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🌱 Patch AM: How Raleigh pet owners should handle strays during the shelter’s shutdown

Coming up: BJ's Wholesale Club Pre-Opening Limited-Time Offer on the Raleigh Patch calendar

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Tuesday January 13th Patch AM
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Hey there, Raleigh! Let's get started with what's happening in and around town. Read on and stay in the loop. ☀️

In today's newsletter:

  • How Raleigh pet owners should handle strays during the shelter’s shutdown
  • Where to take your Raleigh Christmas tree before Jan. 31
  • What Raleigh must now reveal about police calls before the Hedingham shooting

Also on today's calendar: BJ's Wholesale Club Pre-Opening Limited-Time Offer and 8 more events.

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

Today's riddle: My dog used to chase people on a bike a lot. 🤔 (Answer below!)

Sponsored: BJ's Wholesale Club opening soon in Selma. Join the club today for just $20 (reg. $60) and start saving big Click here for details.

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

Weather forecast:

  • Tuesday: Mostly sunny and pleasant, with a high of 60 and low of 37 degrees.
  • Wednesday: Mostly cloudy, temps: high: 56, low: 34.
  • Thursday: Mostly cloudy and colder, with a high of 39 and low of 22 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. Wake County Animal Center to close for more than a month due to repairs (cbs17.com) — Wake County Animal Center on Beacon Lake Drive in Raleigh will shut down from Jan. 16 through March 2 for repairs, halting public intake and adoptions at the shelter. Animal control will still answer calls and emails, but won’t pick up strays, so residents are urged to rely on tags, microchips, vets, and social media to reunite lost pets.
   

2. Wake County program still accepting live Christmas trees for mulching (abc11.com) — Raleigh and Wake County residents can still drop off live Christmas trees through Jan. 31 so they can be turned into mulch for local park trails. The Happy Trails Program offers nine drop-off sites and volunteer opportunities, and a related update notes upcoming renovation closures at parts of Pullen Park in Raleigh.
   

3. Order: Raleigh must share some police records with Hedingham mass shooting families (wral.com) — A new court order requires the city of Raleigh to share basic police incident summaries about prior calls to Hedingham with families suing over the 2022 mass shooting, though full investigative files remain sealed. The records can only be used in the civil case, while a separate criminal trial for alleged shooter Austin Thompson is expected to begin in February, addressing killings that included a Raleigh police officer.
   

4. What is Lyric and Devin's law? (wral.com) — A new state law called Lyric and Devin’s Law changes how North Carolina handles serious juvenile cases, letting authorities publicly identify underage suspects who pose a danger and more easily try them as adults. The change was inspired partly by high-profile cases, including the teen charged in Raleigh’s Hedingham neighborhood shooting, and now also requires mental health assessments for all juveniles charged with felonies.
   

5. North Carolina Passenger Rail Service Records 740,000 Riders in 2025 (kiss951.com) — Raleigh riders are a key part of North Carolina’s booming state-supported Amtrak service, which carried nearly 740,000 passengers in 2025. With four daily Piedmont roundtrips between Raleigh and Charlotte and $29 one-way fares, ridership has surged past pre-pandemic levels, helped by special-event trains and targeted marketing.
   

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • Meet Yamatha - a survivor.
    Yamatha is one of the final survivors from a massive hoarding case. While many of her companions have found forever and/or foster homes, this sweet… (Nextdoor Ridgewood Neighborhood Group)
  • POLICE FOUND HIM SAFE AT 12:30 A.
    M IN DOWNTOWN RALEIGH THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED PRAYERS AND SUPPORT FOR ME. (Nextdoor Farm Gate)
  • The Senate adjourned Monday, January 12, 2026, at 10:04., to reconvene Thursday, January 15, 2026, at 10:00. #ncga #ncpol (X: NCLeg)
  • @NCSHP is once again joining forces with law enforcement partners Jan. 13-15 to conduct quarterly highway traffic enforcement periods as part of the ... (X: NCSHP)
  • Restaurant Depot LLC posted a job opening for Porter in Raleigh. Apply here.
  • Shaw University posted a job opening for PT - Asst Football Coach-Tight Ends in Raleigh. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Raleigh here.

Ok Raleigh! 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 took its bike away.
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