by Lauren Kruchten | Aug 11, 2025 | Buzz, July/August 2025
Make summer travels through RDU a breeze with these tips and tricks.
’Tis the season for summer travel! Whether you’re flocking to a family vacay or escaping to a sunny retreat, you’re gonna wanna make sure you’re equipped with the most up-to-date stress-reducing hacks for traveling through RDU Airport. Here’s to safe—and happy—travels!
Park It
Perhaps the most stressful part of flying through RDU takes place before you even get into the airport. Yep, we’re talking parking. Though RDU is small compared to other airports, there never seems to be enough parking for travelers. To head off some of the stress that comes with pulling up on a full RDU Central deck, you can reserve your spot online before you get to the airport via ParkRDU’s online pre-booking option. Choose your date, time and location—only caveat is you have to book at least 24 hours in advance. And don’t sleep on the ParkRDU Express lot, which added nearly 1,000 parking spaces for travelers—not to mention it offers luggage assistance at your car and shuttles to the terminals running at all hours of the day (!). If you can, bypass parking stress entirely by opting for a rideshare service or taxi.
Don’t Delay
Flight cancellations and delays are surging this summer. While some instances are inevitable, ward off the worry by booking the earliest flight of the day to help avoid delays, as many are caused by aircrafts arriving late from their previous destination. So, maybe that 4am flight is worth it.
Direct Is Best
If you have the option to fly direct—do it. Layovers have the potential to result in a The Terminal situation if your second flight is delayed or if your first flight arrives after the second plane has already taken off. And no one wants to be stuck sleeping in an airport. Another pro tip: Choose an airline that offers multiple flights a day so that if you do need to rebook you have more (timely!) options.
by Lauren Kruchten | Jul 28, 2025 | Buzz, July/August 2025
WHAT’S HOT
We’re No. 1—again! For the third time in the last four years, CNBC has named NC the country’s Top State for Business thanks in part to the state’s strong workforce and economy.
Raleigh also stays standing on business (IYKYK). During Q1 of 2025, 23 new storefront businesses opened Downtown, with 28 more businesses planning to bow soon. DTR also added 27,526 square feet of new retail space, and attracted 1.5 million unique visitors.
Taking off at RDU Airport are a slew of updates thanks to a $24.6 million grant from the USDOT. Think widening the John Brantley Boulevard to four lanes and replacing the stop-controlled intersection with free-flow movements, expanding the Terminal 2 sidewalk, and more.
Get ready to ride. The City of Raleigh is launching a new dockless bikeshare pilot mid-August in partnership with Spin and Lime, adding a fleet of 215 electric-assist bikes citywide. Bikes will be available 24/7, and new micromobility corrals will be installed for parking. The pilot will run through April 2026.
ICYMI, Crabtree Valley Mall is getting a makeover. According to plans from the new owner, the $60 million facelift includes enhancements like new lighting and signage, a revitalized food court and family play area, and new furniture and greenery in the common areas—plus upgrades to the site’s stormwater infrastructure.
NC State is full steam ahead on its $180 million Integrative Sciences Building—aka Woodson Hall—that kicked off construction in September 2023 and will offer crucial space for STEM teaching and research space at the university upon its anticipated completion in 2026.
Go on, hit the snooze button. GoTriangle is launching its first-ever 15-minute bus service—on weekdays from 5:45am until 7pm—Aug. 4 along Routes 400 and 405 in Durham and Orange counties.
Rent or buy? Raleigh ranked the No. 9 Best City for Renters—along with four other top 50 cities in the South: Wilmington, Charlotte, Durham and Asheville—according to metrics like apartment quality, economic strength, traffic and access to amenities.
Your evening commute might be deadly. … A new study found that the deadliest hour to drive in NC is from 6–7pm, with an average of 6.31% of the state’s fatal crashes occurring during the timeframe.
WHAT’S NOT
Suicides in NC prisons are at an all-time high—increasingly among those in solitary confinement. Now, Department of Adult Correction secretary Leslie Cooley Dismukes is working toward adopting the Nelson Mandela Rules, which sets a max solitary confinement rule of 22 hours a day for 15 consecutive days.
by Melissa Howsam | Jul 1, 2025 | Buzz, July/August 2025
Real ID may feel a little like “real bull,” but one thing’s certain—you cannot pass through TSA with your Costco card. The deadline to gate-check your way to vacation with a REAL ID (or a passport) has technically come and gone—but stories of traveler confusion are still flying. From bizarre rejections to actual TSA posts prompted by too many people flashing their club store cards, the drama runs deep. “We love hot dogs & rotisserie chickens as much as the next person, but please stop telling people their Costco card counts as a REAL ID because it absolutely does not,” TSA said in a June post on social media.
Still, many flyers arrive at checkpoints only to discover that having a REAL ID doesn’t seem to matter. That’s not exactly wrong—but it’s not exactly right either. According to TSA’s latest language, “Passengers who present a state-issued identification that is not REAL ID compliant at TSA checkpoints and who do not have another acceptable alternative form of ID will be notified of their noncompliance, may be directed to a separate area and may receive additional screening… includ[ing] TSA PreCheck passengers.” This isn’t punishment; it’s public education in action. But make no mistake: The soft pass won’t last forever. At some (check)point, if your license doesn’t sport that tiny gold star (or you’re not packing a passport), you won’t be cleared for takeoff.
by Lauren Kruchten | May 22, 2025 | Buzz, May 2025
WHAT’S HOT
Turns out, NC really is a vacation destination. Breaking the state’s tourism record with over $36.7 billion in visitor spending in 2024, it continues to be the No. 5 most visited state.
In attempt to continue providing aid to those affected by the Hurricane Helene in WNC, Gov. Josh Stein is calling for an additional $891 million for recovery efforts, which would go toward addressing food insecurity, rehabilitating waterways, repairing damaged schools, promoting tourism and more.
Canada, eh? RDU is adding two new direct flights to its roster in June, Vancouver via Air Canada starting June 5 and Calgary via WestJet starting June 9.
RTP’s 19-acre mixed-use community Triangle Mobility Hub selected Hoffman & Associates as the master developer. In partnership with GoTriangle and the Research Triangle Foundation of NC, the project will integrate residential, retail and office space with transit options connecting the Triangle via bus service, bike and pedestrian pathways—plus future bus rapid transit and rail service.
World Cup winner and two-time Olympic champion Lauren Holiday—along with husband Jrue, a two-time NBA champion—are the most recent investors of the NC Courage. Score!
Wheels up! RDU recorded its two busiest days in airport history to date over graduation and Mother’s Day weekend, with over 31,500 passengers boarding flights on Sunday, May 11—aka the second-highest number of travelers RDU has ever served in a day. Monday, May 12, saw 30,600+ passengers depart from the airport, putting it at No. 6.
Life is a highway—but nobody wants to ride Capital Boulevard all night long. Commuters of the section dubbed U.S. 1 may see tolls in the future, either throughout the entire 10-mile section or for just one toll express lane, both with the potential of adding it to the Triangle Expressway system.
Hey… y’all? According to AP News, the Southern accent may be disappearing in some parts of the South as more people move to other regions of the country.
WHAT’S NOT
The light may be dimming on the state’s solar power. Republican state reps want to nix a property tax exemption for solar energy developers that would impose taxes on ~$5.9 billion of solar equipment.
by Lauren Kruchten | Apr 16, 2025 | April 2025, Buzz
The latest local news nuggets you need to know now.
WHAT’S HOT
It’s a dream come true…? Per N&O, the City of Raleigh and Live Nation are in talks to continue hosting a music festival at Dix Park following the fifth and final installment of Dreamville Fest—potentially under the same name.
RDU is taking flight! Five airlines are introducing 14 new routes beginning April 11, including nonstop flights to Bermuda, Kansas City, Dallas, Detroit, Nassau and more.
Call it a glow-up—Raleigh Fire Department’s Station 7 closed March 31 for renovations, including improvements like new windows, bathrooms, showers, flooring and LED lighting.
With its 7.8 million square feet of industrial space currently in development, Raleigh was named No. 12 among markets with the most industrial real estate under construction at the beginning of 2025, with current inventory expected to expand by 6.5%.
“Bigger Play, Brighter Futures.” Marbles Kids Museum launched the public phase of its first-ever Capital Campaign, which will fund the completion of a two-story addition feat. a new one-of-a-kind exhibit, a classroom for educational programming and a rooftop playscape—plus the beautification of the Blount Street exterior façade.
Always standing on business. … Raleigh ranked in the top 10 best cities for young entrepreneurs, determined by such factors as coworking affordability, wage and tax data, internet infrastructure, cost of living, and personal income.
Pay up! A recently released study evaluating tolls as part of the Capital Boulevard Improvement Project recommends easing traffic congestion by removing stoplights and creating highway interchanges, with upgrades beginning in 2027.
RIP. Former Harlem Globetrotter, actor and tallest man in America George Bell—standing at 7’6’’—passed away in Durham at the age of 67.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is canceling $500 million in food deliveries for food banks and pantries across the country, resulting in a decrease of such nutritious items like chicken, eggs, milk and cheese.
WHAT’S NOT
The Bathroom Bill is back. NC Republican senators have introduced a bill similar to 2016’s HB2 dubbed the Women’s Safety and Protection Act that bans transgender people from using a bathroom affiliated with their gender identity at facilities like schools, prisons and more.
