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Thursday, November 5, 2026

Wake voters OK $680M school bond and $149.1M for Wake Tech

Plus, Superintendent Robert Taylor gets a one-year contract extension with no raise.

The 5AM Morrisville team2 stories19 sources5 min read

Wake CountyTop story

Wake County voters approve a $680 million school bond and a $149.1 million Wake Tech bond

Wake Tech's largest share goes to Southern Wake Campus renovations

Source: Durham Herald Sun

View as table
Value
Southern Wake renovations$65M
Technology upgrades$22.7M
HVAC, elevators, electrical$20.4M
Fire and Rescue Training Center$20M
Welding, electrical, HVAC labs$12M
Automotive center$5M
Perry Health Sciences$2M
Western Wake planning$2M

If you live in Wake County, two big bonds just passed. Voters approved $680 million for school repairs at 55 buildings and a $149.1 million Wake Tech bond to expand workforce training and upgrade campuses.

The Durham Herald Sun lists every Wake Tech project. The full cost of that loan could reach up to $228.8 million with interest, assuming the highest rate is charged. In Raleigh, housing and transportation bonds also passed, and they'll be paid from the city's Steady State fund.

Raleigh's transportation bond puts $51.5 million into three capital projects

Source: WUNC News

View as table
AmountShare
Three capital projects$51.5M50.7%
Citywide plans and programs$40M39.4%
Neighborhood traffic management$10M9.9%
  • Schools: $680 million, about $20 more a year for the average homeowner
  • : $0.90 more per $100,000 of property value each year
  • Median Raleigh home ($391,000): about $3.52 more a year for Wake Tech
  • Raleigh housing bond: $101.5 million, no property tax increase

Wake Schools

Wake school board extends Superintendent Robert Taylor's contract through June 2030 with no raise

Wake County's school superintendent is getting a longer contract but no bigger paycheck. The school board voted 7-1 Wednesday to extend Robert Taylor's contract one year, through June 30, 2030, the maximum state law allows.

Taylor's extension by the numbers

7-1
board vote to extend his contract
$349,942
annual base salary after this year's raise
3%
raise from this year's state budget

Source: The News & Observer

Board chair Tyler Swanson said Taylor asked to skip a raise because budgets are tight and teachers, especially veterans, haven't gotten the raises they deserve.

“We've had historic gains under his leadership.”

Tyler Swanson, Wake school board chair

Board member Toshiba Rice cast the lone no vote. She told WRAL after the meeting she didn't want to comment on her vote.

  • Absent: board member Chris Heagarty
  • Test results: highest state-exam passing rates since 2012
  • HVAC: students at more than a third of schools missed class since 2023

Taylor's contract and the HVAC plan run on separate clocks

  1. Sept. 2023Taylor was sworn in as Wake County superintendent.
  2. Nov. 4Board voted 7-1 to extend Taylor's contract.
  3. Dec.Administrators plan to present a long-term HVAC plan.
  4. June 2030Taylor's extended contract runs out.

Sources: The News & Observer, WRAL

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News Notes

Drought

, Raleigh's main water supply, is at 245 feet, six feet below normal for this time of year and its lowest level in at least three years. Raleigh's supply on the lake is at 63%, well above the 35% that would trigger Stage One water restrictions in November. Wake and Durham counties are both in severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Durham's Lake Michie and Little River Reservoir are 33% full. CBS 17The News & ObserverDurham Herald Sun

Raleigh's Falls Lake supply is well above the Stage One trigger

63%Raleigh's water supply on Falls Lake

Source: CBS 17

View as table
Value
Raleigh's water supply on Falls Lake63%
Stage One trigger in November35%

Wolfpack search

CBS 17 reports NC State officials flew to Alabama on Wednesday to meet with Philip Rivers about the head football coaching job. ABC11 reports that Russell Wilson interviewed Tuesday, according to sources who told ESPN's Adam Schefter. CBS 17ABC11 News

Gas pumps

State inspectors paused gas sales at 15 Triangle stations after finding pump issues. They visited dozens of stations between Aug. 19 and Oct. 31, and the problems turned up in Wake, Durham and Johnston counties. The News & Observer

Saturday's game

Duke (6-2) visits NC State (4-4) at Carter-Finley Stadium on Sat., Nov. 7, at 12:30 p.m. The Blue Devils have won three consecutive meetings, and the Wolfpack beat California 31-10 last Saturday under interim coach Todd Goebbel. NC Football NewsNC State Athletics

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Around North Carolina

Flu deaths

North Carolina is reporting nine flu-related deaths this season, up four from last week. Eight of the nine were people 65 or older. CBS 17

Eight of North Carolina's nine flu deaths were people 65 or older

8 of 9

  • were 65 or older
  • 1 was between 50 and 64

Source: CBS 17

View as table
CountShare
were 65 or older889%
was between 50 and 64111%

M&F Bancorp

M&F Bancorp shareholders approved the Durham company's merger into Columbia, South Carolina-based Optus Financial Corp. The deal provides $53.30 per share in cash at closing, pending regulatory approval. Business North Carolina

UNC probe

UNC spent more than $914,000 on its internal football investigation, according to records WRAL obtained. General manager Michael Lombardi and defensive coordinator Steve Belichick resigned during the probe. WRAL

Provisional ballots

County election boards must publish provisional ballot totals by the day after an election under state law. They review each provisional ballot during the 10-day post-election canvass period to determine eligibility. WECT

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Community

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Over the next few days, we’re organizing a fundraising campaign to boost our daily, hyperlocal newsletters, and we’d love your support with a recurring monthly gift. Think of it like buying us a cup of coffee every month. You'll help keep our content free and continue growing a positive local space we can all be proud of. Prefer a one-time gift? That's great, too — every dollar is a high five to our small team and a boost to local news.

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Asked

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Asked

Doing anything around the Triangle on Saturday, Nov. 7?

Be the first to answer.

Today’s puzzles

A new puzzle in each one every morning, played right here.

All 13 games

Quoted

The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.

— Sylvia Plath

Things to Do

Things to Do

Morrisville, NC

Thursday, Nov. 5

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Around the Block

Around the Block

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Neighbors

***MESSAGE TO THE THIEVES IN MORRISVILLE ***

“🐾🐕‍🦺🐈‍⬛🐾🐕‍🦺🐈‍⬛🐾🐕‍🦺🐈‍⬛🐾🐕‍🦺🐈‍⬛ I would just like to say to whomever, had the guts to walk in my yard and steal dog shelters that I spent my sweat, energy and time building for homeless animals & families in need of shelter for their animals that I hope you use them wisely! As far as the tools you took…”

— A neighbor, Carolina

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The Wrap

Fall color around the Triangle is still building. Northern Orange and Durham counties are nearing peak foliage, while the Triangle itself has partial color. Peak for our area is expected next week and should last several days before fading. The best leaves haven't shown up yet, so keep your eyes up.

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Every source in this edition19 links · 12 outlets
  1. The Weather Channelweather.com
  2. ABC11 Newsabc11.com
  3. WUNC Newswunc.org
  4. Durham Herald Sunheraldsun.com
  5. The News & Observernewsobserver.com
  6. WRALwral.com
  7. CBS 17cbs17.com
  8. The News & Observernewsobserver.com
  9. Durham Herald Sunheraldsun.com
  10. CBS 17cbs17.com
  11. ABC11 Newsabc11.com
  12. The News & Observernewsobserver.com
  13. NC Football Newsncfootballnews.com
  14. NC State Athleticsgopack.com
  15. CBS 17cbs17.com
  16. Business North Carolinabusinessnc.com
  17. WRALwral.com
  18. WECTwect.com
  19. Morrisville events calendar5ammorrisvillenc.com

Past issues

  1. Sat., Nov. 7NC State meets Philip Rivers about its coaching job; Green Hope wins
  2. Fri., Nov. 6Extreme drought spreads into parts of Wake County
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5AM Morrisvilleto me · Thurs., Nov. 56:00 a.m.

Wake voters OK $680M school bond and $149.1M for Wake Tech

Plus, Superintendent Robert Taylor gets a one-year contract extension with no raise.

The TLDR

  1. Wake voters approve a $680M school bond and $149.1M for Wake Tech
  2. Superintendent Robert Taylor's contract is extended, with no raise
  3. Falls Lake sits six feet below normal for this time of year
Read this edition

More stories this week

From 5AM Morrisville’s other editions

All the news
Wolfpack WatchNC State officials met with Philip Rivers in Alabama about the football coaching jobIf you bleed red, here's your Saturday read. NC State officials flew to Alabama to meet with Philip Rivers, the former Wolfpack quarterback who coaches St. Michael Catholic High School. Athletic director Boo Corrigan told WRAL he and others were in Fairhope on Wednesday. NC State fired Dave Doeren on Oct. 24.Today’s editionRead High School FootballGreen Hope beats Willow Spring 49-17 to win its playoff openerIf you follow Wake County football, Green Hope just earned another week. The No. 5 seed Falcons beat No. 12 Willow Spring 49-17 Friday in Cary in the first round of the NCHSAA 8A playoffs. It was a rematch: Green Hope had edged the Storm 27-24 two weeks earlier.Today’s editionRead WeatherExtreme drought spreads into parts of Wake County, and Friday's rain likely won't do much to helpIf you've been watching your lawn brown, the new numbers back you up. WRAL reports that parts of Wake County are now in extreme drought, and CBS 17 says the worsening includes eastern Wake County, southern Johnston County and much of Wayne County.Friday’s editionRead

Around Morrisville

From Durham Herald Sun, ABC11 News and 4 more newsrooms, gathered by 6AM News, 6AM City’s local news service.

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    Optimist Farm Road in eastern Holly Springs is closed after a car struck multiple cyclists Saturday morning, officials say. Avoid the area while responders work.

  2. ABC11 News1 hour ago

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  4. The Warren Record3 hours ago

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