Canes one win away, World Cup tonight, and Durham is officially parched

🏒 Canes took Game 5 last night, 4-2. Series lead 3-2. One win from the Cup.

⚽ World Cup is in your backyard: free USA vs. Paraguay watch party tonight at American Tobacco Campus

☀️ Durham hit exceptional drought, worst since 2008. Triple-digit heat this weekend.

$4 billion came off Durham's tax rolls last year: Landlords and companies including IBM and Blackstone won massive property tax appeals, and city leadership didn't find out until April. It blew a hole in the budget. IndyWeek has the full breakdown. (INDY Week)

Canes lead the Stanley Cup Final 3-2: Game 6 watch parties are set across the Triangle, including Lenovo Center. One win away. (ABC11)

Durham is at exceptional drought: Exceptional drought, the worst category on the scale, is now official for parts of central NC. Driest stretch since 2008. (ABC11)

Chapel Hill passed its FY27 budget with no tax increase: $170 million, unanimous vote. Library funding and greenways get revisited in the fall. (Chapelboro)

Property taxes are going up Triangle-wide, and it's still not enough: WUNC breaks down why counties are raising rates while still cutting school and county services. (WUNC)

The American Dance Festival opens next week in Durham: ADF runs June 17-18 at Page and Reynolds theaters. Jesse Factor, Bill T. Jones, and Camille A. Brown are all on the docket. (americandancefestival.org)

NC State is weighing legal claims against LSU over coach Will Wade's exit to Baton Rouge. (ABC11)

Wake restaurant owner charged with $179K in sales tax embezzlement: Marcella Aguado De La Cruz faces six felony counts tied to her two restaurants. (WRAL)

Raleigh photographer gets more time to deliver ghosted wedding photos: The Holly Christina Photography saga continues in Wake County courts. (ABC11)

USA vs. Paraguay World Cup Watch Party: American Tobacco Campus lawn, Durham. 8-11 p.m., free. Official watch party from Soccer.com and Adidas. (Details)

Durham Foodie Fare: MAKRS Society pop-up in Durham. Food trucks, art, vendors, music. (Details)

Friends of the Durham Library Book Sale: Main Library, 300 N Roxboro St. 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Summer Reading Kickoff. Fill a bag. 👨‍👩‍👧 (Details)

NCMA Loves Anime Bazaar: NC Museum of Art, Raleigh. 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Anime vendors plus a film screening in the East Building. 👨‍👩‍👧 (Details)

The Market at Raleigh Iron Works: 1101 E Whitaker Mill Rd. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Local makers, 2nd Saturday. (Details)

Arts on East: Rebecca Porter: Duke East Campus, Durham. Free outdoor concert. Appalachian honky-tonk, unflinchingly personal songwriting. (Details)

German Soul: Live Documentary at CDS: Center for Documentary Studies, Durham. Music, film, and food, followed by a creator conversation. Free, but register. (Details)

ADF: Jesse Factor: Reynolds Industries Theater, Bryan Center, Durham. "The Marthaodyssey." 50 minutes, $30-45. (Details)

Kind of Blue: Baldwin Auditorium, Durham. Bernstein, Bill Evans, Joan Tower. Jonathan Bagg on viola. (Details)

ADF: Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company: Page Auditorium, Durham. "Continuous Replay and Story." 70 minutes, $40-70. (Details)

Duke Farmers Market: Duke Medicine Pavilion Greenway. (Details)

Magnetic Sound Studios Third Friday: 2020 Chapel Hill Road, Durham. Near Blind James & Harmonica Bob, free. (Details)

Someone posted "This is the greatest city I've ever lived in" about Durham on r/bullcity this week and the thread took off. People sharing what they love about the Bull City. Worth a read on a Friday. (Thread)

Amazon union workers at RDU1 posted that two co-workers have died. The thread on r/triangle is serious. (Thread)

Durham is now at the highest drought level. The r/bullcity thread had people sharing how dry the land looks. Falls Lake last week was just the preview. (Thread)

Someone built a tool to find artists playing the Triangle's smaller music venues and asked for feedback on r/triangle. If you're into local music, worth a look. (Thread)

Sound Garden: Durham Magazine profiled a one-of-a-kind backyard recording studio in Old North Durham. Mangum Street Grocery blends custom acoustics and playful architecture in a compact space. Worth a read. (Durham Magazine)

Summer outdoor music in Raleigh: Walter Magazine put together a full guide to this season's outdoor shows, from national tours to local series. Good to bookmark. (Walter Magazine)