diff --git a/NEWS.md b/NEWS.md
index 3db1f1f98..3aab9f403 100644
--- a/NEWS.md
+++ b/NEWS.md
@@ -1,5 +1,15 @@
 # Meep Release Notes
 
+## Meep 1.28.0
+
+11/9/2023
+
+* Improved special field updates for r=0 in cylindrical coordinates ([#2538]).
+
+* Geometric objects now have a `label` field that appears when `Simulation.plot2D` is called with `label_geometry=True` ([#2631]).
+
+* Various improvements and minor bug fixes ([#2554], [#2599], [#2560], [#2611], [#2684], [#2695]) and additional documentation.
+
 ## Meep 1.27.0
 
 5/25/2023
@@ -1177,3 +1187,11 @@ Meep 1.0.1
 [#2499]: https://github.com/NanoComp/meep/issues/2499
 [#2504]: https://github.com/NanoComp/meep/issues/2504
 [#2518]: https://github.com/NanoComp/meep/issues/2518
+[#2538]: https://github.com/NanoComp/meep/issues/2538
+[#2554]: https://github.com/NanoComp/meep/issues/2554
+[#2560]: https://github.com/NanoComp/meep/issues/2560
+[#2599]: https://github.com/NanoComp/meep/issues/2599
+[#2611]: https://github.com/NanoComp/meep/issues/2611
+[#2631]: https://github.com/NanoComp/meep/issues/2631
+[#2684]: https://github.com/NanoComp/meep/issues/2684
+[#2695]: https://github.com/NanoComp/meep/issues/2695
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 11b33b1d3..fd3b27ff2 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -1,13 +1,13 @@
 # Process this file with autoconf to produce a configure script.
 
-AC_INIT([meep],[m4_esyscmd(./version.sh 1.28.0-beta)])
+AC_INIT([meep],[m4_esyscmd(./version.sh 1.28.0)])
 AC_CONFIG_SRCDIR(src/step.cpp)
 
 # Shared-library version number; indicates api compatibility, and is
 # not the same as the "public" version number.  (Don't worry about this
 # except for public releases.) Note that any change to a C++ class
 # definition (in the .hpp file) generally breaks binary compatibility.
-SHARED_VERSION_INFO="32:0:0" # CURRENT:REVISION:AGE
+SHARED_VERSION_INFO="32:1:0" # CURRENT:REVISION:AGE
 
 AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE([foreign color-tests parallel-tests silent-rules 1.11])
 AM_SILENT_RULES(yes)