Taking the Temp

The hottest local and national news you need to know now

WHAT’S HOT

Bolstering mental health resources, VP Kamala Harris announced NC will receive $12 million to hire 332 mental health counselors in schools.

The U.S. economy is on the up and up! According to seasonally adjusted data, the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) increased 3.3% in Q4 2023.

NC’s park popularity is soaring—over 20.1 million people visited state parks in 2023, a 4% increase from 2022, with Jordan Lake State Recreation Area the most popular at 2.5 million visitors last year.  

School is cool—and ranked the best public high school in NC by Niche is the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics in Durham. A+!

Moving onward and upward, the Raleigh Convention Center selected Atlanta-based TVS and RATIO Design (which also has a Raleigh office) to design its $387.5 million expansion and the relocation of Red Hat Amphitheater. 

They’re back… Raleigh City Council voted to reinstate Citizen Advisory Councils (CACs), whose members can vote to recommend or reject development projects throughout the city. 

Bye, Bard—hello, Gemini! Google recently renamed its chatbot and introduced a $19.99/month subscription called Gemini Advanced that boasts a more powerful AI model.

Don’t text—er, call. The FCC voted to ban scam robocalls using AI-generated voices, effective immediately. 

Hey, Mr. President! President Joe Biden visited Raleigh in January to announce an $82 million investment from the American Rescue Plan that will expand high-speed internet to 20,000 North Carolinians. 

Take me out to the ballgame. … The Mudcats are leaving their longtime home in Zebulon to move to a new $64 million stadium in Wilson by 2026. 

Shhh… Raleigh City Council updated the noise ordinance for Glenwood South, with enforcement now dependent on what officers consider “unreasonable noise.”

Feelin’ hot, hot, hot? So is the Earth. 2023 was officially the hottest year on record in over a century. 

NC is facing a syphilis crisis, with 2023 marking the deadliest year for babies with congenital syphilis in the past decade. 

WHAT’S NOT