Kornbluth to Serve Duke as Vice Provost of Academic Affairs

Vice dean for research at the Duke University School of Medicine, Sally Kornbluth, has been promoted to vice provost of academic affairs. Kornbluth became the vice dean of research in 2009 where she participated in interdisciplinary projects with various schools and institutions across the university. Kornbluth succeeds John Simon who left Duke to become the provost at the University of Virginia.

Chef Shane Ingram Parts With [ONE] and G2B, Returns to Four Square

Chef Shane Ingram  has cut ties with Chapel Hill restaurant [ONE] and new Durham gastropub G2B. Ingram has instead returned to his original post at the helm of fine dining restaurant, Four Square Restaurant in Durham.

Duke's Baldwin Auditorium to Undergo $15 Million Renovation

Duke University's Baldwin Auditorium is set for a $15 million renovation to include infrastructure improvements, acoustic upgrades, new seats and amenities.

Bennett Place Historic Site Awards William M. Vatavuk Scholarship

Bennett Place State Historic Site has awarded the William M. Vatavuk Scholarship to Jessica Hoover on the basis of her high GPA and application essay on the significance of the historic Bennett Place farmhouse.

Durham Public Schools Names New Administrators

The Durham school board announced the hirings of two administrators: Michael Fuga as the principal at Rogers-Herr Middle School and Tina Hester as the school district’s assistant superintendent of human resources.

Co-Founder of Durham's Iconic Dillard's Bar-B-Q Passes

Geneva Dillard, who co-owned Durham's iconic Dillard's Bar-B-Q with her husband, Sam Dillard, passed away on Sept. 17 at the age of 89. Geneva Dillard received the Spirit of Hayti Heritage Legacy Award for Dillard's Bar-B-Q in 2011. In 2008, she was honored with the Mahogany Dime Award for Excellence in business and entrepreneurship.

Duke Recognizes Major Contributions at Founders Day

Duke Trustee Emeritus Karl von der Heyden and long-time chemistry professor James Bonk will receive the University Medal for Distinguished Meritorious Service at Duke University's annual Founders' Day Convocation. The University Medal is one of the university's highest awards. Other honorees this year will include music professor Anthony Kelley and alumna and trustee emerita Wilhelmina Reuben-Cooke among other distinguished faculty. 

Four Duke Scientists Receive NIH Director's Innovator Award

Four Duke researchers have won the 2011 National Institutes of Health Director's New Innovator Award: Seok-Yong Lee, David Tobin, Nicholas Buchler and Charles Gersbach. The award recognizes researchers at the start of their career, when they may not yet have the preliminary data required to receive traditional NIH funding.

Duke Law's AIDS Legal Project Receives Ford Foundation Grant

Duke Law School’s AIDS Legal Project has been awarded a $150,000 grant from The Ford Foundation to launch a research and advocacy initiative directed at the impact of HIV and AIDS in the South.

Plumlee and Kelly Named Blue Devils Captains

Forwards Miles Plumlee and Ryan Kelly have been named Duke Blue Devils team captains by their coaches and teammates.

Manbites Dog Theater Enters 25th Season

Upon entering its 25th season, Manbites Dog theater founders Jeff Storer and Ed Hunt estimate the theater has staged about 1,800 performances. The 2011-2012 season will feature four regional premieres in the company series, four world premieres in the company's Other Voices series, and a festival of short films.

Friendly City Civitan Club Honors WWII Vets

Durham World War II veterans George Poe, Clarence Tippett, Harold Bizzell, Homer Riley and Ralph Denson were recognized for their military service by the Friendly City Civitan Club. Many of the veterans in the Civitan club room had known each other in Durham even before World War II nearly 70 years ago.

Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce Honors Businesses, Organizations for Excellence

The Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce honored the following organizations during their annual Business Excellence Awards dinner:

The Durham Literacy Center, Urban Ministries of Durham, Park West Barber School, Southern Energy Management and the Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club received Business Excellence Awards.

Time Warner Cable Business Class's Justin Lyle-Purdy received the Connector of the Year Award; The King’s Daughters Inn was presented the Sustainability Award for its triple-bottom line sustainable efforts; The first-ever Entrepreneur of the Year Award was presented to Thundershirt Company; IBM and its employees were honored with the Duke Energy Citizenship & Service Award for their volunteerism in the Durham community.

Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility were presented to the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, American Journal Experts, LLC, Deloitte, the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau, Hill, Chesson & Woody Employee Benefits Services, ICF International, McKinney, Rho, Inc., Shodor Education Foundation and the U.S. EPA – RTP Campus.

Tip-Top Cycles Opens on Ninth Street

Tip-Top Cycles, Durham's newest bike shop, has opened at 624 Ninth Street next to Bruegger’s Bagels and under the Zola Craft Gallery. The shop sells refurbished bicycles as well as biking accessories and repair services.

Durham 911 Center Receives International Re-Accreditation

The Durham Emergency Communication Center has been re-accredited for the third time as an Emergency Medical Dispatch Center of Excellence, the highest distinction awarded by the National Academies of Emergency Dispatch (NAED). The Durham Emergency Communications Center is dedicated to promoting, preserving, and protecting the safety and security of all residents and visitors in Durham. The center provides 24-hour, seven-day-a-week 911 access to residents, visitors, and user agencies in and around Durham County.

Ribbon Cutting Marks Official Opening of Downtown Durham Dog Park

The Downtown Durham Dog Park in the Cleveland-Holloway neighborhood officially opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The 10,000 square-foot park is Durham's third dog park. All dogs must be registered with Parks and Recreation to play in the park.

Cuban Steakhouse Gregoria's Kitchen to Open Thursday

The latest addition to Durham's restaurant scene, Cuban steakhouse Gregoria’s Kitchen, will open on Thursday at 2818 Chapel Hill Road.

Mez Places Second in Best Dish NC Contest

Mez placed second on Best Dish NC's list of the Best Casual Dining for the Eastern Piedmont/Coastal Region. Best Dish is a statewide regional contest of the best menu items created by chefs that use local products and ingredients.

Durham Tech Turns 50

Durham Technical Community College will celebrate its 50th anniversary with a free and open event hosted on the college's main campus on Friday, September 16 from 2 to 5pm.

Dain's Place, Bull City Burger and Brewery Named to WRAL List of Best Burgers in Triangle

Two Durham restaurants were selected for WRAL's Triangle-wide list of the "Best Gourmet Burgers." Bull City Burger and Brewery was selected for its Over Easy burger with tomato and aioli; Dain's Place made the list for its Dainer burger with lettuce, tomato, 1000 Island, bacon, sauteed onions and cheddar.

Duke Welcomes New Associate Vice President for University Development

Duke University has named Stephen Bayer to the position of associate vice president for university development. Bayer will manage the Office of University Development staff, which raises philanthropic support for Duke’s highest priorities. Bayer joins Duke from Swarthmore College where he has worked in development and alumni relations for the past 10 years.

Huffington Post - 10 Best College Rivalries

"Even though this is a football-centric list, there's no way to ignore this legendary hoops rivalry. While the two schools annually meet on the gridiron... really, all of the good stuff goes down on the hardwood. At Duke, students camp out for tickets in the "Krzyzewskiville" tent city up to two weeks before the big game. School officials have even installed wi-fi and ethernet ports to help students stay on top of school work. 2011 Football Game day: November 26 2012 Basketball Game days: February 8, March 3"

- The 10 Best College Rivalries, Huffington Post

School House Apparel Recognized as 2011 Outstanding Woman-Owned Small Business

Rachel Weeks, Duke University graduate and founder of Durham-based collegiate apparel company School House, has been recognized for a 2011 Outstanding Woman-Owned Small Business by The SCORE Foundation, a national small-business-oriented nonprofit association.

Duke Christens MFA Program Home

Duke officially christened the home of Duke's newest multidisciplinary offering, a Master's of Fine Arts in Experimental & Documentary Arts. The program's 6,500-square-foot facility, a rehabbed former carpentry shop, includes a ground floor workspace, office and conference room, a vast, and an upper-level digital work room. Duke's inaugural MFA class of 15 will be joined by 15 more next year.

Kryzyzewski Among New Inductees into Duke Athletics Hall of Fame

Duke University will induct five new members into the school’s Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday, September 9 including: Ben Bennett (football), Jenny Chuasiriporn (golf), Bobby Hurley (basketball), Mike Krzyzewski (coach) and Vanessa Webb (tennis).

Insomniac Games Named to Triangle Business Journal List of Area Game Developers

Durham's Insomniac Games was named to Triangle Business Journal's "Top 5 List: Triangle Video Game Developers".

Bell & Howell Selects Durham as Global Headquarters

Bell & Howell, the maker of automated mailing equipment, has selected Durham as its global headquarters. The company has had a facility in Durham since 1997. The site houses a call center, customer service center, training center and corporate offices with a total of 250 employees.

Appia Names New Executive Chairman to Board of Directors

Durham-based technology company Appia has named Craig Forman its new executive chairman to the company's Board of Directors. Forman has served in leadership roles at EarthLink, Yahoo, CNN, TIME and WHERE.

East Durham to Benefit from $1 Million in A.J. Fletcher Foundation Grants

The A.J. Fletcher Foundation announced it has invested more than $1 million in unrestricted grants and loans to East Durham. Working in partnership with East Durham Children’s Initiative (EDCI), the Foundation’s grants and loans will further EDCI’s mission to provide a pipeline of services from “cradle to career” for the children and families of East Durham.

Bell and Howell Appoints New President

Leslie F. Stern has been appointed as President of Bell and Howell. The developer of mailing equipment and software technologies for innovative mailing, document management and postal solutions is headquartered in Durham, NC.

Frey Joins EvoApp

Kip Frey has been named President and CEO of EvoApp, a Durham-based business intelligence and analytics company co-founded by 22 year-old Joe Davy.

Lebanon Volunteer Fire Dept. Celebrates 40 Years

The Lebanon Volunteer Fire Department, based in the rolling countryside north of Durham, will celebrate its 40th anniversary next Saturday at Ridgecrest Baptist Church.

Durham Convention Center Re-opens After Renovation

The Durham Convention Center has re-opened after undergoing a $6.9 million renovation. Improvements to the facility include an upgrade of the HVAC system, a new kitchen, the replacement of the building's roof and renovations to interior spaces.

NCSSM Alumni Announce Endowment for Student Entpreneurship and Research

N.C. School of Science and Mathematics alumni, Taylor Brockman and Jud Bowman, announced the creation of the Bowman-Brockman Endowment for Entrepreneurship & Advanced Research and an initial gift of $100,000. The grant program will assist "super creative" NCSSM students in funding in three key areas: entrepreneurial projects, research projects, and travel to academic competitions.