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Community Corner

🌱 5 Robbed at Gunpoint + Durham's Co-Response Program

The quickest way to get caught up on the most important things happening today in Durham.

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Christina Fullford, Neighbor
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(Patch Media)

Happy National Pizza Day Durham!

First, today's weather:

Freezing fog in the morning. High: 56 Low: 35.

Here are the top five stories today in Durham:

  1. With voting maps thrown out by the N.C. Supreme Court, GOP leaders are contemplating their next steps. The court gave the General Assembly until 5:00 pm on February 18 to complete new maps, however according to Senator Ralph Hise "we didn't get a lot of direction as to what would be considered an acceptable map." Hise also said that Republicans are considering an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court as another possible course of action. (WNCT9)
  2. On Saturday night, five young adults were held at gunpoint during a 90-minute robbery. The incident occurred at an apartment complex near Duke University. While returning home from the Duke V. UNC game, three of the victims were stopped at gunpoint and eventually forced to return to their apartment where two others became victims to the robbery. Suspects took banking information, PIN numbers, phones, jewelry, a television, and the victim's car. Police are searching for as many as four suspects. (CBS17)
  3. Although Durham has seen a drop in overall violent crime, the homicide rates jumped to 31% higher in 2021 than 2020. Police Chief Patrice Andrews says that the lack of officers plays a huge part in responding to priority calls quickly. (abc11) Officials in Durham County are struggling to fill violence interrupter positions as the violence continues to grow. (CBS17)
  4. The City of Durham has approved a grant for the program that will have mental health professionals accompany police officers on certain 911 calls. With the approval, the City of Durham can begin planning the program's logistics. The co-response program is a part of the larger effort to determine who shows up when people call 911. (CBS17
  5. The North Carolina Museum of Art has launched its Artist Innovation Mentorship Program. The program will connect artists in rural Eastern North Carolina, including Maria Geary of Durham, with middle school students in their communities and hopes to expand statewide by 2025. The museum's director, Valerie Hillings said that "It is the responsibility and privilege of the NCMA to foster creativity and artistic expression beyond the walls of the Museum." (The Pilot: possible paywall, NCMA)

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Today in Durham:

From my notebook:

  • It's National Pizza Day and Best of the Bull has gathered 10 of the best Pizza Places in Durham.
  • If you missed the Durham City Council meeting for Feb. 7, 2022, you can view it on various sources. (Facebook)
  • If you are ready to dine out again, Discover Durham has gotten together a list of ways to stay safe while supporting local.

Loving the Durham Daily? Here are all the ways you can get more involved:

Alrighty, you're all caught up for today. I'll see you back in your inbox tomorrow morning with your next update!

— CJ Fullford

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

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