Good people of Cary,

It was an interesting week.

A helicopter trimming vegetation along the railroad managed to knock out power to tens of thousands of people across Cary and Morrisville, with some residents and businesses waiting more than six hours for the lights to come back on.

One of Cary’s most popular greenways also has a significant closure with no official detour.

And I spent part of last week pretending to rent a suspiciously cheap Cary apartment from someone I found on TikTok. That eventually resulted in an Apple gift card request, a very angry phone call, and the discovery that real Cary homes were being advertised for rent without the people living in them having any idea.

More on all of that below.

Thank you for continuing to support local,

James

If your lights suddenly went out last Thursday, a helicopter was apparently to blame.

A widespread power outage began around 2:15 p.m. September 3, affecting about 35,000 Duke Energy customers, mostly in Cary and Morrisville. Duke Energy said a contracted helicopter crew performing vegetation work for the railroad damaged one of its transmission lines. The helicopter crew was not working for Duke Energy.

For some customers, the outage was relatively short. Others waited more than six hours for power to return.

The timing made things particularly unpleasant. Temperatures were extremely hot across the Triangle, and the outage began during the afternoon. Several Cary facilities were forced to close or cancel evening programs, including the Cary Senior Center, Bond Park Community Center, Page-Walker Arts & History Center, the Cary Theater and the Cary Arts Center. Traffic signals were also affected around town.

The outage appeared to be fully resolved by around 9 PM.

Additional reading: ABC11, WRAL

A portion of White Oak Creek Greenway is closed, and there is currently no reopening date.

The affected section runs between Green Level Church Road and I-540. Cary says it is conducting a detailed assessment of the boardwalk structures along that stretch to determine their condition and what repairs may be needed. Nearby boardwalks along White Oak Creek Greenway are also being inspected.

This is a particularly annoying closure because there really is not a practical detour.

The closed section prevents through-travel toward the greenway’s connection with the American Tobacco Trail, if you’re coming from most of White Oak Creek’s most popular starting points. Cary recommends using either the White Oak Church Road Trailhead or New Hope Church Road Trailhead if trying to access the ATT.

To make things slightly more complicated, Wake County also has a separate closure on the adjoining American Tobacco Trail between the Wimberly Road parking area and the White Oak Creek Greenway entrance while crews repair damage from a 2024 landslide. You can still travel north on the trail, heading toward Durham.

For now, if White Oak Creek is part of your normal walking, running or biking route, check the closure map before heading out.

Additional reading: Town of Cary

A one-bedroom apartment in Cary for $660 per month. That was the listing that showed up in my TikTok feed last week.

The price immediately stood out because it was dramatically below anything you would normally expect to find in Cary. Looking up the address made things even stranger. The supposed one-bedroom apartment was actually a roughly 3,100-square-foot single-family house, and it was not listed for rent or sale.

So I texted the number.

After filling out a very basic application on Google Forms, the person behind the listing eventually asked me to go to a store and purchase an Apple gift card to approve my rental application. When I offered to pay through Venmo, PayPal or even write a check, those options were ignored. He wanted the gift card code.

That was the scam.

But what made this particularly interesting was where the addresses were coming from.

The TikTok account was advertising real homes in Cary, Morrisville, Holly Springs, Durham and elsewhere. The footage in the videos did not appear to show the actual houses being advertised. Instead, unrelated apartment footage was being paired with real residential addresses and dramatically discounted rental prices.

I contacted the owners of several of the properties. One Cary homeowner confirmed that the house was their primary residence and absolutely was not for rent. They had no idea their address was being advertised on TikTok, and that the video was not of their house.

The person behind the account, meanwhile, claimed directly to me that he owned one of the houses.

After I told him I was a journalist and started asking questions about the listings, the conversation deteriorated rather quickly. He began insulting me, including several messages entirely in Yoruba (a language primarily spoken in West Africa). He eventually called me, yelled a series of expletives for 37 seconds, hung up and blocked me.

Before contacting him, I reported the account to TikTok using its in-app fraud and scams reporting option. Within the hour, TikTok responded that no violations had been found.

I then emailed TikTok’s press team, explained what I had uncovered and asked why an account apparently attempting to collect gift-card payments through fraudulent rental listings was allowed to remain online.

The account was removed by TikTok the next day. A TikTok spokesperson said that more than 98% of videos removed for violating its fraud and scam policies during the first quarter of 2026 were identified proactively before anyone reported them. TikTok did not answer my question about why my original report was closed without action.

While reporting the story, I found four additional accounts using essentially the same strategy with different Cary addresses. As of publication, those accounts remained online.

The biggest takeaway is pretty simple: never send money for a rental you have not seen yourself, verify that the person advertising the property actually has the authority to rent it, and immediately walk away if someone asks you to pay an application fee or deposit using gift cards.

There is quite a bit more to this one, including screenshots, my exchange with the scammer, what TikTok told me and what the actual homeowners had to say.

Read the full investigation: Someone was renting out Cary homes on TikTok. The people who live in them had no idea.

Interested in partnering with us? Reach out at [email protected] and let's find something that works for you.

What: The Cary Theater’s annual film festival returns for its ninth year with four days of short films, screenings, filmmaker conversations, workshops and a live reading of the festival’s winning screenplay.

Where: The Cary Theater (122 E. Chatham Street)

When: Thu–Sun, September 10–13

More Info

What: Downtown Cary Park turns into a circus for the day with aerial performances, fire and LED entertainment, interactive workshops, vendors, food trucks and activities for all ages. The event is free.

Where: Downtown Cary Park (327 S. Academy Street)

When: Sat, September 12 | 3–10 p.m.

More Info

What: Niki Haris, who spent two decades singing with Madonna, joins the Christian Tamburr Band for a free concert reimagining songs by Michael Jackson and The Jackson 5 through jazz, soul and R&B.

Where: Downtown Cary Park (327 S. Academy Street)

When: Sun, September 13 | 5:30–7 p.m.

More Info

Experience Paris right here in Cary!

Sweet Paris Crêperie & Café recently opened at Fenton, marking the Houston-based restaurant chain’s first North Carolina location. The company started with a single café in Houston’s Rice Village in 2012 and has since expanded around the country.

Despite the name, you definitely do not have to go here just for dessert.

The menu is built around both sweet and savory crêpes, with options ranging from Nutella and dulce de leche to ham and Gruyère, smoked salmon and steak. There are also waffles, breakfast dishes, paninis, salads and bowls, along with coffee, matcha, milkshakes, and more. Vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options are available as well.

Unlike all of the other restaurants in Fenton, you order at the counter. This makes it Fenton’s only fast-casual spot to purchase a full meal.

The Cary location is open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day, and parking is free in Fenton’s decks.

Sweet Paris Crêperie & Café
1 Fenton Main Street, Suite 190
Open daily | 8 a.m.–9 p.m.

More Info

Thanks for reading! If you liked or disliked this report, feel free to reply and let me know! I love hearing from you.

P.S.

Are you following me on Facebook and Instagram? I post a lot more content there that I’m sure you’d love if you enjoy this newsletter. Click on the social links below to check them out!