Women's Clothing Boutique Near Me Durham, NC

Falls Lake is going through some things.

Fertilizer is running off from farm fields, entering its tributaries. Toxic compounds known as PFAS, whose sources remain a mystery, have been detected at and near the dam. And when it rains, clay muck flows from large clear-cut lots, suffocating nearby streams that feed the lake.

Although the lake is the primary drinking water supply for a half-million people in Raleigh, Garner, Knightdale, Rolesville, Wake Forest, Wendell and Zebulon, land-clearing on the Durham County side of the watershed is a major contributor to the pollution. And one development in particular, Sweetbrier, a subdivision of 616 homes and townhouses being built by Clayton Properties/Mungo Homes, is central to a lawsuit filed in federal court last week.

Sound Rivers, a nonprofit environmental advocacy group, citing Durham County and state inspection records, as well as its own water quality sampling, alleged Clayton/Mungo has violated the Clean Water Act more than 20 times since last year. Clay and dirt, collectively known as sediment, has been documented leaving the 200-plus acre property and entering Martin Branch and Hurricane Creek, which flank the site. Both waterways feed Lick Creek, a direct tributary to Falls Lake.

Mungo Homes is a division of Clayton Properties, which is based in Maryville, Tennessee; the company operates in 18 states. Sound Rivers is represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center.

Mungo Homes officials did not respond to emails seeking comment.

Sedimentation in waterways is a serious problem. There are rules governing how much dirt can leave a development site and enter waterways, because bacteria can hitchhike on the sediment particles, entering the drinking water supply. The excess sediment can make it more difficult for utilities to treat and filter drinking water. And when too much dirt enters a waterway it can kill aquatic life, and ruin or impair its habitat. Similar incidents have occurred in Chatham County at the massive VinFast site.

Jonathan McNeil, Durham County erosion control supervisor, repeatedly warned Mungo it was out of compliance with its permit and asked that the company take “corrective action.”

Last February McNeil sent an email to Michael O’Sullivan, the company’s land development manager, alerting him to “repetitive substantial issues found on site ….” This included “open stream crossings with no ground cover, muck on slopes leading to the stream … I took 68 pictures of stuff that should not be happening…”

McNeil sent similar non-compliance notices in January 2023, as well as April, September and October 2022.

There are state standards for sediment in waterways, measured in “nephelometric turbidity units,” or NTUs. The higher the number, the cloudier the water, indicating a lot of dirt is present. For most rivers and streams that feed drinking water supplies, the state’s maximum level is 50 NTUs.

Since November 2022, “every time that Sound Rivers has conducted turbidity sampling at Martin Branch, it has documented exceedances of the North Carolina turbidity standard,” court filings read. Just two weeks ago, on Aug. 31, the turbidity level in Martin Branch was more than 1,100 NTU. Sound Rivers attributed this incident, and several others, to runoff from the Sweetbrier development. In addition, Sound Rivers documented exceedances of the state turbidity standard in Hurricane Creek four times in three months, also, the result of runoff from the site, according to court filings.

Sound Rivers is petitioning the court to find that Clayton/Mungo is violating the Clean Water Act, and to penalize the company up to $64,618 per day, per violation, the legally allowable amount. In addition, Sound Rivers is asking the court to require the company to “immediately cease its ongoing and continuing” violations, and to remove from affected waters any sediment it is responsible for.

Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of photos and graphics.

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We’ve put together a collection of New Year’s Eve events for families and children taking place in Raleigh and across the Triangle, ranging from the beloved (early) Acorn Drop at First Night to dance parties in small venues and museums.

If you see something we missed that you think we should include, let us know by emailing ask@newsobserver.com.

For a guide to adult events across the Triangle this New Year’s Eve, visit newsobserver.com/living

Important: Whenever possible, please check the website for each event or venue prior to heading out, to verify hours of operation (which can change) and to learn more about rain dates for outdoor events.

▪ 321 Coffee’s Noon Year’s Eve Celebration: Enjoy a hot chocolate bar and get your own mug to take home with you. There will be cookies, festive coloring pages, 2024 headbands and family activities. Tickets are $15 each. Both the Raleigh and Durham locations will host this party. When: 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Where: 615 Hillsborough St. in Raleigh and 300 Morris St. in Durham Info: shop.321coffee.com

▪ Noon Year’s Eve at Marbles Kids Museum: This event will include crafts, games, music and a special bubble wrap pop. The ball will drop at noon. The event is included with regular museum admission, which is $9. Children under 1 year old are free. The museum closes at 2 p.m. on Dec. 31. When: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Where: 201 E Hargett St. in Raleigh Info: marbleskidsmuseum.org

▪ Quiet Countdown at Marbles Kids Museum: During the Noon Year’s Eve celebration (see above), a sensory-friendly quiet new year’s countdown at 12 p.m. will be held in the Sensory Exploration Exhibit: Under the Waves. The event is included with regular museum admission.

▪ Noon Year’s Eve at the Museum of Life + Science: Craft, dance and count down to the new year with a special ball drop at 12 p.m. (noon, not midnight). The event is included with admission to the museum. Tickets are $23 for adults (13+) and $18 for children (2-12) with discounts for seniors and military. When: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Where: 433 W. Murray Ave. in Durham Info: lifeandscience.org

▪ NYE at The RINK: Skate on New Year’s Eve at Red Hat Amphitheatre’s outdoor ice skating rink with views of the Raleigh skyline. Skate sessions are 12-1 p.m., 2:30-4:30 p.m., 5-7 p.m. and 7:30-9:30 p.m. Skater admission is $15 (which includes skate rental), and non-skater admission is $6. Purchase tickets in advance to reserve your time slot. Igloo lounge packages start at $200 and include six skating tickets, hot chocolate bar and cookie and pretzel snacks nestled inside a private igloo. Where: 500 South McDowell St. in Raleigh Info: redhatamphitheater.com/the-rink

▪ German New Year’s Eve: This family-friendly event at Clouds Brewing will have complimentary champagne and cider for an early ball drop. When: 2-7 p.m. Where: 1233 Front St. in Raleigh Info: facebook.com/events

▪ UK Family NYE Celebration at Fortnight: Cary’s Fortnight Brewing location will have an early New Year’s countdown and celebration for families. When: 6-9 p.m. Where: 1006 SW Maynard Rd. in Cary Info: fortnightbrewing.com

▪ Mini Midnight Madness at Tap Yard: This free, all-ages event is an early NYE celebration at Tap Yard Raleigh. There will be a dance party with glow sticks, face painting, a bubble machine and a balloon drop at 6 p.m. (Tap Yard will have an adults celebration afterward, with the band Vertigo playing at 9:30 p.m.)When: 5-7 p.m. Where: 1610 Automotive Way in Raleigh Info: facebook.com/events

▪ Time Warp NYE Party at Oak City Brewing: Enjoy a countdown and keg drop, free champagne toast, live music, food trucks and face painting. Free champagne or sparkling cider for kids. When: 5-8 p.m. Where: 616 North First Ave. in Knightdale Info: eventbrite.com

▪ New Year’s Eve Skate Party: Countdown to the new year at a family-friendly skate party. Tickets are $25 and include admission, skate rental, glow sticks and party favors. When: 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Where: United Skates of America, 2901 Tarwick Road in Raleigh Info: eventbrite.com

Ring in the new year early with Raleigh’s 7 p.m. Acorn Drop, followed by fireworks to get you in bed by a crisp 9:30 p.m.

The rain-or-shine event on Fayetteville Street in downtown Raleigh continues through midnight for the 2024 countdown and second Acorn Drop at 12 a.m.

For children, First Night will feature:

Tickets are $16 for adults (13+), $12 for children (6-12) and free for young kids (0-5). Find details at firstnightraleigh.com

This story was originally published December 29, 2023, 11:01 AM.

One of Durham’s most unique restaurant spaces is set to reopen as a neighborhood bar with a killer burger.

Lakewood Social, a new restaurant from chef Joel Schroeter, opens this month in the former County Fare food truck rodeo site, which was most recently Honeysuckle at Lakewood.

The new Lakewood Social opens Sunday, Dec. 17 at 11 a.m.

Schroeter’s resume includes Triangle fine dining spots like Mandolin in Raleigh, but most recently created the popular Old North Meats & Provisions in the Durham Food Hall.

Old North Meats was known for an exquisite smashburger, housemade charcuterie and pastrami and one of the Triangle’s best breakfast sandwiches. The brand closed in 2022 after two years in the Durham Food Hall.

Honeysuckle at Lakewood closed last month and Schroeter looks to open Lakewood Social within 18 days of taking over.

In Lakewood Social, Schroeter said he hopes to recreate the kind of neighborhood restaurant he grew up working in as a teenager in small town Wisconsin

“My uncle owned the first restaurant I worked in; I was 14 washing dishes,” Schoeter said. “Everybody knew everybody. Those things aren’t lost today. It’s more complicated in a larger city, but the principles are there — do the basic things well, make crunchy things crunchy, keep the bathrooms clean, serve cold things cold and hot things hot. Greet people at the door and do your best to listen.”

Born as County Fare in 2018 and rebranded as Honeysuckle in 2020, the space that Lakewood Social moves into is situated on the edge of the Lakewood Shopping Center, near Cocoa Cinnamon and Lula & Sadie’s. The building is best known for its wrap-around porch and a large yard where families can spread out.

Lakewood Social will revive the smashburger from Old North Meats, as well as the crispy chicken sandwich, served on a griddled Union Special bun.

Schroeter said to also expect a doner kebab, likely made with chicken, fries and other shareaable plates.

Lakewood Social will be open seven days a week for lunch and dinner.

“In this neighborhood we want to make it easy,” Schroeter said. “There’s basically unlimited parking, it’s fenced in and family friendly. Eventually we’ll have an ice cream stand and sundaes.”

The largest departure for Lakewood Social over Schroeter’s experience in the Durham Food Hall, will be operating a full bar. The new restaurant will feature 24 taps, 18 of which will be dedicated to beer. The others will serve cider, wine and draft cocktails.

Lakewood Social also aims to be something of a wine destination, featuring a small wine bar, plus wines by the glass and bottle with a corkage fee. The bar looks to serve simple, well-made classic cocktails as well.

“What I’m most excited about on the beverage side is creating high quality and efficient cocktails,” Schroeter said. “I want this to be a place that offers value, that’s super approachable and we make it so you don’t have to wait 20 minutes for a drink.”

This story was originally published December 12, 2023, 6:30 AM.

Beloved for artfulness and creativity, Triangle sushi bars are some of the region’s most beloved restaurants, ranging from casual and funky to the top tier of fine dining.

The two favorite sushi bars among readers of The News & Observer embody that range.

Waraji is one of Raleigh’s oldest and most beloved sushi restaurants, while Cowfish, a Charlotte brand that expanded to the Triangle several years ago, shows off sushi’s modern accessibility, serving inventive rolls of tuna and shrimp alongside burgers and fries.

That inventiveness won out, with Cowfish crowned the Triangle’s favorite sushi bar.

The Cowfish menu reads like two restaurants in one, with dozens of sushi options right next to burgers and fries.

“We’ve fudged some boundaries and it’s hard to deny we’ve pushed some lines and taken a little different approach, but one thing we do hold very seriously is the quality of the fish and rice we serve,” co-founder Alan Springate said.

The Cowfish menu is half burger bar, half sushi bar, but does very little to blend the two. You won’t find a smashburger topped with thinly sliced tuna, though you can order The All-American Bacon Double Cheeseburgooshi, which has the elements of a cheeseburger served as a sushi roll.

Waraji has a loyal following of diners and fans in northwest Raleigh since its original chef and founder Masa Tsujimura opened its doors in 1997.

In opening his own sushi bar, Masa said he was often teaching diners about the cuisine for the first time. Today, though sushi is everywhere, he said there’s a gulf between great and passable sushi. It starts, he said, with perfect rice that’s not pressed too firmly together, needing an airiness to allow the grains to spread out in the mouth.

“If the rice is too hard you’re not tasting anything,” Masa said. “Once it’s airy, it falls apart and mixes with the fish, that’s how you taste it.”

Akami Sushi Bar

1561 E. Williams St., Apex. 919-267-6368 or akamisushibar.com

Very quickly Akami has become the hottest spot in the Triangle’s sushi scene. Situated in an old Subway sandwich shop within an Apex gas station, Akami is an unassuming sushi bar, to say the least. But the quality of Akami is undisputed, drawing sushi fans from more than an hour away to sit at its counter and visit for dinner for special omakase nights.

City Market Sushi

315 Blake St., Raleigh. 919-322-1987 or citymarketsushi.net

Beloved and intimate, this City Market spot is only open for dinner and serves as a popular setting for after-work meet-ups and dates. City Market Sushi is more elegant and understated than some local sushi bars. This is a spot for those who crave the classics.

The Cowfish Sushi Burger Bar

4208 Six Forks Road, Suite 100, Raleigh. 919-784-0400 or thecowfish.com

Tradition be damned, Cowfish does two things that don’t have anything to do with one another: burgers and sushi. And it’s one of the most popular restaurants around. On the sushi side, the flavors and textures are big and bold, with many rolls sprinkled with tempura flake or roe.

Kai Sushi

7713 Lead Mine Road, Suite 11, Raleigh. 919-870-4923 or kaisushisakebar.com

The culinary offerings at the Greystone Village Shopping Center make the case for it being the foodiest strip mall in Raleigh. Kai Sushi helps build on that cred, offering a tasteful, elegant dining room where the menu has space to shine. Celebrating its 10th year, Kai shows off precise knife cuts and a command of flavor.

M Sushi

311 Holland St., Durham. 919-908-9266 or m-restaurants.com

4 Fenton Main St., Suite 120, Cary. 919-729-5662

M Sushi, the restaurant that launched a small empire, is chef Michael Lee’s flagship spot and one of the Triangle’s destinations for high quality sushi. The original Durham location is largely a long sushi counter, where chefs serve rolls as they’re made. Last year, Lee expanded M Sushi to Cary’s Fenton development with a new, larger restaurant serving an expanded menu but with the same beloved flavors.

O-Ku Sushi

411 W. Hargett St., Raleigh. 919-792-3777 or o-kusushi.com

One of the major downtown Raleigh restaurant openings of the last few years, O-Ku is the Charleston, SC-based sushi brand of Indigo Hospitality Group. Located in the Dillon, O-Ku is the Triangle’s largest sushi restaurant, giving a giant stage to one of the most popular cuisines. The menu is heavy on luxury bites, including lobster nigiri and prized, fatty o-toro.

Oiso Sushi

1305 NW Maynard Road, Cary. 919-655-5133 or oisosushi.com

This popular Korean restaurant in Cary serves an adventurous sushi menu, as well as one of the most unique dishes in the genre: the sushi tower. Oiso offers specialty rolls like deep fried lobster, sweet and savory dishes like spicy crab and mango and many variations of crunch.

Rockin Rolls

9650 Strickland Road, Suite 101, Raleigh. 919-803-7926 or rockinrollssushi.com

This popular spot brought the phenomenon of the conveyor belt sushi bar to the Triangle. Plates of already cut and prepared rolls pass by diners, who snatch them off the moving conveyor and onto their table. But don’t sneer at the unconventional. Rockin Rolls still offers high quality bites and the invitation to try something new within arms’ reach.

Sono Sushi

319 Fayetteville St., Suite 101, Raleigh. 919-521-5328 or sonoraleigh.com

Located in the heart of downtown Raleigh, Sono has been one of the Triangle’s top sushi spots for more than a decade. Its rolls are elegant and creative, and the menu features as many new combinations as it does refined classics. There’s always the option to let the chefs choose your nigiri, or try decadent rolls like baked crab and cream cheese.

Sushi Blues Cafe

301 Glenwood Ave., Raleigh. 919-664-8061 or sushibluescafe.com

Set in the heart of Glenwood South, Sushi Blues is all about the experience. The dining room is bright and strung with lights, with neon and portraits of blues greats on the wall. The main draw for Sushi Blues, though, is a wildly popular BOGO policy on its house rolls. You love to see it.

Sushi Love

2812 Erwin Road, Suite 204, Durham. 919-309-2401 or sushilovedurham.com

There’s a lot of love and endless creativity packed into this small Durham sushi bar. Situated near Duke’s West Campus, Sushi Love can do the classics, but is best known for pushing the boundaries of sushi creations with dozens of experimental rolls, including one with Flaming Hot Cheetos and a baked California Roll topped with scallops.

Sushi Mon

3800 Glenwood Ave., Suite 100, Raleigh. 919-803-1000 or sushimonraleigh.com

Since 2018, Sushi Mon has emerged as one of the Triangle’s highest quality sushi bars. During COVID, Sushi Mon moved to a new location, but fans barely batted an eye, finding it now in a North Raleigh office park. The rolls at Sushi Mon play with tradition and larger dining trends, such as tuna with truffle or shrimp tempura with serrano peppers.

Sushi Nine

3812 Western Blvd., Raleigh. 919-615-3100 or sushinine.com

Nearly a decade old, Sushi Nine is a survivor of a restaurant that remains in the top tier of Triangle sushi bars. Seven years ago the wildly popular restaurant near NC State closed after in a fire and took two years to reopen. Now it has returned to its former glory, serving vibrant, flavorful rolls in a sprawling dining room and on its prized patio.

Sushi O Bistro

222 Glenwood Ave., Suite 113, Raleigh. 919-838-8868 or sushioraleighnc.com

Nearly a decade an a half old, Sushi O has become a fixture in Raleigh’s Glenwood South District as a spot for consistently excellent sushi before a night out. There are dozens of specialty rolls playing with flavors and textures and even the boundaries of sushi, like pork dumpling roll topped with shrimp, crab and eel, as well as all the traditional rolls.

Sushioki

4900 N.C. 55, Suite 510, Durham. 919-405-7121 or sushioki.com/

Certainly not the most traditional take on sushi, this popular RTP spot puts all its love for sushi in a burrito. You’ll find all the familiar rolls, flavors and fish from classic sushi menus, but here they’re wrapped up in toasted nori and parchment paper.

Waraji Japanese Restaurant

5910-147 Duraleigh Road, Raleigh. 919-783-1883 or warajijapaneserestaurant.com

One of the Triangle’s oldest and most respected sushi restaurants, Waraji is now in a new era following the retirement of longtime owner and chef Masatoshi Tsujimura, who sold the business in 2022. Chef Masa still appears behind the counter and diners continue to revere Waraji as one of the highest examples of sushi artistry in Raleigh.

What is the best internet provider in Durham?

As part of North Carolina’s Research Triangle, it’s no surprise Durham has access to some of the best internet providers in the state, but which provider is best overall? You really can’t go wrong with any of the area’s top ISPs. Still, CNET recommends AT&T Fiber as the best internet provider in Durham due to its fiber availability, plan variety and high customer satisfaction.

Google Fiber is a close second and has the fastest internet plan in Durham, with speeds up to 8,000 megabits per second. However, it doesn’t have the same fiber coverage as AT&T. Plus, not everyone needs gigabit or multigigabit speeds, which is all Google Fiber offers.

Frontier Fiber is another excellent choice for internet in Durham, especially for those who want a fast, affordable internet plan. Frontier Fiber internet starts at $50 per month -- the cheapest price for internet in Durham -- and comes with symmetrical speeds up to 500Mbps. Internet service from Spectrum, Verizon 5G Home Internet and T-Mobile Home Internet also starts at $50 per month, but with slower speeds than Frontier Fiber.

With multiple internet providers serving the Durham area, the best one for your home will come down to what’s available in your area and what you need. You’ll find details of the area’s top providers below to help you decide.

Our methodology

CNET considers speeds, pricing, customer service and overall value to recommend the best internet service in Durham across several categories. Our evaluation includes referencing a proprietary database built over years of reviewing internet services. We validate that against provider information by spot-checking local addresses for service availability. We also do a close read of providers' terms and conditions and, when needed, will call ISPs to verify the details.

Despite our efforts to find the most recent and accurate information, our process has some limitations you should know about. Pricing and speed data are variable: certain addresses may qualify for different service tiers, and monthly costs may vary, even within a city. The best way to identify your particular options is to plug your address into a provider's website.

Also, the prices, speed and other information listed above and in the provider cards below may differ from what we found in our research. The cards display the full range of a provider's pricing and speed across the US, according to our database of plan information provided directly by ISPs. At the same time, the text is specific to what's available in Durham. The prices referenced within this article's text come from our research and include applicable discounts for setting up automatic payments each month -- a standard industry offering. Other discounts and promotions might also be available for things like signing a term contract or bundling with multiple services.

To learn more about how we review internet providers, visit our full methodology page.

Best internet in Durham, North Carolina

Our take - With plans ranging from 300Mbps to 5Gbps, AT&T Fiber offers a speed suitable for nearly any household. All plans have free equipment rental, unlimited data and no contract requirements. Those perks are also available with Frontier and Google Fiber, but more Durham residents will be serviceable with AT&T Fiber.

Read full review

Or call to learn more: (866) 431-6052

Check with AT&T

Connection

Fiber

Speed range

300 - 5,000 Mbps

Price range

$55 - $250 per month

Show more details

Best high-speed internet coverage in Durham, NC

Our take - Spectrum has the greatest availability of any non-satellite internet provider in Durham. It’s largely cable internet, meaning slower upload speeds than you’d get with fiber, but the service is still decent. Plans range from 300 to 1,000Mbps, including unlimited data and a free modem rental.

Read full review

Or call to learn more: (877) 361-3842

Check with Spectrum

Connection

Cable

Speed range

100 - 1,000 Mbps

Price range

$30- $90 per month

Show more details

Fastest internet provider in Durham, NC

Our take - Google Fiber recently rolled out 8Gbps internet service in Durham starting at $150 per month -- around the same price that would get you max speeds of 2Gbps from AT&T or 5Gbps from Frontier. Speeds of 1, 2 and 5Gbps are also available, but if you’re looking for anything slower (and cheaper than $70 per month), Google Fiber may not be the best provider for you.

Read full review

Or call to learn more: (877) 461-7737

Check with Google

Connection

Fiber

Speed range

1,000 - 2,000 Mbps

Price range

$70 - $100 per month

Show more details

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How to find internet deals and promotions in Durham

The best internet deals and top promotions in Durham depend on the discounts available during that period. Most deals are short-lived, but we look frequently for the latest offers.

Durham internet providers, such as AT&T Fiber, may offer gift cards or other signup bonuses for a limited time. Many, however, including Frontier, Google Fiber and Spectrum, run the same standard pricing year-round.

For a more extensive list of promos, check out our guide on the best internet deals.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

What’s a good internet speed?

Most internet connection plans can now handle basic productivity and communication tasks. If you're looking for an internet plan that can accommodate videoconferencing, streaming video or gaming, you'll have a better experience with a more robust connection. Here's an overview of the recommended minimum download speeds for various applications, according to the FCC. Note that these are only guidelines -- and that internet speed, service and performance vary by connection type, provider and address.

For more information, refer to our guide on how much internet speed you really need.

How CNET chose the best internet providers in Durham

Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen tool, it’s impractical to personally test every ISP in a given city. So what’s our approach? We start by researching the pricing, availability and speed information drawing on our own historical ISP data, the provider sites and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission at FCC.gov.

But it doesn’t end there. We go to the FCC’s website to check our data and ensure we consider every ISP that provides service in an area. We also input local addresses on provider websites to find specific options for residents. We look at sources, including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Power, to evaluate how happy customers are with an ISP’s service. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent changes; all information provided is accurate as of the time of publication.

Once we have this localized information, we ask three main questions:

While the answer to those questions is often layered and complex, the providers who come closest to “yes” on all three are the ones we recommend. When it comes to selecting the cheapest internet service, we look for the plans with the lowest monthly fee, though we also factor in things like price increases, equipment fees and contracts. Choosing the fastest internet service is relatively straightforward. We look at advertised upload and download speeds, and also take into account real-world speed data from sources like Ookla and FCC reports.

To explore our process in more depth, visit our how we test ISPs page.

Internet providers in Durham FAQs