Smithfield
Smithfield, NC · Municipal
Raleigh News & Observer
Feds escalate investigation of Duke med school admissions - after UNC made a deal
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has referred its findings about Duke University’s admissions processes in its medical school to the Justice Department — a move the health agency had said it would make if Duke didn’t comply. The Duke Chronicle first reported this story . The health department’s Office for Civil Rights announced the referral in a social media post last week. HHS accused Duke’s medical school on Sept. 8 of using racial proxies that still allow applicant reviewers to consider race, despite the 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision that struck down affirmative action in college admissions. The result of Duke’s admissions process, HHS said in its letter to Duke , is that admitted Black students had statistically lower Medical College Admission Test, or MCAT, scores and GPAs than admitted white and Asian students. HHS also said Duke failed to produce explanations for the deviations when asked about them. Higher education experts have cast doubt on the legitimacy of the finding, questioning such statistical conclusions based on standardized test performance, The News & Observer previously reported . HHS’s letter to Duke says that “HHS regulations permit referral of matters to the United States Department of Justice if
triangletribune.com
Raleigh News & Observer
Triangle reservoirs see lowest water levels of 2026 as drought intensifies
After a period of recovery this summer, the Triangle’s biggest reservoirs are all seeing dwindling water levels as North Carolina’s drought has stretched into the fall. Central North Carolina has been experiencing a drought since August. Both Wake and Durham counties are currently in a severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. While rainfall this summer provided some relief, hot, dry weather over the past two months has “caused drought conditions to rapidly worsen or reemerge in some areas,” the National Weather Service’s Raleigh office wrote in an Oct. 27 alert. As a result, current water levels in the area’s biggest reservoirs are nearing the lowest levels recorded since this summer, when several of the region’s cities put in place water use restrictions to conserve their water supply. Durham is nearing the trigger for Stage 3 drought restrictions, after enacting water use restrictions in June, said James Lim, the Department of Water Management’s water efficiency manager. Stage 2 restrictions are still in place, and the city is seeking ways to avoid enacting more restrictive rules. Durham’s main reservoirs, Lake Michie and Little River Reservoir, are even lower than they were this summer. The city’s reservoirs are 33% full, compared
hoodline.com
Cary Reopens Black Creek Greenway Seven Months Early After $17M Rebuild
Cary's Black Creek Greenway is open again, and residents walking, running, and biking the corridor are now rolling over a rebuilt 2.5-mile stretch that town officials say finished seven months ahead of schedule. The renovation touched the trail between West Dynasty Drive and Lake Crabtree, widening the pavement and adding a towering new pedestrian bridge along the way.
WRAL News
foxy99.com
Former Hope Mills Town Manager McLaughlin Takes Spot in Angier
Angier has a new permanent town manager: Chancer F. McLaughlin. He has spent more than 22 years working in city government, planning, and leadership, WRAL reported on Wednesday, Oct. 28. Before this job, McLaughlin spent over 12 years with the Town of Hope Mills. He ran the town as its...