Axios Raleigh

April 01, 2026
๐ท Good Friday morning!
- JK. April Fool's. It's Wednesday.
๐ค๏ธ Today's weather: Mostly sunny, with a high of 84 and a low of 62.
๐ Happy birthday to our members Diana Medoff and Carrie Norry!
Today's newsletter is 1,007 words โ a 4-minute read.
1 big thing: ๐ NASA's moonshot
๐ Turn your eyes to the skies this week. It's almost time for launch.
Why it matters: NASA's Artemis II, set to carry four astronauts around the Moon, is the first mission of its kind since Apollo, Axios Huntsville's Derek Lacey writes.
- And Christina Koch, an astronaut raised in North Carolina and educated in the state's public schools, is aboard the rocket.
Fun fact: If it launches on schedule today, the moon rocket will travel nearly 250,000 miles from Earth, putting humans farther from home than ever before.
Zoom in: A YouTube stream from NASA starts today at 12:50pm, ahead of the launch window opening at 6:24pm.
- A virtual tracker will show the Orion spacecraft's location over the course of the 10-day mission.
The latest: Today's weather outlook at Kennedy Space Center in Florida was 80% favorable, per NASA.
Flashback: The spacecraft was previously rolled off the launch pad because of technical issues during fueling.
- There are two-hour launch windows every day through Monday.
- NASA's next opportunity would begin April 30, when the Moon is full again.
๐ธ What we're watching: Koch's Instagram feed for photos from space.
- The crew is getting a view of the Moon that no human has before.
2. Durham neighborhood's transformation continues
A Charlotte developer has begun construction on a new apartment project that will bring nearly 300 units to the area near the shuttered Northgate Mall in Durham.
Why it matters: The new apartment project adds more fuel to the large-scale transformation coming to the Northgate area, where the former mall is set to be partially demolished to make way for a Target and more.
Driving the news: The new apartment project โย called Vara Trinity Park and being built by The Spectrum Cos. โย will have 267 units split between three different buildings.
- The project, at 1618 North Duke St., sits around an existing church and will have entrances and exits on both Duke Street and Club Boulevard.
- Plans submitted to the city also show 374 parking spaces.
The big picture: Notably, affordable housing could be a component of the project.
- Residents of nearby Walltown, one of Durham's oldest historically Black neighborhoods, have been pushing the city and developers to include affordable housing at the former Northgate Mall property โ and while that has not happened yet, these units will be within walking distance.
What they're saying: A spokesperson for Spectrum Cos. said around 20% of the units are set aside for those making 60% of the area median income, in collaboration with the Durham Housing Authority. (Median household income in Durham was around $81,000 in 2024, according to the Census Bureau.)
- A spokesperson for DHA did not confirm those details, but said in a statement the agency "cherish[es] the opportunity to work with public/private partnerships to create new opportunities for affordable housing."
3. The Tea: North Carolina's best-selling spirit
๐พ The town of Apex said about 22,000 residents may have had their data compromised in a 2024 cybersecurity attack. (WRAL)
๐ธ Tito's vodka was the best-selling spirit in North Carolina in 2025. (Axios)
๐ Rock musician Robert Plant, the Led Zeppelin frontman, ate dinner at Whiskey Kitchen before his concert in Raleigh. (News & Observer)
๐ Oscar Diaz's new restaurant Adios! is now open at Raleigh-Durham International Airport in Terminal 2 near Gate C17. (Instagram)
๐ธ Future Islands, the band that formed at ECU, is going on a "hometown tour" of several North Carolina towns, including Carrboro and Greenville. (Pitchfork)
- Ticket presale starts today at 10am.
๐ Dinner service starts today for the first time at James Beard-nominated chef Preeti Waas' Cheeni Indian Food Emporium at Hub RTP.
- The restaurant is part of a wave of new dining openings in Research Triangle Park.
4. USA Rugby is coming to Cary
The U.S. men's national rugby team will play two Saturday matches in North Carolina this summer.
Why it matters: More than two dozen cities across the country, including Charlotte, are vying to host the 2031 Rugby World Cup. A successful turnout during these matches will help North Carolina's case.
Driving the news: The U.S. first takes on Zimbabwe on July 11 at American Legion Memorial Stadium in Charlotte.
- On July 18, the U.S. plays Spain at First Horizon Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary.
Zoom in: The games are part of the inaugural World Rugby Nations Cup, which is a collaboration between World Rugby (the sport's international governing body), USA Rugby (the sport's national governing body) and TEG Rugby Live.
What's next: Tickets go on sale at 10am on April 9.
5. ๐ค Keeping James Beard hopes alive
๐ค๐ปThe Asheville couple behind Chai Pani and Botiwalla are still in the running for the James Beard Awards' most prestigious prize, Outstanding Restaurateur.
Why it matters: Meherwan and Molly Irani are opening a Botiwalla location this spring in Raleigh Iron Works.
The latest: Several Triangle restaurants and chefs were semifinalists for various categories, but they all were shut out of the final list of nominees announced yesterday.
What's next: Winners will be revealed June 15.
6. Downtown hotel's big change
The Sheraton in downtown Raleigh is set for a major renovation and will transition into a Westin hotel, its new owners have announced.
Why it matters: White Lodging, an Indiana-based hotel company, bought the 17-story Sheraton on Fayetteville Street for nearly $28 million, according to Wake County deed records.
- The renovation adds to a growing investment into hotels in downtown Raleigh, where construction is ongoing on a 600-room Omni Hotel just a block away.
What to expect: Renovations will begin in early 2027, White Lodging said.
- They'll add more meeting space and improve the guest rooms and food-and-beverage concepts. Jimmy V's Osteria is currently on the first floor of the Sheraton.
๐ฎ๐น Zachery wants someone to a write a book that explains how Italy has not qualified for three straight World Cups.
๐ Mary Helen had a dream that she was a baby whale after reading this incredible story about how pods coordinate during births.
๐ Katie, who edited this newsletter, is really excited about Raleigh's Botiwalla.
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