YES! Weekly - January 4, 2023

YES! Weekly asked a diverse selection of authors, booksellers and readers about books they love and recommend, as well as some they themselves intend to read over the next 12 months.

3 The first week in January may seem a little early to plan for VALENTINE’S DINNER but let me warn you: restaurants book up earlier for February 14 than any other night in the year. Make your reservation soon, or risk losing out!

6 It is probably safe to say that most people do not take resolutions made at the beginning of a new year with any amount of seriousness. Perhaps that is why so many resolutions are broken before or shortly after they are started.

7 It’s hardly surprising that several alumni from the School of Music at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) would find themselves in the running for the 2023 GRAMMY AWARDS

8 I hate to start the New Year out on a sour note, but it’s hard to ignore the fact that our Governor just RELEASED

ANOTHER MURDERER FROM PRISON

9 VIOLENT NIGHT is a mess but it’s played for laughs, and sometimes it’s very entertaining.Taking a cue from Billy Bob Thornton’s Bad Santa (2003), Harbour’s Kris Kringle is a bilious, booze-soaked grouch weary of his gift-giving vocation.

14 Guilford and Winston-Salem/Forsyth County school officials have expressed strong support for North Carolina’s Supreme Court’s November 4 majority ruling in what is commonly known as the LEANDRO case, a series of legal battles over public school funding waged in state courts for 28 years.

16 Greensboro power grunge trio, THE ELLIPSES, are releasing “State of Pursuit,” their debut LP on January 7, with a release show and regional tour kicking off at the Flat Iron on January 9.

Chow Down with John Batchelor: Valentine’s Day

BY JOHN BATCHELOR

The first week in January may seem a little early to plan for Valentine’s dinner but let me warn you: restaurants book up earlier for February 14 than any other night in the year. Make your reservation soon, or risk losing out!

See the issuu.com/yesweekly website for restaurant recommendations in previous columns. Here are a few favorites, selected for ambience as well as food. Restaurants usually run special menus for the occasion, in addition to their regular o erings.

toes; and Roast Lamb Rack with roasted carrots and collards. Don’t skip dessertget the Bread Pudding.

GREENSBORO

I rank The Undercurrent ( undercurrentrestaurant.com , 327 Battleground Avenue, (336) 370-1266) among a handful of the best in the Triad. The ambience is elegant without feeling stuffy. This gets my top recommendation for Fried Oysters in spinach salad.

Mushroom Galette looks and tastes country-French, joined by roasted fennel slaw, seared apples, and blackberry-sage coulis. Among the entrées, I gravitate toward Marinated and Grilled Joyce Farms Chicken Breast with grilled eggplant and wilted kale; Skillet Seared Salmon with tarragon-basil pesto and fried garlic and pine nut crumble; Cornmeal Dusted Trout with grilled artichoke remoulade sauce, purple cabbage slaw, roasted Brussels sprouts, and low country pota-

Marisol ( themarisol.com . 5834 West Gate City Blvd, (336) 8523303) is another of the Triad’s topranked restaurants. This place just exudes sophisticated ambience. The menu changes frequently. The most recent edition left me hard pressed to choose. I wanted it all! First course samples: Flash Fried Buttermilk Shrimp with spicy sweet chili sauce; House Made Gravlax with curry cilantro lime aioli, and pickled red onion; Seared Canadian Foie Gras with spiced cranberry port sauce and Amaretto French toast; and House Made Pork Sausage with sweet and sour tomato sauce and cheesy mustard green grits. Selected entrées: Crispy Twice Roasted Half Duck with passionfruit harissa glaze, Grilled Center-cut Filet in shiitake black truffle Madeira veal stock, Garlic Rosemary Thyme Marinated Lamb with curry concord grape BBQ sauce, and Blackened Mahi with whole grain mustard caper dill aioli and oysters.

Westover Terrace, #101-A, (336) 2752550) is upscale-casual. The cuisine is based on the Emilia-Romagna (Bologna) region of Italy. Suggestions: focus on the pastas for a moderately-priced evening, such as Pappardelle Salmon — with spinach, mushrooms, and sun-dried tomatoes; Maltagliati — mushrooms and pork ragout; Strozzapreti — tomatocream and meat sauce. Or move to the seafoods and meat section of the menu for more sophisticated dining: Osso Bucco — braised veal shank with saffron risotto; Lamb Shank with Parmesan risotto; Chicken Francese — dredged in egg batter and sauteed, augmented with lemon-caper beurre blanc; Grouper Montepulciano — with shrimp and artichokes in lemon-butter sauce; Grilled Bronzino with lemon truffle oil; or Grilled Wild Salmon with warm black French lentils and avocado salad.

tomato butter sauce. Braised Short Ribs come with maple sweet potatoes, baby spinach, and onion jus. His Wagyu Beef Burger should not be missed; he combines it with homemade pimento cheese, smoked bacon, dijonnaise, and truffle fries. The Berkshire Pork Chop is plated with polenta cakes, asparagus, and herb jus.

Osteria (osteriagso.com , 1310

At MJ’s ( mjs620.com , 620 Dolley Madison Road, (336) 852-4889) Chef-Proprietor Tad Engstrom holds forth in a repurposed home in the Guilford College neighborhood. Poutine with French fries, cheese curds, and onion gravy will get you started on a chilly winter night. Braised Pork Cheek Tacos come with avocado, red onions, queso fresco, and lime cumin emulsion. Among the entrées, Scallops are joined with mushroom risotto, asparagus, and

The Italian dishes at Salvino ( salvinorestaurant.com , 2917D Battleground Ave, (336) 540-8663) are easy to enjoy. Gnocchi alla Gorgonzola is really rich — housemade spinach and potato gnocchi baked in gorgonzola cream sauce. Mussels Della Casa are sauteed in white wine and garlic with marinara and heirloom tomatoes, served with garlic toast points. Pastas are Italian classics — Wild Mushroom Ravioli in porcini demi with fresh sage; Tagliatelle Alla Bolognese — large egg noodles tossed with Bolognese meat sauce and a touch of cream; Fettuccine Alfredo in rich cream sauce and parmesan cheese, alone or with chicken, shrimp, or lobster. And of course, you will find Spaghetti with Meatballs and Lasagna. You won’t go wrong with any of the veal or chicken entrées. My personal favorites are the seafoods, such as Scallops al Soavepan-seared, topped with lemon-butterwhite wine sauce (you can also get Halibut prepared this way).

Each of the 1618 restaurants has a personality. At the upscale 1618 West Seafood Grille (1618seafoodgrille. com, 1618 West Friendly Avenue, (336) 235-0898), the menu looks casual at first glance, but the preparations are quite advanced, often complex. The Beef Bruschetta starter, for example, joins seared tenderloin, pico de gallo, queso fresco, feta cream, jalapeno-cilantro cream sauce, plus crab meat. Dueling Deviled Eggs juxtaposes beef tenderloin tips vs. smoked salmon. Shrimp and Oyster Sliders include tempura shrimp and fried oysters, intensified with sriracha aioli. The Ahi Tuna entrée is crusted with sesame seeds and seared, plated with wasabi mashed potatoes and sauteed sesame cabbage. Golden Tilefish is blackened, served with honey onion rings, cole slaw, and fried grits cake, along with a crab cake. Pork Tenderloin is grilled, augmented with apricot-habanero chutney, served with brown butter cauliflower, cheesy grits cake, and grilled shrimp tostadas.

start here with their homemade Italian Sausage with roasted red peppers and caramelized onions. Breaded Three Cheese Ravioli are fried crisp, topped with marinara sauce. Spinach and Artichoke Dip is blended with Parmesan and cream cheeses. Firecracker Shrimp are pleasantly sweet-spicy. Among the pasta entrées, I hold their Lasagna in high esteem. South Beach is sprightlylight: scallops and artichoke hearts plus roasted red peppers in Parmesan cream sauce. Salsiccia places their sausage, roasted peppers and onions over fettuccine with a choice of Parmesan cream or marinara sauce. I often get the Grilled Salmon here, blackened or almondcrusted. It normally comes with fresh vegetables and roasted potatoes, but I special order spinach instead of potatoes to hold down carbs and calories. The Chicken Piccata comes with spinach, a good complement to the lemon-butter flavors.

1618 Midtown (1618midtown. com, 1724 Battleground Avenue, (336) 285-9410) implements a casual concept. Snacks include Roasted Vegetables, Beef Flatbread, Fried Chicken with buttermilk ranch and hot sauce, and Tru e Fries. Main course samples: Shrimp and Grits with tomato and tasso cream, plus fried blackeye peas; Filet Mignon augmented with fig demiglace, plated with honey and harissa roasted Brussels sprouts and smoked gouda mashed potatoes; a vegetarian Stu ed Portabella mushroom; and the “Smash Burger” with homemade rosemary potato chips.

Green Valley Grill (greenvalleygrill.com, O.Henry Hotel, 624 Green Valley Road, (336) 854-2015) and Print Works Bistro (702 Green Valley Rd, 27408, (336) 3790699, printworksbistro.com) already have their special Valentine’s menu planned in advance.

At Green Valley, the appetizer will be Crispy Shishito Peppers with sea salt and olive oil. Entrée choices will be Co ee and Chili Rubbed NY strip with Greek roasted potatoes, asparagus, and chocolate demi or Parmesan Crusted Halibut with brown butter sauce, polenta, and seasonal vegetables. For dessert, Hot Chocolate Cheesecake with cherry anglaise and whipped cream.

Print Works will feature an appetizer of Fried Oysters with remoulade sauce and lemon. Entrée alternatives will be a Veal Chop with tru e mushroom demi, grilled asparagus, and fingerling potatoes; or Pan Seared Mahi Provencal with spinach and crème fraiche mashed potatoes. For dessert, Mousse Duo — milk chocolate with whipped cream and grand mariner white chocolate with orange zest.

In concert with the occasion, consider booking a room in one of these elegant hotels for the evening.

Chris Russel will be adding some specials to the regular menu, most likely Chateaubriand for two, a filet mignon roast prepared from a center cut sirloin. Don’t miss it if it is available. This restaurant serves only all-natural foods, locally raised when possible. Oysters Rockefeller is prepared in the traditional style, blending butter and Parmesan cheese with spinach, over oysters in the half shell. Crumbled pieces of real fried bacon lend additional flavor. Bacon Wrapped Shrimp are crisp from the bacon, imbuing the shrimp with a smoky nuance. Crab Cakes rank among the area’s best, incorporating real jumbo lumps, augmented by lemon-dill aioli plus roasted corn and tomato relish. I especially like the Blackened Cajun Ribeye, coated with blackening spices that impart flavor but balance the beef flavor. Roasted Free Range Chicken uses heritage birds from Ashley Farms. Seared Scallop Risotto is especially tasty, imbued with a mild smoky e ect from the wood grill, extended by Reggiano Parmesan cheese in creamy risotto.

WINSTON-SALEM

This Winston-Salem list is selected from places I have written about in Yes! Weekly over the last couple of years. Recommendations will be expanded as I continue to write about a WinstonSalem restaurant the second week of each month.

Café Pasta and Grille (cafepasta.com, 305 State Street, (336) 272-1308) gets a solid recommendation for pastas, but the menu o ers a wider range as well. I often

B.Christopher’s (bchristophers.com, 201 North Elm, (336) 274-5900) is my favorite Greensboro steak house. Chef-Proprietor

Imperial Koi (imperialkoigso. com, 1941 New Garden Road, upper level, (336) 286-3000) has long been my favorite for Asian and sushi. This is one of the few restaurants in the Triad that actually has some semblance of a view. Sweets are especially important for this occasion, and Greensboro is fortunate to have several good venues: Dolce & Amaro (dolceamaroartisanbakery. com, 1310 Westover Terrace, Suite 110, (336) 763-4349); Delicious Bakery (delicious-cakes.com, 3700 Lawndale Drive, (336) 282-1377); Maxie B’s (maxieb. com, 2403 #7 Battleground Avenue, (336) 288-9811); and Augustino Gusto Bakery (facebook.com/augustinogustobakery, 2508 New Garden Rd E, (336) 740-7005).

If you need wine for this special occasion, the very knowledgeable folks at Zeto (zetowines.com, 335 Battleground Avenue, (336) 574-2850) and Rioja (riojawinebar.com, 1603 Battleground Avenue, (336) 412-0011) can help.

The Katharine Brasserie & Bar,

Hotel (katharine-

401 North Main Street, 27101, (336) 761-0203) is named for Katharine Reynolds, a bon-vivant of the illustrious Winston-Salem Reynolds family, who loved Parisian style and French cafes. Styled as an art deco French brasserie, with tile floors and filament lighting, the restaurant occupies a section on the ground floor of the historic Reynolds building. Highlights of starters I have enjoyed here: Cocktail de Crevettespoached jumbo shrimp cocktail with brandy-spiked crème fraîche cocktail sauce; Beef Tartare — minced tenderloin of exceptional quality, raw and chilled, topped with a sous vide 65 degree egg; Moules Marinières — swimming in a broth of white wine, lemon juice, and their own natural liquor, simmered with garlic, shallots, and clipped tarragon. Admired entrées: Canard à l’Orange — seared duck breast sauced with a Gran Marnier and bitter orange jus, with sautéed rainbow chard; Trout, sourced from North Carolina farms, dusted with crushed pistachios, chive crème fraiche lending a gentle effect; Poulet au Poivre Flambe’, a deboned half chicken sprinkled with cracked black pepper that has been seared in a cast iron pan, then roasted, tender and moist, augmented with an exquisite Cognac mushroom cream sauce.

Bleu (bleurestaurantandbar. com, 3425 Frontis Street, 27103, (336) 760-2026) is a personal favorite. The restaurant occupies a modern building designed and constructed specifically to house this restaurant. Choosing one starter over another is di cult — a good sign. Crispy Calamari is coated with black-eye pea flour, creating an unusually crisp but light crust, with creole mustard and sweet chili sauce on the side.

Kimpton Cardinal

brasserie.com,

Crab and Shrimp Cake uses moderate breading, so you taste the crabmeat and the shrimp up front. These are served with creamy grits and andouille sausage jus. Sweet Garlic Shrimp are bathed in white wine with roasted garlic and plated with grilled crostini. Bleu is not a steakhouse, but it could pass for one if that is the direction your focus leads you. All of the beef entrées are good choices. I am especially fond of seafoods here. Barramundi is a white-fleshed fish, seared to a brown crust, plated over coconut rice, all surrounded by red curry sauce. You might not expect a fried seafood platter in a restaurant this upscale, but missing Bleu’s Crumb Fried Seafood would be a serious mistake. Flounder, shrimp, and oysters are coated with an exceptionally crisp and flavorful crust, with a crab and shrimp cake to boot!

bacon, presented over fresh spinach leaves. Entrées: Pork Shank is exemplary, the braised meat tender enough to be pulled away from the bone with a fork, emitting deep flavor, augmented with a natural jus. Low country red rice absorbs flavor, then gives it back to you. Meat Loaf utilizes bison, leaner than beef, enhanced with Romesco sauce and cherry tomato confit. Fried onion straws complete the presentation.

At Rooster’s, a Noble Grille (roosterskitchen.com, 380 Knollwood Street, 27103, (336) 777-8477), the aroma from the wood fired grill is enticing. Lots of wood creates an elegant look, while avoiding formality or stu ness. Even in wintry weather, patio seating is available, a function of well-placed heaters. Noble’s restaurants are justifiably famous for Tomato Basil Bisque. Among the entrées, I have especially enjoyed Filet Mignon with bordelaise sauce, fresh roasted asparagus, and roasted potatoes with peppers and onions-as good a steak as I’ve ever had; and Roast Chicken from Joyce farms — simply the best roast chicken I’ve ever had, no reservations. The menu changes often enough to preclude other recommendations. I just look forward to returning here.

ROAR (roarws.com, 633 N Liberty Street, 27101, (336) 917-3008) is a unique concept, incorporating casual as well as fine dining, several bars, recreational venues, and entertainment/concert space, in a reconstructed historic building. In my full article, I considered Est! Est!! Est!!! one if the best Italian restaurants in the Triad. A starter of Sautee’ Cozze e Vongole provides clams and mussels in a light but richly flavored tomato sauce made with white wine, enhanced with cooked cherry tomatoes and garlic. For entrées, my wife and I had Salmone alla Siciliana, a perfectly cooked strip of fish surrounded by kalamata olives and cooked cherry tomatoes, sharpened with capers, plus garlic, all simmered in white wine. Bolognese uses wide, flat noodles, cooked al dente, blessed with a supremely rich ground meat and tomato sauce.

I have long admired ChefProprietor Tim Grandinetti of Spring House (springhousenc.com, 450 N Spring Street, 27101, (336) 293-4797). In addition to his accessible yet sophisticated cuisine, this restaurant’s setting is as good as it gets. The restaurant is housed in the historic Bahnson House, one of Winston-Salem’s classic residences from the 1920s, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A first course suggestion: Baked Oysters, covered with soft pimiento cheese flecked with crisp

JL Casper’s, on the second floor, is the other full-service restaurant. This is a steakhouse, designed to be reminiscent of the Roaring Twenties. Shrimp Cocktail fits this concept perfectly, and it’s a solid rendition of this perennially popular starter. Lightly dressed spinach leaves hosted my Fried Oyster Salad. The oysters themselves bore an unusually crisp crust. Big chunks of blue cheese occupy center stage, the whole assembly scattered with sliced figs. The Kobe Burger is based on a half-pound of superior quality ground beef, enhanced with horse radish tru e mayonnaise, applewood smoked cheddar cheese, and caramelized onions, hosted on a brioche bun. The accompanying Pommes Frites are among the best I’ve had. The Pork Chop entrée is about an inch thick, exuding quality in flavor and texture, presented over cheese grits, surrounded by tasso ham gravy, topped with fried sage leaves. Braised mustard greens, lightly touched with vinegar, complete the presentation.

Je rey Adams on Fourth (jeffreyadamsws.com, 321 W 4th Street, 27101, (336) 448-1714) is sleek and urbane, a function of vibrant red walls and contemporary lighting. In a first course of Smoked Bacon Crab Dip, we were pleased to find that the addition of bacon pays o . Fresh tasting crabmeat, cream cheese, and clipped chives are blended and melted together, presented still steaming in a ramekin, with toasted baguette slices alongside for spreading. A main course of Fried Chicken uses a large breast coated with panko breadcrumbs to yield a strikingly crisp crust, which gives way to a steamyhot, yet tender interior. Mushroom and bacon gravy coats one side, oozing over to mashed potatoes, skin on. The vegetable on the night I had this was sliced and shredded Brussels sprouts, al dente, streaked with red bell pepper strips, also hosting two crunchy asparagus spears. Grouper is pan-seared, presented over cheese risotto with fire roasted tomatoes, artichokes, and capers, accented with lemon. In Land and Sea, the core element is a four-ounce beef tenderloin, tender in texture, emitting solid beef flavor, cooked precisely as ordered. Flanking the steak were several pieces of butter-poached lobster, including one intact portion of claw meat, plus four medium-sized scallops, tender and deeply flavorful. These are enhanced with béarnaise sauce. Mashed potatoes blend beautifully with that sauce. This dish also included sliced and shredded Brussels sprouts streaked with red bell pepper strips.

HIGH POINT

High Point is home to another of the Triad’s highest rated restaurants. Top-ranked restaurants approach their craft from di erent angles. Often, innovation and unusual ingredients are encountered. Blue Water Grille (bluewatergrillenc.com, 126 State Avenue, High Point, (336) 886-1010) takes a somewhat more conservative tack, doing familiar things, but doing them better.

Fried Oysters are lightly crusted and fresh tasting, augmented by a white barbecue sauce. Crab Dip blends boursin cheese and artichoke hearts with large lumps of fresh crab meat, served with Parmesan

focaccia toasts. Fish entrées- salmon, tuna, halibut, and mahi — can be ordered with a choice of sauce: orange-chipotle glaze, piccata, lemon-old bay compound butter, or soy-ginger — or in more elaborate constructions. Chicken is from Ashley Farms, an airline breast confit, pan fried, served with fingerling potatoes, shallots, spinach, heirloom tomatoes, and a white wine-lemon feta broth. Steak Frites uses a Manhattan strip, plus hand cut Old Bay fries, garlic parmesan aioli, and a black pepper demi-glace. The Tomahawk Pork Chop is presented bonein, aged goat cheese polenta alongside, with braised kale, horseradish-mustard butter, and smoked chipotle-apple jus.

I am not qualified to make recommendations that will enhance your love life, but dining in one of these restaurants on Valentine’s should certainly set the stage for a mellow, flavorful evening! !

JOHN BATCHELOR has been writing about eating and drinking since 1981. Over a thousand of his articles have been published. He is also author of two travel/ cookbooks: Chefs of the Coast: Restaurants and Recipes from the North Carolina Coast, and Chefs of the Mountains: Restaurants and Recipes from Western North Carolina. Contact him at john.e.batchelor@gmail.com or see his blog, johnbatchelordiningandtravel.blogspot.com.

BY NORMA B. DENNIS | ndworddesign@gmail.com

Editors note: Next week’s edition will have more tips to help you in the New Year.

It is probably safe to say that most people do not take resolutions made at the beginning of a new year with any amount of seriousness. Perhaps that is why so many resolutions are broken before or shortly after they are started.

Goal setting, on the other hand, is a more intentional way to make desired changes in one’s life. Setting goals is more deliberate than stating good intentions. It calls for a plan of action that will lead to attaining the goal. It involves thought, emotion and changes in behavior that move a person forward. The more ambitious one’s goals, the more likely they will lead to putting forth an effort for fulfillment.

Goals should be specific, time constrained and attainable. Becoming a

Setting goals for 2023

brain surgeon at the age of 61 might not be realistic. But committing to volunteer at a hospital weekly could become a reality. Likewise, vague goals or unrealistic time constraints could set one up for failure. That’s way it is important to set goals that are clear, measurable and require action.

Goal setting can help in all areas of your life, including personal and professional. Goals do not have to be lofty. According to Tony Robbins, an American author, philanthropist, coach and motivational speaker, “Progress equals happiness,” and setting goals gets us there.

Also sharing your goals with others helps you continue to reach for them. It is good to have an accountability partner who can encourage you to stay on track.

Breaking larger goals down into smaller segments can provide motivation to continue.

Several area residents shared goals they hope to accomplish in 2023 and

The Sportscenter Athletic Club is a private membership club dedicated to providing the ultimate athletic and recreational facilities for our members of all ages. Conveniently located in High Point, we provide a wide variety of activities for our members. We’re designed to incorporate the total fitness concept for maximum benefits and total enjoyment. We cordially invite all of you to be a part of our athletic facility, while enjoying the membership savings we offer our established corporate accounts.

how they plan to achieve them.

Andre — “I want to continue to try to live by the Bible. To do that I need to read the Word daily.”

Cindy — “There are several goals I want to achieve. One is to save money. I could do that by growing my own food, owning chickens or even riding a bicycle when possible instead of using a car. I also want to help others more by becoming involved in volunteer work. And I plan to stay away from political battles by looking at controversial news less.”

Shelley — “I intend to be more efficient with my homeschooling. It is harder with only one child left to school than when I had several. But I will treat it more like a job, get dressed each morning and stay focused on my son’s schoolwork until quitting time.”

how to live by the Bible. To do that I need to want I food, bicycle when possible instead of using a car. becoming involved in volunteer work. And I plan to stay away battles controversial be my homeschooling. It is harder left to school than when I had several. But I will treat it more like a job, focused quitting time.”

Lynn — “My goal is to resume an exercise program. I have some equipment and I plan to use it again.”

Timothy has set two goals, professional and personal — “Professionally, I plan to develop my team at Ralph Lauren into a high performance team though training and quarterly goal-setting events. We have teams in different countries and I want each to communicate more and create relationships with our partners. Personally, I want to spend more time on my spiritual life by studying the Word of God and applying it to my life and by attending church each week.”

Carol — “I want to get back into exercising regularly. I had a physical setback this year and I want next year to be the one I get back into (reasonable) shape. I plan to begin walking again.”

Jalen was perhaps the most precise in establishing goals for 2023 — “I made a list,” she said checking her phone. “I want to be a homeowner and plan to start back searching for a house. I also want to start my own online business and think I can best do this by taking some classes at Bennett College to learn more about it. I am going to see if I can move up in my current job with human resources.” Jalen is in the process of creating a vision board to help her move forward with her goals. “I am doing four quarterly vision boards instead of a yearly one to break down my goals into increments.” !

thinking. To successfully accomplish a goal you must make a plan and work it.

SETTING GOALS AND ACHIEVING THEM

BASED ON SUGGESTIONS

BY TONY ROBBINS

• Brainstorm a list of things you’d like to achieve, create, do, have, give and/or experience. Write down as many as possible within an allotted time.

• Choose your top four, the ones that excite you the most. Create a vision for each goal by writing a paragraph about why you want to achieve it. Decide on what you most want to work.

• Break your big goals into smaller ones. Note if they are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound. Breaking down your goals helps them be more concrete and easier to achieve.

• After deciding on a goal, visualize accomplishing it on a daily basis.

• Find someone you trust and share your goals with him or her. This will make you more accountable.

• Set short- and long-term deadlines that push you forward to accomplishing the goal(s) you envision. Stay committed to your decisions, but flexible in your approach, while not losing sight of your ultimate goal.

• Celebrate small successes all along the way, not just at the end.

Grammy nominees include UNCSA graduates

Given its reputation and the quality of its educational curriculum, it’s hardly surprising that several alumni from the School of Music at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) would find themselves in the running for the 2023 Grammy Awards.

Winston-Salem native Becca Stevens (High School Music ’02) earned a nomination for best arrangement, instrumental, and vocals with her husband Nathan Schram of the Attacca Quartet for “2 + 2 = 5,” a track on the Becca Stevens and Attacca Quartet album. Stevens, who studied in UNCSA’s high-school guitar program, earlier received a Grammy nomination in 2021 for a track on her fifth studio album, Wonderbloom, which she also produced and engineered.

Tasha Warren (High School Music ’89), an alumna of UNCSA’s high-school clarinet program, scored two nominations in the best instrumental composition category for “African Tales” and “Snapshots,” two tracks from her album Ourself Behind Ourself with Dave Eggar. This project, which features Warren on the bass clarinet and Eggar on the cello, premieres a chamber work by six of the most dynamic and influential composers today, among them Paquito D’Rivera and Pascal Le Boeuf.

Joanna Gates (Bachelor of Music ’04) is nominated as a member of The Crossing for best choral performance for the album Born, which was conducted by Donald Nally, Edie Hill, and Michael Gilber-

ston. Gates, who studied voice at UNCSA, has already won a pair of Grammy Awards with The Crossing, in 2018 and 2019.

Garrett Fischbach (High School Music ’98), who studied violin in UNCSA’s highschool program, received a nomination as a member of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus for best choral performance for Verdi: Requiem — The Met Remembers 9/11. Following an unprecedented 18-month closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Metropolitan Opera resumed live performances on Sept. 11, 2021, with a concert of Verdi’s Messa da Requiem, under the direction of Yannick Nezet-Seguin, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Tenor Chase Taylor (Bachelor of Music ’07) performed the role of Nash in Terence Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up in My Bones, which earned a Grammy nomination in the best opera-recording category. This marks the second opera by Blanchard, already a six-time Grammy winner. In addition, baritone Joshua Conyers, an alumnus of the A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute at UNCSA, sang the role of Reginald in Anthony Davis’s X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X, which is also nominated for best opera recording.

The 65th annual Grammy Awards will be broadcast live on Sunday, February 5th from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on CBS and on the Paramount+ app. Comedian and talk-show host Trevor Noah, who hosted the 63rd and 64th awards ceremonies, will encore this year. The official website for the Grammys is https:// www.rammy.com/. !

See MARK BURGER’s reviews of current movies on Burgervideo.com. © 2022, Mark Burger.

WEEKLY ARTS ROUNDUP] 2023 AT CAMEL CITY PLAYHOUSE

BY HALEY MOTSINGER

Camel City Playhouse is an intimate black box theatre located in the heart of Downtown Winston-Salem’s Art District. Their mission is to provide a theatrical experience for diverse audiences, while supporting local artistic organizations and o ering an open and welcoming event space. The playhouse is gearing up for their 2023 season, which promises a wide range of storytelling and spectacle. The first production of the season is Terrence McNally’s Frankie and Johnny in the Clair De Lune, directed by Nick Zayas. Performances will take place January 13-15, and 20-22, though the title stars of the production, Emily Ultan (Frankie) and Zach Pfrimmer (Johnny) are sure to turn up the heat. The play follows two lonely people who come together for a one-night stand, and find themselves forging an unexpected connection. Following McNally’s sexy and heartwarming play, Camel City will bring an American classic to the stage: The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams. Lara Ianni will direct this production, which will go up March 10-12, and 17-19. Auditions will be held January 15th and 16th Beyond this, the 2023 season will include a Shakespearean double feature: Shakespeare’s Dead Dames and How to Survive Being in a Shakespeare Play (May 26 — June 4), I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change (July 21-30), Evil Dead the Musical (October 20-29), and Reunion by local playwright, Lynn Hall (December 1-10).

Not only does Camel City Playhouse produce a stunning lineup of plays and musicals every season, but they also book local artists and performers each month to provide a diverse array of en-

tertainment to the Downtown WinstonSalem Art District. The playhouse hosts bi-monthly burlesque nights, comedy and improv shows, live music, movie showings, drag shows, and more! The board is always looking for more talented performers to join the Camel City family. The intimate performance space is even available for rental for your shows, parties, meetings, and presentations.

Camel City Playhouse strives to tell diverse stories and provide entertainment, as well as performance opportunities, to people of all backgrounds. The playhouse is operated by a team of volunteers, and they are always eager to welcome new team members. Volunteer opportunities include setbuilding, costume and makeup design, stagehand work, box o ce, and much more! For more information on ways to get involved, or for tickets to upcoming productions, connect with Camel City Playhouse on Facebook, Instagram, or visit their website at www.camelcityplayhouse.com.

ARTS COUNCIL is the chief advocate of the arts and cultural sector in Winston-Salem and Forsyth County. Our goal is to serve as a leader in lifting up, creating awareness and providing support to grow and sustain artistic, cultural and creative o erings throughout our region We acknowledge that it takes every voice, every talent, and every story to make our community a great place to live, work, and play. Arts Council is committed to serving as a facilitator, organizer, and promoter of conversations that are authentic, inclusive, and forward-thinking. There are over 800,000 art experiences taking place in Winston-Salem and Forsyth County annually. To learn more about upcoming arts and culture events happening in our community please visit www.cityofthearts.com.

Mark Burger

Contributor

Tasha Warren

Garrett Fischbach

Cooper Mutes Screams of Victims AGAIN

hate to start the New Year out on a sour note, but it’s hard to ignore the fact that our Governor just released another murderer from prison. I used to refer to Cooper as the man who, as Attorney General, courageously waged war on innocent allergy sufferers, but now he has a new title: Roy Cooper, AAF (Accessory After the Fact).

Longworth at Large

Last March I reported on (and was critical of) Governor Roy Cooper’s commutation of April Barber’s two life sentences. Late last month he was at it again, commuting the life sentence of Janet Danahey. Between them, Barber and Danahey killed six people by burning them alive. First a re-cap of the Barber case.

Thirty years ago, 15-year-old April Barber was tried in adult criminal court and convicted of killing her grandparents. Last year, the North Carolina Juvenile Sentencing Review Board determined that Barber was ready to take her place in civilized society again. After all, she had been an exemplary prisoner, having earned her GED and paralegal certificate. The problem is that there was nothing civilized about the crimes Ms. Barber committed.

April Barber had not been misidentified or wrongly convicted. There were no extenuating circumstances. She hadn’t been held hostage and forced to commit a crime. There was no DNA mix-up, she didn’t act out of self-defense, and she freely confessed to both murders. The fact is that April and her 30-year-old boyfriend carefully planned, and then deliberately set fire to her grandparents’ house, killing both of them. Why? Because April was pregnant, and according to her testimony, April’s grandparents had threatened to have the boyfriend charged with statutory rape if she didn’t abort the pregnancy.

Roy Cooper agreed with the sentencing board’s recommendation, perhaps

Ibecause he felt that a 15-year-old didn’t know it was wrong to pour gasoline in a house, set fire to it, and trap two elderly people inside. Pardon my language, but that’s bullshit Governor. Anyone old enough to get a driver’s permit, get pregnant, and plot a double murder, is old enough to know right from wrong, and deserves to serve the full prison term. But I guess Roy didn’t hear what Jack Shepherd heard on that fateful night in 1991. Shepherd who lived next door to the Barbers, told the Greensboro News & Record that, “ She (April) could hear her grandmother crying and screaming in pain, and hollering for her, just as well as I could.” The fire had blocked all exits to the house, so there was no escape for the loving couple who had been caring for April since she was a child. In March of last year, Cooper commuted Barber’s sentence to time served. Nine months later, our crusading Governor decided to open the cell door for another mass murderer.

In 2002, 23-year-old Janet Danahey (a former Olympic torchbearer) was upset because her boyfriend, Thad Johnson, had just broken up with her. She could have slashed his tires or egged his lawn to exact revenge. Instead, she set fire to a sofa on the porch of his apartment building in the middle of the night. Some residents escaped the fire, but four did not. Rachel Llewellyn, age 21, and her sister Donna (24) died in the blaze. So did 20-year-old Beth Harris and Ryan Bek, age 25. The four victims had tried to escape via a wooden staircase, but it had already burned down.

Rhonda Colwell was one of the lucky ones who escaped the fire on that tragic February night. She told the News & Record , “ You heard the screaming. All of us were in such a state of shock.”

Six people burned to death, and now, thanks to Roy Cooper, their killers are free to walk the streets. In listening to the voices who called for leniency, our Governor has muted the screams of victims, AGAIN. !

JIM LONGWORTH is the host of Triad Today, airing on Saturdays at 7:30 a.m. on ABC45 (cable channel 7) and Sundays at 11 a.m. on WMYV (cable channel 15).

Jim Longworth

Nearly 40 years ago, the lowbudget “Santa slasher” movie Silent Night, Deadly Night caused such a furor that its distributor — TriStar Pictures, no less — yanked it from theaters.

There’s been no such furor surrounding Violent Night , a “killer Santa” movie starring David Harbour, which perhaps speaks something (volumes maybe?) about the sort of entertainment 21stcentury audiences are accustomed to. Then again, Silent Night, Deadly Night was played straight — and it was a lousy film. Violent Night is a mess but it’s played for laughs, and sometimes it’s very entertaining.

Taking a cue from Billy Bob Thornton’s Bad Santa (2003), Harbour’s Kris Kringle is a bilious, booze-soaked grouch weary of his gift-giving vocation. People seem to have lost sight of the spirit of Christmas, so he drowns his sorrows in spirits of another kind as he grumpily goes on about his chores. He’s the sort of Santa who’s more apt to pilfer a sixpack of beer than enjoy a glass of milk.

The screenplay, by the Sonic the Hedgehog duo of Pat Casey and Josh Miller, is not lacking in nerve or verve, nor in restraint. Audiences may get a chuckle out of Santa vomiting on an unsuspecting barmaid or urinating from his flying sleigh, but are these gags really necessary to propel the plot — such as it is — forward? Violent Night is naughtier and raunchier than it need be, although it does boast some inspired in-jokes, and merrily tweaks (and twists) traditional Christmas lore with pop-culture references. And, as the title indicates, it’s plenty violent.

Santa’s latest stop is during the Christmas Eve gathering of an obnoxiously wealthy family in snowy Connecticut, but his arrival coincides with the arrival of a team of gun-toting thieves (disguised as caterers) bent on stealing $300 million from an underground safe. Leading the larcenous baddies is one “Mr. Scrooge” (John Leguizamo), who

hadn’t counted on Santa to spoil his Christmas plans. The Die Hard analogy is particularly appropriate, to say nothing of overt, as one of Leguizamo’s first studio roles was a villainous turn in Die Hard 2 (1990).

Although his magical powers appear predicated on his alcohol intake, Santa is able to knock off the thieves in spectacularly gruesome fashion. Nobody is quite willing to admit that Santa Claus exists, much less is trying to save their lives, with the exception of cute little Trudy (Leah Brady), with whom he communicates via walkie-talkie during the siege.

There are some slow patches along the way, and there’s not much suspense regarding how everything turns out, but Violent Night kills time easily enough for those suffering from a post-holiday hangover, and cult status is hardly out of the question.

The grizzled Harbour manages to imbue this sullied Santa with the semblance of a heart, and gives a laudable

performance. Beverly D’Angelo earns a few laughs as the monstrous matriarch of the boorish brood being held hostage, but there’s not much to her role. The real treat is Leguizamo, recently seen to fantastic effect in The Menu . In his 30-year screen career, Leguizamo never quite achieved leading-man status (anyone remember 1997’s The Pest ?) but has repeatedly proven himself a versatile and talented performer. He can play good guys, bad guys, large roles and small, but he always brings a little something extra to them — and does so again here. He’s a worthy antagonist who lives up — and down — to his Scrooge moniker, and rest assured that come Christmas Day he’ll have received precisely the “gift” he deserves. !

See MARK BURGER ’s reviews of current movies on Burgervideo.com. © 2022, Mark Burger.

Mark Burger

ANGER MANAGEMENT

Tennessee state Rep. Jeremy Faison, 45, had to be ejected from the stands at a high school basketball game in Johnson City on Jan. 4 after he became angry at a referee and tried to “pants” him — pull down his trousers. Faison’s son was playing on the Lakeway Christian Academy team, NBC News reported. Later, Faison tweeted: “Totally lost my junk and got booted from the gym. ... I hope to be able to find the ref and ask for his forgiveness. I was bad wrong.” Our advice to referees everywhere: Always wear a belt.

GOVERNMENT AT WORK

CLOWNS

5:00 P.M. 2:00 P.M. 7:00 P.M. 2:00 P.M.

7:00 P.M.

7:00 P.M. 2:00 P.M. 7:00 P.M.

2:00 P.M.

available for home games below:

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL VS. LONGWOOD Thursday, December 29

MEN’S BASKETBALL VS. GARDNER-WEBB Saturday, December 31

MEN’S BASKETBALL VS. UNC ASHEVILLE Wednesday, January 4

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL VS. USC UPSTATE Saturday, January 7

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL VS. CSU Wednesday, January 11

MEN’S BASKETBALL VS. WINTHROP Wednesday, January 18

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL VS. RADFORD Saturday, January 21

MEN’S BASKETBALL VS. CAMPBELL Wednesday, January 25

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL VS. GARDNER-WEBB Saturday, January 28

Faculty/Sta Appreciation

Holidays in High Point

Halftime Act: Red Panda Acrobat

Draw Like a Panther Night

Halftime Act: Jonathan Burns

In the United Kingdom, as of Jan. 29, flouting a new highway code rule will cost you up to 1,000 pounds, the Mirror reported. The rule requires someone inside a car to open the door with the hand farthest from the door, employing a technique known as the Dutch Reach. In other words, if you’re driving (on the right side of the car), you would use your left hand to reach around and open the car door. (The technique is borrowed from the Netherlands, thus the name.) Rule 239 reads: “This will make you turn your head to look over your shoulder. You are then more likely to avoid causing injury to cyclists or motorcyclists passing you on the road, or to people on the pavement.” If a person in a car injures someone by opening with the wrong hand, a fine will be levied. Cycling UK estimates that more than 500 people are injured every year by car doors.

WAIT, WHAT?

When Mark, 38, and his wife left for work one morning in January, their back garden in Belfast, Northern Ireland, looked just like it does any other day. But when the wife returned that afternoon, there was a concrete slab painted with a creepy clown face propped against the wall, the Belfast Telegraph reported. “Someone would have had to come through our gate and down the steps to place it there — and deliberately place it so it was facing the window so we would see it,” Mark said. The clown was holding a lighted candle, and on the reverse, a Bible verse was inscribed: “Let your light shine. Matthew 5:16.” Mark contacted friends, neighbors and family members to see if it was a prank, or if others had received a clown, but no one had experienced anything similar. He threw the clown away, but remains creeped out: “It’s so unsettling.”

THANKS FOR NOTHING!

Catherine Graham of Marshfield, Massachusetts, recently cashed in on her 15 minutes of fame on “The Price Is Right” with host Drew Carey. She flew to Los Angeles to visit her daughter and attended a taping of the show, which aired on Feb. 1. As luck would have it, Graham ended up on stage with Carey and played for a great trip — to New Hampshire! When Carey gushed, “New Hampshire is beautiful!” Graham replied, “Drew, I live in Boston! I’ve been to New Hampshire a million times!” But wait, there’s more! In order to collect the prize roundtrip airfare, she’ll have to travel to Los Angeles again to fly to Manchester, New Hampshire. “I just wish it was Tahiti ... or Bora Bora. A cruise around the world maybe,” Graham told WBZ-TV. But, she said, “It was so fun.”

Halftime Act: Xpogo Stunt Show

Halftime Act: HPU Greek Challenge Halftime Act: On Stage School of Dance

Halftime Act: Umbrella Lina

Halftime Act: Kernersville Dance Company

Cameron Newsom, 42, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, was treated for stage 4 squamous cell carcinoma on her tongue in 2013, the New York Post reported. Removing the tumor meant also removing part of her tongue, which doctors replaced with skin and muscle taken from her thigh. Through all of her experiences in treating the cancer, she said, “The weirdest part ... was when I felt a rough texture on the ‘thigh’ part of my tongue — and when I looked in the mirror, it had started growing leg hair!” Newsom had to learn to speak again and still finds eating a challenge, but she’s back to being a gymnastics coach, even with her fuzzy tongue.

OOOHHH-KKKAAAYYYYY

Some romantic relationships are full of drama and strife, so maybe Sandra, 28, of Budapest, Hungary, has come up with a better model. According to Oddity Central, Sandra has fallen for Lu ancs, a plastic model of an airplane. After breaking up with her latest human boyfriend in January, Sandra bought Lu ancs for $660 and fell madly in love. “I don’t know why I love him, I just love him,” she said. Sandra works in the aviation industry and is around airplanes every day, but says she will never cheat on Lu ancs. In fact, she doesn’t know if she’ll ever date another human being. “Planes are more reliable as partners,” she said. !

©2022 Andrews McMeel Universal

BY THE EDITORS AT ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

Non-earthling

Gawk rudely

Pizazz

Unexciting

Winona of “Stranger Things”

Quick sprint

Casual refusal

“Anna and the King” actress — Ling

Suffix with southeast

Fate

“Caught you!”

Fate

Gas in fuel

Ray of “GoodFellas” 101 Westerns, in old slang 102 Univ., e.g. 103 Louise’s film cohort 104 Over 50% 106 Hogs’ homes 110 Concerning 111 — -do-well 112 “Buenos —” (“Good day,” in Granada) 113 Prefix with tank 114 Enjoy a novel 115 Toy flown on a windy day 117 — Strauss 118 Exercised 119 Child’s plea 120 “Bus Stop” playwright William 121 Fruit-flavored drinks 124 “One Mic” rapper

Reading Resolutions for 2023

Editors note: Next week’s edition will have more tips to help you in the New Year.

ccording to “Each State’s Most Popular New Year’s Resolution,” a Google Trends analysis by the website Zippia.com, the most popular one in North Carolina is to read more books in 2023.

With this in mind, YES! Weekly asked a diverse selection of authors, booksellers and readers about books they love and recommend, as well as some they themselves intend to read over the next 12 months.

Historian and romance novelist Jessica Cale, who lives at an undisclosed Triad location, founded and edits the podcast Dirty Sexy History. Here are some books she read in 2022 and hopes you will read in 2023.

“My favorite book of 2022 is The Gilded Edge by Catherine Prendergast, about the too-bizarre-to-believe love triangle

Abetween poet Nora May French and Gilded Age influencers George and Carrie Sterling, which ended in cyanide. Other favorites include Pink Triangle Legacies, by W. Jake Newsome, which delves into the forgotten history of the gay men who fell victim to the Holocaust and how their imprisonment continued long after the war ended; Unmaking Sex by Anne Linton, which is a look at the ‘gender outlaws’ of 19th century France; Before We Were Trans by Kit Heyam, a truly global history of trans and non-confirming identities from ancient Egypt on; and The Facemaker by Lindsey Fitzharris, the incredible true story of pioneering plastic surgeon Harold Gillies, who developed new procedures to repair the faces of injured soldiers during and after World War One.

Last year, Jermaine Exum became owner of Acme Comics after working there for 25 years, making Greensboro’s oldest comic book shop the city’s first Blackowned one. As his hometown was o cially designated Comic Book City in 2013, it’s important to remember that comics are written and read as well as drawn and looked-at (the classic graphic novel Watchmen, for instance, has more words than any book by Hemingway).

“Readers in the Triad area have consistently included graphic novels as part of their entertainment diet, which is a driving force behind Acme Comics celebrating its 40th Anniversary here in 2023! Horror and thrillers are big across all channels and that is the case in comics, as well. I really loved I Hate This Place by Kyle Starks and Artyom Topilin, which is about an unsuspecting couple who are new homeowners of the most haunted and supernaturally aggressive piece of land in the world. Stray Dogs by Tony Fleecs and Trish Forstner really pushed my comfort zone, but the concept of Silence of the Lambs from the point of view of the victims’ abducted pets was so strong and well-presented. I look forward to introducing all of these and more to our visitors in 2023.”

Novelist, poet and journalist Michael Gaspeny taught English at Bennett College and High Point University for four decades and as a reporter, covered the Arkansas Razorbacks and Bill Clinton’s first presidential campaign. A Postcard from the Delta, his new novel about the Blues, football and guilt, was published in October 2022.

“I want to re-read many books that I love. I’ve especially got in mind Henry Roth’s Call It Sleep; Nathaneal

West’s Miss Lonelyhearts and Day of the Locust and Dostoyevsky’s House of the Dead. As for poems, I’m eager to read any work I’ve missed by Ellen Bass, Marie Howe, and Claire Milliken, Mark SmithSoto, and Marina Tsvetaeva.”

James Tate Hill, who has lived in Greensboro since attending the UNCGreensboro MFA Writing Program, is the author of the mystery novel Academy Gothic, about murder at a small and decaying private North Carolina college, and Blind Man’s Blu , his acclaimed 2021 memoir about how he lost his sight at the age of 16 but hid his blindness from colleagues, friends and girlfriends for 15 years.

“Two memoirs I’m excited to read in 2023 are Losing Music by John Cotter and Leg by Greg Marshall, both of which explore unique experiences of disability with candor, wisdom, and humor. I also had the honor of reading an advance copy of Life B, the forthcoming memoir by the beloved book critic Bethanne Patrick about her winding journey toward a diagnosis of double depression, and it should be on the radar of many. On the fiction side, I cannot wait for the third novel from Philip K. Dick Award winner Alison Stine (Trashland, Road Out of Winter), titled Dust

Ian McDowell

Contributor

Jessica Cale

Jermaine Exum

Michael Gaspeny

James Tate Hill

Steve Mitchell is the co-owner of Greensboro’s Scuppernong Books and that establishment’s publishing imprint, Scuppernong Editions. His debut novel Cloud Diary was published in 2018, was shortlisted for the Sir Walter Raleigh Award. Being a bookseller, he categorized his recommendations by genre.

“For horror, The Devil Takes You Home by Gabino Iglesias — fast-paced, bloody, violent with characters you may recognize from your own life. Don’t read this book before bed. In Sci-Fi: The Memory Librarian: And Other Stories of Dirty Computer by Janelle Monáe — the beauty of the stories lies not only in the explorations of memory and self, but in the easy way fluid sexual orientation is presented as a given. And The Employees by Olga Ravn. Funny, sad, and like nothing you’ve read before (as if it dropped from the 22nd Century), The Employees imagines being locked into your workplace forever.”

Mitchell also has two recommendations in general fiction.

“The quietly insightful novel Yonder , by Jabari Asim, captures brilliantly is the impossibility of imagining change without the words and images to make it real, and the ways in which hardship and fear narrow our ability to see and imagine. And Claire Keegan’s Small Things Like These is a short, powerful book about the moment of deciding not to turn away from need, something so easy to turn away from. ”

For 2023, Mitchell is looking forward to Rebecca Makkai’s I Have Some Questions for You and North Carolina author Marjorie Hudson’s Indigo Field .

“The first is a sort-of murder mystery, but more an examination of shifting attitudes and how we begin to reconcile our current self with the selves of our past, and also a sly commentary on how we gather and process information in the age of Google and Reddit and attempt to sort conspiracy theories from obscure fact. The second is a novel which, in both quiet and apparent ways, underlines the threads of history — secret to some — carried by women in their memory, in their bodies, and in their relationship to the land.”

Kimberlyn “Katie” Murawski was Editor in Chief of YES! Weekly from May 2017 until January 2021, where she served as the first woman and youngest person to hold the title of sta writer/editor.

“I’ve done one drag story hour for

Stonewall Sports at Scuppernong. And one book I’d recommend reading is Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity During This Crisis (and the Next) by Dean Spade. I had the pleasure of reading this book during Triad Abolition Project’s 2021 Summer Workshop Series and found it incredibly eye-opening and hopeful during a time where there wasn’t much hope. I think it’s a great book for those who are interested in learning more about mutual aid and for those who truly love their community. It’s something we shouldn’t just think about doing during a crisis, giving directly to those in need should be on our minds throughout the year. Additionally, I think the book provides an interesting perspective about why we give and more important how.”

Riley Redgate is the penname of Ríoghnach Robinson, a Winston-Salem born and raised author of popular and acclaimed young adult fiction now living in Chicago, whose 2016 debut novel Seven Ways You Lie was published before she graduated from Kenyon College. Her subsequent novels are Note Worthy and Final Draft, with a fourth, Look No Further, coming in 2023. Of Chinese and Irish descent, she chose her penname at 16 because she wanted one with her real initials, but gender neutral and easily pronounceable. Biracial and bisexual, she writes about young people “in the middle of a spectrum rather than out at the ends.”

“In 2023, I plan to keep badgering people about my two favorite 2022 releases: Hernan Diaz’s Trust, an intricate nesting doll of a book centered on an enigmatic married couple at the heart of the 1920s financial boom; and Mindy McGinnis’s The Last Laugh, the wonderfully twisted finale to her Poe-inspired horror-thriller duology. These books have nothing in common except that I couldn’t put down either one. As for my 2023 toread list, in YA, I can’t wait to get to Justin Reynolds’s Opposite of Always, Mackenzi Lee’s The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue, Traci Chee’s A Thousand Steps into Night, and Bri Cavallaro’s Manifest. In adult lit, I’m excited to read Lauren Gro ’s Matrix, Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park, N.K. Jemisin’s The Broken Kingdoms,

Emily Henry’s Happy Place, and, God willing, John Milton’s Paradise Lost.

Jamie Rogers Southern is the Executive Director of Bookmarks, the Winston-Salem literary nonprofit and bookstore that has served the Triad community since 2003.

“I’m especially looking forward to reading Dear America by Jose Antonio Vargas, a memoir about citizenship, belonging, and identity. It’s our 2023 Book with Purpose title and we will launch programming surrounding it this summer. One reading goal I have is to read more books in translation and more world lit. We all set our own goals and usually write them down at our first sta meeting of the year. Then the next year, we bring those goals out to see how we did. It’s rarely about number, more about how we want to stretch ourselves to grow as readers.”

Lee Zacharias is the award-winning author of the short story collection Helping Muriel Make It Through the Night, the novels What a Wonderful World It Could

Be, Across the Great Lake, Lessons, and At Random; and the essay collection The Only Sounds We Make. She is an Emerita Professor of English at UNC-Greensboro, where in 2002 she won the University of North Carolina Board of Governors Award for Teaching Excellence.

“I was traveling in December and didn’t want to carry books, only a Kindle, so I have a nice stack waiting. It includes Steve Yarbrough’s newest novel, Stay Gone Days, Michael Parker’s latest, I Am the Light of This World, western NC writer Heather Newton’s new novel, The Puppeteer’s Daughters, an older Margot Livesey novel, Homework, that my husband Mike found in a Little Free Library, the Jesmyn Ward memoir, Men We Reaped, also rescued from a Little Free Library, and The Best American Essays 2022.” !

IAN MCDOWELL is the author of two published novels, numerous anthologized short stories, and a whole lot of nonfiction and journalism, some of which he’s proud of and none of which he’s ashamed of.

Lee Zacharias

Katie Murawski

Steve Mitchell

Riley Redgate

Jamie Rogers Southern

Triad school boards hail Leandro decision

Guilford and Winston-Salem/Forsyth County school officials have expressed strong support for North Carolina’s Supreme Court’s November 4 majority ruling in what is commonly known as the Leandro case, a series of legal battles over public school funding waged in state courts for 28 years.

The latest ruling does not end a controversy on which that court has ruled twice before, and which, if reconsidered before 2028, may face opposition from the new 5/2 Republican majority. But Guilford County Schools Superintendent Whitney Oakley and Board of Education Chair Deena Hayes-Greene consider the latest Leandro ruling a significant victory for North Carolina public schools.

“As federal relief resources sunset next year, providing adequate state funding for public schools could not be more timely to continue supporting our students,” began the joint statement from Oakley and Hayes-Greene. “In 2021, the Guilford County Board of Education passed a resolution in support of the Leandro Plan, which outlines a funding plan to provide every child in North Carolina with a sound basic education. The Leandro Plan increases funding for public schools that could be used for teachers, nurses, psychologists, counselors, and social workers, to name a few. We must do more for the children of North Carolina.”

Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools superintendent Tricia McManus agreed.

“The Leandro Plan is critical to the future success of students across the state of North Carolina,” McManus said. “Adequately funding education and providing quality resources and support to address the academic, social, emotional, and physical well-being of our students should be a number one priority for lawmakers and others invested in the future of our state and local communities.”

But what is Leandro, and why has it resulted in division? Many in the Tarheel GOP allege that it is an example of the state supreme court usurping the authority of the general assembly to finance public education in lower-income counties. Conversely, Democrats argue that the court is only mandating financial support explicitly protected by the state constitution, but which Republican legislators have long refused to provide.

In 1994, the school systems of Cumberland, Halifax, Hoke, Robeson, and Vance counties filed suit against the state of North Carolina and the State Board of Education. The complaint argued that schools in these lower-income counties did not receive enough tax money to meet the requirements of the North Carolina Constitution.

The suit was titled Leandro v. State of North Carolina after Kathleen Leandro and her son Robert, the first plaintiffs named in the original complaint. The Leandros were later joined by Ophelia Aiken, Cassandra Ingram, D.E. Locklear, Darlene Harris, Dana Holton Jenkins, David Martinez, Jennie G. Pearson, Clarence L. Pender, Carol Penland, Steven R. Sunkel, Wayne Tew, Angus B. Thompson, Nettie Thompson, Floyd Vick, and Tyrone T. Williams; and the children these additional parents or guardians represented.

Asheville City Board of Education; Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education; Durham Public Schools Board of Education; Wake County Board of Education; Winston Salem/Forsyth County Board of Education later joined the suit as plaintiffs, arguing that, although their districts were larger and wealthier than the five original plaintiff counties, the state failed its obligations to them as well.

The 2005 Nebraska Law Review article “Litigating Education Adequacy in North Carolina: a Personal Account of Leandro v. State” examines the first decade of litigation, which resulted in two N.C. high court rulings, 1997’s Leandro v. State, also known

as Leandro I, and 2004’s Hoke County Board of Education v. State, also known as Leandro 2

“Because of my constitutional law experience, I was asked to do the initial legal research for this possible claim”, wrote Raleigh attorney Robert Tiller, who advised his co-litigants to challenge “the existing school finance system based on educational adequacy,” as the N.C. constitution states “The people have a right to the privilege of education, and it is the duty of the State to guard and maintain that right.”

It also states that “The General Assembly shall provide by taxation and otherwise for a general and uniform system of free public schools ... wherein equal opportunities shall be provided for all students.” Tiller believed this language in the N.C. constitution strongly supported “a substantive right to an adequate education.”

In 1996, N.C. Court of Appeals rejected plaintiff’s claims, but a unanimous 1997 state supreme court decision by Chief Justice Burley Mitchell reversed that decision, concluding that Article I, Section 15 and Article IX, Section 2 of the N.C. Constitution “combine to guarantee every child of this state an opportunity to receive a sound basic education in our public schools.” But despite the unanimous decision, the court’s majority agreed with the Appeals Court that the constitutional obligation did not mean that the plaintiff school systems were entitled to major funding increases.

The case returned to a trial court, where Wake County Superior Court Judge Howard Manning held hearings for over a

decade and reviewed data to determine how well the state was complying with its constitutional duty of “a sound basic education.” When Manning ordered the state to provide prekindergarten services to at-risk students, the state appealed directly to the state Supreme Court. That court’s 2004 response became commonly known as Leandro II to distinguish it from 1997’s Leandro I

That decision by Justice Robert Orr rejected Manning’s mandate of prekindergarten but affirmed many of Manning’s claims about services for at-risk students. Leandro II also spelled out more details of how the state would provide students with a “sound basic education.” However, the state Supreme Court again did not order additional education spending.

Manning argued this issue with state and local education officials until 2015 when health concerns caused him to step away from the case. But before doing so, he ordered parties to present a “definite” plan of action for Leandro issues.

Union County Superior Court Judge David Lee took over the case in October 2016. When Roy Cooper was elected, these judicial and gubernatorial changes in the legal landscape gave hope to those seeking to see the Leandro mandate enforced. Cooper created a Governor’s Commission on Access to Sound Basic Education, focusing on Leandro-related issues, and state attorneys partnered with Leandro plaintiffs to seek authorization from Lee to hire an independent consul-

Ian McDowell

Contributor

tant to develop a Leandro plan.

In March 2018, Lee appointed the educational nonprofit WestEd to serve as the requested Leandro consultant and rejected the State BOE request to be dropped from court oversight in the case. WestEd’s report was delivered in 2019. In January 2020, Lee issued an order relying on WestEd’s findings.

Three months later, the Leandro parties submitted an eight-year plan to Lee, which called for billions of dollars in new education spending. In Nov. 2021, Lee ordered the state to spend an additional $1.75 billion to implement two years of recommendations from the plan. In addition, Lee ordered the money transferred out of the state treasury and moved to state agencies.

In response, State Controller Linda Combs went to N.C. Court of Appeals and secured a rare “writ of prohibition” against Lee’s order, arguing she could not take part in any transfer of funds without authorization from the General Assembly.

Leandro plainti s and lawyers for N.C. Attorney General Josh Stein urged the state Supreme Court to step in and resolve the dispute over the forced money transfer. The court agreed in March to take the case.

Lee was replaced with Judge Michael Robinson, who ultimately ruled that the state was responsible to fund the plan but could not be ordered to do so. Robinson found that the General Assembly underfunded the Comprehensive Remedial Plan by $785 million, based on the 2021-22 budget.

In August 2022, the State Supreme Court heard the case for the fourth time, and on November 4, issued a majority opinion stating:

“This Court has long recognized that our Constitution empowers the judicial branch with inherent authority to address constitutional violations through equitable remedies. For 25 years, the judiciary has deferred to the executive and legislative branches to implement a comprehensive solution to this ongoing constitutional violation. Today, that deference expires. If this Court is to fulfill its own constitutional obligations, it can no longer patiently wait for the day, year, or decade when the State gets around to acting on its constitutional duty ‘to guard and maintain’ the constitutional rights of North Carolina schoolchildren.”

That same day, Governor Cooper issued the following brief statement: “It’s our constitutional duty to ensure every child has access to a sound basic education. As the N.C. Supreme Court has a rmed today, we must do more for our students all across North Carolina.”

As part of the ruling, the Court issued an order upholding a lower-court decision requiring state o cials, including the

treasurer, controller, and the state budget director, to transfer funds for a public education improvement plan. That order applies to the second and third years of the plan (the last school year and this one), which originally called for $1.75 billion, before the most recent state budgets partially funded elements of the plan. Remaining funding, which may total half a billion dollars, would go towards students with disabilities, schools that serve more lower-income students, and early childhood and pre-kindergarten education.

“Given these remand instructions, this ruling will not be the final page in the Leandro litigation,” the state supreme court’s 137-page majority opinion by Associate Justice Robin Hudson stated. “Nevertheless, it is the sincere hope of this Court that it will serve as the start of a new chapter—one in which the parties lay down old divisions and distrust to forge a spirit of collaboration in good faith toward a common goal: constitutional compliance. The same recalcitrant approach would only yield the same inadequate outcomes.”

This is not a done deal, as the case now goes back to trial court. There are five years left in the plan and further legal dispute over whether lawmakers are complying with it seems likely. It could end up before trial court judges who decide to follow the precedent established by the state Supreme Court ruling, but if it goes to state Supreme Court again, it will be deliberated by the new Republican majority.

N.C. House Republican Majority Whip Jon Hardister suggested that the majority might reverse the previous court’s ruling.

“Based on the North Carolina Constitution,” wrote Hardister, “only the General Assembly has the authority to allocate tax dollars for government operations. The judicial branch has no such authority. While we should and are working to enhance our education system, the rule of law should be upheld, and the courts should refrain from usurping the functions of the legislative branch.”

Democratic N.C. State House Representative Ashton Clemmons, whose District 57 includes north-central Guilford County, disagrees. “North Carolina’s strength is her people,” wrote Clemmons. “We must invest in them with strong funding for our public education system. It is clear from visits to schools, conversations with families and educators, and our recent achievement data that we must do more for our children — and our state’s future.” !

IAN MCDOWELL is the author of two published novels, numerous anthologized short stories, and a whole lot of nonfiction and journalism, some of which he’s proud of and none of which he’s ashamed of.

Katei Cranford

Contributor

Greensboro power grunge trio, The Ellipses, are releasing “State of Pursuit,” their debut LP on January 7, with a release show and regional tour kicking off at the Flat Iron on January 9.

Self-recorded and produced, “State of Pursuit” upholds DIY ethic — tying together the ethos and sonic elements of “Seattle in the 90s,” reimagined by a group of fresh college grads and 20-somethings.

Centered around the collegiate experiences of guitarist and vocalist Ian Waddill, a recent graduate of University of North Carolina of Greenboro’s Interior Architecture Department, the album

Introducing The Ellipses

itself ties together talents and passions in their own pragmatic pursuit. “I love being able to design all aspects of a project, so DIY really is for me,” he said. “Being into architecture, I’m also big into graphic design so I enjoyed doing all of the marketing for the album and case candy to go in our CDs. They’ve even got a booklet with all the lyrics!”

“I just want to make the best art that I can,” Waddill continued. “I’m not in this to blow up, or support myself on music alone,” he said, alluding to motivations behind the album. “All of these songs are about wanting, trying, failing, bettering oneself. Getting these songs out there and out of my head was a great punctuation mark for the five years of college that it took for me to ultimately put it together. And, now that a new chapter has begun I can focus on the next one, bigger and better.”

Intentionally setting its release to follow his graduation, “State of Pursuit” references what Waddill sees as ”the

absolute grind that it takes to stay motivated chasing your passions while school, work, life, all get in the way.”

The album explores that grind over 12 tracks — from the rock-n-roll of the first single “Window,” to the twinkle of Midwest emo in the followup “Never Mind;” with an added heaviness on songs like “Animal Urge.” There remains a balance — something bassist Colin Moser considers an attention to dynamics — throughout. Moser instructs fans to “prepare for a journey.”

Turning to their journey as a band, Moser was the last to join — hopping aboard just as 2022 began. Though as a band of friends, the transition was fairly seamless with all three sharing links across a number Triad projects. Moser is also in Regence and Reliably Bad. Waddill and drummer Julian CreechPritchett are fellow bandmates in Last Waking Moment. Waddill also plays in Saphron; and Creech-Pritchett is in Flea Trap and Sweet Dream. Together they

blend influences from those experiences on top of their individual tastes. For Waddill, those tastes form the basis of a “Seattle in the 90s” sound derived from post-millenium Pandora radio, where his interests were first perked by artists like Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rage Against the Machine, Muse, and Arctic Monkeys. “It’s worth noting that I only knew a lot of these artists from Guitar Hero III,” he said, acknowledging the divide between Generations X and Z. “From there I just kind of went down the rabbit hole.” Attributing vocal stylings to Jeff Mangum and Eddie Vedder, Waddill carries those tones across a balance of ballads and rockers. “Alt-rock and Grunge are my all time favorite types of music,” he continued. “it’s just the sound that I’ve always identified with the most.”

Creech-Pritchett takes a more general route — carrying influences from styles and techniques in lieu of particular artists. Raised on the classics (classical

and classic rock.) “Our venn diagrams cross with a few grunge groups like Soundgarden and Pearl Jam,” he explained, “I enjoy and employ the energy that alt-rock, pop punk, and things like that offer, even if the actual songs aren’t always my favorite.” Getting technical, Creech-Pritchett digs the mixed meter approach favored from the work of Michael “CAVS” Cavanagh (of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard.) ”I also enjoy his linear grooves and fills, and how he can tie together a polyrhythm that works with multiple other members of the band.” On the flip, ”I’ve also been digging Morgan Simpson from Black Midi lately,” he added. “He’s got a super free and open concept behind his kit, which is perfect for the bonkers music Black Midi creates.”

Blending influences, Moser counts the prog metal and jazz stylings of artists like Meshuggah, John Coltrane, Tigran Hamasyan, Charlie Parker, Hadrien Feraud and TesseracT — building on the latter to link the rhythm section with Creech-Pritchett. “These artists have their clear differences, but distinct overlap as well, namely their atten-

tion to rhythm,” Moser said. “As Julian and I comprise the rhythm section, I’ve always appreciated this particular intersection and think it contributes to how seriously we take our roles.”

As a new year looms, Waddill looks to hone their craft. “My pursuit is the art,” he said. “I really want to write songs that stick with people the way my favorite songs have stuck with me. 2023 for us looks like strong development and some bangin’ shows.”

Making good on those plans, they’ll start a mini-tour at the Flat Iron, with Saphron and Clout Chaser, on January 9. Then they’ll hit Durham, Chapel Hill and Boone; with a second Triad stop at Monstercade (joined by Dull Morning and Unknown Nobodies) on January 11, where “the homie vibes will be immaculate.”

“State of Pursuit,” the debut LP from The Ellipses comes out January 7. !

KATEI CRANFORD is a Triad music nerd who spotlights area artists and events.

ASHEBORO

Four SaintS BrEwing

218 South Fayetteville St. | 336.610.3722 www.foursaintsbrewing.com

thursdays: taproom trivia

Fridays: Music Bingo

Jan 7: graymatter

Jan 15: Honky tonk Jam w/ Mark Dillion & Friends

Jan 28: High Cotton

Feb 5: randolph Jazz Band

CARBORRO

Cat’S CraDlE

300 E Main St | 919.967.9053 www.catscradle.com

Jan 6: Billy Prine & the Prine time Band

Jan 7: the Kingsby Manx, nathan Bowles & Joe o’Connell

Jan 14: Victoria Victoria

Jan 14: Magic City Hippies

Jan 19: Hammered Hulls

Jan 20: town Mountain

Jan 20: Chuck Prophet trio

Jan 22: Quarters of Change

Jan 24: night Moves

Jan 25: John Craigie

Jan 27: rubblebucket

CHARlOttE

BoJanglES ColiSEuM

2700 E Independence Blvd | 704.372.3600 www.boplex.com

Jan 29: asphalt Meadows w/ Momma

Feb 3: Fantasia w/ special guest Joe

Feb 4: Vive Chuhuahua

tHE FillMorE

1000 NC Music Factory Blvd | 704.916.8970 www.livenation.com

Jan 20: giggly Squid

Jan 21: gregory alan isakov

Jan 25: Babytron

Jan 26: we Came as romans

Jan 27: noel Miller

Jan 27: glorilla

SPECtruM CEntEr

333 E Trade St | 704.688.9000 www.spectrumcentercharlotte.com

Jan 13: Future

Jan 21: Barry Manilow: Hits 2023

Feb 8: Carrie underwood

Feb 17: impractical Jokers

Feb 18: adam Sandler

Feb 26: winter Jam 2023

ClEmmOnS

VillagE

SQuarE

taP HouSE

6000 Meadowbrook Mall Ct | 336.448.5330 www.facebook.com/vstaphouse

Jan

Jan

Jam

Jan

duRHAm

Carolina tHEatrE

309 W Morgan St | 919.560.3030 www.carolinatheatre.org

Jan 30: Kenny wayne Shepherd Band

Feb 18: Shana tucker, ChamberSoul Cello & Songs

Feb 23: tower of Power

DPaC

123 Vivian St | 919.680.2787 www.dpacnc.com

Jan 3 -8: tina -the tina turner Musical

Jan 18-22: Come From away Jan 31- Feb 5: Cats

ElKIn

rEEVES tHEatEr

129 W Main St | 336.258.8240

www.reevestheater.com

wednesdays: reeves open Mic

Fourth thursdays: old-time Jam

Jan 14: Blue ridge opry

Feb 3: Silk groove revue

Feb 4: Big Daddy love

gREEnSBORO

Barn DinnEr tHEatrE

120 Stage Coach Tr. | 336.292.2211 www.barndinner.com

Jan 7: Stephen Freeman

Jan 13,14, 20,21: Ms. Mary’s Boys: Meet Me at Mary’s Place

Jan 28: the legacy

Feb 4-25: Murdered to Death

Feb 10: Soul & inspiration: a tribute to the righteous Brothers

Carolina tHEatrE

310 S. Greene Street | 336.333.2605 www.carolinatheatre.com

Jan 6: Bill and the Belles

Jan 7: will McBride

Jan 28: M’Soul in the Crown

Feb 11: rouge: a Cirque & Dance Cabaret

Feb 17: Jo Dee Messina

Feb 18: the Mavericks

CHar Bar no. 7

3724 Lawndale Dr. | 336.545.5555 www.charbar7.com

Dec 29: whiskey Pines Dec 30: Savannah Harmon

CoMEDY ZonE

1126 S Holden Rd | 336.333.1034 www.thecomedyzone.com

Jan 6-7: Shaun Jones

Jan 12: Emma willmann

Jan 13-15: Erik griffin

Jan 20-21: Katherine Blanford

Jan 26-28: Damon wayans Jr.

Feb 3-4: Michael Palascak

Feb 10: Hypnotist leon Sankofa

garagE taVErn

5211 A West Market St | 336.763.2020 www.facebook.com/GarageTavernGreensboro

Jan 6: Brother Pearl

Jan 7: Daniel love & the love rustlers

Jan 13: Jukebox rehab Band

Jan 14: the Mighty Fairlanes

Jan 20: wristband Band

Jan 21: Camel City Blues

Jan 27: the tess Band

Jan 28: radio revolver

grEEnSBoro ColiSEuM

1921 W Gate City Blvd | 336.373.7400 www.greensborocoliseum.com

Jan 14-15: Monster Jam

Jan 27: a night of Soul: Frankie Beverly & Maze, the isley Brothers

Jan 28: toby Mac

Feb 3: Jurassic world live tour

Feb 10: the legendz of the Streetz

Hangar 1819

1819 Spring Garden St | 336.579.6480 www.hangar1819.com

Jan 6: in the End: linkin Park tribute

Jan 21: trial By Fire: Journey tribute Feb 12: gideon w/ For the Fallen Dreams

PiEDMont Hall

2411 W Gate City Blvd | 336.373.7400 www.greensborocoliseum.com

Jan 27: Steel Panther

Feb 24: green Queen Bingo

Feb 26: Big Head todd and the Monsters

StEVEn tangEr CEntEr

300 N Elm Street | 336.333.6500 www.tangercenter.com

Jan 8: Styx

Jan 13: george lopez

Jan 18: Shen Yun

Jan 21: James Ehnes

HIGH POINT

1614 DMB

1614 N Main St | 336.883.4113 https://www.1614drinksmusicbilliards.com/

Jan 7: Huckleberry Shyne

Jan 14: The Resistance

Jan 20: Lip Sync Battle

Jan 21: Kwik Fixx

HIGH POINT THEATRE

220 E Commerce Ave | 336.883.3401 www.highpointtheatre.com

Jan 7: The songs of John Prine

Jan 13: Mario The Maker Magician

Feb 9: New York Rockabilly Rockets

SWEET OLD BILL’S

1232 N Main St | 336.807.1476 www.sweetoldbills.com

Jan 5: Turpentine Shine

Jan 12: Johnny O’ and The Jump out Boys

Feb 9: Metro Jethro’s

JAMESTOWN

THE DECK

118 E Main St | 336.207.1999 www.thedeckatrivertwist.com

Jan 12: Bradley Steele

Jan 13: Gipsy Danger

KERNERSVILLE BREATHE COCKTAIL LOUNGE

221 N Main St. | 336.497.4822 www.facebook.com/BreatheCocktailLounge

Wednesdays: Karaoke

Jan 14: Sprocket

Jan 21: Vinyl Tap

LIBERTY

THE LIBERTY SHOWCASE THEATER

101 S. Fayetteville St | 336.622.3844 www.TheLibertyShowcase.com

Jan 7: The Embers Band

Jan 14: Ricky Skaggs

Jan 20: The Isaacs

RALEIGH

LINCOLN THEATRE

126 E. Cabarrus St | 919.831.6400 www.lincolntheatre.com

Jan 12: By George, Harvey Street Company, Late Notice

Jan 13: Adam Knight’s Buried AliveA Tribute to Phish

Jan 14: Winter Metafest ft. Cultus Black, Drill 187, Infinity Dream,

PNC ARENA

1400 Edwards Mill Rd | 919.861.2300

www.thepncarena.com

Jan 21: CINCH World’s Toughest Rodeo

Jan 28: Cody Johnson

WINSTON-SALEM

EARL’S

121 West 9th Street | 336.448.0018 www.earlsws.com

Mondays: Open Mic

Thursdays: Will Jones

Jan 6: Killer Wabbits

Jan 7: Anna Leigh Band

Jan 13: Kyle Kelly

Jan 14: Aaron Hamm

Jan 20: Zack Brock & The Good Intentions

FOOTHILLS BREWING

638 W 4th St | 336.777.3348 www.foothillsbrewing.com

Sundays: Sunday Jazz Thursdays: Trivia

Jan 6: Carolina Clay

Jan 7: Anne & The Moonlighters

Jan 8: Jon Montgomery

Jan 13: Andrew Wakefield

Jan 15: Eddie Clayton & Friends

Jan 20: Camel City Blues

MIDWAY MUSIC HALL

11141 Old US Hwy 52, Suite 10 | 336.793.4218 www.facebook.com/midwaymusichallandeventcenter

Mondays: Line Dancing

Jan 7: Silverhawk

Jan 14: The Classics

Jan 21: Matt Dylan and Honky Tonk Outlaws

Jan 28: Jimmy Shirley Jr. and The Footlights

MUDDY CREEK CAFE & MUSIC HALL

137 West St | 336.201.5182 www.facebook.com/MuddyCreekCafe

Jan 21: Led Head: Led Zeppelin Experience

THE RAMKAT

170 W 9th St | 336.754.9714 www.theramkat.com

Jan 5: Nirvani

Jan 6: Men in Black

Jan 7: Old Heavy Hands w/ BAL

Jan 13: Charlie Starr w/ Benji Sharks

Jan 14: The MayByrds w/ Magnolia Green

Jan 20: Cosmic Charlie

Jan 21: Maiden Boyage: Iron Maiden Tribute

Jan 28: Them Pants w/ withdrew

Natalie Garcia

PRESENTS

hot pour

[BARTENDER OF THE WEEK | BY NATALIE GARCIA]

BARTENDER: Connor Sexton

BAR: Vintage Sofa Bar, Bamboo Lounge, and Footnote Co ee and Cocktails in Winston-Salem

AGE: 31

WHERE ARE YOU FROM? Wallburg, N.C.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN BARTENDING?

10 years

HOW DID YOU BECOME A BARTENDER?

Started in college, picking up shifts here and there at the local dive bar. I ended up working there for 4 years, at least 1 shift per week. One day, a regular o ered me a position at a restaurant opening soon. That started the journey, and now I’ve covered everything from dive bars to craft cocktails.

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY ABOUT BARTENDING?

I enjoy the chaos most of all. The adrenaline pumping energy that comes from a crowd. I also enjoy how every day is a new experience. One day you are having an in depth convo with a regular you have gotten to know, the next evening you are swamped by college kids trying to chug vodka sodas. I am mostly in the craft scene now, so this environment allows you to be creative, explore flavor profiles, and push to create new things.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE DRINK TO MAKE?

Daiquiri shots are my favorite to pour, delicious and easy to make.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE DRINK TO DRINK?

Caphrinias are my favorite drinks to make and drink, but they are very time consuming so I avoid them on busy nights. It is based o of cachca made in Brazil, somewhat comparable to a rum.

WHAT WOULD YOU RECOMMEND AS AN AFTER-DINNER DRINK?

Splittin on a Sunday. My current desert drink on the menu at Vintage Sofa Bar.

WHAT’S THE CRAZIEST THING YOU’VE SEEN WHILE BARTENDING?

At a country bar/music venue I used to work we were slam packed during a concert. I can see my very large security guard swimming through the crowd. Once I realized what was going on, I saw that he was severely out numbered in a brawl. I climbed ontop of the bar top, jumped into the crowd and helped him out. I almost caught a hook from him until he realized I was on his team. It didn’t take long for the rest of security to get there and physically separate the people trying to fist fight. Another time at a music oriented bar, my security guard asked if I could cover him while he went to the bathroom. A hostess runs up and tells me a guy was peeing on the bar. I found the corner, and a guy is literally pants around ankles full stream flowing. He ended up being dragged out full Nelson style yelling, ”what did I do?” while his pants were STILL around his ankles.

WHAT’S THE BEST TIP YOU’VE EVER GOTTEN?

I don’t know if this guy was trying to prove something or what his deal was. I came in to relieve the opening bartender one shift at a relatively small bar. He gave her a $100 bill on the way out. This guy proceeded to buy canned beer the rest of the night, throwing down a fresh $100 every time (the beer cost like $3) and telling us to keep the change. For virtually no hard work, we racked up nearly a grand from him alone.

Check out videos on our Facebook!

PHOTO COURTESY TRAVIS DARK

[ARIES (March 21 to April 19) Make a start on that new workplace challenge. But get more information before you find yourself too deeply involved without knowing in which direction you should go.

[TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) You might find things becoming tedious as your schedule slows down after the holidays. Use this time to get information about a possible post-New Year job change.

[GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) The creative Twin finds outlets for his or her ideas in the early part of the week. The practical Twin takes it a step further and rallies support to turn the ideas into reality.

[CANCER (June 21 to July 22) It’s time to stop being intimidated by someone’s negative behavior. Start taking positive steps on your own to help strengthen your position down the line.

[LEO (July 23 to August 22) Look closely at that so-called golden opportunity. Best to be a cautious Cat who approaches things slowly, rather than one who pounces without knowing where you’ll land.

[VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) Your apology can resolve that personal situation before it overshadows the start of your new year. You’ll feel better, even if you’re only partly to blame for what happened.

[LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) Avoid overtaxing yourself, even if your energy levels are high and you feel that

you can do it all. Best to pace yourself so you won’t run yourself down.

[SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) Your sense of humor helps get you through a stressful period. Some of your quick quips can take the edge o any remaining negativity being aimed at you.

[SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) Your artistic talents not only help you express yourself these days, but they also set up a line of communication between you and someone very special.

[CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) It’s fine to appreciate the importance of having a “proper form” for doing things. But relax a bit in order to allow newcomers on the project to feel less intimidated by you.

[AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) Use your boundless reserve of optimism to persuade others to work with you so that you can resolve a di cult workplace problem before it ruins the dynamics in place.

[PISCES (February 19 to March 20) You brim over with self-confidence as you begin to tackle a new challenge. And, before you know it, you’re not alone: Others have taken the plunge with you.

[BORN THIS WEEK: You have a highly defined sense of commitment to others. You would make a fine social worker.

© 2022 by King Features Syndicate

[TRIVIA TEST]

by Fifi Rodriguez

1. HISTORY: What is the name of the ancient trade route that connected the East and West?

[

[ 6. FOOD & DRINK: What is another name for a kiwi?

[

2. LITERATURE: What was playwright Anton Chekhov’s other profession?

[ 7. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: From which Roman god did the month of January get its name?

[

3. TELEVISION: Who are the next-door neighbors in TV’s sitcom “Laverne & Shirley”?

[ 8. MEDICAL TERMS: If you su er from medial tibial stress syndrome, what is the condition commonly called?

[

4. GEOGRAPHY: Which continent has the most countries?

[ 9. PSYCHOLOGY: What irrational fear is represented in the condition called ablutophobia?

[

5. MUSIC: What does the shortened term K-pop stand for?

[ 10. ANIMAL KINGDOM: What is a baby turkey called?

answer

1. The Silk Road. 2. Physician. 3. Lenny and Squiggy. 4. Africa. 5. Korean popular music. 6. Chinese gooseberry. 7. Janus, the god of beginnings and endings. 8. Shin splints. 9. Fear of bathing. 10. A poult.

© 2022 by King Features Syndicate, Inc.