Celebrate Juneteenth + New Police Chief Named + Pricey Power Grid

Happy Juneteenth,

There is so much happening in Raleigh today to celebrate Juneteenth, it was so hard to narrow it all down. Check out a few of the events to commemorate the day that marked freedom and independence for so many.

Today's Weather
Mostly cloudy throughout the day. Temps: High of 94° & low of 73°

Here are the top 5 stories in Raleigh today

1. Estella Peterson has officially been named the new Chief of Police for Raleigh. She has had a career with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department for the past 25 years and will officially take over for retiring chief Cassandra Deck-Brown on August 1. (abc11)
2. A Raleigh based startup, VitalSource Technologies, LLC has been awarded the 2021 IMS Learning Impact Award for its Equitable Access program. The program provides students access to course materials for a flat fee per term and boasts that students are 17% less likely to drop a course with their program. (WRAL TechWire)
3. NC lawmakers are looking to potentially overhaul the state's power grid. The overhaul would be incredibly beneficial for reducing emissions, but would come with a large price tag. (WNCT9)
4. Governor Roy Cooper has vetoed the bill that would have allowed for concealed carry in NC churches on school property. In his statement he expressed that "For the safety of students and teachers, North Carolina should keep guns off school grounds." (CBS17)
5. James Montague, a Black real estate developer has broken ground on a South East Raleigh entrepreneurial hub and shopping center. The hope for the Montague Plaza, is to ensure that the current growth of Raleigh is an equitable one. (abc11)

Today in Raleigh

• Check out the Raleigh Juneteenth website to see some of the events planned to celebrate the day. (JuneteenthRaleigh.Org)
• Raleigh Juneteenth Festival: Registration is required and guests are expected to wear masks. (2:00pm-8:00pm)
• Mr. SOUL! a film by Melissa Haizlip will be screened outside to commemorate Juneteenth. (8:30pm)
• The Raleigh Beer Garden presents Summer Crush Beer Festival. Admission gets you a RBG taster mug with unlimited sampling. (12:00pm-4:00pm)

Raleigh Patch Notebook

• In honor of Juneteenth, and all the events I didn't have space to list, check out Triangle on the Cheap's list of Juneteenth celebrations, here.
• If you aren't familiar with Juneteenth, check out this page from NC State's website to summarize.
• Young Hearts Distilling Co. is looking at a target opening date in August for it's Raleigh brewery. (WRAL)

I hope today turns out to be a great day of reflection and celebration for you. Juneteenth is finally getting recognized in America, although it has been long celebrated by many. I hope that if you have celebrated today in the past, you have an incredible day today, and if you're just learning about the day, you take some time to really understand its origins. If I missed out on anything or there's any happening in Raleigh you want to celebrate, send me an email to raleigh@patch.com to let me know!
Stay curious,
CJ Fullford