Vaping’s runas the cigarette’s indoor-friendly cousin is officially over in Raleigh. Starting April 20, vaping will be banned in the same indoor public spaces where cigarette smoking is already prohibited, putting e-cigs on the same legal footing.
City Council unanimously approved the update in January, expanding Raleigh’s existing nonsmoking ordinance to explicitly include e-cigarettes and other vaping devices. The rule applies to enclosed public places—think bars, restaurants, stores, workplaces and lobbies—essentially anywhere the public is invited inside, marking the end of the “but it’s just vapor” era.
The update also eliminates outdated carve-outs that once allowed smoking in specific indoor spaces, bringing Raleigh in line with the strictest smoking rules permitted under North Carolina law. Public health advocates championed the change, citing growing evidence that secondhand aerosol from e-cigarettes contains heavy metals and fine particles that can worsen heart and lung disease.
Here is where it gets real for businesses: The shift comes with new responsibilities. Managers of public indoor spaces are now required to post no-smoking/no-vaping signage, remove ashtrays and ask patrons to stop vaping indoors—or call police if they refuse. Those who ignore the warning may face fines of up to $50, while penalties for businesses that repeatedly fail to enforce the rules can climb to $200 per day after multiple violations.
State law still allows for limited exceptions—like in private clubs, certain cigar bars, tobacco shops and designated smoking hotel rooms. But for most public indoor spaces in Raleigh, the message is as clear as the post-ban air: Vaping is now in the same penalty box as smoking.
The shift draws a cultural line. For years, vaping occupied a peculiar gray area—side-eyed but often tolerated and rarely enforced. Come April, that grace period officially expires. Raleigh is clearing the air.
New East Raleigh social space built for unhurried connection
Raleigh is about to get a new kind of third place—one where your night might start with a deck of cards, drift into a cocktail and end with no real urge to rush home.
Set to debut this spring in East Raleigh is Biddy Thomas, the forthcoming “clubhouse” concept from Margaret Rosemond Soler and co-owner/longtime restaurant industry vet Ramón Soler. Southern in spirit with a touch of New Orleans grit, the space is anchored with intention and designed for purposeful connection—built for gathering around good music, good bites and bevs, and good energy.
Alongside Southern-informed fare and a cocktail list meant to encourage lingering, the spot will offer playing cards, stationery, puzzles, books and games—plus a rotating lineup of low-pressure programming. Think bridge lessons and mahjong, spelling bees, spades tournaments, sing-alongs and other social events intended to bring people together—whether they arrive solo or with friends, ready to play in or just observe.
Photo by Josh Wallace
Named after Margaret’s maternal grandmother, Marjorie “Biddy” Thomas—whose character, courage and sense of grace are foundational to the space’s ethos—the concept was a longtime brainchild, born years ago when Margaret noticed her daughter coloring in an illustration with the sign “Little Biddy Boutique.”
“I blurted out: ‘My grandmother’s name is Biddy Thomas. I’m gonna open a business and call it that,’” she recalls. “I have no idea why I said it—I just said it out loud.”
The offhand comment grew into a fully formed vision. And what began as a simple idea—selling playing cards—materialized as Margaret imagined the experience surrounding them. “Then I thought, I would want to be able to set up tables for women to sit down and play cards—but I wouldn’t want them to feel rushed,” she says. “What if they wanted a glass of wine? Or what if they got hungry? … It all just kind of rolled from there.”
Now manifesting as a one-stop shop for eating, drinking and socializing, Biddy Thomas is shaped around Biddy’s intoxicating spirit. Read: A place to slow down, sip, share space and savor what matters most away from the chaos of everyday life, she emphasizes.
Photo by Josh Wallace
Ultimately, the goal is not a members-only mood—but a communal one. Margaret hopes it will feel like a clubhouse with no exclusivity, where as long as you know how to treat people with dignity and respect, you are welcome.
“What I’ve seen is that folks are really lonely, and we really need to connect with each other,” she maintains. “We’ve lost that art of sitting around a table together, looking each other in the eye and unwinding at the end of the day.”
Biddy Thomas aims to bring that art back—serving an easy excuse to pull up a chair, stay awhile and feel at home. biddythomas.com
NC poet’s new poetry collection feels like an inheritance.
New books arrive all the time—but few feel like an inheritance. Enter The Book of Alice, in which NC poet Diamond Forde transforms her grandmother’s legacy into a formally inventive poetry collection rooted in lineage, faith and perseverance.
Through poems shaped by the structure and language of the King James Bible, the recently released relic traces the life of Alice—a Black woman born in the Jim Crow South.
For Forde, that structure is deeply personal: Her grandmother’s Bible is one of the only inheritances she has to remember her by—and she still holds it close. Writing within that framework became a way to stay connected. “I am trying to enter into the only poetry that my grandmother knew and understood and loved.”
The collection also reexamines familiar biblical stories through overlooked perspectives. “I’m playing with the same stories many of us who have grown up with church-related experiences know, but trying to look at them in a new way to try to excavate the women that I think have been lost in the process of canonization,” Forde explains.
Beyond its biblical backbone, The Book of Alice also draws from everyday archives—recipes, census records and footnotes—to build a fuller picture of Black life. “Recipes are a fantastic way of looking into someone’s history, both personal and familial,” says the award-winning author. “I think recipes are a beautiful testament to life.”
Though rooted in her own family, the collection has resonated far beyond it, with readers finding pieces of themselves in the book, says Forde.
At just 96 pages, The Book of Alice is intentionally approachable, even for readers who may feel intimidated by poetry. “Poetry can ask you to take a leap with me,” emphasizes Forde. “Sometimes that leap will feel daunting if you don’t feel like you’re on solid ground.” She hopes the book offers that footing—giving readers a sense of trust and a meaningful peek into the past.
Carter-Finley is set to be a part-time music venue.
Carter-Finley is breaking its silent streak. Pre-2025, the last time the stadium hosted an artist was Beyoncé in 2016. Fast-forward ~nine years, and the venue turned up the nonfootball volume with a sold-out Chris Brown show Oct. 14, leaving every Raleigh concertgoer wondering: Is Carter-Finley bringing live music back?
The answer is yes—big names are returning, and regularly. NC State has officially partnered with Oak View Group, a global venue booking and live entertainment leader, to turn the stadium into a true live music destination with multiple large-scale stadium shows a year—kicking off with Guns N’ Roses July 23.
So, why now? Naturally, it’s money making the concert world go round. “We’re in a time right now with college athletics where we’re really having to find additional revenue streams,” says NC State Assistant Athletic Director for New Business Kyle Fiala. “There’s just an added emphasis on generating revenue, and concerts are a great way to do that.”
In short, the unused real estate is there—outside of seven home football games, the 56,919-seat stadium sits empty. “There’s people that will come to a concert at Carter-Finley Stadium who might have never been inside before,” remarks Fiala. “Being able to give them an experience is a great way to get them in and put on a great show for the community.”
The notoriously congested Chris Brown concert drawing 42K attendees was scheduled pre-partnership, but Oak View assisted with execution. “We learned a lot about how to operate an event of this size,” reflects Fiala. “There are things we can directly point to and say, ‘Hey, we can change this.’”
Still, football remains the priority. “We’re never gonna do anything at the stadium that puts our football program in a bad spot,” he maintains, confirming concerts won’t mess with gamedays. Big acts have played here before—and they’re coming again. And, so, Carter-Finley is officially (back) in its live music era.
Quick Flex Carter-Finley’s Résumé
2016 Beyoncé with DJ Khaled
2015 The Rolling Stones with The Avett Brothers
2009 U2 with Muse
1998 George Strait Country Music Festival Jimmy Buffet
1994 The Rolling Stones with Lenny Kravitz Pink Floyd
1990 Grateful Dead Paul McCartney
1989 The Rolling Stones with Living Colour The Who
1979 Van Halen with The Outlaws
Sound Check
A look at the kinds of acts hitting stadium tours in 2026—offering a glimpse of what could soon land closer to home (and save you the drive to Charlotte or beyond). Stay tuned for announcements.
Dua Lipa Ed Sheeran Foo Fighters Luke Bryan Pitbull Post Malone The Weeknd BTS
The RPDF and city officials join forces to up DTR safety.
Downtown Raleigh’s parking decks are getting a next-level safety upgrade. The Raleigh Police Department Foundation recently funded Connect Raleigh, a citywide system linking public and private cameras to the Real Time Crime Center. Now, the initiative is expanding with new cameras across DTR parking decks—one smart move to make Raleigh’s streets, sidewalks and parking areas safer through faster response times, broader visibility and smarter policing.
“Installing security cameras in our city’s parking decks would significantly enhance public safety and support law enforcement efforts across Raleigh,” remarks RPD Lieutenant David Davis. “By linking these cameras to our Real Time Crime Center, detectives and responding officers would have the ability to monitor situations as they unfold, providing crucial, real-time intelligence.”
Launched in 2022, the RPD Foundation funds what the city budget cannot—from new technologies to officer wellness initiatives to community engagement. “We’re here to help do whatever we can to make Raleigh a safer city,” says Foundation founder and board chair Brenda Gibson. “We heard from other police foundations that this camera system was a game changer for safety.”
The cameras are part of a multistage rollout that pairs the Foundation’s investment in technology with the city’s ongoing infrastructure upgrades. The first installations at Moore Square and Charter Square garages are set to go live by late December or early January. “In total, it will be in the hundreds,” says Assistant City Manager Michael Moore. “Police can’t be everywhere all at once, and this is really going to be a force multiplier.”
Once up and running, the integrated system will allow RPD to tap into a wider network of footage from both city and community cameras—a move that could make Downtown feel more connected and secure for residents and visitors alike. Smarter tech. Safer streets. Stronger city.
