Greensboro / Winston-Salem / High Point triad-city-beat.com June 8 – 14, 2016
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Ellin Schott spent three days in jail for violating a city panhandling ordinance. She was denied access to her anti-seizure medication, and two days later PAGE 14 she was dead.
Special el primary ection results P AGE 8
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June 8 — 14, 2016
An old story, revisited
by Brian Clarey
UP FRONT 3 Editor’s Notebook 4 City Life 6 Commentariat 6 The List 7 Barometer 7 Unsolicited Endorsement
NEWS 8 13th and 6th district congressional election results 10 5th district congressional and South Ward election results
OPINION 12 Editorial: Trudy Wade draws a blank
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12 Citizen Green: Woodstock in High Point 13 It Just Might Work: Stop saying ‘Word of mouth’ 13 Fresh Eyes: The folks behind the scenes
24 Art: Night Passage creates intimate space
COVER
27 Jonesin’ Crossword
14 Death of a panhandler
CULTURE 20 Food: Green Joe’s coffee geekery 21 Barstool: Kimpton Cardinal Katharine 22 Music: Nashville nationals meet local jokers
FUN & GAMES 26 Archery clinic hits the mark
GAMES SHOT IN THE TRIAD 28 Lawndale Drive, Greensboro
ALL SHE WROTE 30 The graduate
QUOTE OF THE WEEK Like most people, I assumed — and this is a biggie — I assumed she was safe. There’s less likelihood of something happening to her when she’s in custody than when she’s out on a damn street corner. – Michael Schott, in the Cover, page 14
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There are no new stories, we sometimes say around the newsroom. There are only new journalists. One of those chestnuts is the Keith Roscoe story, which I believe I first covered in 2001 for a slick, pay-to-play monthly into which I tried to sneak some genuine literary content. Roscoe made guitars back then, as he does now — possibly the finest basses in the world with custom finishing and solid wood bodies for a deep, strong low end. Taylor Swift’s bassist has one, as does Bruno Mars’ and the guy from Florida-Georgia Line. The business hasn’t changed much since he moved from his repair shop on Tate Street to the non-descript workshop in downtown Greensboro 20 years ago, the one without the sign out front, because Roscoe didn’t want a bunch of guitar kids hanging around. And now he’s moving again. The new space, he says, is three times the size of this one. And the old place, near the newer apartments on the north end of downtown, will have a new life. “We, for quite a while, have been selling a fair amount more guitars than we’re making,” he says. “We’ve been playing catch-up. And at some point you realize you’re never gonna catch up.” An increase in capacity was in order. He’s moving around the old shop now with his glasses sliding down his nose and covered in sawdust, like a rock-and-roll Geppetto. He shows how he used to set the strings — with an old, battered template that held the neck — and says that now a computerized machine in the new space, as big as a phone booth, finishes the whole job with better accuracy than was even possible back on Tate Street. The Plek machine is a six-figure item, daunting even for a man who’s been in business as long as Roscoe has. “I’ll be 90 years old when I make the last payment on that machine,” he says. The transition has already begun — the Plek is up and running in the new space, and has already honed Mantras’ bassist Bryan Tyndall’s machine to perfection. It will take a few months, Roscoe says, before the move is done. “I’m a person of habit,” he says. “But when I change, I do it and don’t look back at all.” But in the new space, near the Greensboro Coliseum, he says, “I’ll probably put up a sign.”
triad-city-beat.com
EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK
CONTENTS
There are no new stories, only new journalists.
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June 8 — 14, 2016
CITY LIFE June 8 – 14 ALL WEEKEND Amputee Coalition National Conference @ Sheraton at Four Seasons (GSO) No matter what craziness life serves up for you, there may be a thousand other people going through the same thing. Or at least that’s what this convention proves, with educational sessions, adaptive sports and bionics exhibitors for people with limb loss, their families and caregivers. To attend, register at amputee-coalition. org.
by Joanna Rutter
FRIDAY A Legacy Reunited opening reception @ Diggs Gallery (W-S), 5:30 p.m. Did you know Winston-Salem State is home to one of the top African and African-American art galleries in the county? The Gordon and Copey Hanes Print Collection on view until September features work by Pablo Picasso and Romare Bearden. Go to wssu.edu/diggs for more background on the importance of the gallery and directions.
WEDNESDAY
Beyond Pink and Blue: Understanding the Concept of Gender @ UpStage Cabaret (GSO), 6 p.m. TEDxGreensboro presents this look under the sociological hood of humankind’s gender identity norms. After viewing a TED Talk, UNCG prof and anthropologist Lee Hunt will moderate a discussion. Register via the Eventbrite link on TEDxGreensboro’s Facebook page. Ramadan @ UNCG Intercultural Engagement Office (GSO), 8:20 p.m. The UNCG Muslim community hosts iftars and dinners on weekdays for the all-Ramadan Insaallah. Evenings will consist of breaking fast, maghrib prayer and conversation; the same schedule will take place on Thursday. Make sure to RSVP a day ahead to muslimsandcounseling@gmail.com so they have a headcount for food. More info on the Facebook event page.
THURSDAY Story time @ Sunrise Books (HP), 10 a.m. Every Thursday, High Point’s fresh new bookstore hosts story time and crafts for kids. Add it to your summer babysitting or parenting weekly rotation of educational activities to kill time this summer that don’t take place in sweltering heat. Appropriately enough, this week’s read is called Surf’s Up! Find Sunrise Books on Facebook for details.
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Guided meditations @ Ohana Arts & Wellness Center (HP), 6 p.m. If you’re feeling less like going out and more like going inward, this free session offers peaceful punctuation to end your work week. All sects, denominations, religions and beliefs are welcome; Eduardo da Silva will lead. Find the Ohana Center on Facebook for details.
Children’s Fishing Tournament @ Lake Higgins (GSO), 10 a.m. It’s apparently National Fishing and Boating Week, or so says parks and recreation. Initiate your progeny into this art form fo’ free. Younger kiddos can have an easier go of it in Taylor Turner Hatchery Pond next to the marina. Bait and fishing poles will be provided. Sign-ups have a cutoff, so call 336.373.3739 to save a spot. Watercolor workshop @ DeBeen Espresso (HP), 1 p.m. Never been able to quite get the hang of this nuanced medium? Or just enjoy splashing water on things? Either way, this one’s for you. No previous experience is required. Find DeBeen on Facebook for the fee and more information.
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SATURDAY Playing June 11 – 16 Summertime Brew n’ View Film Series presents
“Scott Pilgrim vs. The World” 8:30 p.m. Saturday, June 11, $6 ticket includes FREE BEVERAGE!
--OTHER EVENTS & SCREENINGS--
“Preacher”
TV Club Presents Based on the hit comic book series! 10 p.m. Sunday, June 12 Free Admission With Drink Purchase!
Star Trek Countdown Featuring the TOP 50 EPISODES of Star Trek 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 15, FREE ADMISSION
Totally Rad Trivia
8:30 p.m. Thursday, June 16 $3 Buy In! Up to Six Player Teams! Winners get CASH PRIZE!
Beer! Wine! Amazing Coffee! 2134 Lawndale Drive, Greensboro geeksboro.com •
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EVENTS
Wednesday, June 8 @ 7pm
Charity Show - The Wright Ave & Elemeno Thursday, June 9 @ 8pm
Open Mic Night 8pm Friday, June 10 @ 8pm
Douglas Moore Jr. 8pm Saturday, June 11 @ 8pm
Jessica Martindale 8pm Sunday, June 12 @ 7pm
Seeds of Saints Farewell Show Triad Pride Men’s Chorus @ Salem College Fine Arts Center (W-S), 8 p.m. This “Stouthearted Men” themed concert will explore ideas of masculinity and gender identity through popular songs. The real unknown you’ll have to answer for us is, does this mean they’ll sing “I’ll Make A Man Out of You” from Mulan? Asking the tough questions here. Order tickets via triadpridemenschorus.org or by calling 336.589.6267.
Monday, June 13
Mystery Movie Monday @ 7pm Jazz with Joey Barnes @ 8pm
SUNDAY
Policing Town Hall @ Providence Baptist Church (GSO), 3 p.m. The Community-City Working Group, convened by Mayor Nancy Vaughan and the Rev. Nelson Johnson, has been meeting throughout the past year for conversations on racism’s impact on the city. The topic for this specially-called town hall is “Policing and Race in Greensboro: What Needs to Change?” The event announcement promises to decide on an action before the end of the night.
602 S Elam Ave • Greensboro
(336) 698-3888
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Deep dish didn’t fly in Detroit Love Chicago deep dish [“It Just Might Work: Chicago-style pizza”; by Anthony Harrison; June 1, 2016]. However, it failed when it came to Detroit 30 years ago. People were unwilling to wait the lengthy time it takes to make, even with “call head.” Art Kainz, Kernersville Upgrade! Way to go, Brian — site’s lookin’ sharp! I especially like seeing the authors’ names credited for the posts and the new front page. Even this Disqus commenting thing is slick. Well done. Rsmithing, via triad-city-beat.com
4 greatest Muhammad Ali quotes by Anthony Harrison
1. “I am America. I am the part you won’t recognize. But get used to me. Black, confident, cocky; my name, not yours; my religion, not yours; my goals, my own; get used to me.” Aside from being the greatest boxer of our time, Muhammad Ali was an entertainer, a quote machine providing the press with copy for decades. Ali was a poet-athlete braggadocio, and the American lexicon adopted the Louisville Lip’s greatest taunts: “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” comes to mind. But he was also the most consequential sportsman of all time. Ali rose to greatness in the middle of the Civil Rights Movement, a symbol of black empowerment in a transitional age between the legal subjugation and acceptance of African Americans as valuable citizens. Especially early in his career, Ali’s bravado failed to endear him to white America. But he brushed them off and kept being the Greatest. 2. “I ain’t got no quarrel with the Viet Cong… No Viet Cong ever called me ‘n*****.’” Ali took risks throughout his life. He battled Sonny Liston (twice), Joe Frazier (thrice) and George Foreman in some of the most mythical bouts in sports history: The Fight of the Century, the Rumble in the Jungle, the Thrilla in Manila, all of which tested his endurance, physically and emotionally. But out of the ring, he risked everything for his principles. After Ali, a Muslim, filed as a conscientious objector and refused to fight in the Vietnam war, the New York State Athletic Commission stripped him of his boxing license and heavyweight title. He never quit fighting, appealing the decision to the Supreme Court, which ruled unanimously in his favor. He won the title twice more. 3. “The word ‘Islam’ means ‘peace.’ The word ‘Muslim’ means ‘one who surrenders to God.’ But the press makes us seem like haters.” Ali was never afraid to agitate. Yet he was not immutable. Ali joined the Nation of Islam in the early ’60s and vocally advocated their militant rhetoric. But he converted to mainstream Sunni Islam in 1975, then embraced Sufism later in life. Ali realized remaining static closes yourself from your potential and positive change.
4. “I’ve wrestled with alligators; I’ve tussled with a whale. I done handcuffed lightning. And throw thunder in jail. Just last week, I murdered a rock, injured a stone, hospitalized a brick. I’m so mean, I make medicine sick.” Ali spat this rhyme in the lead-up to the Rumble in the Jungle. It’s a perfect example of his poetry and his cockiness. Then again, is it cocky after you live up to your boasts?
“I am America.”
Illustration by Jorge Maturino
June 8 — 14, 2016 Up Front News Opinion Cover Story Culture Fun & Games Games Shot in the Triad All She Wrote
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Jeggings consternation Normally, I don’t respond to editorials but your recent column supporting young women wearing jeggings to school was so infuriating that I thought it necessary to respond [“Unsolicited Endorsement: Letting them wear jeggings”; by Joanna Rutter; June 1, 2016]. I think school boards should consider adopting school uniforms to avoid controversy surrounding dress code policies. I’m perplexed as to why more school districts do not mandate uniforms since it creates a level playing field for all students and avoids controversies such as what’s happening in New Hanover County. I was offended that you seem to think that the reason young men are falling behind in education is due to females wearing inappropriate clothing to school and thus distracting them from achieving success in the classroom. Many young people seem to think that dress codes are draconian and no longer needed, but studies have shown if you dress like a professional, then you are more apt to perform better in the workplace. To a certain degree, I’m sure that could be shown to be true in the classroom as well. I’m not suggesting that young women should wear dresses and young men be required to wear suits to school but I am saying that dress codes exist for a reason, which is why I’m such a big proponent of school uniforms. I don’t think jeggings would be one of the options then. Steve Zorn, via email
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Thoughts on the Winston-Salem Cycling Classic? After the Winston-Salem Cycling Classic, you were probably inundated with social media posts of bikers whizzing past just like we were. And maybe you heard a couple downtown business owners complaining about a loss of revenue they attributed to blocked streets and difficulty parking. So we asked our editors and readers for their takes.
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Opinion
Jordan Green: Unfortunately, I didn’t catch any of the Winston-Salem Cycling Classic, but I’ll count myself in the “loved it” camp. Whether it’s a First Friday-style street party (which happened in Greensboro on June 3), a marathon or food-truck rodeo, a little inconvenience to motorists (and I’ve been behind the wheel from time to time in these circumstances) is worth the situational magic of interrupting the normal mode of urban life and bringing people together.
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Cover Story
Eric Ginsburg: I too, didn’t make it, but I wish I’d seen it happening. Countless friends watched, mostly in front of their homes or in the center city, and I envied them. Complaining about a brief inconvenience for something like this is stupid — it’s not the Big Dig or the Olympics, and not everything is about you. The Winston-Salem Cycling Classic is a win for the city and the Triad, just one more sign of how the Camel City is on the rise.
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Loved it! How cool
4%
Other/unsure/don’t care
3%
Fun & Games
93%
Culture
Readers: Our readers overwhelmingly said they loved it, and that’s not pulling from a small sample size, either. Out of 154 votes cast, 93 percent chose “Loved it! How cool” while 4 percent picked “Other/unsure/don’t care.” The remaining 3 percent — just 5 out of 154 votes, said “Not a fan.” I guess that settles it, then. New question: Can the Cleveland Cavaliers come back against the Golden State Warriors to win the NBA Finals? Vote at triad-city-beat.com.
News
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Up Front
Brian Clarey: The WSCC is just the kind of event we need around here. We’ve got plenty of music festivals, lots of food-related events, a heap of cultural offerings. But we are also a region that has a healthy appetite for sports — of both the participatory and spectator varieties. The cycling classic manages to do just about all of these things at once, while also bringing in a lot of people to the city who might otherwise not make it to town. Nothing wrong with that.
Not a fan. Games
by Eric Ginsburg
day-turned-weekend earlier this year, and we flew through the first season as we followed lawyer Annalise Keating and a cohort of law students entangled in a murder cover-up. The second season doesn’t let up on the drama, and without ruining anything I can say there’s a new murder mystery, more unexpected and shocking plot twists and endless intrigue. The characters in “How to Get Away with Murder” are expertly developed and acted, more so than Rhimes’ hit show “Scandal,” which I stay on top of but during which I’m regularly rolling my eyes. There’s no played-out script
in “How to Get Away with Murder,” at least not yet, and each episode ends in a salacious cliffhanger. The show is refreshing, in part, because its lead is a black woman — Viola Davis — who plays a compelling anti-hero not dissimilar to Kerry Washington in “Scandal” (though still considerably different). Rhimes, who is also known for “Grey’s Anatomy,” is one of the few black women busting up the mainstream whitewash of television and film — all the more reason to tune in and get behind her and her diverse cast.
All She Wrote
Few television shows are as addictive as Shonda Rhimes’ “How to Get Away with Murder.” I watch more shows than I care to admit, but even shorter ones that I love (such as “Bob’s Burgers”) don’t compel me to watch more than one in a row unless I’m really trying to avoid doing something else. But Rhimes’ murder-mystery thriller, available on Netflix, is the type of program where I can watch three episodes in a row, realize it’s 1 a.m. and find myself in an internal conflict as to whether I should keep going. My girlfriend and I dove into the show during a snow
Shot in the Triad
‘How to Get Away with Murder’
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June 8 — 14, 2016 Up Front News Opinion Cover Story Culture Fun & Games Games Shot in the Triad All She Wrote
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NEWS
Davis pulls ahead, Blust comes up short and Walker sweeps up by Eric Ginsburg
Shortly before 10:30 p.m. on election night, Bruce Davis’ odds shifted considerably in the Democratic primary for Congressional District 13. The former Guilford County commissioner had trailed Greensboro developer Bob Isner late in the evening, down by just 98 votes. But when nine of the final 10 precincts reported, Davis jumped up to snag a 103-vote lead of his own. And when the last of the 220 precincts in District 13 came in, Davis only built on his lead, carrying 4,694 votes to Isner’s 4,582. Meanwhile, Greensboro entrepreneur Adam Coker trailed with 4,098 votes, significantly above Greensboro’s Mazie Ferguson (2,943) and Durham’s Kevin D. Griffin (1,938). A mere 0.61 percent separated Isner and Davis, which gives Isner the ability to request a recount because the gap is less than 1 percent, Guilford County Elections Director Charlie Collicutt said on Tuesday night after the results. He added that his office still needs to count provisional ballots and will be accepting absentee by mail for up to three days after the election. “This is still a moving target right now,” Collicutt said, adding that the results could grow closer, further apart or stay the same. Earlier in the evening at Davis’ campaign headquarters in High Point, the atmosphere was grim. A subdued audience of about 40 supporters murmured while watching online results refresh every few seconds on a projector screen. “We’re pretty tense right now,” campaign staffer Andrew Henson said. Davis shared the sentiment. “This is a nervous time, just waiting for numbers to arrive,” he said. “We’ll just keep our fingers crossed.” But about an hour later, big blocks of Davis’ base in High Point and black precincts in Greensboro started to roll in, and the mood shifted as a win started to look possible. Isner and his campaign could not immediately be reached for comment. On the rooftop patio at M’Couls in Greensboro, Adam Coker’s supporters mostly stared quietly into their phones,
In an Aggie ballcap, representing new territory in the 6th District, Mark Walker claims victory at the Marshall Free House.
hoping for a spike in his numbers as the evening pressed on. Coker, a self-described progressive who won the endorsement of pro-LGBT Replacements Limited PAC, didn’t appear optimistic even as some supporters cheered his improving numbers. As some supporters started to drift out, one reassured him: “We’re still counting.” By around 10 p.m. with a little more than a dozen precincts left to report, Coker said he would need to wait until all the results were in before calling it. The Republican side of the District 13 race proved to be a much more clear-cut contest, with ProShots gun range owner and first-time candidate Ted Budd of Davie County walloping establishment candidates and others, somehow amassing 20 percent of the vote in a race packed with 17 contenders. Budd, who describes himself as a conservative and “outsider” on his campaign Facebook page, structured his efforts around “taking on the establishment,” “helping families thrive” and “insisting on fiscal responsibility,” according to his website. State Rep. John Blust of Greensboro, who placed a distant second with 10.4 percent of the vote, credited the funding behind Budd with upending the race. The Club for Growth PAC heavily financed Budd’s campaign. “When somebody comes in with probably three-quarter million dollars,
ERIC GINSBURG
it totally changes what the race was,” Blust said at his watch party at Darryl’s restaurant in Greensboro. Commenting before the night ended, Blust said that if he lost, he didn’t think that things would change in Washington. “People voted the way they did in 2014 because they wanted change,” he said. “And they definitely didn’t see any change.” Budd thanked his supporters via Facebook around 10 p.m. on election night. “Thanks to everyone who prayed, volunteered, donated and voted!” he wrote. “Very grateful tonight!” Guilford County Commissioner Hank Henning of High Point barely trailed Blust, just 23 votes behind Blust’s 3,293 on election night. But Budd pulled in a whopping 6,308, running away with the contest. If the results on the Democratic side hold, Davis and Budd will face off in the fall. The Republican primary for the 6th Congressional District proved even easier to call, with Congressman Mark Walker celebrating on the patio of the Marshall Free House in Greensboro among a throng of eager supporters before 9 p.m. Walker — a first-term congressman who faced a challenge from the right in Chris Hardin, a pharmaceutical businessman and police officer — swept the floor with nearly 78 percent of the primary electorate,
16,779 to 4,743. Noting that 51 percent of the redrawn district is new to him, Walker said the results are a mandate. In his celebratory remarks, he noted that the district is now more diverse and includes NC A&T University, pulling on an Aggies baseball cap and saying he welcomed the new makeup of the 6th District, which covers about half of Guilford County but is predominantly rural, reaching into Alamance, Randolph, Chatham and Lee counties. Walker will face Democrat Pete Glidewell in the general election. If re-elected, Walker said he will focus on giving educational control to the states, veteran’s issues and mental health reform, as well as building relationships with his new constituents in the redrawn 6th District. But before he turns his focus to the future, he took a moment to relax and celebrate with his supporters, including local sheriffs such as BJ Barnes of Guilford County. “Enjoy yourselves, eat some of this English food and have a good time,” Walker said to the crowd, answered by much applause. Brian Clarey and Joanna Rutter contributed to this report.
The Supreme Court Race
Conservative Bob Edmunds retained his shot at keeping his seat on the NC Supreme Court bench, leading his nearest challenger, Mike Morgan, by some 50,000 votes and almost 14 percentage points. The two candidates, who will face off in the fall, together won every county in the state, ceding none to the other two challengers. Morgan was able to win 19 of the state’s 100 counties, with clusters in the mountains, the southeast coast and the eastern end of the Virginia border, as well as three Triangle-area counties of Orange, Durham and Chatham. Edmunds won Guilford County by 19 points, and Forsyth by about 14.5. — Brian Clarey
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June 8 — 14, 2016 Up Front News Opinion Cover Story Culture Fun & Games Games Shot in the Triad All She Wrote
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Foxx and Brannon top 5th, Larson prevails in bitter South Ward race by Jordan Green
“Look at Virginia Foxx: She’s got more votes than all of us combined,” Josh Brannon was telling a film crew from Fusion Media Network during a Democratic watch party at Foothills Brewing brewpub in Winston-Salem on election night. “See what we’re facing?” Foxx, the six-term Republican incumbent in the 5th Congressional District, would end up racking up 17,083 votes compared to a total of 15,419 for the three other candidates in the Democratic primary. From the first returns of early voting, Brannon had cornered about 50 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary, while his two opponents split the remainder, and the pattern held as reports from precincts trickled in. But instead of celebrating an imminent win in his Democratic primary, Brannon was preoccupied with the ominous numbers in the Republican primary, with challenger Pattie Curran getting trounced roughly four to 1 by Foxx. “I’m a little disappointed that Pattie didn’t get closer to Virginia,” Brannon said. “I think it indicates inertia. Inertia isn’t necessarily a good sign for mine and other races in the fall.” Around 8:45 p.m., Brannon’s opponent Jim Roberts wasn’t quite ready to concede, noting that about half of the precincts still hadn’t reported. And despite trailing in third place with only half of Brannon’s running vote total — with also-ran Charlie Wallin holding second place — Roberts was in an ebullient mood. “Whoever the nominee is, I’ll be supporting them,” Roberts said. “Josh, Charlie and myself, we campaigned on our own assets. We put our own positions out there, and we didn’t get into trashing each other. The three of us presented the party with three strong candidates that were interested in the people over corporations.” Criticizing Foxx for mounting job losses in the 5th District — stretching west from Winston-Salem to Boone and the northwestern corner of the state — since Foxx took office in 2005, Roberts made a case for a populist insurgency.
“Every job that left this shore, an American had it,” Roberts said. “Now, the small towns are crumbling, even some large cities like Philadelphia, Youngstown and Flint. Now, they’re trying to sell it that we need better training. If we need better training, why is it that the Republicans are disassembling the educational system?” “Thank you,” murmured Brannon, who hovered over his shoulder. They made a big of an odd couple — Brannon, a youngish and urbane software programmer from the Boone area, and Roberts, a retired pest-control company president from Pilot Mountain. But they had the same idea: Roberts invited his two opponents to watch JORDAN GREEN Josh Brannon (right), who handily won the Democratic primary for the 5th the returns together at the Congressional District, chatted with opponent Jim Roberts at Foothills. Forsyth County Republican Party headquarters on Burke bond referendum, and that was a conFoxx could not be reached for comstreet, but Brannon prevailed upon him cern. That combined with the people’s ment for this story. to ditch the harsh fluorescent lights for perception that we fought for the right John Larson savored his victory over the gentle shadows and cheerful clank to vote.” Carolyn Highsmith in the Democratic of beer glasses in the brewpub. While Highsmith did not respond primary for the South Ward seat on On the Republican side, Pattie Curin an interview to the charge that she Winston-Salem City Council on the ran said she wasn’t disappointed despite had not supported the 2014 bond porch of Washington Perk & Provision. her lopsided loss of 32 percent to 68 referendum, she complained, “They The special election — a do-over after percent to Virginia Foxx. did a negative campaign against me, on the state Board of Elections threw out “Tomorrow we’re gonna wake up and Facebook and with letters to the editor. the results of the March 15 election keep fighting for conservative ideas,” Some of it was just outright lies. I didn’t because of voter disenfranchisement said Curran, a home-schooling mom want to address it because it would feed — drove a relatively high turnout in from Kernersville who came to promitheir negativity.” Forsyth County of 8.4 percent. nence by challenging former DemocratWith final but unofficial results showLarson said his campaign benefited ic US Sen. Kay Hagan for her support ing Larson winning with 63.1 percent from the extra time and longer days to of the Affordable Care Act. of the vote compared to 36.9 percent, get their message to the voters. “We the people — we’re gonna be Highsmith indicated she wasn’t ready to “We had more time to get down to standing up and fighting for conservaaccept defeat. the southern neighborhoods at the tive principles,” Curran said. “We knew “I do not think he is the right person south end of the ward,” he said, “and it was uphill. Incumbents have a 93 to be representing the South Ward,” let people know we were committed percent success rate, like in the Soviet Larson said. “He still has a November to these neighborhoods. We wanted as Union. My total door-knock count is election. There are a lot of people who many people to turn out as possible, and 11,794. I’m not done fighting. I want to have a lot of concerns about the direcwe advertised on billboards and door fight for the republic. I want to fight for tion of the city in the South Ward. We hangers to let them know there was an the republic. We’ll keep holding them do have a power base and we will hold election on June 7. accountable, keep bringing conservative them accountable. They haven’t heard “I think our message resonated such petitions to DC.” the last of this.” as the value of parks that Carolyn did Curran said she’ll probably run again not support,” he continued. “It became in two years. obvious that she had not supported the
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Culture Fun & Games Games Shot in the Triad All She Wrote
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June 8 — 14, 2016 Up Front News Opinion Cover Story Culture Fun & Games Games Shot in the Triad All She Wrote
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OPINION
EDITORIAL
Woodstock in High Point
We haven’t checked in on state Sen. Trudy Wade through the wringer in a while, and in a week full of politics, it seems appropriate. Sen. Wade, the veterinarian who represents a District 27 that was drawn explicitly for her a couple terms ago, came to the Senate after holding Greensboro City Council District 5 from 2007 until her election to the Senate in 2012. That council, among other things, submitted a redistricting proposal that one member said she found on her doorstep and pushed to reopen the White Street Landfill. Before that, Wade was on the Guilford County Commission, first as a Democrat and later as a Republican, until she lost the seat to John Parks in 2004. Longtime local political junkies will remember she filed a lawsuit to fight that loss, and refused to vacate her seat for months while it played out. Now she can cause damage on an entirely new plane. Since ascending to the Senate she’s made a lot of friends and garnered some plum appointments. She co-chairs two heavy-duty environmental committees, and in that role has floated a bill that’s moving through the House now, one that creates a study on the efficacy of introducing a non-native species of mussel to Jordan Lake to solve the algae pollution. It’s worth mentioning that she was on the Greensboro City Council that voted against The list of Trudy implementing the Jordan Lake Wade’s offenses Rules in January 2009. She also sponsored a regulatory runs long and reform act in 2015 that, among deep, and the hits other travesties, allows energy companies to perform self-audits keep coming. for compliance to environmental laws. And though she’s kicked the dust of this town from her sensible low heels years ago, she still seems very interested in the way the city of Greensboro conducts its business. She was an architect of SB2 that radically altered the way the city governs itself— that one, sadly, is not quite dead yet. And she filed a bill that changed the way municipal service districts spend their money; it seemed designed specifically to thwart one of her old city council colleagues. The list of Wade’s offenses runs long and deep, and the hits keep coming. Last week she filed what is essentially a blank-ticket local bill. SB151, “An Act Relating to the 27th Senatorial District,” says just two things: “This act relates only to the 27th Senatorial District,” and, “This act is effective when it becomes law.” These are called placeholder bills, and they’re perfectly legal, though most give a little more to go on in the way of intent. And because it’s a local bill regarding her own district, it will most surely pass. Maybe before then we’ll find out what we’re in for.
The sky was prematurely darkening just before the Carter Brother’s 8 p.m. set at Market Square Courtyard in High Point over the weekend. Monica Hodges by Jordan Green Peters, the principal organizer of Eb Fest Bluegrass Music & Makers Festival, and Brian Clarey, Triad City Beat editor and chief and master of ceremonies for the festival, weighed the options of outlining a contingency plan for inclement weather during the introduction or just waiting it out. The Carter Brothers, who have been performing professionally for more than two decades, typically pause their shows to let the audience take shelter during rainfall and then resume once the storm passes over. Notifying the audience of the plan in advance could prevent a stampede to the gates, but on the other hand it could also spook the herd. “Just don’t tell people not to take the brown acid,” I joked to Brian. Considering the amount of gray hair in the crowd, the Woodstock reference would have been age-appropriate, but somehow I don’t think many people would be laughing. Opening with “Fatback,” a rousing swamp rock-inflected number that features Tim Carter’s hard-driving banjo playing and Southern-fried vocals, the band’s spirited performance seemed likely to hold off the rain. Distantly related to the Carter Family, who are widely regarded as the founders of country music, brothers Tim and Danny grew up in Jamestown and now make a living as musicians, songwriters and recording artists in Nashville. They’ve only recently started to own up to their illustrious pedigree because the brothers are far more interested in creative exploration than nostalgia. Their music is located at the forward-leaning end of the bluegrass spectrum — think of the virtuosity of Bela Fleck and the stylistic restlessness of Sam Bush. They maintain a keen interest in the Irish roots of Appalachian folk music, while also nurturing a love of African-American folk and blues traditions, with unique interpretations of Elizabeth Cotten and, via the Byrds, Leadbelly. It was exciting to experience a homecoming concert by two musicians with such exceeding talent, and the brothers seemed to be happy to be back, with Danny noting that any time they have 24 hours to spend in High Point they have to plan in advance to make sure they visit their favorite restaurants.
Trudy Wade draws a blank
by Jordan Green
As the brothers and their bandmates energetically churned through a varied set list, it seemed as if the rain might yet hold off. But what had been the occasional drip turned into fat dollops that fell with increasing frequency. When I turned around and surveyed the crowd I noted people grabbing their lawn chairs and heading towards the gates. I’d taken the optimistic view of this gamble, and I decided my job at that moment was to do whatever I could to instill confidence. Engaging in a bit of crowd psychology, I started dancing with loose and joyous exuberance in front of the stage. Pretty soon, seven or eight people had joined me, and a woman who was getting along in her drink gave me the thumbs up and high-fived me. By the end of the song we were drenched, and the steady drumbeat of precipitation had turned into a downpour. As I fled to a tent, I heard Monica’s voice come over the PA system. She said something to the effect of, “Don’t let the rain drive you away. Come inside, and we’ll keep the party going. Let the rain come down and water the flowers.” After taking temporary shelter under a tent along the side of the courtyard, I made a beeline through the rain for the stage. When I got there, I heard Tim say, “There’s a puddle of water right where I was standing. We’re not coming back out to play.” He suggested that the band play an acoustic set inside the Market Square furniture showroom. I helped the bass player carry his amp to the door, and then doubled back to the stage, and found Danny still seated and surveying the chaotic scene with a bemused smile. I asked him if I could carry anything for him. “I suppose you could carry my guitar,” he said. “Just look for my brother and set it down wherever he is.” I couldn’t believe the profound honor and solemn responsibility that had been placed on me as he handed the instrument to me. Inside, in front of the reception desk, I found Tim setting up. For a while, I just stood awkwardly with the guitar, petrified that it would fall over and go out of tune if I tried to lean it against a wall. Eventually, I laid it on a popcorn machine. They ran through bluegrass standards, a Leadbelly song and closed out with a John Hiatt tune that showcased Tim’s mandolin playing. “Cry love, love,” they sang. “The tears of any angel/ The tears of a dove/ Spilling all over/ Your heart from above/ Cry love, cry love.” Rapture.
Stop saying ‘Word of mouth’
News Opinion Cover Story Culture Fun & Games Games Shot in the Triad All She Wrote
I first became items and then award them to the best person involved with theater or organization for the job. The media has to be in 1963. I attended the contacted for pricing and placement for the ads. first ever Governor’s The posters must be distributed. The mailing list School at Salem Colmust be kept current — an endless job. lege in Winston-Salem. Photography that will be used in all the proI was in the drama demotional materials as well as press releases must partment. I had never be arranged. Then someone has to work with the by Allen Broach been in a play and had photographer to style the session. only attended one prior to that. I was smitten. I A press release, whether done in house or loved helping to build the sets, and we even had to through a marketing/communications agency make the costumes! I have to say that I wasn’t that needs to be written and distributed. Generally, great as an actor. I was in several plays over the the releases and images are sent by email to the years and at some point either my audiences or I editors as well as community calendars. The editors decided that I was much better working behind the receive so many of these they often go unnoticed. scenes. To ensure coverage, someone must call the editors In 1984 I bought the former Salvation Army directly and arrange interviews with the appropribuilding on South Elm Street in downtown Greensate people with the show producers. boro. The building had great offices on the second Websites need to be updated with the approfloor and also included a gym and a sanctuary. Stepriate information promoting the show. A brief phen Gee, Hall Parish and David Bell approached synopsis about the show as well as the dates, times, me about using the sanctuary as a theater. It went location and how to purchase tickets needs to be in on for 25 years producing 100 the write-up. Today, most compashows. I am currently the presinies also promote on Facebook, dent of Touring Theatre of North Twitter and other social media Remember all Carolina. outlets. Someone has to handle this the thousands of Local theater is booming in as well. the Triad. There are so many live The office staff has to keep the people in the Triad performances it is impossible to see books, write grants produce and who really make all that there is to offer, whether sell the tickets. A whole crew has to the show happen. it is theater or music. There are create fundraisers and letters asking many existing venues and several for money since it is rare that a under construction. Most of us company can survive on ticket sales can name our favorite actors and alone. This is usually handled by a musicians, but who can name a single person who board of directors. works behind the scenes who actually make these So, continue to love the performers who make us performances come to life? laugh and cry. They are the face of the performing For every person on stage, there are countless arts community. But remember all the thousands people who work behind the scenes. Where to of people in the Triad who really make the show start? I am going to address live theatre since happen. A very few are listed on the playbill. See that is what I am most familiar with but the same who they are. basically holds true of live music I could start naming names of the support staff performances. I have worked with in my 50-plus years of theater First a director reads many plays involvement, but that wouldn’t be fair to all the or in some cases writes a show then others. So keep these behind-the-scenes folks in hones it to what will be produced mind as you watch a great performance. in the season. From there the stage manager and director work with set Allen Broach is the publisher of Triad City Beat. designers and costumers to create He owned the Broach Theatre for 25 years and is the environment for the show. The currently volunteer president of Touring Theatre of sets and costumes can take weeks if North Carolina. Find him at allen@triad-city-beat. not months to produce. com. Ads, posters and mailers are created either in house or with a graphic designer. Someone then has to get quotes to produce these
Up Front
I wear a lot of hats around here — a necessity for the majority owner — and sometimes keeping my roles straight and free of conflict twists me up like a pretzel. As a reporter, I’m trained to spot fallacies in thinking, a skill that, when I’m working as a sales rep, is often not by Brian Clarey as appreciated as it is in my journalism. Case in point: When I’m speaking to business owners and event planners about their marketing plans and they use the phrase “word of mouth,” as in: “I think we’re gonna word-of-mouth this one,” I cannot help but roll my eyes. This is Marketing 101: Word of mouth does not just materialize; it must have a genesis, whether it be a social media campaign, a press release or, most effective, an actual marketing campaign. Consider this: According to a 2013 Columbia University study, most American know about 600 people. So even if everyone you know is aware of your event or business, you’re talking about 600 or so people who might be busy that night, or can’t be counted on to frequent your business regularly, or might not even be interested in what you’re doing enough so that they are willing to spend money on it. Another fact: With word of mouth, one cannot control the message that’s being spread about your thing. People get dates and times and services confused. They forget names and locations. And often they are not all that into your product, which means that some word-of-mouth marketing is negative, as in, “That place sucks.” Most small businesses work with miniscule budgets, and for those that do not understand how important marketing is, it’s easy to jettison the costs of getting the word out and hope that people will just start talking about it. And sometimes that works, especially if there’s something like free beer involved. But business owners who have been in the game long enough know there’s no such thing as free beer. And for most of us, there’s no such thing as effective word-of-mouth marketing.
The folks behind the scenes
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IT JUST MIGHT WORK
FRESH EYES
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June 8 — 14, 2016
Ellin Schott spent three days in jail for violating Greensboro’s panhandling ordinance. She was denied access to her anti-seizure medication, and two days later she was dead.
Cover Story
by Jordan Green and Eric Ginsburg
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As Ellin and Michael Schott finished their early-morning breakfast at Carolina’s Diner in west Greensboro, they briefly considered going back to Ellin’s room at the Red Roof Inn. Recently divorced and back and forth for counseling, things were starting to look up for Ellin, who struggled with opioid addiction for almost 15 years. But Michael felt that Ellin was starting to pull her life back together. She hadn’t talked to their teenaged son in months and didn’t have anywhere stable to live, but he’d been paying her to help with his newspaper delivery route. That morning, Friday, Aug. 21, 2015, Michael wanted to go back to her hotel room and fool around. But as the sun rose, Ellin knew it would be prime panhandling time, an activity that embarrassed her but that she nonetheless relied on. So Michael paid her $30 and dropped her off near the intersection of Regional Road and Highway 68 around 8 a.m., and Ellin danced away for his benefit. Before she left, she assured him, “We’re going to be okay.” Hours later, a Greensboro police officer picked Ellin up for panhandling without a license, her third time breaking the city ordinance in a narrow window. Unable to make bond, Ellin would spend the weekend in jail until her hearing that Monday, but she never made it to the hearing. Suffering from repeated seizures after being denied her prescribed anti-seizure medication at Greensboro Jail Central, emergency responders rushed Ellin to the hospital early that Monday morning. A few days later, Ellin Beth Schott — a 57-year-old Greensboro resident and mother of two — passed away. Family members describe young Ellin Reinhard as the type of person who could’ve taken on the world. The middle of three kids born in Schenectady, NY, Ellin stood out with her athletic talent, academic prowess and beauty, her younger brother Steve recalls.
Ellin Schott’s booking photo at Greensboro Jail Central.
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She swam and played tennis, excelling enough at the latter enough to land a scholarship at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, NJ, her mother Lenoir said. There she studied accounting and graduated cum laude, as she had in high school, and immediately found work, Lenoir said. Ellin had been outgoing and quickly made friends when she was young, but Lenoir noticed a change around puberty. “She considered herself the overlooked child,” Lenoir said, adding that her only daughter lacked self-esteem. Ellin’s brother Steve, now a successful lawyer in Raleigh, said his sister’s view of herself and likely middle-child syndrome
followed her throughout her life. “I think she felt sometimes like she was strapped in with both hands, in that she tried to compete with her brothers,” he said, adding that she followed their older brother Ken to college. “I think Ellin, at times, felt like she had to keep up. She was viewed as kind of, you know, always struggling to find out how to keep up.” Ellin hated accounting from the first day, said Lenoir, who is unsure of why her daughter chose to study it in the first place. Maybe it isn’t surprising, then, that Ellin bounced from job to job, relocating repeatedly. Steve attributes that to his sister’s personality. “She never seemed to be able to hold a job for a significant period of time,” he said, adding that Ellin “always had reasons as to why things didn’t work out and usually it was somebody else’s issues as to why it didn’t. She typically felt blameless; she was the victim. In the family at least, her narrative was she was always the victim.” Steve said the family used to joke that Ellin had a job “working off every exit off the New Jersey Turnpike,” but Ellin also moved across state lines, often visiting her family who had relocated to Greensboro in 1977. After moving to Richmond, Va., Ellin met her first husband, Mitch, and a lifelong friend named Sarah Scott Thomas. “Ellin was very smart,” Thomas said. “She had a really good job… she had a house, she was on top of her game. We all kind of laughed that Mitch had done really well for himself and we weren’t sure how he did that.” When the couple moved to Florida, Thomas and Ellin remained friends. But there, going through a complicated pregnancy, Ellin’s new employer fired her. She sued for wrongful termination, but lost. While adding the caveat that he isn’t an employment lawyer, Steve said this looked like another case of Ellin playing the victim and failing to take responsibility. His sister would go on to sue in other instances, and though Steve said that there may have
er described seeing shapes and temporary blindness. Michael speculated that Ellin didn’t seek more medical treatment for her litany of health problems because the two were locked in a custody battle and said that Ellin lacked healthcare coverage. Instead she pretended everything was fine, but Jacob and Lenoir — who lived with her — knew the situation was deteriorating. Lenoir tried to take Ellin’s prescription and hide it inside her pillowcase so she could ration her daughter’s medication. Within two days, Ellin had ferreted out the pills’ location. “She got to them without waking me up,” Lenoir said. “That’s when I said, ‘If you want to kill yourself, be my guest. I give up.’” Other family members, including Steve, had reached their wit’s end as well, feeling like they’d done all they could for Ellin. Her brothers Steve and Ken, who owned their mother’s house, had allowed Ellin to stay there in exchange for modest rent and on the condition that she started taking care of herself and that Hunter didn’t stay there. She didn’t follow through on any front, but the situation reached a breaking point when the brothers learned that she was stealing from Lenoir, and they made the painful decision to kick her out. Thomas wanted to invite Ellin to stay with her family in Richmond, but her husband didn’t agree. Ellin kept her opioid addiction from them, but they worried that Hunter — who couldn’t be reached for comment for this story — wasn’t in a good place with his own drug addiction. Thomas had been through something similar before — her brother was an addict and at one point left treatment. After Thomas decided not to rescue her brother, he eventually did turn his life around. Now “he’s doing great,” Thomas said, and she hoped the same would happen with Ellin. “My husband said we weren’t helping her by [taking her in], and that she needed to pull herself up by her bootstraps,” Thomas said. “He called and told her it wasn’t going to work, which is something that I struggle with every day today.” Thomas sent her some money to help her find somewhere to live, but still feels guilty she couldn’t do more for her close friend. In early 2015, Jacob called 911 after his mother suffered a seizure. That’s when he asked to live with his father. In the month’s leading up to her death, Jacob and other family members including Steve stopped talking with Ellin. It was just too painful. Ellin Schott was no stranger to Greensboro police Officer AP Costigliola, who had also issued her second citation for panhandling without a license in the space of 18 days. This was her third violation, and he also charged her with soliciting in a travel lane when he arrested her at 1:30 p.m. that Friday, Aug. 21, 2015. Magistrate C. Jenkins set Schott’s bond at $1,000, and scheduled her court date for 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 28 in Guilford County Court. Jenkins noted on a court document justifying the imposition of a secured bond
that Schott had been arrested on two charges, and had another pending case for the same charge. The magistrate added a handwritten note: “Defendant states she will continue to solicit alms/beg for money to get money to support her son’s heroin addiction.” It would have been impossible for Ellin to make bail on her own: An affidavit of indigency for a previous arrest in March listed her entire assets as $25 in a bank account and her 2013 Toyota Corolla, which was valued at $13,000. And Michael, her ex-husband, wasn’t inclined to come to the rescue. After her booking at the Greensboro Jail Central, Michael recalls Ellin calling him “multiple times” to try to get him to post bail. “I’ll tell you flat out: I didn’t approve of her panhandling, but she was bound and determined she was gonna do it,” Michael Schott said. His reasons were manifold: He continued to worry that Ellin was enabling Hunter’s addiction. And he thought that letting her stay in jail would make a point to her, and prod her to get her life together. “Like most people, I assumed — and this is a biggie — I assumed she was safe,” Michael reflected. “There’s less likelihood of something happening to her when she’s in custody than when she’s out on a damn street corner.” Ellin’s health deteriorated almost immediately in jail. Correct Care Solutions, a private company based in Murfreesboro, Tenn., holds a contract with Guilford County to provide health services to inmates. Detention notes, as reflected in a written summary by Medical Examiner Jacqueline Perkins, a registered nurse in the forensic nursing department at Cone Hospital, indicate that Ellin told staff at the jail “that she had seizures, nerve damage, and was disabled.” The detention notes also recorded that she took Keppra and Gabapentin, which are anti-seizure medications. On Saturday, the second day of her confinement, she complained of “leg pains and muscle spasms.” Later that day, the notes indicate she was observed shaking and trembling under her blanket. According to Perkins’ written summary, Schott told a nurse that she was on medication, to which he responded that he would need to talk to a doctor and all he could give her in the meantime was Tylenol. The pain continued into Sunday with reports indicating that Ellin “continues to moan and call for help.” Ellin’s final episode of distress at the jail, logged at 3 a.m. on Monday, is worth quoting directly from the medical examiner’s summary: “On 8/24/15 0300 (still in jail), two officers heard heavy breathing in Ellin’s room/cell. They saw she was perspiring and breathing rapidly. Called several people to include Nurse Karen Crouch, who called EMS and reported inmate had seizure. Nurse Crouch reported [that Ellin] appeared to be having multiple seizures and was going in and out of them. She was periodically cognizant, and would speak and respond to questions. She advised Nurse Whiteside that she took seizure medication and had not received it since coming into detention.” The seizures continued and Ellin was sweating heavily when she arrived at the emergency room at Cone Hospital. Although she responded well to a dose of Keppra, her
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been a case or two where she was genuinely victimized, he generally views it as Ellin just being Ellin. “My joke is my sister was in court more times than I was,” he said. Her husband didn’t have a job, and without Ellin’s income, the couple struggled, Thomas said. Ellin battled health issues — some of them dating back to repeated car accidents in college, but since Ellin was on her mother’s insurance, Lenoir can say with confidence that those accidents weren’t Ellin’s fault. Her son Hunter arrived prematurely, and wasn’t well at first either, Thomas said. It all overwhelmed the relatively new marriage, and Ellin returned to Greensboro when the pair split. She would later meet Michael Schott, who worked as a senior project manager for a construction company until 2009, assisting on major projects such as the renovation of Center Pointe condos in downtown Greensboro. Ellin and Michael married in 1997, and Ellin gave birth to her second son Jacob in 1998. From Thomas’ vantage point in Richmond, Ellin seemed to be doing very well. With kids around the same age, the two friends made a considerable effort to be in each other’s lives, taking trips to the zoo in Asheboro together, meeting up in South Boston, Va. and bringing their kids to Gettysburg together. Before settling down, Thomas and Ellin used to go out a lot, but “once we had kids, the bar thing was done,” and Ellin acclimated to parenthood and married life with Michael, Thomas said. “She was an immaculate housekeeper,” Thomas said. “Her house was fantastic and I was almost embarrassed when she would come to stay with me. She and Mike really worked on that house.” But in 2001, Michael saw the first signs of Ellin’s painkiller abuse. And Hunter, her older son, would develop a serious drug problem. By 2012, a fight over whether Ellin’s desire to take care of her adult son was enabling his addiction directly contributed to the couple’s separation, Michael said. At first, Ellin and her sons moved into an apartment together, but they were evicted for nonpayment of rent, Michael said. They later moved in with Lenoir, and Ellin used her father’s recent passing and her mother’s sickness as an excuse to quit her job, Lenoir said. Ellin had doted on her father, her brother Steve said, and had generally been incredibly helpful in his final days. And she did what she could to be there for her mother, going to play bingo with her, Thomas said. But by this point, Ellin couldn’t take care of herself, let alone anyone else. Jacob, who is now 18 and just graduated from high school, said her health was “in the dumps,” and there were times that she “looked like a skeleton with flesh on it.” She frequently didn’t keep food in the house, and Lenoir would give her money for groceries that Ellin would instead spend on drugs. Michael believed Ellin would sell her Oxycontin, for which she had a prescription, for higher-powered Oxycodone. There were times Ellin would take Jacob’s things and pawn them, he said. Jacob said his mother didn’t like to show weakness, refusing to use a walker in the house despite her severe pain, and he remembers being scared when his moth-
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June 8 — 14, 2016 Cover Story
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condition worsened on her second day in the hospital. Her family made the decision to remove Ellin from mechanical respiration and life support that night, Michael said, but Cone Hospital agreed to keep her on life support until the next day at noon so he could contact the rest of her family to be with her when she passed away. Almost a month later, Perkins’ investigation concluded that the immediate cause of Ellin Schott’s death was “complications of prolonged seizure activity.” Ellin Schott’s death two days after being received from Greensboro Jail Central is only the latest example of a troubled history of poor medical care for inmates in the Triad’s two biggest jails, both currently under Correct Care Solutions as well as a previous healthcare provider. Bryan O’Neil Simmons, a 36-year-old inmate who was serving a 90-day sentence on a parole violation, collapsed while being escorted to the medical ward, according to an account by US District Court Judge Thomas Schroeder. Simmons “went into cardiac arrest caused by internal bleeding from a perforated ulcer,” according to Schroeder. Simmons’ family describes his current condition as “a permanent vegetative state.” Simmons’ parents allege that they received a phone call from another inmate at the jail on the day before their son’s heart attack indicating that he had collapsed on the floor and urinated on himself. They said they immediately drove to the jail and asked to see their son, but were reassured that he was okay. They didn’t think their son would be asking to be taken to the hospital unless his condition was serious, considering that he was only two days away from release, and pleaded with staff, to no avail. Simmons’ family alleges in a lawsuit filed in federal court in August 2014 that Corizon had a policy or custom “to outright deny medical treatment or be deliberately indifferent to the serious medical needs” of inmates at the jail, and that the policy caused Simmons’ current medical condition. Along with Corizon, Sheriff BJ Barnes and Guilford County are defendants in the suit. “While in the cell and as recorded on video, Simmons vomited blood repeatedly and begged the Guilford County detention officers and the nursing staff of Corizon (who provided health services to the jail) to allow him to go to the hospital,” the complaint alleges. “Simmons repeatedly told the jail staff and nurses that ‘he was bleeding on the inside’ and he could feel the blood ‘churning’ in his stomach. He is seen on the video pleading for help and drawing the word ‘HELP’ and ‘9-1-1” in the air with his finger.’ On the video, one Corizon nurse identifies Simmons’ blood on the floor as from the ‘gastric’ and says ‘ulcer probably.’” Corizon has denied that its employees acted with deliberate indifference. Earlier this year, Sheriff Barnes and Guilford County filed a counter-claim against Corizon for breach of contract. The company claimed in response that the county and the sheriff owe Corizon “a contractual duty to indemnify and defend them” from claims made by the plaintiffs that arise from acts or omissions of the detention staff.
Ellin Schott helped her youngest son, Jacob (second from right) celebrate his Bar Mitzvah at Temple Emanuel in Greensboro in 2
Correct Care Solutions, which assumed responsibility for inmate health services at neighboring Forsyth County jail in September 2012, has also presided over its share of tragedies. Dino Vann Nixon, 55, died in the Forsyth County jail after 25 days in confinement while awaiting trial on heroin trafficking charges. Nixon’s family alleges in a lawsuit against Correct Care Solutions and the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office that medical staff at the jail refused to give him Xanax, a prescribed anti-anxiety medication that is also known as benzodiazepine, leading directly to
his death. A report by the local medical examiner lends credence to the claim, finding that his death “was related to withdrawal from benzodiazepines.” Contrary to the findings of the medical examiner, Correct Care Solutions denies that Nixon’s death was related to withdrawal from benzodiazepines. Both the healthcare company and the county deny that they could have taken steps to prevent Nixon from experiencing severe withdrawal symptoms, while maintaining that he received appropriate medical care in the jail. Meanwhile, in 2014 Guilford County dropped Corizon
2010. Also pictured are husband Michael and Ellin’s oldest son, Hunter Brown.
as a provider, and awarded its contract for inmate healthcare to Correct Care Solutions. Maj. Chuck Williamson, commander of court bureau services for Guilford County Sheriff’s Office, said the switch was not prompted by any particular concern about the quality of care provided to inmates by Corizon, but said the contract simply expired. Williamson said Correct Care Solutions was selected to provide medical services to inmates in the county’s three detention facilities, which house an average of 19,000 inmates per year, largely on the strength of its references. Less than three months after Correct Care Solutions
COURTESY PHOTO
took over the contract for inmate health services in Guilford County, another inmate at the jail in neighboring Forsyth experienced a tragedy. Jen McCormack, 31, died at Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem less than a week after a 16-day stay in the Forsyth County jail. McCormack was pregnant, in withdrawal from opioids and had recently attempted suicide when she was booked into the jail on felony charges of prescription drug fraud. Her mother told Triad City Beat that she had turned over McCormack’s Suboxone, a prescribed opioid treatment medication, to medical staff at the jail,
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but it’s not clear whether it was ever administered to her because Correct Care Solutions has declined to comment on the matter. McCormack’s mother also tried to give the medical staff her daughter’s prescribed Xanax, but said the staff refused to accept it. During her confinement, McCormack experienced several falls and episodes of urinary incontinence. The medical examiner indicated that McCormack died from dehydration — a finding that dovetails with a theory promoted by medical staff that she was staging a hunger strike. The medical examiner acknowledged that he had not been aware of internal reports indicating that McCormack had been experiencing urinary incontinence. The city of Greensboro requires panhandlers to obtain a privilege license before soliciting alms from the public. The licenses are free, but they impose tight restrictions, including banning people who have been convicted of one of more violent crimes in the past 10 years and preventing people from asking for money within 100 feet of an ATM, outside a movie theater or on private property. Ellin Schott had told Michael, her ex-husband, that she had gone downtown to apply for the license, but a representative of the city of Greensboro said there is no record of Ellin having put in an application. Greensboro City Council unanimously adopted the panhandling ordinance in September 2012. Among the concerns expressed by Mayor Nancy Vaughan — then serving as an at-large member of city council — was that panhandlers were putting themselves and motorists at risk by panhandling in medians. Commenting on a woman she encountered panhandling on a thin concrete median at the intersection of Battleground Avenue and Cone Boulevard, Vaughan told two panhandlers who had addressed council: “It’s dangerous. It’s easy for her to get hit. It’s tough for her to stop traffic. It’s a very busy intersection. We have to take your safety into consideration and we have to take the safety of the drivers and the public into consideration.” Michelle Kennedy, executive director of the Interactive Resource Center — an organization that provides assistance to people experiencing homelessness — expressed dismay that Ellin Schott was arrested and put in jail simply for violating the panhandling ordinance. “Arresting people and jailing them for panhandling serves no useful purpose,” she said. “All that’s going to do is ensure that they’re going to have a harder time finding any other means of making money. “A 57-year-old woman panhandling on Regional Road — that offense was worth carting her downtown, booking her in jail, and denying her access to her anti-seizure medication?” Kennedy continued. “That panhandling violation was worth her life? If that’s what we’re saying, then we have bigger issues that we need to address.” With the deaths of Dino Vann Nixon and Jen McCormack in the rearview mirror and the ink barely dry on a lawsuit filed against Correct Care Solutions by Nixon’s
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June 8 — 14, 2016 Cover Story
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family, it seems inexplicable that medical staff in neighboring Guilford County apparently failed to ensure that Ellin Schott had access to her anti-seizure medication during her brief jail stay. An entry for Keppra, the prescribed anti-anxiety medication Schott was taking, on the website drugs.com, warns: “Do not stop using Keppra without first talking to your doctor, even if you feel fine. You may have increased seizures if you stop using Keppra suddenly.” Michael Schott, Ellin’s ex-husband, said her medications, including Keppra, were back at the hotel room at Red Roof Inn on Regional Road near her panhandling spot. There’s no indication, he said, that jail staff made any effort to retrieve Ellin’s meds. Michael also said that Ellin had an open prescription for Keppra at a Harris Teeter pharmacy in Greensboro. “They didn’t need to get a new prescription,” Michael said. “Somebody could have gone and picked them up at Harris Teeter. They may not even have needed to order them.” Correct Care Solutions did not respond to a question about why its staff did not take action to ensure that Ellin was provided her Keppra or Gabapentin. Nor did the company respond to a question about why a doctor was not on site to sign off on Ellin receiving Keppra or why she wasn’t transferred to a hospital for emergency medical care on the second day of her confinement when she was found shaking and trembling under her blanket. If details dredged up from lawsuits, interviews with family members and medical examiners reports suggest inmates in local jails experience a second-class healthcare system, Correct Care Solutions goes to significant lengths to promote a significantly different picture. Although the company declined to comment for this story, Correct Care Solutions’ website suggests a clinical setting where employees take pride in delivering excellent care. “From firsthand experience, we often learn that our patients are appreciative of the care they receive, which fosters a sense of importance for our professionals who support these men and women,” the website says. “In fact, we often hear from our team members that they feel compelled to serve their community, and that their work for CCS often fulfills their desire to help others.” CEO Jorge Domenicis says in a video posted on the website: “When you think of our patients, they tend to be the most underserved, and I think there’s no greater calling than to work with and care for those people who have historically been left out or received the least healthcare.” Jerry Boyle, Correct Care Solutions’ executive chairman, adds, “We ask the question every day: What if it was your family member?” And Domenicis continues, “We’ve really become a provider of public health, and we’re exploring all the areas in which government is trying to provide healthcare directly. So I think the future is incredibly bright. This is gonna be a company that continues to grow, continues to invest in its people, continues to provide the highest quality care to its patients.”
The truth of how Ellin Schott died did not emerge until after she was buried in the Greensboro Hebrew Cemetery. According to the medical report prepared by Jacqueline Perkins, Fred Guttman — one of Ellin’s rabbis at Temple Emanuel — made an inquiry about Schott’s death to police Chief Wayne Scott, who referred the matter to Capt. Mike Richey, commander of the criminal investigations division. Richey then called Perkins. “I had not been notified of her death and that she was an inmate at the sheriff’s detention center [in] downtown Greensboro,” Perkins wrote in her report. “It should have been referred, and I will have to investigate.” Perkins declined to comment for this story, saying that she was wary of granting interviews considering that Schott’s death will likely be litigated. Assistant District Attorney JD Henderson dismissed charges against Schott several hours after she was transferred from the jail to the hospital, explaining in a handwritten note: “Defendant in intensive care in hospital.” And although Perkins’ report indicates that Schott died in custody, jail records reflect that in fact she was released from custody only 10 minutes after charges were dropped — two days before her death. By state law, local medical examiners are required to be notified any time a death occurs in jail, in police custody or “under any suspicious, unusual or unnatural circumstance.” The law tasks a host of people with making the notification, including “a physician in attendance, hospital employee,” or a “law-enforcement officer,” without providing specific guidance about who is responsible for making the call under which particular circumstances. “The sheriff’s office did not notify the county medical examiner because Ms. Schott’s death did not occur in one of our jails nor in our custody,” Jim Secor, the sheriff’s attorney, said in an emailed statement to Triad City Beat. “In fact, Ms. Schott’s passing occurred at Moses Cone Hospital more than two full days after she left Jail Central. My reading of the […] statute is that the ‘physician in attendance’ at Moses Cone Hospital (where Ms. Schott passed away) or a designated ‘hospital employee’ of Moses Cone Hospital would have been the logical party to make the notification, and the sheriff’s office would have relied on upon the hospital to do so.” When asked whether the sheriff’s office should have gone ahead and contacted the medical examiner just to be on the safe side, Secor responded that “parsing through the language of the statute, as you are doing, is injudicious when the common-sense answer is that Ms. Schott was not in our custody when she passed away.” Doug Allred, a spokesperson for Cone Health, declined to comment on why staff at the hospital did not refer Ellin’s death to the medical examiner, citing a federal law protecting patient privacy. Deborah Humphrey, also a spokesperson for Cone, said in an email it’s unclear whether Ellin’s demise “was a sudden, unexpected death and that her death was not reasonably related to known previous disease.” She added, “Prior incarceration has absolutely no bearing on the applicable ME reporting rules for hospitals in this instance.”
Michael and Ellin Schott finalized their divorce in March 2015, but by late summer the two were “exploring possibly getting back together,” Michael said. “I’d do a check on her,” he said, explaining that it seemed like she had been able to kick her addiction after a couple hospital stays. “I’d put her up in hotels occasionally. And we slept together a couple times.” Thanks to Salem Neurological Center in Winston-Salem, Ellin appeared to be “on a good regimen” of medication including anti-seizure meds Keppra and Gabapentin. “I’m sort of an expert on Ellin,” Michael said. “We had been together like a week before her arrest. I was thorough. This had healed, that had healed. [There were] no marks between her toes, and no indication that she was anything but bright-eyed and bushy tailed.” Thomas corroborates Michael’s narrative, adding that Ellin was gaining needed weight and was clear-eyed again. Though Ellin never talked to Thomas directly about her addiction, Thomas would talk to Michael sometimes to get the scoop. “She seemed really good,” Thomas said. “And he was helping her. He wasn’t letting her back living with him, but between what I spent and what he was giving her, she was in hotels for a period of time. I think it was possible that she would’ve come out of this okay. I had hopes.” Being homeless and panhandling embarrassed Ellin, Michael said, and she would wonder aloud how she ended up in that position. Ever grateful for the help of strangers, Ellin kept a small notebook with a list on names and ages of people who gave her money. “The point of that was that she wanted to write an article… about getting by on the kindness of strangers,” Michael said. “She said her biggest contributors, people who were nicest to her, were young, black males. But it was quite a range, including the police officers. [They] gave her money, went and got her food.” Jacob didn’t share his father’s optimism, and neither did Ellin’s mother Lenoir. A few days after what would’ve been Ellin’s birthday, they reflected on Ellin’s fate during a meal at a Ruby Tuesday down the street from the Jewish cemetery where Ellin is buried. “She should not have died the way she did,” Lenoir said, “but we saw it coming.” Jacob expressed similar sentiment. “The fact that she died didn’t surprise me, but the way she did disgusts me,” he said, blaming corporate greed for his mother’s untimely passing. Her brother Steve is still trying to make sense of everything that happened, especially everything that happened before Ellin’s arrest. “She was a bright, capable person who allowed her life to spiral down, and that’s the sadness,” he said. “There was so much potential in that person. She was absolutely fantastic with my father. She was so patient; she was always over there. There was a lot of good in her. I think candidly the substance issues finally overtook everything. Deep down there’s some anger I have because of all the potential she had, and it just kind of got wasted.”
can consume a person.” Michael is concerned about the prevalence of opioid addiction too, but he’s also dug into the specifics of Ellin’s passing while Steve and Lenoir have opted not to relive the trauma. Standing in the cemetery a couple dozen feet from Ellin’s headstone on a blistering summer afternoon, Michael offered a distillation of his takeaways. “I have three observations I’d like to make,” he said. “We need less addictive painkillers to be prescribed. We need better social care for addicts and the poor. And No. 3, we need inmate care to be done by people who care for the inmates more than the bottom line.”
Correction The 2016 Special Primary Election Guide, published in Triad City Beat on June 1, inaccurately implied that Mark Walker, the incumbent in the Republican primary for the 6th Congressional District, promised to vote against John Boehner for speaker of the House. In fact, Walker stated that he would “vote against leadership on any legistlation that is detrimental to the 6th District” and that he would support Rep. Trey Goudy over Beohner for speaker. Goudy was not a candidate for speaker at the time of the vote.
Ellin Schott’s mother, Lenoir Reinhard, ex-husband Michael Schott and son Jacob Schott visited her grave at Greensboro Hebrew Cemetery recently.
JORDAN GREEN
triad-city-beat.com
Ultimately Ellin was responsible for her own life, Steve said, but he said there’s more to it as well. “I hold her responsible but… I think had she dealt with some of her self-esteem issues in her late teens, [there] might’ve been a very different outcome,” he said. “I blame the medical profession and now there’s amazing exposure being given to this, about doctors writing prescriptions to opioids like I change my underwear. Why do we do that? “I wouldn’t say it was the cause of Ellin’s situation in the end but it certainly was a big contributing factor,” he continued. “She was a really sweet person before the substances took over her life. And it’s amazing how that
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June 8 — 14, 2016 Up Front News Opinion Cover Story Culture Fun & Games Games Shot in the Triad All She Wrote
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CULTURE Green Joe’s delivers dose of coffee geekery by Joanna Rutter
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offee can be a means to an end for staying awake, a social lubricant, afternoon rent for a table and power outlet, or a medium for Instagrammable latte foam art. Few shops in the Triad, however, treat coffee as a science, or offer the mod vibe necessary to commit to such an approach. Upon entering Green Joe’s, located a 10 minutes up Battleground Avenue from downtown Greensboro, it’s immediately apparent that this place fills a need no other Greensboro coffee shop has yet: A metropolitan vibe paired with a serious approach to studying the bean. Green Joe’s is the new retail extension of Carolina Coffee Roasting Company, a Greensboro mainstay since 1992 that once operated two shops. Both were shut down in 2003 as the company focused on wholesale distribution; in August, Carolina Coffee opened its new flagship shop. Carolina Coffee roasts a majority of Green Joe’s beans out at its headquarters on the edge of town. The indisputably superior taste of freshly roasted beans is the shop’s main bragging right. They are well deserved. Green Joe’s could be considered a comforting outJOANNA RUTTER Greensboro coffee newcomer Green Joe’s roasts their beans fresh off-site and sometimes in the post of big-city coffee worship along the lines of Manshop; a back classroom provides space for coffee geekery. hattan’s Stumptown, Chicago’s Intelligentsia or San Any schmuck with a steam wand can’t pull this off tas are generally chipper and eager to answer quesFrancisco’s Blue Bottle. Polished espresso machines this at home. tions while they prepare drinks. glisten in the sunlight as if posed for Pinterest-ready Green Joe’s finished product is pleasantly silky. The The high ceiling and huge windows lend a spacious stock photos, not to mention a good-natured barissmooth double espresso finishes without the expectpeace not found at, say, Tate Street Coffee, although ta who knew her doppio espresso from her ristretto ed bitterness, but the drink does have a slight salty a silent flat-screen TV with local news on loop doesn’t offhand, proof enough that coffee nerdiness without aftertaste from the heated milk. Ordering it means match the rest of the vibe at all. Depending on the pretense was welcome. receiving it in a beautiful, tiny ceramic cup and sipping time of day, soft jazz may be playing in the backAnd the shiny, high-tech equipment is only one of along with quiet background jazz at one of the big ground, or a variety of subdued meditative folksters the giveaways. Cupping classes offered in a rear classsunlit windows. such as Iron and Wine or Fleet Foxes on shuffle. room and typically off-menu drinks on the chalkboard For adventure of a different sort, there’s a new Though the menu is a mix of standard fare and nerdy are alien add-ons to most other coffee purveyors in the caramel Oreo milkshake, which was more smooth and specialties largely unique to Greensboro, the shop’s city, excepting Coffeeology’s creative drinks and Beans slushy than thick or creamy. The flavor blend sounds secret to business longevity and customer loyalty may Boro’s on-site roasting. gimmicky, but it’s actually quite light and refreshing, if not lie in their drinks, but in their power outlet situaMuch of the geekier goings-on at the company’s a bit of a splurge. With an added shot of espresso, the tion. Large work tables line a whole wall, and double flagship cafe may be bypassed by the homework-doers milkshake wasn’t too sickeningly sugary like many of outlets are tucked under almost every single one. or the meeter-uppers in favor of a simple cup of drip its frozen coffee cousins at chains. The wifi is solid, too. Any given weekday afternoon, coffee. But for the adventurous or knowledgeable, Another recently added summer-menu drink worth clusters of college kids work on summer assignments Green Joe’s levels up the Greensboro coffee game to trying is the Joe affogato (“drowned”), a dessert menu while scruffy men in their thirties hunch over laptops. new snob standards while remaining unintimidating staple in Italian restaurants consisting of two simple Hopefully, they’re nursing a drink they fully appreciate. with friendly staff and its peaceful atmosphere. ingredients: A hot shot of espresso Perhaps the most immediately poured over a scoop of gelato. Green thrilling item on the menu is the Pick of the Week Visit Green Joe’s at 2915 Joe’s adds chocolate and strawberry flat white, a cousin of the latte Listeners be thirsty Battleground Avenue flavor to the melted, cold, creamy that originated in 1980s Australia. WFDD Meetup @ Preyer Brewing (GSO), Thursday, 5 result. in Greensboro or at Starbucks’ recently touted knockoff p.m. If you’re a pour-over coffee fan, notwithstanding, the flat white isn’t greenjoes.com. For fans of 88.5 FM, showing up and making a ask for the Ethiopian Harrar, which is usually listed at other Triad shops, donation gets you a sweet “Radio for Thirsty Minds” heavy and intense, like dark chocoand baristas in College Hill or downglass filled up with the brew of your choice. It’s like late, with a fruity finish. (You’ll want to drink it black.) town can be hit or miss regarding familiarity with the a participation trophy, but with alcohol. Plus, meet The nitro cold brew is a solid — if a bit bitter and earthy drink, which usually consists of a double espresso shot, the faces behind your morning commute and may— summer standby as well. sometimes condensed to higher intensity, with milk be pitch a Carolina Curious story to the crew. Info The open hub at the center of the store serves as in a specific, velvety consistency called microfoam (in on the Facebook page. both its visual centerpiece and mission control. Barisbetween heated milk and frothed milk) poured on top.
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qualify. My server stunned me when she said yes. I figured that the Cardinal rolled out the proverbial red carpet for the paparazzi and upper crust, but apparently you too can swill a few drinks and take your date for a ride down the slide. Nice as the Cardinal may be, I really showed up out of curiosity about the accompanying restaurant and bar, about which Winstonites can’t seem to shut up. I can’t fairly report back on either; despite nabbing two “free cocktail” tokens, the Katharine closed regular service for the party The Katharine Brasserie & Bar will change its cocktail menu shortly. ERIC GINSBURG and only offered three cocktails while the restaurant portion to its rear The cocktail menu will change soon, even though remained empty. But I saddled up to the street-facing the brasserie and bar just opened, and it’s probably bar anyway, skipping a seafood spread laid out for the worth holding off a week or so until the locally-deaffair and going for the hard stuff. signed list is in play rather than one handed down from I wanted to order the War of the Roses, a Pimm’s the Kimpton company. cocktail with cardinal gin, St. Germain, lime, bitters When you go, I doubt a server will stop by with a tray and mint, but the reasonably of caviar crostinis, as one did priced house cocktails and wine while I sipped my spirits. There Visit the Katharine Brasserie & and beer on tap weren’t availwon’t be a free spread of fare able that night. Instead I tried Bar at 401 N. Main St. (W-S) or in a back room at the Cardinal, the special #5 with gin, lillet nor free drink tokens, a so-called at katharinebrasserie.com. rosé, lemon and St. Germain passport or pop-up bars dotting – sort of like a light lemonade the Empire State Building looka– and the preferable sazerac prepared with a puff of like. But the slide will be there, and the bowling alley. absinthe mist on the surface. And the genuinely kind staff, and probably some of Skeptical of the absinthe, I asked if Jennifer — who the same chi-chi guests. And while the food and drinks bartended at Sixth & Vine and Fourth Street Filling will no doubt be different, if what I witnessed is any Station before joining up here — would let me try it indication of what the Katharine is capable of, I believe before and after so I could discern the difference. Few the hype. attendees had meandered over here as well, just a few steps down from the hotel’s Main Street entrance, and so I figured what would normally be an obnoxious request would pass. She pulled what looked like a lipstick tube out after my first sip and spritzed the glass, and despite my initial Good through 6/21/16 reservations, the absinthe Monday – Thursday mist truly enhanced the Order online at pizzerialitaliano.net overall flavor of the rye whiskey drink. 219 S Elm Street, Greensboro •
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I almost missed the adult twisty slide and the two-lane bowling alley. I’d already been down to the bottom floor, or so I thought, of the renovated RJ Reynolds skyscraper in downtown Winston-Salem by Eric Ginsburg during the grand opening of the extravagant new hotel inside its bones. And I’d stopped off on several different floors with the tux and ball gown-wearing elite, peering into tony meeting rooms and pricey suites. In one sixth-floor room, staff drew a bubble bath in a tub with a view of the Innovation Quarter. Hundreds of polished guests turned out for the June 2 launch party, one of several invite-only promotional events organized by the Kimpton Cardinal hotel, where the cheapest night’s stay will run you $161 and generally much more. Upon entry, we were handed “passports” to be stamped at various points throughout the building, a way to encourage us to stop in on the less glitzy portions of the hotel; a fully-stamped passport would enter you for a drawing for a free stay in the Cardinal. I’d done pretty well for myself, snagging stamps and drinks as I went — a 1664 French lager on the 20th floor, a glass of pinot grigio in the lobby area, a Corona near a stage were a band played and later a couple cocktails at the Katharine Brasserie & Bar. But as I rode the elevators, chatted up the staff, mingled with other guests and snacked on deviled eggs with shrimp and top-notch barbecue, I heard nothing about the slide or bowling. Thank god for friends like Tina and John, who told me about the adult jungle gym of sorts that the other guests had either overlooked as well or didn’t care for. But not me — a slide inside this building, and free bowling?! — and not Councilwoman Denise D. Adams either. When I finally found the giant fun room, complete with foosball, pool and a half basketball court, Adams was preparing to head down the corkscrew slide, heels and all. I rushed down a staircase so I could see the gigantic grin on her face when she popped out at the bottom, a moment before she racked the pool balls and lined up her break. Only a couple other adults from the gala upstairs had found their way down, though a few teenagers in street clothes battled over foosball and a man put in work on his basketball fundamentals. Realizing someone left a bowling lane open, I quickly started pitching balls down the wooden floor, which I swear is a longer distance than normal alleys. At the stunning Katharine bar upstairs, I asked if the basement attractions were normally open to a patron of the restaurant/bar or if I’d need to book a room to
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June 8 — 14, 2016 Up Front News Opinion Cover Story Culture Fun & Games Games Shot in the Triad All She Wrote
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CULTURE Nashville nationals meet local comers by Anthony Harrison
R
ed light washed the wealth of gear crammed on the Blind Tiger’s stage: Stratocasters and Telecasters, Jazz and Precision basses, Gibson SGs, combos and stacks bearing revered names like Vox and Ampeg and, for the drummers, two kits — one purple, one pearloid — surrounded by Sabian and Paiste cymbals. Yet, at first, the bar was empty. June 1, a Wednesday night, started slow, but Diarrhea Planet topped the Greensboro bill. Hailing from Nashville — the garage punk sextet met while attending Belmont University, a non-denominational Christian college with a renowned music school — the band has garnered national attention over the past seven years. “Separations,” a mid-tempo Weezer-esque number, served as the theme of the HBO comedy series “Animals,” and Diarrhea Planet will promote their new album, Turn to Gold, on “Late Night with Seth Meyers” on June 9. “It feels good to have someone not throw a b**** fit about the name and take a risk on us,” the band said in an email interview. Having played to welcoming receptions in the Triad, including Winston-Salem’s Phuzz Phest, they decided to kick off their summer tour in Greensboro. One may wonder if four guitars sharing a stage leads to redundancy or, worse, excessive wanking. But Diarrhea Planet soon dispelled any such fears. The Blind Tiger may have been empty when the night began, but by the time Diarrhea Planet took the stage, dozens crowded at the front of the room, all there for good reason. Immediately, slamming drums from Ian Bush — aka “Tuff Gus” — and the thick wall of guitar, chords pounded heavily with choreographed head-banging, threw the fans into a frenzy. Lead vocalist and guitarist Jordan Smith wildly soloed on his knock-off SG equipped with a single humbucker at the bridge — a shred machine. The theatrical guitar assault fired its first salvo and claimed decisive, crushing victory. While they namecheck classic-rock idols, Diarrhea Planet doesn’t play tired schlock rock. Sure, they list big names such as Jimi Hendrix, AC/DC and the Rolling Stones — evidenced by their “guitar weaving” — as inspirations, and yes, they rip like self-indulgent virtuoso Yngwie Malmsteen. But their sound more directly emulates every major iteration of punk, from proto-punk to new wave to glam to grunge, echoing Cheap Trick, early Clash, the Cars and more. They add their spin to garage rock: face-melting chops. Two-handed tapping, dizzying arpeggios, sweep picking galore, sometimes in perfect harmony. And all four guitarists sing. Along with fan favorites like the aforementioned “Separations,” Diarrhea Planet delivered some special treats to mid-week attendees: tracks off Turn to Gold. “This song’s from our new record, so nobody’s ever
Four guitars may seem like overkill, but Diarrhea Planet, here on stage at the Blind Tiger, makes more work.
f***ing heard this before,” Smith beamed from the stage before the band launched into not one but three brand-new numbers, all excellent, chunky power-pop with top-notch soloing from guitarists Brent Toler, Evan Bird and Emmett Miller. “We’re playing this song on ‘Seth Meyers,’” Bird said before the third new song. The band also offered Turn to Gold and other goodies at their merch table. “Check out those records,” Miller said at night’s end. “My mom doesn’t even have one yet.” The album release was a gift from the band. “Everybody’s been through a lot in this state,” Smith said earlier in the show, “so we thought, let’s bring something good.” Four guitars may seem like overkill, but with impressive fretwork, intimate knowledge of music theory and the use of small amplifiers combining more cohesively and less aggressively than would a line of Marshall stacks, Diarrhea Planet makes more work. Before the quadruple-guitar attack began, though, a fresh local act opened the night: Harrison Ford Mustang, a trio formed last summer. Plenty of sunlight divided the two groups’ styles. But, in other ways, the two bands remained more alike than meets the ear — they share technical skill, some common influences and, clearly, catchy names.
JORDAN GREEN
With a name like Harrison Ford Mustang and their self-described genre of “soda rock,” one might believe the band may be a nostalgic ’50s act, covering golden-oldie hits from the American Graffiti soundtrack. Their sound heralds a past era, but not quite that far back. All three musicians acknowledged a debt to early ’90s alt bands such as Pavement, Built to Spill, Yo La Tengo, Pixies and Weezer. Guitarist and vocalist Josh Peek especially recalls Pavement’s Stephen Malkmus in both playing style and vocal delivery — juxtapositions of noodling, single-note lines echoing the vocal melody and quickly strummed chords high on the neck, all with just a touch of dirty tone by default, paired with deadpan
Pick of the Week The last hurrah Amplifier presents Wanderer @ New York Pizza (GSO), Saturday, 8 p.m. Amplifier’s lineups don’t disappoint. Exhibit A: This weekend, get down with Greensboro’s BrainxToilet, Dogs Eyes and Wanderer. Greensboro’s DIRAC opens, and it’s their last show, so get there punctually to give them a proper sendoff. Deets on the Facebook event page.
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talk-singing. Melvin Holland’s bass work swings between bedrock root notes and bouncy, melodic riffing once Peek goes off the rails. Zac Lassiter’s drumming draws inspiration from every popular genre, punk to jazz. And while the sound may be stark, the nascent ensemble keeps listeners guessing with shifts in dynamics and even time signatures, reminiscent of math-rock legends Slint. The theoretical virtuosity makes sense: The three friends met while at UNCG majoring in music, just like Diarrhea Planet; Lassiter jazz drums, Peek trumpet and Holland tenor sax. “I started playing bass to be in the band,” Holland laughed after the show. Described by Lassiter as “the least-hardest-working band in Greensboro,” Harrison Ford Mustang peddled no merchandise or recordings to the growing crowd at the Tiger. They do, however, have a three-song demo on their Bandcamp page recorded last year on WUAG’s “Radio Greensboro,” featuring Ramones-esque “80s Slasher Film” and “Cola Mtn.,” Harrison Ford Mustang’s rockin’ spiritual successor to the folk standard, “Big Rock Candy Mountain.” “We’re not gonna sell that,” Peek clarified in an interview. “That’s kinda frowned upon.” Peek cited “lack of resources” for the merch dearth. “We have stickers and magnets,” Lassiter remembered. “People love stickers and magnets.” The band plans to record an EP in the next few months, perhaps capturing their set themselves. They also have a weekend tour in Florida slated for later this month. The promising upstarts might have asked for guidance from their marquee mates.
June 8 — 14, 2016 Up Front News Opinion Cover Story Culture Fun & Games Games Shot in the Triad All She Wrote
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CULTURE Night Passage creates intimate space for literature by Joanna Rutter
A
cool wind swept down the corridor of Sixth Street, pushing away the thick, lingering heat that had been pressing down on the circle of readers gathered in the street outside of Kleur in downtown Winston-Salem on June 3. The breeze rustled the pages of The Little Prince, from which Christina Tyler read aloud to a quietly attentive audience of eight. Her voice carried over the social hum of First Friday, pausing to allow a fire truck to wail past. “Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them,” Tyler read. “One must not hold it against them. Children should always show great forbearance toward grown-up people.” Tyler’s whimsical French choice opened and bookended an intimate evening of readings themed around nostalgia, the third installation of the Night Passage monthly reading series forged through a shared vision by recent Winston-Salem transplants and publishing partners John Gosslee and Andrew Sullivan, and Kleur’s co-founder, Molly Grace. Gosslee and Sullivan sought to cultivate what they thought was an absent literary scene when moving here, finding a willing partner in Grace, who had been planning on hosting readings at the retail and workshop space since before its opening last fall. “On one of my first nights here, we struck up a conversation,” Sullivan said. Gosslee and Sullivan edit Fjords Review, a literary magazine, and helm the C&R Press, which publishes fiction, nonfiction and poetry, while still finding time to work on their own writing. Gosslee is also the editor of Pank magazine, an experimental prose and poetry publication founded by Roxane Gay, an influential author most recently known for her New York Times-bestselling 2014 essay collection Bad Feminist. At the previous two readings, guests from the local Press 53 publishing house and author Jacob Paul have participated, Sullivan said. As the sun set around 8:30 p.m., no cohesive collection of people had gathered for the 8 p.m. reading, but a purple gorilla-suited spaceman working the small crowd at the comics shop next door got caught in a scuffle with the indignant owner of the private parking lot across the street over a car parked there without permission. Grace, unaffected — “It starts whenever,” she said — offered a guest a cup of wine and eventually moved the chairs out of the muggy shop and into the blocked-off street. For an evening centered around literary memories of adult readers’ angst, teenagers out for First Friday provided an appropriate backdrop for the readings. Ethan Green, a photojournalist who hasn’t yet hit his 18th birthday, stopped into Kleur to say hello with a camera slung around him, mentioning his very un-teeny-bopper documentary filmmaking club at A/perture
The third installation of the Night Passage community reading series drew a small but invested crowd outside of Kleur in Winston-Salem on First Friday.
Cinema. He didn’t stick around. Later, while Andrew Hachey earnestly read about the torments of love from Rainer Maria Rilke’s Letters to a Young Poet, some young guns across the street behind him started yelling “Hardcore parkour!” and clumsily flirting with each other. The purple gorilla attracted plenty of selfies from bold girl gangs. And as the evening closed on a final note of whimsy from The Little Prince around 10 pm, teens played a large game of duck-duck-goose in the blocked-off intersection of Sixth and Trade streets. Hachey, undeterred by hooligans, read his Rilke selection with the earnest passion and diction of a professional actor. “It didn’t get to me until my twenties,” Hachey said, explaining the book afterward. “[But] it wasn’t until my early teens that I wanted to be an artist. It became a manual.” Grace selected “The Zoo Story” by Edward Albee, a one-act play. “I haven’t read this since 10th grade drama class, which was a notorious blow-off class,” Grace said. “So I’m going to stumble through.” That wasn’t the case, and when she finished growling through a monologue about a dog, she explained to those assembled why she chose it. “I loved it because it was wildly inappropriate for the age,” she said. “As a teenager, it all made a lot of sense.”
JOANNA RUTTER
The most transporting moment of the evening arrived when Andrew Martin recited a portion of the Lord of the Rings. He committed it to memory five or six years ago to give himself a mental break from studying classics. “In rode the Lord of the Nazgûl,” Martin began, leaning forward and shifting into a narrator’s timbre. “A great black shape against the fires beyond he loomed up, grown to a vast menace of despair. In rode the Lord of the Nazgûl, under the archway that no enemy ever yet had passed, and all fled before his face.” As he musically told the story without stumbling or pausing, his small audience listened raptly; a brief, transcendent moment made of nothing but words in the warm summer air.
Pick of the Week Reason and love keep little company together nowadays Proceed Moon: A Dream at Reynolda @ Reynolda House (W-S), all weekend In Harry Poster’s rewrite of the Shakespeare comedy staple for Peppercorn Theatre, a production of Midsummer in the age of the Reynolds family goes whimsically awry. Young Rosalie finds herself herself dreaming on her own. Magic ensues. Tickets at reynoldahouse.org.
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FUN & GAMES
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emy Epps, Lake Brandt activities specialist for Greensboro’s Parks and Recreation Department-cum-certified archery instructor, performed a magic trick. She asked her three pupils by Anthony Harrison to form a triangle with their hands, hold them up and look at her finger, which she pointed at each. While all three shot right-handed, Epps told student Ed Thompson to aim with his left. “How you know that?” he asked, bewildered. “Your hand moves naturally to the side you aim with,” Epps explained. “Like, I shoot right, but I aim left.” Archery is literally a sport of tension and release. But it’s easy to pick up. The creak of a string. Silence. A hiss and hollow impact. The sun beat down on Hester Park’s plain at high noon on June 2. Small platoons of Canada geese honked and waddled in the shade around the grounds. Others floated on the pond, sliding through the water over channel catfish hidden under the surface. Epps sat on a bench underneath a line of oak trees, setting the colored bows and arrows on a picnic table. Hester Park’s designated archery range will open later in the summer; in the meantime, two circular targets on aluminum easels sat in the middle of a small clearing, waiting to be shot to tatters. Initially, only two young boys dropped off by their father showed up: Owen and Jacob Osborne. But they were enough for Epps to begin. “Have y’all done archery before?” Epps asked them. “No,” they replied in sheepish unison. “Excited?” “Yes.” The same shy tone. Epps explained the basics — the difference between recurve and compound bows, the anatomy of both bows and arrows from string and handle to nock and fletching. “This is the boring stuff, I promise you,” Epps said. Epps took it upon herself to teach a beginners’ archery clinic this summer. However, instead of teaching the classes at Lake Brandt, she decided to bring the clinic to Hester Park, site of the future range. Epps learned how to shoot a bow and arrow at Camp Weaver, a summer program with the Greensboro YMCA that she’d attended for years. Weaver also offered certification classes to become an archery instructor, and she came to enjoy the sport so much that she decided to enroll. She’s now been certified for seven years. She began working for the parks department in March 2015, and became a full-time employee the following January. Epps then took the opportunity to teach her passion to others.
Archery clinic hits the mark “When Weaver did demo days, people didn’t know how to shoot,” Epps said in an interview. “So I said, ‘Why not start a program where anyone — aged 8 and up — can learn the sport?’” The department agreed. The archery clinic will be held every first and third Thursday from June until September. Before shooting began, Epps emphasized safety. “Always point your bow downrange, even if it’s not loaded,” Epps said. “Keep your points down. And don’t dry-fire the bow — don’t pull the string without an arrow loaded. ANTHONY HARRISON May the parks department be ever in your favor. It could snap the string and hit you in the face.” Thompson laughed. “That was luck,” he repeated. The class then moved into the bright sunlight, where Soon, arrows flew thick as at Agincourt. Maybe not Epps demonstrated proper form and stance with her quite. wooden recurve bow; the two boys had lighter, comHssFWOP. TsTWOCK. TckFWAP. posite compound bows. For an hour and half, Epps kept giving pointers to the “Pull the string back to the point of your smile,” she budding archers. said. “Release when ready.” “You gotta follow through,” she said. “You know in And they got to it, standing 20 feet from their tarbasketball, when you shoot, you gotta keep your wrist gets, 10 or so arrows for each novice archer. locked after you shoot? Same in archery. When you Already the siblings at least hit the target, but Epps release, when your bow arm’s shakin’, your arrow goes provided needed guidance. every which way.” “So yours are going a little low,” Epps told Owen. And again, their skills improved. “Bring your arm up a bit.” “Is this really your first time shooting?” Epps asked Their quivers spent, the boys removed the arrows, the brothers. as instructed by Epps. And as they took their second They both said yes. round of shots, their improvement became immedi“Whaaaat? Either I’m a great instructor, or y’all are ately apparent. natural shooters.” “Nice, in the yellow,” Epps said. “Pretty soon, y’all “Probably both,” Owen said. can start competing against each other, see who can get the most points.” Thompson arrived soon after. “I’m gonna start working with this gentleman now, so y’all can move to one target,” Epps told the Osbornes. They removed the arrows from both targets, then moved to the right-hand target as Epps handed Thompson a recurve bow, running through the same essentials. On his first shot of this new round, Owen hit the dead center of the target. “Ooo, bullseye!” Epps said as Thompson nocked his arrow. Thompson also quickly hit the inner rings. “You a pro!” Epps laughed. “You were hiding your expertise.” “That was luck,” Thompson said. His next shot was a bullseye.
For more info on the archery clinic, contact Remy Epps at remy.epps@greensboro-nc.gov. Space is limited.
Pick of the Week Catfish fried up, dirty South fed Children’s Fishing Tournament @ Lake Higgins (GSO), Saturday, 10 a.m. Register your kids aged 6-12 to catch some cats at Lake Higgins’ Taylor Turner Hatchery Pond. Greensboro Parks and Recreation will provide bait and fishing rods. The department will award trophies, but the real prize will be watching your progeny catch dumb, delicious catfish. Registration is limited to the first 40 children signed up; to reserve a spot, call 336.373.3739.
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GAMES
‘Crosswords: Dial Ext. 2468’ we appreciate your patience. by Matt Jones Across
54 Homer Simpson’s exclamation 56 Locked in place 58 Vulcan officer on “Star Trek: Voyager” 64 They create commercials 65 Yellow, as a banana 66 Director Burton 67 Mike of “The Love Guru” 68 Indian restaurant basketful
Down
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1 Colbert’s current channel 2 Thompson of “Back to the Future” 3 Org. of attorneys 4 “Dragnet” creator Jack 5 Calligraphy tool 6 “Two thumbs way up” reviews 7 “Aha moment” cause 8 “Mad” cartoonist Drucker 9 Commonly, to poets 10 Cakes with a kick 11 Master sergeant of 1950s TV 12 Small stream 14 Taunt during a chili pepper dare, maybe 15 Sword handle 17 Like a 1980s puzzle fad 21 Religion with an apostrophe in its name 22 Smartphone clock function 23 Bricklayer 25 French composer Charles whose music was used as the theme for “Alfred Hitchcock Presents”
26 Tiny charged particle 29 “Grey’s Anatomy” creator Rhimes 30 They’re in the last round 32 “And now, without further ___ ...” 33 Two-handed card game 34 “Despicable Me” supervillain 35 Sweet panful 36 Bar from Fort Knox 37 Gear features 42 Pranks using rolls? 43 European bathroom fixture 47 Bug-smacking sound 48 Swiss miss of kiddie lit 49 When some fast food drive-thrus close 50 Hired goon 51 “Whip-Smart” singer Liz 54 Just say no? 55 “Falling Slowly” musical 57 Revolution 59 President pro ___ 60 “Duck Hunt” platform 61 Through, on airline itineraries 62 ___-Locka, Florida 63 “Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse” character
Up Front
1 Scratch (at) 5 First-rate 10 “EastEnders” network 13 Tony winner Neuwirth 14 “Mop” 16 Top-down ride from Sweden 18 It comes between nothing and the truth 19 Put away some dishes? 20 Crater, e.g. 21 “Batman” sound effect 24 Sits up on two legs, maybe 26 “No worries!” 27 Mode opener 28 “Am ___ longer a part of your plans ...” (Dylan lyric) 29 Second-busiest airport in CA 31 Gets way more than a tickle in the throat 38 2015 returnee to Yankee Stadium 39 The Teamsters, for one 40 Norse letter 41 Statement from the immovable? 44 Degree of distinction 45 551, in Roman numerals 46 The “G” of TV’s “AGT” 47 Bar buys 51 Eric B. & Rakim’s “___ in Full” 52 Biblical suffix after bring or speak 53 Phnom ___, Cambodia
Fun & Games
Answers from previous publication.
Games Shot in the Triad
Mary Lacklen • Allen Broach • Bob Weston
(336)210–5094
©2016 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@jonesincrosswords.com)
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Umbrellas needed.
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The graduate
M
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other: Well, how was Paris? Me: I think I developed a keen palate for red wine. Mother: Great. I send you to Europe for the summer so you can become a wino. Me: I also bought an incredible pair of leather boots in Milan, handmade sandals in Greece and gorgeous earrings from the Paris flea market. Mother (sighing): Shopping. Sounds like quite the cultural experience.
Like most 18-year-olds, I was a bit of a jackass. Slab on the maudlin mass of my father dying my senior year year of high school and you’ve got a bona-fide enfant terrible in the making — a Shia LaBeouf in the rough, if you will. In an effort to assuage the loss of my pilot dad and replace the summer flying lessons he had promised, my mother booked a two-month assault on Europe better known in the 1980s as the Grand Tour. Tack on a monthlong visit with European relatives and you’ve got a graduation present built for two. For mother a Nicole-free summer. For me, a Duran Duran video — at least that’s how my quasi-flaccid teenage brain envisioned it. So that’s how I found myself at JFK Airport slumping about with a couple of six packs of pimply youths from across the continent. It was a Canadian tour group led by a booze heiress from Vancouver and a schlub of a man who taught at the Latin School in Chicago. From the get-go it was apparent that he was desperately in love with the heiress, trying to impress the jet-setter with his prep-school French and immaculate itineraries. Like the teenage jackals that we were, we sunk our teeth into this little drama with bloodthirsty lust. With that chunk of fresh meat to gorge on it didn’t take long for me and my new-found friends to build our strength and — essentially — take over the tour. By the time we landed at Heathrow a triumvirate had formed. The lovely Sarah, a Taft grad with a steel rod in her spine giving her the posture of a corseted monarch, was our very own “Deenie.” Armed with a patrician nose and bobbed blonde hair that swung like the tail of an Arabian, Sarah was the quiet consigliere of the group. Then there was Heidi — the tiny Torontonian rebel with a Lauren Hutton gap and a Canadian Mountie’s tolerance for tippling. Throw in the Molotov cocktail of me — the well-read redneck with her guilt-ridden mama’s credit card and it was quite the elixir of power. We started with a pub crawl that began in London and ended somewhere in the Greek Isles. We were Benetton-on-our-backs soccer hooligans, only our game was to party like Eurotrash and subtly soak in culture through the haze of our hangovers. The echo chamber of Churchill’s War Room was rank with our booze-filled pores as we listened intently to docents. We nearly lost our Elgin Marbles at the British Museum save for a quick water closet dash. The Eiffel Tower tilted our whirl after a boozy lunch and the River Seine served as repository for its second coming. We moaned over Mona at the Louvre — only it had more to do with all-night clubbing than Da Vinci. We leaned-in to the grappa in Pisa and communed prior to visiting the Vatican. Greece proved to be a challenge once we parted with the Parthenon and headed for the islands. We sailed the Cyclades and the Sporades and manning our own vessels required sobriety. My Greek family awaited me at the end of a nearly three-week sail and after that, it was off to college and the great beyond. Some 30 years later as I look into that bold oracle of a mirror, I still see that hell-on-wheels kid who found a way to go to college in Europe for a long stint and become a writer. She’s got a few dents and scratches, but wouldn’t you after such a long and fun-filled journey? Happy Graduation Class of 2016.
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