Southpoint Access

[SoDu Sunrise Showcase] Sept. 3, 2025 - Afternoon Edition!

On the road in St. Louis, so pardon the delay - but I've got news for you from Durham academic performance to the big development near Brier Creek to Hope Valley Elementary's OneFundraiser!

Wes Platt

03 Sep 2025 — 11 min read

Hello, South Durham!

On Tuesday, I arrived in St. Louis and hit the ground running, meeting with other community news providers from around the country preparing for the start of the LION Publishers News Sustainability Summit.

Even before the conference began, I got inspiration for new features that I want to provide for my neighbors in South Durham. And now, during the first full day of the summit, I'm taking a break to work on this (delayed) SoDu Sunrise Showcase newsletter because, folks, news doesn't stop just because I leave town for a few days.

And welcome to Darren, one of our new paid SoDu Crew subscribers! I really appreciate the support for hyperlocal journalism.

In today's issue:

North Carolina - and Durham - Got Their Education Performance Report
Durham City Council Approved Gateway at Brier Creek
Hope Valley Elementary School is Kicking Off OneFundraiser Effort
What's Ahead for the Rest of This Week
New Ways for Businesses to Engage with Southpoint Access Readers

Contribute to Our Fundraiser

Support Our Sponsors

[SoDu Alert] Durham Public Schools Closed Dec. 5 Due to Weather

All students have shifted to remote learning on Friday. Packets went home with elementary school students, while middle and high school students can check for work on Canvas.

[WordroW] Lofting Away

A daily, hyper-local word/phrase challenge pulled from recent Southpoint Access coverage.

SoDu Shopping Basket: Walmart Holds Lowest Grocery Basket in South Durham as Prices Stabilize

Food Lion and Target also offer competitive totals, while Fresh Market remains nearly $43 higher for the same items. This week’s SoDu Shopping Basket shows slight price drops across most stores.

DPS Policy Committee: Warrants, Private Zones, and Naloxone

The committee meets Thursday, Dec. 4. On deck: a Private Zones protocol for handling immigration-related visits, a community-submitted rewrite of Policy 5120 on law enforcement in schools, and a new draft to allow naloxone in schools.