Home | The Curious Scout

Lee County Punts Data Center Responsibility to State Leaders

A packed Board of Commissioners meeting saw elected officials trudge ahead with a massive data center complex despite wide and sustained public outrage

Diara J. Townes

•

Aug 19, 2026

Lee County

Lee County Residents Are Just Getting Started

A data center that's grown from one building to 11, a petition past 2,500 signatures, and a community preparing for what August could mean.

Diara J. Townes

•

Jul 31, 2026

history

Warped in Washington

America needs a mirror, not a monument.

Diara J. Townes

•

Jun 30, 2026

Walk by Faith, Not By Sight

How I pushed through grief and the chaos of journalism to finish a nine-month environmental investigation into data centers in North Carolina.

Diara J. Townes

•

May 10, 2026

The Curious Scout

Join the list to receive our newest posts straight to your inbox.

Latest

Lee County says EMS deal is over

Diara J. Townes

•

Apr 16, 2026

Nearly 300 Rally in Downtown Sanford as No Kings Protests Sweep NC

Diara J. Townes

•

Mar 29, 2026

Elections

Dozens of NC Candidates Missing Ethics Forms Ahead of Primary

Diara J. Townes, +1

•

Feb 28, 2026

Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost: On Peace, the Past and the Path Forward

Diara J. Townes

•

Jan 23, 2026

Panic! at the Year-End Digital Media Disco

Diara J. Townes

•

Dec 31, 2025

The SNAP: When Power Becomes Tyranny

Diara J. Townes

•

Nov 30, 2025

"I Didn't Fight for This"

Diara J. Townes

•

Nov 20, 2025

Non-Biological Cruelty: How We Learned to Stop Being Human

Diara J. Townes

•

Oct 17, 2025