Wedding venue in Blue Ridge, GA for couples in Durham, NC

The first thing everyone on the yellow school bus departing a Durham high school Wednesday noticed was the noise.

Or rather, because the bus was electric, the lack of it.

“Students don’t have to yell and scream when they’re talking to one another in the morning,” said Mayor Leonardo Williams, a former teacher. “They’re talking, and they’re all loud, and they’re building up this anxiety, and they get to school and they have to get in a quiet classroom where they act up, and the teacher is like, ‘What is wrong with you? Calm down.’”

In fact, the electric buses are so quiet that their High-Point based manufacturer Carolina Thomas equips them with an exterior “noise emitter” so people can hear them approach.

“It’s like a whistle, like a distant train,” said Kelly Rivera, general manager for the company.

Durham Public Schools is receiving 38 electric buses thanks to a newly announced $15 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency.

“It means cleaner air. It means healthier children,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a news conference. “And it means good-paying American jobs.”

Students from the Southern School of Environment and Sustainability joined Regan, U.S. Rep. Valerie Foushee, and local officials on the test ride Wednesday.

They asked a host of questions:

And then, as the ride ended, sophomore Sophia Brown asked earnestly why the electric buses are being brought to Durham. Economic opportunity? To satisfy a legal requirement? As a health care measure? Regan called her question “focused and precise and honest and authentic.”

“You’re exactly right,” Rivera replied to the student. “Sometimes ... it sounds like all we’re talking about is infrastructure and charging and how far the bus goes and how much it costs. But the ultimate goal at the end of the day is to make a cleaner environment for you guys as students.”

“We are investing in you,” Regan said.

Durham Public Schools, like many districts nationwide, has struggled to hire enough bus drivers. This school year, over 22,000 children — 73% — requested bus rides.

With only 134 full-time drivers and 12 substitutes, DPS doesn’t have enough drivers to make the 823 daily bus routes, leading to some cancellations, according to school planning director Matthew Palmer.

“Starting this week, we have had to reduce service. It is unfortunate, it is painful, and it is unfair,” Palmer told the school board Oct. 10.

The 823 routes include morning and afternoon bus runs, which are staggered by bell schedules that have elementary schools starting at 7:45 a.m., middle schools at 8:30 a.m. and high schools at 9:15 a.m.

The district needs a minimum of 165 full-time drivers to meet the most basic service levels, according to a new report. As of Oct. 18, the transportation department has vacancies for 59 full-time drivers and 13 substitutes.

Palmer will appear again before the school board at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 24, with proposed solutions to what he called a “long-term national crisis.”

Communities across North Carolina have received $70 million to replace 230 buses with electric or low-emission models since the passage of the bipartisan infrastructure law in 2021, according to the EPA.

Regan said the federal government is spending $5 billion on electrifying school buses over the next five years, on top of $3 billion spent since 2022.

“This federal investment in clean transportation will significantly reduce harmful emissions and air pollution, creating a healthier environment and a healthier planet for our students and generations to come,” said Foushee, who voted for the law.

The buses get 125 miles on a single charge, and the district has charging stations for a third of them already installed across the city.

“This will reduce harmful emissions, benefiting our students and staff, particularly those with respiratory conditions,” said Superintendent Anthony Lewis, who has asthma. “These buses will reduce our carbon footprint and improve air quality, not just around our schools, but around Durham.”

This story was originally published October 24, 2024, 10:36 AM.

The News & Observer

Mary Helen Moore covers Durham for The News & Observer. She grew up in Eastern North Carolina and attended UNC-Chapel Hill before spending several years working in newspapers in Florida. Outside of work, you might find her reading, fishing, baking, or going on walks (mainly to look at plants).

Durham’s Museum of Life and Science is welcoming a pair of endangered red wolves to replace a family the museum recently sent to a New York conservation center.

The new wolves, male Oka and female Martha, arrived in Durham on Monday from the Wolf Conservation Center in South Salem, New York.

In return, the Durham museum sent a mating pair named Oak and Adeyha and their five pups to the 26-acre New York environmental education center. The Association of Zoo and Aquariums’ Saving Animals From Extinction initiative arranged the swap, along with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

“This exchange is a critical step in preserving Red Wolves and fostering their long-term survival,” Sherry Samuels, the Museum of Life and Science’s senior director of animal care, wrote in a statement.

There are only 16 confirmed red wolves in the wild, with the Fish and Wildlife Service estimating there are likely one to three additional wild wolves. The wild population lives only in a five-county region on and around the Albemarle Peninsula in Northeastern North Carolina.

Another 290 red wolves live in captivity across the United States as part of what conservationists call the SAFE population.

The SAFE population represents the genetic fail-safe for the entire population and much of the future recovery potential for the species,” officials with the red wolf recovery team wrote in a 2023 red wolf species recovery plan.

The recovery team is made up of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials, researchers and nonprofit employees who are interested in the red wolf recovery.

Some wolves from the captive population are introduced into the wild, often as part of an effort to expand the number breeding pairs. . Between 2020 and 2023, 24 wolves and 5 pups were introduced into the wild.

The recovery plan includes the goal of growing the captive population to at least 400 wolves in order to both bolster the wild population and maintain genetic diversity among red wolves. Reaching that target will take about 20 years, according to the plan.

On April 21, 2004, Oak, the female in Durham’s previous pair, gave birth to five pups that were named after North Carolina trees — Cedar, Juniper, Maple, Sassafras and Tupelo.

Officials with the SAFE initiative moved the family to the Wolf Conservation Center so they could be kept together in a larger habitat.

The SAFE program also wanted Oak and Adeyha to be kept together to potentially breed again in 2025 and expand their family. The Wolf Conservation Center habitat is three times the size of the Durham habitat, potentially allowing the family to continue to grow, Samuels said.

“While it is bittersweet to see them move on, there is excitement that the family will remain together,” Samuels said in September.

Like Adehya and Oak, Martha and Oka are a mating pair. The new-to-Durham wolves bred last year but Martha’s pregnancy did not produce pups, said Ro Rode, a Museum of Life and Science spokeswoman.

“We have high hopes for this year,” Rode said.

The public is welcome to observe Martha and Oka in their new habitat, but Museum of Life and Science officials warn they may “take some time to adjust to their new home.”

This story was produced with financial support from the Hartfield Foundation and Green South Foundation, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners, as part of an independent journalism fellowship program. The N&O maintains full editorial control of the work. If you would like to help support local journalism, please consider signing up for a digital subscription, which you can do here.

The News & Observer

919-829-4669

Adam Wagner covers climate change and other environmental issues in North Carolina. His work is produced with financial support from the Hartfield Foundation and Green South Foundation, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners, as part of an independent journalism fellowship program. Wagner’s previous work at The News & Observer included coverage of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout and North Carolina’s recovery from recent hurricanes. He previously worked at the Wilmington StarNews.

As of October 2024, the average solar panel system costs $2.56/W including installation in Durham, NC. For a 5 kW installation, this comes out to about $12,782 before incentives, though prices range from $10,865 to $14,699. After the federal tax credit, the average price drops by 30%.

You'll probably pay even less than what we show here. It doesn't include the federal ITC or Durham, NC state incentives, which will lower this price by at least a few thousand dollars.

It may seem obvious but larger solar panel systems cost more money. We use cost per watt ($/W) so you can easily compare quotes, controlling for slight variations in system size.

While a 5 kW system will only cost you $12,782 in Durham, NC, doubling the system size effectively doubles the price, so you'll pay about twice that for a 10 kW system. The higher the price tag, though, the more you'll get back as a credit towards your federal tax bill.

Average solar cost by system size in Durham, NC

If you can't shell out $12,782 in cash to pay for solar, don't sweat it. You can choose to finance your system with a loan instead. Some companies even offer $0-down loans so you can start saving on day one if your loan payments are less than your current electric bills. Just keep in mind that your long-term savings will be lower with a loan due to interest rates.

The numbers we're showing are averages. The price you'll pay for solar depends on many factors unique to you and your home:

If you're looking for solar companies in NC, here are some popular suggestions:

Solar is a major purchase, but you can get the price tag to come down a bit by being an educated shopper. Taking advantage of incentives and rebates and shopping around for quotes can bring down your cost of solar in Durham, NC.

As long as your federal tax bill is high enough, you can take advantage of the federal tax credit in Durham, NC. This incentive allows you to apply 30% of your solar installation and equipment costs toward your federal tax bill. If the amount exceeds your tax bill, you can roll over the remaining credit to the following year. Many states also offer great local incentives and rebates.

Comparing multiple solar quotes can save you money through competition and transparency. Each additional quote you receive for solar will help you find the right solar panel system at the right price.

This is where EnergySage can help. With funding from the Department of Energy’s SunShot Prize, EnergySage opened the country’s first (and now the largest) marketplace for home solar panel installations. We gather custom solar quotes from local installers on your behalf and put them in an easy-to-compare format. When you compare quotes for solar panels on the EnergySage Marketplace, you can expect to see prices up to 20% lower than if you work with a single solar company.

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- Early voting is underway in North Carolina with Election Day only a few weeks away.

On this year's ballot, Durham voters can choose "yes" or "no" to the city's use of general obligation (GO) bonds to fund projects for streets and sidewalks as well as parks and recreation.

What is a bond referendum?

A bond referendum is a voting process that gives voters the power to decide if a government should be allowed to raise funds through the issuance of general obligation (GO) bonds. In North Carolina, municipalities can't issue GO bonds without voter approval.

Bond funds are how governments typically finance projects to pay for infrastructure. The debt is repaid with interest over a specified term. GO bonds can be repaid through various city funding sources, including taxes.

Additional property taxes within city limits may be levied if the following bonds are approved. See here what the potential property tax increase would be.

PARKS AND RECREATION BONDS

This bond referendum would allow the city to borrow $85 million for Parks and Recreation projects in the community. The funding would go toward building a new aquatic center at Merrick-Moore Park and upgrades to East End and Long Meadow parks.

The $43 million project will be located next door to Wheels Roller Rink at Merrick-Moore Park. According to the city, the park and multi-pool aquatic center will have "zero-depth entry, a lazy river and pool space for recreation swimming for ages and abilities."

Ultimately, if this bond is approved, construction would then start in fall 2026 before opening in summer 2028.

East End and Long Meadow parks

According to the city, a new pool, play areas, athletic field and courts and other improvements will be developed at both parks on Alston Avenue.

The $42 million project would connect and make improvements to "two neighborhood parks rooted in segregation."

The land for both parks was donated to Durham in 1932. Long Meadow Park was initially segregated and only for white people, and East End Park was for Black people.

While the parks have been desegregated for decades, the city said the project would "unite two parks, creating a single park corridor" on the R. Kelly Bryant Bridge Trail. If the bond is approved, construction will begin in fall 2026 before opening in summer 2028.

For more information on these projects, click here.

STREETS AND SIDEWALK BONDS

The approval of this bond referendum would allow Durham to borrow $115 million to use toward building new sidewalks and repairing old ones, along with repaving and maintaining streets.

$60 million of that, the city said, will go toward 11 sidewalk projects.

These projects would add a little over 12 miles of new sidewalks in 25 locations. This will ultimately help reduce traffic deaths and serious injuries. If the bond passes, construction will start in the spring of 2025.

$15 million of the funds would go toward sidewalk repairs. If the bond is approved, 20 miles of sidewalk repairs would start in the summer or fall of 2025. This could take up to two years to finish.

$30 million would go toward street repaving and maintenance. The City of Durham estimated the funding would repave and repair 100 miles of streets.

If the bond is approved, these repairs and preservation will start in the summer of 2025. It may take up to two construction seasons to finish.

For more information on these projects, click here.

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