MediterraneanGrocery Wholesalers in Raleigh, NC

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Colleges and universities across the country are navigating the Trump administration's crackdown on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. This includes right here in North Carolina.

Under President Donald Trump's new executive order issued on Jan. 20, federal agencies were instructed to eliminate DEI consideration from their processes. Agencies must comply to continue to receive federal funding.

A spokesperson for NC State sent ABC11 this statement about the changes: "In response to federal directives on sponsored programs (research), NC State's guidance is to cease the specific DEI activities in a project's solicitation or proposal; other project work can continue unless a stop-work order is received."

The school has received a Stop Work order for all project activities on specific awards and orders to cease certain activities related to Executive Order.

ABC11 spoke to students on Friday who want to learn more about how the change will impact their day-to-day experience at the university.

"I was watching the inauguration and I saw President Trump was signing executive orders. I guess for NC State I have not heard about that yet. So hopefully they will send us a message and I can look into it more, to actually learn about what they are going to do," said student Ashton Sumpter.

DEI has been a hot topic lately. It is a framework to promote fair treatment and full participation of people from groups who have historically been underrepresented or discriminated against such as women, veterans, and minorities.

DEI repealed at UNC system schools

Well before Trump took office and issued his DEI targeted executive order, the University of North Carolina Board of Governors (UNC BOG) voted to repeal its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs at all of its schools in May 2024.

In September, the UNC BOG announced that changes at all 17 schools saved around $17 million.

NC State led position reassignments - moving 29 people to new positions and departments. UNC-Chapel Hill realigned 27 positions.

SEE ALSO | North Carolina's public universities cut 59 positions, redirected $16M in massive DEI overhaul

According to a report from the BOG, almost 200 diversity, equity and inclusion staff positions were either cut or reassigned across North Carolina's public university system to comply with a systemwide policy that required institutions to reassess their diversity efforts. UNC System leaders said the changes allowed schools to redirect more than $16 million to success initiatives, such as recruitment efforts and scholarships.

EDITOR'S NOTE: A previous version of this report incorrectly stated the university directed faculty to stop working on any project that has anything to do with DEI. This is not true. All DEI-specific program activities must be stopped until further instruction is received from the federal sponsor. Other project activities should continue.

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RALEIGH, N.C. — Ancora Education, a workforce solutions provider, is announcing their CDL Training: Class A Tractor Trailer program will be available at their Miller-Motte College campus in Raleigh, North Carolina.

“Our CDL program is a short-term path preparing students for the CDL: Class A licensing exam,” said Molly Carney, executive director at Miller-Motte College in Raleigh. “By completing this curriculum, students can jumpstart a career path which is flexible, dependable, and important to keep our economy moving.”

Four Week Program

Miller-Motte’s four week program provides an opportunity for local residents to start or change careers by preparing them to obtain a CDL and ultimately to assume driver responsibilities on the road and at pickup/delivery points. Emphasis is placed on vehicle inspections, defensive driving, range maneuvers, motor carrier safety regulations (DOT 380 -397 and a certificate for entry-level drivers), trip planning, cargo handling, size/weight laws, general maintenance procedures, hours of service, and accident prevention. All training and instruction is done at school facilities and/or in school-provided equipment.

Required to operate any combination of vehicles with a Gross Combination Weight Rating (GVWR) of 26,001 pounds or more, the CDL: Class A designation refers to a towed vehicle which is heavier than 10,000 pounds. Class A vehicles can include tractor-trailers, truck and trailer combinations, tanker vehicles, livestock carriers, and flatbeds.

Upon passing a licensing exam, graduates can fill one of the many open positions within the transportation industry. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the employment of heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers to grow five percent between 2023 and 2033 – that’s 100,000 openings for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers projected each year over the next decade.

Programs Available Across the Country

Ancora operates over 200 CDL programs across the United States at its Miller-Motte College, Miller-Motte Driving Institute, South Texas Vocational Technical Institute, Arizona Automotive Institute, and Berks Technical Institute campuses, as well as through partnerships with community colleges, corporate businesses and local governments.

The CDL: Class A program will begin on February 3, 2025, for day starts and February 22, 2025, for weekend starts, at Miller-Motte in Raleigh. Enrollment is now open. For more information and/or to register, visit miller-motte.edu.

Dana Guthrie

Dana Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has been featured in multiple newspapers, books and magazines across the globe. She is currently based in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.

The City of Raleigh’s annual Seasonal Loose Leaf Collection is here to help you keep your lawn tidy throughout the fall and winter months. This convenient service allows residents to rake leaves from their lawns into piles near the curb, where they will be efficiently collected by our specialized vacuum equipment.

To streamline the process, the City of Raleigh is divided into 12 zones ensuring that every neighborhood receives timely leaf collection.

Please remember to place your leaves near the curb and not in the street to facilitate smooth and effective pickup!

Enter your home address in city limits to find your leaf collection zone. For best results, click on the auto-populated address that appears as you type.

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If you believe our collection crews missed your leaves by mistake, please take a few moments to complete the form below. Your request will be submitted to one of our supervisors for review and/or scheduling. You will receive a reply to your request.Submit Missed Collection Form

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This is an overview of leaf collection service citywide. Click on the key in the top right corner of the map (three lines) to see the status per zone.

Loose Leaf Collection 101

Loose leaf collection is a residential service for citizens living inside the Raleigh city limits who do their own yard work.

Learn more about the basics of annual leaf collection!

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Where do you live in the City of Raleigh? Want more information about your zone. Visit leaf collection zones to determine your neighborhood zone and what city areas are covered.

Leaf Collection Do's and Don'ts

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The City of Raleigh offers several disposal options to its residents, but would like to make people aware there are also some environmentally-friendly alternatives.

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A pair of historic North Carolina barbecue joints are snuffing out the smokehouses after a collective century and a half in business.

Short Sugar’s in Reidsville and Kepley’s in High Point are the latest longtime barbecue restaurants to close, joining a growing list of lost North Carolina barbecue legends.

The distinctive Reidsville restaurant Short Sugar’s BBQ closed for good last week, according to several neighboring businesses, ending its run after 76 years.

Owned by David and Lea Wilson, Short Sugar’s was among the oldest barbecue restaurants in the state. Short Sugar’s is on the North Carolina Barbecue Society’s Historic BBQ Trail.

Short Sugar’s first opened in 1949, owned by brothers Johnny and Clyde Overby. It was named in honor of a deceased third brother, Eldridge, whose nickname was Short Sugar, owner David Wilson said in a 2011 interview with the Southern Foodways Alliance. Wilson became involved with the restaurant in 1980 after the death of his father-in-law Johnny Overby.

Something of a rarity in North Carolina barbecue, Short Sugar’s was at its heart a drive-in. In its hey-day, its parking lot was filled with cars and teenagers in the evenings and was a center of Reidsville’s nightlife.

“There are a lot of interesting stories,” Wilson said in the SFA interview. “There were professional wrestlers that would be going between Greensboro and Danville in this area and they would stop in all buddy-buddy eating together and then they’d go wrestle and want to kill each other, you know that type of thing. It has a real history.”

Short Sugar’s smoked mostly pork shoulders in the Lexington-style tradition. But it served a distinctively thin, dark and sweet barbecue sauce, with the pork ordered minced, chopped or sliced.

In recent years, operating hours could be sporadic at Short Sugar’s, according to neighbors, noting that staffing was occasionally too short to open the restaurant.

In a text message, Wilson declined to comment.

In High Point, Kepley’s BBQ announced that it will close on Feb. 8.

Opened in 1948 as a barbecue joint in an old metal military surplus building, Kepley’s was founded by original owner Hayden Kepley. But for most of its history it has been owned and co-owned by Bob Burleson, who started working as a teenage carhop in 1948. Burleson bought the restaurant in 1962.

Burleson passed away in 2022 at 90 years old, with his daughter Susan Burleson taking over the restaurant.

The closing of Kepley’s was first reported by the High Point Enterprise.

Kepley’s was a Lexington-style restaurant, smoking shoulders and serving its sauce and slaw with a red tinge.

Sensing a demand for a last chance for Kepley’s barbecue from near and far, Burleson posted on the restaurant’s Facebook page that diners can call and arrange for shipments.

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Highly Suspect powers through sickness to deliver an inspired and impassioned performance supported by the voices of a thousand fans.

One thousand passionate fans came together at The Ritz in Raleigh, NC, to welcome Highly Suspect back to town. The majority of the extremely enthusiastic audience wore a hat, t-shirt, or some form of Highly Suspect band gear as if it were a pledge of unwavering loyalty to the band they love. From start to finish, the venue was electric and alive.

A new band from Long Beach, NY, named Family Dinner opened the show. Family Dinner released their debut album, God Looks Out For Fools in 2024 and their energetic show got the audience warmed up nicely. Their vibe was like they were of a bunch of friends who started a band and were now playing a summertime show in someone’s backyard. Their energy was sourced by pure fun, everyone on stage was having a great time and loving every minute. After explaining the last time they played Raleigh, it was in a record store to about seven people, it made total sense why Family Dinner was playing it so hard. The setlist included opener “M.P.D.G.” and “God Looks Out For Fools” which set the fast pace for the majority of their set. Even for slower songs, such as “Helianthus,” Family Dinner kept the energy high, the bass and drums in front of the sound, and continually raised the audience’s energy rapidly filling the venue for the headliner soon to come.

Traveling all the way from the UK with only five days’ notice, James and the Cold Gun filled the supporting slot. Very few in the audience were familiar with the band in advance, but at the end of their set every single person in The Ritz was going nuts for a pounding, high-octane show no one saw coming. Sexy, sweaty, and expertly disheveled as if coming straight out of an Abercrombie & Fitch advertisement, the band started with the song “Face In The Mirror” and left no question their performance was going to rock hard.

Replacement drummer Myles Ulrich from the band Taipei Houston, became drenched in sweat and huffing for breath just two songs into the set. Myles joined the band for this tour because due to the short notice, regular drummer Jack Wrench was unable to make the trek. The band plus Myles sounded like they had been performing together for years; tight, furious, and loud. The nine-song set riled up the audience and generated a reaction suitable for a headlining band. An unknown band supporting an artist as beloved as Highly Suspect shouldn’t expect to receive such a loud and raucous audience reaction as James and the Cold Gun received. Perhaps that’s why founder and vocalist James Joseph choked up a bit when he claimed tonight was the best show of his life.

Arriving on stage almost perfectly on time, Highly Suspect was welcomed by one thousand adoring fans screaming their welcomes to Raleigh. Vocalist Johnny Stevens strode out onto the stage in a wool cap and heavy sweatshirt. As he greeted the audience, he apologized for being on the backside of a cold that was making it difficult to sing. Johnny received a resounding “yes” when he asked the audience to help him and sing loudly when he needed a break. Johnny may have been ill but the band was vibrant and alive. As if electrified by James and the Cold Gun, who have a similar garage band-ish version of Highly Suspect’s sound, Highly Suspect opened their set with “Bath Salts” and the energy from the stage was massive.

Heavily featuring songs from albums As Above, So Below and Mister Asylum, audience favorites “Lydia” and “Summertime Voodoo” mixed in with space-age groovy “The Reset” and hard-rocking “Suicide Machine.” Every song was filled with emotion, fueled primarily by Johnny’s soulful and intricate guitar playing, but everyone on stage was working to give the performance of their lives. Highly Suspect delivered an impassioned performance that exceeded expectations in every way.

The As Above, So Below Tour 2025 continues through February 16, ending in Mobile, AL. There is no weak link in this bill of bands so show up early!

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