610 N. Buchanan Rd., the home that the 2006 Duke Lacrosse case emerged from, was leveled Monday morning.

The house stood just across the street from the stone walls of Duke’s East Campus and had been vacant since the March 2006 lacrosse party, where stripper Crystal Mangum alleged she was raped by three of the team’s athletes. The charges were dropped after extensive research and deliberations. The property, though off campus, was part of a larger University purchase of rental properties just one month before the scandal broke.

(Read Chronicle alumnus and 2010 graduate Nate Freeman’s narrative of the house and the case on The Awl)

The University kept the house uninhabited as lawsuits related to the case continued over the years – the building was considered a piece of evidence. Duke looked to sell the property in April.

Future plans for the property are undecided. The University’s 2006 purchase was aimed at developing more spacious and family-friendly living quarters. Now, the location might be put on the market. University administrators will make a decision “sooner rather than later,” Mike Schoenfeld, vice president for public affairs and government relations, told The (Raleigh) News & Observer Monday.

Jamie Stewart shows his pride--gay and American. Courtesy xiuxiu.org

Amidst the rainbow flags and grey skies, anyone at North Carolina’s annual Pride Festival might have missed it, but there was fame in the crowd, in the form of none other than Xiu Xiu’s Jamie Stewart. The Durham-hating transplant wrote on his blog about the event:

more than a few times i have wished that my rotten little town of durham, NC would
be destroyed by a fire storm.
but today something great happened. i did not know this but the entire state of north carolina
has
held its queer pride parade in my rotten little town for the last 25 years.
…
i saw 2 men. one was white, clearly from the country, maybe 25 at most, with a man who was black, clearly from the country, maybe 50 at the youngest. the older man was shyly holding the younger man’s arm so they would not be separated in the crowd as they walked along. this was on my street. it was beautiful.

Maybe the Bull City is growing on him. If not, at least he’s out of town.

Turns out he was right.

The couple made a surprise visit to the Center this afternoon. The Gates Foundation also supports similar educational facilities across the country, according to NBC 17.

The appearance marks Trustee Emerita Melinda French Gates’ first public stop in Durham since the dedication of the French Family Science Center at Duke in 2007, but today’s visit is unrelated to this weekend’s Homecoming festivities.

“There won’t be any surprise presentation on the football field,” said Michael Schoenfeld, vice president for public affairs and government relations. “It’s up to them if they want to show up.”

It is now unclear what kind of gun was used in the robbery. The Chronicle originally reported that the student was shot with a pellet gun, based on a a Duke press release. Durham Police, however, say they do not know what kind of firearm was used.

Duke University Police Department Maj. Gloria Graham said she does not know how the weapon was identified in the Duke press release, but that information provided by the Durham Police Department is “the most up to date and accurate,” because DPD is handling the investigation.

Duke and Durham Police may pay extra attention to the area where the attack occurred, near the intersection of Trinity Avenue and Watts Street, when they increase patrolling during the first two weeks of school, Graham said, noting that this area of the Trinity Park Neighborhood is not a “hot spot” for crime. In 2009, there have been five robberies (including this one and the armed robbery of a Duke student in April) and one assault within a quarter-mile of the intersection, according to DPD Crime Mapper data.

As the investigation into Saturday’s attack continues, leaders of the communities affected by the violence have been reaching out to their residents. The Trinity Park Neighborhood Association is holding a meeting tonight with DPD to discuss the crime and neighborhood safety, The Durham Herald-Sun reported.

Meanwhile, undergraduates received an e-mail today about the armed robbery from Vice President for Student Affairs Larry Moneta. The message was intended to have been sent Sunday to all graduate and undergraduate students.

“Last night, sometime after midnight, a student was assaulted as he was walking back to his apartment”, Moneta wrote in the e-mail. “The assault took place on Watts Street near the intersection with Trinity Ave. It has been reported that the assailant had a weapon which was discharged in the struggle. Though the student was injured, he is expected to fully recover.”

In an interview with The Chronicle, Moneta said a computer problem—possibly caused by a mistake he made in sending Sunday’s e-mail—prevented undergraduates from receiving it, though graduate students got the notice. He apologized for the delay in today’s email.

Because Moneta’s e-mail was written Sunday, before more accurate information was available, it cites an incorrect time for the incident. The armed robbery actually occurred just before midnight Saturday, DPD Public Information Officer Kammie Michael said Monday (The original DPD press release said the attack occurred Sunday).

Moneta’s e-mail also includes general safety tips for students, many of whom will be returning to campus next week for the Fall semester:

1. Avoid risky behavior. Don’t walk alone at night or in unfamiliar areas. Avoid alcohol and drugs. Stay with people you trust.

2. Be alert, walk confidently and make eye contact. If someone has negative intentions, making eye contact might deter them because they realize you can identify them.

3. If you’re being followed, go to the nearest populated, well-lit location and call 911. Do not go home. If you’re walking, cross the street away from the person and go somewhere such as a convenient store. If you’re driving, you can go to the Duke Hospital emergency room or Duke Police headquarters at 502 Oregon St.

4. Report suspicious activity immediately. Trust your instincts. If you see a person who isn’t typically in your area of campus and they’re acting suspicious, call Duke Police at 684-2444 or dial 911.

5. Do not leave personal property unattended. Laptops, backpacks and purses, or cell phones are easy items to steal. What they contain is difficult to replace.