TechWire Rewind: Raleigh No. 3 Tech Town; Epic-Apple lawsuit update; Centennial Campus vision + 78 more headlines

As Monday morning rolls in, we’re providing TechWire readers with a quick recap of the past week’s news headlines.

Notable news stories from last week included: Raleigh ranked third in CompTIA’s 2020 Tech Town Index, while Charlotte metro was listed No. 5 and Durham-Chapel Hill ranked No. 13; Raleigh VC firm Oval Park Capital emerged from stealth mode after banking $4.5 million of its new investment fund; Amazon is hiring over 2,800 seasonal workers in North Carolina; the legal battle between Apple and Cary-based Epic Games continues, now with a judge striking down Apple’s demand for punitive damages; the NC Biotechnology Center recently awarded $623,136 in grants and loans to bioscience companies, universities and nonprofits; NC State is seeking rezoning approval to modernize its Centennial Campus.

Several local companies secured new funding last week, including Morrisville-based Locus Biosciences ($7 million), Durham-based Sense Photonics ($6 million), Durham-based Colmmune ($45 million) and Raleigh-based Virtue Labs ($28.6 million). Read more local startup news in our weekly Startup Rewind edition.

And, in national news: Pfizer revealed early data showing that its coronavirus vaccine is over 90% effective; the Federal Trade Commission is requiring Zoom to step up its security; European Union regulators hit Amazon with antitrust charges over its use of data; Apple announced a series of new devices powered by its new M1 chip; more than 1,000 layoffs are underway at WarnerMedia; Cisco spent $900 million last quarter on early retirements, severance and termination benefits, but employees still don’t know the details about job cuts.

Keeping with our Monday “TechWire Rewind” tradition, here’s a look back at 81 local, state and national headlines as reported by WRAL TechWire last week: