Good morning neighbors,

I want to start off with some words of gratitude: Thank you to everyone who came to Sol Café last Thursday to celebrate Local News Day. You helped us fill the space with engaging conversation, thoughtful feedback and community spirit.

Thank you to Alice Morrissey with Elon News Network, Colin Cannell with News of Mebane and Jennifer Fernandez with NC Health News for partnering with us for the News Cafe. I also want to shout out Quinn Ray from The Hometown Holler for joining us.

Thank you to Donna Dean Coffey for volunteering to check in guests and to Charles Gupton for snapping pictures and videos.

And thank you to Carlos, Julián, Emilia and Lisa with the Dream Center for having us in their beautiful space and serving delicious coffee and treats.

NC Local, the newsroom that produces The Alamance Fabric, set out to make the first Local News Day a day to remember in North Carolina. Dozens of news and information organizations got on board, and 15 different News Cafes took place between Murphy and the Outer Banks last week.

Gov. Josh Stein signed a proclamation declaring April 9 as Local News Day in North Carolina, and 15 local municipalities signed their own proclamations, including Burlington.

Listen to our founder and CEO Shannan Bowen talking all about this and more on WUNC's Due South podcast.

Local news is here to stay, friends. As you read this newsletter, I know you feel it, too.

Didn’t make it to our News Cafe? No worries. We’d still love to hear from you. What are your thoughts about the newsletter so far? What about the state of local news? Any issues you'd like us to cover? Tell us by filling out this quick survey.

Now, let’s dive into this week's feature story and some local news.

Talk soon,

This week...

A legacy of empowerment: The Women’s Resource Center in Alamance County at 35

Executive Director Susan Watson (left), Associate Director Kate Meyer (center), and founding member Becky Mock (right) gather outside the Women's Resource Center in Alamance County for a portrait on Tuesday, April 7, 2026 in Burlington, N.C.

(Credit: Laura Brache / The Alamance Fabric/NC Local)

Tucked away on West Fifth Street in Burlington, an unsuspecting building packs a big punch as the home of three well-known outreach organizations that serve Alamance County. The small beige office building, known as the Presbyterian Outreach Center and part of First Presbyterian Church’s campus, is occupied by the FPC’s Furniture Ministry, Alamance County Meals on Wheels, and the Women’s Resource Center in Alamance County.

This year, the Women’s Resource Center is celebrating its 35th anniversary as a nonprofit.

The center’s story is a starting point in contemporary Alamance County women’s history.

While founded in 1991, its origins date back to 1982. What started as a political movement for women’s equality steadily evolved into the empowerment-based organization it is known as today, focused on professional development and life stability resources for all women in Alamance County.

“We started the Women’s Resource Center with a grant from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation on a penny and a shoe string,” Becky Mock, the last surviving founding member and former program manager who remains an active advocate for the organization, said. “We grew it from there, and I’m so proud that it is where we are today.”

Read the full story...

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What's shaping Alamance

A round up of key local headlines (from our partners and other news organizations) that are defining life in Alamance right now.

• Resurrection of a Snow Camp Drama (Our State Magazine)

• Veteran educator to lead school for dyslexia (Burlington Times-News)

• Mebane mayor breaks tie in favor of second city park land purchase (The Alamance News)

• NC General Assembly pushes to limit property tax rates for local governments (Elon News Network)

• North Carolina tackles toxic firefighting foam — and what it left behind (NC Health News)

Latest from NC Local

Here is the latest statewide reporting from the NC Local team on the big-picture issues that impact us all.

Community spotlight

In this segment, we spotlight one of the neighbors shaping our community's future —brought to you in partnership with The Power + Place Collaborative from Elon University's Center for Design Thinking. Below is an excerpt from the profile. Click the video for more.

Amal Khdour

“I am always proud being a Muslim woman.”

"Amal Khdour was born in Jordan, where her family settled after being displaced from Palestine in 1948. As the first child born outside of Palestine, they named her “Hope,” signifying a lingering hope to return home one day.

Upon moving to Burlington, she founded the first Islamic Sunday school in the area in 2007. This brought her to a mosque in Greensboro, where she began teaching classes for Iraqi refugees and supporting their families, finding that her support and presence gave them hope. She later founded the Al-Aqsa Clinic in the Burlington Masjid, continuing her efforts to support residents across the Alamance county area.

Khdour maintains her connection to her home country through her religion, believing that our faith remains even when our place in the world changes."

Things to do

Whether you’re searching for family-friendly fun, a way to support local creators, or to get civically involved, here are a few ideas:

• 68th Visual Arts Competition for Young People
  Now through Friday, April 24
  Alamance Arts
  213 S. Main St., Graham, NC 27253

• Business Technical Assistance Series  - Business Marketing
  Wednesday, April 22 at 10 a.m.
  Alamance Dream Center
  1423 N. Church St., Burlington, NC 27217
  Free; registration required
  Hosted by the City of Burlington Economic Development Department

• ABSS Board of Education Work Session
  Wednesday, April 15 at 12:30 p.m.
  Alamance-Burlington School System Board Room
  1712 Vaughn Rd., Burlington, NC 27217
  On the agenda: "Speech-Language Pathologist Recruitment and Retention Plan"

• Elon Town Council 
  Tuesday, April 14 at 6 p.m.

  Elon Town Hall

  104 S. Williamson Ave., Elon, NC 27244
  On the agenda: "Paid Parking Presentation"

• Graham City Council

  Tuesday, April 14 at 6 p.m.

  Graham City Hall

  201 S. Main St., Graham, NC 27253
  On the agenda: "New Downtown Park Update," "[...] to convert 3.88 acres at Graham Regional Park [...] as a future site for a fire station"

• First Responder Friday
  Friday, April 17 at 5 p.m.
  Avalon Acres
  Corner of Winchester Drive and Castle Drive in Graham, NC 27253

• Spring Into D.A.R.E. Day
  Saturday, April 18 at 2 p.m.
  Alamance County Sheriff's Office
  109 S. Maple St., Graham, NC 27253

• Burlington City Council Work Session
  Monday, April 20 at 5 p.m.
  Municipal Building - Conference Room
  425 S. Lexington Ave., Burlington, NC 27215

• Alamance County Commissioners Business Meeting
  Monday, April 20 at 6:30 p.m.
  Alamance County Office Building
  124 W. Elm St., Graham, NC 27253

• Gibsonville Board of Aldermen Meeting
  Monday, April 20 at 6:30 p.m.
  Gibsonville Town Hall
  129 W. Main St., Gibsonville, NC 27249

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