The Durham Public Schools Board of Education marks several departing members with reflections on justice, equity policies, student-centered leadership, and the role of local journalism, while wrestling with how to guide future decisions on school right-sizing and a new meet-and-confer labor policy without boxing in the next board.

The Durham County Board of Commissioners clarifies rumors about a data center ban, rewrites its development moratorium rules, and hears residents link that change to protecting water, curbing corporate power, and shaping future projects. The board also spotlights prostate cancer screening, honors decades of soil and water stewardship, recognizes elders and refugees, questions opioid settlement spending, and weighs in on surplus vehicles and a small but significant rezoning case.

The Durham City Council hears how an unprecedented drought pushed the city into Stage 2 water restrictions, then approves a one-year moratorium on new data centers and crypto mining to protect resources while new rules are written. Council members also navigate a difficult budget season and a closely watched East Durham rezoning aimed at balancing reinvestment, jobs, and environmental justice.

The Durham Public Schools Board of Education weighs how to fund raises for its lowest-paid staff, match new county dollars, and plan billions in building needs while right-sizing a shrinking district. The board also tightens rules on restraint, seclusion, and suspensions for young students and students with disabilities, adding new safeguards and reporting requirements.

The Durham County Board of Commissioners affirms support for Pride and hears LGBTQ+ leaders call for apology, restored funding, and deeper partnership, even as the board confronts gun violence, school staffing crises, and a hard-fought tax increase to balance a billion-dollar budget. Commissioners debate raises for school and county workers, weigh residents’ concerns about affordability, highlight key investments in EMS, family drug treatment court, and early childhood, and look ahead to potential city–county merger talks.