SoDu Week in Review: Electric Buses Join Durham School Fleet, Participatory Budget Voting Begins, NC Fights Back on SNAP

Your weekend local lowdown, powered by Southpoint Access.
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SoDu So What? The Week's Top Stories

Durham City Roundup: Vote on $2.4M PB Projects, Budget Input Nights, Billing Switch & Veterans Day Closings

From participatory budgeting (vote through Nov. 30) and November Community Conversations with $25 gift cards, to the InfoSend billing change on Nov. 3, Veterans Day closures, and an award for Durham’s HEART program - here’s what you need to know.

🔗 Read the full story in Southpoint Access!

🛒 South Durham Grocery Price Check – Week of Oct. 30, 2025

Where can you stretch your grocery dollars the furthest in South Durham this week? We priced 17 everyday items - from eggs and milk to meat, pasta, and toilet paper - at nine major grocery stores serving the SoDu area.

This week’s SoDu Shopping Basket shows a $40+ spread between the most and least expensive stores, with value-conscious shoppers once again finding big savings at familiar spots.

🥇 Cheapest Grocery Total This Week

Walmart wins again with the lowest overall basket at $53.31, closely followed by Target ($53.90) and Food Lion ($55.85).

📊 Total Grocery Basket Cost by Store – Oct. 30, 2025

💰 Average cost across all stores: $68.04

🔗 Read the full story in Southpoint Access!

NC Attorney General Joins Suit Over SNAP Assistance

Jeff Jackson, North Carolina's attorney general, has joined a lawsuit filed against the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Office of Management and Budget over their refusal to fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP during the federal government shutdown.

This is expected to stall food assistance starting Nov. 1 for 1.4 million North Carolinians, including about 600,000 children - despite the fact that the USDA has at least $6 billion in contingency funds.

"They have emergency money to help feed children during this shutdown, and they're refusing to spend it," Jackson said in a statement. "I warned them last week that I would take them to court if they tried to hurt our kids, and today that's what we're doing."

On Friday, two judges ruled the Trump administration must fund these programs during the ongoing federal shutdown.

🔗 Read the full story in Southpoint Access!

Durham Schools Welcome Two New Electric Buses in South Durham

On Thursday, Parkwood Elementary School welcomed two new Thomas Built Buses electric school buses to the Durham Public Schools district.

These two buses can each carry about 72 elementary students or 48 middle and high school students, with a traveling range of about 150 miles, according to Anthony White, DPS executive director of auxiliary services. Extreme hot or cold weather can affect range.

"The most noticeable difference between electric buses and traditional diesel buses is that the electric buses are much quieter while in operation," White said.

Schools served by the two buses include:

• Parkwood Elementary School
• Lyons Farm Elementary School
• Club Boulevard Elementary School
• Shepard Middle School
• Hillside High School
• Durham School of Technology
• Durham Early College of Health Sciences

The district has 30 more buses on order, and expects to have 13 electric buses in the transportation fleet in 2026.

Southpoint Access: Supporting Hope Valley Elementary PTA

South Durham neighbors: help fund local news and local classrooms.

From now through Dec. 31, 2025, Southpoint Access will share a portion of every revenue stream with the Hope Valley Elementary PTA (HVE PTA):

• 20% of subscriptions (after standard processing fees)
• 10% of donations (after fees)
• 10% of sponsorships (net of documented hard costs)

🔗 Read the full story in Southpoint Access!

🎟️ Events In and Around South Durham – Nov. 1

🚗 Cars and Coffee Morrisville — 8–11 a.m.
5425 Page Rd.
One of the Southeast's largest monthly car events. Admission is free, but a $5 donation to the month's charity is appreciated. The theme this month: RAD Day, 80s and 90s.

🏡 Home Buyer 101 (Durham County Library) — 10 a.m.–12 p.m.
South Regional Library, 4505 S. Alston Ave.
Are you looking to get started in buying a home, but not sure where to start? Help break through the confusion by attending this seminar! Join real estate agent Olivia Beadle and mortgage loan officer Stephen Miglarese as they help demystify the homebuying process. Registration required.

🎃 Trunk or Treat (Sensory-Friendly) (Kind Behavioral Health) — 10 a.m.–12 p.m.
1012 Slater Rd.
Free event where families can learn about autism resources. Please RSVP.

👵👴 Grandparents Day (Durham Parks & Recreation) — 11 a.m.–1 p.m.
Lyon Park, 1309 Halley St.
Want to celebrate your grandparents? Join us for a day of fun at Lyon Park! Together families can create crafts, enjoy a snack, and most importantly, spend quality time with their grandparents. This event is open to residents of all ages who are attending with their grandparent(s). Pre-registration required. All ages. Free!

🗣️ Spanish Conversation (Durham County Library) — 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
South Regional Library, 4505 S. Alston Ave.
Join us for coffee and Spanish conversation! No pressure to be perfect, just a splash of Spanglish and a whole lot of friendly conversation!

📚 North Carolina Collection Open House (Durham County Library) — 3:30–5:30 p.m.
Main Library, 300 N. Roxboro St.
The North Carolina Collection invites you to join us for an Open House to celebrate our 100+ year history of collecting North Carolina! Whether you’re a local history buff, or just curious about the North Carolina Collection, we encourage you to visit us on Saturday, Nov. 1 from 3:30 – 5:30 for a celebration of Durham and North Carolina history!

• Explore unique archival materials from the North Carolina Collection
• Play a round of Durham trivia and other history games
• See archival footage of Durham from the 1940s
• Browse the NCC’s book collection
• Learn more about the North Carolina Collection’s mission and resources

All ages are welcome! Drop in any time from 3:30 – 5:30 pm at the North Carolina Collection on the 3rd floor. Pre-registration is requested.

🚴 Full Moon Fever Ride (Durham Parks & Recreation) — 7:30–8:30 p.m.
American Tobacco Trail.
Experience the American Tobacco Trail at night with the Full Moon Fever Bike Ride with Durham Parks and Recreation. There's no cost to participate, and you don't need to register. Depending on how far you want to ride, choose one of these two start locations and times.

7:30 p.m. - Early Start Time 

The early start is at 7:30 p.m. in front of Mellow Mushroom (410 Blackwell Street) in downtown Durham. That group will ride down the American Tobacco Trail and meet up with the late group that meets at 8:30 p.m. in front of Bean Traders Coffee Shop.

8:30 p.m. - Late Start Time 

The late group will meet at 8:30 p.m. in front of Bean Traders (105 W North Carolina 54) on Hwy 54 at Fayetteville Street.

Both groups will ride together on the American Tobacco Trail to the end of the pavement at New Hope Church Road (7.5 miles one way from Bean Traders) and then turn around and head back towards Durham. Riders are free to turnaround at any point and head back towards Durham at any time or keep going past the end of the pavement to the end of the natural surface trail. Riding pace is up to each individual rider but is typically very casual. No riders will be dropped within the main group. Helmets and lights are required. The number of lights and the type of lights you have is up to you; however, the lights must be visible from at least several hundred feet from the front of the bike. You must also have lighting on the back of your bike. Rain or unsafe riding conditions cancels the ride. In case of inclement weather, check our website, DPR Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages for last minute cancellations. A cancellation statement will be given by 6 p.m. the evening of the ride. No pre-registration required. All ages. Free!

📅 More local happenings on the SoDu Events Calendar.

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🚗 Need a Traffic Update?

Check our Southpoint Access Live Traffic Map for real-time road conditions across Fayetteville Road, NC Highway 55, and I-40.

Avoid delays and plan your route smarter!

Looking for the best deals on gasoline? Check out the SoDu Fuel Tracker!

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