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🧭 Here’s what’s in today’s issue:
• 🧠 Trivia Challenge: Spotlight Hook
• 📰 News: Wake County Man Offered Lyft Instead of Ambulance After 911 Call
• 📰 News: Tired of Spam Calls?
• ⚽ Sports: Courage Fall Short as Cary Fans Set Attendance Record
• 😄 Meme of the Day – Just for Laughs
• 🎁 Your gift fuels local fun: Show Your Support
• 📅 Events: Upcoming Events (Top Picks)
👉 Browse the highlights. Scroll or Skip to your favorites.
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Question: What is the most dangerous type of thunderstorms?
(Answer at the bottom of the newsletter.)
THE SPOTLIGHT IS ON CARY ✨
Anniversary Month
October 1 → October 24
IT STARTED WITH AN IDEA…
Tell Cary's stories.
This October, we're celebrating Cary Spotlight.
Energy Crushed AI This Year
While most investors chased chip stocks, energy climbed around 40% to become the best performing sector of 2026. AI data centers are pulling power off the grid faster than anyone can build it. Our free report names the #1 energy stock to end the year strong.
Wake County Man Offered Lyft Instead of Ambulance After 911 Call
A Wendell resident is raising concerns about Wake County's 911 Nurse Navigation program after calling emergency services for severe abdominal pain and being offered a Lyft ride instead of an ambulance. Brett Rothstein, 39, said he canceled the rideshare and drove himself to a medical facility in Wendell, where he was diagnosed with appendicitis before being transported by ambulance to WakeMed Raleigh.
Wake County's Nurse Navigation program, introduced in 2021, allows registered nurses to assess certain 911 calls involving non-life-threatening conditions. Depending on the assessment, patients may be directed to urgent care, virtual appointments or other medical services. The program can arrange free Lyft rides for qualifying patients.
In an October 19 statement, Wake County EMS emphasized that patients who decline a Lyft and request an ambulance should be returned to emergency dispatch for ambulance service. Officials say the program helps preserve emergency resources while providing alternative healthcare options. The county estimates that approximately 20% of 911 callers have needs potentially suitable for nurse navigation.
CBS 17 is seeking additional answers about rideshare driver training, liability during transportation and the program's impact on emergency response times and costs. Rothstein's experience highlights questions about how emergency systems assess potentially serious symptoms and communicate transportation options to patients.
Just curious…
How do you feel about Wake County offering Lyft rides instead of ambulances for certain 911 calls?
- 👍 Support it if medical professionals determine it's safe
- 🚑 Anyone who requests an ambulance should receive one
- ⚠️ Concerned that serious medical conditions could be overlooked
- 💰 Support it if it saves resources for life-threatening emergencies
- 🏥 Prefer transportation by trained medical personnel
- 🤔 Need more information about how the program works
Tired of Spam Calls?
NC Officials Are Cracking Down on Robocalls
Robocalls remain a leading consumer complaint in North Carolina, prompting state enforcement against telephone providers while federal officials warn that AI-powered scams are making fraudulent calls harder to recognize.
North Carolina residents continue to report persistent unwanted phone calls, with some receiving as many as 10 per day. Attorney General Jeff Jackson says robocalls are the most frequent complaint he hears from consumers. Federal Trade Commission data from July 2025 through June 2026 indicates that approximately 74% of unwanted-call complaints involved automated calls.
🔒 How to Protect Yourself From Robocalls
Although no single measure can eliminate unwanted calls, several steps can help reduce exposure and lower the risk of fraud.
📵 Use your phone's spam protection tools. Enable call screening, spam filtering or the option to silence unknown callers.
🛑 Register your number. Add your phone number to the National Do Not Call Registry.
📞 Avoid sharing personal information. Do not provide banking details, passwords or other sensitive information to unexpected callers.
🤖 Be cautious of AI-generated voices. A familiar-sounding voice does not guarantee the caller's identity.
🔎 Verify urgent requests independently. Hang up and contact the person or organization using a number you already trust.
📝 Report suspected illegal calls. Submit complaints through DoNotCall.gov to help authorities investigate.
For North Carolina residents dealing with persistent robocalls, enforcement efforts are continuing, but officials acknowledge that the growing use of AI presents new challenges.
The best protection remains a combination of call-filtering technology, consumer awareness and reporting suspicious activity.
Official resource: National Do Not Call Registry
Law enforcement officials are also concerned about the growing use of artificial intelligence in phone scams. Criminals can imitate familiar voices, impersonate company executives or pretend to be relatives requesting emergency funds. Residents are encouraged to use spam-filtering tools, verify unexpected requests independently and avoid sharing personal or financial information with unknown callers.
Just curious…
How much of a problem are spam calls and robocalls for you?
- 😤 Major problem. I get several calls every day.
- 📞 Annoying. I get a few unwanted calls each week.
- 🔕 I use call-blocking features to filter them out.
- 🤖 I'm most concerned about AI-powered phone scams.
- 🛡️ I rarely get spam calls anymore.
- ⚖️ I want stronger enforcement against robocall companies.
- Other (please specify)
Courage Fall Short as Cary Fans Set Attendance Record
The North Carolina Courage nearly pulled off a late comeback Saturday night but fell 2-1 to the San Diego Wave at First Horizon Stadium. Despite the loss, Cary soccer fans had plenty to celebrate as the Courage set a new club record for season attendance in front of another packed house.
- ⚽ San Diego takes control early: Melanie Barcenas opened the scoring for the Wave in the 4th minute with a long-range strike. Trinity Byars doubled the lead in the 52nd minute on a breakaway, putting the Courage in a 2-0 hole.
- 🔥 Bøe Risa sparks a comeback: Vilde Bøe Risa scored her first Courage goal in the 83rd minute, finishing a clever pass from Ashley Sanchez. North Carolina pushed hard for an equalizer and struck the woodwork multiple times, but San Diego held on for the 2-1 victory.
- 🏟️ Cary fans make history: The announced crowd of 10,353 was the third-largest in Courage history and marked the club's fourth sellout of 2026, another team record. The match pushed season attendance to 114,112, breaking last year's record of 107,990.
- ⭐ Hase makes her Courage debut: Newly acquired defender Ella Hase, a former Duke standout, made her first appearance for North Carolina in the 71st minute. The Courage dropped to 13 wins, 12 losses and three draws as the regular season approaches its finish.
The scoreboard didn't favor the home team, but with record crowds and passionate supporters filling the stands, Cary continues to prove it's one of the NWSL's most exciting soccer towns.
Meme of the Day.
Brought to you by Cary's Daily Newsletter.
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Oct 20 - Oct 26, 2026
🎟️ Upcoming Events (Top Picks)
Outdoor events may be changed due to weather, so click the links to see latest event information. Here are a few ideas for the week, so plan ahead:
• Today: Art Cart 10AM-1PM
• Today: Mummy & Son Masquerade 6:30PM-8:15PM
• Wednesday: Moonlit Landscape in Watercolor 6:30PM-8:30PM
• Thursday: Pumpkin Flotilla - Pumpkin Drop Off 4PM-6PM
• Thursday: Town Council Regular Meeting 6:30PM-8:30PM
• Thursday: Shaun of the Dead 7PM-9PM
• Friday: Bats, Bugs and Beasts 8AM-9AM
• Friday: Pumpkin Flotilla 5PM-7PM
• Friday: Trunk or Treat with the Volunteers of WakeMed Cary 6PM
• Friday: Zombiepalooza 6PM-10PM
• Saturday: Cary Farmers Market 8AM-12PM
• Saturday: Downtown Scary Park: Haunted Hotel 2PM-10:30PM
• Saturday: Movie Night: Halloween Double Feature 6PM-10PM
• Saturday: Haunting at the Old Hotel 6:30PM-9:30PM
• Saturday: Me...Jane: Applause! Cary Youth Theatre 7:30PM-8:30PM
• Sunday: Tricks & Treats: Dog Training 2PM-3PM
• Sunday: Haunted Walk Night 2 7PM-10:30PM
• Sunday: Legacy of Jazz: Devine and Dexterous 3:30PM-5PM
• Monday: Downtown Cary Park Diwali Celebration 6:30PM-8PM
But wait! There’s more. To save space in your inbox, we’ve moved the full list of events online — now you can plan ahead: See Full 2-Week Calendar
The Answer to the Cary Spotlight Hook Trivia Question 👇👇👇
A: Supercells
The supercell is the most dangerous type of thunderstorm. While they are the least common type of thunderstorm overall, they are highly organized and possess the unique ability to produce virtually every form of severe, destructive weather.
Supercells are responsible for generating the vast majority of all large and violent tornadoes, including catastrophic EF4 and EF5 tornadoes. Roughly 70% of all tornadoes in the United States are born from supercell storms.
Supercells can unleash hurricane-force straight-line winds and torrential, localized rainfall that frequently triggers dangerous flash floods.
Learn more, Thunderstorm Types (NOAA)