This duplex near downtown Durham is getting knocked down today after being condemned due to damage sustained during that wild storm that blew through in August. 🌪️
I’m very curious to see what kind of housing takes its place. This could be a good use-case for the potential of urban development now that the @cityofdurhamnc has made changes to its development ordinances. Will it become a single-family home? Another duplex? Multi-unit apartment building? 🏠
New story today in the @indyweek paper and on the web about the relationship between the #NorthCarolina Department of Transportation, #Durham’s Transportation Department, and how both are falling short of what the community says it needs. There seems to be an increasing awareness that our city staff is under resourced which means raising taxes could be a necessity we have to come to terms with. 📈
Thanks for reading, everyone! The birthday AMA is on its way too at buddyruski.com. Stay tuned! 🎙️
Continue supporting local journalism. 📰
Took a tour of Southeast Durham with a handful of city officials, community members and fellow journalists yesterday morning. I got to see firsthand the challenges that growth in #Durham has created. We need more housing. Full stop. But we have to protect our neighbors as well as the natural world. It’s a complex issue with no easy solution.
If you want to catch up on development in Durham, nearly all of the releases for By The Horns have something to offer. You can find the archive at buddyruski.com.
A month ago, I started my reporting fellowship at @indyweek . I knew I had a lot to offer but even more to learn. Well today, I reached two big milestones. My story on the worker’s strike, which took nearly a month to report, made it into this week’s paper. Seeing my story out in the world was special. But to see my byline on the cover hit me hard. As a kid from the Bull, this moment means so much. It’s an important step in a long, challenging professional journey and I want to make sure I honor it for myself. 🐂🙏🏾
Thank you for supporting local journalism. 📰✊🏾
Consider this my (un)official headshot for the next chapter in my adventure as a journalist.
This week, I started a year-long reporting fellowship with @indyweek (in collaboration with @scalawagmagazine and @theassemblync ). I have never been a full-time journalist before now, but telling the stories of my community has been a passion of mine for more than a decade. As a local kid, this opportunity means a lot.
There’s more to come as I settle into the flow of things but let me just say thank you so much to everyone for supporting me over the years. A lot of hard work has led to this point, and not just from me. But definitely from me, damnit! 😎✊🏾📰
Stay subbed to BR, grab that INDY sub while you’re at it, and support local journalism! So many stories left to tell.
🦎🧭🐂📰🕵🏾♂️
At the end of May, I attended the @strong_towns National Gathering in #Charlotte to learn about the growing movement of urban planning and community development enthusiasts working to create the city of the future.
As I’ve been working on Buddy Ruski for the last three years, one of the taglines I’ve adopted is “curious about how communities are built.” In my case, this includes not just physical structures, but it’s hard to ignore how massive amounts of construction continues to affect Durham. Our community is not alone. Thousands of cities are grappling with the challenges that come with the ebbs and flows of change.
Chuck Marohn, the founder and president of Strong Towns, said repeatedly throughout the conference, “You are not alone. You are surrounded by people who are united in loving a place.”
I just published some reflections from the conference on buddyruski.com. Give it a read! I’d love to hear what others think.
Spilled some ink on how much I’m enjoying the new #ebike! Zooming around #Durham to places like @durhamcoopmarket has never been more fun. I also linked to a piece I wrote for @durhammag and a webinar I did with @gotrianglenc for #NationalBikeMonth inside the story.
Many improvements are being made to the bike and pedestrian infrastructure in Durham, but we can always do more. I’d love to see a critical mass of people adopting the bike commuter lifestyle, but we have to meet folks halfway by making it safe to navigate these mean streets.
(I suppose this is partially #sponsoredcontent. I volunteer with @bikedurham and tagged @lectricebikes in most of the photos. 🚴🏾♂️💨🤘🏾)
The fine folks at @durhammag invited me to share a few words about biking in #Durham, something I love to do. 🚴🏾♂️🤘🏾
With a little help from my friends and family, I’ve been car-less since 2014. Biking serves so many functions for me: commuting, exercise, spending time with my community, and doing my part to help Mother Earth stay healthy. 🚴🏾♂️🌎
I won’t spoil any more of the story. Pick up a copy of the newest @durhammag or peep their website to learn more about the thrills of biking, the unfortunate dangers, and how you can get involved during #BikeMonth in May to make Durham safer and more equitable, no matter how you move around. My friends and fellow board members at @bikedurham are hosting a number of fabulous events! 🚴🏾♂️🐂
(I guarantee there are people who will see this picture and say to themselves, “Oh, THAT’S the weirdo with the crazy shorts always flying around blasting UK hip-hop.”) 😜🇬🇧
“Please allow me to speak specifically of my concerns for people who walk to bus stops and ride bikes routinely. These groups of people are the ones among us who personally are doing exactly what needs to be done in the face of #climate disruption either of necessity or by choice. While most of us meet our #transportation needs by driving and thereby consuming fossil fuels, the people on their #bicycles and on public transit are actually doing what many more of us need to be doing. While so many are deterred by our concerns of heat or cold or rain or lack of time, those who take public transportation or bike routinely somehow manage the potential discomforts and time requirements.
As one of the folks who rarely gets past the 101 excuses for not driving, it strikes me as inappropriate to burden the very people who are keeping down their carbon footprint with needless risk when alternatively we could be demonstrating our appreciation by taking every opportunity to look out for the safety of bikers and pedestrians.”
- Durham resident Anne Lazarides at the March 20 @cityofdurhamnc council meeting.
For more, check out the March 29 edition of #ByTheHorns on buddyruski.com. 🐂📰
A new edition of By The Horns is out now! 🐂📰 The newsletter covers last week’s budget hearing and an update on the proposed SCAD amendments in #Durham. Thanks for reading!
@bikedurham@cityofdurhamnc@haveaheartdrm
Attended a wonderful event last night in the West End at the historic Community Family Life & Recreation Center at Lyon Park. Folks gathered to celebrate the important and exemplary work of the Durham Public Schools Foundation @bullcityschools . 🐂
As a DPS graduate, I believe wholeheartedly in the importance of a robust and well-resourced public school system. That belief stems from the incredible educators who set me up for success as a student in their classroom and beyond. People like James Hopkins (pictured) who I had for World History as a freshman at @riversidedpsnc , and again as a senior for World Religions, a class that didn’t exist before Hopkins took the initiative to offer it. Over the years, he has remained a friend, mentor and personal hero of mine, as well as one of education’s fiercest advocates. 👏🏾
I know I’m making a lot of his former students jealous by posting this photo. 😜
Whether or not you have kids of your own, the next generation needs your support. Education is the tree from which every other branch of life grows. Invest in our youth. 👶🏾📚
“We have a lot of issues out there but one thing we can’t control is how many people are moving to this area. It’s going to hurt one way or the other. That is something we have to mitigate as best as we can, and as best we can within our jurisdiction.”
📰 Check out the newest edition of By The Horns at buddyruski.com.
📸: @ejb.jpg
#Durham #politics #housing #development
