Greetings, reader! It's another Tuesday in the Triangle.

🌤️ Today's weather: Mostly sunny, with a high of 93 and a low of 73.

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Today's newsletter is 963 words — a 3.5-minute read.

Raleigh leaders held a press conference yesterday to address skepticism that police too quickly labeled a weekend death downtown a suicide.

Driving the news: Saturday afternoon, a 32-year-old man's body was found in a parking lot behind businesses across from Nash Square, according to police.

What they're saying: The evidence "was pretty apparent" on Saturday that it was a suicide, Raleigh Police Chief Rico Boyce said at the press conference.

• Videos collected by investigators in the days since do "show what happened," Raleigh Mayor Janet Cowell added.

Background: The incident came under intense scrutiny because the man, who was Black, was found hanging from a tree, recalling the South's dark history of racist lynchings.

• “When a Black person is found hanging from a tree in the American South, authorities cannot reasonably expect the Black community to hear the word ‘suicide’ and stop asking questions,” the civil rights organization A. Philip Randolph Institute told The News & Observer in a statement Monday.
• More than 120 lynchings between 1877 and 1950 have been documented in North Carolina, per the Equal Justice Initiative.

Between the lines: Mainstream news outlets typically avoid reporting on suicide, but the N.C. Beat tabloid picked up the news immediately and influencers joined on social media Saturday night and Sunday morning.

• WRAL and The N&O's first stories published Sunday afternoon.

The latest: Boyce, at yesterday's presser, defended the decision not to release more information over the weekend.

• "We're not under a timeline. We want to get it right," he said. "We have a mother grieving because she lost her child."

What's next: Police say the case has been turned over to the medical examiner, who has final say over the cause of death.

If you or someone you know needs support now, call or text 988 or chat with someone at 988lifeline.org.

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More than a month after July 4 celebrations turned violent, the Raleigh City Council will once again debate the merits of a youth curfew in the city.

Why it matters: It would be a major shift for how Raleigh polices and comes after an alleged "teen takeover" that saw thousands of people gather in Brier Creek and Glenwood South on July 4.

Zoom in: The Raleigh gatherings turned violent, with fights and several shootings, according to police, which struggled to manage the large crowds that night.

• Six juveniles and nearly two dozen adults have been arrested in connection with the gatherings.

Driving the news: City Council plans to consider draft language for a youth curfew at its work session today and hear from Raleigh Parks about its youth engagement efforts and plans.

• The language will be written by the city attorney's office.

State of play: Teen takeovers have become a trend across the country in recent years, most frequently resulting in hundreds of people gathering in public areas through social media.

• Several cities have enacted youth curfews in response, including Washington, D.C., and Charlotte.

Between the lines: Raleigh hasn't seen another situation like the night of July 4, and teens will soon be returning to school.

• And not all of the city council members seem on board with a curfew, which generally received favorable comments at a meeting in July.

What they're saying: Council member Christina Jones took to social media earlier this month, questioning the rush to add a curfew.

• "There were fights; there were guns. I am not going to minimize that," she said. "But I also don't want fear to rush us into a policy that doesn't actually solve the problem."

Keep reading

🎟️ Local music venues hope that a new provision in North Carolina's state budget will tamp down on bots snapping up tickets and re-selling them at higher prices. (INDY Week)

❌ Gov. Josh Stein vetoed two bills yesterday. One would have cut early voting in primaries. The other would have allowed the chief justice of the state Supreme Court to suspend trial court judges. (The Assembly)

🏢 Turnbridge Equities, which is building the 36-story Highline Glenwood in Raleigh, bought Skyhouse Raleigh apartments near Moore Square. (Triangle Business Journal🔒)

🥎 The Carolina Blaze's first season playing professional softball in Durham had a $5.9 million economic impact. (News & Observer)

Dix Park's newest amenity — a cottage that features a bar and a café — will open to the public this week.

Why it matters: The historic Flowers Cottage renovation gives Raleigh residents a new place to gather, eat and drink near the park's sunflower field and downtown skyline views.

Zoom in: The space, which opens Thursday, will be run by Justin Pasfield and Jeff Clarke, of Person Street Bar and Natural Science.

• The renovation added an expansive outdoor patio for eating and drinking.
• The top floor of the cottage will now be home to a coffee shop serving coffee, tea, Italian-style sodas, ice cream and snacks.
• On the lower level, the Park Bar will serve draft beer and wine.

Make some plans

A beautiful sunset fell Sunday night over the 7,000 fans in attendance at the North Carolina Courage game in Cary.

State of play: The team is currently ranked No. 6 in the National Women's Soccer League.

• The top eight teams make the playoffs in November.

What's next: The next home game is Saturday at 7:30pm against the Boston Legacy.

🧑‍🍳 Zachery is fully converted to stainless steel cookware at this point.

🌳 Mary Helen is really going to miss this hot weather in a few months.

Thanks to Melissa Oyler for editing this newsletter.