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🧭 Here’s what’s in today’s issue:
• 🧠 Trivia Challenge: Spotlight Hook
• 📰 News: Celebrate Black History & African American Appreciation Month in Cary
• 📰 Scrollback: Cary Readers Back Wake County EMS Plan to Prioritize 911 Calls
• 📰 Scrollback: State or Local Control? Readers React to Property Tax Proposal
• 😄 Meme of the Day – Just for laughs
• ❤️ Some stories are worth revisiting: Thank You For Your Gift
• 📅 Events: Weekend Events Preview (Top Picks)
👉 Browse the highlights. Click your favorites.
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Question: Who became the first African American to graduate from the U.S. Naval Academy?
A) Charles Brown B) Wesley Brown C) Wesley Snipes
(Answer at the bottom of the newsletter.)
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Celebrate Black History & African American Appreciation Month in Cary
February’s celebration of Black History & African American Appreciation Month in Cary is wrapping up, but there are still meaningful opportunities to participate. This year’s theme, “The Brilliance of Resilience,” highlights the strength, creativity, and enduring influence of Black leaders, artists, and communities.
Across Downtown Cary venues—including The Cary Theater, Downtown Cary Park, and local galleries—residents have been invited to reflect, learn, and celebrate through performances, conversations, and hands-on activities.
Featured Events at The Cary Theater
🎨 Art Class: Inspired by Bill Traylor
Date: Saturday, February 21, 2026 — 1:00 PM
Participants explore the work of influential self-taught artist Bill Traylor, known for his expressive drawings depicting personal memories and community life. The class includes guided discussion and a hands-on painting session using cardboard, echoing Traylor’s distinctive style.
Instructor: Brittney Soderman
Duration: 90 minutes
Materials: Provided | Get Tickets and Event Info
🎤 Dancing with the Devil: A Conversation with Mark Curry
Date: Sunday, February 22, 2026 — 3:00 PM
Former Bad Boy Records artist Mark Curry will share an intimate and candid look inside the music industry. Known for his appearance on the hit song Bad Boy for Life, Curry reflects on:
His experiences working with Sean “Puffy” Combs
The inner workings of major record labels
Lessons from his memoir Dancing with the Devil
His participation in the Netflix documentary Sean Combs: The Reckoning
The event includes a live Q&A, book signing, and meet-and-greet.
Host: Kenia Thompson, Black Issues Forum
Additional featured programs throughout the month include:
🎸 Chip Shearin in Concert
💃 Willie Hinton Collective dance performances
🧠 Youth Advocacy Summit
🍽️ A Taste of Black History cultural events
🎨 Youth & Family Art Classes
🖼️ Town Hall Gallery exhibitions
🌳 Programs in Downtown Cary Park
These events spotlight Black excellence in music, art, education, and civic leadership.
For specific information about this program visit Cary’s Special Events page.
Which Black History Month event interests you most?
The Cozy Winter Ritual Behind My Energy and Glow ✨
Winter calls for rituals that actually make you feel amazing—and Pique’s Sun Goddess Matcha is mine. It delivers clean, focused energy with zero jitters, supports glowing skin and gentle detox, and feels deeply grounding on cold mornings. Smooth, ceremonial-grade, and crave-worthy, it’s the easiest way to start winter days clear, energized, and glowing from the inside out
We’re rewinding the feed to spotlight a standout moment, story, or snapshot from Cary’s past. Let’s scroll back and see…
Cary Readers Back Wake County EMS Plan to Prioritize 911 Calls
From Issue #850 (February 19, 2026)
Poll Question: "Wake County EMS will begin prioritizing 911 calls by severity in April. Do you support this change?"
Wake County EMS will begin using a tiered, priority-based dispatch system in April, and most Cary Spotlight readers support the change. In a recent poll, 66 percent of respondents said critical emergencies should be handled first, while about 27 percent expressed support with concerns about potential delays for non-urgent calls.
Opposition to the change was limited. A small number of readers said calls should be answered in the order received, and a handful said they need more information before forming an opinion.
Reader feedback showed a mix of confidence and caution. Some asked for greater transparency about why the change is being implemented now. Others, including a former fire chief, emphasized the importance of strong training and careful rollout to prevent lower-priority calls from being repeatedly delayed. Concerns about wait times and the possibility of callers overstating symptoms were also raised.
💬 Representative Reader Comments:
"What's happened to bring this to the 'floor' now? More info please."
"Tiered dispatch can be a life-saver for an EMS system, but as a retired fire chief, I've also seen where it can go somewhat sideways, at least during initial implementation: lower-tier calls can often get shunted down over and over as higher-priority calls come in, sometimes escalating the priority of what the original call should now be. Good, solid training for the call takers and dispatchers will go a long way towards making this successful — I'm trusting Wake EMS to do this well and continue to provide a great system for EMS response."
"I have already heard stories about people waiting hours in pain. Also wonder if some callers might lie to get quicker service."
"It looks good as a plan, but I think we need to see how it works out and then perhaps re-think the policy."
The results suggest that while readers largely agree that the most serious emergencies should come first, they will be watching closely to see how the system performs once it takes effect.
State or Local Control? Readers React to Property Tax Proposal
With North Carolina lawmakers examining caps on local property tax growth, Cary Spotlight asked readers: "Do you think the state legislature should place limits on how much local governments can raise property taxes?" A new poll shows readers narrowly leaning toward state intervention on property tax growth.
🏆 Leading Response: "Yes — The state should cap property tax growth to protect homeowners" came out on top with 35.90% of the vote.
Full Results:
✅ Yes — The state should cap property tax growth to protect homeowners: 35.90%
🏛️ No — Property taxes should remain under local control: 30.77%
🟠 It depends — Limits could help, but only with voter approval for exceptions: 23.08%
🤔 Not sure — I need more information: 10.26%
Reader responses highlight deep concerns about affordability, especially among seniors and longtime homeowners. At the same time, some expressed frustration with the legislature’s broader fiscal management and questioned whether shifting authority to the state would solve underlying funding challenges.
As the conversation continues in Raleigh, the issue appears likely to remain a flashpoint in communities balancing rising costs with local control.
💬 Representative Reader Comments:
"My home gets older and requires more upkeep. And yet my taxes go up every year."
"With the rate my taxes and insurance rates are going up, I will no longer be able to afford my home of 23 years."
"In the past decade taxes have doubled, but housing values have significantly decreased. In the past 2 decades taxes have tripled. This forces people to move out…there will be a housing glut."
Which part of Cary do you now call home?
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Meme of the Day.
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🎉 Weekend Events Preview (Top Picks)
Outdoor events may be changed due to weather, so click the links to see latest event information. Here are a few great ways to enjoy the weekend:
• Saturday: Cary Farmers Market 9AM-12PM
• Saturday: The Future of Black History 1PM-3PM
• Saturday: Ramadan Observance 6PM-8PM
• Saturday: Cary Players presents Fortune or Fate 7:30PM-9:30PM
• Sunday: Frostburg Invitational 9AM-4PM
• Sunday: Cary Players presents Fortune or Fate 3PM-5PM
• Monday: Stretch and Refresh 10AM-11AM
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 👇👇👇
B) Wesley Brown (3 April 1927–22 May 2012) Link to Bio
When Wesley Anthony Brown applied to the U.S. Naval Academy, it—which, by that time, had been in existence for 100 years—had admitted a total of five African American students. None had graduated. At the academy, Brown faced an organized campaign of discrimination and harassment.
Brown credited his success at the academy with taking one day at a time, his special friendship with fellow teammate from the track team future President Jimmy Carter, and other supportive senior classmates.
After he gained his commission as a naval officer on 3 June 1949, Brown served the Navy for 20 years as a civil engineer before he retired in 1969.