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🧭 Here’s what’s in today’s issue:
• 🧠 Trivia Challenge: Spotlight Hook
• 📰 News: State Explores Major Rail Expansion Across North Carolina
• 📰 News: Artemis II Begins the Journey Home
• ⚽ Sports: Goals, Energy, and History in Courage-Thorns Showdown
• 😄 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: Who developed the processed cheese spread known as Cheez Whiz?
(Answer at the bottom of the newsletter.)
Parents across the Triangle often wonder how their teens can build meaningful leadership experience that truly stands out when applying to college.
An upcoming Hum Sub Youth Leadership Summit in Cary is designed to help students begin exploring those opportunities. The event invites students in Grades 8–11 from across the Triangle to learn about leadership, entrepreneurship, and ways young people can start building experiences that colleges value.
Parents are welcome to attend to learn more about opportunities to help their children prepare for college applications. Coming soon: 2 May 2026.
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State Explores Major Rail Expansion Across North Carolina
North Carolina officials are working to expand passenger rail service across the state, with several new corridors under review. One of the most notable proposals would connect Raleigh directly to Wilmington, offering faster access between the Triangle and the coast.
The state has submitted seven rail corridors to a federal development program that helps evaluate projects and makes them eligible for funding. Routes under consideration include connections to Wilmington, Fayetteville, Winston-Salem, Atlanta, and Kings Mountain, along with other possible coastal and regional links.
Demand for rail travel in North Carolina is growing. Existing Amtrak routes, including the Piedmont and Carolinian, are seeing the highest ridership in more than three decades.
Most projects remain in early planning stages and could take years to develop. The Raleigh-to-Wilmington route alone is estimated to cost about $810 million, with federal funding potentially covering the majority of the expense.
Artemis II Begins the Journey Home
After completing a historic lunar flyby, NASA’s Artemis II mission is now entering the next phase of its journey: leaving the Moon and beginning the return to Earth.
On April 7, the Orion spacecraft will fire its engines to depart the Moon’s gravitational influence and start its return trajectory. This maneuver places the spacecraft on what NASA calls a “return coast,” a multi-day trip back through deep space toward Earth.
During the return coast phase, the crew will continue conducting experiments, testing spacecraft systems, and gathering data that will help prepare for future lunar missions, including Artemis III. Engineers on Earth will closely monitor Orion’s performance as it travels tens of thousands of miles back toward our planet.
The mission is expected to conclude on April 10 with a high-speed re-entry through Earth’s atmosphere followed by a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. The return will mark the successful completion of humanity’s first crewed mission around the Moon in more than 50 years and a major step toward establishing a sustained presence on the lunar surface.
How excited are you about humanity returning to deep space missions like Artemis?
Goals, Energy, and History in Courage-Thorns Showdown
The NC Courage gave home fans plenty to cheer about Friday night, battling the Portland Thorns to a lively 2-2 draw in Cary. It was a back-and-forth match filled with sharp finishes, big moments, and another history-making performance from Manaka Matsukubo.
Weekend Highlights:
Portland Thorns struck first in the 12th minute when Reilyn Turner headed in a recycled set piece, putting the visitors up 1-0 and forcing the Courage to respond early.
Manaka Matsukubo answered in the 28th minute, controlling a lofted pass from Carly Wickenheiser and finishing calmly into the far corner for the 1-1 equalizer. It was Manaka’s fourth straight appearance with a goal, and Wickenheiser picked up the first assist of her Courage career.
The Thorns grabbed the lead again just five minutes later as Olivia Moultrie buried a rebound in the 33rd minute, making it 2-1 after a strong save from Kailen Sheridan could not fully clear the danger.
Ashley Sanchez kept the fireworks going in the 37th minute, finishing from the middle of the box after a setup from Ryan Williams to tie it at 2-2. The goal was Sanchez’s third of the season, and it helped the Courage earn an important point in a match that never slowed down.
With stars stepping up and fans getting a full night of drama, Cary once again looked every bit like a soccer town that knows how to put on a show.
Meme of the Day.
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Apr 7 - Apr 13, 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: Culinary Exploration with Snap Pea 6:30PM-8:30PM
• Wednesday: CaryVan: Symphony Under the Stars at Koka Booth 5PM-10PM
• Wednesday: Tai Chi: Downtown Cary Park 6:30PM-7:30PM
• Thursday: Live at Lunch: Zach Burrus 11:30AM-1:30PM
• Thursday: Thursday Night Music Club: Emily Scott Robinson 7:30PM-9PM
• Friday: Compost Bin & Rain Barrel Sale (Online Sale)
• Friday: Movie Night: The Princess and the Frog 6PM-10PM
• Saturday: Science on the Spillway 10AM-12PM
• Saturday: 2026 Pimento Cheese Festival 11AM-4PM
• Saturday: Cary Players presents Deathtrap 7:30PM-9:30PM
• Sunday: Fido Foundations: Dog Obedience 2PM-3PM
• Sunday: Sunday Sound Bath 4PM-5:30PM
• Monday: Drop-in Puzzling and Puzzle Swap Meet 2PM-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: Edwin Traisman
Cheez Whiz was developed for Kraft Foods in the early 1950s by a team of food scientists led by Edwin Traisman. Launched in 1952 in the U.K. and 1953 in the U.S., it was designed as a convenient, meltable topping meant to simulate Welsh rarebit.
Learn more, Cheez Whiz