Indy: In Raleigh, Gawker’s Former “Editor of the Internet” Turns Toward Analog Media
Neetzan Zimmerman and Yulia Shamis will open The Newsagent’s, a cultural hub that’s part bookshop, part coffee shop, part event space in the Mahler building on Fayetteville Street this summer.
by Jane Porter06/06/2025
Indy: Owners Neetzan Zimmerman and Yulia Shamis. Photo by Angelica Edwards.
In another timeline, journalist Neetzan Zimmerman was in charge of creating clickable stories that would drive millions of monthly page views to news websites such as Gawker, The Messenger, and The Hill.
Now, Zimmerman and his wife, Yulia Shamis, a biomedical scientist with a doctoral degree, have plans to chase a different kind of traffic: foot traffic on downtown Raleigh’s newly reemerging Fayetteville Street.
This summer, the couple will open The Newsagent’s, a cultural hub located in the historic Mahler building in the heart of the City of Oaks. Part bookshop, part coffee shop, part event space, The Newsagent’s will be, in Zimmerman’s telling, a museum of the common, “a place where people can come and appreciate all sorts of cultural artifacts from the past, things that maybe have been neglected or forgotten or set aside too early.”
“I’m not breaking new ground. I’m just trying to recapture something we’ve lost and something I think we need to find again. It’s important for society that we have these spaces and the time to spend with these artifacts, because they’re what make us human.”
via Indy Week
WRAL: Wake County students fight summer hunger with cereal box domino demo
As summer break looms, many Wake County children face the challenge of food insecurity, but Dillard Drive Magnet Elementary School students are tackling the issue with an innovative cereal box drive.
Thousands of Wake County kids are heading into summer break without a guaranteed hot breakfast and lunch, but Dillard Drive Magnet Elementary School is hoping to change that with the solution of hundreds of cereal boxes.
Global Studies teacher Kristen Terry encouraged her students to start a school-wide effort to collect cereal boxes. They then lined up the collection for a toppling domino chain.
….
As the gap closed from box to box in the domino chain of cereal boxes at Dillard Drive Magnet Elementary, Urban Ministries’ pantries got more full, and students learned how an act of kindness can make a big impact.
“We are putting other people first because we are giving them food to eat at home,” Briana Adebioui, a student in Terry’s Global Studies class, said.
Urban Ministries of Wake County welcomes monetary and food donations as well as volunteers.
via WRAL.com
NC Newline: Gov. Josh Stein joins panel to discuss, debate housing affordability and supply crisis
High construction costs, labor shortages and supply chain issues all contribute to soaring housing costs and supply shortages, Gov. Josh Stein said Tuesday. But the state’s growing popularity as a destination for transplants is also a big part of the problem, Stein said.
When people move to North Carolina, Stein said, they need a place to stay and when there is a shortage of available units, newcomers, who often come with higher salaries and larger bank accounts, are willing to pay more for housing.
“And then it means everybody else is left to struggle,” he said.said.
Gov. Josh Stein. Photo: Greg Childress
By: Greg Childress @ NC Newsline
Tuesday’s meeting was an opportunity for Stein to discuss solutions to the housing crisis with housing experts and local officials and to consider legislation and public policy initiatives to speed up the building process to boost the state’s housing supply.
“Our state is growing, and people need a safe and affordable place to live,” Stein said. “We will remain focused on identifying solutions to lower the cost of housing for North Carolinians at every stage of life and work to ensure every person has a safe place to call home.”
The housing crisis in North Carolina is real. The state faces a five-year housing inventory gap of 764,478 units (322,360 rental units and 442,118 for-sale units), according to a recent statewide report commissioned by the NC Chamber Foundation, NC REALTORS and the N.C. Homebuilders Association.
Story continued at NC Newsline
NC House passes bill to expand sheriff complicity with ICE/La Asamblea General aprueba un proyecto de ley para ampliar la complicidad de los alguaciles con ICE
On April 29, the NC General Assembly passed House Bill 318. The bill expands a 2024 law requiring cooperation of sheriff departments with ICE. The expanded bill would require sheriff and other officials to work with ICE to determine the status of anyone detained for a felony, class A-1 misdemeanor, or DUI-related offense.
El 29 de abril, la Asamblea General de Carolina del Norte aprobó el Proyecto de Ley 318 de la Cámara de Representantes. Este proyecto amplía una ley de 2024 que exige la cooperación de los departamentos del alguacil con el ICE
NC House passes bill to expand sheriff complicity with ICE
May 13, 2025
On April 29, the NC General Assembly passed House Bill 318. The bill expands a 2024 law requiring cooperation of sheriff departments with ICE.
The expanded bill would require sheriff and other officials to work with ICE to determine the status of anyone detained for a felony, class A-1 misdemeanor, or DUI-related offense. It would further expand the time that officials are required to hold the detained person for an ICE detainer, from 48 hours to 48 hours after the detained person is scheduled to be released.
The bill passed by a 70-45 margin on nearly straight party lines, with Rep. Carla Cunningham of Mecklenburg the only Democrat to join her Republican colleagues in voting in favor of the bill. The bill, which has been sent to the state senate and is expected to be passed there, would still require endorsement by Governor Josh Stein, a Democrat, to become law.
La Asamblea General aprueba un proyecto de ley para ampliar la complicidad de los alguaciles con ICE
13 de mayo de 2025
El 29 de abril, la Asamblea General de Carolina del Norte aprobó el Proyecto de Ley 318 de la Cámara de Representantes. Este proyecto amplía una ley de 2024 que exige la cooperación de los departamentos del alguacil con el ICE. Este proyecto ampliado exigiría que los alguaciles y otros funcionarios colaboraran con el ICE para determinar el estatus migratorio de cualquier persona detenida por un delito grave, un delito menor de clase A-1, o una infracción relacionada con conducir bajo los efectos del alcohol. Además, ampliaría el tiempo que los funcionarios deben retener a la persona detenida para una orden de detención del ICE, de 48 horas a 48 horas después de la fecha programada para su liberación. El proyecto de ley se aprobó por un margen de 70 a 45 en líneas partidarias casi idénticas, siendo la representante Carla Cunningham de Mecklenburg la única demócrata que se unió a sus colegas republicanos para votar a favor. El proyecto de ley, que ya se envió al Senado estatal y se espera que se apruebe allí, aún requeriría la aprobación del gobernador demócrata Josh Stein para convertirse en ley.
Trump signs more executive orders expanding immigration enforcement/Trump firma más órdenes ejecutivas que amplían la aplicación de la ley migratoria
On April 28, Trump signed three separate executive orders (EO’s) expanding his administration’s crackdown on immigration, and punishing those who would stand in his way.
El 28 de abril, Trump firmó tres órdenes ejecutivas independientes que amplían la ofensiva de su administración contra la inmigración y castigan a quienes se opongan a su control.
Trump signs more executive orders expanding immigration enforcement
May 4, 2025
On April 28, Trump signed three separate executive orders (EO’s) expanding his administration’s crackdown on immigration, and punishing those who would stand in his way.
Protecting American Communities from Criminal Aliens gives the Attorney General and Secretary of Homeland Security thirty days to publish a list of “sanctuary jurisdictions”--states, cities, and towns the administration deems out of compliance with its immigration enforcement policies. Once identified, these so-called sanctuary jurisdictions would have their federal funds, including grants and contracts, cut off or canceled.
The order states that the administration will “pursue all necessary legal remedies and enforcement actions” against sanctuary jurisdictions that fail to meet its definition of compliance. It further mandates the development of eligibility rules and regulations for any individual seeking federal benefits from private entities inside a sanctuary jurisdiction.
Finally, it authorizes the departments of Justice and Homeland Security to take action against public universities that offer in-state tuition to undocumented migrants and not to other out-of-state students. The White House did not clarify whether this section of the order would apply to DACA students (a.k.a. ‘Dreamers’), whose eligibility for enrollment is protected by law.
Strengthening and Unleashing America’s Law Enforcement to Pursue Criminals and Protect Innocent Citizens gives the Attorney General and Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security, 90 days to “increase the provision of excess military and national security assets in local jurisdictions to assist State and local law enforcement.” The EO represents a major departure in a long-held U.S. tradition of keeping the military out of domestic law enforcement, and may lay the groundwork for the utilization of the armed forces in local-level immigration enforcement.
Enforcing Commonsense Rules of the Road for America’s Truck Drivers orders the enforcement of English proficiency as a requirement for drivers of commercial vehicles. Although English proficiency is already a requirement for commercial truck drivers, the EO rescinds previous guidance on English proficiency testing and mandates the issuance of new guidance and enforcement personnel to test for proficiency. This decree builds on Trump’s previous EO declaring English as the official language of the United States.
Trump firma más órdenes ejecutivas que amplían la aplicación de la ley migratoria
4 de mayo de 2025
El 28 de abril, Trump firmó tres órdenes ejecutivas independientes que amplían la ofensiva de su administración contra la inmigración y castigan a quienes se opongan a su control.
“Protección de las Comunidades Estadounidenses contra la Inmigración Extranjera” otorga al Fiscal General y a la Secretaria de Seguridad Nacional treinta días para publicar una lista de "jurisdicciones santuario": estados, ciudades, y pueblos que la administración considera que no cumplen con sus políticas de control migratorio. Una vez identificadas, se les suspenderán o cancelarán los fondos federales, incluyendo subvenciones y contratos, a estas supuestas jurisdicciones santuario.
La orden establece que la administración "empleará todos los recursos legales y medidas coercitivas necesarias" contra las jurisdicciones santuario que incumplan su definición de cumplimiento. Además, exige el desarrollo de normas y reglamentos de elegibilidad para cualquier persona que solicite beneficios federales de entidades privadas dentro de una jurisdicción santuario.
Finalmente, autoriza a los departamentos de Justicia y Seguridad Nacional a tomar medidas contra las universidades públicas que ofrecen matrícula estatal a inmigrantes indocumentados y no a otros estudiantes de otros estados. La Casa Blanca no aclaró si esta sección de la orden se aplicaría a los estudiantes de DACA (también conocidos como ‘Dreamers”’), cuya elegibilidad para la inscripción está protegida por ley.
“El Fortalecimiento y Liberación de las Fuerzas del Orden de Estados Unidos para Perseguir a Delincuentes y Proteger a Ciudadanos Inocentes” otorga al Fiscal General y al Secretario de Defensa, en consulta con la Secretaria de Seguridad Nacional, 90 días para “aumentar la provisión de recursos militares y de seguridad nacional excedentes en jurisdicciones locales para apoyar a las fuerzas del orden estatales y locales”.
La Orden Ejecutiva representa un cambio importante en la larga tradición estadounidense de mantener a las fuerzas armadas al margen de las fuerzas del orden nacionales y podría sentar las bases para el uso de las fuerzas armadas en la aplicación de la ley migratoria a nivel local.
“La Aplicación de las Reglas de Sentido Común de la Calle para los Conductores de Camiones de Estados Unidos” exige el dominio del inglés como requisito para los conductores de vehículos comerciales.
Si bien el dominio del inglés ya es un requisito para los conductores de camiones comerciales, la Orden Ejecutiva anula las directrices anteriores sobre las pruebas de dominio del inglés y manda la emisión de nuevas directrices y personal de control para evaluar dicho dominio. Este decreto se basa en la Orden Ejecutiva anterior de Trump, que declaraba el inglés como idioma oficial de Estados Unidos.
Holly Springs Park Entertainment Complex Plans to Add Commercial
Garner Impact: Garner and Holly Springs both have populations around 41,000, however, Garner continues to struggle to attract commercial development and amenities.
Holly Springs is planning to add an entertainment complex with restaurants and retail stores to Ting Park, a popular local sports and entertainment venue.
Garner Impact: Garner and Holly Springs both have populations around 41,000, however, Garner continues to struggle to attract commercial development and amenities.
Holly Springs officials are planning to add an entertainment complex with restaurants and retail stores to Ting Park, a popular local sports and entertainment venue.
This expansion aims to provide more amenities for park visitors, such as those waiting for children at sports practices or games. The initiative comes as Holly Springs has experienced significant population growth in recent years, and the town hopes the new complex will encourage residents to stay local for entertainment and attract visitors.
Local residents have expressed support for having food options at the park, and officials are seeking public input this summer with potential bidding for developers starting in the fall.
Leaders Pack Cary Town Hall to Support Affordable Housing
Garner Impact: While Garner has concluded its Affordable Housing Task Force work, other municipalities in Wake County are moving forward to take action.
On Thursday night, ONE Wake leaders helped pack Cary Town Hall in a major show of support for the Carr Center, a new development that will bring dozens of affordable housing units, early childhood education facilities, and vital community space to the campus of Greenwood Forest Baptist Church. Over 130 Cary residents and supporters showed up, one of the strongest turnouts we have seen at a Cary Town Council meeting.
Garner Impact
Garner Impact: While Garner has concluded its Affordable Housing Task Force work, other municipalities in Wake County are moving forward to take action.
April 26, 2025
Leaders Pack Cary Town Hall to Support Affordable Housing
On Thursday night, ONE Wake leaders helped pack Cary Town Hall in a major show of support for the Carr Center, a new development that will bring dozens of affordable housing units, early childhood education facilities, and vital community space to the campus of Greenwood Forest Baptist Church. Over 130 Cary residents and supporters showed up, one of the strongest turnouts we have seen at a Cary Town Council meeting.
This project is the result of years of hard work and collaboration between Greenwood Forest Baptist Church, The Caring Place, and DHIC, working together to turn church and town-owned land into a place where more families can thrive. On Thursday night, the Cary Town Council voted unanimously and enthusiastically to approve the rezoning that will make this development possible. This is what organized people acting consistently and persistently can accomplish!
Media Coverage
Indyweek: Cary Approves Affordable Housing in Church's Backyard
NewsObserver: Affordable Housing Set for Church Property Will Change Lives
Greenwood Forest Baptist Church, a ONE Wake founding member, shared the following message about this tremendous win:
"Not that long ago, people didn't believe such a thing was possible in Cary but your continued dedication and persistent presence has made a way. Thank you! Special thanks to ONE WAKE and Habitat for Humanity of Wake County for coming alongside us to make this historic turnout possible!
We'll be having a community launch party for the Carr Center on May 18 at GFBC from 3:00 - 5:00 pm and we'd love to see you there to celebrate."
Jones Sausage Road: News and Observer, ‘Diverging diamond’ coming to I-40 interchange south of Raleigh. What drivers should know.
The new Jones Sausage interchange is part of a larger effort to widen I-40 from Raleigh south into Johnston County, which got underway in 2018. When plans for the project were presented to the public in 2017, NCDOT anticipated the interchange would remain essentially as it is today.
Garner Impact: This is significant change to the original plan. It is not clear what impact this will have on traffic along Jones Sausage Road or near by residents and businesses.
This N.C. Department of Transportation map shows the planned diverging diamond pattern at the Jones Sausage Road interchange with Interstate 40 in Garner. Construction is set to begin in July 2023 and finish in the fall. NCDOT
Garner Impact
Garner Impact: Garner Impact: This is significant change to the original plan. It is not clear what impact this will have on traffic along Jones Sausage Road or near by residents and businesses.
Read at Watch at N&O: HERE
BY RICHARD STRADLING
July 14, 2023
Diverging diamonds are still new to most Triangle drivers. The design involves crisscrossing traffic at either end of the interchange in a way that eliminates left turns across traffic and the amount of time drivers spend sitting at red lights. When plans for the project were presented to the public in 2017, NCDOT anticipated the interchange would remain essentially as it is today.
Highlights
But then Amazon announced that it would build a distribution center on the Garner side of the interchange, with thousands of employees and hundreds of trucks coming and going each day. NCDOT and the town agreed that the existing configuration of the interchange would be overwhelmed, said NCDOT spokesman Aaron Moody.
“It’s going to have to handle more traffic,” Moody said. “And we know the DDI does that safer and more efficiently.”
Read at Watch at N&O: HERE
WRAL: A new North Hills? Johnston County unveils multimillion dollar Waterfront District
A multimillion dollar plan called ‘The Waterfront District’ is in the works near Highway 42. It would bring along hundreds of housing units, restaurants, and shops with waterfront views over North East Lake.
Garner Impact: Garner Impact: While Clayton and Johnston County continue to grow and attract a diverse tax base from both the residential and commercial direction, mixed use developers are ignoring Garner leaving Garner prey to tract home/townhome and low-rise apartment builders.
Garner Impact
Garner Impact: While Clayton and Johnston County continue to grow and attract a diverse tax base from both the residential and commercial direction, mixed use developers are ignoring Garner leaving Garner prey to tract home/townhome and low-rise apartment builders.
Read at Watch at WRAL: HERE
By Aaron Thomas, WRAL reporter
January 12, 2023
A multimillion dollar plan called 'The Waterfront District' is in the works near Highway 42. It would bring along hundreds of housing units, restaurants, and shops with waterfront views.
Nearby, an area called Flowers Crossroads is 'glowing with activity,' and right across the lake is where CEO Reid Stephenson says the Waterfront District will be located. It's a huge undertaking for a rural county – and bringing about mixed responses from locals.
Highlights
Currently under construction are 312 apartments. The views and North District is going to be 315 townhomes with the Waterfront District adjacent to the lake.
Read at Watch at WRAL: HERE
NEWS & OBSERVER: Open for decades, Raleigh’s oldest golf center will close to make way for development
Wake County’s rapid growth in the last few years has brought out even more people to play golf, take lessons and swing endlessly on the driving range, on which a scene of “Bull Durham” was once filmed.
But that growth will soon bring an end to the activities in Raleigh’s oldest golf center, loved by longtime members and beginners alike.
Garner Impact: The headline says Raleigh but this is actually in Garner’s planning jurisdiction and affects Garner residents. Over 1000 residents have signed a petition opposing the rezoning. See it HERE
Garner Impact
Garner Impact: The headline says Raleigh but this is actually in Garner’s planning jurisdiction and affects Garner residents. Over 1000 residents have signed a petition opposing the rezoning. See it HERE
Read in News & Observer: HERE
By Aaron Sánchez-Guerra
AUGUST 24, 2022
On most afternoons, golf balls sail through the air and roll across the grassy expanse of 401 Par Golf on Fayetteville Road, where the sounds of nature mix in with the whooshes of swinging clubs.
Wake County’s rapid growth in the last few years has brought out even more people to play golf, take lessons and swing endlessly on the driving range, on which a scene of “Bull Durham” was once filmed.
Highlights
A golf school, a golf gear store and the first Pelican’s SnoBalls shaved ice shop to open — businesses housed within the Par Golf property — have to close by December to make way for the development.
The development has not been approved yet by the town of Garner. A request has been submitted to rezone the land to allow for high-density building. The timeline is unclear of when it will move forward to a public hearing with the town council, but residents already have started expressing concerns about a shift to dense development in the area.
“Having an affordable, easygoing place where you can go where you’re not judged, and everybody is friendly, it’s hard to find that type of thing,” said Kristan, 63. “It’ll be difficult for people around here. ... A friend of mine said the other day, ‘If you go out of business, I’m going to have to drive 45 minutes to hit a bucket of balls.’ That’s insane.”
Existing single-family homes currently surround the property. The land is federally designated as an Opportunity Zone, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which means that SLI Capital could qualify for economic incentives for building on the land.
Read in News & Observer: HERE
NEWS & OBSERVER: N.C. city sees a nearly 75% increase in rent prices for a one-bedroom apartment
Greensboro one bedrooms are 75% higher than they were at this time last year. Raleigh, Durham, Charlotte, Cary and Winston Salem also see rent increases.
Garner Impact: Garner has also seen similar dramatic increases which has impacted the town’s housing affordability for teachers, government employees, police, fire, and other working class families.
A mailbox unit at South Pointe Apartments in Greensboro. JASON DEBRUYN WUNC
Garner Impact
Garner has also seen similar dramatic increases which has impacted the town’s housing affordability for teachers, government employees, police, fire, and other working class families.
Read in News & Observer: HERE
UPDATED AUGUST 26, 2022 12:23 PM
Greensboro one bedrooms are 75% higher than they were at this time last year. Raleigh, Durham, Charlotte, Cary and Winston Salem also see rent increases.
Highlights
ONE-BEDROOM RENT INCREASES IN THE TRIANGLE Greensboro saw the largest increase in one-bedroom rent prices year-over-year, out of all the cities listed in this report.
• Greensboro: At $1,289 on average in July 2022, Greensboro one-bedroom units are 74.2% more expensive than they were last year. Raleigh also made the top-10 list for largest increases to one-bedroom prices year-over-year, coming in as the fifth largest increase.
• Raleigh: At $1,840 on average in July 2022, Raleigh one-bedroom units are 42.1% more expensive than they were last year. Here’s how other listed North Carolina spots compare for one-bedrooms:
Charlotte: $1,596 on average in July 2022. This is over 23% more expensive than last year.
Durham: $1,539 on average in July 2022. This is over 33% more expensive than last year.
Winston-Salem: $1,293 on average in July 2022. This is over 22% more expensive than last year.
Josie Williams, executive director of the Greensboro Housing Coalition, says she’s seen a significant increase in homelessness and those at risk of homelessness over the past year.
“A 75% increase in rent prices isn’t only consistent with what we’re seeing… it’s getting worse,” she said. “I’ve seen rent increase from $600 to $900. I’ve seen rent increase from $550 to $1030. And we don’t have an excess supply of housing for people getting priced out of their homes to go somewhere else.”
Read in News & Observer: HERE