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Community Corner

🌱 Durham Trafficking Arrest + Weather Damages Pfizer Building

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Christina Fullford, Neighbor
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(Patch Media)

Happy National Children's Picture Book Day Durham!

First, today's weather:

Sun giving way to clouds. High: 63 Low: 46.

Here are the top five stories in Durham today:

  1. On Wednesday police arrested Chester Fletcher Wallace, after a long term investigation by the Durham Police Department's Criminal Investigations Division - Special Victims Unit. Police said Wallace was charged with three counts of human trafficking and one count of first degree kidnapping. All of the victims are adult women and Wallace could see additional charges filed. (WRAL, CBS17)
  2. The National Weather Service is investigating damage to the Pfizer building near RDU, after part of the roof collapsed on Thursday. High winds came through causing the damage, but it's not yet confirmed if a tornado touched down in the area. Workers were inside the building, but no one was injured. (abc11)
  3. The Durham-Chapel Hill metro area has climbed 32 spots on The Milken Institute's Best-Performing Cities Index (BPC) this year. Durham-Chapel Hill even surpassed Raleigh, as they fell to #16. One large mark against North Carolina cities was the housing affordability, with Durham ranked #144 in that category. (WRAL TechWire)
  4. Durham mother and son Nnenna and Pierce Freelon are headed to the Grammy Awards in Las Vegas to celebrate their historic nominations. The nominations mark the first time a mother and son are nominated in separate categories in the same year. Pierce's album, "Black to the Future," is nominated for Best Children's Album. Nnenna's album, "Time Traveler," is nominated for Best Vocal Jazz Album. It's also her sixth Grammy nod. Both Nnenna and Pierce will be presenters at the ceremony on Sunday as well, and Nnenna will be performing during the opening act. (CBS17)

Today in Durham:

From my notebook:

  • It's National Children's Picture Book Day and it's been a while since Durham Magazine put together their list of 12 Books by Local Authors, but it's still a fun list of books to have!
  • After the dramatic incident at the Oscars this year, Chris Rock has seen an uptick in ticket sales. After his April 16 & 17 shows have sold out, organizers have added a third date for June 8 due to popular demand. (WRAL)
  • The Durham Fire Department enjoyed a little April Fools Day Fun as they announced their Duke Blue fire engine. (CBS17)

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You're officially in the loop for today! I'll see you around.

— CJ Fullford

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