"Republican state lawmakers have planned to use their veto-proof majority to pass education reform.

"Democratic North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper declared a 'state of emergency' on Monday in an attempt to stop a school choice bill from passing the state legislature. Cooper released a video announcement where he declared a state of emergency, arguing that the state of public education is 'no less important' than other emergencies." —Fox News

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"City Manager Wanda Page presented her proposed FY2023-2024 budget at tonight’s City Council meeting, which does not include a property tax rate increase. The rate remains 55.77 cents per $100 of assessed value."

Also in this budget: 

"Expands public safety, transportation support, and enhanced and equitable green spaces as well as increases employee compensation."

"Residents are encouraged to share their feedback at the final budget public hearing on June 5."

—City of Durham website

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"Big brother or a needed layer of protection? That's the decision the Durham Public School Board will make over the student-tracking software called Gaggle. The software monitors student activity on school accounts and devices for key words. Any mention of violence, self-harm, or other inappropriate issues would notify school staff immediately." —WRAL News

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“A Democratic state lawmaker in North Carolina announced Wednesday that she is jumping to the Republican Party, giving the GOP veto-proof majorities in both the state’s legislative chambers that should make it easier to enact conservative policies over the opposition of Gov. Roy Cooper.” — AP News

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“Senate leader Phil Berger accused Cooper on Saturday of ‘feeding the public lies’ and ‘bullying’ members of his party to block the legislation. ‘I look forward to promptly overriding his veto,’ he said in a statement.” — AP News

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Durham is number 5!

"WalletHub compared the relative startup opportunities that exist in 100 U.S. cities. We did so using 19 key metrics, ranging from the five-year business-survival rate to labor costs to office-space affordability."

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