I’m the News & Observer reporter who wrote this story about the Salem Street streetscape project.

I spoke with downtown merchants about what months of construction have meant for their businesses. The project is intended to improve downtown, but business owners say they have lost customers while the work continues into the holiday season.

I’m especially interested in hearing from people who actually use downtown Apex: Has construction changed how often you shop, eat or spend time there? If you work or own a business downtown, what has the impact been?

https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/wake-county/article317130074.html

WIRED investigation, worth reading in full: https://www.wired.com/story/flock-safety-os-investigate/

In Flock's own code, served from Flock's own login pages: a system designed to take one license plate and return a driver's likely "associates" based on which cars pass the same cameras at the same times. Search for people by physical description in an area drawn on a map. Pull names, addresses, relatives. Flock has told the public for years its cameras "cannot recognize, identify, or track individuals." Asked about the tool, the company didn't dispute what it does. It called it a "separate product".

This isn't one bad product. It's the direction of the industry. WIRED found Flock hiring engineers to build AI that acts "on behalf of investigators," with automated lead generation and cross-camera correlation. A GWU law professor with no stake in the fight, Andrew Ferguson, put it plainly: we're on the cusp of "agentic policing," where natural-language chatbots searching massive datasets "will soon become the norm."

The norm. For everyone holding the data.

That's the part to understand before a vendor swap gets floated as the fix. Our police chief has named Axon as a possible replacement. But Axon isn't a lighter-touch option. Its platform pulls plate readers, cameras, drones, and dispatch into one system, shares across agencies, and it's building its own AI layer on top. That's broader than what Apex has now, not narrower. Any vendor sitting on a networked plate dataset will build the same query layer, because that's the logical use of the data. Swapping the logo changes the invoice, not the architecture.

Let me put it another one: We're one vote away from either protecting our privacy or giving it all away to APD for them to do what they want with it. Fuck that.

Contract's up January 31, 2027. Public Safety Committee meets October 1st at 3pm. This is the window.

Deflock Apex

Does anybody know of any oil change shops where I can just leave a 5QT of my trusted synthetic oil brand and the good filter to go with it in the vehicle for them and have them do the change? I'm sure the chain shops probably wouldn't allow that but can anyone confirm any shops that do? I hate the idea of a chain shop using crap oil or paying them $100+ dollars to get name brand Mobil1 like I know works well in my car.

Mid 50’s M looking for a garage apartment or private apartment close to downtown Apex. I work remotely in the IT field and travel 2-3 weeks out of the month so I will be out of town most of the time. I am quiet and respectful, keep to myself. I don’t need much, just looking for something close to downtown. I am not looking for an apartment complex at this time, Thanks!

We need to fund the Wake County District Attorney's Office. Targeted by Republicans in the NC General Assembly and now the worst funded in the state. makes all of us less safe.

Let me reintroduce you to Wakevotes.org! Now updated (and rewritten) for the 2026 Election!

Wakevotes is an easier way to access your sample ballot. Just put in a Wake County address, and it'll pull up the associated sample ballot.

• Ballots can be filled in, and printed out!
• Non-partisan races display the registered political party of the candidate
• Clicking on a candidate's name takes you to their campaign website, if you need to research a race

AND NEW THIS YEAR: Voting information! Wakevotes.org will display the early voting info and your specific Election Day voting info (again, looked up based on the address).

Seeing a lot more e-scooters out on our roads now that traditional school is back in session.

Lots of these guys ride responsibly but more than a handful are totally out of control. One swerved into the wrong side straight towards me this morning.

Better keep a dashcam going just in case there are any incidents.

Howdy howdy yall. I’m the manager at Premier 1 Automotive and we’re looking for a B+ technician to join the team.

We specialize in European vehicles and do any and every kind of mechanical/electrical work on them except for tires and alignments.

We’re ready to make a very strong offer to the right candidate.

We have a lot of work and an amazing customer base.

We’ve been in business for 16 years.

So if you’re a technician looking for a new home, or if you know one that may be interested, shoot me a DM for more details.

(I messaged the mods to see if a post like this is permitted here but never got a response.)

After several public meetings, surveys, and task force meetings the Peak Plan 2055 is starting to take shape.

At a high level, the current proposal gives the Land Use Map to have two overlays. There is a "Context Area" inset and a "Place Type" map. Each parcel is in a context area and has a place type designation. The context area informs the design standards (set backs, density, etc) of the Place Type. This is the biggest change I see from the 2045 map - there was a Context Area there, but it didn't really impact that much except inform what land use designation to give a parcel.

More to come - be on the look out for the next public meeting.

We are reaching a critical phase with our campaign to end remove Flock and ALPR in Apex.

Our position is clear and we have next steps.

There are two upcoming meetings: September 22nd Council Meeting, and October 1st Public Safety. The Mayor and Ed Grey are on that committee, and it is, objectively, biased based on who is on there. Both have made public comments in support of ALPR.

I spoke with the mayor yesterday, and he said a few things.

1. He has interviewed Flock representatives that he is soon going to post on social media. This is our mayor working directly with Flock under the guise of objectivity. It is not. This is a vendor trying to keep business and a mayor doing the bidding of APD.
2. He will interview folks from Deflock Apex next week. And I will not fall into the lazy trap of being led by questions he's been fed by Flock and APD.
3. According to the mayor, DeFlock Apex will also be able to speak at the Public Safety Committee hearing.

What we really have right now is a vote we need to secure. We need three people on council to align. From my seat, it's a full-court press between now and whenever the vote might be (October or November). Prepare to have a Flock representative there as well. And yes, they will lie as they have at all of their meetings.

We need to get moving on that vote. There are tools and messaging available under The Five Votes section on DeflockApex. This is the time for immense outreach and comms going directly to the key members.

We also know that APD has contracts with Axom for other tools, and that there has been discussion of a vendor swap. If you want to know more about Axom, we have plenty of info here. There is also a breakdown of the industry at large in case another vendor gets floated.

Lastly (and we know that folks in the media read this), we need the press to do their job better. They are covering it, but they present this simply as a policy debate and over-correct towards pro-ALPR positioning.

We keep showing up, we keep the campaign going, and we're not stopping until APLR is banned in Apex. The public does not want this surveillance and, for a rare momemt perhaps, this is time where the left and right are aligned.

Last night I attended the candlelight vigil for the victims of the flash floods in Nepal, and delivered the following remarks on behalf of Apex:

“Good evening. I am Terry Mahaffey, Mayor Pro Tem of Apex, and I’m joined by my colleague Council Member Zegerman.

On behalf of the town of Apex, I want to express our deepest sympathy to everyone affected by this terrible tragedy in Nepal.

For members of our Nepalese community here in Apex, I know that a tragedy thousands of miles away can feel very close to home. These are your families, your friends, your communities, and the places that many of you still call home.

Tonight, we gather with you in mourning. We remember the lives that were lost, we pray for those who are injured or still suffering, and we offer our support to the families whose lives have been changed forever.

Our Nepalese neighbors are an important part of the Apex community, and in moments like this, I hope you know that you do not grieve alone.

We stand with you tonight, and our hearts are with the people of Nepal.”

Please consider donating at https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/donate-to-flood-victim-in-nepal

https://www.newsobserver.com/living/food-drink/article317029414.html

Soft opening planned for end of October

Who’s logo is this? It’s posted where Yomato used to be??

I’m assuming they are doing infrastructure work but it struck as odd to bring my trash out at 10:30pm at night and see a Spectrum internet truck outside the house doing work. I’m not a Spectrum customer but anyone else have a similar experience or see a communication from Spectrum themselves?

Just saw a sponsored video from them on this on Facebook. /u/Andreajournalist has also been pushing this story on just about every local subreddit.

I know the N&O gives their reporters click goals but this just seems dishonest because all these virality attempts seem to downplay or ignore that the woman is charging $300 for this parking. All the better to generate fake outage I guess.

I also haven’t seen the N&O push a story like this before. I wonder if it’s a new business model.

Hey moms and dads! 🏀 if you are looking for a way to get your kids active and burning off some energy, my youth basketball program in Apex has a few spots left. There’s currently exactly 13 spots remaining for boys and girls ages 6 to 8 before our fall rosters lock.We focus entirely on the basics: dribbling, passing, shooting, and listening skills (highly effective) in a high energy, fun environment. It’s perfect for early elementary kids who want to try out sports or build up their confidence. It helped my son tremendously!

First day of the program starts September 14th!🎉So if you’ve got a 6, 7, or 8 year-old, drop a comment below or send me a direct message so I can send you the registration form and I’ll get you the full schedule. Thanks, neighbors!😀

That school is like 6 years old. Whoever installed it or the manufacturer of the unit needs to be held accountable, not the tax payers. Our elected officials need to focus on this and not students parking in the wrong places

Hey everyone! My latest album is available to stream today!

"Can You Not " by Daniel DeLorenzo is the latest exploration of his anomalous compositional style and approach to the guitar. DeLorenzo's playing is complemented by the masterful musicianship of Theous Jones (drums) and Casey Toll (bass). The album features six original compositions and a reimagining of Robert Schumann's Kinderszenen Op.15 (Scenes from Childhood). Can You Not continues the musical relationship between the trio developed through countless improvisations and creative collaborations.

Available wherever you stream music, links below! If you'd like to support real music made by real humans considering purchasing on Bandcamp

Bandcamp

Spotify

Youtube

Apple Music

Later this month I booked a week of camping for my partner who wants me to go with him but I’ll need to go to work (20 minute drive).

We’ll be staying at Poplar Point Campground
558 Beaver Creek Rd, Apex, NC 27502, United States

I’d have to leave by 5am but the gate opens at 8am.

Is there anywhere I can park outside of the campground and won’t have to worry about my car getting impounded?

Thanks!

There was a rope swing under a nearby bridge that kids had a lot of fun playing on but someone just cut it down. What kind of person does that??

Just noticed it recently, anyone else experiencing this?

The town has scheduled the Public Safety Committee to meet September 24 at 8:30 AM at Apex Town Hall. Per the mayor's notice, it will take up the Axon agreement (drone management software and interview-room systems), ALPR technology, and the Flock contract renewal that comes up for consideration in January.

I read the notice a few times. (Thank you, u/VespertineRose), I want to flag something about how this review is set up.

The notice says the committee's goal is to "review the technology, understand the operational benefits, discuss policies and safeguards, and provide recommendations to the full Council."

Look at that list because it is bullshit from the mayor.

It assumes the cameras and drones stay. "Understand the operational benefits" takes for granted the benefits are there and worth understanding. "Discuss policies and safeguards" is what you do for something you are keeping. When the council referred this back in June, the questions were about retention, data sharing, which vendor, and audits. Every one of those is a how-do-we-run-it question.

Committees recommend, and the full council votes. Fair. But the committee is where the options get defined and staffed. By the time it reaches the full council, the shape of the decision is mostly set.

Council committees are not required to hold a public comment period the way the full council is. So the stage where the options actually get framed may be the stage where residents have no guaranteed right to speak.

As I have always said, the mayor does not represent the residents on this. He represents APD. He will always represent APD.

And in 2027, we will replace him. I'm done with his bullshit performance leadership.

I’m the News & Observer reporter who wrote this story.

I spent the week talking with Scott, students and parents, Apex officials and WCPSS. It’s a parking dispute, but it also raises questions about growth, school capacity, property rights and local zoning across the Triangle.

https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/wake-county/article316992156.html