Financial Aid made available to residents afflicted by storms

The Disaster Loan Operation Center (DLOC) will be located at the Fayetteville Street Elementary School, 2905 Fayetteville Street. According to an assessment , residents of 12 housing units at Eagle Point Apartments, 412 Pilot Street, and 30 housing units at Econ Plaza, 3115 Fayetteville Street, were displaced in the short and long-term when their homes were flooded. Loans up to $200,000 are available to homeowners to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate. Homeowners and renters are eligible for loans up to $40,000 to repair or replace damaged or destroyed personal property.

Durham Co. unemployment rate dropped in May

The Durham County unemployment rate fell by .2 percent between April and May, the N.C. Department of Commerce reported Wednesday.May’s rate is 1.1 percent lower than it was a year ago, and the county had the 11th lowest rate in the state with 6,678 unemployed out of a 159,847-person labor force.

Triangle home sales continue to rise compared to last year

Triangle home sales surged 15 percent in April compared with the same period a year ago, as rising demand and a lack of inventory continues to push up prices. There were 2,613 homes sold last month in Durham, Johnston, Orange and Wake Counties. Home sales are now up 9 percent through the first four months of the year.

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/news/business/article78582302.html#storylink=cpy

84 percent of survey respondents said Durham is a good place to live and work

Results of the joint city-county resident survey, which included 479 survey respondents, found the city to be a pleasant place to live, with 84 percent of respondents rating it a good place to live and work and 81 percent were satisfied with the quality of life in neighborhoods.The survey also showed respondents believe the city needed to improve on matters of transportation, including traffic flow, quality of public transportation and overall street maintenance.

Durham recognized as one of three counties in NC to exceed national average in weekly wage growth

The latest statistics from the Bureau of Labor show the average worker in North Carolina earned a smaller weekly wage than the national average except three counties;  Durham, Wake, and Mecklenburg, which took home weekly wages higher than the national average.

County Commissioners help raise pay for school employees

Durham County Commissioners decided to fund $1.1 million towards the 2.2 million school district leaders are seeking for employee raises.The county asked for $2.2 million to give 3 percent pay raises for classified employees which would include low-paid employees who aren't teachers. 

United Way to expand health program

United Way of the Greater Triangle will expand their Durham program, Premium Help,  to include Orange County. The program assists low-income families and individuals whose annual income is between 100 percent and 175 percent of the federal poverty level or between $24,250 and $42,437 for a family of four.

Harris Beverage to build new headquarters in East Durham

Durham County Commissioners approved a public-private partnership agreement that will give Harris Beverage $2.65 million to help develop a new headquarters in East Durham. The agreement provides $1.3 million in county money for infrastructure costs, and a $1.35 million loan for other development costs to be paid over six years.

Durham County unemployment rates decrease

The Department of Commerce recently reported  Durham County’s unemployment rate fell from 5.5 percent to 4.8 percent between August and September.

Durham homes for sale spend less time on-the market

According to Triangle Multiple Listing Services, the average days of Durham homes on market dropped to 46 days in September compared to 64 days the year prior. Total home sales in Durham County was up 11 percent with an average home price of $213,922.

Durham recieves gas tax funds from NCDOT

The N.C. Department of Transportation has begun distributing more than $147.7M in gas tax funds to local municipalities that applied to receive them. Durham will receive $6.2M which will go towards projects such as street widening, construction efforts, and bikeways, greenways or sidewalks.

Durham County Veterans Services office closed Sept. 22 - 25

The Durham County Department of Veterans Services office will be closed from Tuesday, Sept. 22 through Friday, Sept. 25, in order to train staff and will reopen at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 28.

Durham city, county collection efficiency nears 100 percent

Durham County was able to collect 99.6 percent of city and county taxes during the fiscal year that ended June 30.Over the past five years, the city and county have seen collection rates improve. In 2011, the collection rate was 98.75 percent for the city and 98.88 for the county.

The Salvation Army of Durham introduces new leading officers

The Salvation Army of Durham, Orange & Person Counties formally introduced Captains Robert and Glenis Viera the new officers leading the local office.

Durham Launches New Open Data Portal

The City of Durham and Durham County governments have launched a new open data portal, Open Data. Users are able to explore, visualize, and download city and county data as well as data sets from state and federal sources. The catalog is organized into 10 categories including transportation, social services, government administration and finance, economic development, education, health, public safety, sports and leisure, civic planning and environment.

Durham Children's Data Center to Form

Durham County, Durham Public Schools and Duke University have partnered to create the Durham Children’s Data Center, a hub for research into vital policy and practice questions.

Durham prenatal clinic begins fresh food Rx program

The Durham County Department of Public Health will roll out its Fresh Food Prescription (FFRx) pilot program, which is funded by a grant from the North Carolina Public Health Association’s Ann F. Wolfe Endowment. The program will provide 36 pregnant women with prescriptions for fresh produce at each of their prenatal appointments.

Durham County will share restaurant inspection data with Yelp

Durham County is among four early adopters who will share restaurant inspection data with Yelp, a popular website/app that rates dining establishments based on customer reviews.

Worsley Will Act as County Manager

Deputy County Manager Lee Worsley will act as the county government's top executive until elected officials hire and bring on board a permanent successor for retiring County Manager Mike Ruffin.

Railroad Corridor to get $24M Upgrade

A railroad crossing into Research Triangle Park on Hopson Rd. will get a $24 million upgrade to replace a street-level railroad crossing to reduce traffic congestion.