TCB Dec. 9, 2021 — Green New Feel by Triad City Beat

DEC. 9-15, 2021 TRIAD-CITY-BEAT.COM

W-S ANTI-ABORTION CENTER GETS STATE FUNDING

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‘WHY DID THEY KILL MY SON?’ PAGE 12

THE FAILED STATE OF NC

Magnolia House gets restored to its glory BY SAYAKA MATSUOKA | PAGE 14

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GREEN NEW FEEL

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DEC. 9 - 15 2021

Coronavirus in the Triad

(as of Wednesday, Dec. 8) Documented COVID-19 diagnoses NC 1,558,510 (+21,466) Forsyth 55,089 (+908) Guilford 70,739 (+998) NC 18,923 (+147) Forsyth 591 (+6) Guilford (+0)

COVID-19 deaths

Documented recoveries NC 1,503,247 (+13,855) Forsyth *no data* Guilford 68,363 (+602) Current cases NC 36,340 (+7,464) Forsyth *no data* Guilford 1,452 (+395) Hospitalizations (right now) NC 1,371 (+214) Forsyth *no data* Guilford 69 (+17) Vaccinations NC Partially vaccinated 6,017,677 (+38,819) Fully vaccinated 6,048,542 (58%, +77,475) Forsyth Partially vaccinated 238,763 (+1,310) Fully vaccinated 222,353 (58%, +3,225) Guilford Partially vaccinated 329,660 (+1,617) Fully vaccinated 309,085 (58%, +3,607)

BUSINESS PUBLISHER/EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Brian Clarey brian@triad-city-beat.com

PUBLISHER EMERITUS

Allen Broach allen@triad-city-beat.com

OF COUNSEL

Jonathan Jones

Michaela Ratliff michaela@triad-city-beat.com

Chris Rudd chris@triad-city-beat.com

SPECIAL SECTION EDITOR

CONTRIBUTORS

Nikki Miller-Ka niksnacksblog@gmail.com

EDITORIAL ADVISOR

Jordan Green jordan@triad-city-beat.com

EDITORIAL MANAGING EDITOR

ART ART DIRECTOR

STAFF WRITER

SALES SALES EXECUTIVE

Sayaka Matsuoka sayaka@triad-city-beat.com Nicole Zelniker nicole@triad-city-beat.com

1451 S. Elm-Eugene St. Box 24, Greensboro, NC 27406 Office: 336.681.0704 CHIEF CONTRIBUTOR KEY ACCOUNTS

Charlie Marion charlie@triad-city-beat.com

Drew Dix drew@triad-city-beat.com

EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK

The Dept. of Institutional Memory: Triad weekly media

Charolder when it became GoTriad, a lie’s the weaker version than the original that new art paid slightly better. director, I was the nightlife columnist, just with a wide skill past 30, when almost everyone was set and deep older than me. knowledge of The weekly print market was satby Brian Clarey print as she urated then, with Ogi Overman’s ESP worked at the High Point University magazine that eventually became print shop before coming to us. And folded into the High Point Enterprise, she’s young, by which I mean youngand the Rhinoceros Times, which er than me — a cohort that literally had just come off the heyday of the grows every day. Clinton years and were still using the On her first day I asked if she knew tagline, “Making conservatism cool.” Jeri Rowe, and of course she did: Overman went on to start the Greater Jeri is Nido Qubein’s Greensboro Observer personal biographer, around that time, and among other duties a couple years later She was in grade at HPU, and also I got hired to start a he makes it a point school when I came true altweekly in the to know everybody Triad. Yes Weekly was on at Triad Style. wherever he goes. the first independent I told her Jeri was weekly in this market a mentor, and had since the N&R bought been helpful in my career. She was the Triad version of the Spectator — surprised. that free weekly printed both Triad “I didn’t know Jeri worked at the and Triangle editions — and turned it News & Record,” she said. into Triad Style in the mid-1980s. And then I was surprised. Because The Triangle version of the SpecI know for a fact there are still huntator, incidentally, was bought and dreds, if not thousands, of people in absorbed by the Independent Weekly, the Triad who think Jeri still works since rebranded as INDY Week. ESP at the N&R, though he’s been at HPU shut down in 2004; the Observer since 2014. lasted a year or two past that. The But how could she know that Jeri Rhino Times went out of business in worked cops and courts before 2013, was resurrected by Greensboro helming Triad Style, the newspaper’s Developer Roy Carroll and transweekly A&E tabloid, before transition- formed into a web-only opinion outlet ing into a metro columnist and then, in 2018. Nobody under 40 has ever for… reasons, left the paper altogethheard of it. er? She was in grade school when I came on at Triad Style, and not much

Carolyn de Berry, James Douglas, Matt Jones, Jordan Howse, Jen Sorensen, Clay Jones

COVER Natalie Miller stands behind the front desk at the newly renovated Magnolia House in Greensboro. (photo by Carolyn de Berry)

triad-city-beat.com/tcb-first-amendment-society

by Sayaka Matsuoka

THURSDAY Dec. 9 Thursday Night Trivia @ Natty Greene’s Brewing Co. (GSO) 7 p.m. If you’re tired of holiday related events, head to Natty Greene’s this Thursday night to test you skills in some classic trivia. The fun event is free to participate and winners receive prizes.

FRIDAY Dec. 10 Greek Food Festival Drive-Thru @ 800 Westridge Rd (GSO) 11 a.m. For this year’s annual Greek Festival, the format will switch from in-person walk-up to drive-thru only! The festival will take place at Dormition of the Theotokos Greek Orthodox Church and will feature foods like gyros, souvlaki, spanakopita, baklava and more! Sale takes place both Friday and Saturday until 7 p.m.

Drag Brunch @ DB’s Bar and Grill (W-S) 12 p.m.

Join the folks at DB’s Bar as they host their first drag brunch! Advanced tickets are $15 and can be bought at the bar. There will be drink specials like mimosas and a special brunch menu available for those who attend. Brunch with the Elves @ Savor the Moment Bakery (GSO) 12 p.m.

Winterfest 2021 @ High Point Athletic Complex (HP) 5 p.m.

UP FRONT | DEC. 9 - 15 2021

CITY LIFE DEC. 9 - DEC. 12

If dressing up isn’t really your thing, check out the free Winterfest in High Point instead. Kids will have an opportunity to meet Santa or play games through a gaming truck while adults can try their hand at some axe throwing. Call 336-883-3509 for more info. SouthEnd Brewing Ugly Sweater Party @ SouthEnd Brewing Co (GSO) 7 p.m.

Hotel Debut and Holiday Jazz Concert @ Magnolia House (GSO) 6:30 p.m. If you’re looking for something for the kids, look no further than this holiday event at Savor the Moment Bakery in downtown Greensboro. Kids can enjoy free face painting, making holiday crafts and chow down at the pancake bar. Buy tickets online on Eventbrite.com. Check out this historic Green Book site for an evening of jazz and the unveiling of the building which has been restored as a bed and breakfast. There will be two shows, one at 6:30 p.m. and the second at 9 p.m. Tickets can be bought at thehistoricmagnoliahouse.org or by calling 336-617-3382.

Otis & Wawa’s 6th Annual SantaCon Bar Crawl @ Stumble Stikskins (GSO) 2 p.m.

SUNDAY Dec. 12

SATURDAY Dec. 11 Winston-Salem Jaycees 31st Annual Christmas Cheer @ Target 8 a.m. If you’re looking for a way to give back this holiday season, stop by the Target at 5420 University Parkway and volunteer your time to shop for 50 local kids. The funds to shop for gifts are provided by the organization so all you have to do is show up and pick stuff off of the shelves based on a wish list. The group is also raising funds for this project. To learn more and sign up, visit wsjaycees. org/christmascheer.

After Otis and Wawa’s bar crawl, head to SouthEnd Brewing Co around the block to continue the costume-wearing festivities. The local brewery will be hosting an ugly sweater party so dig through your closet, hit the Goodwill or steal some swag from your grandpa and head to the party to see if you will be crowned the winner.

Holiday Market @ Foothills (W-S) 12 p.m.

If you’ve been missing Halloween, now’s your chance to dress up for a chance to win gift cards to local downtown businesses. In this goofy annual event, attendees are invited to dress up in their favorite holiday costume, including as Santa, or don their favorite ugly sweater. Registration will take place at Stumble Stilskins starting at 2 p.m. Proceeds go to Kidsmas Miracle. Learn more on Facebook or by calling Stumble Stilskins.

This really wouldn’t be a December Weekender without at least one holiday market. This Sunday, visit Foothills for a market featuring more than 50 artists and makers. Que Viva, Inga’s Apples and West Coast Wanderer will all be on site to provide food and drinks.

NOW LEASING THE STEELHOUSE CENTER FOR URBAN MANUFACTURING AND INNOVATION

1451 S Elm Eugene Street #BusinessisBuiltHere

NEWS | DEC. 9 - 15 2021

NEWS

‘I just don’t understand’ — Father of victim shot and killed by Greensboro police seeks answers by Sayaka Matsuoka

SAYAKA MATSUOKA

Joe Lopez has been working as the superintendent of Lakeview Memorial Park for the last seven years and has in that time, buried multiple family members including his father and father-in-law. On Dec. 5, he buried his only son after he was shot and killed by a Greensboro police officer.

s the superintendent of Lakeview Memorial Park, Joe Lopez has overseen the burial of hundreds of people on the property. He’s even interred a few family members on the site, including his own father and fatherin-law, but on Dec. 5, Lopez buried someone he never thought he would

have to. “I never imagined that I would be burying my son,” Lopez said on Monday at the gravesite. “I was hoping that he would be burying me.” On Nov. 19, Lopez’s son, 29-year-old Joseph Thomas Lee Lopez, was shot and killed by a Greensboro Police officer after a 911 call was issued to the house he was allegedly staying at. According to a public statement released by the Greensboro Po-

lice Department in the early hours of Nov. 20, officers responded to 3504 Cloverdale Drive on a wanted personal call. The statement notes that the resident at the address called police because Lopez was attempting to enter the house. After locating Lopez in a shed behind the home, GPD Officer ME Hamilton fired his gun and killed Lopez. Officers and EMS attempted life-saving measures before Lopez was pronounced dead onsite, according to the statement. Currently, the State Bureau of Investigation is conducting a criminal investigation into the incident and the professional standards division of the GPD is conducting an internal investigation to determine whether proper policies were followed. Hamilton joined the GPD in 2007 and currently works as part of the Special Operations Division. He has been placed on administrative leave, as is

SAYAKA MATSUOKA

NEWS | DEC. 9 - 15 2021

NEWS

SAYAKA MATSUOKA

Joe Lopez shows the call log of the last time he spoke to his son, just moments before he was shot and killed by police.

Joseph Lopez was buried right behind his grandfather, Francisco Lopez, in a plot at the Lakeview Memorial Park.

protocol any time an officer shoots someone. None of this information was ever relayed to him, Lopez told TCB. The only contact he’s had with law enforcement was early Saturday morning when an officer called Lopez to tell him his son had been killed. They couldn’t answer any of his questions as to why or give him details on the events that led up to his son’s death, he said. Instead, the officer gave Lopez the contact information for a detective with the SBI, Scott Williams. While Lopez has called Williams repeatedly in the several weeks since his son’s death, he said that he hasn’t gotten any of the answers he’s been looking for, like whether his son was armed, why the police were called and, most importantly, why he was shot and killed. “They have not spoken to me at all,” Lopez said. “There’s nobody from the Greensboro Police Department that has reached out to talk to me.” Lopez noted that the last time he spoke to Williams, the — Joe Lopez detective said that he was conducting an investigation into Joseph’s death and that he would interview the officers involved. He also told Lopez that all of the officers who had responded had already gotten lawyers and that he wouldn’t be able to interview them until after the holiday. That was two weeks ago. “I called them up last Thursday and left them a message asking him if he had any results and I haven’t heard back,” Lopez said. TCB left a message for Williams but did not receive a response in time for publication.

responded to the call were wearing body-worn cameras that, according to state law, Lopez is eligible to view because he is a relative. And even though he’s requested to view it, Lopez said he hasn’t been contacted by anyone to do so. Now, Lopez said he is working with his attorney to get details that he’s been chasing for weeks. “I’ve only talked to two people since my son died two weeks ago,” Lopez said. “Why did he shoot him? Just because he came out from behind a shed?” None of the public details such as the incident report, the public statement and the responses from Glenn provide a full picture of what took place on Nov. 19. Lopez said he had spoken to his son a few hours earlier about going to the house to pick up some clothes. As far as Lopez knows, the 3504 Cloverdale Drive address is where his son was staying, presumably with his girlfriend. A news report by Fox 8 published on Nov. 15 appears to confirm that Lopez was at least temporarily staying at that address. According to the Fox 8 report, Lopez was pulled over by a sheriff’s deputy on the previous Monday, Nov. 15, for allegedly having a fake license plate. While the deputy was waiting for backup, Lopez allegedly got in the car and drove away, leaving a female passenger on the side of the road. Deputies then chased Lopez back to the Cloverdale Drive address which they obtained from the passenger who had been left behind. Once they got to the site, they found that Lopez had barricaded himself inside one of the rooms of the house in which guns were stored. Hours later, deputies convinced Lopez to exit the home and he was arrested. A search on the Sheriff’s Office database reflects that a Joseph Lopez was arrested on Nov. 15 around 9:40 a.m. for possession by felon of firearms. The Guilford County Sheriff’s Office did not provide TCB with the full incident report in time for publication. After his son was arrested, Lopez said he got a call from him later that day saying he was being released with a promise to appear for his court date. His son then asked him for some gas money and told him that he was staying with “his girl.” When it comes to the guns, Lopez also said that his son told him that while there were guns in the house, that they were locked, and he didn’t have a combination to the safe. Lopez said he has never known his son to own any guns. The public statement about the shooting on

‘I never imagined that I would be burying my son. I was hoping that he would be burying me.’

‘Why did they shoot him?’

ccording to the police incident report and details provided to TCB by police department public information officer, Ron Glenn, more than 20 officers responded to the call around 10:30 p.m. on Friday evening to the quiet neighborhood off of Lawndale Drive in Greensboro. Officers who

NEWS | DEC. 9 - 15 2021

NEWS

Friday did not state that Lopez was armed. “I don’t know if he had a gun but if he had a gun, I think they would have put that out,” Lopez said. “So why did they shoot him?” According to county records, the home at 3504 Cloverdale Drive is owned by Robert and Carolyn Anderson. During a visit to the home on Dec. 3, a woman, who said she did not own the house, was washing her car in the front yard. A young child and an older teenager looked on as the woman declined to answer questions about the shooting. In the backyard, a twocar garage and a small shed could be seen. One of the questions that lingers in Lopez’s mind is why if officers were able to coax his son out of a room where he was supposedly armed on Monday, were they not able to do the same thing on Friday when he wasn’t armed? “Why couldn’t you do anything other than shoot my son?” Lopez asked. “If there were 20 officers, why did only one choose to shoot my son?”

‘I’m not going to give up’

ed mud stained Lopez’s boots and his zip-up hoodie as he walked over to his son’s burial site on Monday. He pointed to the spot where his son rests, right behind the plot where his father, Francisco Lopez, lies. His father died last July, Lopez said. And now his son is dead too. “He was the youngest,” said Lopez, who is also a father to two daughters. “And actually, his birthday is in 14 days, December 20. He was going to be 30 years old.” The plot is small because Lopez had his son cremated and is located under a shade tree across from the lake for which the park is named. When he dies, Lopez said he’ll be buried right next to his son and his father. Until then, he said he’s going to fight to figure out exactly what happened to his son. “I have more anger than I do pain,” he said as he looked out at the park. “Because I don’t know. I’m in a blind. I don’t know what happened to my son. I’m angry because they wouldn’t let me see my son to begin with. They shot him. And then it took a week to see my son and when they finally bring him, I’m too scared to look at my son. I mean, I’ve seen autopsies. They cut you all up. I don’t want to see my son, I don’t want to remember my son like that.” Part of what has been bothering Lopez is wondering if his son’s race had anything to do with why he was killed. “I hope that the system isn’t as broken as they say it is,” said Lopez, who is Mexican. “But my son should be here…. He shouldn’t be dead. It makes me feel like they’re trying to hide something.” Working with his lawyer, Lopez said he plans to find out more about what happened to his son as well as seek justice for his death. “If the officer shot my son for no reason, I do want him punished,” he said. “That’s wrongful death.” While TCB has reported on numerous police killings, it remains rare that officers who shoot and kill are charged or even disciplined for their actions. And that’s even if the victim is in the midst of a crisis. In 2018, Greensboro police officers

hogtied and killed Marcus Deon Smith, an unarmed Black man who was seeking help amidst a mental-health crisis in downtown Greensboro. None of the officers involved faced disciplinary actions for Smith’s death. The Smith family has since sued the city of Greensboro as well as the officers involved for their actions. The civil suit, filed in 2019, is ongoing. While it’s unclear whether Lopez suffered from a mental-health crisis when he was killed, his father told TCB that he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder as a child. Joseph Lopez went to Rankin Elementary School and then Reidsville Middle and High Schools. He didn’t live with his parents recently, but his father said that he talked to him almost daily. In fact, he said his son texted him a few hours before he was killed telling him that he was okay and that he loved him. He also got a call from him right before he was killed around 10:30 p.m. “He said, ‘Dad, they called the police on me again, I’m scared’” Lopez said. “That’s the last time I talked to him.” Now Lopez says he stays up at night wondering what happened in the next few minutes after his son hung up on him that caused him to be killed. “I don’t know why an officer felt like taking my son from me,” Lopez said. “I just don’t understand.” And even though he’s dealing with his grief, Lopez said he’s not going to stop until he gets some answers. “They probably think he’s just another Mexican kid,” Lopez said. “That nobody is thinking about him, that he’s just another person and let’s go on with it, but it’s not gonna be easy because I’m not going to give up until I find out why they killed my son.”

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Local

Gift Guide 2021

Restoration MedSpa restorationmedspa.com 336.999.8295 Offices in Greensboro and Winston-Salem

Restoration MedSpa offers two full-service medical spas in Winston-Salem and Greensboro, dedicated to results-oriented, corrective medical procedures for treating fine lines, wrinkles, sunspots, skin laxity, loss of facial volume and other unwanted consequences of aging or traumatized skin. The practice also offers wellness and body sculpting services. November marks our sixth anniversary in business. To celebrate, we’re offering amazing specials on all services for the entire month. Additionally, as our thanks to you, we’re giving you a gift with the purchase of any gift card during the month of December! Whether it’s for yourself, a friend, or a relative, nothing says “I care” more than a gift card or a pampering Salt Therapy Suite Session from Restoration MedSpa.

Recycles Bike Shop recyclesbikeshop.com 336.370.9099 In Greensboro’s College Hill neighborhood

Recycles bike shop began in 2005, when owner Merritt White decided to create a rider-owned shop that would help every type of rider, catering to their individual needs — and would live up to high-sustainability standards. After all, one person’s trash (1975 Schwinn) is another person’s treasure (1975 Schwinn)! Recycles puts elbow grease into old parts and frames to bring bikes back to life. The Recycles crew swaps out parts on bikes and builds up new ones, dialing in to the specific needs of each client. Customers get high quality, full-service work and custom builds of complete bikes and wheels. And everyone really is welcome, from beginners to seasoned cyclists. Recycles just expanded its original location to double the space. Come see their latest creations or just pop in to get your bike tuned up. Open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday (although we’re usually there till 6). Appointments are accepted after hours and on weekends.

Royal Expressions Contemporary Ballet royalexpressions.org 336.944.6146 In Greensboro

The Christmas Shoes has been uplifting families since 2012 and will return to the stage on Dec. 18 at the Dana Auditorium of Guilford College at 6 p.m. “As we continue to navigate this pandemic, we will present this show in the safest way possible,” says Founding Director Princess Johnson. Last year, this original holiday ballet was transformed into a film starring the students of the ballet school, shown as a drive-in experience in the parking lot across from the school. In the tradition of The Nutcracker, the show includes modern day Christmas music and a meaningful storyline that is sure to warm hearts. The Christmas Shoes a has become a modern holiday tradition all its own. For more information, contact Princess Johnson at princess@royalexpressions.org. Find tickets at tinyurl.com/reboxoffice.

Scuppernong Books Independent Bookseller

Clemmons Florist

scuppernongbooks.com 336.763.1919 In downtown Greensboro

clemmonsfloristinc.com 336.282.1701 In Greensboro

Scuppernong Books is a general interest/literary bookstore featuring fiction and poetry along with a remarkable children’s section and a broad range of general interest titles. It opened in December 2013 and has been an essential part of downtown Greensboro’s rebirth ever since. Within the store is a café serving organic coffee and espresso, wine, and beer, sourced primarily from local small businesses. They partner with Jerusalem Market for sandwiches, salads and more substantial fare. Scuppernong Books hosts hundreds of events a year, bringing in writers from around the world, the country, and the state. In 2019, they hosted more than 250 writers, as well as theater, music, dance and community conversation. In 2017, Scuppernong Books was instrumental in the formation of the Greensboro Literary Organization, a separate nonprofit organization which stages the annual Greensboro Bound Literary Festival, and brings authors into the Guilford County Schools through their Authors Engaging Students program. In 2018, they also formed Scuppernong Editions, an eclectic small press. Scuppernong Books believes that independent bookstores have an important role to fill in a community, and hope to live up to that responsibility with an openness to ideas, a respect for all the individuals that make up our Greensboro community, and a willingness to have fun doing so.

Established in 1954, we are Greensboro’s oldest family-owned florist and are a fourth generation florist offering the finest flowers and plants available anywhere. We offer prompt delivery service to all of Greensboro and most of Guilford County. Because our customers are important, our professional staff is dedicated to providing you with the most prompt service and quality products obtainable. Hundreds of arrangements available for delivery or pick up at clemmonsfloristinc.com - or call us for that extra special touch!

Oscar Oglethorpe oscaroglethorpe.com 336.333.2993 In downtown Greensboro

Shop small this holiday season with Oscar Oglethorpe Eyewear. Voted Best Place to Buy Glasses in Guilford County 5 years in a row and Best Optometrist in the Triad in 2020 by Triad’s Best. Make sure to use up your HSA and FSA money before the end of the year — Oscar Oglethorpe has an amazing optometrist on staff for your annual eye exam. Then add to your stunning eyeglass wardrobe, scoop up those polarized sunnies you’ve been eyeballing since this Summer, or stock up on your contact lens supply. Our eyeglasses start at just $150, including a unique frame from an independent eyewear company, light and thin lenses, anti-glare, UV protection and a one-year warranty. Come in anytime to shop for specs — no appointment needed. Give back to your loved ones with the gift of sight. Gift cards of all amounts for any occasion are available for purchase year-round. Open Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Oscar Oglethorpe looks forward to SEEING you soon!

Havana Phil’s Cigar Co. havanaphils.com 336.288.4484 In Greensboro

Founded in Greensboro in 2010 by longtime cigar enthusiast Phil Segal, Havana Phil’s features the complimentary Rocky Patel Lounge and the private Davidoff Lounge, available with a membership. A wide selection of the world’s finest cigars, housed in a beautiful and spacious walk-in humidor, offers something for every cigar enthusiast on your list. Havana Phil’s can create personalized gift packs for the cigar smokers in your life, curated exactly to their tastes, or find a pre-packaged gift set put together by Philip IV and his knowledgeable staff. Other wares include wines, cutters, humidors, lighters and other necessities of the cigar life. Gift cards, suggestions and gift memberships are available at the shop on Battleground Avenue.

Sutler’s Spirits Sutlersspiritco.com 336.565.6006 In Winston-Salem’s West End

Lavender and coriander lay the firm foundation for this Sutler’s Gin, warmed by the spice of juniper, and ornamented with notes of lemon and bitter orange. Sutler’s Gin isn’t just from Winston-Salem — it’s made of it. Inspired by time-tested heritage recipes and hand-made by North Carolina natives, Sutler’s Gin gin is an homage to its hometown. Sutler’s Gin is available by the bottle right at the distillery, at the West End Mill Works. The distillery is available for events and limited holiday tours in December. They invite the rebellious to gather there, and to raise a glass for the cause.

CROSSWORD

“Free Fifty”--that’s 5x10x2 by Matt Jones

Across

1 When they’re low, insurance companies are more profitable 11 Trans Am that talks 15 Central, with “of” 16 “I Am Not My Hair” singer India.___ 17 Sap 18 Haynes with the documentary “The Velvet Underground” 19 Musical work featuring historical figures, often 20 Indigo dye 21 Second-hand, alternately 22 Costar of Thora and Wes in “American Beauty” 23 Canadian actress Cooper of Apple TV+’s “See” 24 Circumvents 26 He played Tobias Funke 30 Puff ___ (venomous critter) 35 Race a motor 36 Unilever laundry soap brand that’s over 100 years old 37 Basis of the name of a short-lived, short-form streaming platform 40 Detach from the dock 41 “In ___ called malice, yeah” (The Jam lyric that’s almost the proper title) 46 “L&O: SVU” costar 47 Like two structures that map out the same way 52 30 Seconds to Mars singer Jared 53 Like the pronouns he, she, and they, grammatically 54 Rosy assertion 55 St. Vincent’s backup group? 56 Kitten’s scruff 57 The act of not paying attention, old-style 58 “House” actor Omar 59 Ferrari model

Down

1 Cruise liner decks with pools 2 Head of a bowling team? 3 Monk known as “the Venerable” 4 Counties overseas 5 Do some boot repair 6 Title ship in a 1997 Spielberg movie 7 Solution strength, in chemistry 8 “Do ___ to eat a peach?” (Eliot) 9 Rome’s port in the Punic Wars 10 Like some hams, at this time of year? 11 ___ Damacy (Playstation game with a ball that picks up everything in its path) 12 Like some T-shirt art 13 Spruce quality? 14 Show with the Season 1 episode “Biscuits” 25 “Be Kind, Rewind” device 27 Billy Zane’s character in the Netflix miniseries “True Story” 28 Heeler healer? 29 Japanese light novel series “___ Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level” 30 Like an eagle’s beak 31 Outdated headgear for a poor student 32 Children’s cold medicine brand 33 Boundaries between biomes

34 “Citizen Kane” studio 38 “C’mon, let’s do this!” 39 Municipality in the province of Padua (and not a Japanese send-off) 42 Supposed occupation of Joe Coulombe, founder of a grocery chain 43 Cigar brand whose name means “best” in Spanish 44 Gets petulant 45 Sue Ann ___, Betty White’s role on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” 48 “An Impeccable Spy: Richard ___, Stalin’s Master Agent” (2019 Owen Matthews book) 49 Future indicators 50 North Dakota State Fair city 51 Wicker basket used in jai alai

SUDOKU

LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS

THERE ARE FOUR MORE WEEKS OF THE TCB LOCAL GIFT GUIDE Contact Brian for details: brian@triad-city-beat.com

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NEWS | DEC. 9 - 15 2021

NEWS

State lawmakers fund Winston-Salem anti-abortion center in annual budget by Nicole Zelniker

JAMES DOUGLAS

The Salem Pregnancy Care Center is what is known as a crisis pregnancy center, or a center that acts as a medical facility and deters patients from seeking abortions.

atasha Smith did not want to believe she was pregnant. Even 15 or so years later, the memory is traumatic for her. After hearing she could not trust a store-bought pregnancy test, Smith, who was in her early twenties at the time, went through the phonebook and found a place that would give her the answers she needed. “I got there and they started showing me all these videos and about five minutes into the video I realized I was in the wrong place,” Smith said. “The video was all about how abortions ruin lives.” Smith had found herself at a crisis pregnancy center, but she did not know what those were at the time. A crisis pregnancy center is a non-profit, typically faith-based organization meant to counsel pregnant people against getting an abortion. The woman Smith met with at the time berated her for having sex if she did not want to get pregnant, offering to connect Smith with a doctor who would provide her with a free ultrasound. When Smith refused her, the woman became angry. “She told me I was just as bad as the terrorists who blew up the World Trade Center for considering an abortion,” Smith said. “At that point, I ran out of the center in tears.”

While Smith can’t remember the name of the center where she went, the state government recently awarded a Winston-Salem crisis pregnancy center, Salem Pregnancy Care Center $255,000 for the 2021-22 fiscal year. According to their website, the center does not provide abortions, nor do they refer people to abortion providers. They do offer pregnancy tests, ultrasounds and information on the supposed risks with getting an abortion, but do not list the risks for pregnancies. They also list on their site that they are not a medical facility and that “all medical services are overseen by our volunteer medical director who is a local OBGYN.” In their 2019 tax returns, the pregnancy center, located off of Westgate Center Drive near Hanes Mall, reported $379,540 in total revenue. About two-thirds of that revenue — $252,537 — came from contributions and grants like the one the center will receive this fiscal year. The reason for Salem Pregnancy Center’s public charity status is because the organization “normally receives a substantial part of its support from a governmental unit or from the general public.” The remaining $127,003 in revenue came from direct contributions. Since 2015, the center has received increasing amounts of grants and contributions each year, with the exception of a $30,000 decrease from 2017 to 2018. However, in 2019, the center saw an increase of about $50,000 from the year prior.

Salem Pregnancy Care Center in Winston-Salem was granted $255,000 in the recently passed state budget.

NEWS | DEC. 9 - 15 2021

JAMES DOUGLAS

In 2019, the Salem Pregnancy Care Center reported $379,540 in revenue, with about 66 percent of that coming from contributions and grants like the one they were awarded this fiscal year by state lawmakers.

According to NARAL Pro-Choice North Carolina Foundation, North Carolina is one of 14 states that fund crisis pregnancy centers like SPC. For all CPCs in North Carolina, The General Assembly has proposed $9 million in grants for 2021 to 2023. Pregnancy crisis centers do not have to give information on abortions when advising people who are pregnant, and some are not even licensed. There are currently 83 crisis pregnancy centers in North Carolina compared to 15 abortion clinics, down from 26 in 2017 and 37 in 2014. According to SPC Executive Director Kimberly Jorgensen, the $255,000 grant will be used to renovate their new office, which Jorgensen says is larger and more accessible than their last. “It’s not super transparent how those funds are applied for,” explained Tara Romano, the executive director of NARAL. “We’ve been following the diversion of public health dollars to these places that aren’t actually medical clinics, and it’s been more and more money over the years.” In addition to signing off on funding for these centers, lawmakers have also been moving to make abortion less accessible through legislation. Currently, the nine justices on the US Supreme Court are deciding on the future of abortion rights across the country after hearing a challenge to Roe v. Wade from Mississippi. The case, which will decide if the new Mississippi law declaring most abortions illegal after 15 weeks is unconstitutional, could set a new legal precedent that would allow North Carolina to pass similar legislation. “We’ve already seen lawmakers introduce copycat legislation,” said Romano. “Six-week, 13-week, 15-week bans. If the court gives the okay to pass these laws that

had previously been declared unconstitutional, we anticipate it happening in North Carolina.” NARAL is 100 percent funded by individual donations and foundations, Romano explained. Places that provide abortions, like Planned Parenthood, have not gotten government grants because they are not eligible. “Since the legislature defunded Planned Parenthood specifically in their budget process in the 2011 session, no state funds have come to Planned Parenthood on the basis of the fact that we provide abortion services in addition to other reproductive services,” said Alison Kiser, the executive director of Planned Parenthood Votes South Atlantic. Keiser noted that if Roe is overturned, abortions will still be safe and legal in North Carolina immediately after, but that she does not count on that being the case for very long. “It is a really scary time when you consider that without us being able to count on the courts to protect us, then we are looking at a reality in which state lawmakers can decide if someone has the ability to stop people from getting safe and legal abortions,” she said. “The statistic that one in four American women seek abortions in their lifetimes should tell folks that people from all walks of life need abortions and laws to restrict abortions cannot be overstated regarding its overwhelming harm to black and brown people, lower income people and rural folks.”

Greetings from the failed state of North Carolina

Jen Sorensen jensorensen.com/subscribe

t’s tough, in North CaroliNC is in a high state of governmenna, to get everyone on the tal dysfunction. Gerrymandering and same page. We have funother political maneuvers have led damental disagreements to minority rule — while registered on subjects as trivial as Republicans make up just a third of barbecue and college basketball the electorate, they outnumber Demoteams to deep-seated pathologies crats in the state House 69-51., and in such as white supremacy and the systhe Senate 28-22. temic defunding of public education. Our representation in Washington, That’s what the Leandro decision DC is even more egregious: Out of was all about: The legislature has 14 Congressional Districts, the state defunded our public schools to such GOP has awarded itself eight safe a degree that they are in violation of ones, packing their counterparts the state constitution guaranteeing a across the aisle into just three safe “sound” education to Democrat districts and every kid in the state. leaving the other three Our state is a failed The judicial branch to chance. one, unable to perof our state governThese are the ment has ruled that form even the most districts that were the General Assembly blocked by a court basic functions of must adequately fund on Monday morning, government. education. Yet this and then unblocked year’s budget does not Monday evening… by meet the requirements the same court. set forth by the Leandro decision, We can’t enforce our own laws. short by about $1.7 billion. And the We have been holding elections on Republicans who crafted the budget illegal districts for three of the last — and the GOP-dominated Court of four cycles. The will of the people Appeals — say that the judiciary has is meaningless in the eyes of these no authority to make them acquiesce false leaders, who can barely end a to the order. legislative session before the next is Speaking of the budget, it took scheduled to begin. most of the year for the state’s most Our state is a failed one, unable to important annual document to get ratperform even the most basic funcified by our broken system of checks tions of government. And we’re just and balances, almost five months starting to understand what that after the fiscal year began on July 1. looks like on the ground.

OPINION | DEC. 9 - 15 2021

EDITORIAL

OPINION

Claytoonz by Clay Jones

QUOTE OF THE WEEK Why couldn’t you do anything other than shoot my son? If there were 20 officers, why did only one choose to shoot my son? – Joe Lopez, pg. 8 claytoonz.com

CULTURE | DEC. 9 - 15 2021

Green New Feel: Magnolia House reopens as Green CULTURE Book-era bed and breakfast by Sayaka Matsuoka

CAROLYN DE BERRY

Natalie Miller took up the 1889-era home as her own project after her father, Samuel Pass, had worked on renovating it for years. Now, after years of effort, Magnolia House is ready to reopen as a bed and breakfast.

atalie Miller is 98 percent of the way there. As she walks through the 1889-era house that she’s spent the last five years restoring, her eyes glance from the warm, mid-century walnut pieces to the dark teal paint that pulls together the interior. As she sits in the sunny dining room of the Magnolia House on Tuesday morning, she points out everything from furniture, chosen intentionally, to the hues of green that accent the walls. “We talked through, ‘What is the vision for what the hotel looks like? How can we truly replicate what that feels like when James Baldwin walked through the doors and stayed,’ or, ‘What was Louis Armstrong’s experience like when he cleaned his trumpet here?’’” Miller says. “It was truly about being able to capture

those elements.” The Magnolia House, a historic site in Greensboro, was one of hundreds of stops in the Negro Motorist Green Book, otherwise known as the “Green Book,” a guide that Black travelers used to find safe places to stay in the Jim Crow South. The house was built in 1889 as a private resident and converted into a bed and breakfast in 1949 after it was bought by Arthur and Louise Gist. Over the next several years, many notable Black cultural figures from Tina Turner to James Baldwin to Jackie Robinson sought refuge within the home’s walls and now, more than seven decades later, Miller will be unveiling the home once again as a bed and breakfast. When Miller began helping her father — Samuel Pass, who bought the place in

CULTURE | DEC. 9 - 15 2021 CAROLYN DE BERRY

Natalie Miller sits in the newly-designed dining room at the Magnolia House. All of the rooms were designed by Miller’s staff along with designers from Vivid Interiors, a local interior design shop.

1995 — restore the home to what it looked like when it was a stop on the Green Book, she says that the house was about 85 percent of the way there. Her father had been renovating the house so that it looked structurally like it did in the 1950s, when visitors would come to stay. In the last few years, the house has been used to host multiple events; a small walkthrough museum was installed to educate the locals about the historical significance of the building. The last 15 percent, Miller says, was being able to get the home ready to host overnight guests again. And starting this Friday, they will do just that. This weekend, the home will be celebrating its reopening with a jazz holiday concert and an unveiling of the upstairs bedrooms, which will soon be ready to be reserved by guests. Currently there are four rooms being prepared for the event, but Miller says that she envisions adding additional rooms to the house. It’s all part of a larger mission to make a cultural and historical hub of Black history in Greensboro. And that’s how they’ve designed the rooms, too. Up the narrow, wooden staircase, visitors will be first greeted by a bright-pink room accented by fuzzy faux pillows and gold trim. This suite, named “Carlotta,” is an homage the “queens of soul” who stayed at Magnolia in the past: Tina Turner, Ruth Brown, Gladys Knight and others. Nearby, a more muted, green plaid and chestnut-colored “Legends” room features old-fashioned boxing gloves and other sports memorabilia as a callout to athletes of past like Jackie Robinson. Next to it, the “Baldwin” room in black and white with geometric accents honors the intellectuals, such as its namesake who visited Magnolia. The final room, “Kind of Blue,” is a visual representation of Arthur and Louise Gist’s son, Buddy Gist’s friendship with jazz legend Miles Davis. As Miller gives a tour of the remodeled home, staff bustle around, putting last-minute touches on the walls and finishing the beds in preparation for the

weekend’s unveiling. Part of the success of the overall look, Miller says, is their partnership with Vivid Interiors, a local interior design shop that has been working with her and her staff to revamp the space. “In each of those rooms, we’re capturing an essence or what the swag was of those different categories,” Miller says. “So when you walk in there and you stay in there, that’s what you should really be feeling.” In addition to the vast interior changes, Miller points out some of the updates to the exterior of the home, most notably the installation of a replica of the hotel’s old sign. Posted into the ground next to the mature magnolia tree in front of the house, a sign in old-school font reads “Magnolia House Motel.” According to Miller, the sign lights up at night, just like the old one used to do to signal to guests that they had reached a safe haven. Inside, next to the front desk, half of the original sign hangs on the wall being plexiglass. As a child Miller says her father, who grew up in the neighborhood, used to run up and down the street to peek at the fancy cars lined outside of the hotel, hoping to catch a glimpse of a famous musician or baseball player. And while the cars may be gone and the sign may be different, the spirit of the house as it was when it was a Green Book site lives on. “We’re one of four or five [Green Book] sites in the state that is structurally replicated and functionally replicated,” Miller says. “Meaning when you talk into Magnolia, you truly are experiencing that authentic Green Book experience.” Learn more about the Magnolia House and its Friday grand re-opening at thehistoricmagnoliahouse.org.

CULTURE | DEC. 9 - 15 2021

CULTURE

Soft and floofy: Squishmallow trend captivates Triad fanatics

by Nicole Zelniker

someone suggested we do a toy/squish drive for argret the holidays.” Silver The drive was a suchates cess, with Ward and her neecohorts collecting dozdles, so after getting ens of Squishmallows her annual flu shot at on Dec. 4 for children in Walgreens, she scoured the Greensboro commuthe aisles for something nity. She estimates the to make her feel less group gathered between rattled. What she found 50 and 70 total of the was an 18-inch, lighttoys. The drive was in blue stuffed dragon. person at College Park What she didn’t know Baptist Church, but at the time was that the throughout the pandemdragon was a SquishCOURTESY PHOTO ic, the group has been mallow, a plush toy that These plushy toys, known as Squishmallows, have skyrocketed in popularity since they came out in 2017. meeting online when can be anywhere from needed. 3.5 inches to two feet. “I know a lot of people have struggled to find connection throughout the entire They are round with noses, eyes and sometimes wings or horns protruding pandemic and going to these meets and connecting with people who are also from their bodies. interested in Squishmallows online has helped me feel connected,” Ward said. Most of them are animals, but a subsection of food-shaped Squishmallows “We have a really diverse community of folks. Some folks are in their teens, are available as a potato, strawberry or even a serving of french fries. Holisome folks are in their thirties, some people come with their kids.” day-themed Squishmallows are available seasonally and can be anything from Morgan Talley, for example, is a Squishmallow aficionado who collects with a Halloween vampire to a Christmas elf. her 8-year-old son. Talley got her first Squishmallow at Walgreens, which she The plushy toys have skyrocketed in popularity since they came out in 2017. says is funny because they’re so hard to find in person now. They have become so popular, in fact, that collectors have started organizing “I love watching them be more popular and Kellytoy grow,” said Talley. “That meetups across the country, including in the Triad. People gather at these means there’s always new styles coming out. At the same time, the more peomeetups to trade, sell their Squishmallows or just bond with new friends over ple collect them, they can be really hard to find. They’re hardly ever at Walgreens a common interest. Online, people connect through Facebook groups like NC anymore, and my boyfriend knows all I want for my birthday and Christmas. He Squishmallow Squad, which has over 2,000 members. has to track down the big ones. Now every time I see one in person, I’m like, ‘A Since Yahoo! reported on Squishmallows in March 2021, the TikTok #squishSquish in the wild.’” mallows tag has gained 1.5 billion views, from 553 million in March to 2.1 billion Right now, some of the classic Squishmallows are selling on Amazon for anyas of December. The Squishmallows subreddit has gained 24,100 collectors, where from $10.51 for a multi-colored bug Squishmallow to $2,500 for a special climbing from 12,000 to 31,100 members in the last nine months. edition black cat, though most of the rarer ones cost somewhere between $100 At the time of her first purchase, though, Silver didn’t know any of this. and $200. There are also social media groups specifically for buying and selling “I’ve always had a thing for dragons, and I liked how soft they were,” she said. cheap Squishmallows, some with tens of thousands of members. “Once I found out it was a brand, I decided to keep an eye out for more. I already Gabriela Zerbe, who buys Squishmallows for her 12-year-old daughter, Jorhad several Ty stuffed dragons at home and figured I might as well run with dan, says that she has struggled to get them at all in stores. the theme. I now have four 18-inch Squishmallows, two 12-inch ones and an “When she finds ones she really likes, even though she has so many stuffed assortment of non-Squishmallow plush dragons” animals, I just roll my eyes and let her get them,” Zerbe said. Kellytoy, the brand behind the stuffed toys, has made more than 1,000 varietJordan now has about a dozen Squishmallows, which she says is not a big ies, including the six Squishmallow dragons Silver now owns. collection compared to some people she knows. One of her good friends has “A huge part of the fun for me is the tags that come with them,” she said. 23. “They have little introduction blurbs with a different name and personality for Jordan found her first Squishmallow at Five Below before they became each different squish. It’s super cute.” harder to find in stores. She did not know yet that she had tapped into a cultural There are meet-ups in both Winston-Salem and Greensboro now. Draven phenomenon. Ward, a self-professed Squishmallow fan, started organizing the meets in “They looked really soft and floofy,” she said. “It was right before we were Greensboro after she was inspired by the ones in Winston-Salem. going to go to DC and [my Mom] thought it would be perfect for me to rest “We have them about once a month at this point,” said Ward, who started my head on. I fell in love with them after. They really help with my anxiety too collecting during last year’s holidays. “At our meet in November, people startbecause they’re so great to snuggle.” ed throwing out suggestions and ideas for things to do for our next meet and

SHOT IN THE TRIAD | DEC. 9 - 15 2021

SHOT IN THE TRIAD South Elm Street, Greensboro

CAROLYN DE BERRY

A sweet victory at Santa Sumo Wrestling during this year’s Festival of Lights.

HOLIDAY ADVENTURE s t a rt s here

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