RDU on the Rise: Hummingbirds, St. Patrick’s Day & mall makeovers
It’s finally Friday! It’s still a little nippy outside, but the sun is expected to make an appearance this weekend. Fingers crossed.
I’m Chantal Allam, real estate reporter for The News & Observer, and I’m here with this week’s edition of RDU On the Rise.
Full disclosure: I’m another Florida transplant living in the Triangle. I moved to Chapel Hill with my husband, Daniel, 10 years ago, and now have two kids, a crazy blue-tick hound called Rocco, and a fat cat called Lucy that we found as a feral kitten on the streets in Duck.
Before we get into it, I’m going to shamelessly plug my husband’s band, The Twits.
They’ve got a gig at Steel String at Pluck Farm in Mebane this Saturday from 3-5 p.m., playing indie and alternative hits from the 1970s and 1980s. I’m hoping a small contingency from The N&O will be there. It would be great to see you too!
Now let’s get to the headlines.
The hummingbirds are coming
Okay, technically it’s not spring yet. (According to the Farmer’s Almanac, it’s Monday, March 20, at 5:24 p.m., to be exact). But it’s certainly starting to feel spring-ish.
In a few weeks, we should even begin to see hummingbirds once again migrating here, swarming our bird feeders, Kimberly Cataudella reports. Apparently, the Ruby-throated hummingbird, North Carolina’s most prevalent hummingbird, will be arriving by April from southern Mexico and Central America. I’ve got my feeder ready, do you?
Quick tip: Opt for red. Hummingbirds can see red a half- to three-quarters of a mile away. Here’s more on when to put out feeders and what to use.
Also: NC has among the highest diversity of hummingbirds in the United States. Here’s what they look like.
These are the top 5 events we’ve got circled on our calendars, and here’s a look at 40+ festivals, concerts and events to enjoy.
What are you most looking forward to this spring? Let me know.
St. Patty’s Day is here!
Need a little luck? Don’t forget to wear something green this weekend. Friday is St. Patrick’s Day, but celebrations are going on all weekend.
Also, expect more police on the road. The Wake County Sheriff’s Office said it will increase its patrols during the statewide St. Patrick’s Booze It or Lose It enforcement campaign. Aaron Sánchez-Guerra has the story.
Some sobering stats:
Last year, in the days before and after St. Patrick’s Day, there were 225 documented deaths or serious injuries of motorists from March 13 to 19, according to the N.C. Department of Transportation.
There were a total of 1,082 alcohol-related crashes in North Carolina, with 37 fatalities attributed to alcohol in the state in all of 2022, the figures show.
Triangle mall makeovers
Once a fixture of American culture, traditional enclosed malls are continuing to struggle amid the rise of e-commerce and, more recently, the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the Triangle, some have shuttered. Others are hoping to defy trends by evolving into mixed-used developments with residential, office and retail components.
Take, for example, Chapel Hill’s University Place. Wrecking crews are currently tearing down the vacant Southern Season space to make way for a mixed-used development.
This week, developers pitched adding apartments and a hotel to The Streets at Southpoint mall in Durham. So far, however, it has failed to get the backing of the Durham Planning Commission.
In 2021, Cary-based Epic Games purchased Cary Towne Center for $95 million, then demolished it to make room for its new headquarters.
Northgate Mall in Durham closed in 2020 and is now being redeveloped. Crabtree Valley Mall is also up for sale.
My colleagues Tammy Grubb, Mary Helen Moore and I worked together on a deep dive into how malls are being reinvented across the Triangle. Here’s what’s in store.
On a lighter note
This North Carolina destination was named best tourist attraction in the United States, Kimberly Cataudella reports. Hint: It’s roughly a five-hour drive from Raleigh.
A mysterious U.S. Navy vessel washed up on the Outer Banks, then disappeared into the night. Mark Price has the story.
He worked at Papa John’s in Durham. Now he owns the property and plans more than pizza. (I wrote this story. Funny side note: The property set to be developed also happens to be shaped like a skinny slice of pizza.)
Pitbull, aka ‘”Mr. Worldwide,” is coming to Cary this Spring. Kristen Johnston has the scoop on how to get tickets.
Discount carrier Avelo Airlines announced nonstop flights to three more destinations from Raleigh-Durham International Airport. Get the details from Richard Stradling.
Richard also has a story on NCDOT’s plan to fix Wake County’s busiest interchange. Here’s how you can give feedback on it.
Duke ascendant, UNC pulls the plug as the mighty pendulum of rivalry swings the other way. Catch all of the latest March Madness action at newsobserver.com/MarchMadness.
One more thing
Please send your congratulations to Robyn Tomlin, former president and executive editor of Raleigh’s The News & Observer. She’s the new chief news officer for McClatchy, The News & Observer’s parent company.
Robyn will oversee the division responsible for all news, opinion and multimedia content created across McClatchy’s network of 30 local news sites and affiliated brands, according to a news release from the company.
Thanks for reading. Stay tuned for next week’s newsletter, hosted by audience growth producer Laura Brache.
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