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Judge Set To Decide On RDU Quarry Case

Signs opposing the proposed rock quarry on airport land have popped up around Wake and Durham counties.
Signs opposing the proposed rock quarry on airport land have popped up around Wake and Durham counties.

A court decision on whether to build a contentious rock quarry in Wake County is expected within a week. The planned site for the quarry is a strip of forested land nestled alongside Umstead Park in Raleigh.Host Frank Stasio speaks with Jason deBruyn, WUNC’s data reporter, about a battle over land that now provides recreation becoming a rock quarry.

The Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority oversees the land and wants to lease the property out to the local mining company Wake Stone to help generate income for airport development plans. But a number of local residents and organizations have mobilized against the change. The terrain is a haven for local hikers and mountain bikers. Two groups, The Umstead Coalition and Triangle Off-Road Cyclists (TORC), have asked for an injunction against Wake Stone’s operation. In response, a Wake County Superior Court judge has issued a temporary restraining order against quarry development and is expected to rule on the case within a week.

Host Frank Stasio speaks with Jason deBruyn, WUNC’s data reporter, for the latest in the battle over the contested woodland.

Copyright 2019 North Carolina Public Radio

Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.
Laura Pellicer is a producer with The State of Things (hyperlink), a show that explores North Carolina through conversation. Laura was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, a city she considers arrestingly beautiful, if not a little dysfunctional. She worked as a researcher for CBC Montreal and also contributed to their programming as an investigative journalist, social media reporter, and special projects planner. Her work has been nominated for two Canadian RTDNA Awards. Laura loves looking into how cities work, pursuing stories about indigenous rights, and finding fresh voices to share with listeners. Laura is enamored with her new home in North Carolina—notably the lush forests, and the waves where she plans on moonlighting as a mediocre surfer.