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SAFETY DIRECTOR RESIGNS, ALLEGES ‘PRESSURE’

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3 June is Pride Month, and “ OUT AT THE MOVIES” — Winston-Salem’s popular LGBTQ+ screening series and annual film festival — will be celebrating numerous ways, both on and off the big screen. “OUT” will literally and figuratively be “out and about” throughout the month.

4 Writer/director Lucca Vieira’s debut feature “ THE MIDWAY POINT” immediately makes its noble intentions plain with an onscreen legend regarding Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) before introducing us to main character Jake, a sufferer of ASD.

6 Much has been written about the controversies over LATE-NIGHT TELEVISION, including the recent cancellation of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” and the temporary suspension of Jimmy Kimmel last Fall. Certainly, both instances were triggered by networks, corporations, and television station groups trying to curry favor with the White House.

7 BOOTS AND BOURBON takes its name from two themes — a westernstyled sports bar with a focus on bourbon-based cocktails, as well as a huge selection of bourbons. Beers abound, too, of course, as well as a few wines which struck me as generally well-chosen and fairly priced.

8 City of Greensboro Community Safety Director LATISHA MCNEIL has resigned after being placed on administrative leave. YES! Weekly has obtained McNeil’s letter of resignation and her email response to an internal investigation.

14 State Rep. Keith Kidwell, R-Beaufort, has introduced legislation amending the North Carolina Constitution to declare that life begins at fertilization. The bill not only classifies all ABORTIONS AS MURDER, but authorizes the use of deadly force to prevent the procedure.

‘OUT at the Movies’ salutes Pride with passion

June is Pride Month, and “OUT at the Movies”

— WinstonSalem’s popular LGBTQ+ screening series and annual ﬁlm festival — will be celebrating numerous ways, both on and o the big screen. “OUT” will literally and ﬁguratively be “out and about” throughout the month.

First up are 30th anniversary screenings of the R-rated 1996 comedy blockbuster “The Birdcage” at 1:15 p.m. and 7 p.m. this Sunday, and 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 10, at Marketplace Cinemas. Tickets are $9 (general admission) and $7 (students with valid ID). For advance tickets or more information, visit the o cial Marketplace Cinemas website: https://www.mpcws.com/. As Marketplace Cinemas celebrated the film’s 25th anniversary at its outdoor drive-in during the pandemic, it’s only fitting that Marketplace host encore screenings five years later.

“We’ve planned one of the boldest Pride Months in our history, anchored by two ﬁlm screenings,” revealed Max Cullen, director of operations and programming for “OUT at the Movies.”

The first film should immediately be familiar to anyone with a yen for cult classics or midnight movies: The notorious 1972 John Waters underground classic “Pink Flamingos,” arguably the most popular of all John Waters films and a long-time staple of the midnight-movie circuit.

“Pink Flamingos” will be ﬂying back onto the big screen at 7 p.m. on June 11 at Fair Witness Fancy Drinks, 290 E. Fourth St., Winston-Salem. Tickets are $12 (general admission) and $8 (students with valid ID) and can be purchased here: https://outatthemovies.org/pinkﬂamingos/.

Filmed on location in — where else? — Waters’ hometown of Baltimore, the ﬁlm details an uno cial competition to determine who is “the ﬁlthiest person alive.” It would seem the title can never

be wrested from the grasp of criminal mastermind Babs Johnson, played by — who else? — Divine. But her rivals are determined to do their best and worst to earn the title.

Produced under the auspices of Waters’ legendarily low-rent Dreamland Studios, the ensemble cast is comprised of many of the legendary “Dreamlanders” who populated Waters’ work, including Mink Stole, Marian Vivian Pearce, David Lochary, Cookie Mueller, and the one and only Edith Massey.

Originally rated X, and later re-rated NC-17, “Pink Flamingos” has divided audiences and critics since the day it was released (with good reason), but was selected in 2021 for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. In other words, John Waters had a last laugh, and the very next year his 1988 musical comedy “Hairspray” was likewise selected.

The next “OUT” selection for Pride Month is the award-winning surrealist 2025 black comedy “F*cktoys,” which marked the feature debut for writer/director Annapurna Sriram, who also stars in the ﬁlm as “AP,” a saucy, self-assured sex worker who embarks on an eventful, often bizarre odyssey of self-discovery as she journeys across Trashtown, USA, in search of money so that she can lift a curse that’s been placed upon her.

“F*cktoys” will be screened at 3 p.m. June 27 at a/perture cinema, 311 W. Fourth St., Winston-Salem, with Sriram scheduled to attend the screening and

Both ﬁlms are funny, they’re strange, they’re confrontational, and they’re ultimately about people ﬁghting to live on their own terms in a celebratory way. That’s the spirit that ‘OUT at the Movies’ is embracing as we move into our 22nd year.”

participate in a post-screening Q&A session with “OUT at the Movies” board member Alissa Simone. Tickets are $12 (general admission) and $8 (students with ID) and can be purchased here: https://outatthemovies.org/fcktoys/.

“Annapurna is the star and director and will be in attendance, which is incredibly exciting for us!” Cullen said. “She’s a beloved up-and-coming filmmaker. The film premiered at SXSW last year, which is a very big deal in the indie film world.”

Given the subject matter of each ﬁlm, the screenings are recommended for mature audiences … although, quite frankly, immature audiences might like them, too!

“These two films trace a real lineage in American independent film,” observed Cullen. “‘Pink Flamingos’ helped invent a tradition of bold, transgressive, do-ityourself cinema, and ‘F*cktoys’ is one of the most exciting recent examples of a filmmaker working in that tradition. The two films almost feel like a conversation across 50 years of cinema — films with a bold outsider energy, and filmmakers refusing to make their characters palatable.

“Both ﬁlms are set in invented, largerthan-life worlds populated by people [who] society has written o : Sex workers, drifters, misﬁts. And, importantly, they both treat those characters as the heroes of their own stories rather than cautionary tales. Yes, there’s campy shock value, especially in ‘Pink Flamingos,’ but there’s also real joy to them.

Cullen believes that both ﬁlms have their place in history. “A lot of what we celebrate during Pride exists today because earlier generations were willing to be loud, messy, and unapologetic when the culture demanded the opposite,” he said. “John Waters and Divine made ‘Pink Flamingos’ at a moment when mainstream audiences wanted queer characters to either disappear or behave, [and] ‘F*cktoys’ feels like a ﬁlm made in the same spirit. It’s a reminder that the cutting edge of independent cinema still belongs to people willing to take risks, and those risks are often what move the culture forward.”

“In addition to the two ﬁlm screenings, we’ll of course have a presence at Pride Winston-Salem — both in the parade and at a booth — happening Saturday, June 13,” Cullen said.

For more information, call 336-9180902 or visit the o cial “OUT at the Movies” website: https://outatthemovies.org/. !

Assistant Professor of Classics

(Winston-Salem, NC) - Teach Classics courses, publish scholarship, mentor students, supervise theses, participate in department & college service. Reqs. incl. PhD in Classics. or related, & demonstrated study, scholarship & teaching in the Classics, incl. Roman philology as it pertains to society.

Send CV to Wake Forest Univ., 1834 Wake Forest Rd., Winston-Salem, NC 27109, Attn: N. Lynch.

Mark Burger

Contributor

“F*cktoys”

“Pink Flamingos”

the good guys

Lead performances bring ‘The Midway Point’ to life

BY MARK BURGER

Writer/director Lucca Vieira’s debut feature “The Midway Point” immediately makes its noble intentions plain with an onscreen legend regarding Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) before introducing us to main character Jake (Sean Ryan Fox), a su erer of ASD.

Fox carefully conveys the condition and its symptoms in a credible fashion, without ever resorting to sappy sentiment. High-schooler Jake can drive, is a talented artist, and has a close relationship with his single mother, Cristina (Thora Birch). He doesn’t necessarily “live in his own world,” but his is primarily a solitary existence, and his e orts to connect with his classmates and the outside world are half-hearted at best. He prefers to remain in what he considers a safe zone, simply because he’s never stepped out of it.

That changes when he is approached by flirtatious, even aggressive, classmate Alice (Catharine Daddario), whose brashness he can’t resist. They discuss their common interests, which include the 1991 Bret Easton Ellis novel “American Psycho” and Dario Argento’s 1977 classic “Suspiria” (bully for them!). On their first night together, they watch the immortally bad 1966 horror film “Manos, The Hands of Fate,” so it’s nice to see the film does have a sense of humor — one that does not intrude upon the story’s dramatic aspects but enhances them by adding depth to the characters.

Yet Jake and Alice are the only characters with any depth. The actors who play their classmates are relegated to the background, with no opportunities to emerge. Julie Benz has a few scenes as the school guidance counselor (and likely ﬁlmed her role in a day or two), while Birch enjoys a somewhat larger, but still limited, role as Cristina.

We never get a sense whether she is divorced or widowed or if Jake was the product of a ﬂing (brief or otherwise), and although Alice explains that her architect parents are always out of town, leaving

her to her own devices, it’s not really convincing given her age and sometimes erratic behavior. (Surely one of them would maintain some presence in her life.)

These aren’t fatal ﬂaws, but they hinder what could have been a more wellrounded and therefore more e ective ﬁlm overall. Only Wes Studi, as the algebra teacher Mr. Williams, gets a chance to shine, particularly when he gently convinces Jake that the things he thinks are so imperative and important right now won’t necessarily seem that way in due time. Sound advice, and beautifully conveyed by the reliable Studi.

What gives the film weight is the enormously sympathetic performances of its leads. Fox’s fine turn is balanced by Daddario, whose Alice has some deep-rooted problems of her own, which inevitably threaten their relationship. It’s left to them to carry the film — and carry it they do. Their work here will no doubt give their careers a well-deserved boost, and it’s because of them that “The Midway Point” is worth seeing.

— “The Midway Point” is available on Digital and On Demand.

“BUNNY YEAGER’S NUDE CAMERA/ NUDE LAS VEGAS” (Kino Cult #49): A self-explanatory Blu-ray double feature ($29.95 retail) of two 1963 softcore “documentaries” showcasing legendary pin-up model-turned-glamour photographer Bunny Yeager (1929-2014) as she plies her trade recruiting and shooting Le nude models in “Bunny Yeager’s Nude Camera” and “Nude Las Vegas,” both produced by sexploitation B-movie legend Barry Mahon, who ended his career making lowbudget kiddie movies (!). Bonus features include audio commentaries, “Nude Camera” outtakes (with audio commentary), visual essay, artwork and image gallery, and “Nude Las Vegas” trailer.

“DEATH SHIP” (Kino Lorber Studio Classics): They may be slumming, but the always welcome George Kennedy and Richard Crenna bring their trademark professionalism to director Alvin Rako ’s 1980 shocker about a haunted Nazi ship that continues to prowl the seas in search of victims. Silly and occasionally tasteless, with lapses in logic and continuity, but oddly watchable, intermittently inspired, and (naturally) a cult favorite, with Nick Mancuso, Sally Ann Howes, Kate Reid, Saul Rubinek, and Victoria Burgoyne also aboard — albeit some not for long. Both the special-edition Blu-ray ($29.95 retail) and 4K Ultra HD combo ($44.95 retail) include both the R-rated theatrical version and unrated extended cut, multiple (!) audio commentaries, the 2007 retrospective documentary short “Stormy Seas: The Voyage from ‘BloodStar’ to ‘Death Ship,’” theatrical trailers, and more.

“HARRY AND THE HENDERSONS” (Kino Lorber Studio Classics): A 4K Ultra HD combo ($44.95 retail) of writer/ producer/director William Dear’s 1987 comedy/fantasy in which an all-American family in Seattle hits a Bigfoot (played by Kevin Peter Hall) during vacation and bring him (it?) home, where misadventures ensue. The friendly cast includes John Lithgow, Melinda Dillon, Don Ameche, Lainie Kazan, David Suchet, and M. Emmet Walsh, and Rick Baker’s makeup e ects won an Academy Award, but this sugary outing from Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment has a terminal case of the cutes -- although an entire generation loves it and it spawned a syndicated TV series than ran 1991-’93. Bonus features include multiple audio

BY MARK BURGER

DVD PICK OF THE WEEK: “RIDER IN THE RAIN” (Kino Lorber Studio Classics)

Directed in impeccable fashion by René Clément from a twisty, tantalizing screenplay by Sebastien Japrisot, this stylish 1970 thriller (originally titled “Le passager de la pluie”) could be considered one of the best Alfred Hitchcock ﬁlms that Hitchcock never made.

The marvelous Marlene Jobert plays “Mellie” (short for Mélancolie), a newlywed living on the south coast of France while airline-navigator husband Toni (Gabriele Tinti) is frequently away. One fateful day, she is stalked by a masked intruder (Marc Mazza) who sexually assaults her but pays for it dearly when Mellie blasts him with both barrels of a shotgun, then dumps the corpse into the sea.

Shortly thereafter, Mellie and Toni are attending a wedding when she is approached by Harry Dobbs (Charles Bronson), a mysterious American who informs her that a body has been found and, in no uncertain terms, that he suspects her of being involved. When Toni departs again, Dobbs reappears, doubling down his threat to implicate her in the crime.

Thus begins a scintillating game of cat-and-mouse, as the tremulous, neurotic Mellie reveals herself to be both as resourceful and crafty as Dobbs, particularly when she discovers the rapist’s travel bag, containing $60,000 in cash. (Adding to the Hitchcockian ﬂavor, the rapist’s name is revealed to be “MacGu n.”)

To reveal more would spoil the outcome, but it’s safe to say that things aren’t necessarily what they initially seem. The interplay between Bronson and Jobert (the mother of actress Eva Green) is fraught with tension — sexual and otherwise — and both actors are at the top of their game, each giving performances that rank with the best of their careers.

“Rider on the Rain” is suggestive (forever hinting at darker possibilities), suspenseful, and boasts a deliciously caustic, deeply cynical sense of humor. (Only Bronson could utter the word “saxophone” and make it seem menacing.)

The ﬁlm was both an art-house hit and a critic’s darling, winning the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film. One admirer was rocker Jim Morrison, who paid tribute in one of The Doors’ most memorable songs, “Riders on the Storm.”

The two-disc 4K Ultra HD ($59.95 retail) includes both the original French version (with English subtitles) and alternate English-language version, audio commentary (for both), and theatrical trailers. Rated PG-13.

commentaries, behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, theatrical trailer, and more. Rated PG.

“PARADISE CLUB” (Indican Pictures): Originally released in 2017, writer/director Carolyn Cavallero’s drama focuses on the goings-on at the titular San Francisco strip club during the political and social upheaval of the late 1960s, with Elizabeth Rice as a reﬂective dancer and Eric Roberts (seemingly channeling George Hamilton) as the club owner, whose escalating drug habit threatens him and his establishment. Well-intentioned by sketchy, with stock footage and trippy visuals intended to recapture the era’s trappings in a low-budget fashion. Rice’s pretentious narration doesn’t help, and

“THE THIEF OF BAGDAD” (Kino Classics): The “Photoplay Productions Edition” Blu-ray ($29.95 retail) of director Raoul Walsh’s silent 1924 adaptation of the classic adventure fantasy, starring Douglas Fairbanks (at his dashing, swashbuckling best) in the title role — tasked with obtaining the rarest treasures on Earth to win the hand of Julanne Johnston’s alluring princess, featuring early screen roles for Anna May Wong and Noble Johnson. One of Fairbanks’ personal favorites of all his films, this was one of the most expensive films of the 1920s (costing over $1 million!) but became a smash hit and was re-released numerous times, even during the sound era. The production design by William Cameron Menzies remains impressive, and although the film is over a century old the special e ects hold up as well as they can in retrospect. Bonus features include audio commentary, the original 1924 score composed by Mortimer Wilson and performed by the Frankfurt Radio Symphony, an introduction by Orson Welles (which preceded sound-era re-releases), rare footage of outtakes and special e ects, and more.

Evan Williams’ turn as a Jim Morrisontype singer/songwriter who captures Rice’s heart is bland in the extreme, but Roberts is great fun, and his real-life wife Eliza Roberts also appears brieﬂy. The DVD retails for $24.99.

“PROTECTOR” (Magenta Light Studios): Executive producer/director Adrian Grunberg’s R-rated action blow-out stars producer Milla Jovovich as an ex-soldier who swings into action when her daughter (Isabel Myers) is kidnapped, with Shane Williams (in his feature debut), D.B. Sweeney, Don Harvey, Lydia Hull, and executive producer Matthew Modine caught in the crossﬁre, available on DVD ($19.99 retail) and Blu-ray ($24.99 retail).

“VOICES FROM BEYOND” (Severin Films): A three-disc 4K UHD/CD combo ($54.95 retail) of Lucio Fuller’s 1991 chiller (originally titled “Voci dal profondo,” which translates to “Voices from the Deep”) in which tyrannical and wealthy patriarch Duilio Del Prete dies under mysterious circumstances, but his estranged daughter (Karina Hu ) is surreptitiously — and spiritually — guided by him to ascertain his cause of death before his corpse rots in its crypt. Comparatively restrained for Fulci, relying more on atmosphere than violence, although there are certainly gory moments and repeated scenes of maggots feasting on Del Prete’s corpse. After its one and only screening at the Cannes Film Festival, the ﬁlm essentially bypassed theatrical release and went straight to video, although some Fulci devotees consider it something of a return to form for the ﬁlmmaker. Bonus features include both Italian (with English subtitles) and English-dubbed audio options, retrospective and vintage interviews, and trailer. !

See

MARK BURGER’s

RAI Services Company is seeking a Senior Manager HR

People & Organization Analytics & Insights

in Winston Salem, NC to develop and execute the HR analytics strategy, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and objectives. Must have 5 years of experience in HR Manager, HR Data, Reporting, or Analytics Manager, HRIS (Human Resource Information Systems) Manager, or other related HR Management role. The 5 years of experience must include experience with: Data analysis, and Data visualization, insights, and foresights; talent and workforce analytics and planning; HR processes, including Human Resource Information System (HRIS) and SuccessFactors; HR Data Strategy and Continuous Improvement; Subject Matter Expertise (SME) in employee engagement platforms, including Towers Watson and Alteryx; project management; Lean Six Sigma; SQL; Python, R, and programming languages for data manipulation and analysis; Power BI; SharePoint; date-driven business impact at a strategic level; statistical analysis, predictive modeling techniques, and machine learning algorithms; and data governance policies and procedures, ensuring data integrity and compliance. Telecommuting permitted 2 days per week within the same geographic location as the assigned office location. Submit resumes for Senior Manager HR People & Organization Analytics & Insights in Winston Salem, NC via https://careers.bat.com

voices Late night talk shows on the way out?

BY JIM LONGWORTH

Much has been written about the controversies over late-night television, including the recent cancellation of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” and the temporary suspension of Jimmy Kimmel last Fall. Certainly, both instances were triggered by networks, corporations, and television station groups trying to curry favor with the White House. For example, Paramount Global and Skydance Media needing federal approval to move forward with their merger, and Nexstar’s pending deal to buy Tegna. Left unchecked, these kinds of political appeasements could very well lead to the demise of late-night, network TV talk shows as we now know them.

No doubt Paramount and Nexstar couldn’t a ord to alienate the FCC when they both had deals pending that would greatly beneﬁt their stockholders. That’s why CBS had agreed to pay Trump $36 million dollars over the so-called “edited” “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris. That’s why ABC paid Trump $15 million dollars after George Stephanopoulos mischaracterized candidate Trump’s role in the alleged rape of E. Jean Carroll. That’s why CBS/Paramount agreed to take Colbert o the air so that he would no longer have a national forum for nightly Trump-bashing. And that’s why Nexstar joined with ABC and Sinclair to call for dismissal of Kimmel over an ill-timed joke about Charlie Kirk. Yes, broadcasters need to make money, but when they give in to political pressure in order to facilitate their own expansive greed, then they have failed to serve their primary stockholder: the public who own the airwaves.

But if the talk genre should disappear from the television landscape, a lot of the blame will lie at the feet of the hosts themselves. That’s because the new breed of monologists haven’t adhered to the time-honored tradition of how humor should be disseminated on free TV. Johnny Carson dominated late-night for 30 years because he knew how to appeal to

a wide audience and do political humor without being political. Letterman and Leno never veered too far from Carson’s example, but Kimmel, Colbert, Seth Meyers, and (to some extent) Jimmy Fallon have disregarded it, thus alienating half of their potential viewers in the process. The result is less ad revenue and higher production deﬁcits for the networks.

Don’t get me wrong. As a broadcast veteran of 56 years, I believe strongly in freedom of expression, and I abhor any form of censorship, whether it comes through intimidation or extortion. No one should lose their job for speaking truth to power, but they CAN lose their job if they lose sight of their primary mission. For hosts of network TV shows, that mission is to entertain and hold as many viewers as possible. It’s di erent for guys like Bill Maher, John Oliver, and Jon Stewart because they appear on pay cable and can be openly partisan with their smaller, niche audiences. Kimmel and Colbert can’t a ord that luxury. Bill Maher learned that lesson when his original show was cancelled by ABC after he referred to 9/11 terrorists as heroes. His comment was taken out of context by advertisers and the Bush White House, but the handwriting was on the wall, and Bill packed his bags for HBO.

Sometimes you have to stand up to intimidation. Sometimes you have to take a stand against politics and avarice (and the politics of avarice). But if you host a network show which is broadcast over publicly owned airwaves, you need to learn how to entertain the masses without o ending half of them, or else face the consequences. Colbert has just launched his own YouTube channel and will now be free to bash anyone and anything within tasteful bounds. My advice to Kimmel, Meyers, and Fallon is to either launder partisan politics from their monologues or else abandon network television before it abandons them. !

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

Chow Down with John Batchelor at Boots and Bourbon

BY JOHN BATCHELOR

Boots and Bourbon takes its name from two themes — a western-styled sports bar with a focus on bourbonbased cocktails, as well as a huge selection of bourbons, including quite a few that I have never been able to ﬁnd in local ABC stores. Beers abound, too, of course, as well as a few wines which struck me as generally well-chosen and fairly priced, especially in terms of matching the food.

A life-size bull on a patio with cornhole equipment greets you as you enter. Patio seating is available, depending on the weather. Inside, the ceiling rises two stories above entry level. Multiple televisions are tuned to various sports events. You’ll likely note occasional sharp cracks from the pool table. Arcade games line part of one wall. Live music is often featured as the evening progresses. So it’s a big bar with food and entertainment.

Given the bar theme, members of my party started with a couple of cocktails. The Bourbon Bramble combines Jim Beam bourbon with Cointreau, blackberry syrup, and lime juice. It’s a bright, summery drink. A Prickly Pear martini is based on Tito’s vodka, plus Saint Germain (an elderberry liqueur), prickly pear (a liqueur made from cactus), sour mix, and cherry bitters. Flowery in aroma and ﬂavor, also well-suited for the season. I enjoyed a bourbon, neat, that I have wanted to sample without buying a whole bottle.

Our food order that evening led o with Chicken Strips. This is a muchabused starter in area restaurants, often comparable to fast food, even in some of the higher-end places. But this kitchen does a better job than usual with it, delivering fowl with natural texture and shape intact, tender and moist, with a light crust. A few celery and carrot sticks are placed alongside, with ranch and blue cheese dressings. We preferred the ranch, but you can get both, so there’s no need to choose. Bangin’ Shrimp can be ordered grilled or fried. We tried fried, and we enjoyed the result — a moderate to heavy crisp crust, soaked in a sweet-spicy sauce, giving way to tender, ﬂavorful shrimp.

fresh, albeit diced, not “pulled,” which is what the menu said. Little matter. It tastes good.

The Buffalo Chicken Wrap also features diced chicken, natural texture intact. We ordered fried; grilled is also available. The crust was pleasantly crisp and tasty, enhanced with Buffalostyle hot sauce, in this case of rather moderate intensity, which I think appeals to most diners. Ask if you want it kicked up. Lettuce, red onion slices, and mozzarella cheese are the condiments, all enclosed in a flour tortilla.

These are presented over lettuce, laced with a sweetish remoulade-style sauce, a lemon wedge on the side.

The top corner of the menu encloses a “Build a Beast Burger” block, where you select an Angus beef, bison, elk, black bean, or Beyond Beef (a vegetable product) patty. Co-conspirator Jerry chose Angus beef. It turned out to be rather dense and firm, emitting a moderate level of flavor. You can pick from five cheeses — Swiss, provolone, cheddar, American, and Pepper Jack, plus the usual lettuce, tomato, and pickles. Upcharge add-ons include grilled onions and mushrooms, jalapeno peppers, as well as bacon, avocado, and fried egg. To prepare the Spicy Smashburger, the kitchen mashes two patties thin, so they come out well done inside, but not burned on the exterior. Pepper jack cheese is melted in between, the whole assembly further treated with sliced jalapeno peppers and chipotle pepper sauce, hosted by a toasted brioche bun with lettuce and tomato. Of these two burgers, guest Anna and I both preferred this one. The term “spicy” is well-earned.

The Philly Cheesesteak Sub was on special one of the nights we visited, so I ordered that. The sub roll is pleasantly crusty and firm, enclosing firm, very dark strips of beef, cut up into small pieces, which makes them easier to chew, along with sliced mushrooms and onions, melted cheese overall. This came with what tasted like tartar sauce, which struck me as a bit bizarre, but it’s served in a cup on the side, so if you don’t like it, it’s not intrusive.

Burgers and sandwiches come with a choice of fries or chips. The fries are crisp, seasoned with truffle-infused olive oil, and sprinkled with finely grated Parmesan cheese. More flavor emerges from those treatments than from the potato. Chips are crisp, not a bit greasy — better than most, in my estimation.

Taco to Me offers four choices of filling — shrimp, chicken, ground beef, and steak. You get three to a serving. An accommodating server and a cooperative kitchen allowed us to have the first three. The ground beef could have used some seasoning — a bit on the bland side. But the shrimp were tender and tasty, and the chicken was tender and

The menu offers three grilled meats — Pork Chops, Lamb Chops, and Ribeye Steak. I chose the latter. I found the thickness, the taste, and the texture closer to flank steak than ribeye — leaner than I would have expected for a ribeye, with little marbling. In that context of a flank steak, I would compliment it. It’s not going to go head-to-head with ribeyes from highend steakhouses, but it’s not priced at that level, either. Mashed red-skinned potatoes deliver solid flavor, along with asparagus commendably marked from the grill.

If you want to bring a pet, there is a fur baby menu. !

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.

WANNA go?

Boots and Bourbon 1310 Westover Terrace #112 Greensbor, N.C. 336-285-9120

Hours: 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m.12 p.m. Friday & Saturday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday

Appetizers: $9-$17

Salads: $8-$14

Soup: $8

Sandwiches and Burgers: $13-$21

Entrees: $26-$32

Desserts: $7-$10

Most recent visit: May 13

Fried Shrimp

Philly Cheesesteak Sub

Ribeye Steak

Taco to Me

Safety director resigns, alleges ‘pressure’ from council

City of Greensboro Community Safety Director Latisha McNeil has resigned after being placed on administrative leave. YES! Weekly has obtained McNeil’s letter of resignation and her email response to an internal investigation.

In her resignation letter, dated May 29 and addressed to City Manager Trey Davis and Assistant City Manager Andrea Harrell, McNeil wrote:

“For the past seven years, I have poured my entire life into serving the people of Greensboro. I did not take on this role for accolades, status, or personal credit — I have always operated strictly in the best interest of this city and its residents. However, that dedication came at an immense personal cost. I routinely sacriﬁced my health, my well-being, my friendships, and my personal life to build a critical, lifesaving community safety infrastructure from the ground up.

“Let me be entirely clear: initiatives like GSO Peace on Purpose, the Comprehensive Community Safety Plan, and the assembly of a nationally recognized team of subject matter experts exist solely because of my vision, my expertise, and my relentless execution. I am the architect of those strategies. Yet, I have always quietly stepped back to let the city take center stage and claim the credit.

“To watch current city leadership continuously disregard these foundational, data-driven strategies — while shifting goals based on arbitrary organizational whims or ‘LIKES’— is insulting. I have given everything to this work, but I refuse to allow this administration to continue to treat my dedication as expendable or play games with my professional boundaries.

“Your lack of appreciation does not diminish the value of what I built, but it does signal that my time here is ﬁnished.

“Because leadership has shown a complete disregard for the very foundations I laid, I will not be spending my remaining time or energy trying to smooth over a transition or salvage ongoing projects. My boundary is ﬁrm, and my focus is now on my own future.

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ployment o er or delay his o cial start date until after community concerns had been addressed.

“I am leaving this role with my head held high and my integrity completely intact. I know exactly what I built, and I know the pure intentions with which I built it. I am completely at peace with walking away from an administration that lacks the capacity to value either.”

On May 27, McNeil sent an email to Jamiah Waterman, executive director of the city’s People & Culture Department. The subject line was “Internal Investigation of the Community Safety Department - Formal Response and Factual Corrections to Internal Investigation Findings.”

In it, she wrote, “I would like to address the recent internal investigation and correct signiﬁcant factual inaccuracies contained within the resulting documentation,” and “at no point during the interview process was I advised that I was the subject or focus of this internal investigation.”

“On the contrary, I was explicitly informed that the inquiry pertained solely to the Greensboro Criminal Justice Advisory Commission (GCJAC) and the speciﬁc procedural steps they followed to generate, vote on, and submit recommendations to the City Manager.”

McNeil was referring to the letter from GCJAC sent to City Manager Davis on April 20 alleging “critical deﬁciencies” in the hiring of Kamran Afzal as police chief. The commission recommended that the city either rescind Afzal’s em-

“Consistent with that framing, the questioning I underwent focused entirely on the commission’s internal voting processes and whether I had briefed the membership on those procedures. Had I been properly notiﬁed that the investigation centered around me or my personal actions, I would have provided a more comprehensive response detailing my individual actions, rather than focusing strictly on the operational and procedural information that was requested of me.”

McNeil also criticized the investigation’s methodology, alleging that, while she and GCJAC Chair Kevin Lightsey were interviewed about the drafting of that letter, Deputy City Attorney Rosetta Davis, Mayor Pro Tem Denise Roth, and Councilmember Irving Allen were not. According to McNeil, the attorney and council members attended the GCJAC meeting and “actively contributed” to the discussion about drafting a letter calling for the job o er to Afzal to be rescinded.

“If the primary objective of this investigation was to comprehensively determine the origins and process of the recommendation, it is reasonable to expect that statements from all present and involved parties would have been included. The omission of these key perspectives leaves a signiﬁcant gap in the ﬁndings.”

McNeil has worked for the City of Greensboro since 2019, when she was hired as GCJAC’s Criminal Justice Administrator. In 2022, the O ce of Community Safety was created with McNeil as manager, as well as supervisor of the Behavioral Health Response Team (BHRT), which responds to 911 calls about mental health issues. Last year, she was promoted to community safety director and launched the Comprehensive Community Safety Plan, which the city’s website describes as “focused on violence prevention, intervention, and interruption.” In September, she was recognized with a Trailblazer of the Year Award by the National O ces of

Ian McDowell

Contributor

Greensboro Community Safety Director Latisha McNeil

Violence Prevention Network.

McNeil concluded her response by alleging that she was investigated due to “political pressure” from Allen, District 1’s Crystal Black, District 2’s Cecile Crawford, and District 3’s April Parker.

“These members have consistently sought to weaponize department funds, aiming to divert resources from our established strategic models toward individuals and organizations they personally favor. Despite multiple meetings

between the City Manager’s O ce and these Council members regarding supposed ‘issues’ with the violence prevention program, no substantive critiques or solutions have ever been provided.”

According to McNeil, the “political nature” of the investigation targeting her was conﬁrmed during an April 20 meeting with Trey Davis and Harrell.

“When I was told the Council disliked our direction, City Manager Davis explicitly stated: ‘Council trumps any

ecosystem that you were trying to build.’ This statement openly admits that evidence-based strategy is being sacriﬁced for political compliance. Utilizing a formal investigation to appease Council pressure and ‘save face’ is a severe abuse of administrative process. I urge leadership to consider the permanent damage this political maneuvering will inﬂict on the community, the organization’s integrity, and their own professional legacies.”

Trey Davis, Andrea Harrell, Rosetta Davis, and council members Black, Crawford, and Parker have not responded to YES! Weekly’s inquiries. Irving Allen replied that he was unable to comment on personnel matters. !

IAN MCDOWELL is an award-winning author and journalist whose book “I Ain’t Resisting: the City of Greensboro and the Killing of Marcus Smith” was published in September of 2023 by Scuppernong Editions.

Andrea Harrell

Denise Roth

Irving Allen

Trey Davis

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Lawmaker calls for ‘deadly force’ against abortion

State Rep. Keith

Kidwell, RBeaufort, has introduced legislation amending the North Carolina Constitution to declare that life begins at fertilization. The bill not only classiﬁes all abortions as murder, but authorizes the use of deadly force to prevent the procedure.

House Bill 1232 is described in its header as amending the state Constitution to deﬁne human life as beginning at fertilization and to extend legal protections from fertilization until natural death, except in cases involving a person convicted of a capital offense. The proposed bill would add the following to Act 1 of the North Carolina Constitution.

“Sec. 39. Life begins at fertilization.

It is a matter of indisputable scientiﬁc fact that a distinct and separate human life begins at the moment of fertilization. As such, that new human life is recognized by the State as an individual person, entitled to the protection of the laws of this State from the moment of fertilization until the moment of natural death. Any person who willfully seeks to destroy the life of another person, by any means, at any stage of life, or succeeds in doing so, shall be held accountable for attempted murder or for ﬁrst-degree murder, respectively. Any person has the right to defend his or her own life or the life of another person, even by the use of deadly force if necessary, from willful destruction by another person [emphasis added]. The State has an interest and a duty to defend innocent persons from willful destruction of their lives and to punish those who take the lives of persons, born or unborn, who have not committed any crime punishable by death.”

Filed on May 13, the bill was originally co-sponsored by Republican 52nd District Rep. Ben Moss. It passed its ﬁrst reading on May 14 and was referred to

the Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House Committee. Moss withdrew his sponsorship after what he called “further discussion and feedback from constituents and members of the community.”

The bill drew statewide and then national attention from a viral Instagram post by labor and delivery nurse Jen Hamilton, who claimed it would allow the murder of anyone using contraceptives to prevent pregnancy.

The sentence about “the right to defend” with “deadly force” has received much media commentary. “If this bill were to pass,” wrote Sara Pequeño in a May 29 USA Today op-ed, “those seeking an abortion in North Carolina could be charged with attempted murder for doing so, and anyone caught trying to obtain an abortion could be killed by someone who believes they are defending the life of another person.”

According to legal scholar Khiara M. Bridges, the proposed amendment is dangerous, but fears it could be used as justiﬁcation for murdering women seeking abortion may be overblown. Bridges, a University of California, Berkeley, professor whose work focuses on race, reproductive justice, and constitutional law, told Yahoo! News that, as written, the amendment “would allow you to use deadly force against a person seeking an abortion,” but that she was “willing to bet money” its intent was to target abortion providers rather than pregnant women.

Killing a pregnant person to keep them from terminating their pregnancy, said Bridges, would create the “logical inconsistency” of doing what the killer was trying to prevent. Because of this, she opined that judges would consider legislative intent and rule against the killing of a pregnant person. However, due to what she called the bill’s vague language regarding fertilization, it could be used to authorize and justify deadly force against someone buying or selling birth control pills that prevent the implantation of a fertilized egg.

In 2025, Kidwell and Moss unsuccessfully proposed the similar but less extreme House Bill 804, which failed to move forward after House Speaker Destin Hall said, “I don’t think there’s any real desire in our caucus to hear

that particular bill.” In its present form, House Bill 1232 is also expected to remain stalled.

Kidwell, who has represented District 79 since 2019, has not responded to YES! Weekly’s queries as to whether his bill is intended to be used as justiﬁcation and legal authorization for killing abortion providers and women seeking abortion. In the March primary, he lost to challenger Darren Armstrong. Because there was no Democratic candidate on the ballot, Armstrong is set to assume Kidwell’s seat when the new legislative term begins in January.

From January 2021 until April 2026, Kidwell served as chair of the North Carolina House Freedom Caucus, a position currently ﬁlled by the bill’s former co-sponsor Moss. As chair of that organization, Kidwell vehemently opposed mask mandates, declaring that Gov. Roy Cooper could not force him to wear one. In August 2021, Kidwell and his wife, Vicki, were diagnosed with COVID-19 and treated at Vidant Beaufort Hospital.

Kidwell has repeatedly co-sponsored bills seeking to ban or sharply restrict abortion. In 2019, he cosponsored House Bill 22, “Women’s Right to Know Addition/Ashley’s Law,” requiring abortion providers to tell patients the abortion drug mifepristone might be reversible. It would also have required providers to

give information about obtaining that treatment and to provide proof of fetal death after the procedure. “Ashley’s Law” is not an o cial statute but a term used by anti-abortion advocates to describe similar types of informedconsent requirements, either proposed or enacted, relating to abortion medication. The bill passed its ﬁrst reading, but died in committee without advancing further.

While the experimental procedure sometimes called “chemical abortion reversal” has been touted by conservative lawmakers, a clinical study reported in the January 2020 issue of the peerreviewed journal Obstetrics & Gynecology declared it ine ective and highly dangerous.

In September 2021, ProPublica reported that Kidwell was one of three North Carolina elected o cials whose names were on a membership roster of the far-right anti-government militia the Oath Keepers. The others were former State House Rep. Mike Clampitt, who died in March, and former Watauga County Board of Education member Jason Cornett.

Gov. Josh Stein has not publicly commented on HB 1232. On May 28, the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee stated that “Classifying patients seeking abortion as murderers and legalizing deadly force against providers, family, and friends who assist with abortion care is wildly extreme and out of step with voters.”

North Carolina House Democrat Laura Budd, who represents most of Mecklenburg County, has also condemned the proposed legislation. On May 27, Budd told WCCB Charlotte, “How can you profess to be pro-life if you’re also advocating for the death penalty, especially in this case?”

Because the measure is a Constitutional amendment, it requires a threeﬁfths majority to pass the legislature before it can be added to the 2026 November ballot. Multiple political analysts have predicted it’s unlikely to gain the traction necessary to do so. !

Ian McDowell

Contributor

Keith Kidwell

[SALOME’S STARS]

Week of June 8, 2026

[ARIES (March 21 to April 19) Operating under a full head of self-esteem makes you want to tackle a matter that you had shied away from. OK, but be sure to arm yourself with facts before you make a move.

[TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) A smart move you recently made caught the attention of a lot of people, including some with ﬁnancial deals to o er. Use your Taurean wariness to check them out thoroughly.

[GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) Shyness might keep you from asking for more information on a potentially important matter. But your curiosity grows stronger by midweek and gives you the impetus for data-gathering.

[CANCER (June 21 to July 22) Taking on too many tasks may not be the wise thing to do at this time. You might overspend both your physical and emotional energy reserves and have to miss out on some upcoming events.

[LEO (July 23 to August 22) Try to keep your spending at an a ordable level. Splurging now — especially on credit — could create a problem if your ﬁnances are too low for you to take advantage of a possible opportunity.

[VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) You might not approve of a colleague’s behavior over much of the week. But don’t play the judgmental VIRGO card here. As always, check the facts before you assume the worst.

[LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) Coping with an old issue that has suddenly reemerged could take a big toll on your emotional energies. Decide whether you really

want to pursue the possibilities here.

[SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) For all your skill in keeping your secrets safe, you could be unwittingly letting one slip out by the way you’re behaving in a new relationship. Are congratulations soon to be in order?

[SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) Good old-fashioned horse sense could help you get around people who unknowingly or deliberately put obstacles in your way. Ignore the confusion and follow your own lead.

[CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) A puzzling attitude change from friendly to chilly in a colleague might stem from a long-hidden resentment that suddenly bubbled up. An open and honest talk should resolve the problem.

[AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) This week, many ever-generous Aquarians might ﬁnd themselves feeling an acquisitive urge. If so, indulge it. You’ve earned the right to treat yourself to wonderful things.

[PISCES (February 19 to March 20) Expect to get a lot of advice on how to go about implementing your plans. But once you’ve sorted it all out, you’ll probably ﬁnd that, once again, your way will be the best way.

[BORN THIS WEEK: You enjoy the quiet times of your life, but when you’re in the mood, you can throw a party that everyone will want to attend.