🌳 Federal Probe Opens into Duke over China
TL;DR — 3 Things to Know This Week
Federal officials say Duke mislabeled Chinese partners as non-governmental and gave the university 30 days to turn over foreign-funding records going back to 2020.
Police broke up a roughly 600-car meetup on Avondale Drive Saturday night; one driver was cited and towed, and neighbors say the noise has become a regular disruption.
Stephanie Mardis formally took the oath as Durham's police chief last Friday at DPAC and read aloud the name of every Durham homicide victim this year.
Federal Government Opens Foreign Funding Probe Into Duke
Federal officials allege Duke misreported its Chinese partners and gave the university 30 days to produce records.
The U.S. Departments of Education and State opened an investigation into Duke University's foreign funding disclosures, focusing on the school's ties to China through Duke Kunshan University, a 2013 collaboration between Duke and Wuhan University.
A letter sent last week to Duke President Vincent Price alleges the university wrongly identified Chinese partners as non-governmental, repeatedly filed incomplete descriptions of restricted transactions and made systemic reporting errors on foreign contracts.
Education Department officials wrote that Duke's decision to align its research with a university involved in Chinese military research raised serious concerns.
Duke has 30 calendar days to answer 25 document requests covering its foreign funding disclosures from 2020 to the present, including tax records, foreign agreements and a list of researchers on foreign projects. A Duke spokesperson said the university is reviewing the letter carefully.
Durham Police Break Up 600-Car Meetup On Avondale Drive
A noise complaint Saturday night turned up roughly 600 cars and drivers doing stunts on Avondale Drive, the kind of gathering neighbors say has become a regular disruption.
Officers responding around 9:38 p.m. found hundreds of vehicles near Foushee Street with drivers performing what police called careless and reckless driving stunts. The Durham County Sheriff's Office and State Highway Patrol helped clear the scene.
One driver was cited for careless and reckless driving and had their vehicle towed. Police reported no arrests and no injuries.
Neighbor Ed Wagner said the engine backfiring, spinning tires and blaring radios happen often, sometimes during the day. Neighbor Nel James said the gatherings have grown more frequent, though they usually wrap up before midnight.
Council Adopts Cultural Roadmap After a Night of Public Comment, Pushes AbbVie Incentive to October
Durham City Council · Regular Meeting · September 17, 2026
Artists and Tuscarora speakers filled most of council’s 73-minute September 17 meeting before it adopted the Durham Cultural Roadmap; a corporate incentive hearing was pushed back a month.
Council unanimously adopted the Cultural Roadmap, the long-planned framework for arts and culture funding. Speakers backed it but pressed for affordable space and a say in how the money gets spent; the vote set neither.
A Tuscarora Nation speaker asked council to recognize Tuscarora history as part of the roadmap and to consider a Tuscarora historical marker in the city; other speakers echoed the request.
The AbbVie capital investment and job creation incentive, scheduled as a public hearing, was sent back to staff and postponed to October 19 so staff could answer outstanding questions first.
Council appointed Tamario M. Howes to the Durham Housing Authority board, but a split vote left the Workers' Rights Commission seat without a majority, so it will be readvertised.
What to watch: The AbbVie incentive returns as a public hearing October 19, and the Workers' Rights Commission seat will be readvertised.
Quick Hits
Durham police’s second-quarter report shows violent crime rose from a year earlier.
Stephanie Mardis was sworn in last Friday as Durham's 17th police chief, the fourth woman to lead the department, after nearly 25 years with Greensboro Police.
Lowe's Grove Middle School exited North Carolina's low-performing list after nine of the prior 10 years there, as its suspension rate fell from 27% to under 10%.
More than 150 people gathered in Hayti to press Duke for a $25 minimum wage and payments to the city; Duke's wage floor rose to $20 in July.
Duke medical school executive vice dean Geeta Swamy will leave Dec. 31 to lead Boston University's medical school, after helping guide Duke's response to $108 million in frozen grants.
The Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority bought a Morrisville office building for $8.9 million and will move in gradually as current tenants' leases expire.
Durham's Ramona Optics raised $25 million in Series A funding and is moving into a larger space in downtown Durham's Venable Center.
Dampf Good BBQ, the only food truck in Michelin’s American South guide, is opening its first restaurant in the former Pit space on Geer Street around the new year.
Events
Skin & Bones Theater presents a Jon Moritsugu double feature + Q&A!
Thu, September 24 · Shadowbox Studio
Jon Moritsugu pairs his new film Numbskull Revolution with his 1994 cult film Mod Fuck Explosion, followed by a live Q&A with the director over Zoom.
ZZ Top
Thu, September 24 · Koka Booth Amphitheatre, Cary
ZZ Top and Dwight Yoakam co-headline the Dos Amigos Tour.
Damien Jurado w/ St. Yuma
Thu, September 24 · Cat's Cradle Back Room, Carrboro
Singer-songwriter Damien Jurado plays an intimate set, with St. Yuma.
Duke Blue Devils Football vs. William and Mary Tribe Football
Sat, September 26 · Wallace Wade Stadium
Duke hosts William & Mary at 3:30 p.m. (ACC Network Extra).
Gov't Mule
Sat, September 26 · Red Hat Amphitheater, Raleigh
Gov't Mule shares the bill with Ziggy Marley, plus a guest DJ set from Yola.
Hecho A Mano Market
Sat, September 26 · Cocoa Cinnamon
RIP X Card Show
Sat, September 26 · Durham Bulls Athletic Park
Two-day trading card show (Sat–Sun) with 300+ tables of sports cards, Pokémon, toys and collectibles; free for kids 10 and under.
Shrektoberfest
Sat, September 26 · DSSOLVR, 630 Rigsbee Ave
A free Shrek-themed Oktoberfest block party with food trucks, a DJ, an art market, and onion-eating and costume contests, noon–6 p.m.
Triangle Terror Con
Sat, September 26 · The Millennium Hotel
Horror and sci-fi convention brings together fans and vendors celebrating the genres.
Fall Food Truck Rodeo: Pride Edition
Sun, September 27 · Durham Central Park
Food trucks gather during Pride Durham week for a fall celebration.
Real Estate
115 Morris St Unit 2304
$2,795,000 · 3 bed, 2.5 bath, 2,549 sqft
A high-floor Novus condo with a Wolf range, wet bar, and EV-ready parking.
107 Pinecrest Rd
$649,000 · 5 bed, 4 bath, 2,282 sqft incl. carriage house
A 1940 brick house plus a carriage-house ADU on a heavily wooded 0.62-acre lot.
1925 Ward St
$699,000 · 3 bed, 2.5 bath, 2,066 sqft
Fully renovated 1944 cottage with a glorious backyard in walkable Lakewood.
Opportunities
Combustion Engineer / Scientist
ERG · Research Triangle Park, NC
Troubleshoots combustion systems and configures EPA emissions sampling gear for environmental research at RTP facilities.
Adjunct Instructor, Audio Engineering
Durham Technical Community College · Durham, NC
Teaches audio engineering and runs the studio classroom at Durham Tech's fine arts program.
Individual Volunteer
Habitat for Humanity of Durham · Durham, NC
Sign up for a volunteer orientation (Oct. 1 or Nov. 5), the first step to framing, painting and clearing job sites with Habitat for Humanity of Durham.
From Reddit
One Redditor has spotted this sign holder twice near Main and Duke streets and is asking if anyone knows more about him.
Shout out to this positive sign holder · r/bullcity
Correction
Last week's civic brief said commissioners passed the Durham Cultural Roadmap without new funding. To be more precise: the plan is a 5–10-year framework, and staff recommended adding $1.5 million in year two and $635,000 in year three. Those amounts would have to be approved through the city and county budget processes; no new money was appropriated on adoption.