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🧭 Here’s what’s in today’s issue:
• 🧠 Trivia Challenge: Spotlight Hook
• 📰 News: Cary Intersection Draws Complaints Over Delays and Visibility
• 📰 Scrollback: What Matters Most to You in Cary's Next Budget?
• 📰 Scrollback: Which Part of Cary Do You Call Home?
• 😄 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 flag officer in U.S. Navy history?
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Cary Intersection Draws Complaints Over Delays and Visibility
Residents in Cary’s Ardmore neighborhood are calling for changes at a busy intersection they say has become increasingly difficult to navigate.
The crossing at NE Maynard Road, Medfield Road and Reedy Creek Road sits near a hill and a shopping center entrance, creating what some drivers describe as limited visibility and frequent congestion. Theresa McGill, a nearby resident, said drivers can wait several minutes to turn left onto Maynard as traffic moves steadily in both directions.
The intersection is controlled by a stop sign on Reedy Creek Road, requiring motorists to cross or merge into four lanes of traffic without the aid of a signal. Neighbors have asked the Town of Cary to consider installing a traffic light, but residents say they have been told another signal is located too close to justify adding one there.
Town records show Cary has conducted two traffic studies at the site in the past seven years. The most recent, completed in 2023, found that more than 45,000 vehicles make some type of turn at the intersection each day. Residents argue that growing traffic volumes and more aggressive driving have made conditions worse.
Officials with the Cary Transportation Department have not yet responded to questions about whether a signal could be added or what criteria would need to be met. In the meantime, neighbors say they hope the town revisits the issue and urge drivers to proceed cautiously. Read Full Report
Just curious…
Do you think the Town of Cary should install a traffic light at the intersection of NE Maynard Road and Reedy Creek Road?
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We’re rewinding the feed to spotlight a standout moment, story, or snapshot from Cary’s past. Let’s scroll back and see…
What Matters Most to You in Cary's Next Budget
From Cary Spotlight | Issue #857 – February 26, 2026
In a recent Cary Spotlight poll, roads and infrastructure emerged as the clear top concern among readers considering the town’s next budget.
🏆 Top Priority: Roads and infrastructure dominated the poll with 35.48% of the vote — a commanding lead that reflects growing frustration with Cary's deteriorating streets as the town expands.
How the rest stacked up (out of 31 votes):
Planning for growth — strong second, capturing roughly 19%
Public safety and Parks and greenways — tied in third, each around 13%
Community programs and services and Other — each pulling roughly 10%
📋 Context: The Town of Cary is holding a Budget Open House on April 7 (3–7 p.m., Cary Senior Center) where residents can weigh in directly on FY27 priorities. Interim Town Manager Russ Overton will present the proposed budget to Town Council this spring. Residents can also submit input via Cary 311 or carync.gov/budgetinput.
💬 Representative Reader Comments:
"If we continue to grow, we need more open space to remind ourselves that nature was here first. And aren't taxes submitted to Cary by these new companies?"
"Streets of Cary are awful! After the winter, they will get worse as the patches give way to deep holes."
"Affordable housing." "All of the above."
The roads result isn't surprising given Cary's rapid growth — and several readers clearly feel the pavement is losing the race with development. The write-in mention of affordable housing also signals an issue that may demand more attention in future polls.
Which Part of Cary Do You Call Home?
📍 788 readers responded, giving us a snapshot of where the Cary Spotlight community lives as of February 21, 2026.
🏆 Leading zip code: 27519 — the western Cary/Morrisville corridor — claimed the top spot with 29% of the vote, edging out a very close field.
The full breakdown:
27519 (West Cary/Morrisville border) — 29% 🥇
27511 (Central/Historic Cary) — ~28% 🥈 (a near-tie for the lead)
27513 (Northwest Cary) — ~20%
27518 (Southeast Cary/Apex border) — ~14%
27539 (South Cary) — ~4%
Nearby but not Cary — ~4%
Outside the area — ~1%
📝 The two dominant zip codes — 27519 and 27511 — together account for well over half the readership, reflecting the hyperlocal, daily newsletter in Cary’s strong penetration in both the established historic core and the fast-growing western corridors of town.
What Do You Love Most About Living in Cary?
Meme of the Day.
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❤️ Thank You For Your Gift
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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: Blood Drive with the Cary Police Department 9AM-2PM
• Saturday: Youth Advocacy Summit 9AM-3PM
• Saturday: The Story of Love and Resilience 7PM-9:30PM
• Sunday: Cary Players presents Fortune or Fate 3PM-5PM
• Monday: Pot-a-Plant Workshop 6:30 PM-8:30PM
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) Samuel Lee Gravely Jr. Link to Bio
Samuel Lee Gravely Jr. (June 4, 1922 – October 22, 2004) was a United States Navy officer. He was the first African American in the U.S. Navy to serve aboard a fighting ship as an officer, the first to command a Navy ship, the first fleet commander, and the first to become a flag officer, retiring as a vice admiral.
The Man They Wouldn't Let in the Officers' Club: Admiral Samuel L. Gravely Jr.
In 1945, a young Navy officer stood outside the Officers' Club in Key West, Florida. He could hear music inside. He could see other officers laughing, drinking, relaxing after long months at sea.
They wouldn't let him in.
Not because of anything he'd done. Because of the color of his skin. The same skin that wore the same uniform. The same skin that had just served his country through a world war.
Twenty-six years later, that same officer would pin on his first star. He would become the first African American admiral in United States Navy history. And he would do it the same way he did everything—quietly, competently, and without ever letting the haters stop him.