Founded in 2006, Bull City Rising is a blog that covers news, politics, events, downtown, development and more in Durham, N.C. -- the Bull City. Sometimes we recap and analyze the day's news; sometimes, we break the news through original reporting and reader contributions.
Bull City Rising published daily from early 2007 through September 2011, before beginning a hiatus. As of summer 2015, BCR is again publishing regular commentaries and features on life in our home city.
BCR is a local source to stay informed on what's happening in Durham and to stay engaged with life in the City of Medicine. BCR's mission is to be a commons for the Bull City, a place for information, discussion and debate.
The name is not accidental. To many, the places that comprise Durham -- a town rich with historic tobacco warehouses, Civil War sites, and Tobacco Road relics -- point to a city firmly rooted in its past.
But Durham is clearly moving forward, amidst a redevelopment and renewal support new and adapted residential, retail and commercial areas, many of which are taking root in the restoration of yesterday's neighborhoods and factories.
Today's Durham is home to nationally known restaurants and down-home barbecue shacks, to cutting-edge teaching and research and some of the South's first post-war industrial areas. It's an historic center of black-owned financial firms, and the incubator for everything from high-tech startups to interesting and eclectic shopping.
Which is not to say that this blog is a halcyonic look at life in Durham. Delving into the occasional missteps in local politics and government, analyzing factors that play into Durham's challenging socioeconomic divide, and looking at the occasional groaner in the local papers is all fair game at BCR.
You'll see both the passion for Durham and the opportunities the city can improve in the blog comments, from the local readers who come to Bull City Rising to stay connected to what's happening.
But to keep up with what's happening in Durham, we need your help.
Contributing to BCR
Many of the stories at BCR each week are original reporting. Some come from the corners and pockets of government records, or from the happenings at public meetings, or as recaps and analyses of stories picked up by the local press.
A good number of other stories come from you, our readers. Know of a new business coming to town, or a business closing? Heard an interesting rumor or report you'd like to know more about? Is your group holding a Durham-oriented event?
If so: let us know!
- Submit questions and story ideas by email to [email protected].
- Call BCR at (919) 599-8194.
- By postal mail:
Bull City Rising
PO Box 282
Durham, NC 27702-0282
About the Editor
Born in Orlando, Kevin Davis spent ten years living in Boston, with interim stops in Charlotte, Richmond, Louisville, and Washington D.C., before settling in Durham in 2005. Davis, a former writer/editor and technology columnist for The Harvard Crimson, lives in Trinity Park and works as a university administrator. Contact the author at [email protected].
Correspondents
BCR has benefitted from some terrific correspondents over the years who've helped cover this crazy town. Interested in contributing to the future of BCR? Contact Kevin at [email protected].
Past BCR correspondents (whose work you may see in archived stories) include:
- Rob Gillespie was a BCR correspondent on local politics, businesses and neighborhood issues. Rob grew up outside Jacksonville, Fla. and attended the University of North Florida before coming to Durham and Duke, where he was a Ph.D. student in biochemistry. With his wife Lindsay, Rob founded a little local restaurant business called Monuts. (You may have heard of it.)
- Matthew E. Milliken was a news correspondent for BCR, and previously was a magazine editor, a freelance writer and a daily newspaper reporter, including a stint with The Herald-Sun.
- Justin Landwehr was BCR’s start-ups and entrepreneurship correspondent. Justin moved from rural Ohio to Raleigh in 2000, and from Raleigh to Durham in 2007 after graduating from NC State with Bachelor’s degrees in Statistics and Economics.
- Sharon McCloskey covered K-12 education issues for Bull City Rising. A former litigator, Sharon attended Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism, where she was a Carnegie-Knight Foundation News 21 Fellow focused on the public school system and school reform efforts in Newark, New Jersey.
Advertising and Sponsorship Opportunities
During the blog's reboot phase, we will not be soliciting paid advertisements. Sponsorship opportunities may be available in the future as the site restarts operations. Thanks for your interest!
Disclaimers
The opinions expressed at BCR are those of the author and/or commentors and do not necessarily reflect those of the author's employer or of any other entities.
As a matter of policy, the author does not report non-public information on matters associated with individuals, companies or organizations with which he has a personal or familial financial or employment interest.
The coverage of stories and topics at Bull City Rising is intended to be editorially independent from the decision of businesses, organizations and individual to advertise or not advertise at BCR.
Privacy Policy
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