🧭 Here’s what’s in today’s issue:

• 🧠 Trivia Challenge: Spotlight Hook
• 🎨 Discover Cary: Danny's BBQ
• 📰 News: Leave Your Leaves to Help Wildlife, Soil, and Your Wallet
• 📰 News: How NC State is Using AI for Smarter Urban Planning
• 😄 Meme of the Day – Just for laughs
• 🎁 Support the businesses that support Cary: Show your support
• 📅 Events: Upcoming Events (Top Picks)

👉 Browse the highlights. Click your favorites.

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Question: What band is known for the 1981 hit “Don’t Stop Believin’”?

(Answer at the bottom of the newsletter.)

Danny's BBQ

Danny's BBQ is one of the local food places nominated by Cary Spotlight's readers for our Discover Cary project. If you've had a chance to sample their food, feel free to share your opinion below.

Danny's Bar-B-Que in Cary, NC is a family-owned barbecue restaurant serving hickory-smoked meats like ribs, brisket, pulled pork, and smoked turkey with Texas toast, along with homemade sides and their signature house-made sauces.

Check out their menu on their website: Danny's Bar-B-Que

Address: 311 Ashville Ave, Ste G, Cary, NC 27518 | Get Directions

Do you have a favorite place to eat in Cary, NC? Click to share your pick.

Leave Your Leaves to Help Wildlife, Soil, and Your Wallet

The Wake Audubon Society is promoting the ecological and practical benefits of letting leaves remain on the ground through fall and winter. Many pollinators and caterpillars use the leaf cover as a winter habitat, contributing to local biodiversity and supporting bird populations.

Leaves also serve as a natural soil enhancer, providing nutrients as they decompose. For homeowners, this practice eliminates the need for leaf removal tools and mulch, making it both environmentally and financially advantageous.

To prevent concerns such as mold or a cluttered lawn, leaves can be redistributed to garden beds or placed beneath trees and shrubs. The group also highlights that landfilling leaves contributes to harmful greenhouse gas emissions.

Overall, the initiative encourages a simple shift in lawn care habits that can offer broad environmental benefits.

Learn more about the program.

How NC State is Using AI for Smarter Urban Planning

North Carolina's population boom is increasing demand for more accurate, long-term infrastructure planning. Researchers at NC State University are tackling this challenge by refining global climate models with machine learning. These models, while useful, often lack precision at the local level due to inherent biases. By using AI to correct these discrepancies, the team has uncovered risks like potential flooding in parts of the Appalachians that earlier projections missed.

The collaboration between NC State’s civil engineering and statistics departments demonstrates how artificial intelligence can make climate data more reliable for regional planning. This advancement is particularly important for managing water systems and urban development in fast-growing areas such as Raleigh and Wilmington.

The improved models give policymakers and engineers more confidence in preparing for long-term climate impacts. By enhancing the accuracy of forecasts, the researchers are helping to ensure North Carolina’s infrastructure is built to withstand future conditions.

As the state continues to grow, integrating AI into planning processes will be essential for resilient and informed decision-making.

You want to read more about their research and the data, which is publicly available, here. | Read Full Article

Meme of the Day.
Brought to you by Cary's Daily Newsletter.

What’s faster than word of mouth? Cary Spotlight! Keeps you updated on what is going on locally and connects businesses to our vibrant community.

🎟️ 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: Live at Lunch: Jake + Johanna  11:30AM-1:30PM
• Thursday: 2025 N.C. State Fair Noon-11PM
• Thursday: Walking with Ghosts 7PM-8PM
• Friday: 2025 N.C. State Fair 9AM-11:30PM
• Friday: Cary Night Market 5PM-9PM
• Saturday: 2025 N.C. State Fair 9AM-11:30PM
• Saturday: Harvest Fest 12PM-4PM
• Saturday: CaryLIVE!: TAE & The Neighborly 7:30PM-9:30PM

To save space in your inbox, we’ve moved the full list of events online — now you can plan ahead with access to this week and next! See Full 2-Week Calendar