Month: November 2009

Durham Rescue Mission mends vets’ lives

By Carl Kenney

November 19, 2009

By Jamese Slade NCCU Staff Writer the Durham VOICE thedurhamvoice@gmail.com According to USA Today, about one in four of the homeless are veterans. That’s a statistic veterans Raymond Mays and George Johnson knew firsthand. When they found themselves at their lowest, they turned to the Durham Rescue Mission in Northeast Central Durham, a men’s program […]

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No Spectators Allowed

By Carl Kenney

By Praycious Wilson-Gay Teen Arts Co-Editor the Durham VOICE thedurhamvoice@gmail.com As we near the end of the semester, schools are showcasing their winter productions. Hillside High School put on the production of “High School Musical,” Jordan put on the production of “Smokey Joe’s Cafe,” and DSA with “With Their Eyes.” While watching my favorite new […]

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What I’m thankful for in Durham

By Carl Kenney

By Zenzele Barnes Teen Editor the Durham VOICE thedurhamvoice@gmail.com The Thanksgiving holiday is coming up, and living in Durham has given me so many things to be thankful for. I am a youth designer at SeeSaw Studio. It is a non-profit after-school program for teens in downtown Durham. Going there has taught me so many […]

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NECD: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow

By Carl Kenney

By Jamon Glover NCCU Staff Writer the Durham VOICE thedurhamvoice@gmail.com Northeast Central Durham has gone from a prosperous industrial area to crime ridden and drug infested. A few years ago revitalization measures were put into place to change the look and feel of a historic area, vitally important to Durham. Today city officials, community leaders […]

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14-year-old finds friendship with pharmacist

By Carl Kenney

By Claire Atwell UNC Staff Writer the Durham VOICE thedurhamvoice@gmail.com At first glance, Barbara Haight and Sharika Strickland, hurrying out of the rain and in to Pepper’s Pizza in Chapel Hill last Tuesday evening, look more like a teacher and student than good friends. But looks can be deceiving, and as the two have shown, […]

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A new beginning for Old Five Points

By Carl Kenney

By Cara Oxendine NCCU Staff Writer the Durham VOICE thedurhamvoice@gmail.com Old Five Points, one of NECD’s neighborhoods, was originally a commercial district that deteriorated due to a falling economy and highway projects that discouraged pedestrian traffic. Today, the community is working to revive the area. Old Five Points gets its name from the five-way intersection […]

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Colorfest brings out the talent in NECD kids

By Carl Kenney

By Lisa Marie Albert UNC Videographer the Durham VOICE thedurhamvoice@gmail.com On Oct. 31, REDMASS hosted their first “Colorfest” in downtown Durham, at 105 W. Parrish Street, near the corner of Parrish St. and Mangum St., above The Hair Estate Inc. The community event was fun-filled and creative. Kids painted square panels that were joined in […]

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Martin uses hip-hop to inspire students

By Carl Kenney

By Emily Kennard UNC Co-Editor The Durham VOICE thedurhamoice@gmail.com Hip-hop legend and pioneer Christopher “Play” Martin gives his students at N.C. Central University the ultimate lesson when he teaches Hip-Hop in Context 101. Students couldn’t ask for a better teacher than Martin. Because he lived it. “I feel like George Washington,” said Martin, a former […]

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Building stronger neighborhoods by decreasing gun crime

By Carl Kenney

By Julian March UNC Staff Writer the Durham VOICE thedurhamvoice@gmail.com Over the first nine days of October, Durham Police arrested 21 people for illegally possessing or carrying a handgun. Those guns were confiscated, but more are still on the streets. Jennifer Snyder coordinates Durham’s Project Safe Neighborhoods, an initiative that operates under the Durham Police […]

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Taking care of hispanic neighbors

By Carl Kenney

By Cara Oxendine NCCU Staff Writer the Durham VOICE thedurhamvoice@gmail.com underrepresented for so long, Hispanics now represent a fifth of the population in NECD, and have developed organizations that offer an abundance of resources and contacts within their community. During the 1990s, North Carolina had the nation’s fastest growing Hispanic population and according to a […]

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It’s so much more than a game

By Carl Kenney

By Courtney Price UNC Staff Writer the Durham VOICE thedurhamvoice@gmail.com Kids in the North Durham Basketball and Cheerleader Association learn so much more than how to pass a ball. Hank Brown, who runs the association with his wife, Terry, said that’s not what it’s about. “We’re trying to make them good citizens,” Hank said, who […]

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Community seeks to builds Durham museum

By Carl Kenney

By Emily Browder UNC Staff Writer the Durham VOICE thedurhamvoice@gmail.com “Every major city in North Carolina has a history museum except for Durham,” says Tom Krakauer, chairman of the board for the Museum of Durham History. Since the 1940s, numerous efforts to create a museum honoring Durham’s history have been attempted but failed. However, beginning […]

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Vegetable gardens provide nutrition for families

By Carl Kenney

By: David L. Fitts, Jr. NCCU Staff Writer the Durham VOICE thedurhamvoice@gmail.com As winter descends on the “Bulls Eye,” some residents will participate in a new program to ensure their access to healthy food options. Fifty NECD residents will receive backyard vegetable gardens in the coming months thanks to a $15,000 grant. In June, planning […]

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A visit to the Durham Craft Market

By Carl Kenney

By Brad Piland UNC Videographer the Durham VOICE thedurhamvoice@gmail.com The Durham Craft Market is located at Durham Central Park across from the Durham Farmers’ Market.  From the first Saturday in April to the last Saturday before Thanksgiving, local artisans set up booths to display and sell their products. VOICE videographer Brad Piland was there on […]

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Backpacks give youth something worth carrying

By Carl Kenney

November 7, 2009

By Kanisha Madison NCCU Staff Writer the Durham VOICE thedurhamvoice@gmail.com   Most students take home books on the weekend, but some students at Eastway Elementary School in Northeast Central Durham are taking home something extra – on Friday about 50 students receive a backpack filled with food that will help them get through the weekend […]

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Angier Ave. Baptist has a storied past

By Carl Kenney

November 6, 2009

By Carlton Kooce NCCU Staff Writer the Durham VOICE thedurhamvoice@gmail.com Stop a local at the corner of Angier Avenue and South Driver Street in Northeast Central Durham and ask about the large three story brick church on the corner. What you’ll find out is that it’s a“ mostly white” church that has been in the […]

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Church organizes Halloween alternative

By Carl Kenney

By Erica Smith NCCU Staff Writer the Durham VOICE thedurhamvoice@gmail.com About 50 children and adults celebrated an alternative Halloween at Saint Joseph’s African Methodist Episcopal Church on Saturday evening. The dining hall was filled with children and adults eating chili dogs, coleslaw, potato chips, popcorn, and cotton candy. Despite the festive atmosphere, a banner hanging […]

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New skate park opens up a world of expression

By Carl Kenney

November 5, 2009

  By Rosalia Preiss Teen Arts Co-Editor the Durham Voice thedurhamvoice@gmail.com After many years of planning, a new skate park is opening on Rigsbee Avenue! Skate culture has recently become popular in Durham, and kids skating down the street has become a common sight in downtown.  Having a skate park will keep kids and teens […]

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SEEDS oral history project showcases local heroes

By Carl Kenney

by Jock Lauterer   Durham VOICE co-adviser thedurhamvoice@gmail.com In an effort to record the authentic voices of their community, seven teenagers in Northeast Central Durham are searching this fall for diamonds in the rough. hometown heroes. “Heroes In Our Midst: Our Village Elders,” aims to capture the life stories of aunts, uncles, moms and dads, […]

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King’s hot dogs link past and future

By Carl Kenney

By Courtney Price Durham VOICE Co-Editor thedurhamvoice@gmail.com While he talks about the future, T.J. McDermott has the past on his mind. McDermott is rebuilding King’s Sandwich Shop on the corner of Foster Street and Geer Street to bring the iconic restaurant back to Durham. “A historic little building like this can take us to the […]

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Mitchell bringing change to Mt. Gilead Baptist Church

By Carl Kenney

By David L. Fitts, Jr. NCCU Staff Writer the Durham VOICE thedurhamvoice@gmail.com In May, the Rev. Dr. David D. Mitchell ended Mt. Gilead Baptist Church’s two year search for a leader. Coming from Rhode Island, the Thomasville, Georgia native hopes to inspire Mt. Gilead’s congregation and involve the church in its Northeast Central Durham community. […]

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Caribbean Paradise brightens Angier Avenue

By Carl Kenney

By Lisa Marie Albert UNC Staff Writer the Durham VOICE thedurhamvoice@gmail.com A new Caribbean-American restaurant, Caribbean Paradise, opened at 2202 Angier Ave. near the intersection with South Driver Street. To brighten up the neighborhood, owner Lydia Joseph asked REDMASS art gallery to paint a mural on the side of their building. Videographer Lisa Marie Albert […]

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The Scrap Exchange: there’s no place quite like it

By Carl Kenney

by Emily Kennard UNC Co-Editor the Durham VOICE thedurhamvoice@gmail.com Walk into the Scrap Exchange, 548 Foster St., and you might be a little confused. Bins filled with other businesses’ waste such as test tubes, floppy disks, Burger King paper crowns and dental X-rays pack the creative reuse center. But customers leave with wigs, costumes, collages […]

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Manufacturing mill turns to artsy thrills

By Carl Kenney

By Cara Oxendine NCCU Staff Writer the Durham VOICE thedurhamvoice@gmail.com Golden Belt Historical District, originally a textile factory with rich mill village history, is located in Northeast Central Durham and has been redeveloped to offer art space, office space, residential lofts, and retail space. NECD is Durham’s worst area for drugs, violence and crime, but […]

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The Achievement Academy: A Chance to Succeed

By Carl Kenney

By Julian March UNC Staff Writer The Durham Voice thedurhamvoice@gmail.com The Achievement Academy is nestled in a suite in the South Bank Building in downtown Durham. Behind the door, students and volunteers move in and out of the hallway and the two main rooms. Gayle Erdheim, academic director, is on the phone with a parent […]

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Housing for New Hope Bus Tour

By Carl Kenney

by Brad Piland UNC Staff Writer the Durham VOICE thedurhamvoice@gmail.com Housing for New Hope, a nonprofit organization seeking to end homelessness in Durham, took residents of The Forest at Duke on a tour of their community projects on Tuesday, Oct. 27.  During the tour, the residents met with New Hope staff members and listened to […]

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GREAT showcases former gang car

By Carl Kenney

By Charity Jones NCCU Staff reporter the Durham VOICE thedurhamvoice@gmail.com It’s an attention-getter. And that is exactly what the Durham Police Department wants. The all-white Cadillac Escalade has 24-inch spinners, six TVs, a Play Station 2, GPS navigation system and of course a custom paint job. But this car is more than just eye candy. […]

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Job Corps: Building lives and launching careers

By Carl Kenney

By Emily Browder UNC Staff Writer the Durham VOICE thedurhamvoice@gmail.com In the new office of Job Corps located on Briggs Avenue near downtown Durham, Samantha Monroe sits quietly completing paperwork before her interview with an admissions counselor. Monroe, 19, moved to Durham last September, unemployed and a high school drop-out. She first heard about the […]

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Uplift East Durham Changes Perceptions

By Carl Kenney

By Jamese Slade NCCU Staff Writer the Durham VOICE thedurhamvoice@gmail.com Despite East Durham’s stereotype as a crime-ridden and violent neighborhood, Uplift East Durham shows people what East Durham is really about. UED is an organization made up of neighborhood residents that live in East Durham. Aidil Collins, a UED member since 2003 said David Arthur […]

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Welcome Baby Prepares Parents for the Stork

By Carl Kenney

By Jamon Glover NCCU Staff Writer the Durham VOICE thedurhamvoice@gmail.com For 20 years Welcome Baby has been in the business of creating stronger families. Located at 721 Foster St. in Durham and funded by Durham’s Partnership for Children, Welcome Baby has a number of programs including a car seat safety program and a free clothing […]

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Durham students let their voices be heard

By Carl Kenney

Last week, the mayoral and city council elections was drawing near, local Durham youth were making sure their voices are heard. On Thursday, Oct. 29, Durham youth ranging from elementary to high school students gathered at the Holton Career and Resource Center to ask questions to their potential community leaders. These young and active members […]

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