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🧭 Here’s what’s in today’s issue:
• 🧠 Trivia Challenge: Spotlight Hook
• 🧭Discover: Painting Life's Moments with Kate Titus
• 📰 News: Wake County Approves First Step Toward Affordable Housing Land Exchange
• 😄 Meme of the Day – Start Your Day with a Smile
• 🎁 Support the businesses that support Cary: Make your gift
• 📅 Events: Upcoming Events (Top Picks)
👉 Browse the highlights. Click your favorites.
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Question: Which two scientists first proposed that DNA is structured in a double helix?
(Answer at the bottom of the newsletter.)
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The Robot Boom Is Here. Which Company Comes Out on Top?
Robots are moving into factories, warehouses and hospitals faster than most people realize. When a new industry takes off like this, the instinct is to buy a basket of names and hope one of them hits.
The trouble is that baskets dilute your winners. In a lot of booms, a single company ends up taking the lion's share, while everyone holding the other six watches from the sidelines.
Our report names the one robot company we think comes out on top, and explains why. It normally sells for $19.99, but today it's free. Opt in and we'll also text you alerts on the stock, so you don't miss a move.
Cary Spotlight Connect 🎧
Host: Dr. Chris Coetzer
Guest: Kate Titus, Artist and Owner of Kate Titus Creative
Painting Life's Moments with Kate Titus
What happens when a lifelong passion for art meets a love of travel and storytelling? In this episode of Cary Spotlight Connect, host Dr. Chris Coetzer welcomes Cary-based artist Kate Titus, owner of Kate Titus Creative, to explore her creative journey from childhood pastels to photorealistic landscapes and personalized portraits.
Kate shares how cycling adventures across Europe inspire her paintings, why a recent summer in France rekindled her passion for pastel portraits, and how she captures personality through the smallest details, beginning with the eyes.
Listeners also discover the process behind commissioning a custom portrait, the importance of choosing meaningful photographs, and how artwork can preserve treasured memories of loved ones and pets.
Whether you're an art enthusiast, a traveler, or searching for a thoughtful gift, Kate's story offers a refreshing perspective on creativity, lifelong learning, and the beauty of seeing the world through an artist's eyes.
Kate Titus, the artist (Photo Credit: Kate Titus)
What You’ll Learn
How Kate's artistic journey began with a box of pastels at age three and evolved into a lifelong creative career.
Why cycling through Europe provides inspiration for her photorealistic landscapes and café paintings.
How a summer visit to France reignited her love of creating pastel portraits.
Why Kate begins every portrait with the eyes to capture her subject's personality.
What goes into commissioning a custom portrait from a photograph, including materials, sizing, and artistic process.
How personalized portraits of children, grandchildren, family members, and pets can become meaningful, unexpected gifts.
Memorable Quotes
"My mom gave me a package of pastels when I was three and I really haven't stopped since then." — Kate Titus
"I couldn't be an impressionist if I tried hard because I don't see things blurry." — Kate Titus
"That gives me an intuition of who they are, even if I just have a photo and I don't know them." — Kate Titus
"I imagine them how they are. And sometimes that's more truth telling." — Kate Titus
Call to Action
Discover Kate Titus's photorealistic paintings and personalized pastel portraits at her website. Explore her portfolio and contact her to discuss commissioning a one-of-a-kind portrait of a loved one, grandkids or pet.
Subscribe to Cary Spotlight for more inspiring conversations with the creative people and local entrepreneurs shaping the Cary community.
Website
Resource Links
Pastel Society of North Carolina — Mentioned in connection with its annual exhibition in Wake Forest, featuring one of Kate's portraits.
Cary Spotlight — Dr. Chris Coetzer's hyperlocal newsletter highlighting the people, businesses, and stories of Cary, North Carolina.
Stats & Moments
Age 3: Kate received her first package of pastels, beginning her lifelong artistic journey.
10 years: Before moving to Cary, Kate spent approximately three months each year cycling through Europe with a friend.
30–36 inches: Typical dimensions of her larger acrylic landscape paintings.
10 × 13 inches: Typical size of her pastel portraits.
8–10 hours: Average artistic time Kate spends creating a single pastel portrait.
Recent exhibition: One of Kate's grandchild portraits was selected for the North Carolina Pastel Society's annual exhibit in Wake Forest.
Chapters
00:00 — Welcome to Cary Spotlight Connect
00:43 — Kate's lifelong passion for art
01:39 — From creative beginnings to exhibiting locally
02:44 — Cycling adventures and photorealistic painting
04:03 — Rediscovering pastel portraits in France
05:42 — Capturing personality through photographs
06:36 — Portrait sizes, materials, and preservation
08:37 — The creative process behind custom portraits
10:15 — Exploring new artistic projects and techniques
11:27 — European cafés and cycling inspiration
13:42 — Personalized portraits as meaningful gifts
15:03 — Connecting with Kate and exploring her artwork
15:44 — Closing remarks
Just curious… Kate Titus brings travel memories and personal portraits to life through her art. We're curious how familiar you are with her work and whether this style of art interests you.
🎨 Have You Heard of Kate Titus Creative?
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Wake County Approves First Step Toward Affordable Housing Land Exchange
Wake County is exploring a land exchange with the Wake County Public School System to make more publicly owned property available for affordable housing. The Board of Commissioners approved a memorandum of understanding on Monday, allowing the county and school district to continue identifying properties that could be included in the exchange.
The proposed arrangement includes unused land near Battle Bridge Road and Knightdale Road in Raleigh and an office building owned by the school district. Additional surplus properties in Cary, Apex, Morrisville, Wake Forest and Raleigh could also be considered. Because the school district cannot independently develop affordable housing on its land, transferring suitable properties to Wake County could create opportunities for residential development.
Housing affordability is a significant concern among school district employees. A recent survey found that 52% of respondents said they could not afford to live in Wake County, while 38% were considering leaving the district because of housing costs. The findings highlight the potential connection between housing costs and employee retention.
The agreement is still in its early stages. Officials have not finalized the properties involved or announced construction timelines, housing totals or eligibility requirements. The county and school district will continue evaluating potential sites before deciding how to proceed.
What matters most to you when it comes to affordable housing in Wake County?
- 🏠 More affordable homes for local families
- 👩🏫 Housing options for teachers and school employees
- 📍 Affordable housing in Cary and nearby communities
- 💰 Keeping housing costs manageable for working residents
- 🏗️ Making better use of unused public land
- ⚖️ Balancing new housing with schools, traffic and infrastructure
- Other (please specify)
Meme of the Day.
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🎟️ 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:
• 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
A: James Watson and Francis Crick
James Watson and Francis Crick first proposed that DNA is structured as a double helix in 1953. Their groundbreaking discovery was heavily reliant on the work of Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins, who used X-ray diffraction to capture crucial images of DNA fibers (most notably Franklin's "Photo 51").
All three men received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1962 for this discovery; Franklin was not included, as she had passed away in 1958 and the Nobel Prize is not awarded posthumously.