🌳 Durham family deported after Charlotte check-in
This week in Durham: a Durham family is deported, Third Fork Creek carries 1,300 chemicals, and a new arthouse theater is coming to West Parrish.
Durham Family Deported After Charlotte Check-In
Two Burton Elementary students and their parents were deported to Honduras within 24 hours of a routine immigration check-in in Charlotte. The family had pending asylum status.
- The family was detained at a scheduled Charlotte appointment and removed to Honduras within 24 hours, with no hearing.
- Both children were enrolled at Burton Elementary in Durham at the time of deportation.
- Durham City Council members unanimously condemned the action at a work session, calling it completely illegal and pledging support for residents facing similar appointments.
Third Fork Creek Has 1,300+ Chemicals Flowing to Jordan Lake
Third Fork Creek, which runs past NCCU before draining into Jordan Lake, now carries more than 1,300 chemical signals, including 30 compounds never previously detected there.
- Researchers identified 30 chemicals in the creek that had not been detected in prior sampling, with the total signal count now exceeding 1,300.
- The creek passes directly past NCCU before reaching Jordan Lake, a drinking water source for downstream communities.
- No specific remediation plan or regulatory action was announced alongside the findings.
City Council · Work Session · April 9, 2026
Durham's Rail Trail project has ballooned from $11.6 million to $36 million with its completion date pushed to June 2028, raising urgent questions about cost controls on future city infrastructure.
- The Rail Trail project was originally expected to finish in fall 2024 but is now scheduled for completion in June 2028.
- Durham must buy diesel buses instead of electric ones after losing federal electrification funding, abandoning its 2035 all-electric fleet goal.
- Roads needing major repairs grew from 12.5 percent in 2018 to 16.5 percent in 2024, with bond funding expiring in 2027.
Roundup
- Deputy Chief Walter Tate becomes interim Durham police chief on May 1, as the city opens public input on hiring a permanent replacement.
- Eight new officers graduated from Durham's jail training program, but 68 vacancies remain and the facility still relies on deputies and mandatory overtime.
- DPS will shift about 770 students at DSA and Brogden to express bus stops at school or district sites, some up to 10 miles from home.
- Aer Lingus launched a nonstop RDU-to-Dublin route this week, the first direct flight between the Triangle and Ireland.
- Vaguely Reminiscent is closing after 43 years on Ninth Street, with owner Carol Anderson retiring and discounts already underway.
- A 60-seat arthouse cinema called Skin and Bones Theater is set to open on West Parrish Street in July.
Events
Kishi Bashi: Sonderlust 10th Anniversary Tour, with Bayonne - Wednesday, April 15, Cat's Cradle
Skin and Bones Theater / 3 Chambers present: A Wu-Tang Experience: Live at Red Rocks Amphitheater - Wednesday, April 15, The Pinhook
Full Frame Documentary Film Festival - Thursday, April 16, Carolina Theatre / Durham Convention Center
Bert Kreischer: Permission To Party - Friday, April 17, DPAC
FIRESTARTER FEST: A Celebration of Queer/Trans Black & Brown Alternative Aesthetics - Saturday, April 18, The Pinhook
Durham Earth Day Festival - Sunday, April 19, Durham Central Park
Snail Mail - Monday, April 20, Haw River Ballroom