Deep South Magazine Lauds Scratch and Will & Pop's

Scratch Bakery and Will and Pop's Food Truck appeared on Deep South Magazine's list "Where to Eat in the South in 2012" as #33 and #35 respectively. Deep South lauds Scratch for its "focus on seasonal, artisan baking" and Will and Pop's for "serving exclusively local products five days a week."

ESPN College Game Day to Feature Duke-UNC Rivalry

ESPN College GameDay will return to Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday, March 3 prior to Duke's regular season ending tilt with North Carolina. The two-hour live show will air as a day-long preview to the greatest rivalry in college athletics.

Museum of Life & Science the Country's First Green+ Certified Museum

The North Carolina Museum of Life and Science has become the first museum in the U.S. to earn Green Plus Certification. Sustainability is woven into each of the museum's exhibits through natural landscaping, native plantings, a partial green roof, solar hot-water heaters, rainwater collector cisterns, extensive composting, minimal materials used in exhibit displays, and an energy monitoring system that allows Museum staff to automatically manage the energy use in any exhibit from one central location.

Three Durham Food Scene Standouts Honored as James Beard Semifinalists

Three Durham food scene standouts have been honored as 2012 James Beard Award semifinalists: Magnolia Grill, Outstanding Restaurant; Fullsteam Brewery owner Sean Lily Wilson, Outstanding Wine & Spirits Professional; Nana's owner Scott Howell, Best Chef/Southeast.

Durham's Katie Ricks Ordained as Nation's First Openly Lesbian Minister

Newly ordained minister and Durhamite Katie Ricks became the nation’s first openly lesbian minister to be approved for ordination since the church decided in 2011 to allow openly gay individuals to serve in the ministry.

Durham Leads State in Public Transit Use

Commuters in Durham and Chapel Hill use public transportation more frequently than any other metro area in the state, according to analysis of census data by American City Business Journals. About 3.8 percent of the 235,000 commuters in the four-county metro area of Durham, Orange, Chatham and Person use public transit, nearly twice the rate of commuters in Charlotte and four times that of commuters in the Raleigh area.

Center for Responsible Lending Receives $2M MacArthur Foundation Grant

The Durham-based Center for Responsible Lending has been named a recipient of the MacArthur Foundation's 2012 Award for Creative and Effective Institutions. The Center for Responsible Lending was awarded a $2 million grant to continue in its mission to protect homeownership and family assets by working to eliminate abusive financial practices and consumer products.