RDU On the Rise: Triangle influencers, housing market snapshot & answering your questions

Happy Friday! I’m Kimberly Cataudella, a service journalism reporter here at The News & Observer.

I’m feeling so excited for a brand new year with the same great reporters, editors and colleagues I have in my (and our region’s) corner.

Lucky for me, The N&O and Herald-Sun launched some great projects this week, and I have the fun job of telling you all about them.

Here’s how our coverage can help you know your city so much better:

Asked & Answered

The service journalism desk (hey, that’s my team!) launched Asked & Answered, a new project that lets readers submit questions about living in the Triangle, and our stories will help you get answered. (The name gives it away, right?)

My team’s written so many stories that answer locals’ common questions, but now we want to hear from you. Learn about our new series, and send us a question or two!

Price Point

After two-plus years of plummeting inventory and sky-high home prices, it’s getting harder for most buyers to navigate the Triangle’s housing market. Enter Price Point, a new column by real estate reporter Chantal Allam that offers a quick snapshot of the market.

Every week, she’ll write about three houses on the market that are roughly the same price across the Triangle. For the first edition: How much house does $310,000 get you in Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill?

Know Your City

Check out these headlines to keep up with your community:

• Raleigh: A Jewish nonprofit wants to buy a downtown parking lot, and the Raleigh City Council accepted their bid. But Oakwood, a neighborhood preservation group, wants the space too, so bidding isn’t over.

And ICYMI, the City of Oaks (and Wake County) will spend millions more to make sure planned affordable housing developments in the city get built.

• Durham: Mayor Elaine O’Neal reflected on her first year: “The most challenging assignment that I’ve had.”

• More parking: Raleigh-Durham International Airport wants to more than triple the size of its largest surface parking lot, but it needs some public feedback first.

• Meet the influencers: You’ve probably seen them while scrolling through social media (or maybe you already follow some!). Here’s how these local content creators shape and share the Triangle.

Under the Dome

• Starting the legislative session: As 120 North Carolina House members were about to be sworn in on Wednesday to start the session, a House member had a medical emergency on the floor.

• Attendance matters: Here’s how a NC House change might make it easier to bypass Gov. Roy Cooper.

• Blue Cross fights back: The insurance company filed a protest appealing the state’s decision to replace it with Aetna.

• Florida man: Former Rep. Madison Cawthorn moved to the Sunshine State.

• State job openings: Searching for a new job or career? You might try checking out open jobs with the state. Here are 7 of the top-paying positions.

Sports Reports

• Halfway for the Hurricanes: The Canes reached the halfway point in their season Tuesday, when they blew a two-goal lead against the New Jersey Devils and lost 5-3.

• Permanent ban: Former NC Courage head coach Paul Riley, fired in 2021 amid sexual misconduct allegations, has been permanently banned from working in the league, among other sanctions.

• World University Games: NC will host the games in 2029, the International University Sports Federation announced this week.

• Who fills his shoes? UNC basketball braces to play without its leader after the Tar Heels’ leading scorer and rebounder Armando Bacot was injured this week.

Weekend Reads

• Copperheads? In January? Surprisingly, yes.

• Plagiarism? In college? Unsurprisingly, yes. But a new AI platform is now making it easier, and local professors are nervous.

• Abortion pills: A new FDA regulation will allow pharmacies to dispense the medication for the first time. But a state law might not allow access to improve here.

• TikTok ban: The popular app will no longer be allowed on state-owned mobile phones due to cybersecurity risks.

Have a great weekend!

Some kind friends are going out of town this weekend, so they gifted me their fresh vegetables CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) box. Catch me at the Carrboro Farmers’ Market picking up my winter veggies and a dozen Yee Haw Doughnuts.

How do you prepare your favorite wintertime vegetables? Give me some recipe ideas!

Tune in next week to hear from my friend Aaron Sánchez-Guerra, a breaking news reporter here who’s also one of our newsroom Spanish speakers (jealous) and a great drummer (extra jealous)!

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