Queer sex song played on Durham church bells | Juvenile car thieves arrested in Cary | Durham power infrastructure damaged by shooting | Pfizer Sanford layoffs?
No. 76 — Jun. 9-Jun. 15, 2024
Durham methodists go viral playing song about LGBTQ sex on church bells
For Whom the Bells Toll? At Duke Memorial United Methodist Church, Everyone - INDY
Historic Durham church’s bells played Pride anthem and caught the attention of millions - N&O
United Methodist Church goes viral playing Chappell Roan on church bells for Pride Month in Durham - ABC11
For 3 NC drag queens, Chappell Roan’s sold-out show gave them a spotlight - N&O
As rainbow-clad Duke Memorial United Methodist Church's Heather Rodrigues explained last Sunday going viral playing a trending "queer pop" hit on the 116-year-old Duke Memorial Tower Bells: "'HOT TO GO!' is not a hymn…'HOT TO GO!’ is a song about sex.'"
"What does it mean to play a pop song about sex from our church bells, that has reached more people as a message of God's love and inclusion than any Duke Memorial sermon, service, program or ministry ever has, or probably ever could?"
Although the United Methodist Church (UMC) denomination voted this year to remove anti-homosexual language from it's Book of Discipline, Rodrigues preceded this change presiding over a homosexual "marriage" in 2020 in what she termed as "holy disobedience" to the denomination's stance on marriage at the time.
The sexual nature of the song did not appear to be any issue to bell-ringer Katelyn MacDonald, who apparently chose the song, instead suggesting that there was "sacred beauty" in the "queer sexuality" of the song.
5 "juveniles" arrested at Cary Publix after stealing car in Durham
5 juveniles facing charges in connection with stolen vehicle case, police say - ABC11
5 juveniles facing charges in connection with stolen vehicle case, police say - WRAL
Is it just me, or is there perhaps a local epidemic of teenage car thieves in the Triangle? This week's incident merely confirms anecdotal evidence I've heard previously:
Police spotted a stolen vehicle near the Publix on High House Road containing five "juveniles". The thieves fled into the store, and were arrested by the Cary Police. According to the police, one of the young suspects was taken to the hospital after "ingest[ing] something while fleeing officers".
Durham power equipment damaged by gunshots
Duke Energy power equipment in Durham found damaged from gunfire after power outage, police say - AP
Gunfire hits Duke Energy equipment, causing oil leak and fire in Durham - WRAL
Gunfire attack on Duke Energy equipment causes Durham County fire, power outage near Raleigh - CBS17
The FBI and the Durham Police are investigating after a shooting caused damage to Duke Energy power equipment, causing hundreds of residents to temporarily lose power.
If you remember in December 2022, a Moore County substation was shot up leaving 30k+ without power for days. Despite speculation that the attack was related to a drag show in Southern Pines which was being protested at the time the attack took place, no evidence was ever found identifying a perpetrator.
In 2013, a team of gunmen firing over a hundred shots caused $15+ million in damages to a transmission substation in California; no culprits or motive were ever identified.
Although some power infrastructure attacks may remain a perpetual mystery, others have known non-political or conspiratorial motives; such as two Washington men who vandalized four power substations in 2022 as part of a robbery scheme
This Durham attack, which reportedly occurred near the intersection of Virgil Rd. and Carpenter Pond Rd. is reportedly a more rural area (for Durham), where people like to shoot; it's possible the motive was no more than simple vandalism.
Pfizer may lay off hundreds in Lee County
Pfizer eyeing hundreds of layoffs in Sanford after failed clinical trial, sources say - WRAL
As WRAL exclusively is reporting, Lee County may be facing a major layoff by one of it's biggest employers after a failed medical trial:
Global drugmaker Pfizer Inc. is expected to make cuts — perhaps eliminating 200 jobs or more — at a Sanford gene therapy facility after a clinical trial failed for a muscular dystrophy treatment, people familiar with the company’s plans told WRAL on Friday. It would be the latest in a series of recent pullbacks by the company in the region.
Pfizer has made significant "investments" in Lee County, including last year's acquisition of of Abzena's Sanford manufacturing facility with a planned total of 300 gene therapy jobs at the location.
Although Pfizer has not confirmed the layoffs, or issued the WARN Act notice required by federal law, a spokesman did confirm to WRAL that they "can't rule out future changes to staffing" in light of the "disappointing results" of the clinical trial.
This potential loss will likely be only a small blip in Lee County's continued growth; just this week Japanese pharmaceutical company Kyowa Kirin announced it would be investing over $500 million in a new Sanford plant.
I am perhaps a bit less starry-eyed than growth proponents: new "high-paying" jobs are synonymous to me with non-organic growth and accompanying inevitable culture change. (Lee County's population has more than doubled since the founding of the Research Triangle Park in 1959).