Kelly, Plumlee Named Blue Devils Co-Captains

Rising seniors Ryan Kelly and Mason Plumlee have been named co-captains of the Duke Blue Devils  for the 2012-2013 basketball season.

The Old Ceremony Signs to Yep Roc

Durham-based pop-rock band The Old Ceremony has signed to Yep Roc Records for the release of their forthcoming record Fairytales and Other Forms of Suicide.

Duke Student-Athletes Honored with Top 6 for Service Award

Six Duke student-athletes received the Top 6 for Service Award, an honor presented annually by the ACC to six student-athletes from each ACC institution who demonstrate dedication to community service and outreach programs. Recipients from Duke included Jeffrey Faris (football), Monica Gorny (women's tennis), Jessica Lyden (swimming and diving), Amanda Truelove (women's cross country/track and field), Christopher Tweed-Kent (men's soccer) and Daniel Tweed-Kent (men's soccer).

Athleta to Open at Streets of Southpoint

Athleta, a Gap Inc. brand of women’s athletic clothing including yoga, swim, running and athletic fitness, golf and tennis wear, is slated to open at The Streets at Southpoint.

Dr. LeRoy T. Walker (1918-2012)

Dr. LeRoy T. Walker, NC Central chancellor emeritus, passed away in Durham on Monday at the age of 93. In addition to leading an esteemed career as a coach and chancellor at NC Central, Dr. Walker was the first African-American coach for the U.S. Olympic track & field team and later became the first African-American to be named the US Olympic Committee president. Dr. Walker was inducted into both the NC Central Athletic Hall of Fame and the US Olympic Hall of Fame.

Gillings to Step Down as Quintiles CEO

Dennis Gillings will step down as the CEO of Quintiles, the world's largest biopharmaceutical services company. Gillings, who founded the company more than 30 years ago, will remain as chairman and will be replaced by Tom Pike, a long-time executive with Accenture Ltd.

8 Rivers Capital Partner Awarded 2012 Global Energy Prize

Rodney J. Allam, a partner at 8 Rivers Capital, will receive the 2012 Global Energy Prize, a prestigious honor in energy science awarded each year for outstanding energy achievements and innovations that benefit humanity. Allam is an internationally renowned expert in the fields of air separation, oxy-combustion, power generation and carbon capture and sequestration.

Pratt School Senior to Deliver Duke Student Commencement Speach

Duke Senior Roshan Sadanani has been selected to deliver the student commencement address to the Class of 2012. A Charlotte native, Sadanani will graduate with a degree in biomedical engineering from the Pratt School of Engineering.

Mez Owners to Open New Restaurant

The owners of Mez plan to build a new restaurant called Page Road Grill between the intersections of Page Road at Slater Road and South Miami Boulevard. Construction on the nearly 8,000 sq-ft restaurant will begin next week. Page Road Grill will feature a menu of American-style foods using locally grown products.

Dorcas Ministries Names Volunteer Coordinator

Dorcas Ministries welcomes Ellen Frazier as its new volunteer coordinator. Frazier will be responsible for recruiting and orienting new volunteers as well as overseeing the organization's public relations and social media efforts.

NC Central Names New Head Women's Basketball Coach

N.C. Central University named Vanessa Taylor its new head women's basketball coach. Taylor comes to N.C. Central after 11 seasons as head coach at Johnson C. Smith University and seven seasons as head coach at Elizabeth City State. Taylor brings a reputation of winning to the program and has been selected as the CIAA Coach of the Year in 1998, 2000 and 2011.

Four Duke Staffers Receive Presidential Award

Duke honored four staff members with the university's Presidential Award, one of the highest honors given to Duke staff and faculty. The winners of the Presidential Award for outstanding service in 2011 went to James Hildebrand, medical technologist and supervisor of the Duke Allergy Lab; Michael Golden, general maintenance mechanic at the Duke Marine Lab; Cynthia Sherwood, Program coordinator for education at the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences; Ellen Wilbur, Director of the Executive MBA Programs at the Fuqua School of Business.

Spectacular Magazine Honors 2012 Woman of the Year

Spectacular Magazine recognized and honored the achievements of seven African American women of Durham with Spectacular Magazine Woman of the Year Awards in the following categories:

Lifetime Achievement Award:
Dr. E. Lavonia Allison, immediate Past Chair – Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People

Business & Economic Development:
Tracy Johnson Sanders – Vice President/Sr. Program Manager of Bank of America

Civil & Human Rights:
• Cora Cole-McFadden – Mayor Pro-Tem/Retired Dir. Of Equity Assurance, City of Durham

Community Service:
• Geneva Melton – Founder/Director, It Takes A Village Workforce

Corporate Leader:
• Kim Saunders – President/CEO, M&F Bank

Education:
• Martina “Coach D” Dunford – Head of School, New Horizons Academy of Excellence

Emerging Leader:
• Danielle Adams - Durham County Soil & Water Conservation District Supervisor, Durham County Government

Duke Professors Join American Academy of Arts & Sciences

Victor J. Dzau, James B. Duke Professor of Medicine, and Caroline Bruzelius, Anne Cogan Professor of Art History are among 220 new members to join the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the nation’s most prestigious honorary societies and a leading center for independent policy research.

Lanham Named Duke Wrestling Head Coach

Glen Lanham has been named Duke's wrestling head coach. Lanham is a two-time All-American and a longtime assistant coach at some of the most prestigious wrestling programs in the country, most recently as the Blue Devils assistant coach for two seasons.

Former IndyWeek Restaurant Writer Named L.A. Times Food Critic

Former Independent Weekly food critic and James Beard Foundation Journalism Award recipient Besha Rodell has been promoted to Food Critic at the L.A. Times.

Bellamy Sworn in as NCCU's Director of Public Safety

Timothy R. Bellamy, former chief of police in Greensboro and 27-year veteran of the force, has been sworn in as director of public safety at North Carolina Central University.

Films, Filmmakers Honored with Full Frame Awards

The Full Frame Audience Award was awarded to “Trash Dance” by Andrew Garrison; an honorable mention went to the short film, “Fanuzzi’s Gold.”
The Full Frame Kathleen Bryan Edwards Award for Human Rights recognized “Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare,” a documentary by filmmaker Matthew Heineman.

S. Leo Chiang's “Mr. Cao Goes to Washington” won the the Full Frame Inspiration Award.

The Full Frame Jury Award for Best Short went to “The Time We Have” and “Sivan."
“Chasing Ice” won the Duke University Nicholas School of the Environment’s Environmental Award.

The Full Frame President’s Award went to “Grandmothers (Abuelas)” won the Full Frame President’s Award.

“The Waiting Room” won the Charles E. Guggenheim Emerging Artist Award; a Special Jury Prize was also given to “The Law in These Parts."

Witherspoon Rose Culture Honored With Family Business Award

Witherspoon Rose Culture was honored by the Family Business Center at Wake Forest University with its “Family Business of the Year” Award which celebrates North Carolina family businesses for innovation, growth, community involvement, inclusion of different family members and generations, and commitment to keeping the business in the family. Witherspoon Rose Culture is a 60-year-old second-generation family business and the region’s foremost expert on the care and maintenance of roses. It is a family business that believes in creating a family atmosphere.

Vine Sushi & Thai Will to Open in Bull City Market

Vine Sushi and Thai will open in the Bull City Market shopping center located at the intersection of Broad and Main streets in Durham. The restaurant's opening is slated for June.

Duke Senior Wins $25K Entrepreneurship Award

Duke University senior Michael Bernert has been selected as the first recipient of the ELI Social Entrepreneurship Year-To-Launch Award, an award designed to support student social entrepreneurship. Bernert was granted a $25,000 prize to launch his social venture, West African Ventures in Agriculture (WAVA LLC), is a company that makes investments in agricultural projects in Sierra Leone and Liberia. The Oregon native developed the idea after spending his sophomore summer participating in DukeEngage Sierra Leone.

Mason Plumlee Postpones to Stay at Duke for Senior Year

Mason Plumlee will return to Duke for his Senior year; the 6-11 center has put off the NBA draft to finish out his college career with the Blue Devils.

Alley 26 to Open at 320 E. Chapel Hill St

Alley 26, a 'farm-to-sip' eatery and bar, will open in downtown Durham at 320 E. Chapel Hill St. The restaurant's proprietor Shannon Healy has transitioned from his role as general manager of Crook's Corner in Chapel Hill to open Alley 26.

Vintique Sports Thrift Open in Downtown Durham

Vintique Sports Thrift, a store selling vintage sports items, has opened at 107 W. Chapel Hill St.

Another Broken Egg Cafe to Open on Erwin Road

Another Broken Egg Cafe will open at 2608 Erwin Road on April 23. It will be the first restaurant in North Carolina for the chain.

Durham Senior Amateur Moves to Croasdaile Course

The third annual G Data Durham Senior Amateur golf tournament will be held at it's new location of Croasdaile golf course on May 21-22.

TROSA Grocery to Close

The Trosa Grocery store located at the corner of Angier Avenue and Driver Street which has served the East Durham community since May 2010 will soon close. A public yard sale and store-wide clearance has been schedule for May 12.

Durham Bulls Open 2012 Season Thursday

The Durham Bulls open their International League baseball season this Thursday at home against the Gwinnett Braves. The first pitch of 2012 will be thrown at 7:05 p.m. Thursday in the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

Lilly's Pizza to Open in Downtown Durham

Lilly’s Pizza will open a second Durham location in the former Pop's location next door to Morgan Imports. Lilly's Pizza focuses on ogranic and local foods and offers gluten-free pizza dough, specialty vegetarian pizzas, as well as vegan cheese and meat.

Duke Junior Named Harry S. Truman Scholar

Duke University Junior, Kristen Lee has been named a 2012 Harry S. Truman Scholar in recognition of her public service, leadership capabilities and academic achievement. One of 54 students selected for the scholarship which awards up to $30,000 to college juniors to pursue graduate studies in public service fields, Lee has been involved in research on racial inequalities in higher education and sex trafficking.

Jones Steps Down as McKinney President, Newall Steps Up

Jeff Jones has stepped down as McKinney partner and president in order to pursue a new opportunity as executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Target Corporation. Partner and group account director John Newall will succeed Jones as president of the agency.

Grimshaw Architects Selected for Duke's West Union Renovation

Duke University has selected Grimshaw Architects to modernize the 81-year-old West Union building, expand dining facilities and update spaces for student organizations while maintaining its gothic facade. Construction is expected to begin in summer 2013.