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🧭 Here’s what’s in today’s issue:
• 🧠 Trivia Challenge: Spotlight Hook
• 🧭 Discover Cary: Lugano Ristorante Reviews
• 📰 News: Meet the Community Engagement Leader Helping Residents Navigate Cary
• 📰 News: Cary Cleans Up Roadside Eyesore
• 😉 Meme of the Day – Start Your Day with a Smile
• 🎁 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 constellation is Polaris located in?
(Answer at the bottom of the newsletter.)
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Lugano Ristorante Reviews
Lugano Ristorante is one of the local food places nominated by Cary Spotlight’s readers for our Discover Cary project. If you had a chance to sample their food, feel free to share your opinion below.
Lugano Ristorante offers comfortable, casual Italian dining with handmade pastas, traditional dishes like chicken parmesan and lasagna, plus an inviting atmosphere perfect for family gatherings, business functions, or romantic dinners.
Check out their menu on their website: Lugano Ristorante
Address: 1060 Darrington Dr, Cary, NC 27513 | Get Directions
Reader Poll Results
Lugano Ristorante (125 Votes)
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 Love this place! (100)
🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 😊😊😊 I might give it a try (25)
Cary Spotlight Reader’s Feedback:
“I have eaten at Lugano many times. The service is good and the food consistent. Also a good value for your $$. ” “Best Caesar salads! ” “Great food, great service and reasonable prices.”
“Excellent choice on their menu. Excellent service. Excellent food. Never had a bad meal there.” “great food & service !!!”
“Our family loves Luganos! We go there quite often...some of our favorites are the lobster fettuccine, pizza and the salmon. We are always happy and satisfied when we go. Try it, I have no doubt you will like it too!”
“I usually go there on my birthday. If you give them 24 hours notice they will make any special order for you. ”
Lugano Ristorante
Meet the Community Engagement Leader Helping Residents Navigate Cary
Fabian making friends at a community event
Fabian Rodriguez did not begin his career in community engagement. His path through public service started in facilities management and later led him to work as a housing inspector. But even then, much of his work centered on helping people navigate local government.
Finding a Calling in Community Service
While inspecting properties and enforcing housing codes, Rodriguez often found himself translating information and serving as a bridge between residents and government agencies, particularly for Spanish-speaking community members. Those experiences revealed what he found most rewarding: helping people understand and access the services available to them.
Building Connections Across Cary
Today, Rodriguez serves in community engagement, where his focus is building relationships and connecting residents with resources. His approach starts within local government, where he works to identify existing community connections among colleagues and strengthen outreach efforts through collaboration. It also extends into the broader community through partnerships with schools, nonprofits, senior organizations, and cultural groups.
As an immigrant from Colombia, Rodriguez brings firsthand experience navigating unfamiliar systems. That perspective shapes his efforts to make government services more accessible, especially for residents who may not know where to find information or whom to contact for help.
Expanding Access Through Transit
A major focus of Rodriguez's work has been Discover GoCary, an initiative designed to increase awareness and use of Cary's public transit system.
Through community partnerships, educational outreach, and direct engagement with residents, he helps demonstrate how transit can connect people to jobs, schools, healthcare, and everyday destinations. Rodriguez also rides GoCary himself, giving him firsthand knowledge of the rider experience and helping him better communicate the system's benefits.
His work has included helping launch and promote a new transit app, creating instructional resources for first-time riders, and ensuring materials are available in multiple languages.
Creating a Lasting Impact
The results of those efforts have been significant. During his time supporting GoCary initiatives, the agency's social media following grew to more than 6,000 people, while transit ridership nearly doubled.
Colleagues and regional partners describe Rodriguez as a trusted connector who brings people together and helps communities feel heard. His success stems from a simple approach: showing up, listening, and building relationships over time.
For Rodriguez, community engagement is ultimately about making sure every resident feels informed, included, and connected to the resources available to them.
Plan you next trip here: gocary.org/maps-schedules
Just curious…
What's one thing that helps you feel connected to Cary? 👇
What makes the biggest difference in helping people feel connected to their community?
Cary Cleans Up Roadside Eyesore
A neglected stretch of Chatham Street in Cary has been cleaned up following complaints from resident Carol Aupperle and a subsequent inquiry from CBS 17. The area had become overgrown, blocking visibility of town and speed limit signs, while abandoned furniture sat nearby for months.
Aupperle said she spent weeks trying to get the issue addressed through official channels but grew frustrated by the lack of action. Her concern intensified as Cary prepared to welcome thousands of visitors for The Soccer Tournament at WakeMed Soccer Park.
Town officials said the situation was complicated because the sign is owned by Cary but located along a state-maintained roadway within a railroad right-of-way. Those overlapping responsibilities contributed to delays in maintaining the site.
After CBS 17 reached out to the town, crews cleared the vegetation and removed the discarded furniture. Cary says it will continue maintaining the signage area and has alerted Raleigh officials about additional trash nearby, while residents hope the improvements will be preserved.
What’s the biggest challenge to keeping Cary looking its best?
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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.
🎁 Support the businesses that support Cary.
Every contribution helps us highlight more local restaurants, small businesses, and nonprofits making a difference. Join readers who’ve already donated.
🎟️ 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:
• Friday: The Soccer Tournament ALL DAY
• Friday: 2026 NCAA DII Championship 1:30PM-10PM
• Friday: One Tribe Drum Circle & Fire Show 7PM-8:30PM
• Friday: Discover Dance: Bharatanatyam Session 7:30PM-9:30PM
• Saturday: The Soccer Tournament ALL DAY
• Saturday: Cary Farmers Market 8AM-12PM
• Saturday: Cary Garden Tour 10AM-5PM
• Sunday: The Soccer Tournament ALL DAY
• Sunday: Cary Garden Tour 1PM-5PM
• Monday: The Soccer Tournament ALL DAY
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: Ursa Minor
Polaris is located in the constellation Ursa Minor (the Little Bear). It marks the very tip of the Little Bear's tail, which also forms the end of the handle of the "Little Dipper" star pattern. Because it sits almost directly above the Earth's north rotational axis, it serves as the North Star.
To locate it in the night sky, you can use the "pointer stars" (Dubhe and Merak) in the bowl of the nearby Big Dipper (in Ursa Major) to draw a direct line straight to Polaris.
For more information, Polaris