🌳 Durham Is Down to One Outdoor Pool This Summer
TL;DR — 3 Things to Know This Week
- An analysis presented at Durham's Summit on Saving Lives identifies 10 gangs as the primary drivers of the city's most lethal gun violence, with 242 shooting incidents and 13 deaths recorded as of June 13.
- Durham is operating only one outdoor pool this summer after Forest Hills Pool closed permanently, and the city's three spraygrounds remain shut because of the drought.
- Duke Energy Carolinas cut its proposed residential rate hike from 18% to 11.6% after Attorney General Jeff Jackson filed objections, but Jackson says the revised number is still too high.
10 Gangs Are Driving Durham's Deadliest Gun Violence
Six months of data and listening sessions across Durham produced a specific answer: 10 gangs account for the city's most lethal shootings, and officials now have maps of who and where.
- Reygan Cunningham, director of the Crime & Justice Policy Lab West at the University of Pennsylvania, presented the analysis at Durham's Summit on Saving Lives at the Durham Convention Center. Cunningham has more than 20 years of violence reduction work, including in Oakland.
- As of June 13, Durham had 242 shooting incidents this year, leaving 92 people shot and 13 dead. The summit drew on six months of outreach, listening sessions, and a review of recent homicide and nonfatal shooting records.
- Durham has previously tried ShotSpotter and Bull City United, both now discontinued. What replaces them depends on how officials act on the analysis in the next phase.
- Krystal Harris, director of Durham County's Community Intervention and Support Services, called the summit a starting line: phase three moves toward implementing specific strategies.
What to watch: Phase three is the implementation phase. Durham enters it with a sharper map of the problem than it had before either ShotSpotter or Bull City United launched. Whether that translates into a durable strategy is the open question.
Durham Is Down to One Outdoor Pool This Summer
Forest Hills Pool is closed for good, the spraygrounds are shut because of the drought, and Hillside Pool is now carrying the entire outdoor swimming load for Durham.
- Forest Hills Pool, more than 100 years old, did not open this year because of budget cuts and had been on track for closure for over a year. Durham Parks and Recreation culture and community manager Mary Unterreiner said the closure saved money this season.
- The city's three spraygrounds are also closed due to the drought, with no reopening date set. Families without a car or who live far from Hillside have no outdoor water options.
- On busy days, Hillside reaches capacity and turns people away. Indoor options at Edison Johnson Aquatic Center and Campus Hills Pool exist, but don't substitute for outdoor summer swimming.
What to watch: Two new facilities, a recreational pool at East End Park and an aquatic center at Merrick-Moore Park, are both scheduled to open in 2030. Until then, Hillside carries it alone.
Quick Hits
- Durham County remains 95.78% in exceptional drought, the highest category, with Lake Michie at 38.8% of its target level. The drought has been building since late summer 2025, and meteorologists say one or more tropical systems may be needed to turn it around.
- The Durham Public Schools Board voted unanimously on June 25 to raise Superintendent Anthony Lewis' total pay to $290,000 a year, following a performance review. Durham County's FY2026-27 budget allocated $239 million to the school district, $5 million short of Lewis' $244 million request.
- North Carolina lawmakers released a state budget proposal offering teachers an average 8% raise and full funding for Propel NC, a community college model that rewards career placement over enrollment. Durham Tech President JB Buxton said the proposal fits the college's mission to align programs with Research Triangle Park employers.
- Durham committed $2.195 million to home repairs for low-income homeowners, splitting the funds between Habitat for Humanity of Durham ($1.7 million) and Preserving Home ($495,000). Homeowners can apply by calling 919-560-4570.
- Durham fire marshals are inspecting roadside fireworks stands ahead of July 4, checking that vendors aren't selling bottle rockets, roman candles, or other products that leave the ground or explode. North Carolina emergency rooms treat nearly 200 people for fireworks injuries each year, with 72% of those injuries occurring in July.
- CIAA Extends McWilliams Parker's Contract Through 2031, the unanimous vote keeps McWilliams Parker in place as the CIAA prepares a 2026 football championship expansion.
- Duke Energy Carolinas cut its proposed residential rate hike from 18% to 11.6% after Attorney General Jeff Jackson filed objections. Jackson called it a step in the right direction but says the number is still too high. The NC Utilities Commission is expected to decide this fall, with new rates potentially taking effect in January.
- Durham residents cut daily water demand 12% in the first two weeks of Stage 2 restrictions, but the city says demand must keep falling. Formal violations will likely begin this week after 170 complaints and no citations yet. Stage 2 stays in effect until both Lake Michie and Little River Reservoir return to full levels.
- Durham drag performer Naomi Dix and Club ERA sued Meta in Durham Superior Court after the company permanently disabled their Facebook and Instagram accounts on June 16, citing automated policy violations. The suit alleges Meta falsely connected the accounts to sex trafficking and cut Dix off from more than 12 years of intellectual property.
- NCCU Chancellor Karrie Dixon pushed back on the UNC System's composite financial index, which rated NCCU the only campus not considered financially healthy in 2024 and 2025. Dixon cited record fall 2025 enrollment of 9,281 students and a clean December 2025 audit as evidence the index misses two years of measurable progress.
Events
ADF presents Mark Morris Dance Group and Music Ensemble
Thu, July 2 · Duke - Bryan Center Reynolds Industries Theater
The Winks & Rouge Cabaret Burlesque and Drag Open Stage of Pride Month
Thu, July 2 · Durty Bull
Red, White and Fun!
Fri, July 3 · Museum of Life and Science
Savor Your City Festival
Fri, July 3 · Durham Central Park
Zinchouse Independence Day Celebration
Fri, July 3 · Zinchouse Winery & Brewery
Bull City Boom & Bash
Sat, July 4 · Durham Central Park
BullCity Boom & Bash Fourth of July Food Truck Rodeo
Sat, July 4 · Durham Central Park
Children's Independence Day Parade
Sat, July 4 · Durham Central Park
Fireworks
Sat, July 4 · Durham Bulls Athletic Park
Frederick Douglass Community Reading
Sat, July 4 · Historic Stagville
July 4th Block Party
Sat, July 4 · Annex Durham
Party on Main Downtown Durham Block Party
Sat, July 4 · Main Street Downtown Durham
Watts Hospital-Hillandale Independence Day Parade and Celebration
Sat, July 4 · 2200 W Club Blvd
Harry Connick Jr.
Sun, July 5 · DPAC
Madison Beer
Sun, July 5 · Red Hat Amphitheater
MAN MAN
Tue, July 7 · Motorco Music Hall
Blackberry Smoke
Fri, July 10 · DPAC
Summer Nights
Fri, July 10 · Museum of Life and Science
An Evening with Wilco
Sat, July 11 · DPAC
Real Estate
41 Fairstone Ct
$1,295,000 · 5 bed, 4 bath, 3,568 sqft
505 Oakwood Ave
$874,900 · 4 bed, 4 bath, 2,379 sqft
4505 Renfrew Dr
$575,000 · 5 bed, 3 bath, 3,286 sqft