This article appeared in The Herald-Sun in January 2013: DURHAM — Public charter schools in Durham could more than double in the next two years. As of last week, the state Department of Public Instruction had received 161 letters of intent for new charters. Of those, 11 are in Durham, including one virtual school. It’s not quite the…
This article appeared in The Herald-Sun in March 2013: DURHAM — While the state’s rate of reportable crimes in schools dropped slightly last year, the rate in Durham Public Schools took an unpleasant climb – especially when it comes to alcohol, drugs and weapons. Overall, reported crimes in grades K-12 for DPS jumped from 277 in 2010-11…
Nearly a year ago, Rachel Raney showed me the perils facing pedestrians around Trinity Park, Duke University’s East Campus and Durham School of the Arts. She worried about motorists speeding through crosswalk zones, endangering adults and children alike trying to make safe crossings. She was concerned not just about her son, Leo Bortiri, who loved…
This column appeared in The Herald-Sun in December 2013: Just five years ago, I’d have laughed in the face of anyone who told me that I’d someday find myself standing in the back aisle of a Durham Toys R Us, weighing the benefits of Baby’s First Blocks, the Soothe & Glow Seahorse and the Rhyme…
