Practicing for the worst-case scenario—before it’s real
As Raleigh’s skyline rises, the emergencies firefighters train for are getting taller too. Enter Wake Tech Community College’s new Fire and Rescue Training Center, set to open in 2027 on its Eastern Wake Campus in Wendell—giving Triangle first responders a place to practice for the kinds of multistory emergencies that are nearly impossible to recreate on the ground.
At the center of it all: a six-story burn building where firefighters can fight fires, search for victims, remove people from upper floors and ventilate smoke from a structure. Next door, a five-story training tower will tackle the other nightmare scenarios—high-angle rope, confined-space and elevator rescues.
The WTCC addition comes as Wake County and the Triangle continue to grow upward, with firefighters responding to far more than single-family homes. They may find themselves navigating apartments, hotels, offices, industrial buildings and other multistory structures. The simulator is designed to mimic those environments, with different floors configured for different occupancy types.
“Once completed, the center will be the only facility in the region to offer realistic mid- and high-rise training in a permanent structure taller than three stories,” says Wake Tech Provost of Public Safety Education and Training Dr. Jamie Wicker.
Beyond fires, a hazardous-materials and vehicle-extrication training area will allow responders to practice spill containment, hazardous-materials response and vehicle rescues, including heavy-vehicle extrication. A concrete containment ditch can also be flooded to simulate water-rescue and hazardous-material scenarios.
And it’s not just for firefighters. EMS personnel and law enforcement officers can train alongside them for complex emergencies—building the communication, coordination and decision-making skills critical when multiple agencies converge on the same scene.
The new center won’t replace existing training spots, but it will expand the settings available to recruits and experienced firefighters alike. For Wake Tech’s 33-week Career in a Year Fire Academy, in partnership with Wake County, that means adding multistory scenarios—think fire attack, search and rescue, victim removal, ventilation, and standpipe operations—to recruit training.
And the impact could stretch well beyond Wake County. Wake Tech expects roughly 100 to 150 students and emergency responders to cycle through the center each day—potentially putting 7,000 to 10,000 people a year through everything from routine drills to worst-case-scenario training.
The $19.3 million center is part of Wake Tech’s larger push to turn its Eastern Wake Campus into a public-safety training hub. But for the thousands of first responders expected to pass through each year, the mission is much simpler: Practice the worst-case scenario before it’s real.
NC’s unique divorce laws are under fire—and could change soon.
In North Carolina, breaking up is hard to do—at least legally speaking. It’s one of few states that requires spouses to live separate and apart for at least a year and a day before an absolute divorce can be granted, putting NC among a relatively small group of states that mandate lengthy separation periods for no-fault divorces.
Now, a proposed law would cut that wait in half—and eliminate it altogether in certain circumstances.
Introduced in April, the Domestic Violence Divorce Reform Act would reduce NC’s required separation period from one year to six months, also waiving the six-month period if both spouses agree, the divorce is uncontested and there are no minor children.
The bill would also waive the separation period entirely for those seeking divorce from a spouse who has committed domestic violence, provided the applicant submits specified documentation of abuse—and further eliminate NC’s alienation-of-affection and criminal-conversation lawsuits, which allow certain civil claims against third parties over marital affairs.
But there’s an important distinction: The waiting period doesn’t prevent spouses from physically separating or beginning to resolve custody, support and property matters. It delays when the marriage can legally end. And some financial claims must be filed before a divorce becomes final to preserve those rights.
The current waiting period has been a hot-button issue for years, proving to be more than legal fine print. For NC labor and delivery nurse and influencer Jen Hamilton, that waiting period suddenly became a media frenzy this year when she publicly alleged her now-estranged husband of more than a dozen years had been leading a “double life.”
“I think a lot of North Carolinians do not know they will be affected by this ‘year and a day’ law,” emphasizes Hamilton. “A lot of us aren’t aware until it affects us personally. There’s a lot of financial and custody implications that affect both parties, children and the family as a whole.” Hamilton argues shortening the separation period could ease that transition—and that requiring someone to remain legally married can be especially dangerous when abuse is involved.
“These changes in laws will save lives,” Hamilton said. “Being able to leave an unhealthy or abusive marriage will save lives.”
Not everyone is on board, however. Raleigh family law specialist Jaime Davis—author of the book A Year and a Day—argues the separation period gives couples time to sort through custody, child support, property division and alimony.
And it’s not just about the paperwork. “Some folks don’t even really know for sure that they want to be [divorced] for several months,” Davis said in an April podcast interview, noting that some couples reconcile during that time. “The year is really useful because it gives folks long enough to figure out the financial issues, but also the emotional issues of ‘is this the right decision for me.’”
For now, the proposed changes remain just that. The bill has seen no recorded legislative action since its April committee referral. But regardless of whether NC ultimately shortens the wait, both Hamilton and Davis underscore one important consideration: Whether you’re entering or exiting a marriage, having your finances in order—and maintaining an ability to support yourself—matters.
After 74 years shaping Raleigh’s F&B scene, URE is getting a new home.
Before a single plate leaves the pass or a diner digs into their favorite meal, there has to be a kitchen. For generations of Raleigh restaurants, that kitchen started with United Restaurant Equipment.
Over nearly 75 years, locally based URE has had a hand in quietly shaping the city’s F&B scene—helping countless hospitality concepts open their doors and power new culinary ventures. Now, the family-owned business is entering a new chapter in Northeast Raleigh.
With a larger warehouse and distribution center, URE’s new HQ will better serve customers while supporting future growth. But the move is about more than square footage—it’s about helping shape Raleigh’s restaurant scene for decades to come.
Founded by Jesse Margulies in 1952, the family business was then passed onto his son, Howard, before landing in the capable hands of his grandson, current URE President Eric. And continuing that family tradition, Eric’s own sons can often be found helping in the warehouse during the summer.
“I hope at this moment, our customers and employees will see this growth and expansion as a positive that brings our customers a more robust experience,” says Eric. “We are going to continue to focus on our customers’ goals while creating a better employee experience… that will lead to more opportunities for all.”
The timing of the move is significant. According to the Family Business Institute, only ~12% of family businesses successfully reach a third generation of ownership, and even more dismal, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that fewer than 3% of locally owned businesses survive more than 50 years.
Which makes URE part of a rare group in the city. The company joins a short list of multigenerational companies who’ve made it more than five decades, including Reliable Jewelry & Loan (1949) and Angus Barn (1960).
Part of that longevity? Remaining rooted in the same values that built its reputation in the first place. “We have so many long-standing customers who share the same passion for making the Triangle the best place to live by offering the best hospitality we can,” says Eric.
One partnership tells the story. Since first teaming up with the DeMartino family on Piccolo Mondo in 1976, three generations of both families have worked side by side—from the restaurant’s transformation into Cafe Tiramisu to its most recent renovation.
Commercial kitchens may have changed dramatically over URE’s span, but its mission hasn’t: “We want to be partners with each of our customers for the duration of their business life,” says Eric. And as Raleigh’s restaurant scene continues to mature, URE hopes the kitchens it builds over the next 74 years become just as memorable as those that came before.
It started with bagged salads. Then jalapenos, then eggs—and then blueberries, beef and popsicles were recalled.
Enter recall summer. “At this point, just give us a list of what we can eat,” one consumer complained. Foods spanning every group of the pyramid keep getting pulled from shelves, with each alert seemingly bringing more gut-wrenching symptoms and annihilating more grocers.
Is something fundamentally wrong with America’s food supply right now? Not necessarily, but there is a very real increase in some foodborne illnesses, particularly Cyclospora. Well-documented changes to the nation’s food-safety surveillance system have further complicated the picture.
“This summer’s series of recalls and outbreaks are familiar territory where we find fresh produce and other ready to eat products making headlines,” says Lynette Johnston, an associate professor and food safety extension specialist at NC State.
Salmonella and pathogenic E. coli are common culprits of foodborne illness, she notes. “The one real departure from what we typically see is Cyclospora, which isn’t a new or unusual pathogen, but there is a significant increase in the number of cases.”
The timing has also put federal food-safety policy under a microscope. In July 2025, the CDC reduced the number of pathogens its Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network is required to actively monitor from eight to two: Salmonella and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli.
Cyclospora is among those no longer required to be monitored under the program. The change was attributed to funding constraints, although states can continue tracking those illnesses independently.
The FDA has also undergone budget and staffing reductions, while shifting some routine domestic inspection work toward state partners and directing federal resources toward higher-risk, complex and international inspections. But that doesn’t mean those changes caused this summer’s outbreaks.
“It is important to note that any cuts that have been made to the FDA/CDC have not been a direct cause of the increased number of recalls,” Johnston says.
Instead, several things may be happening simultaneously. “There are likely a combination of factors here: A genuinely large Cyclospora outbreak, the typical seasonal uptick in fresh produce-related illnesses that occur each summer, a leaner response system, and heightened media attention.”
Johnston’s takeaway: Approach the headlines with some nuance and perspective. “The increase in outbreaks seems to be real and not a product of media coverage; however, the significant media coverage is likely making it feel even larger than the actual rise in cases.”
The interconnected nature of today’s food supply can make contamination feel enormous too. A single supplier can distribute products across multiple states, retailers and restaurant chains, meaning one contamination event can quickly become a nationwide concern—and one company can forever be infamous for its “poop lettuce.”
Hemp-derived beverages, gummies and other cannabis products are having a high in Raleigh. But soon, hemp could disappear from NC shelves for good—and the multibillion dollar industry may be toppled at the hands of the NC General Assembly.
The regulatory hemp bill, which now awaits final House approval, contains legislation that would dramatically restrict hemp-derived THC products by adopting the same definition included in the federal ban set to take effect Nov. 12.
Rather than limiting hemp by percentage of THC, the new standard would cap products at just 0.4 milligrams of total THC per package—a threshold industry advocates say would eliminate nearly every hemp product currently on the market.
But whereas the federal government gave business owners and users a years’ notice, NC is fast-tracking the ban. Read: If the bill becomes law, the ban will immediately take effect.
While Congress continues debating whether the federal restrictions should be delayed or revised before November, the NC hemp bill would write those standards into state law—meaning the limits could remain in place here even if federal lawmakers ultimately change course.
That said, Rep. Donny Lambeth, one of the bill’s primary sponsors, said they’re still taking a measured approach. “One of the issues in reviewing this bill is frankly not moving too fast, so we know more about what the federal changes are going to be and [if we should] wait to see what policy changes they mandate,” he says.
Since the 2018 Farm Bill, hemp-derived products have become a substantial part of the local economy in the Triangle, with specialty retailers, bottle shops, breweries and wellness stores alike investing in or creating products that could quickly become illegal to sell under the proposed standard.
Under HB 328, many businesses would have little room to reformulate existing offerings, leaving owners to attempt to overhaul their inventory or potentially rethink their business models altogether.
NC Hemp Shoppe general manager Brandon Chavez says a hemp ban would not only jeopardize local businesses and subtract millions of dollars of economic activity, but it would take away informed adults’ freedom to choose legal, regulated products. “Regulation protects consumers,” Chavez maintains. “Prohibition simply pushes demand into markets the state cannot supervise.”
Fellow local business owner John Boccella of The Hemp Company similarly supports what he calls “sensible” regulation, but remains concerned with the approach lawmakers are taking. He notes that during the last three years, the NC hemp industry has been attempting to get myriad hemp regulations on the books, including a 21-plus age restriction, child-resistant packaging and third-party testing.
“These regulations were introduced and all died in the Senate Rules committee,” he says. “[Now], HB 328 would ban 99% of the products on our shelves, except topical CBD products, and every other retail shelf in NC. It would eliminate the jobs of our 14 full-time employees and almost 20,000 other North Carolinians.”
Supporters of the legislation say tighter restrictions are necessary to curb youth access and close loopholes that have allowed intoxicating hemp products to proliferate with limited oversight. Now, the General Assembly will ultimately decide the fate of the NC hemp industry—and the businesses built around it.
