🌳 Durham lost 3,800 jobs last year
Durham Lost 3,800 Jobs in 2025
Durham shed 3,800 jobs in 2025, driven by federal research cuts that hit the Durham-Chapel Hill metro hard. While Raleigh ranked among the state's biggest job winners, Durham moved in the opposite direction.
- Federal research funding cuts were the primary driver, targeting an economy built around Duke, UNC, and related research institutions.
- The Durham-Chapel Hill metro lost jobs even as other Triangle metros gained, widening the regional gap.
- Raleigh ranked among North Carolina's biggest job winners in the same period Durham was losing ground.
Over Half of DPS High Schoolers Chronically Absent
More than half of Durham Public Schools high schoolers are chronically absent, and new data shows the problem getting worse for the students who can least afford to miss class.
- 37.3% of all DPS students are chronically absent, missing at least 10% of the school year, totaling roughly 11,000 students.
- High schools are hit hardest, with one in two students chronically absent at some campuses.
- Black, Hispanic, Latino, and American Indian students, along with English learners and students with disabilities, show the highest rates.
City Council · Work Session · April 23, 2026
Durham County entered extreme drought status, and City Council heard from residents demanding a moratorium on data centers, in a work session that touched two of the city's biggest infrastructure pressure points.
- Durham's lakes sit at 84-85% capacity with no restrictions expected, but Raleigh already triggered Stage 1 restrictions after Falls Lake dipped to 83%.
- A petition signed by 735 residents and 11 organizations called for a 32-month moratorium on hyperscale data centers, citing water risk and rising ground temperatures.
- Council Member Nate Baker said he is an avid supporter of the moratorium and wants to help shape the resulting policy.
Roundup
- Duke and UNC are each seeking state approval to add 200 new hospital beds in Durham County, with regulators considering a split award that would leave both short.
- The Garmin Marathon closes downtown streets, the American Tobacco Trail, and roads through Duke's campus on Saturday, May 2, with some closures starting Thursday.
- Duke basketball loses Cameron Boozer and Isaiah Evans to the NBA draft, but coach Jon Scheyer has key returners and a transfer addition heading into next season.
- Seniors at Ashton Place and Willard Street Apartments formed a tenants union after years of ignored maintenance complaints, and management has agreed to meet.
- Northern High's $96M campus opened 2.5 years ago with soccer fields that sit unused on game nights and a field house built for 45 serving teams of 80.
- Durham is weighing a 2-year ban on new data centers to assess impacts on water, power, and land before more facilities move in.
- Chris McLaurin's Lutra Cafe & Bakery opens at American Tobacco Campus in June, its first permanent location after 10,000 buns sold through Durham pop-ups.
Events
SatchVai Band Featuring Joe Satriani & Steve Vai
Thu, April 30 · DPAC
Swan Lake
Thu, April 30 · Carolina Theatre
Ali Siddiq
Fri, May 1 · DPAC
PLAYlist Presents: Kaleta y Super Yamba
Fri, May 1 · Durham Central Park
Birding for Beginners
Sat, May 2 · Sarah P. Duke Gardens
Chelsea Handler: The High and Mighty Tour
Sat, May 2 · DPAC
Crafts, Drafts & Dogs
Sat, May 2 · APS of Durham
Music Beyond Borders
Sun, May 3 · Carolina Theatre
The Great Gatsby
Tue, May 5 · DPAC
Letters to America
Wed, May 6 · Carolina Theatre
Real Estate
631 Clayton Road
$1,899,000
631 Clayton Rd Lot 2
$1,899,000
3711 Linden Rd
4 bed, 4 bath, 3,653 sqft
$975,000
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