Home Care In Durham, NC

This election, three constitutional amendments appear on the ballot for all voters, and the Durham City Council wants people to vote against all of them.

Late Monday night, the council unanimously approved a resolution urging residents to reject the three proposed amendments, arguing they could limit government revenue options and make it harder to respond to local needs.

If passed, the amendments would:

The council says the tax measures could constrain funding for services and investments in schools, public safety, roads, affordable housing and infrastructure.

Durham Mayor Leo Williams said the point of the resolution is to get “the word out across the state as much as possible.”

“I hope that North Carolina votes no on these constitutional amendments. I want to be very clear about that,” he said during the meeting. “We don’t govern in resolution, but, you know, some things that are regarding city business, we try to you know just at least position our stance on things.”

What Durham’s resolution says

The resolution says constitutional amendments are harder to change than ordinary laws. Changing amendments requires three-fifths support in both the state House and Senate and approval by a majority of voters. The document also argues tax rates and fiscal policy should be handled through legislation, which can be adjusted more easily.

The first proposed amendment to cap the state income-tax rate at 3.5% would not change much. The current rate is 3.99%, while the existing constitutional cap is 7%. The proposal doesn’t lower the current rate but instead, would set a lower ceiling. State law already provides for potential rate reductions below 3.5% beginning in 2027. A lower constitutional cap, the resolution states, would reduce future lawmakers’ options for funding education, public safety, healthcare, state parks and disaster recovery.

The second proposed amendment (requiring the General Assembly to limit how much local governments can increase total property-tax revenue) could constrain Durham’s ability to address infrastructure, affordable housing, public safety and other needs, specifically as economic conditions change or emergencies come up, the resolution states.

The third proposed amendment would require every voter to have a photo ID. This is already required to vote in elections in North Carolina, but opponents argue voter ID laws can disproportionately affect minority communities and make voting harder for military, student, rural and older voters, along with others who may lack qualifying identification, the resolution states.

Councilman Carl Rist urged Durham voters to vote against the proposals.

“The property tax amendment in particular, if passed, would be just a generational change in how we function at the local level and our ability to raise revenue for all the things,” he said.

One resident, Pablo Friedmann, backed the resolution but also called on the city to address local commercial property valuation decisions he said had reduced city and county tax rolls. Williams said he was working to schedule a Board of Equalization Review presentation for the council.

Over 33,000 voters cast early ballots in Durham

Since the first day of early voting began on Oct. 15 across the state, over 33,000 eligible voters have cast ballots in Durham County, according to the local Board of Elections. There are 252,211 eligible voters in the county.

Statewide, about 486,000 North Carolinians have cast ballots early, a 50% higher turnout than by this time during the last midterm election cycle.

Williams encouraged residents to “vote as soon as you can.”

Early voting ends on Oct. 31. Election Day is Nov. 3.

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Duke cornerback Kimari Robinson has apologized for aggressively swatting away the hand of a member of the team’s training staff as she arrived to tend to an injured teammate on the field during the Blue Devils’ loss to rival North Carolina.

Robinson posted a statement of apology on social media Sunday evening, and coach Manny Diaz said Monday afternoon that Robinson has also apologized privately. Diaz said the team will handle the matter internally, but wouldn’t elaborate on specifics of any potential discipline or other steps to address the incident.

“All those are being handled internally, and we're confident in our plan with that,” Diaz said, “and that's really all we'll say about that.”

The incident took place midway through Saturday's third quarter, coming after Duke safety DaShawn Stone stayed down after making a tackle on UNC running back Jaylen McGill. In a video widely shared on social media, Robinson is standing close and leaning forward to watch over two male staffers tending to Stone.

The female staffer then runs in and pushes Robinson away and to the side as she kneels down to assist, with Robinson using his right arm to swat her left hand off of him before stepping back in to stand over the group working with Stone.

“I was completely wrong, and she did not deserve that,” Robinson said in his public apology Sunday night, saying he had apologized to her directly after the game and that he was scared that a teammate he considers “like family to me” was seriously hurt.

“But being worried about him does not excuse how I treated her,” Robinson said. “I should have controlled my emotions, and I didn't. I'm truly sorry for my actions and for letting her, myself and our program down. I have to be better than that.”

On Monday, Diaz said Robinson's behavior had “fallen well below" the standard he expects of team members. Asked to elaborate on conversations he had with Robinson afterward, Diaz said: "I think that's private, between he and I. I think his apology privately and publicly states where he was at.”

Duke lost 24-20 as UNC reclaimed the Victory Bell, presented to the rivalry game's winner, for the first time since 2023. The Blue Devils (4-2, 1-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) visit Virginia on Friday.

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The juvenile detention center in Durham no longer confines youth to a solitary cell they called “the hole” for discipline or suicide watch, Disability Rights of North Carolina reports, but youth still spend almost all day on weekends alone in their cells.

Disability Rights NC published new findings about the Durham County Youth Home on Thursday as a follow-up to its report on the state’s youth detention centers published earlier this year. The follow-up describes conditions found during monitoring visits on June 1 and Sept. 17.

The February report said youth at the Durham youth home received a maximum of 1 hour of education a day, below the required 4.6 hours.

Separately, the ACLU and the Duke Children’s Law Clinic filed complaints with the state Department of Public Instruction last winter that alleged Durham Public Schools had failed to provide students with disabilities confined to the youth with the home education services required by law.

On the Sept. 17 monitoring visit, Disability Rights found youth were out of their cells for class in the morning and afternoon. Youth reported being in class 6 hours a day since Aug. 24, when the fall semester began for traditional Durham Public Schools.

On weekends and during summer months, however, youth continue to spend most of the day confined to their cells, the report said.

A reporter’s call to the youth home director Thursday morning was referred to the Durham County public relations office. That office did not respond to a telephone call or email.

The Disability Rights report questions the quality of the education provided, noting that teachers said they don’t provide direct instruction, but are there to assist students who ask for help.

Students said they received no feedback on their assignments. Special education services were minimal to nonexistent, the report said.

Among other findings:

Youth are detained in juvenile detention centers while they wait for decisions in juvenile court cases, while they wait for conviction or sentencing in adult court, or while they wait for spots in group homes, psychiatric residential treatment facilities, or other placements.

The Lake Michie Park and Marina has been closed to public recreation and boat launches for nearly four months.

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- Durham County remains in severe drought, with conditions showing little improvement despite recent rainfall.

At Lake Michie, home to Duke Rowing, much of the shoreline remains exposed. The Lake Michie Park and Marina has been closed to public recreation and boat launches for nearly four months.

"I would say it's definitely a little disheartening for rowing," said Linda Garziera.

Recent rain has not significantly changed drought conditions, according to national data, which show conditions have not improved since last week.

"It was a little disappointing to go from summer to fall ... I think I was hoping for more of a boost from the fall," Garziera said.

Garziera said the rowing team has continued to practice and compete around the country by making adjustments to accommodate lower water levels.

"We've had to move docks closer to the water," Garziera said. "Our walk to the water has increased. So it does slow down our practices by a little bit. And there's some areas of the lake that we are not allowed to go in with the boats because it would damage them."

Durham remains under a stage two water shortage response, which includes restrictions on sprinkler irrigation, home car washing and cleaning hard surfaces with city water.

Near the Little River Reservoir, Sergio Salinas said he has been conserving water as drought conditions continue to affect local wells.

"The well is going down, water is pouring in very, very slow," Salinas said.

Salinas said he is doing what he can to reduce water use.

"We don't waste much water," Salinas said.

Officials continue to urge conservation measures as Durham County remains under severe drought conditions.