Special Issues, Indy Week

Student journalists delve into Durham's untold stories

Elizabeth Van Brocklin — Wed, 08 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

The Durham VOICE community newspaper partners with schools, churches and local leaders to uplift the vulnerable urban areas of Northeast Central Durham. by Elizabeth Van Brocklin Each school year, a crew of young journalists hits the streets to report on the little-known news of Northeast Central Durham. They write for The Durham VOICE, a community newspaper that partners with schools, churches and local leaders to uplift Durham's vulnerable urban areas.…

Durham's decadent dessert crawl

Lisa Sorg — Wed, 08 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

I've prowled the sugar dens of Durham, mainlining mousse and toking on toffee, snorting coconut and freebasing flan. by Lisa Sorg Pardon my heresy, but I don't like doughnuts. OK, in some dystopic future à la The Road, before I would resort to cannibalism like our Jamestown forefathers, I would eat a doughnut.…

Contribute to the historical hive mind on Open Durham

Lisa Sorg — Wed, 08 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

What was Hayti like before "urban renewal"? Where are the five remaining Lustron homes? Open Durham knows. by Lisa Sorg Instead of scrolling through status updates on Facebook, get lost in the online world of Open Durham, a blog created by Gary Kueber. A "highly interlinked archive/inventory of information about people, places and history" in the Bull City, Open Durham features poignant photos—black and white and color—of bygone days: buildings that have since been demolished, renovated or fallen into disrepair.…

Seeing Durham through the bottom of a glass

Emily Wallace — Wed, 08 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

The varied drinking choices in Durham make it tough to decide, but that's far from a complaint. by Emily Wallace The way I see it, at Durham's Five Points intersection, a main point is whiskey. The bar that bears the name Whiskey, offers some 250 varieties of the liquor.…

Where to see and be seen in Durham

Victoria Bouloubasis — Wed, 08 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Turns out Durham is for everyone. by Victoria Bouloubasis Early accounts of Durham describe the city much like a glorified smoke break. Travelers breezed through en route to other places, huddling in tobacco warehouses to roll and smoke fine leaves and drink and brawl with Durham's fun-loving, misbehaving, "questionable characters."…

Durham's ghost streets

Lisa Sorg — Wed, 08 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

The Museum of Durham History's website contains a Guide to Durham Street and School Names, including a section on the city's 28 "Ghost Streets"—thoroughfares, alleys and stubs that have been demolished, paved over or built upon. by Lisa Sorg Housed in the former bus depot at 500 W. Main St., the Museum of Durham History is, like history, a work in progress. In addition to hosting events, the museum has a dynamic website with videos of Durham residents telling personal narratives; for example, Kelly Bryant's memories of Black Wall Street are wonderful to hear in his voice.…

Take your kids to these hidden Durham treasures

Kat Benson — Wed, 08 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Break the familial monotony with an adventure to the hidden gems across the Bull City. by Kat Benson We know and love Durham Bulls baseball games, The Museum of Life & Science and Duke Gardens. What do you do when you gotta get the kids out of the house but you're tired of the same old, same old?…

Finder: Guide to Durham County

Lisa Sorg — Wed, 08 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Durham is a city of things unnoticed. by Lisa Sorg A man strolls down Main Street at lunchtime playing a trumpet. Drumbeats ricochet off the windows in storefront churches downtown, where one Sunday morning a dozen or so congregants stand and sway to the music, their eyes closed, their right hands raised.…

The illustrated encyclopedia of Durham

Lisa Sorg — Wed, 08 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

The Bull City from A to Z by Lisa Sorg The American Tobacco Trail got a bad rap in 2012 after a series of muggings, but all's been quiet since city police stepped up their presence. The fitness freaks and nature enthusiasts far outnumber the miscreants, so invite a friend to walk, bike or run all or part of the six-mile paved route from downtown to Southpoint mall.…

Famous Durhamites you'll rarely see in public

Lisa Sorg — Wed, 08 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

If you're determined to spot a local star, here's where you might (or might not) find a few. by Lisa Sorg Michael Peterson From 2003 to Dec. 16, 2011, novelist/former mayoral candidate/accused murderer Michael Peterson was easy to find: in Butner Correctional Center, where he had been serving life in prison since his conviction for the 2001 slaying of his wife, Kathleen.…

Marketing our growing hip factor in branded clothes and collectibles

David Fellerath — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0400

A trio of entrepreneurs has a vision of hitching local artists to Raleigh's rising star—or perhaps it's the other way around. by David Fellerath On a recent trip to England, my wife and I visited Bristol in the country's southwest. That city may be the closest English equivalent to a "cool" city, in the sense Americans mean when they talk about places like Austin, Portland and, perhaps increasingly, Raleigh.…

Psychics forecast prosperity, sprawl, and a political coup

Jane Porter — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0400

"We create the whirlwind. We're on the cusp of something big and there's a lot of excitement as we're ready to take the plunge in." by Jane Porter You don't need a crystal ball to tell you that Raleigh's on the up-and-up, but it's good to know that two of Raleigh's finest fortune-tellers agree that the future's looking pretty bright. Behold the findings of Rachel Johnson, a tarot card reader, and Melissa Peil, a psychic medium, as they share their foresight into what's in store for the city of Raleigh.…

Sir Walter lived large and traveled well, but never to the New World

Jill Warren Lucas — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0400

We invited Christopher Armitage to play a game of Stump the Professor regarding the life and legend of Sir Walter Raleigh. by Jill Warren Lucas INDY Week invited Christopher Armitage to play a little game of Stump the Professor regarding the life and legend of Sir Walter Raleigh. We were no match against this good-humored scholar, who is a Professor of Distinguished Teaching at the Department of English and Comparative Literature at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.…

Native son wears his heart on his sleeve

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0400

A cluster of acorns and the elegant script of "Oak City" anchors the artfully interpreted Raleigh skyline that displays on the left arm of Jordan Flake. When Jordan Flake decided that he wanted a tattoo inked across his broad upper arm, it didn't take him long to settle on the image. There would be no fire-breathing dragons for the Raleigh native, no pinup girl or crazy florid scene.…

Plenty of places to dine on tasty and trendy nasty bits

Victoria Bouloubasis — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Brains, kidneys, intestines: They're all on the table. by Victoria Bouloubasis Offal has become awfully trendy, hasn't it? Snout-to-tail dinners sell out at top-notch restaurants, and cookbooks that celebrate using every part of the animal earn rapturous praise.…

All-American town is unexpected springboard for culinary career

Jill Warren Lucas — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0400

"Latin cuisine really took off—and I took off with it. Let me tell you, I was ready." — Sandra Gutierrez by Jill Warren Lucas There is a perception, not entirely unfounded, that Cary is a town that so closely guards its well-groomed, All-American image that it allows as much room for diversity as it does for red roofs and oversize signs. Which is to say, not much.…

Bakers define the rich, decadent flavors of the Capital City

Jill Warren Lucas — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0400

We challenged the bakers at Edible Art and Sugarland to create cakes that look and taste like Raleigh. by Jill Warren Lucas Long before Food TV showed consumers they didn't have to settle for a sheet cake, Edible Art Bakery was providing distinctive designs for discerning Raleigh clients. For more than three decades, cakes made from the treasured recipes of the original owner's grandmother have been de rigueur at everything from formal weddings to wacky promotional events.…

Where'd you get that great tie?

Emily Wallace — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Headquartered on East Martin Street, Lumina Clothing bookends Raleigh's most fashionable 0.4-mile stretch. by Emily Wallace When The Lumineers walked the red carpet at the 55th Grammy Awards in February, most folks saw the guys behind that catchy "Ho Hey" song. But Barton Strawn and his team at Lumina Clothing in Raleigh saw that and much more, including the Northampton—a steel blue tie draped around the neck of bassist Ben Wahamaki.…

Spring pleasures abound under pine pollen dust

Lindsey Nolen — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Since we've been cooped up all winter, it would be a shame to be stuck watching spring bloom from indoors. by Lindsey Nolen After another long, cold and dreary winter, there is no mistaking that spring has sprung in Raleigh. Despite the annual dusting of pine pollen, residents are ready to welcome sunny warmth and all the season has to offer.…

Finder: Guide to Wake County

Jill Warren Lucas — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0400

To get out and see it all, just follow the buzz. by Jill Warren Lucas If you live or work in Raleigh or Cary, try this little experiment. Step outside.…

At Green City Bottles, booze and body odor combine for the sweet smell of success

Jane Porter — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0400

"It's a men's cologne scent in a beer or liquor bottle, because how manly is that?" by Jane Porter On Christmas Eve 2010, Cristy Bullock received a call from AT&T informing her that she'd been laid off, and yes, she'd already bought presents. Bullock's next move would come to her in a rare whimsical moment in the following months, as she fruitlessly applied for jobs and survived on unemployment benefits.…

It's almost time to make the doughnuts

Emily Wallace — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Tentatively set to open in October, Donut Theory will offer a rotating cast of 10 cake and yeast doughnuts to the Boylan Heights neighborhood. by Emily Wallace Julea Wood knows doughnuts. Her Raleigh street dead-ends at the Person Street Krispy Kreme.…

Horticulturists and hobbyists dig the not-so-secret garden of Raulston Arboretum

Emma D. Miller — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0400

"You'd have to come every week to keep up with all the plants here." by Emma D. Miller "Feel that bark," volunteer guide Roland Flory instructs our small tour group at Raleigh's J.C. Raulston Arboretum on a cold, overcast March afternoon. We run our hands along the tree's velvety, cinnamon-colored surface, oohing and ahing at its smoothness.…

Myth and mystery continue to cloak Sir Walter Raleigh

Jane Porter — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0400

"Didn't Sir Walter Raleigh give the queen an STD and that's why he got beheaded?" by Jane Porter On a recent sunny afternoon, wind blew droplets of water from the fountains outside the Raleigh Convention Center on Salisbury Street onto passersby as they drew on their own founts of knowledge regarding the North Carolina capital's namesake. Near the iconic and oft-relocated statue of Sir Walter Raleigh, men and women on the street showed that though they could easily name the man in whose image the statue was built, they had trouble separating the truth about his life from the stuff of myth and legend.…

At CompostNow, unwanted food waste completes circle as compost

Jane Porter — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0400

"Composting is today's recycling. It's more waste that doesn't have to go to the landfill." by Jane Porter Matt Rostetter was taken by surprise to learn that someone had nominated CompostNow, his Raleigh-based compost pickup and soil delivery service, for Green America's seasonal People and Planet Green Business Award. "We got notified that we were in the Top 10, and it was like a monthlong free-for-all," Rostetter says.…