aug. 30. Eligible art forms include: * Craft. * Music. * Dance. * Painting/Drawing/Printmaking/Mixed Media. * Film/Video. * Photography. * Literature.
Features
On July 13, from 1 to 4 p.m., Book Harvest holds its annual summer block party at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park on Blackwell Street downtown. The event kicks off National Summer Learning Week with free books, activities, and music. Parking and admission are free. It features special guest
News
The Durham Public Schools Foundation has announced the students who received scholarships funded by charitable giving to the organization during the 2023-2024 academic year. Those students include: * Jani Alston, Hillside High School, First Generation Scholarship. * Diane Mikaela Apolonio, Middle College at Durham Technical Community College, Durham Promise Scholarship. * Christian Barron-Anaya,
![[Fiction] Dear Posse No. 10: The World is Talking](/content/images/size/w600/wordpress/2024/06/dearposse10.png)
Fiction
I’m working on a serial fiction project. Each segment will be published here and on Patreon. It is available in full to Patreon supporters: Dear Posse, Eliza stayed over last night. We didn’t sleep much, too busy comparing notes on our new reality. She sees the glowing wisteria,
Features
The Festival for the Eno, also known as Enofest, is a vibrant annual celebration held at the West Point on the Eno Park in Durham. This festival, deeply rooted in local culture and history, has become a cherished event for music lovers, craft enthusiasts, and families seeking a fun and
Local Government
Janice Little won first place in the DCo on the Go Design contest, which invited local adults and youths to design artwork for the bus wrap to go on a new “mobile Durham County Office.” The contest’s first, second, and third place winners in the youth and adult categories