Modesto area's most-read stories this week. Here's what to know

From a new downtown bookstore to a triple-murder arraignment, Modesto saw a busy news week. Here’s a roundup of the stories readers followed most closely.

Here are the key takeaways:

• The Raven’s Perch Bookstore opens June 12 in downtown Modesto, becoming the area’s first downtown bookstore since Readmore Books closed in 1999, filling a 3,100-square-foot space on J Street once occupied by Crow Trading Co.
• Joaquin Escoto, 28, pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder in the May 28 killings of a Modesto family spanning three generations, as roughly 30 grieving relatives packed the Stanislaus County courtroom. Prosecutors have not yet decided whether to seek the death penalty.
• Country music star Cole Swindell will perform at The Fruit Yard Amphitheater at 7 p.m. June 11, with tickets ranging from $74.50 to $140.60. And Modesto’s annual Graffiti Summer celebration continues with a June 12 parade featuring 1,000 vehicles from 1980 and older, cruising through downtown along McHenry Avenue and J Street.
• The Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office is investigating possible criminal charges against Rosa De León Park, the former CEO of the Stanislaus Council of Governments, over alleged misuse of public funds. A civil grand jury alleged Park spent more than $100,000 on rental cars — mostly luxury vehicles — over three years, along with a $560 Tumi suitcase and 62 transactions with no receipts before her 9-0 termination vote in August 2025.
• Shane Harlan, 39, died after being restrained by deputies in Waterford on Thursday night, after a family member signed a citizen’s arrest complaint alleging about $800 in property damage. He became unresponsive after a full-body restraint device was applied on him and CPR efforts failed to revive him at the scene.