In late March and early April, wafts of yellow-green coated every outdoor surface — cars, chairs and stairs alike. Pollen levels in North Carolina reached record levels last month, which experts attributed to forces driven by a changing climate. ✍️: Bhavika Verma 📸: Andy Jiang

Duke admitted a record-low 4.8% of applicants to the Class of 2029 this admission cycle. To put the University’s selectivity into context, The Chronicle compared Duke’s Early Decision, Regular Decision and overall acceptance statistics with the 14 peer institutions in the Ivy+ grouping.

Natasha Bedingfield will headline the annual Last Day of Classes concert on April 23, according to a video streamed by the DUU LDOC Committee during its Thursday evening artist reveal. Additional acts include Penelope Road and Rich The Kid. ✍️: Claire Cranford 📸: Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

The federal government terminated the visas of two Duke graduate students and an alumnus on Optional Practical Training, according to a Monday morning email sent to international students. Read more at the link. ✍️: Claire Cranford and Ana Despa 📸: Amy Zhang

During his bid to become president of the United States, Donald Trump promised to “carry out the largest deportation operation in American history.” Some Durhamites did not anticipate the administration’s Feb. 13 arrests targeting Durham neighborhoods. ✍️: Lucas Lin 📸: Thomas Han

Seniors Danica Bajaj, Jax Nalley and Gabriela Pereda are this year’s selected undergraduate finalists, while Austin Beason, Keanu Valibia and Dakota Douglas are the selected Graduate/Professional Young Trustee finalists.

North Carolina recently reached a multibillion-dollar settlement with Purdue Pharma, the producer of the addictive painkiller oxycontin, as the latest in a series of targeted efforts over the past few years to combat the state’s ongoing opioid crisis. ✍️: Claire Chen 📸: Thomas Han

The Trump administration’s recent decisions to limit communications from federal health care agencies and strip nearly $4 million worth of funding from the National Institutes of Health have stoked concern among Duke faculty and students. ✍️: Rebecca Fan 📸: Visruth Hanumaihgari

When Duke launched its new major fundraising campaign, student groups found STEM and student life in the starting lineup, though some wondered if the humanities would be on the sidelines. ✍️: Michael Austin 📸: Nicole Nie

the most fun google alert for my name, maybe ever: the staff of the @dukechronicle.bsky.social has elected a woman sports editor for the first time in almost 20 years! Heck yeah, Abby!!!

Around 200 Duke community members and Durham residents protested Wednesday afternoon to demand that Duke not comply with the Trump administration’s efforts to end diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and target undocumented communities. ✍️: Rebecca Fan & Sarah Diaz 📸: Courtesy of participants

The Board of Trustees approved a 5.93% increase in the undergraduate cost of attendance for the 2025-26 academic year during its recent quarterly meeting, bringing Duke’s price tag to $92,042. ✍️: Abby Spiller 📸: Amy Zhang

Anjanée Bell, the daughter of Durham’s longest-serving mayor, now aspires to follow in her father’s footsteps and has officially announced her mayoral candidacy. ✍️: Zoe Kolenovsky 📸: Ezequiel Baltierra

The Duke University Health System is implementing AI note-taking technology in its facilities across the state, hoping to alleviate physicians’ administrative burden and allow them to spend more time directly caring for patients. ✍️: Vikram Sambasivan 📸: Olivia Schramkowski

AI researcher, activist and artist Joy Buolamwini spoke about bias in facial recognition technologies (FRTs) and the state of AI policy at a Tuesday event.

An armed robbery occurred around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday on Pettigrew Street near the Center for Documentary Studies, according to a Tuesday evening DukeAlert sent to all students, faculty and staff.

Despite being 40 years apart in their time at Duke, both John and Amrith were hugely involved in the student paper at Duke, @dukechronicle.bsky.social. Love seeing how shared love and devotion to the same student papers that raised them connects working journalists together for years after.

Following President Donald Trump’s recent suggestion that the United States take ownership of Gaza, some Duke faculty expressed firm disapproval of the plan for its ethical and legal implications. ✍️: Darragh Senchyna 📸: James Wang

For the past 15 months, members of the Beth-El Synagogue in Durham kept their hopes alive as one of their own was held hostage in Gaza. Now, they are relieved by news of Keith Siegel’s release as part of the fourth hostage-prisoner exchange between Hamas and Israel. ✍️: Lucas Lin 📸: Claire Cranford

In a time of polarization and political tensions at universities across the country, Duke alumni are joining efforts to promote academic freedom and viewpoint diversity on campus. ✍️: Winston Qian 📸: Amy Zhang

A federal judge temporarily blocked a new policy from the Trump administration, which would cut $4 billion in National Institutes of Health research funding, after North Carolina and 21 other states filed suit against the move Monday. ✍️: Michelle Voicu 📸: Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

President Donald Trump announced his plan to fire multiple board members of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and appoint himself as chairman, replacing David Rubenstein, Trinity ‘70 and one of Duke’s top donors. ✍️: Michael Austin 📸: Courtesy of Duke Today

Former Duke visiting professor Darren Beattie was tapped to serve as the acting undersecretary for public diplomacy and public affairs by Secretary of State Marco Rubio Monday. ✍️: Abby Spiller 📸: Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons www.dukechronicle.com/article/2025...

Three Duke professors were awarded the inaugural Judith Deckers Prize for excellence in undergraduate education Thursday. ✍️: Holly Keegan 📸: Courtesy of Duke Today

A Duke career fair last Thursday featured recruiters from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), drawing concern from some students about the comfort and perceived safety of undocumented community members. ✍️: Kate Haver 📸: Abby Perry

My former student Ranjan Jindal visited a barbershop in Durham, North Carolina that's dedicated to the region's college basketball rivalries. "Every seat is courtside," said owner Khedron Mims. @dukechronicle.bsky.social

Duke Health and UNC Health announced Tuesday that they are collaborating to develop North Carolina’s first standalone children’s hospital, which will be built in the Triangle area. ✍️: Zoe Kolenovsky 📸: Kate Reiniche

President Donald Trump raised the option of eliminating or overhauling the Federal Emergency Management Agency during a Friday visit to western North Carolina. ✍️: Zoe Kolenovsky 📸: Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

N.C. Attorney General Jeff Jackson joined 21 attorney generals Tuesday in filing lawsuits in two federal district courts to block President Donald Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship. ✍️: Winston Qian 📸: Courtesy of AP News

Community members gathered in the Duke Chapel Sunday afternoon for the annual commemoration of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., which featured a keynote address from Jerry Blackwell, U.S. District Judge for Minnesota. ✍️: Rudi Chamria 📸: Andy Jiang

Crystal Mangum, the woman who falsely accused three Duke men’s lacrosse players of rape in 2006, admitted for the first time that she lied about the allegations, and asked for David Evans, Collin Finnerty and Reade Seligmann’s forgiveness: www.dukechronicle.com/article/2024...