It's been three years since we took the leap and sent the very first Axios Raleigh newsletter to your inbox.

Why it matters: This journey of bringing you a daily newsletter has been a blast for us, and it's flown by. In the last three years, we've become more deeply embedded in our community, grown to love our cities and region even more — and learned to lighten up.

• Writing a daily newsletter has also been full of surprises.

Driving the news: Until we made the jump to Axios, we both spent our careers working for newspapers, so writing a daily newsletter was a big (and honestly scary) change and challenge for us.

Here are some of the things that have surprised us most in our last three years of regularly appearing in your inbox:

Lucille's take: I consider myself a serious politics reporter, and when I started at Axios, I was hellbent on making sure my state government sources still saw me as a dedicated, news-driven journalist.

• Three years ago, I thought that if I spent too much time covering restaurant openings and my favorite cocktails in Raleigh, newsmakers wouldn't respect me as much. I couldn't have been more wrong.

So my first thing that's surprised me: Writing about restaurants, bars and lighter stories about Raleigh has been the most enjoyable part of the newsletter for a shocking number of our readers, including those who originally subscribed for politics or business news.

Second: Our readers love our outros! Some of you have told us that you scroll down to the bottom of the newsletter before reading anything else in it, and it's delightful to know that you care what we're thinking about, worrying about, listening to, eating, drinking or reading. (You also love when we make fun of each other, so we'll keep doing that.)

Third: Raleigh is way more of a small town than I thought. I run into our readers everywhere, and one of my favorite things ever is when you say hello and introduce yourself. Please keep saying hi if you see us around!

Zachery's take: One of the things I love most about this job is that it gives me a reason to call up interesting people and, often, they will answer.

• Those conversations have opened my eyes to how many talented people live here in the Triangle, from writers and reporters, like Frank Bruni and Valerie Bauerlein, to artists and bands making some of the best music in the country, as well as all-star chefs dreaming up adventurous menus, like Cheetie Kumar and Ricky Moore.

Second: You truly care about what's happening around the state. Whether it's about the impacts of Helene in the mountains or what's happening on our coast, you don't tune out news outside of the Triangle.

Third: If I am ever without a clue of what to make at home, our readers always save the day. You all have shared some of what have become our favorite recipes (especially one for saffron cake).

You may have noticed several of your friends on social media living out their childhood dreams of becoming an action figure.

How it works: The viral trend is made possible by OpenAI's recently launched ChatGPT image generator.

• Log in to ChatGPT, upload an image and input details like what you want your action figure to wear and any accessories that should accompany you.

Since it's our three-year anniversary and all, we thought it was a good time to jump on the trend.

• Ours turned out pretty dang accurate.

We're so thankful to our members for their support of our work through their contribution to our newsroom.

If you join as an Axios Raleigh member, you'll get insider notes from the team, birthday shoutouts in the newsletter and other perks.

• Plus, you'll be part of our growth and ensure that our news is always free and accessible to the community.

We're grateful for your trust and continued readership.

📻 WUNC would lose up to $800,000 in annual federal support if Trump's executive order calling for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to cease funding to NPR is upheld. (WUNC)

🎭 Even before the pandemic, the now-closed North Carolina Theatre was struggling to get corporate sponsorships and compete with venues like DPAC. (INDY Week)

🌮 The upscale Mexican restaurant Uncle Julio's has closed at the Streets of Southpoint mall. (News & Observer 🔒)

🏈 Former Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith has been sued under North Carolina's alienation affection law for an affair he had. (NBC Sports)

Former Raleigh-Durham International Airport director John Brantley died unexpectedly Friday. He was 83. (CBS17)

SAS Institute, the Cary-based data and analytics company, has named a veteran of the company to be its new chief operating officer and guide its preparations to go public and sell shares of the company.

Why it matters: SAS, founded in 1976, is one of the Triangle's largest technology companies, with around 4,000 employees based out of its Cary headquarters.

• The company's founder and CEO Jim Goodnight, 82 and the state's richest resident, has long kept the company privately held, but in 2021 he announced the goal of taking the company public.

Driving the news: On Thursday, the company named Gavin Day, a 25-year veteran, as its new COO, overseeing the company's global sales and getting it ready for the financial rigors of being a publicly traded company.

Keep reading

Mala Pata, a highly anticipated Latin American restaurant focused on fresh masa, and its sister bar Peyote will open May 14 at Gateway Plaza in Raleigh.

Why it matters: Mala Pata joins a growing hub of local restaurants at Gateway Plaza and will share kitchen space with the soon-to-reopen vegan restaurant Fiction Kitchen, as well as an alley way with the bar Natural Science, indoor golfing space Dogwood Country Club and Mordecai Beverage Co.

Driving the news: Mala Pata said it will host its final pop-up dinner on May 5 at the adjacent Natural Science bar for Cinco de Mayo.

Zoom in: Mala Pata was born from the creative minds minds behind spots like Centro, Gallo Pelón, Ex-Voto and Locals Seafood, combining a love for classic Latin American dishes as well as fresh seafood.

Hours: Wednesday through Saturday, 5-10pm.

Address: 2431 Crabtree Blvd., Suite 102, Raleigh.

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