🌳 A Durham Creek Runs Past an Elementary School
TL;DR — 3 Things to Know This Week
- North Carolina sued chemical distributor Brenntag Mid-South for dumping industrial contaminants into Third Fork Creek, which runs past Burton Magnet Elementary School in McDougald Terrace.
- Durham County commissioners unanimously approved a $1.05 billion budget, raising property taxes 2.5 cents and sending $14.55 million more to Durham Public Schools.
- Durham County reversed a library director's unilateral order to strip all LGBTQ+ Pride displays from branches after commissioners learned about it through Reddit.
State Sues Over Industrial Chemicals Leaking Into a Creek Behind a Durham Elementary School
North Carolina is suing Brenntag Mid-South after the chemical distributor missed cleanup deadlines and kept discharging industrial contaminants into Third Fork Creek, which flows past Burton Magnet Elementary School in McDougald Terrace.
- Attorney General Jeff Jackson and the Department of Environmental Quality filed the joint lawsuit June 9, after an anonymous complaint in April 2025 led inspectors to find petroleum-based lubricants, solvents, acids, and bases leaking from drums and tanks at Brenntag's south Durham facility and pooling into the creek.
- DEQ ordered a cleanup and set deadlines. Brenntag missed them. A follow-up inspection found violations continuing and no corrective action plan submitted, which is what pushed the state to court.
- Third Fork Creek runs through Burton Park and drains into Jordan Lake, a regional drinking water source. Jackson said officials don't currently believe drinking water is unsafe, though the contamination could affect wildlife.
- The city had flagged the site years before, issuing a formal notice of violation in July 2022 after spotting unusually dark water and low oxygen levels. The state's lawsuit seeks a remediation plan within 30 days and an immediate halt to any ongoing discharge.
What to watch: The 30-day clock for Brenntag to submit a remediation plan starts now. The creek's path through McDougald Terrace, past an elementary school and a public park, makes the timeline and scope of any cleanup a direct concern for that neighborhood.
Durham County Reversed a Library Director's Order to Strip Pride Displays. Commissioners Found Out on Reddit.
Library Director Dana Conners ordered all LGBTQ+ Pride materials removed from Durham County branches Thursday afternoon, citing federal DEI orders. The Board of County Commissioners overruled her by Friday morning after learning about it from a Reddit post.
- Conners, who took the director role in January, sent an email to branch staff directing the removal of every Pride display effective immediately, framing it as protective. The decision was hers alone and was not authorized by the board, county manager, or county attorney.
- A Reddit post Thursday evening described staff stripping shelves in front of patrons, with LGBTQ+ workers feeling alienated. County spokesperson Deborah Craig-Ray said no board policy prohibits Pride Month displays and that legal updates from the County Attorney's Office had never directed such a removal.
- The reversal comes a year after the Board of Commissioners itself pulled county funding from Durham's Pride parade under Trump administration pressure over DEI programs. That decision was board-directed. This one wasn't, and the board moved to undo it within hours.
Why it matters: The episode puts a spotlight on how individual administrators are interpreting federal DEI pressure in the absence of clear local guidance, and how quickly an unauthorized action can escalate into a public crisis. Conners did not respond to requests for comment.
Civic
Durham County Adopts $1.05B Budget With a Tax Increase and a Warning About Next Year
Commissioners unanimously passed the FY 2026-27 budget on June 8, raising property taxes and sending more money to schools and EMS, but acknowledged the harder problem may be the $12 million shortfall already projected for the following year.
- The board adopted a $1,049,757,411 budget with a 2.5-cent property tax increase, bringing the rate to 57.92 cents per $100 of assessed value. For a $400,000 home, that's about $100 more per year. Commissioners added $4.33 million above what County Manager Claudia Hager proposed.
- Durham Public Schools receives $239,078,901, a $14.55 million increase. EMS gains 10 new full-time positions and the Sheriff's Office picks up five reallocated roles. Most departments absorbed 2% cuts to make room. The county described this as one of the hardest budget cycles in recent memory, with more than $40 million in unfunded requests.
- Two Durham Public Schools physical therapists told commissioners their nine-person department lost six staff this year, dropping to 62% capacity, and warned that unmet federally mandated student services could expose the district to lawsuits. The staffing warning was one of several public comments pushing for classified staff pay improvements.
- Speakers also urged commissioners to restore LGBTQ-related programming funding cut in last year's cycle, citing the elimination of the county's LGBTQ committee and Pride funding reductions.
What to watch: The budget takes effect July 1, but commissioners already flagged at least $12 million in projected shortfalls for FY 2027-28. The DPS staffing gap, particularly for classified support roles, is a pressure point that could return before next year's budget season.
Quick Hits
- Durham County commissioners unanimously approved a $1.05 billion FY 2026-27 budget, raising the property tax rate 2.5 cents to 57.92 cents per $100 of assessed value and sending Durham Public Schools a $14.55 million funding increase.
- State auditors found Durham Tech misstated its finances by more than $15 million for the second consecutive audit cycle, tracing the errors to a lack of succession planning and the college's failure to implement year-end financial procedures after similar findings in 2023.
- Dozens of residents pressed Durham City Council at a second public hearing on the $766.1 million proposed budget, with speakers divided between calls to fund Violence Interrupters at $250,000 and warnings against expanded policing. The council vote is scheduled for June 15.
- West Point on the Eno Park closes in July for six months of ADA upgrades to parking lots and pedestrian paths, with no public access through January 2027. The historic mill damaged by Tropical Storm Chantal is a separate issue with no repair timeline announced.
- Duke has started construction on a $23 million GPU data center on Central Campus, starting at 1.5 megawatts with room to expand to 3 megawatts. Some faculty say the energy- and water-intensive facility could undercut Duke's own climate commitments.
- Chef Michael Lee opens M Hansik on June 19 at the Shops at Wye Junction, a 54-seat modern Korean restaurant in the former Plum Southern Kitchen space, with a grand opening set for June 24.
- The Carolina Blaze, the East Coast's only Athletes Unlimited Softball League franchise, opens its first Durham home season Thursday at Smith Family Stadium on Duke's East Campus, with No. 1 draft pick Karlyn Pickens and former Duke standout Ana Gold on the roster.
Events
AfterHours: Science Distilled
Thu, June 11 · Museum of Life and Science
Starpath Dance Academy: We’re Better Together
Sat, June 13 · Carolina Theatre
Jill Scott
Thu, June 18 · DPAC
Juneteenth Film Screening – BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions
Thu, June 18 · Nasher Museum of Art
Durham Bulls vs. Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp
Fri, June 19 · Durham Bulls Athletic Park
Max Richter
Fri, June 19 · DPAC
The Beths
Fri, June 19 · Cat's Cradle
Comedy Bang! Bang! Ground Beefing Tour
Sat, June 20 · Carolina Theatre
Spotlight
Each week we highlight a Durham small business, nonprofit, or community spot we love.
Cocoa Cinnamon
Started by two co-founders with roots in Durham's bike culture, this locally owned shop has grown to three Durham locations built around spiced drinking chocolate and coffee done with care. What we love: the drinking chocolate program is genuinely unlike anything else in the Bull City, and the shops feel like places people actually linger.
Real Estate
3604 Darwin Rd
$1,950,000 · 4 bed, 6 bath, 5,137 sqft
2210 Timberview Dr
$1,100,000 · 4 bed, 3 bath, 3,292 sqft
Taylorsville Plan, Avalon Place - Signature Series
$509,000 · 5 bed, 5 bath, 3,252 sqft