[SoDu Sunrise Showcase] Going to the Dogs in Durham?

WEATHER FORECAST

Per the National Weather Service: Sunny, with a high near 60. Tonight, mostly clear, with a low around 40.

Imagine my surprise the other day when I checked The Duke Chronicle site and saw my old Herald-Sun colleague Keith Upchurch smiling next to an affable golden retriever named Gold - a fixture, it turns out, around the university's East Campus.

It just so happens that I have a similar photo above the desk where I'm working right now. This image - from 2013, I believe, when we worked together at the office building along Pickett Road - was taken in Watts-Hillandale when Catherine and I still lived on Pennsylvania Avenue. Must've been July 4, when they held the neighborhood parade. It shows me and my (now dearly departed) Great Pyrenees, Huckleberry, next to Keith and his canine pal (also now dearly departed) Nugget.

"When you go home and the dog is happy to see you, and they're not placing any deadlines on you, that's very helpful," Upchurch told The Chronicle. "Being around a dog is the opposite of being stressed."

That's usually true, I think. Although I'm not sure Catherine would agree when it comes to our puggle, Calliope.

How do dogs make YOU feel? Let me know at wes.platt@southpointaccess.news.

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NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS

• [Talking Tariffs] Higher Prices Could Take the Fun Out of Games: Tariffs pushed by President Donald Trump – especially those against China and Canada – are expected to prompt steep cost increases for (among other things) board games and comic books.
• Creative Neighbors Make Finals of 2025 Hugo Awards: Good luck to Mur Lafferty, Natania Barron, and Ursula Vernon (a.k.a. T. Kingfisher)! The final ballot will go out to members of the World Science Fiction Society this month. Winners will be announced at Seattle Worldcon 2025 on Aug. 16.

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What's Happening Today?

• Durham Public Schools Board of Education Special Meeting. 5:30 p.m. Board chambers at 511 Cleveland St. (Durham Government)
• Durham Environmental Affairs Board. 6 p.m. Room 461 in the Durham County Administration Building at 201 E. Main St. (Durham Government)
• Cookie Decorating. Ages 3 to 5. 6 to 7 p.m. Pre-registration and adult participation required. Walltown Park Recreation Center at 1308 W. Club Blvd. Fee: $1.50 for county residents; $6.50 for non-county residents. (Durham Parks and Recreation)

Check out this week's activities!

IN MEMORIAM

• Durham Obituaries - April 8, 2025

FOR SUBSCRIBERS

• South Durham Restaurant Inspection Scores for March 2025
• [Subscriber Bonus] Durham High School Senior Spotlight!

INTERESTING ELSEWHERE

• China Launches Massive Tariff Retaliation on U.S. Goods [AXIOS]
• Former MLB Players Killed in Nightclub Collapse [BBC]
• Walmart Pulls Quarterly Income Forecast, Citing Tariffs [CNBC]
• Justice Department will Disband Crypto-Related Enforcement Team [The Associated Press]

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