Community Corner

🌱 Patch AM: Where Durham’s most vulnerable can warm up during this Arctic blast

Make time for Mahjong Night on the Durham Patch calendar

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Monday December 15th Patch AM
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Good morning Durham! We're back in your inbox this morning to keep you in the loop with what's happening in and around town. Grab a cup of coffee and read on. ☀️

In today's newsletter:

  • Where Durham’s most vulnerable can warm up during this Arctic blast
  • What new protections do DPS students have when law enforcement shows up?
  • How a $1.27M grant could reshape bioengineering training at NCCU

Also on today's calendar: Mahjong Night and 9 more events.

Find out what's happening in Durhamfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Today's riddle: What did the stop sign say to the yield sign? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

Find out what's happening in Durhamfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

  • Monday: Plenty of sunshine, but cold, with a high of 38 and low of 24 degrees.
  • Tuesday: Mostly sunny and not as cold, temps: high: 49, low: 30.
  • Wednesday: Mostly cloudy, with a high of 55 and low of 34 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. Warming shelters across central NC prepare to help others in extreme cold (cbs17.com) — Durham Rescue Mission is opening its doors around the clock as bitter cold moves in, offering warm meals, clothing, and beds to anyone needing shelter. Staff expect more than 60 men Sunday night alone and say people come from across the Triangle. The mission operates separate facilities for men and for women with children, both in Durham, and can provide medical help if needed.
   

2. DPS Board Updates Law Enforcement Policy, With Few Changes (indyweek.com) — Durham Public Schools has formally tightened its rules on how law enforcement, including immigration authorities, can access schools and student information, after recent federal sweeps kept many students home. The updated policy clarifies when officers may enter campuses, limits access to confidential records, and requires immigration-related requests to go through the superintendent, with more potential changes coming in January discussions.
   

3. $1.2M grant awarded to North Carolina Central University for bioengineering program (myfox8.com) — North Carolina Central University in Durham just landed a $1.27 million NIH grant to build out a new bioengineering initiative focused on cancer research and advanced imaging. The funding will support new research projects, curriculum, and lab infrastructure through 2028, giving NCCU students hands-on experience in fast-growing biomedical engineering and technology fields right here in the Bull City.
   

4. Durham Academy graduate among those seriously wounded in Brown University mass shooting (abc11.com) — A recent Durham Academy graduate is among those seriously wounded in a mass shooting at Brown University, and her family says she is in critical but stable condition. Durham Academy’s head of school says the community is rallying around her and her loved ones. Officials report two people were killed and nine injured, with most victims still hospitalized.
   

5. Brown University student killed in mass shooting identified (providencejournal.com) — A Brown University freshman injured in the recent campus shooting is a Durham Academy graduate from Durham according to messages shared with the school community. Local families with ties to the private school may feel this tragedy especially personally, as classmates and teachers await more information on the student’s condition and how the Brown community is responding.
   

📸 Around Durham

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🗓 Upcoming Events in Durham

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📣 Durham Shout Outs!

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Thank you 👏👏👏 to the local businesses for making Durham PatchAM possible:

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • Please share & repost to help reunite this lost cat!
    Tigger was LOST on November 22, 2025 in Durham, NC 27705 near Tryon Rd. & Friendship in Durham, NC Sharing for a neighbor. For the latest… (Nextdoor 15-501/Mt Moriah)
  • Little kids coat drive (newborn to 8 year olds) at North Regional Library.
    This bin is right in front of the information desk. 221 Milton Road. The library is closed on Sunday, open until 8 PM from Monday to Wednesday, and… (Nextdoor Latta Rd. Brogden Heights)
  • Talbert Building Supply, Inc. posted a job opening for Truck Loader in Durham. Apply here.
  • North Carolina Central University posted a job opening for Vice Chancellor for Transformative Partnerships and Economic Development in Durham. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Durham here.

Ok Durham! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I don’t know either. They were speaking in sign language.
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

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