Greensboro / Winston-Salem / High Point triad-city-beat.com Oct. 26 – Nov. 1, 2016
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Oct. 26 — Nov. 1, 2016
Farewell Crews
by Brian Clarey
UP FRONT 3 4 6 6 7 7
Editor’s Notebook City Life Commentariat The List Barometer Unsolicited Endorsement
Davis’ mom defends Clinton’s record 11 Fresh Eyes: Lessons from knocking on thousands of doors
COVER 12 2016 Election Guide
NEWS
CULTURE
8 Governor hopefuls strike awkward stances on criminal justice
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Food: ‘Arranged marriage’ pre-
21
Barstool: A peek inside the
OPINION 10 10
Editorial: Vote anyway Citizen Green: On tour, Jordan
serves Swedish treats,
police club 22 Music: Bombadil finds parallel paths and sudden forks
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Art: Necro Nectar a collabora-
tion of beautiful darkness
SPORTSBALL 26 Go! Cubs! Go!
CROSSWORD 27 Jonesin’ Crossword
SHOT IN THE TRIAD 28 Hicone Rd., Greensboro
TRIADITUDE ADJUSTMENT 30 Adele, heartbreak and things worse than breaking
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
I always get mad when I go see bands and they only play their new songs. And that’s exactly what we’re doing tonight. – Daniel Michalak of Bombadil, in Music, page 22 1451 S. Elm-Eugene St. Box 24, Greensboro, NC 27406 • Office: 336-256-9320 BUSINESS PUBLISHER/EXECUTIVE EDITOR Brian Clarey
ART ART DIRECTOR Jorge Maturino
PUBLISHER EMERITUS Allen Broach
SALES DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING Dick Gray
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EDITORIAL MANAGING EDITOR Eric Ginsburg
SALES EXECUTIVE Lamar Gibson
SENIOR EDITOR Jordan Green
cheryl@triad-city-beat.com
eric@triad-city-beat.com
CONTRIBUTORS Carolyn de Berry Jelisa Castrodale Stallone Frazier Anthony Harrison Matt Jones
Cover illustration by Jorge Maturino
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SALES EXECUTIVE Cheryl Green
jordan@triad-city-beat.com
EDITORIAL INTERN Naari Honor intern@triad-city-beat.com
TCB IN A FLASH DAILY @ triad-city-beat.com First copy is free, all additional copies are $1.00. ©2016 Beat Media Inc.
I will never forget the day I met Nicole Crews. I was standing next to the bar at the Exchange on Tate Street, where I had been waiting tables for about a week, dressed all in black. She was with Jay Bulluck, who now cuts my hair at his shop, Local Honey, and I believe she was drinking one of those sake-infused cocktails that the bartender, David, was making long before the craft-cocktail thing became mainstream. From there came a journey of a thousand drinks, a thousand miles, a thousand hours in conversations, emails and, later, texts that ranged from the deeply personal — “I didn’t know you lived in Thailand!” — to the deeply professional — “If you don’t get me that copy in 20 minutes I am coming to your house.” We worked together for a time at Triad Style under the inimitable editor Jeri Rowe, who among other talents had a knack for throwing a quirky team together. Later she would be my editor at NC Boating Lifestyle, where she sent me around the state in search of great restaurants, beautiful homes and high-seas adventure. This was the backdrop for the infamous “Where the F is the Fish?” story that either one of us would be happy to relate to you in person, but it’s better if we tell it together. Later still, I became her editor. I’ve found the cardinal rule in interacting with her, no matter her position in the chain of command, is to operate from the position that she’s pretty much going to do what she wants, and that the results will be fabulous. Point is, I love Nicole Crews, at least as much as her most ardent readers do. And the sad news is that she’s signing off on her column, All She Wrote, for Triad City Beat. I know. But we’ve got something pretty The cardinal rule is to operawesome in the ate from the position that space. Like Nicole, she’s pretty much going to Jelisa Castrodale is a pro from way do what she wants, and that back. Longtime the results will be fabulous. residents may remember her from her column about downtown living in the Winston-Salem Journal. Since then she’s written for NBCsports.com, covered pop culture for popmatters.com and bitchbuzz.com, and freelanced with USA Today and Vice. In short, she’s a total badass. Her new column, Triaditude Adjustment, debuts this week on page 30. Nicole, who never suffers fools gladly and always has a keen eye for talent, is going to love it.
triad-city-beat.com
EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK
CONTENTS
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Oct. 26 — Nov. 1, 2016
CITY LIFE October 26 – November 1 ALL WEEKEND Boat tour @ 6332 Townsend Road, Browns Summit (GSO), 11 a.m. Come and get your pontoon on before the season is over. The Greensboro Parks & Recreation Department hosts boat tours departing at 11 a.m., noon, 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. from the marina. The park peeps ask that you please leave the funny boating costumes at home, it’s a pontoon man not a ship, there will not be room for Pirates of the Caribbean reenactments. More information go to www.greensboro-nc. org/lakes.
WEDNESDAY Career Expo 2016 @ Biotech Place (W-S), 10 a.m. Need a job? BB&T, Forsyth County, the city of Winston-Salem, Wells Fargo, Baptist Hospital, Winston-Salem/ Forsyth County Schools and Bradley Staffing are recruiting to fill positions. Pre-register at wsurban.org/career-expo-2016. For more information, call Steve Jones at 336.682.5282.
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A night with Muslims for social justice @ New Garden Friends Meeting (GSO), 6 p.m. Join Triangle resident and Pakistan native Manzoor Cheema as he discusses how Muslims for Social Justice strives to break down the racism, Islamophophobia and other shackles used to bind and oppress. More information can be found on the New Garden Friends Meeting Facebook page.
by Naari Honor
A-political party @ Empire Books (GSO), 8 p.m. While many may feel consumed with whether to vote for Trump or Clinton, this group of revolutionaries want to draw attention back to where it matters: the people suffering at the hands of societal injustices. Join the freedom fighters of Greensboro as they raise bail money for their brothers and sisters who demonstrated in Charlotte against police brutality. More information can be found on the A-political Party Facebook page.
triad-city-beat.com
FRIDAY
Masquerade ball @ the Artist Bloc (GSO), 9 p.m. Indulge in the allure of masks and artistry for one night only with accompaniment from dancers, musicians, spoken word and live painters. The nectar flows and imaginations roam freely. More information can be found on the Masquerade Creative Infusion Facebook page.
SATURDAY Yoga @ LeBauer Park (GSO), 5 p.m. Dude, this is going to be a yoga extravaganza. There will be yoga time for the kids and costumes are encouraged. There will be a glow flow yoga class following the kiddies. Show up, bring your mat and get to doing what yogis do. Please stretch before class. TCB is not responsible for injuries because you chose to get in touch with your inner pretzel. More information can be found on the LeBaurer Park Facebook page.
TUESDAY
Homecoming: Folk Stories on Canvas @ Delta Fine Arts Center (W-S), Tuesday, 10 a.m. An opening reception marks the launch of this new exhibit, part of a private collection by Ruth Russell Williams and Wanda Clark, which is the second in the series of their Deep Roots Series for 2016-2017. More information at deltaartscenter.org. Best of Enemies @ Salem College, Huber Theater (W-S), 7:30 p.m. Best of Enemies, a film directed by Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon chronicles a debate between Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley, respectively a noted leftist and conservative of the late ’60s. Word has it that their great debate signaled a shift from televised informational sessions in sparring fiasco. Definitely a must see. For more information about this free screening, check out riverrunfilm.com. 5
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Oct. 26 — Nov. 1, 2016
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4. I bathe daily Is an explanation truly needed? Well maybe it is. I find that certain groups of young people do not find it necessary to bathe every day. Daily activities mixed with my body’s reaction to the weather don’t always create a pleasant situation, and my nose is sensitive to the product of this collision. I don’t want to judge; I am just not sure I want to stand next to you if you have chosen not to bath for a couple days after hanging around outside with your buds.
Sportsball Crossword Shot in the Triad Triaditude Adjustment
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2. I feel the need to arrive 15 minutes early I was raised to believe that if you were on time for an appointment then you were late. While I will admit that there are plenty of times that I arrive to activities on time, I will also say that it makes my skin crawl when this happens and I browbeat myself for technically being late in the eyes of my elders. It perplexes me that those younger than me cut it so close when they have places to be. 3. I wear stockings (not to be confused with tights) I’m sorry, but I just feel that there is a time to wear stockings. Although this time is not with sandals or open-toe shoes, it makes for a polished look when wearing business pieces that consist of skirts or dresses or on those special occasions that call for fancy gowns or extravagant dresses.
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by Naari Honor 1. I like to iron my clothes Recently I found myself on a trip with a group of individuals who referred to themselves as millennials. Before their clarification I simply saw them as classmates. While on our trip I happened to leave the ironing board out in the hotel room we shared, and when they walked into the room they commented in horror at the sight. I immediately apologized for leaving the ironing board and ironing up in the middle of the floor, however that wasn’t why they scoffed. Instead they told me that their shock was the fact that the iron was present at all because no one ironed anymore. It was then that I realized that at 39, I might be old.
Join us for self-guided and designer-guided shopping tours of High Point area stores and select showrooms where local and regional designers have created tablescapes for inspiration for your next soiree.
November 9th, 2016 9:00am-7:30pm
Historic Market Square 305 West High Avenue High Point
Purchase tickets in advance at highpointsouthwest.org. Tickets are available the day of the event at the String & Splinter. The tickets cover the cost for admission to the event, the kick-off brunch, afternoon tea and cocktail party.
5. My music choices are now considered oldies I’m not sure what has happened to my ears, but I find myself shunning the local radio stations more and more in search of something different. Oddly enough I find I’m now listening to music created years ago and rocking out as if I was there when it was being recorded. My vinyl collection, which has now grown absurdly above 300, encompasses such greats as Frank Sinatra, Bob Dylan, the Standells, Janis Joplin, “American Bandstand” compilations, Captain and Tennille, Pearl Bailey, Nat King Cole, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Creedence Clearwater and John Mayall. Am I getting old?
Cinnamon Girl Vintage Vintage & Eclectic furniture, home decor, women’s clothing, accessories & more... Hours: Wednesday – Saturday 11am–5pm 834 S. Broad St • Winston-Salem, NC 27101 facebook.com/cinnamongirlvintage
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In anticipation of this week’s 2016 Election Guide, we asked readers and our editors if they know who Cherie Berry is. The current labor commissioner, who is running against Charles Meeker this year is probably most known for her name and image appearing in elevators throughout the state. With each of those items listed as options, as well as “All of the above,” we kicked off the polling.
80
60
40
20
All of the above
25%
The woman in the elevators
5%
The current NC labor commissioner
Culture
70%
Cover Story
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Opinion
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Eric Ginsburg: All of the above, though I certainly did first learn Berry’s name by way of the elevators.
Sportsball
Hillary Clinton
Anthony Harrison is Triad City Beat’s sports columnist and former intern.
Triaditude Adjustment
goats and riling up distrust and hatred against all who are not white, straight, Christian men. Further, business acumen doesn’t necessarily translate well into governance, mainly because government is not a for-profit venture. Besides, Trump is a terrible businessman. No matter what detractors say, we need a professional politician for our president, not a professional con man. And while Clinton touts a hefty lead in national polls, she needs every vote possible in North Carolina, the swingiest of swing states. At this point, leftist complacence is her only enemy. Even considering the circumstances, Hillary Rodham Clinton is my choice for president. She’ll be a damned good one.
Shot in the Triad
hard-fought 2008 presidential primary, Clinton accepted President Obama’s nomination to join his cabinet as secretary of state with the explicit mission of repairing damage to America’s reputation abroad. To that end, she visited 112 countries, mended diplomatic ties and continued advocating for the rights of women around the world. While watching the Democratic National Convention — a propagandistic highlight reel summarizing her prolific career — I realized not even Sanders could stack up against her. Hillary Clinton is not perfect. I still take umbrage with her hawkishness and apparent coziness with Wall Street, as well as the tragic repercussions of the 1994 crime bill. But examining Clinton’s flaws and fumbles alongside shyster-bigot Donald Trump’s alleged crimes is like comparing apples and charred steaks. Clinton’s campaign has circled around what makes America great now and how to improve upon these values in a brighter future. Trump, on the other hand, has obsessed only on past failures, heaving blame upon scape-
Crossword
by Anthony Harrison I support Hillary Rodham Clinton for president. Regular, loyal readers may remember back in March when I endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders for the same post. And, yes, I denigrated Clinton harshly for some faults. Call me a turncoat if that’s your fancy. But following the primaries, I asked myself the same question as those who also felt the Bern: Can I vote for Clinton? After appraising her bona fides, I resolutely concluded yes. Clinton’s four decades of public service compose arguably the strongest résumé amongst the wide slate of candidates in 2016. Following her husband Bill’s ascent to the governorship of Arkansas and the presidency, she stands with Eleanor Roosevelt and Michelle Obama as a highly influential first lady, fighting for women’s rights and universal healthcare. She served eight years as a popular senator for New York, working on five committees and enacting legislation with bipartisan support. Letting bygones be bygones after the
News
50
Jordan Green: All of the above, of course!
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Up Front
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Brian Clarey: Though I generally take the stairs, I do know who Cherie Berry is. And I will say that she has a tremendous advantage over Charles Meeker because everybody’s been looking at her name for more than a decade in every elevator in the state. Because her name is so damn catchy, it sticks in the mind like an annoying radio jingle. And I believe that most voters in the more obscure races tend to vote for the name they recognize over one they don’t.
Readers: A considerable 70 percent of our readers who voted said “All of the above,” which is a good sign since that’s the right answer. Not surprisingly, 25 percent picked “The woman in the elevators,” which is arguably what Berry is most known for. The remaining 5 percent chose “The current NC labor commissioner,” which is true as well. Nobody picked “The person who is running against Charles Meeker” — take that to mean what you will.
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Who is Cherie Berry?
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Oct. 26 — Nov. 1, 2016 Up Front News Opinion Cover Story Culture Sportsball Crossword Shot in the Triad Triaditude Adjustment
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NEWS
Governor hopefuls strike awkward stances on criminal justice by Jordan Green The bitter contest for governor is razor-thin, and the candidates sharply differ on several issues like HB 2, Medicaid expansion and voter ID, but when it comes to police-community relations the candidates are not nearly as far apart. North Carolina’s bitterly contested gubernatorial race, pitting a Republican incumbent Pat McCrory against the state’s Democratic attorney general, is effectively a toss-up, with most opinion polls giving the Democrat Roy Cooper a slight edge. McCrory was already on the defensive with many urban voters over his decision to sign HB 2, an unpopular law that overturned local ordinances protecting the rights of LGBT people and prompted national scorn and economic sanctions. But the ongoing implosion of the Trump campaign has placed additional stress on McCrory, who made an early call to align with his party’s presidential nominee. As North Carolina’s attorney general for the past 16 years, Cooper has largely remained out of the political spotlight until he started jockeying for a gubernatorial bid last year. A cautious politician, he cultivated law-and-order credentials in his role as the state’s top law-enforcement official. But even while staking a position in his party’s moderate wing, Cooper has found plenty of areas to contrast himself against McCrory, thanks to his opponent’s steady drift further right over the course of his first term. The two candidates contrast on many issues, including HB 2, voter ID, Medicaid expansion and access to abortion, while sparring over McCrory’s record on education and the economy. Their differences on the strained relationship between law enforcement and communities of color are far more nuanced. The issue was thrust on them in late September when protests erupted in Charlotte in response to the police
Pat McCrory
Roy Cooper
killing of Keith Lamont Scott, a black man. Both candidates find themselves in an awkward spot, with McCrory playing to his conservative base by backing law enforcement, while taking care to avoid the racially polarizing rhetoric of his party’s standard-bearer. Meanwhile, Cooper must adjust to the Democratic Party’s increasing emphasis on diversity while preserving some of his law-enforcement support. Asked during their second debate on Oct. 11 if they agreed with Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s statement that “racial bias is a problem for everyone, including police,” the two gubernatorial candidates seemed to squirm, giving halting answers and choosing their words carefully. Or maybe not so carefully. “I think there’s bias in all of us,” McCrory responded. “It’s not necessarily always racial bias. It might be bias of how we dress, how we look, the environment that we might be in. And those are also tools for our police officers to
determine what action to take.” The campaign did not respond to repeated requests for comment to ascertain whether the governor misspoke or he actually believes that bias is a legitimate tool of law enforcement. Asked to respond to the same question, Cooper said, “I think all of us have biases that sometimes conflict with our jobs. We need training. We need to make sure that law enforcement has the resources that it needs. And we need to emphasize community policing. I think when law enforcement works with communities, gets to know communities, I think you have safer law enforcement and better law enforcement all the way around.” Cooper’s campaign also declined to respond to repeated requests for comment for this story, allowing the candidate to evade questions about how bias in favor of law enforcement might have influenced how he’s handled his job as attorney general — in particular, the case of Kalvin Michael Smith in
Winston-Salem, which has received national attention. Smith, who is black, is serving a 28-year sentence after being convicted in the brutal beating of Jill Marker, but multiple reviews of the case have called into question the original investigation by Winston-Salem police Detective Don Williams, notably that he failed to pursue leads about an alternate suspect with a history of mental illness and stalking the victim. Cooper has ignored repeated calls for him to move to vacate Smith’s sentence so that it can be retried. As attorney general, Cooper is painfully aware of how evidence can be manipulated, resulting in wrongful convictions. An audit commissioned by Cooper found that the State Bureau of Investigation under his leadership withheld or distorted evidence in more than 200 cases, the Raleigh News & Observer reported in 2010. The review was prompted by the exoneration of Greg Taylor, a Greensboro native wrongfully imprisoned for 17 years for a murder he didn’t commit. The N&O reported that former FBI Assistant Director Chris Swecker “said his findings signal potential violations of the US Constitution and North Carolina laws by withholding information favorable to defendants.” The misconduct at the SBI gave the Republican Governors Association ammunition to run a 30-second TV spot launched in mid-August that rapped the Democratic candidate for a “failed record” and “weak leadership.” While the ad cites the N&O’s reporting, the narrator says, “As attorney general, one of Roy Cooper’s responsibilities was to oversee the SBI’s crime lab, but Cooper failed to do his job. Under Cooper’s leadership, SBI distorted or withheld evidence in hundreds of cases, leading to wrongful convictions and criminals going unpunished. Under Roy Cooper, the SBI was tainted by shoddy investigations and staggering lack of competence at the lab.”
Cover Story
Correction
Triaditude Adjustment
401 Tate Street • Greensboro, NC 27403
Shot in the Triad
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Culture
An article in the Oct. 19 issue of TCB incorrectly stated that the Guilford Education Alliance endorsed Byron Gladden for Guilford County School Board. The claim is correctly attributed to Gladden, who later said he meant to say the Guilford County Association of Educators. Guilford Education Association Executive Director Winston McGregor confirmed to TCB that the organization does not endorse candidates, but could not be reached before press time last week.
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Opinion
think it’s good enough for the people of North Carolina to vote,” McCrory said during the second debate on Oct. 11. “If you don’t think there’s a potential for voter fraud, you’re digging your head in the sand,” he added. “Because, as you know, in the history of the United States, in Chicago and West Virginia and Texas, voter fraud occurs, and we need to make sure we do everything we can to make sure it doesn’t happen.” Cooper noted that the law went far beyond voter ID, also restricting early voting and registration. “When the three-judge panel in the Fourth Circuit said this law intentionally discriminates against minorities and students it was time to stop, but Gov. McCrory continues to use taxpayer money to pay lawyers to continue to appeal this. Of course, he lost. It’s shameful for the governor to keep pushing this legislation.”
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“The worst thing that Gov. McCrory and the legislative leadership has done — they have refused to accept the billions of dollars that we’ve already paid to Washington that could have come back to North Carolina and expand Medicaid to hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians,” Cooper said. “And here we are again — Gov. McCrory putting the social issues ahead of the best interests of the state. Gov. Chris Christie, Gov. John Kasich of Ohio, even Gov. Mike Pence — he’s on the ticket with Donald Trump — they all saw that expansion of Medicaid in their state even if they disagreed with the policy, helped create tens of thousands of good-paying health jobs.” While noting that his administration is expanding Medicaid for Alzheimer’s patients, McCrory defended his decision to not do so for all those below 133 percent of the federal poverty line. “Because right now we don’t know what the cost of 10 percent [share of cost saddled on the state] will be to the taxpayers of North Carolina, and I think it’s irresponsible to enter into something without knowing the cost,” McCrory said. “And right now a Wall Street Journal article just in the past six weeks is showing that all those states that he’s mentioned — their costs are much greater than ever anticipated. I had to inherit a $525 million mis-forecast on Medicaid spending from the [previous] administration, and we had to fix that.” McCrory has stood behind an omnibus election bill he signed into law in 2013 that included a voter ID provision. The law was struck down by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals earlier this year, with the author of the ruling finding that “the new provisions target African Americans with almost surgical precision” and “impose cures for problems that did not exist.” “If ID’s good enough for Sudafed, I
Up Front
ry said. “One of the great political scams in the state history and national history is Roy Cooper and the mayor of Charlotte brought this issue to North Carolina, with a very powerful group called the [Human Rights Campaign], which has helped Roy an awful lot, and they just had to add a portion of [Charlotte ordinance], which said the following: ‘You must have gender identity or gender expression in order to get into a private-sector restroom, locker room or shower in the public access to the private sector.’” Cooper has repeatedly called for the repeal of HB 2. “If a local government wants to protect people from being fired because they’re gay, House Bill 2 says you can’t do that,” Cooper said. “If a local government wants to raise the minimum wage, House Bill 2 says you can’t do that. If a local government wants to provide discrimination protection to veterans — and a couple cities had those kinds of ordinances that have been wiped away by House Bill 2 — this is one of the reasons why House Bill 2 has been pointed out as one of the most discriminatory laws in the country and why we are suffering such economic damage for it. Because it’s wrong. It writes discrimination into our law, and it is wrong, period.” During the second debate, McCrory defended signing two anti-abortion bills into law despite promising during his 2012 campaign that he would not further restrict abortion rights. “If you consider having a doctor make sure they don’t do an abortion after five months [into a woman’s pregnancy], that’s not a restriction on the individual; that’s the law,” McCrory said. “And all it requires is the doctor to make sure they have a record of that. It did not impact at all the access to an abortion.” Cooper’s response was withering. “His legislation requires that a doctor send a woman’s ultrasound to state government,” the Democratic candidate said. “Now, however you feel about the policy, we don’t need state government bureaucrats reviewing women’s ultrasounds. This is the kind of restriction that he promised would not take place, that he did. And now he’s coming around trying to say that’s not a restriction. I think people would say that it is, Governor, and that you are distorting your record.” On Medicaid expansion, the candidates have marked out positions that are diametrically opposed.
triad-city-beat.com
Two years after the scandal, the call for a new trial for Kalvin Michael Smith came from none other than the person tapped by Cooper to look into look into allegations of evidence being manipulated at the SBI — Chris Swecker. The former FBI director wrote in a 2012 report that the original police investigation that led to Smith’s conviction “was seriously flawed and woefully incomplete, thus calling into question whether the original jury rendered their verdict based on all the relevant and accurate facts in the case.” During their third and final debate on Oct. 18, McCrory and Cooper sparred over the performance of the state crime lab, but the debate focused on backlogs, and neither candidate brought up the perversion of justice that resulted from the manipulation of evidence under the attorney general’s watch. While Cooper has staked out a cautious position on police reform, law enforcement support has largely shifted to McCrory. “I’m grateful to the men and women who serve honorably and risk their lives every day to keep us safe,” Cooper said during the second debate as he criticized a bill signed into law by McCrory that restricts public access to police video. “I’m also mindful that there are so many communities who feel targeted, and they yearn to be heard and they yearn for respect. What we need is a governor who’s going to work to make sure we have that mutual respect. And part of mutual respect is transparency.” McCrory blasted his opponent for trying to have it both ways. “In front of an FOP in an interview, which was recorded, he says he was in favor of it — trying to get the endorsement of the Federation of Police,” McCrory said. “By the way, I got that endorsement. And I’m very proud to have not only their endorsement, but the endorsement of five other major police organizations in North Carolina, because I care for both the victims and also care for those persons being investigated.” On other issues, the two positions of the two candidates are much further apart. McCrory defended his decision to sign HB 2 into law, deflecting blame for the national backlash against the legislation to Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts and Cooper. “There was a concept of gender identity, which was a radical concept — which, by the way, the left brought this issue up, not the right,” McCro-
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Oct. 26 — Nov. 1, 2016 Up Front News Opinion Cover Story Culture Sportsball Crossword Shot in the Triad Triaditude Adjustment
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OPINION EDITORIAL
Vote anyway North Carolina dropped into the “leans Democratic” category in the presidential race on RealClearPolitics’ website on Oct. 3. It was one week after the first debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, and a couple of days before audiotape surfaced of Trump describing his pick-up techniques to a guffawing Billy Bush. The tape was a career-killer for Bush, who was dismissed from the “Today” show by the end of the next week. But, again according to RCP aggregate polls, it had virtually no effect on the Trump campaign in North Carolina — support for the candidate here is actually trending upwards since Oct. 14. This goes to show that, while at this point it seems clear that we will be looking at the first female president in the history of the country, no one really knows how North Carolina will fall, and Trump supporters in the state are hanging on. It looks as if the Democrats may make some inroads on the Republican majority in the House and could win a one-seat majority in the Senate. Either way, through the magic of gerrymandering, the state General Assembly will remain solidly conservative even with a Democratic sweep. The only sure thing is that there will be an awful lot of Tarheels disturbed by the outcome of these races and, if recent history is any guide, some lingering resentment after everybody gets sworn in. And what are we to do in this red-run state with a deep purple electorate? How are we supposed to overcome two years of overturned laws from our state legislature and make whole the economic damage wrought by cancelled sports tournaments and concerts? When will we be able to stop spending budget money to defend ourselves from lawsuits instead of on natural disasters or infrastructure? How are we supposed to forget that probably four out of every 10 voters in the state will have voted for Trump? What’s to be done when you’ve voted out anyone who can be dethroned and still nothing changes? It’s the vicious cycle of the political pendulum. Democrats at the national level will make promises that will be thwarted by Republican obstruction. And Republicans at the state level will exploit the Democrats’ supposed failures for political gain in the next two cycles. Lower your expectations. And vote anyway.
CITIZEN GREEN
On tour, Jordan Davis’ mom defends Clinton’s record During the Democratic National Convention, Lucia McBath memorably stood beside the mothers of Sandra Bland, Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner and Dontre Hamilton, and declared, “When your child dies, you don’t stop being a parent.” by Jordan Green McBath recalled how her 17-year old son, Jordan Davis, was shot and killed by a white man in an encounter in a gas-station parking lot in Jacksonville, Fla. on Nov. 23, 2012 “for playing loud music.” Her son’s life ended that day, McBath said, adding, “But my job as his mother didn’t. I still wake up every day thinking about how to parent him, how to protect him and his legacy, how to ensure that his death doesn’t overshadow his life.” Unlike the killer of Trayvon Martin, David Dunn, the man who killed Davis, was found guilty of murder. While justice was served in the death of Jordan Davis, the episode helped crystalize a public reckoning in white America’s ongoing education on race relations — that vicious and persistent stereotypes about black men and boys as being dangerous and out of control devalue and undermine their lives at every turn, often with fatal consequences. “I lived in fear that my son would die like this,” McBath said at the convention. “I even warned him that because he was a young black man, he would meet people who didn’t value his life. That is a conversation that no parent should ever have with their child. Hillary Clinton isn’t afraid to say that black lives matter. She isn’t afraid to sit at a table with grieving mothers and bear the full force of our anguish. She doesn’t build walls around her heart. Not only did she listen to our problems, she invited us to become part of the solution.” That same maternal sensibility — a striking blend of private grief and public responsibility — came across when I spoke with McBath over the past weekend, while she was in North Carolina campaigning for Clinton alongside her fellow “mothers of the movement.” An early supporter, McBath is well aware of the criticism of Clinton for her past role in abetting mass incarceration and the demonization of young black people as the drug war gained ferocity in the 1990s. While noting the “night and day” contrast between Clinton and Trump, McBath suggested that Clinton has undergone a conversion and also that her ’90s-era posture was an aberration in a life otherwise committed to racial justice. “As to that comment about ‘super-predators,’ she has said over and over again that this is not the proper rhetoric,” McBath told me. “The individuals causing those kinds of crimes were people who were hopeless based on the intrinsic problems within their community; that is why they became so predatory is because of systematic racism and poverty. Her intent was not to say that all black males are super-predators.”
While Clinton’s 1996 comment about “super-predators” played into a dangerous stereotype going back to the convict-leasing era of black men as dangerous animals who need to be controlled, the 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act signed into law by her husband escalated mass incarceration. “She has said openly that when the crime bill was instituted, it was not meant to be instituted against an entire race of people in an urban area,” McBath told me. “She knows that there is work to do to be able to change some of the issues of implicit bias, mass incarceration and illegal policing. To be mindful that she was First Lady and people want to blame her for that, she is standing by the fact that there have been some very devastating implications. She’s put a very comprehensive proposal forward to build better relations between law enforcement and the communities they serve.” Indeed, Clinton has declared more than once on the campaign trail that “it’s time to end the era of mass incarceration.” While acknowledging that she doesn’t have all the answers, Clinton said during a speech at Columbia University in February: “I know we should work together to pursue alternative punishments for low-level offenders. They do have to in some way be registered in the criminal justice system, but we don’t want that to be a fast track to long-term criminal activity. We don’t want to create another incarceration generation.” As numerous activists and scholars note in the new Netflix documentary 13th, mass incarceration is falling out of favor among both Democrats and Republicans, with politicians focusing on alternatives like community supervision and an expanded parole and probation. As the era of mass incarceration comes to an end, they worry that America’s racial caste system is only adapting to a new paradigm of maintaining control over black bodies through ankle bracelets and electronic monitoring. As the United States undergoes a political convulsion in this unpredictable election, it feels like something big is on the horizon for criminal justice reform. Whether it’s real opening for democracy or a new machine settling into place remains entirely unclear.
Lucia McBath, the mother of Jordan Davis, speaking at the DNC.
COURTESY IMAGE
Lessons from knocking on thousands of doors
Cover Story Culture
Along with his field organizing, Anthony Harrison is Triad City Beat’s sports writer and former intern.
Opinion
cousins of traveling salespeople and Jehovah’s Witnesses to the point of accepting a copy of The Watchtower this summer. I’ve also learned that the undecided voter is not an endangered species, even in this crazy-ass election. Believe it or not, many people still haven’t decided between Clinton and Trump. It shocks me every time I run into one, not because of their rarity, but because the two candidates represent in my mind such a stark contrast in values and sanity. Still, so many unsure voters have intoned the phrase “lesser of two evils” that the words long ago lost any tenuous meaning they once held in this infernal political season. I speak with these people in attempts to convince them that there is no “lesser evil” at this juncture in the race; there is but the voice of rationalism and compassion on one side and a threat to American democracy and world peace on the other — Clinton and Trump, respectively. My arguments work on many in the field. But I cannot declare my mission accomplished until Nov. 9 when — hopefully — Clinton, Ross, Cooper and Morgan ascend to their respective offices. Until then, I keep walking.
News Sportsball
in their party makeup. Instead of blocs of conservatives or liberals occupying whole neighborhoods, political affiliations sometimes alternate like the stripes of the American flag. Even some of the densest neighborhoods more resemble a pointillist painting than a monochromatic blob. Of course, some regions do vote with a herd mentality. In the outlying rural areas of Guilford or Forsyth County, towns and unincorporated municipalities tend towards conservatism with perhaps some random hippies plopped into the scarlet sea. The opposite holds true in the middle of cities; for example, one Trumpnik stood out against the dozens of Clinton supporters I canvassed in Greensboro’s College Hill neighborhood — and he was moving out. He didn’t treat me with disdain, though. Mostly, those in suburban bubbles lambast me as a liar, a “Demon-crat,” a solicitor. Surburbanites and country folk alike claim it’s too late as soon as the sun sets behind the trees; in this way, I’ve learned Southerners follow not clocks but daylight to tell time. They issue forth such contempt for my simple inquiries and exercises of political free speech as to scream at me to leave their subdivision or they’ll call the cops. And I have most certainly had the police called on me and my teammates, but many “concerned citizens” placed these requests on false pretenses. Once, an officer of the Greensboro Police Department told me a miffed citizen claimed I was peddling subscriptions for DirecTV. I had to laugh. I don’t understand this disdain for canvassers, and I now feel the deepest empathy for my walking, knocking
Up Front
I’ve done a lot of walking while canvassing over the past two months. I traveled from Durham to Winston-Salem, from High Point to Apex. I tramped through city slums and ritzy suburbs. I by Anthony Harrison walked a country mile — and then some — past tobacco fields, cow pastures and pine stands. I strolled past manicured lawns and wild seas of kudzu. Deer, rabbits and foxes sprung away surprised from my flashlight’s beam. Dogs nipped at my ankles, and their owners hurled insults and accusations at me while slamming their doors in my face. I’ve logged hundreds of miles on foot in my two months of service for as a political canvasser. And the purpose of all that walking has been to reach voters and speak with them, promoting our cause for American workers’ interests and endorsing candidates who fight for those interests — namely, Hillary Clinton, Deborah Ross, Roy Cooper and Michael Morgan. So hand in hand with those hundreds of miles, I’ve also had over 1,000 conversations with likely voters, and I’ve learned many things about my fellow North Carolinians across both the political and socioeconomic spectrums. For one, I’ve realized to my surprise that many communities in the Triad cannot be painted red or blue with a broad brush. You can’t even say they’re necessarily purple. Suburbs in my hometown of Greensboro vary wildly
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Oct. 26 — Nov. 1, 2016
2016
Cover Story
by Brian Clarey, Jordan Green and Eric Ginsburg
This is the big one.
Unless you’ve been living on another planet, you already know this is the most unpredictable, unstable and consequential election in living memory. We don’t have to rehash the particulars of the choices at the top of the ticket — a political insider with experience as first lady, senator and secretary of state weighted with baggage vs. an erratic reality TV star.
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In North Carolina, there are other reasons this is an important election: It’s the first time since 2008 that contests for president, governor
and US senator are all on the same ballot. And alll three races at the top of the ballot in North Carolina are razor-thin. That means, of course, that every vote makes a difference. This year, along with candidates for US Congress and state General Assembly, seats for Council of State, state Supreme Court, county commission and school board are up for reelection, along with judgeships from court of appeals all the way down to district court. 2016 also marks the first year that Winston-Salem City Council elections are timed to coincide with presidential election years. Not least important, voters in Forsyth County have the opportunity
to vote on a $350 million bond to pay for new school construction, and Greensboro voters will consider four separate bonds for housing, parks and recreation, transportation and community and economic development. Early voting is already underway. Depending on where you live, check out the respective websites for the Forsyth County Board of Elections (forsyth.cc/elections) and Guilford County Board of Elections (myguilford.com/elections/) to find specific times and locations. Study your options carefully. How you cast your vote may well determine the future of the republic.
US Senate
Donald J. Trump (R), Hillary Clinton (D) and Gary Johnson (L)
Richard Burr (R, i), Deborah K. Ross (D) and Sean Haugh (L)
Hillary Clinton
Deborah K. Ross
Donald J. Trump
North Carolina is very much in play in the presidential race. Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton is shooting for a sweep of the swing states, and Trump can’t win the race without North Carolina’s 15 electoral votes. Gary Johnson, the Libertarian candidate, makes the ballot here as well. Is it possible that there are any undecided voters still left in our state that are looking for information on these candidates? Very well. Clinton, a former lawyer, has been involved in politics since volunteering for Barry Goldwater’s run for the GOP presidential nomination in 1964. She’s been first lady of Arkansas as well as the United States, served as a US senator from New York and as secretary of state. Her platform, as stated on her website, includes nods to income inequality with a higher tax on corporations, Wall Street banks and the 1 percent; and racial justice as expressed in positions on gun regulation, voting rights, immigration reform and inequalities in the criminal-justice system itself. Detailed positions on more than 50 issues are spelled out on her site, mostly conforming to a progressive agenda. Trump, a businessman and reality-television personality, lists as his top positions cybersecurity and veterans’ benefits, both of which he’ll transform by creating or overhauling departments. He wants to renegotiate our international trade deals, eliminate domestic regulation that “kills jobs” and build a wall between the United States and Mexico. His economic plan lowers taxes across the board, but will eliminate “special-interest loopholes” to cover the balance. And he favors a heavy-handed approach to the Middle East, suggesting that we invade and “take the oil,” possibly with the aid of nuclear weapons. There’s more. Trump’s personal style and brusque demeanor —he’s insulted and berated more than 281 people and institutions since he announced his campaign, according to the New York Times — has lost him support within his own party including former RNC head Michael Steele, Mitt Romney, Jeb Bush, Michael Bloomberg, Christine Todd Whitman and dozens of other prominent names. And his casual remarks about sexual assault remain an issue for his campaign. Johnson runs on a standard Libertarian platform, with elimination of “wasteful spending” after a line-item overhaul of the budget, a consumption tax and term limits, among other small-government stances.
Richard Burr
Richard Burr, North Carolina’s senior senator who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, looked prepared to cruise to an easy reelection to a third term as recently as six months ago, but Democratic challenger Deborah Ross, a former state lawmaker, gained traction with a platform emphasizing economic security that was strategically segmented to reach seniors, families and young people. Burr has waged a low-key to invisible reelection campaign while dancing an awkward tango with the toxic candidate at the top of the Republican ticket — he received appointment to Trump’s National Security Advisory Council in early October — easing Ross’ path. By mid-summer, North Carolina was ranked as one of only a handful of states needed by Democrats to regain control of the Senate, assuming Clinton wins the presidency. (If Clinton loses, the Democrats would need an additional seat to prevent a Republican vice president from casting the tie-breaking vote in the Senate.) To retake the Senate, Democrats need to hold onto their seat in Nevada and pick up control of three seats currently occupied by Republicans. Illinois and Wisconsin look to be in the bag as pickups for Democrats, according to FiveThirtyEight, and Missouri and New Hampshire hold the strongest potential to round out the complement. That means North Carolina is a little less crucial for the Democrats, although FiveThirtyEight predicts it’s “likely to go down to the wire.” The two campaigns have sparred in TV ads over Ross’ position on North Carolina’s sex offender registry, with Burr accusing her of opposing it as director of the state ACLU. Ross acknowledges raising some concerns about the registry, but argues that she later voted to strengthen it as a member of the state House. It’s unclear how much attention North Carolinians are paying to the issue — or the race in general — and the outcome may well come down to the coattail effect of an electrifying presidential race. Libertarian Sean Haugh, who appears in YouTube videos candidly chatting at his dining-room table while drinking craft beer, is campaigning on a platform of ending foreign wars and reducing the size of government. He polled 3.7 percent in the 2014 Senate race between Republican Thom Tillis and Democrat Kay Hagan — greater than the margin of difference between the two major-party candidates — potentially allowing him to play the spoiler role again.
US House District 5 Virginia Foxx (R, i) and Josh Brannon (D)
Virginia Foxx
triad-city-beat.com
President (open seat)
Josh Brannon
The 5th Congressional District is among the most conservative in the state, although it got a little friendlier for Democrats when the General Assembly swapped out urban areas of Winston-Salem that were previously part of the 12th district when they redrew maps earlier this year. Arch-conservative Virginia Foxx has represented the district since 2005, and ascended to the Republican Leadership Conference after the 2012 election, aligning herself with the GOP’s establishment wing. As a national security hawk, she voted for the 2015 USA Freedom Act, which allows the National Security Administration to continue to access metadata from domestic phone records. In June, Foxx easily survived a challenge from libertarian-leaning challenger Pattie Curran. The election is a rematch of the 2014 contest, when Foxx defended her seat against Democrat Josh Brannon, prevailing by a 22-point margin. Brannon, a software developer who — like Foxx — lives in the mountainous west end of the district, is running on an economic populist platform that aligned him squarely with Bernie Sanders during the primary. He’s become an enthusiastic Clinton supporter over the course of the general election campaign; a radioactive standard bearer at the top of the other party’s ticket will do that. US House District 6 Mark Walker (R, i) and Pete Glidewell (D)
Mark Walker
Pete Glidewell
Republican incumbent Mark Walker, a former music pastor at Lawndale Baptist Church in Greensboro who was elected in 2014 after Howard Coble’s long tenure in the seat, prides himself on being one of the most conservative members of Congress. He’s sponsored several pieces of legislation, including the 2015 Define It to Fight It Act that “directs the Department of State to withhold 10 percent of US contributions to the regularly assessed bi-
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Oct. 26 — Nov. 1, 2016 Cover Story
ennial budget of the United Nations until the UN adopts a definition of international terrorism concurrent with US laws.” Like almost every piece of legislation where he’s listed as a sponsor, this bill didn’t go very far, landing in a committee. Some other pieces of legislation that Walker co-sponsored fared better, including one that became law, naming a Winston-Salem post office after Maya Angelou. Many of the bills he co-sponsored sound more like this: “Criminal Alien Deportation Enforcement Act of 2016,” “Prohibiting the Usurpation of Bathroom Laws through Independent Choice School Act of 2016” and “End Executive Overreach Act,” all of which are in committee. Democratic challenger Pete Glidewell is a veteran and former CEO “of a business that employed as many as 1,900 in North Carolina,” according to his website. Glidewell believes in a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, while Walker’s rhetoric on immigration, Mexico and Syrian refugees hasn’t been too far from Donald Trump’s talking points in the past. Glidewell’s website touts environmentally friendly energy generation, starting public education at a younger age, supporting LGBT rights and reproductive freedom, and increasing mental health resources, while outlining his stance on a variety of other issues including food insecurity, battling ISIS and the Second Amendment.
State supreme court justice Bob Edmunds (i) and Mike Morgan
US House District 13 (open seat) Ted Budd (R) and Bruce Davis (D)
Ted Budd
Bruce Davis
The new 13 Congressional District was created earlier this year when a three-judge panel of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that North Carolina’s previous map was racially gerrymandered and forced the General Assembly to go back to the drawing board. The new district captures the most populated southwest corner of Guilford County, including High Point and most of Greensboro, and stretches west over four counties to Statesville. Ted Budd, a political neophyte who owns a gun shop and shooting range, bested a crowded field of 16 candidates in the Republican primary. His campaign received some welcome assistance from the Club for Growth PAC, a conservative group that spent $500,000 in independent ad buys to support the candidate. Meanwhile, Bruce Davis, a former Guilford County commissioner and retired Marine, won the Democratic primary with heavy support from voters in High Point and southeast Greensboro. Among Republican candidates for Congress in North Carolina, Budd is one of the most enthusiastic supporters of the Trump-Pence ticket, appearing on the campaign th
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trail with both the nominee and his running mate. During a Winston-Salem rally soon after the Republican National Convention, Budd contrasted Trump’s platform with Clinton’s plan to increase the number of refugees accepted from Syria. “Donald Trump has already made it clear what he’s going to do: Protect the border, repeal Obamacare,” Budd said. “Those are the policies that will make America great again.” In contrast, Davis emphasizes a compassionate approach to immigration, with a pathway to citizenship for undocumented people. “I’ve been hearing their stories about how their lives are impacted by the rhetoric,” Davis told TCB. “How challenging it is to live an existence in the shadows — going to work, raising a family. We talk about racial profiling in the black community, and they have a double dose.”
The Republican revolution in North Carolina begun in 2010 became complete with the election of former Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory in 2012. During his time in office he has presided over a movement that reduced corporate and personal taxes, deprioritized education spending from the UNC System on down, de-emphasized the role of cities in the economic and governmental functions of the state and, with his party’s majority, passed several pieces of key legislation that courts have overturned, nullified or otherwise ruled illegal. McCrory says he’s been the architect of a “Carolina comeback,” adding 30,000 jobs and dropping unemployment to a historic low, creating a $425 million budget surplus and developing a $2 billion bond to invest in infrastructure. Cooper, the current attorney general, takes heat for a scandal in the State Bureau of Investigations that was discovered on his watch in 2010 in which lab reports were shown to have been falsified to strengthen prosecution’s cases over at least 20 years. He’s basically running as the anti-McCrory, pledging to overturn HB 2, accept federal Medicaid funding and fighting the environmental problems of coastal erosion and coal-ash disposal. And he’s vowed to roll back the state’s voting legislation, which has already been deemed largely illegal by appellate courts. Lieutenant governor
Bob Edmunds
Mike Morgan
Mike Morgan, who has spent about a decade as a superior court judge and as a district court judge, is challenging incumbent Bob Edmunds for a seat on the state Supreme Court. Morgan, who is black, helped integrate the New Bern public school system as a student in the 1960s and is currently a Wake County superior court judge, according to his campaign website. The election is nonpartisan, but Morgan is registered as a Democrat while incumbent Edmunds is a Republican. Edmunds, who lives in Greensboro, almost waltzed to victory when the state General Assembly tried to lock him in with something called a “retention election.” It would’ve been the first in state history, and is hard to describe as anything other than a brazenly partisan move by Republican lawmakers. The courts struck down that plan, however, and after Edmunds and Morgan made it through a primary earlier this year, it’s up to you to choose whether Edmunds stays — not Raleigh. Governor [see story on page 8] Pat McCrory (R, i), Roy Cooper (D) and Lon Cecil (L)
Dan Forest (R, i), Linda Coleman (D) and Jacki Cole (L) The position of lieutenant governor in North Carolina is unique in that the post affects both the legislative branch, as president of the state Senate, and, as a member of the Council of State, the executive, along with seats on key committees and boards. This is in addition to be next in line for the governorship should something happen, but this is quite rare. Forest, an architect, won the post in 2012 by less than 0.2 percent — about 7,000 votes — against Linda Coleman, the current Democratic challenger. His platform remains similar to the last go-round: growth through low taxes, cheap energy and separate and limited government among them. He’s also become active in the charter school movement, and brings that view point to his seat on the state Board of Education. Coleman, who has been a teacher, director of the office of state personnel under Gov. Bev Perdue, chair of the Wake County Commission and a representative in the state House, is hoping she can overcome that 7,000-vote deficit this time around with a platform heavy on public education, Medicaid expansion and environmental issues. She says she will use her seat on the state Economic Development Board to favor policies that help the middle class. Attorney general (open seat)
Pat McCrory
Roy Cooper
Buck Newton (R) and Josh Stein (D) Roy Cooper’s ascension to the governor’s race creates a vacuum at the top of the state’s AG office The heir apparent is Josh Stein, who served as deputy
Josh Stein
attorney general under Cooper. He has not addressed Black Lives Matter or the racial element of the criminal-justice system. Instead he touts his experience in the AG office and as a state senator from Wake County to position himself as a reasonable successor. Buck Newton also comes from the state Senate, serving Wilson and Nash counties since 2011. As such, he was a big supporter of HB 2 — in the spring he was quoted as saying the law was designed to “keep our state straight.” He runs on a so-called law-and-order platform, listing among his chief accomplishments his role in the repeal of the Racial Justice Act. Auditor Beth A. Wood (D, i) and Chuck Stuber (R) Beth Wood has been monitoring the state’s books since she became North Carolina’s first female auditor in 2009. She notes among her accomplishments that she “removed the politics” from her office. Chuck Stuber, a former FBI agent from Raleigh, has been an investigator for the state Board of Elections since 2014. He says that with access to all of the budgets of the various departments, he’ll be able to ferret out corruption in the same way he did with the BOE — he’s referred more than 30 cases of election-law violations to district attorneys’ offices around the state. Commissioner of agriculture Steve Troxler (R, i) and Walter Smith (D) Steve Troxler, a former tobacco farmer from Browns Summit, won the office in 2004after a bizarre election that came down to fewer than 100 votes, and necessitated a special election in Carteret County to determine the winner. In his time in office, he says he’s increased the impact of agribusiness from $58 billion to $80 billion, and preserved more than 10,000 acres of farmland. Challenger Walter Smith, who has a small farm in Yadkin County, sees food security as his top issue, and emphasizes helping family farms to compete against large agribusinesses. Commissioner of insurance Wayne Goodwin (D, i) and Mike Causey (R) The commissioner of insurance oversees all the companies that sell insurance in the state, what they charge and how much they’ll cover. It’s most important in matters of real estate, natural disaster and healthcare. Wayne Goodwin has been on the job since 2008,
Commissioner of labor Cherie Berry (R, i) and Charles Meeker (D) Democrat Charles Meeker is well known in Raleigh — he spent eight years on city council in the capital, followed by a decade as mayor ending in 2011. Meeker, who graduated from Columbia Law School, wants to tackle a variety of issues as labor commissioner, “from worker injuries to employee misclassifications to workers not being paid,” according to his website. Meanwhile Republican Cherie Berry, whose name you may recognize from the signs in North Carolina elevators, said in 2012 that she believed in abolishing the minimum wage, according to the Washington Post. She previously served in the state House and says on her campaign website that the state “achieved the lowest injury and illness rate in state history” under her tenure, adding: “As commissioner, she helped lower worker’s compensation costs and continues standing steadfast against the special interests seeking redundant, job-killing regulations.” Secretary of state Elaine Marshall (D, i) and Michael LaPaglia (R) The secretary of state office handles business filings, loans and liens, copyrights and trademarks, lobbyists, international issues, investments and securities, birth and death certificates, and charitable organizations. It’s a big job. Elaine Marshall has held the post since 1997. She won her last re-election in 2012 by more than 7 points. Michael LaPaglia, an entrepreneur who has neither held nor run for office before, comes at Marshall from the right, touting deregulation and free-market solutions as the answer to the state’s economic woes. Superintendent of public instruction June Atkinson (D, i) and Mark Johnson (R) June Atkinson, the first woman to be elected to the post, has been superintendent of public instruction since 2004, overseeing all aspects of public education. The status quo is challenged by Mark Johnson of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School Board, who runs as a reformer emphasizing teachers and technology in the classroom, and local education initiatives. Treasurer (open seat) Dale Folwell (R) and Dan Blue III A vacancy in the council of state due to the retirement of state Treasurer Janet Cowell, a Democrat, has attracted
two high-profile candidates. A former state lawmaker from Winston-Salem, Dale Folwell served as speaker pro tem in the state House for two years. He lost his bid for lieutenant governor in 2012, but his consolation prize was a role critical to the GOP’s conservative agenda in Raleigh. As assistant secretary of commerce, Folwell administered a reversal of the state’s $2.5 billion unemployment insurance deficit to a $1 billion surplus, after the Republican leadership and Gov. Pat McCrory slashed benefits. The son of state Senate Minority Leader Dan Blue Jr., Dan Blue III worked as an investment banker in New York City before returning to North Carolina where he worked in the pharmaceutical industry and eventually joined his father’s law firm.
triad-city-beat.com
Buck Newton
through the passage of the Affordable Care Act and what ensued. He’s also led investigations resulting in refunds from health insurance and auto insurance agencies. Mike Causey, a Guilford County farmer and former state lobbyist, has charged the current office with being outdated, resulting in high rates for consumers across the state. His website does not address healthcare. The two last faced off in 2012, with Goodwin taking it by almost 4 points.
State Senate District 27 Trudy Wade (R, i) and Michael Garrett (D)
Trudy Wade
Michael Garrett
Republican Sen. Trudy Wade, who gained notoriety for trying to reopen the White Street Landfill while serving on Greensboro City Council, doesn’t like to talk to the press. In the state Senate, she’s attempted to reconfigure Greensboro City Council, supported the discriminatory HB 2 and turned the Guilford County School Board races into partisan contests. She also offered a full-throated endorsement of Donald Trump at one of his rallies this year, enthusiastically stabbing two fists into the air. A veterinarian by trade, Wade emphasizes her support for increased educational funding and lower taxes on her website. Michael Garrett is a small business owner and the son of Guilford County School Board member Darlene Garrett who’s served on the Guilford County Gang Commission, the United Way’s Education Impact Council, the Guilford County Juvenile Crime Prevention Council and the UNCG Excellence Foundation Board of Directors. In an interview with TCB, he raised the issues of food hardship, wages and income and constituent services as areas where he would be an improvement over Wade. He also opposes HB 2. State Senate District 28 Gladys A. Robinson (D, i) and Devin R. King (R) Gadfly Devin King, who ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Greensboro, is challenging longtime incumbent Democrat Gladys Robinson in this deep blue state Senate district that covers the core of both Greensboro and High Point.
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Oct. 26 — Nov. 1, 2016
State House District 59
Forsyth County Commission District B (3 seats)
Jon Hardister (R, i) and Scott A. Jones (D) Jon Hardister has served the district since joining the state House in 2012, after redistricting created a Republican-leaning safe space. He has stayed mostly loyal to the party on initiatives like HB 2 and voter ID, with an active hand in tax reform and education policy, and party-line stances on the Second Amendment and deregulation as an economic stimulus. He also serves on the ABC commission, sponsoring the law that allows distilleries to sell bottles of liquor at their facilities. His challenger, Scott Jones, got his start in politics when he challenged Guilford County Sheriff BJ Barnes in the 2010 Republican primary. This was after being detained for assaulting a deputy and calling in a threat; he was later acquitted of both charges. He relies on his Facebook page instead of a website to get his message across, and it’s bereft of information besides listing his credentials as a graduate of Leadership Greensboro and a fellow of the NC Institute of Political Leadership.
Richard V. Linville (R, i), Dave Plyler (R, i), Gloria D. Whisenhunt (R, i), Trent Harmon (D), Selester Stewart (D) and Bob Stitcher (D) Suburban District B on the Forsyth County Commission is a virtually bulletproof GOP redoubt, but one of the three Republican incumbents, Dave Plyler, has voted with the board’s two Democrats and another moderate Republican on crucial issues like an upcoming school bond. Plyler survived a primary challenge from conservative Republican Bill Whiteheart. The three Democrats contending for the seats include Selester Stewart, a healthcare CEO who argues the board needs representation from someone who is currently working and raising a family; Bob Stitcher, who contends the aging Forsyth County Hall of Justice needs to be replaced; and Trent Harmon (not the “American Idol” contestant), who has served as an officer with the county Democrats.
State House District 74
Alan Branson (R, i) and Kirk Perkins (D)
Cover Story
Debra Conrad (R, i) and Marilynn Baker (D)
Guilford County Commission District 4
Debra Conrad
Marilynn Baker
A former Forsyth County commissioner who was elected to the state House in 2012, Debra Conrad can check off most of the hot-button social-conservative boxes currently roiling North Carolina politics. A longtime foe of illegal immigration, Conrad sponsored legislation last year to prohibit local governments from accepting IDs produced by Greensboro nonprofit FaithAction to allow undocumented people to conduct business, voted yes on two bills to restrict abortions, and joined her Republican colleagues in voting for HB 2. Marilynn Baker, a retired Reynolds Tobacco employee, supports repealing HB 2 and expanding Medicaid, while calling for increased funding for textbooks and other education investments. She’s received the endorsement of the Triad Labor Council, the NC Association of Educators and Equality NC. 12 candidates for General Assembly from Forsyth and Guilford counties are running unopposed: Phil Berger (RS26), Joyce Krawiec (R-S31), Paul Lowe Jr. (D-S32), Pricey Harrison (D-H57), Amos Quick (D-H58), Cecil Brockman (D-H60), John Faircloth (R-H61), John Blust (R-H62), Evelyn Terry (D-H71), Edward Hanes Jr. (D-H72), Donny C. Lambeth (R-H75) and Julia Howard (R-H79).
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Alan Branson
Kirk Perkins
The District 4 Guilford County Commission race, covering the eastern part of the county, is a rematch between former commissioner Kirk Perkins and incumbent Alan Branson. In an August reelection message on his campaign website, Branson said that it is “very crucial that all Republican candidates get your support,” adding, “Not only is it important that we elect Republicans in Washington and Raleigh, but we must also elect the Republican candidates right here in Guilford County!” He says the conservative majority on the commission has led to increased school funding and lowered taxes, along with “massive debt reductions and supported fiscally responsible spending.” Perkins — who graduated from Guilford College and who owns a real estate appraisal, construction and brokerage firm — is an environmentalist, listing his membership in the Sierra Club and Nature Conservancy on his website. But other than that, his platform reads as centrist, talking about minimizing tax burdens, and featuring statements like this: “I believe the free market is the best engine for growth and economic development. The market should be regulated fairly to promote balanced and sustainable growth with only limited necessary government interference.”
Guilford County Commission District 6 Hank Henning (R, i) and Rick Forrester (D)
Hank Henning
Rick Forrester
Hank Henning was part of a cohort of Republicans elected to the Guilford County Commission in 2012, after the GOP-controlled General Assembly redrew district lines allowing the party to take control of county government. Henning, who was elected by his fellow commissioners as chair in 2014, is proud of being part of a board that reduced property taxes, increased school spending and paid down the county’s debt. But over the last two years of his tenure, a controversy over the future of the Rich Fork Preserve in High Point has dragged on, and Democratic challenger Rick Forrester, a lawyer who practices in Greensboro, argues his opponents hasn’t exercised effective leadership. Forrester opposes mountain biking in the preserve and argues the county should honor its commitment to the people who sold property to the county. Two candidates for Guilford County Commission are running unopposed: Jeff Phillips (R-5) and Ray Trapp (D-8). Forsyth County Register of Deeds (open seat) Steve Wood (R) and Lynne Johnson (D) In one of the biggest surprises of primary season, incumbent Forsyth County Register of Deeds Norman Holleman was unseated in the Democratic primary by Lynne Johnson, who worked in the office in different capacities for more than 27 years and now is deputy clerk in Forsyth County Superior Court. Steve Wood, who received Holleman’s endorsement after Holleman told the Winston-Salem Journal that he and Johnson had “run-ins about how we do things,” is a former state lawmaker, serving eight terms in the state House, two of them as speaker pro tem. Both agree that the registrar should be able to opt out of performing same-sex marriages, though neither has said whether they would take that option. Winston-Salem City Council, Northwest Ward Jeff MacIntosh (D, i) and Eric Henderson (R) Democrat Jeff MacIntosh was elected to the Northwest Ward seat on Winston-Salem City Council in 2013 as the hand-picked successor to Wanda Merschel. A realtor by profession, he’s quickly taken to the collegial style of the current council, voting with colleagues to incentivize downtown development and support preservation, while
Winston-Salem City Council, South Ward (open seat) Michael Tyler (R) and John Larson (D)
primary with Leight’s endorsement — he and Tyler sound a lot alike in their insistence that council needs to move faster on raising pay for police officers, and that the city needs to ensure that residents in the outlying parts of the South Ward receive equitable services. Seven candidates for Winston-Salem City Council are running unopposed: Allen Joines (D-mayor), Derwin Montgomery (D-East Ward), Vivian Burke (D-Northeast Ward), Denise Adams (D-North Ward), Robert Clark (R-West Ward), Dan Besse (D-Southwest Ward) and James Taylor (D-Southeast Ward). Guilford County School Board, at large
Michael Tyler
John Larson
John Larson, who is retiring as vice president of restoration at Old Salem Museum & Gardens, won a bitterly contested primary for the Democratic nomination for the open seat representing the South Ward, where Molly Leight is retiring. Larson’s Republican opponent, a restaurant equipment servicer named Michael Tyler, was active in South Carolina politics before moving back to his native Winston-Salem. Notwithstanding Larson’s close ties with the current council — he went into the Democratic
Alan Duncan (D, i) and Alan Hawkes (R) Democrat Alan Duncan, who chairs the Guilford County School Board, was first elected in 2002. He has voted with the majority for progressive positions, including a resolution to allow undocumented students to attend state universities at in-state tuition rates, and signed on to lawsuits challenging state legislation that shifts public funds from charter schools and ends teacher tenure. His Republican opponent, Alan Hawkes, is an ardent proponent of charter schools and sits on the board of directors of two local charters. Hawkes also serves on the NC Charter School Advisory Board at the appointment of state Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger, and his campaign has accepted a $1,000 contribution from the CEO of the Florida-based operator Charter Schools USA. Hawkes
said he would like to see the Guilford County School Board apply for a charter and contract with a private company to operate a charter school within the district. Guilford County School Board, District 2 Jeff Belton (D, i) and Anita Sharpe (R) Incumbent Jeff Belton holds the advantage as a sitting member of the school board. He runs without the benefit of a website, but he has been quoted as supporting higher pay for teachers, and wondered aloud during a candidate forum what the state would look like if teachers made $70,000 a year. Anita Sharpe previously served as a member of the school board for 18 years. She names teacher pay and student achievement as the district’s biggest challenges, and thinks we should be allocate more of the Education Lottery proceeds to schools.
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occasionally taking more fiscally conservative positions than fellow Democrats on council. Eric Henderson, a graduate assistant at Wake Forest University who teaches physics, argues that council needs to focus more on providing basic services, specifically so the city can free up funds to increase pay for police officers.
Guilford County School Board, District 3 (open seat) Pat Tillman (R) and Angelo Kidd (D) Like several of the other Guilford County School Board races this season, a newcomer will represent District 3 when this one’s over. Voters will chose between Angelo Kidd — a retired educator and former regional superintendent for the local school system — and Pat Tillman, a school volunteer and Marine who believes the left-leaning school board has stagnated. The candidates predictably differ on charter schools and implicit bias, with Tillman
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Oct. 26 — Nov. 1, 2016
ensure that every student has an opportunity for a quality education so parents don’t feel the need to go the charter route. Guilford County School Board, District 6 (open seat)
Pat Tillman
Angelo Kidd
more supportive of the former and Kidd more supportive of tackling the latter. Tillman lists literacy as his top priority and Kidd names mental health while agreeing that literacy is paramount.
Cover Story
Guilford County School Board, District 5 Darlene Garrett (D, i), Mary Catherine Sauer (R) and Lois L. Bailey (U) There may be no more sharply divided school board race on the ballot than the three-way District 5 contest, with 16-year-incumbent Darlene Garrett defending her seat against Republican Mary Catherine Sauer and independent Lois L. Bailey. Garrett opposes providing public vouchers to pay for children to attend charter schools, calling the practice unconstitutional and warning that “there’s an assault on public schools in this state.” Sauer, who founded two charter schools, points to disparities between successful suburban schools and struggling urban schools, arguing that the board needs to
Wes Cashwell (R) and Khem Denise Irby (D) Wes Cashwell was appointed by the Guilford County GOP to fill this candidacy in August after Ed Price withdrew from the race in July, after any primary would have been run. Cashwell is a product of the schools in the district, graduating from Andrews High School in High Point in 1974. Khem Irby, who lives in the Greensboro neighborhood of Adams Farm, has three children in Guilford County Schools, has worked in the system as a substitute teacher and after-school care worker, and says she will act as an advocate for students. Guilford County School Board, District 7 (open seat) Byron Gladden (D) and Bettye Jenkins (U)
Byron Gladden
Bettye Jenkins
Bettye Jenkins filed to run for school board after the deadline, so while she’ll be listed on the ballot as “unaffiliated,” but she describes herself as a lifelong Democrat. The recently retired Guilford County Schools employee is running against Byron Gladden, another Democratic newcomer, who highlights his grassroots activism and a community organizing approach that he says he will bring to the Guilford County School Board. Both candidates are concerned about the achievement gap and disproportionate suspensions. Three school board candidates are running unopposed: Dianne Bellamy-Small (D-1), Linda Welborn (R-1) and Deena Hayes-Green (D-8). Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools bond referendum People in Forsyth County have the opportunity to vote on referendum to raise $350 million for public schools, including new middle schools in the Smith Farm area and on Robinhood Road, and the replacement of Brunson Elementary, Konnoak Elementary and Lowrance Middle/ Paisley IB Magnet. The school board had initially considered requesting a bond for $552.5 million, but scaled back their wish list to make it more palatable to the Forsyth County Commission, whose approval was needed to put the referendum before voters. The modified request meant scrapping plans to replace Ashley Elementary in northeast Winston-Salem, a move that made some pro-
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Greensboro bond referendum The city of Greensboro placed four bond items on this year’s ballot, encompassing community and economic development, parks & recreation, transportation and housing. Voters can vote yes or no on each item individually, and each comes with a different price tag. An explanatory
paragraph accompanies each bond item on the ballot, and additional information is provided on the city’s website. The $25 million housing bond is aimed at alleviating part of Greensboro’s affordable housing shortage by funding construction, improvements and rehabs as well as well as loans and grants for affordable housing developers. The $34.5 million parks & rec bond would fund acquisition, construction and improvements for parks and recreational facilities, which could include greenways, amphitheaters, community centers and athletic facilities. The $28 million transportation bond would cover everything from street resurfacing to bicycle lanes, targeting public transportation (including possible bus shelter
improvements) as well as streetscaping, widening and road construction. The $38.5 million community and economic development bond — the largest of the four — would cover “urban renewal and community development projects” designed to “induce redevelopment, crime prevention and preservation of older properties,” among other things.
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ponents of urban reinvestment unhappy, but also fails to address overcrowding at Kernersville Elementary and Flat Rock Middle School. At the conservative end of the spectrum, the Koch brothers-backed Americans for Prosperity has come out in opposition to the bond.
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Oct. 26 — Nov. 1, 2016 Up Front News Opinion Cover Story Culture Sportsball Crossword Shot in the Triad Triaditude Adjustment
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CULTURE ‘Arranged marriage’ preserves Swedish treats, launches ‘clean’ grocery by Eric Ginsburg
K
ari Finn and Linda Kellerman didn’t know each other very well when they decided to open a business together, nor was the idea of running a retail food store something either of them had favorably considered. They’d both started working at Swedebread — a small outpost in High Point not far from the Piedmont Triad Farmers Market — less than a year before. But when owner Lena Vesterlund decided to close the shop to focus her energy on baking her Swedish and European goods, Finn and Kellerman dove in. “When [Vesterlund] said, ‘I can’t do this anymore,’ I said, ‘I can’t not do it,’” Finn said. “This is like an arranged marriage,” Kellerman offered. “But it’s worked out for both of us.” Together they opened the Budding Artichoke in February, a small store focused on “clean” food without too many ingredients. The emphasis is on local farms, with milk and eggs being the biggest sellers, as well as products that accommodate a variety of diets including gluten-free items and an assortment of things that align with something called the Next 56 Days diet. Vesterlund’s products — hearty, northern European breads with rye and sourdough, cinnamon buns with no glaze, cookies and other things made with organic flour that aren’t too sweet — are still available in her former store Tuesday ERIC GINSBURG There are a handful of Swedebread products still available at the Budding Artichoke, including these through Saturday. Swedish Volvo employees dessert balls with coconut. still come into the Budding Artichoke for “fika,” a traditional break involving coffee and one of products. combination of customers coming for convenience and Vesterlund’s treats, Kellerman said. She once swore she’d never run a business like this, others going out of their way because of the curated, Swedebread opened in the Sandy Ridge Road but farming can be strenuous work, and when Vester“clean” selection. storefront in 2009, Vesterlund said, and I first went lund decided to switch her focus, Finn said the jump They’re still learning as they go — Kellerman had a while back when a Swedish friend from High Point made sense. It’s seeped into her skin already, despite never tried a fresh fig until sampling one off a tree on wanted to introduce me to semla, a sweet roll popular less than a year passing; Finn got a tattoo of an artithe property, and she wouldn’t know what a pawpaw throughout Scandinavia. We sat in chairs at the front choke, her favorite food and the business’ namesake, was without Finn — but they believe strongly in what of the small shop — an area Kellerman and Finn refer on her forearm. they’re doing and making a concerted effort to see it to as “the front porch” though it is inside because it’s Kellerman and Finn are figuring out different ways through. separate from the stocked shelves nearby. to bring people into their shop, which they describe People are responding, they said, and not just Vesterlund’s creations are still a highlight of the as somewhere between a corner store and a gourmet because of them, but also because of all the local Budding Artichoke, but they are only one aspect of the boutique, including live music, pop-up dinners, partpurveyors like Vesterlund that the Budding Artichoke draw. The little grocery sells unnerships with a CSA and a seasupports. common items including rabbit, vendor and offering to let ostrich and buffalo meat, as well Visit the Budding Artichoke at food people use the Budding Artichoke as more predictable health-food 2301 Sandy Ridge Road (HP), Pick of the Week for classes or meetings. store ones such as local honey, It’s sort of out of the way, even find regular updates on the Boo boo brew… granola and produce. for High Pointers, despite being Classic costume party @ Brown Truck Brewing (HP), Facebook page or check out Kellerman, who once ran a straight shot off Interstate 40 Friday, 8 p.m. unsuccessfully for Guilford thebuddingartichoke.com. and a three-minute drive from Food trucks. DJ. Costume party. Brew. And the County Commissioner, is a retired the farmers market. Plenty of kids are welcome. Man that is a party without havdesigner who worked at Mack their customers are carry-overs ing to think too hard about logistics and technicaliTrucks. She handles more of the financial side of the from Swedebread, which sold a store full of items ties. More info can be found on the Boos and Brews operation, while Finn — who obtained an associates beyond Vesterlund’s baking output, though the duo Halloween Costume Party Facebook page for Brown degree in sustainable agriculture from Central Carolina are increasingly seeing new people walk in the door, a Truck Brewing. Community College — works more directly with the
L’ITALIANO
room. A police blanket hangs on one wall, drawings memorializing Sept. 11 and celebrating police officers line the main room, and there’s a trophy case full of sports awards near the front Good through 11/1/16 door, not far from a display dedicated Monday – Thursday to fallen officers. Order online at pizzerialitaliano.net But drinking and dancing certainly 219 S Elm Street, Greensboro • happen here, too — there’s a small wooden bar in the corner of the dining area with beer taps, a stereo and a poplooked like a covered picnic area in the out, either uninterested in what the corn machine that weren’t set up. rear. He was more concerned with the yellow house with Most of the crowd cherry Mountain Dew we tried, or the green shutters out who attended the incredibly vinegary barbecue sauce, or if back held or already The Greensboro Police fundraiser during he knew one of the officers sitting a few familiar with the Club is located at 524 Air lunchtime last week tables over. answers. Harbor Road (GSO) but I appeared to be I can sympathize with his disinterest, Lamar didn’t officers, both current because the police club wasn’t exactly don’t recommend showing care much either, and retired, or at salacious. But we might’ve felt differbrushing me off as I up without an invite. least friends. Save ently if we hadn’t shown up during a mused that it looked for another member benign fundraiser — with the beer and like there was a of the press, nobody music cut off — or in the light of day. basement under the else spent any time checking the place main club building or observed what
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I’ve wanted to see the Greensboro Police Club firsthand ever since I learned of its existence, years by Eric Ginsburg ago while listening to former officer AJ Blake talk at a press conference about what happened there one night. I drove by the entrance once —peering down the long gravel driveway into the secluded property tucked into the woods off Air Harbor Road — after fishing out in northwest Greensboro. I almost pointed my car down the driveway, and wondered what would happen if I flew a drone over the site, but ultimately figured the club would remain a mystery. So when a legitimate reason to venture into the hidden venue presented itself in the form of a barbecue fundraiser, I seized the opportunity. The Greensboro Police Club, described in a press release as a “private civic club” established in 1927, held its annual fall barbecue last week, raising money for several causes including the Special Olympics and police memorials. I showed up for the pork, slaw and beans, but I really just wanted to look around. As you approach the club, a fencedoff shooting range is the first thing you see, with barrels set up down range. A little farther down, my friend Lamar and I pulled into a large parking area to the left, noticing a couple cars with Trump stickers and dog-training equipment in the adjacent grassy area. Towering deciduous trees provided some shade and color, and picnic tables dotted a seating area immediately next to the one-story club. It’s hard to picture the Greensboro Police Club filled with drinking and dancing; it felt more like a mix between a campsite, city park picnic shelter and a humble church. Big, deep couches take up part of the main room around one television, but two fireplaces on either end of the room are boarded up. There’s a full kitchen next to a dining area with white string lights ringing the top of the
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PIZZERIA
A peek inside the police club
The Greensboro Police Club on Air Harbor Road is shrouded in mystery. Or at least it was until last week.
ERIC GINSBURG
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Oct. 26 — Nov. 1, 2016 Opinion Cover Story Culture Sportsball Crossword Shot in the Triad
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On the road with new songs, band finds parallel paths and sudden forks by Jordan Green
“
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CULTURE I always get mad when I go see bands and they only play their new songs,” Daniel Michalak, the multi-instrumentalist co-founder of Bombadil, was saying. “And that’s exactly what we’re doing tonight.” It wasn’t completely true: The Durham folk-pop band indulged loyal fans with crowd favorites like “Love Is Simply,” “Angeline,” “Escalators” and “Laundromat” during a performance at the Centennial Station Arts Center in High Point on Oct. 20. But they also drew liberally from new material recorded for their next as-yet-untitled album, slated for release on Ramseur Records in March. It was their first outing performing new songs recorded with producer John Vanderslice — renowned for his analog approach and work with Death Cab for Cutie, Okkervil River, the Magnetic Fields and others — and the material is so fresh that bandmate James Phillips had to confirm the title of “Math and Love” mid-concert with James Abbott, the band’s manager. With Stacy Harden, a recent addition to the band, contributing guitar leads redolent with delicate beauty and filigree, Bombadil showcased a quieter and less raucous side, with songs built around lyrical alchemy fusing candor and quirkiness, restrained instrumentation and lush vocal harmonies. “Some roads go side by side, some paths fork and skew,” a lyric from “Math and Love” declares, and that duality seemed to animate Michalak and Phillips’ satisfaction in the journey behind them, and excitement about forging ahead with their new partner, Harden, and a new approach to making music together. Phillips noted that the High Point show marked the ninth anniversary of his musical partnership with Michalak; the latter founded the band three years earlier with Bryan Rahija, who left Bombadil in 2014 but contributed guitar tracks for the new album. Phillips said after the show that the new album marks the first time Bombadil has worked with an outside producer, and that he’s been able to hand off engineering duties. It was a liberating experience, and Vanderslice kept the band members on their toes, he said. “His goal is to add an element of danger,” Phillips said. “We had a great time. We went out to lunch every day and ate great food. We worked reasonable hours.” Phillips and Michalak said they were both happy to have an interregnum between the new album’s recording and release to perform their new material on a handful of “weekend runs” this fall. The fall tour includes major North Carolina stops at the Mothlight in Asheville, the Evening Muse in Charlotte and the Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro in early December, followed by dates in Philadelphia, New York City and Boston. Phillips said he gets a sense of satisfaction from making a living, however modest, from playing with Bombadil, and is happy that he and Michalak found
James Phillips, Daniel Michalak and Stacy Harden (l-r) relished the opportunity to play new material during their first outing, in High Point, after recording a new album in San Francisco.
Harden — someone equally committed to the band as a full-time effort. “Everything was different,” Michalak said of the experience of playing the new songs live. “We have new guitars, new pedals. I was scared we wouldn’t be able to play them live.” The new songs are generally quieter than Bombadil’s previous output, with minimal percussion, and going into the inaugural High Point engagement, Michalak held some trepidation about whether they would translate live with sufficient energy to meet audience expectations. He needn’t have worried because the seated crowd listened with rapt attention and responded appreciatively to each of the new songs. Paradoxically, by minimizing percussion the band made it a more distinctive feature of their performance. Phillips frequently played bass drum with a foot pedal in a standing position while also playing electric bass, with particularly satisfying results on the new song “Binoculars,” where the one-man rhythm section created the sensation of a gentle tidal surge. Harden likewise accented several songs with a tambourine played with a foot pedal. For a band whose music is meticulously arranged — some of the songs convey a baroque pop sensibility, while others capture the warm instrumentation and perfected vocal harmonies reminiscent of Simon & Garfunkel or the Zombies — Bombadil’s charm as a live act is their willingness to take risks and fool around. At the end of “Escalators” a song from the 2013 album Metrics of Affection, Michalak suddenly decided to reprise the final bar of music, sending Harden scrambling to retrieve his guitar. When someone in the audience shouted, “Do it again,” they tried a minor-key version that hilariously fell apart. And during another song, when Michalak tripped over his guitar cord, he played it off by delightedly dancing around the stage mid-solo.
JORDAN GREEN
The musicians’ relaxed temperament and approachability also manifested in extensive banter with the audience, all the more notable for the fact that they had never played in High Point before. Phillips reported to the crowd that his long-time girlfriend from Minneapolis recently moved in with him, expressing satisfaction that he had proved wrong a Dave Eggers poster that declares, “Your long-distance relationship won’t work out.” “But it hasn’t worked out in the past,” Phillips added, introducing a song from the 2015 album Hold On called “Forgive Me Darling.” “This song was inspired by a time when it wasn’t working out.” While Michalak quickly taught Harden the chords to “Bona Fide,” a deep cut from Bombadil’s catalogue, Phillips quipped, “This is the part of the show where we invite you into our rehearsal.” Then, picking up the story about moving in together with his girlfriend, he talked about an adjustment in rehearsals at his apartment considering that he now shares the space with his girlfriend and her 14-year-old cat, Lila. “If we play too loud, she poops in the corner,” Phillips said. “So we’ve been playing a lot quieter.”
Pick of the Week Ballet of the departed Dance From Above Halloween @ the Crown (GSO), Thursday, 9 p.m. This might be the very night the veil breaks between the living and the deceased. Sönder, Prez, Fiftyfootshadows and Grey are just a few of the DJs that will be waking our dearly departed. Don’t forget to wear your costumes, we would hate for you to swept up and taken away in all the excitement. Who knows where you could end up?
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CULTURE Artists collaborate on Necro Nectar, a trio of beautiful darkness by Naari Honor
N
ectar. Amrita. Ambrosa. On the surface these words sound as if they are used to imply a type of soft angelic beauty. Nectar, conjuring images of the juice of sweet fruit, Ambrosa, a word that closely resembles ambrosia, a sweet white fluffy fruity concoction and Amrita can take one away to a beach sipping on fruity drinks out of pineapples with whimsical umbrellas. But in actuality these words are titles a collaboration of ominous images created by the hands of Dane Walters, Les Caison III and Lye Lawrence in their exhibit entitled Necro Nectar. And while there are lines of beauty that flow throughout their works, there is a definite theme of the dark, gruesome and macabre that cannot be overlooked. “We were lined up in between those pillars,” Caison said as he points to the columns that surround the entrance of the exhibit, “with our canvas working on them and we had our own stuff.” The three canvasses on the wall of the Delurk art gallery serve as the main entrance for the Necro Nectar exhibit on display in the gallery until Oct. 30. The wall, painted black by the artist themselves, displays the names of the collaborators in a dust of chalky white paint. The area also served as the space where the three pieces were created. A fitting resting place for their debut. “We each created a 3-foot by 3-foot by 3-inch panel,” Caison said. “There were three of us. Three is a trilogy so there was kind of a theme.” Each panel contains a different focus, but they all connect. Pentagrams grace each board and a likeness of a devilish creature can be found on at least two panels. “We all started with the one [panel] we brought in and created this slow homogenization of colors that show up here,” Lawrence said. Mixed in with shades of grays and blacks are overwhelming bursts of purples, pinks and teals, not colors one would often associate with the ghastly and morbid. “I had, like, a white color pencil,” Caison said. “Dane [Walters] had, like, these markers that were very much acrylic paint with a marker tip that I had never used before. We all brought materials we were individually comfortable with. Then we started share each other’s materials which made for a wonderful collaboration.” The middle panel, “Amrita,” features three glowing figures in the bottom right corner of the portrait. There’s no indication of whom the forms represent but it wouldn’t be off target to assume it is the mark of the artists whose minds traipsed along the boards. Caison’s art is filled with images of devils falling from grace that are placed on soft pastel backgrounds surrounded by hearts reminiscent of sweetheart letters written to elementary-school crushes. It’s hard to fear his angels of death despite their elongated fingers and outstretched wings that appear to be smeared with
The black wall at Delurk makes a fitting backdrop for the haunting images of Necro Nectar, on display through the end of the month.
blood when they expose clean, subtle white breasts, sparklers for antennae, and pose against an otherwise untouched pallid background. “I wanted to make sure there was still beauty involved,” Caison said, “So I put hearts in them to let people know that there was still the emotion of love occurring in the actions of falling from grace because they are still beautiful. [It’s about] creating that duality when two things that are happening at once and seemingly opposing.” At the far end of the gallery, Walters displays what he calls his “necro zombies” in elaborately shaped frames that lend themselves to becoming part of the artwork itself. A golden curved beaded diamond frame houses the portrait of a zombie that appears to decay before the viewer’s eyes. His face, stitched together by tattered threads, are all that seem to prolong his existence. One almost feels sorry for the sorrow that flows from where is eyes used to be. However, throughout all the darkness there is an unknown source of light. Maybe it is a glimmer of what used to be human or the reflection of the gold frame bouncing off the canvas, but there is no fear for the creature, rather a longing to
NAARI HONOR
know more about him. Not far from Walter’s work are Lawrence’s botanicals. The effervescent colors Lawrence used in his collection of decomposing vegetation initially ensues a feeling of euphoria one would experience running through a field of sunflowers on a warm summer’s day. Upon moving closer to the work it is apparent that what the artist has actually drawn is a collection of rotting floral shedding teething, encapsulating additional molding plants, amidst a festering of multiplying eyeballs. Although many utilize the month of October to exploit what many of the world fears, these three artist have found a way to celebrate the beauty within the darkest of objects. “They are finding the beauty in what is considered morbid grotesque or decaying,” Lawrence said.
Radical Brunch Saturday 10am – 12pm
Pick of the Week The art of news Dispatches @ SECCA (W-S), Friday, 10 a.m. Curator Cora Fisher narrates a guided tour through an exhibit compiled from new-media artists, famed photojournalists and contemporary artists that explores the artistry that thrives in the world of news and media. More information can be found at secca.org.
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elease. tagged Toles out before he could safely reach base and If I had to describe chucked it to first for the double play. Game 6 of the National No other Dodger would make it to base safely until League Championship Series the eighth inning. on Oct. 22 in one word, that’s Never before have I witnessed such a dominant the one I’d choose. Because defensive performance in a baseball game. Granted, I that’s what was broadcast don’t think I’ve ever watched a shutout go down in real into millions of homes across time, but this was special even in the realm of shutby Anthony Harrison the country: the release of outs. nerves, heartbreak and angst Hell, it might’ve been the greatest defensive perfor— seven decades’ worth built up in Chicago’s North mance I’ve seen in any sport. Side — on one of baseball’s most legendary stages. As leader of this withering last stand, Hendricks And so, here’s a sentence I thought I’d maybe never delivered what can only be called a masterpiece. write: The Chicago Cubs shut out the Los Angeles He’s nicknamed the Professor due to his Ivy-League Dodgers at Wrigley Field and advance to their first education at Dartmouth College, but he ran a clinic World Series since 1945. against the Dodgers’ batting order. He was in complete Before that, they took down the control during his tenure, cool as a marvenerable San Francisco Giants in four ble cucumber, a strike machine with any games in their National League Division pitch he hurled, recording six Ks over 88 And the Friendly Series matchup. pitches. Confines exploded Here’s a fun bit of perspective: The All the while, Dodgers lefty ace Claylast time the Cubs went to the World with excitement. I ton Kershaw floundered, allowing five Series, both teams they beat along their runs, including two in the first inning burst into tears. path to the 2016 National League penand two solo homers. nant were based in New York City. Hendricks’ mound convo with Chicago But that’s nothing compared to general manager Joe Madden following what’s happened since the Cubs last won a World that second base hit in the eighth inning was short, Series. and I imagine it went like this: Jazz was an underground genre known only in New Madden: “You wanna rest?” Orleans. Russian composer Igor Stravinsky had begun Hendricks: “Why not?” making a name for himself in St. Petersburg. Flight was Madden: “Cool.” still a human curiosity. The Titanic hadn’t sunk because But everyone in Wrigley Field gave him the drawnit hadn’t yet been built and the Ottomans, Habsburgs out standing ovation he rightly deserved. and Romanovs still reigned over their empires because After closer Aroldis Chapman took the mound, World War I hadn’t yet been fought. the Cubs performed another double play to retire yet And here’s a real kicker: The Cubs didn’t even call another side. Wrigley Field home the last time they claimed the Fall Chapman, not to be outdone, threw fastballs at Classic, because like the Titanic, it too didn’t exist. hapless Dodgers outfielder Enrique Hernandez in the The last time the Chicago Cubs won the World Series top of the ninth that only accelerated: 101 miles per was 1908. hour… 102… 103… swinging strikeout, clocked at 102 The way they played in the NLCS finale made it look miles per hour. like they are four simple wins away from breaking the At that point, the electricity surging through the longest drought in American sports, and their perforstands transmitted over the airwaves. mance added to the hype and the legend of their extraordinary season. Winds blew in from the north at the start of the game, chilling the mild 55-degree night. The breeze traveled from Lake Michigan and over the ivy covering the outfield wall before reaching the pitcher’s mound. Thus, the wind blew in Cubs rightFrank Slate Brooks hander Kyle Hendricks’ favor. Broker/Realtor® Sure, Dodgers outfielder Andrew Toles 336.708.0479 cell drove the first pitch into right field, just 336.274.1717 office out of reach of Cubs second baseman FrankSlate.Brooks@trmhomes.com Javier Baez’s outstretched glove. But in 1401 Sunset Dr., Suite 100 Greensboro, NC 27408 the next Dodgers at-bat, Baez vacuumed trm.info LA shortstop Corey Seager’s grounder,
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I’ve never seen fans so close to the verge of tears while their team inched closer and closer to victory. All cameras caught an anxiety foreign to those loyal to the Loveable Losers, deep-set eyes wide and watery in the faces of all men and women, everyone on the verge of nervous collapse. It was a look of cognitive dissonance spreading through the Cubbies’ collective consciousness — both the thought painted on signs, “IT IS HAPPENING,” as well as the nagging question, “How are they gonna screw it up this time?” One foul ball came too close for comfort and a bad case of déjà vu.. Dodgers catcher Carlos Ruiz popped it into the far reaches of left field’s foul territory, near where Cubs fan Steve Bartman deflected a similar foul pop in 2003 and ruined the Cubs’ last closest chance of reaching the World Series. Fans dove away from the area; I swear I heard a man scream, “DON’T F***ING TOUCH IT!” History would not repeat itself in that fashion. Ruiz reached first on the only walk of the game. But it was all for nil. Los Angeles outfielder Yasiel Puig smacked a high-bouncing grounder to Cubs shortstop Addison Russell, who leapt and dished it to Baez, who launched it to first baseman Anthony Rizzo for the double play — 27 up, 27 down. And the Friendly Confines exploded. I burst into tears. Release — at long last, release. Yet the ultimate release is only four wins away.
Pick of the Week The greatest in the world Florida A&M University Rattlers @ NC A&T University Aggies (GSO), Saturday, 1 p.m. It’s the most wonderful time of year once again — the Greatest Homecoming on Earth, featuring a homecoming football game on Saturday. Your A&T Aggies (6-1) take on the Florida A&M Rattlers (3-5) for what will likely wind up becoming an enjoyable throttling. For more info, visit ncataggies.com.
EVENTS
‘Small Furry Critters’ they’re so cute! by Matt Jones Across
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Country in Southeast Asia ... ... and in the Middle East ... ... and in South America Actor central to the movie “Four Rooms” 5 Dry red table wine 6 Nothing other than 7 I, Freudian? 8 GoPro product, briefly 9 Gp. overseeing toxic cleanups 10 Problem for a parker, perhaps 11 Basic skateboarding trick
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1 2 3 4
Friday, October 28 @ 8pm
Jonny Alright w/ D.C. Carter
Cover Story
41 42
Down
Open Mic Night
Opinion
24 28 32 33 34 39 40
Thursday, October 27 @ 8pm
News
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Crater’s edge Airer of vintage films Cold-weather phenomenon also known as pogonip “What ___ you afraid of?” Paris’s ___ de la Cité Juliet’s family name Rowboat implement With 20-Across, Rocky Road ripple full of a nutty animal? See 18-Across Super Bowl on Feb. 3, 2019 “Homer came up with the drink, but I came up with the idea of charging $6.95 for it” speaker Sang from the hilltops, maybe European sports car marque Love letters? Distinctive historical period Existentialist aquatic animal? “You’re ___ party ...” Tennis’s Bjorn and namesakes (but not the “Star Trek” aliens, plural-wise) “An idea!” Poker hand that beats three field mice of a kind? Common (and unimaginative) first episode title Empty, as a mathematical set
Board Game
Night
Sportsball
12 Imaginary surface coinciding with the earth’s sea level 16 Lead-in to light 19 Cagey 21 Nearly twenty-year-old Apple 25 You can’t live without it 26 “And all she wants to ___ dance, dance” (Don Henley lyric) 27 Endo- opposite 28 Classic TV nickname, with “The” 29 Plotting 30 Final purpose 31 “Sounds like a good plan to me” 35 “48 ___” (1982 action-comedy) 36 Fictional account 37 Website with lots and lots of instructions 38 Lab maze runners 40 Hacking tool 43 Drew in 44 “Could you put that in layman’s terms?” 45 Teen’s rental from a menswear store 46 “I’m ___ hurry ...” 49 Examine carefully 50 Craft tapered on both ends 51 Eugene O’Neill’s “___ for the Misbegotten” 52 Animal on Australia’s coat of arms 54 B’way box office purchase 56 August, in Paris 57 11 1/2 wide, e.g. 58 Dwarf planet that dwarfs Pluto 59 License plates 61 “The Jungle Book” snake 62 European designer’s monogram 63 “Popeye” surname
Psychic Readings by Lucia
Up Front
1 4 7
48 It runs between “This American Life” segments 50 Battery terminal 53 Countless centuries 54 Romance/thriller novelist Hoag 55 With 60-Across, anesthesia administered by a small monkey? 60 See 55-Across 64 George Gershwin’s brother and collaborator 65 Like child’s play 66 “As a rule,” in a dict. entry 67 Dart in one direction 68 Final purpose 69 Avery of animation fame 70 Serpentine character?
Wednesday, October 26 @ 7pm
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Crossword
Answers from previous publication.
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Oct. 26 — Nov. 1, 2016
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Triaditude Adjustment
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News
Up Front
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Pepper plants enjoy October breezes at Rudd Farm.
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Oct. 26 — Nov. 1, 2016 Up Front News Opinion Cover Story Culture Sportsball Crossword Shot in the Triad Triaditude Adjustment
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TRIADITUDE ADJUSTMENT Adele, heartbreak and things worse than breaking up
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hen some still-unhere?” identified EnglishThe majority of the crowd applauded that line, but I man broke up with didn’t know whether to clap. When my last long-term Adele Adkins, she turned her relationship ended, I didn’t see it coming. He and I had heartbreak into art, into the 11 been together more than four years, and it ended with songs that would become the a Dylan Thomas-worthy whimper, without shouts or album 21. When a blue-eyed accusations or expletives yelled in all capital letters. attorney broke up with me, I It ended because, at that moment, we realized we by Jelisa Castrodale turned my heartbreak into a didn’t enjoy each other anymore. human-shaped sofa dent and It ended on an otherwise uneventful Sunday mornwatched six seasons of “Hoarders.” This is probably ing, sound-tracked by the scraping of breakfast dishes why Adele is a single-named superstar with 10 Gramand a CBS “Sunday Morning” interview with Michael mys, a Golden Globe and an Oscar while no one knows Bolton. He and his forehead veins were talking about my name except the pizza delivery guy, and even he’s his stupid, constipated love songs while my ex-boystopped making eye contact. friend — he’d just at that moment become my ex-boyLast December, I bought tickets for friend — stood on the other side of the one of Adele’s immediately sold-out kitchen. And I stopped concerts in Nashville and, after 11 He stretched a dishtowel between his straight months of listening to songs hands and I stared at the floor. I looked using hearbreak from her most recent record, 25, and the seams on either side of the walllike a base camp for thinking about my breakups, I flew to paper panels, trying to figure out where Tennessee last weekend to, um, listen they would start to come apart. I couldn’t where I had to to songs from 25 and think about my find them, and that seemed symbolic start and end breakups. somehow. every single day. Everyone knows what they’re getting In our next conversation several days at an Adele concert, which even she later, we promised that we’d still be described from the stage as being “bafriends, but being friends after a breakup sically 20 songs about my ex-boyfriend.” In between feels so awkward. It’s like wearing a shirt from a factosongs, she talked about the events that inspired her to ry outlet: It doesn’t take long for you to find the parts write the kind of lyrics that can make your memories that don’t fit together like they should. For the next twist open a bottle of Ibuprofen. And that’s part of her few months, I listened to Adele and I slept on my own appeal: She doesn’t pretend that these are just songs, sofa and I watched a team of men in respirators pull a she doesn’t act like she’s over it (unless she really is) dozen dead cats out of a broken refrigerator. and — unlike, say, Taylor Swift — she doesn’t act like We small-talked our way through a couple of a carefully curated version of herself. She also swears post-breakup meals and a few phone calls, the kind like a character from a Quentin Tarantino film, which is where the sentences are punctuated with the same endearing. unwritten subtext: without me. Have a good week “Have any of you ever been in a relationship that (without me). Hope the party goes well (without me). was about to end?” she asked about halfway through Hope your psoriasis is healing (without me). the show. “Of course you have. Why else would you be Eventually those calls grew less frequent. I peeled
myself off the couch and slept in my own bed. And I stopped using heartbreak like a base camp where I had to start and end every single day. At the concert, I thought about him while Adele belted out “Someone Like You” — of course I did — not because we broke up, but because I realized I was sitting beside what would’ve happened if we hadn’t. The two of them were in their fifties. They had serious Louisiana accents and left enough room for you to stretch your legs between the syllables of every word — not that they spoke to each other at all. Before the show started, she called her friends, she took pictures of the stage and posted Facebook updates. He sat silently daydreaming about being somewhere more pleasant, like one of those rivers where poisonous fish invade your urethra. There are worse things than breaking up, and sometimes that’s staying together. Adele and I both understand that now, although it took us several years to get there. She’s moved on, recently celebrating her fifth anniversary with her boyfriend Simon Konecki, and I’m in a committed relationship with my ragweed allergy. After two hours, Adele disappeared from the stage as thousands of pieces of white confetti fluttered to the floor of the arena. None of it made it to my balcony seat, but I picked up a piece on the sidewalk outside. “We could’ve had it all,” it said. Maybe we did. And I’ll have it again, someday. Jelisa Castrodale is a freelance writer who lives in Winston-Salem. She enjoys pizza, obscure power-pop records and will probably die alone. Follow her on Twitter @gordonshumway.
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