Local

This week’s best photos from News & Observer photojournalists

By Scott Sharpe

April 17, 2026 1:37 PM

Five-year-old Elijah Deviney reacts while playing in the waterfall at Gibson Play Plaza at Dix Park on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, in Raleigh, N.C. — Five-year-old Elijah Deviney reacts while playing in the waterfall at Gibson Play Plaza at Dix Park on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, in Raleigh, N.C. Kaitlin McKeown kmckeown@newsobserver.com

Here’s a curated selection of photos from the Triangle and beyond as captured through the lenses of News & Observer photojournalists. This feature can be seen in Sunday’s newspaper, as well as in our online Edition. See it at eedition.newsobserver.com.

Paddleboarders set out across Falls Lake from the Beaver Dam Primitive Access Area on Thursday, April 16, 2026, as central North Carolina faces drought conditions and water restrictions. The lake’s water level was about 249 feet on April 15, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, following little recent rainfall. — Paddleboarders set out across Falls Lake from the Beaver Dam Primitive Access Area on Thursday, April 16, 2026, as central North Carolina faces drought conditions and water restrictions. The lake’s water level was about 249 feet on April 15, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, following little recent rainfall. Travis Long tlong@newsobserver.com

A Red-shouldered Hawk looks out from a grassy area at Sarah P. Duke Gardens on Thursday, April 16, 2026, in Durham, N.C. — A Red-shouldered Hawk looks out from a grassy area at Sarah P. Duke Gardens on Thursday, April 16, 2026, in Durham, N.C. Kaitlin McKeown kmckeown@newsobserver.com

A tower stands vigil over a shuttered textile mill in Alamance County. Mill towers often featured pulley systems for moving heavy items from floor to floor. Small mill towns were prevalent along the Haw River. — A tower stands vigil over a shuttered textile mill in Alamance County. Mill towers often featured pulley systems for moving heavy items from floor to floor. Small mill towns were prevalent along the Haw River. Scott Sharpe ssharpe@newsobserver.com

Red clay chinking fills spaces between the hand hewn logs of an old tobacco barn in Rockingham County. Log tobacco barns were common in when tobacco was the main cash crop of the area northwest of Raleigh near the Virginia border. — Red clay chinking fills spaces between the hand hewn logs of an old tobacco barn in Rockingham County. Log tobacco barns were common in when tobacco was the main cash crop of the area northwest of Raleigh near the Virginia border. Scott Sharpe ssharpe@newsobserver.com