Daily editionSaturday, September 26th, 2026
Good morning, Durham.
The 5AM Durham Team
Here’s your local news at a glance for Saturday, the 26th of September.
Business
Durham County officials say the Durham Rising program — funded by a $750,000 ARPA grant given to Knox St. Studios — helped over 200 small businesses with $302,000 in support and spurred Jessica Couch to launch her business, Looks AI; county leaders are now deciding on future funding.
ABC11Read more
Farmers are welcoming pumpkin season in the Triangle as drought continues, with Page Farms — using new planting methods to retain moisture — readying their fields for family visits until Nov. 1 despite rising diesel costs.
ABC11Read more
Culture
Duke University held Homecoming Weekend on Sept. 18-19, drawing over 1,000 Blue Devils for family reunions, tailgates, and educational sessions on campus + celebrating a 35-7 football win over Stanford, with alumni events and music activities rounding out the festive weekend.
Duke TodayRead more
Durham native Joshua Suter, a HBCU alum, stars as Andre in the Netflix reboot of A Different World.
The series honors HBCU pride + highlights Suter's growth from local theater camps to a leading role.
WRALRead more
Education
Recent data from the NC School Superintendents Association shows teacher vacancies are down in the state; Durham schools may benefit from improved hiring & reduced staffing challenges for the new term.
WRALRead more
Sports
During today's broadcast, host Chris Lea covers high school football highlights + previews college game day for fans across the Triangle and Sandhills.
The program was posted at 4:39 a.m. by WRAL News.
WRALRead more