Highlights about Health

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 Orange County Board of Commissioners adopts the 2026 budget, setting new county tax bills, outlining school funding per student, and approving plans for opioid settlement spending and future use of occupancy tax revenue after a failed attempt to scale back the tax increase. The board also signs off on a 10-year, $863 million capital plan and unanimously locks in the final design, price, and added funding for the new crisis diversion facility.

The Durham County Board of Commissioners debates an urgent new security contract—including worker pay, benefits, and local hiring—while examining mental health care in the jail, early childhood and food security investments, and long-term wastewater planning. The board also begins charting rules and a possible moratorium for large AI and cryptocurrency data centers that could reshape local power and water use.

The Durham County Board of Commissioners digs into how the half‑cent transit tax is governed and spent—scrutinizing slowing revenues, large fund balances, capital needs, fare‑free service, and a status‑quo work program that leaves little room for new projects—while inviting public input on the draft plan. The board also hears detailed briefings on jail healthcare costs and HIV treatment, along with student research on women’s rights, maternal and maternal oral health, and barriers facing Latinx survivors of intimate partner violence.