Multimedia Storytellers to Create New Interactive Conversations About Race

American Documentary, Inc., producer of the award-winning PBS documentary series POV (Point of View), and The New York Times announced the selection of three innovative digital producers for a new project; “Embedded Mediamaker.” Durham digital storyteller, Saleem Reshamwala was chosen as one of the three out of hundreds of applicants and will work with POV and The Times to create new forms of documentary and interactive content with a team of Times writers, editors and visual storytellers involved in Race/Related, a newsletter and reporting project exploring race as it is lived today.

New Disney movie "Queen of Katwe" has ties to Durham man

Troy Buder ,a Durham man, bought the rights to a story in 2009 and sold it to Disney. Buder got involved with an international soccer ministry and learned about a chess program in Uganda that changed children's lives. Then, local author Tim Crothers wrote an article in ESPN Magazine. That article became a book, published in 2012, and now the "Queen of Katwe" is coming to the big screen. Disney is scheduled to release the movie next month.

Labor Day closings and schedule changes for City of Durham

Most City of Durham offices will be closed Monday, Sept. 5 for Labor Day. The City will operate under normal business hours on Tuesday, Sept. 6. Police, fire, and rescue services for life-threatening or in-progress emergencies may be reached by calling 911. The Solid Waste Management Department will be closed Sept. 5. Collection for all services, including solid waste, recycling, yard waste and bulky items, will be delayed by one business day for the entire week.

Dimensions Family School,for homeschooled children, to open in September

Dimensions Family School will open in second-floor space above Francesca’s Dessert Caffe on Ninth Street this September. The school is the first of its kind in the Triangle, and will offer homeschooling families a wide range of electives and extracurricular activities such as classes in music, writing, filmmaking, foreign language, photography, cooking and art as well give students opportunities to participate in Science Olympiad.They will also provide professional development opportunities for adults.

Cocoa Cinnamon to open third location

Cocoa Cinnamon plans to open a micro-roastery and third retail location in Durham at 2013 Chapel Hill Road This location will supply Cocoa Cinnamon's three locations with coffee, in addition to the blends from guest roasters. The menu will also feature some new items like made-to-order churros with chocolate. There is no word on when the new location will open.

Duke Universities newest eating facility to open Saturday

The renovated West Union building on Duke's West Campus will reopen this Saturday, 8/27. The campus' newest eating facility houses 13 venues with 12 operated by local restaurateurs and include choices such as southern comfort food, Chinese dumplings, ramen, pizza, pasta, Indian cuisine, steak, sushi, and a wide array of vegetarian and vegan options throughout. 

Bull City Craft consolidating locations, closes Golden Belt location

Durham-based art supply store and craft studio, Bull City Craft is consolidating its Golden Belt Annex with its location at the Homestead Market Shopping Center in South Durham. The Annex at Golden Belt has closed and all inventory is being moved to Bull City Craft’s main location on Highway 54 .

American Underground seeks African-American-led startups

American Underground wants to bring African-American-led startups from across the nation, and possibly the globe, to the Bull City to help them secure funding and explore the systemic biases and challenges they face. They recently announced a program that focuses on supporting black business founders seeking to raise a seed round of capital under $750,000. The Black Founders event is part of the Google for Entrepreneurs Exchange Program, an initiative that seeks to connect startup companies and hubs across the country to share expertise. Eight to 12 founders will be chosen to participate in the program, the deadline to apply is Aug. 23.

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/community/durham-news/article96561377.html#storylink=cpy

Sibling Chefs Andrea and Brendan Reusing to be featured on food and travel series

Sibling restaurateurs Andrea and Brendan Reusing, will be featured on this season of Movable Feast with Fine Cooking.Viewers have the opportunity to learn about each chef, their distinctive culinary styles and gastronomic muses, and to experience their individual approach to innovating new recipes as well as cooking classic traditional dishes from different regions around the country.

Durham Crisis Response Center (DCRC) to expand services

The Durham Crisis Response Center (DCRC), Durham’s primary agency responsible for providing services to victims of domestic and sexual violence will be expanding and enhancing its services beginning in October. The new services include; The Justice Center, located at Durham County Courthouse which will provide legal advocates, case managers and counselors for direct services, The Human Trafficking project which includes grant funding for a case manager situated at DCRC and a new shelter specifically for human trafficking victims. This will be one of the first shelters of its kind in our area, and The Children's Assistance Program Services (CHAPS), assistance and support program for children who have been exposed to domestic violence. The program will allow DCRC to provide resources and assistance such as counseling, support groups, and case management.

RDU announced new restaurants for Terminal 2

RDU Airport announced the opening of four restaurants in terminal two. Starbucks, which will be the airport’s fifth location, at Gate D-14, the Tap Room, featuring a full bar and pub fare, at Gate D-15, Dale Jr.’s Whisky River, a full-service restaurant featuring a stage for live music, at Gate D-14 and Popeye's Louisiana Kitchen at Gate D-15. Two will open this fall and two will open in the fall of 2017.

The Bagel Bar set to open Monday

The Bagel Bar Durham is set to open Monday, 8/22.The Bagel Bar is located at 104 City Hall Plaza in downtown Durham and will be open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Windsor Circle Named to Inc. 500 List of Fastest Growing Companies

Windsor Circle, a predictive marketing solution that drives incremental sales to current customers, announced it has been named to the 35th annual, Inc. 500 – the top 10% of the Inc. 5000 - the most prestigious ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies.

MATI Energy now the best-selling energy drink in stores throughout the Southeastern U.S.

Mati Energy has raised another $2.1 million for the privately held energy drink company, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing. Chief Executive Officer Tatiana Birgisson sold $2.1 million to 19 investors, with $61,767 remaining to be sold. It has now raised $4.3 million in the last two years. MATI is now the best-selling energy drink in stores throughout the Southeastern U.S. It is sold in Whole Foods, Kroger and Costco.

DPAC celebrates 3M attendance milestone

Tuesday. August 16, DPAC celebrated their 3,000,000 guest milestone when Erin Andrews, a Durham native who now lives in Burlington, entered the center as the 3 millionth guest and received a $1,000 gift certificate to DPAC's 2016/2017 season. The venue has been open since 2008 and has hosted everything from Broadway blockbusters and top comedians to legendary concerts. For the past six years, DPAC has ranked among the top five most attended theaters in the country.

Alston Avenue, (N.C. 55) to undergo improvements

Alston Avenue is getting a makeover.The project, will widen more than a mile of the highway to accommodate a four-lane median-divided road between the Durham Freeway and just north of U.S. 70 Business/N.C. 98 (Holloway Street).In addition to the added lanes, the project will include a widened bridge over the Durham Freeway, sidewalks on both sides of the road and either wider outside lanes to accommodate bicycles or designated bike lanes. There will also be the addition of retaining walls, railroad track work and new railroad bridges.The project can get under way as early as Aug. 29, with the new road open by Nov. 1, 2019, and the rest of the work wrapped up by May 2020.

New wine, charcuteria and cheese bar opening to open on Main Street

A new wine bar, Bar Brunello, will open in the former Bar Lusconi space at 117 E. Main St. Bar Brunello's main focus will be on wine, charcuterie and cheese and is expected to open this month, according to its social media page.

Mesa Latin Kitchen to temporarily close

Mesa Latin Kitchen which is located at 2701 Hillsborough Road in Durham, has temporarily closed its doors. Owners sent out an email citing the closure due to construction. "We will be temporarily closed until further notice due to construction work at the restaurant. We will notify you when we are able to open back up. We apologize for any inconvenience. Thanks for your patience."

Northgate Mall gets a new coffee shop

A new coffee shop has opened at Northgate Mall; Esmeralda’s Café . Located between the Sears and Macy’s department stores, across from Shoe Department Encore, offerings include drinks by Carrboro Coffee Roaster, tea selections, bagels, pastries and juices. The owners are partners Doris Ayala and Margarita Canuto Ugalde.

Jamba Juice coming to Solis Ninth Street

The Triangle's first Jamba Juice will make its home on Ninth St. The new restaurant offers juices, smoothies and bowls and plans to open this fall in the Solis Ninth Street mixed-use community. 

WUNC presents innovative public media project; Storymakers:Durham

WUNC is one of 15 stations across the country to be chosen to be a part of the innovative public media project called Localore: Finding America. "The project invites people in strikingly diverse cities to reflect on the forces that unite and divide us – race, class, inequality of opportunity – to look one another in the eye and converse, and to tell stories from their varying perspectives." Storymakers: Durham is produced by John Biewen, a producer with the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University and host of the Scene on Radio podcast.

Duke University to increase minimum wage to $13 per hour

Duke University and Health System will increase its minimum wage to $13 per hour for all regular staff; those who work at least 20 hours per week and 36 weeks per year, effective Jan. 1, 2017,Duke’s current minimum wage of $12 was last adjusted in July 2015.

Duke University receives grant to expand career opportunities for Ph. D students

A $350,000, three-year grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has allowed Duke University to create a program that will enhance the curriculum and expand career opportunities for doctoral students in the humanities. The program will support skills training relevant for both academic and non-academic career paths, a wide array of new internship opportunities, and curricular innovations that incorporate collaborative research, computational humanities/media, and engagement with policy analysis.

Beer Study bottle shop and Starpoint Brewing Co. to open joint location

Chapel Hill’s Beer Study bottle shop will team up with Carrboro’s StarPoint Brewing Company to open a new shop inside the Rockwood Shopping Center off University Drive. Beer Study will occupy space in the front of the shop, and will include an arcade, while StarPoint’s brewing facility will take up about 2,500 square feet of space in the back. They aim to open October/November 2016.

DCVB's Visitor Services & Special Projects Coordinator recognized by DMAI as a 30 under 30 nominee

Durham Convention & Visitor Bureau’s Visitor Services & Special Projects Coordinator, Evan Foote-Hudson, was recognized as one of Destination Marketing Association International's 30 under 30 honorees . Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI) is the world’s largest and most reliable resource for official Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs), also called convention and visitors bureaus (CVBs) or tourism boards.The 30 individuals, 30 years of age and under, chosen from 95 applicants, will engage in professional development, volunteer and networking opportunities throughout 2016. Honorees originate from a variety of destinations and backgrounds.

Durham Tech names new Special Assistant for Equity and Inclusion

Angela Davis, a longtime workforce development leader, will be Durham Tech's Special Assistant for Equity and Inclusion. This is a new position designed to ensure that policies, procedures, and practices are consistent with the college’s Strategic Plan for a welcoming, engaging, understanding, and unifying institution for the community.

RDU begins a massive five year improvements project

RDU will begin a massive, five year project, starting with paving the Economy 3 lot . The 3,820-space lot will be resurfaced in three sections, starting with 1,561 spots this week. In January, the airport will begin the portion of the project aimed squarely at its garage complex, its Premier and Central lots. The projects include concrete repair, waterproofing additions, canopy maintenance, elevator and moving sidewalk replacements, signage improvements, and more. The total cost of the project will be around $25 million dollars.