howRDUdoin? is a blog about Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

A farm road outside of Durham (Flickr user sleepyneko)

We have exactly one important story today, and then we’re rolling with the slow news.

• Jehangir Taraporewalla held his wife and child hostage in his Durham home on Monday evening. [WRAL]
• Slow news begins now: hahaha, some kids PEED IN THE CAFETERIA ICE MAKER! And then some people used the pee-pee ice! [WRAL]
• The Duke lacrosse case (you remember that, right?) continued as Duke has officially appealed a ruling from April that allowed former lax coach Mike Pressler to sue for slander, on the grounds that his employment contract stipulated that disputes must be taken to arbitration. Pressler counters that his employment contract was rendered hilarious when Duke slandered him and forced him to quit. [H-S] (reg req)
• We read Craigslist each and every day to mine for local stories, but it seems like the N&O is getting in on the act - they’ve noticed that a lot of people are turning to the online bulletin board to seek help for their economic and family troubles.  [N&O]
• Our American Economy shrank by 0.5% in the third quarter, which is, what’s the word?, ah yes, recession. [TBJ]
• Remember when gas was over $4 a gallon, businesses started slapping “fuel surcharges” on everything? So now that gas has plummeted to its lowest level in years and years, those surcharges are going away, right? Oh wait, of course they’re not, because we’re socialists now and we don’t have to compete on price. [WRAL]