Justin Laidlaw

Will it be at all possible to abstain from using AI while still using most of the Internet?

So much to mourn here. ICE shot and killed a single father just after he has dropped his two kids off at daycare. Their justification for stopping him was traffic violations form 12 years ago. Their justification for shooting him was that he was driving away.

A completely needless tragedy.

One thing we've learned in the last 12 hours: The Sinclair-Nexstar ban on Kimmel, in terms of his reach, means nothing in an era when late-night shows have an afterlife or simultaneous life on streaming. Kimmel's average audience is 1.6M. On YouTube, last night's monologue is already at 8.4M views.

Is Goodreads to books what Letterbox is for books?

All these freakin billionaires and not one has put their immense wealth toward becoming a vigilante superhero in a Halloween costume. Someone change the channel.

N.C. Rep. Tim Moore Is Betting Against Trump’s Economy Tim Moore publicly touts Trump’s economic policies. His investments in an exotic fund tell a different story.

Moore, a North Carolina freshman who’s lauded Trump for his economic leadership, has poured up to $245,000 of his own cash into an exotic investment fund that earns him money when a key stock market index falters.

www.theassemblync.com/politics/tim...

How State Funds Are Helping Private Schools Expand Vouchers aren’t the only way lawmakers have funneled money to private schools. At least two have received grants for new facilities.

Excellent reporting from my colleague @carlibrosseau.bsky.social on NC Republicans increasing the reallocation of public funds for private education in the state.

www.theassemblync.com/education/k-...

Still, big fan of @thepressbox.bsky.social! If the gang is ever in the Durham area, swing by the newsroom.

I am deeply honored to make into the pantheon of Press Box listener shout outs. @bryancurtis.bsky.social @davidshoemaker.bsky.social But in hindsight, as a reporter for our local alt @indyweek.bsky.social, I should've chosen my strained pun sources more strategically.

It’s fun when you VPN into different countries. Dutch and Japanese ads are more whimsical.

Opinion | The Supreme Court Is Backing Trump’s Power Grab The legal scholar Kate Shaw discusses Donald Trump’s recent winning streak with the Supreme Court and what it means for the state of the Constitution.

In Opinion

In 16 rulings in a row, the Supreme Court has ruled "against challenges to Trump and against lower courts that have ruled against Trump, in this wild streak of victories for Trump that have largely happened under the radar,” Kate Shaw says on this episode of “The Ezra Klein Show.”

@thepressbox.bsky.social Bill of goods: solid work!

The streets are saying no thank you! 🙅🏾‍♂️

Residents Raise Concerns About Proposed Data Storage Facility in Rural Wake County The massive data storage facility proposal would require annexation into the Town of Apex and a rezoning.

sharp breakdown of the large data storage center being proposed in rural Wake County & the residents banding together against it. read!

You’re the best @chrisryan77.bsky.social. Much love, my guy. 🫶🏾 Glad to have you back doing what you do better than most.

I assume you're talking about city funding, not personal?

Why does every subreddit cycle through the same 7 posts over and over? Are people unaware of the search function?

The Summer UNC-Chapel Hill Turned Pretty 'The Summer I Turned Pretty' series filmed its recently released final season at UNC-Chapel Hill, giving the campus new clout online.

The best cross-over episode of my life!

(I promise there is a higher-ed angle)

@theassemblync.bsky.social

www.theassemblync.com/education/hi...

If my math is right:

25 x $70 = $1750
75 x $35 = $2625

That means the city made money by making a service more accessible. A novel idea.

City of Durham Expands Parking for Downtown Workers On Monday, the city council approved an ordinance that will modify the voucher program for parking in Durham.

@cityofdurhamnc.bsky.social Transportation Director said during today's work session that enrollment in the downtown employee parking program has nearly tripled to 75 ppl since city council approved expanding qualifications and lowering the cost from $70 to $35.

indyweek.com/news/durham/...

@thepressbox.bsky.social between UFC and the Sheridan-verse, is Paramount just reviving Spike TV?

If every state follows Texas and California and supercharges the gerrymandering of its districts, who would actually win out? No matter who ends up with more seats, it sets a bad precedence.

People Alliance’s PAC Makes Durham Municipal Election Endorsements The organization endorsed incumbents for mayor and the Ward 3 City Council seat, and challengers for Wards 1 and 2.

The organization endorsed incumbents for mayor and the Ward 3 City Council seat, and challengers for Wards 1 and 2.

Hammer No More the Fingers Is Having Fun Again Durham trio Duncan Webster, Joe Hall, and Jeff Stickley are back with a new record for the first time in 11 years.

Hammer No More the Fingers plays at Motorco on August 29. From 2023, here's a profile of the Durham band.

They Can’t Sell. They Can’t Stay. From a Chapel Hill Floodway, The Future Looks Grim. For Lou Horton and her husband, Chantal was a singular catastrophe and the yearslong culmination of watching their situation grow more precarious.

Read this story! (by @writingthings.bsky.social)

Support Without Strings Greensboro-based Held gives money directly to people who are unhoused. It sounds radical, its founder admits, but it’s working.

Support Without Strings www.theassemblync.com/greensboroth...

The Assembly has won its first nationwide Edward R. Murrow Awards. Read the award-winning reporting recognized by the awards in the thread below: www.rtdna.org/2025-nationa...

Bruce dePyssler, Who Led NCCU’s Campus Echo for 26 Years, Retires Bruce DePyssler, who retired this summer, built an award-winning student newspaper at North Carolina Central University.

DePyssler not only built an award-winning program but shaped generations of students, including yours truly, who say “DP,” as he is affectionately called by the NCCU community, wasn’t just their professor but a father figure who made the Echo feel like home, and its staff like family.

LesTheGenius and Ricky Ricardo's In-State Intuition With Raleighwood Fest 2025, the founders of the homegrown, Carolina-first music festival are dreaming big while doubling down on their roots.

"Growing up in North Carolina, the classic thing is people want to leave. Nobody wants to really stay here. Everybody wants to go. So it’s kind of trying to shift that culture. We can make something special here, too."

People Alliance’s PAC Makes Durham Municipal Election Endorsements The organization endorsed incumbents for mayor and the Ward 3 City Council seat, and challengers for Wards 1 and 2.

The organization endorsed incumbents for mayor and the Ward 3 City Council seat, and challengers for Wards 1 and 2.