TCB Aug. 6, 2020 — The Main Event

Greensboro / Winston-Salem / High Point Aug. 6-12, 2020 triad-city-beat.com

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A seasoned pro and an upstart veteran square off for North Carolina’s US Senate seat.

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INCUMBEN

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THOM

TILLIS

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BATTLE FOR HOUSE DISTRICT 74

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Aug. 6-12, 2020

EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK

College and coronavirus Next week tunity presents itself, I figure most of them we’re sending two are probably going to go for it. of our kids off to The hard truth is that some of these Boone for college. kids are going to come down with We’ve got a junior COVID-19; it would be naïve to think and a freshman otherwise. The even harder truth is that this year, and my kids might be among them. Probably we’re doing all not. But maybe. And what then?

by Brian Clarey the normal things It’s a scenario all parents of college parents do as the summer grows short: students have run this summer. And squaring away financial aid, shopping everybody must cut their own deal. for clothes and supplies, anticipating the Our kids are going to college. We empty beds and unsettling quiet that will decided it was important they keep movpervade the house once they’re gone. ing forward, albeit cautiously, during these But this is definitely not normal. crucial years in their lives. Neither has an Coronavirus has already infiltrated our underlying condition. And both would nation’s college campuses otherwise be sitting in to such a degree that their room for the next six Can we trust these even to step foot on months. And that is no campus — any campus — way to live. kids to keep their involves a degree of risk.

That’s what we keep hands clean, to wear Can we trust these telling ourselves, anyway, masks everywhere kids to keep their hands my wife and me. We clean, to wear masks remember that they’re they go, to keep their everywhere they go, to young and healthy, with droplets to themkeep their droplets to no dangerous underlyselves? themselves? ing conditions, that the The short answer: school is taking serious Probably not. precautions and that our My children do not share the same libkids have it way more together than I did ertine tendencies that I did when I was in at that age. school; engaging in risky behavior was one We’ve done this before. When the of the only reasons I wanted to go to cololdest left for college it left a jarring void lege. But the odds are against them anyin the household, and he doesn’t even way: They’ll be clustered in classrooms, in talk that much. We know that poignant dorms and apartments, in those tiny King moment when we say goodbye and then Street restaurants and barrooms; they’ll be drive off — or worse, when we get back passing bongs and sharing bottles; they’ll home without them. never clean their video-game controllers; But now we’re scared, too. they’ll misplace all of their masks within the first month. And if a romantic oppor-

BUSINESS PUBLISHER/EXECUTIVE EDITOR Brian Clarey brian@triad-city-beat.com

PUBLISHER EMERITUS Allen Broach allen@triad-city-beat.com

EDITORIAL SENIOR EDITOR Jordan Green jordan@triad-city-beat.com

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Sayaka Matsuoka sayaka@triad-city-beat.com

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1451 S. Elm-Eugene St. Box 24, Greensboro, NC 27406 Office: 336-256-9320 Cover image: The race for NC’s SPECIAL SECTION EDITOR Nikki Miller-Ka US Senate seat is a hot one. niksnacksblog@gmail.com [Design by Robert Paquette] ART ART DIRECTOR Robert Paquette robert@triad-city-beat.com SALES

KEY ACCOUNTS Gayla Price gayla@triad-city-beat.com

CONTRIBUTORS

Carolyn de Berry, Matt Jones, Michaela Ratliff

TCB IN A FLASH @ triad-city-beat.com First copy is free, all additional copies are $1. ©2018 Beat Media Inc.

Photo used of Thom Tillis by Gage Skidmore

Aug. 6-12, 2020

CITY LIFE Aug. 6-9

by Michaela Ratliff

THURSDAY Aug. 6

Stuff the Bus! @ Walmart (HP) 7 a.m.

Fox 8 WGHP and the Salvation Army are teaming up to collect donated school supplies for local students in need, which will go directly to the Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club and children living in the Salvation Army Center of Hope Family Shelter.

The goal is to fill a school bus — head to the Salvation Army’s website to view a list of items most needed.

First Friday Gallery Hop @ Downtown Arts District Association (W-S) 7 p.m.

Spoken Visions @ Art by STM Art Studio (HP) 7 p.m.

Open Streets/Streatery @ Downtown GSO/W-s 6 p.m.

Downtown Greensboro and downtown Winston-Salem are being transformed into outdoor dining spaces! Your favorite downtown eateries will be serving outside, on Fourth Street in Winston-Salem and Elm Street in Greensboro; shops will be having sidewalk sales and other on-site attractions. Visit DGI’s website and DWSP’s page to view a list of participating restaurants and retailers.

Amped Up Comedy Show @ the Comedy Zone (GSO) 7:30 p.m.

New exhibitions will be available to view in the downtown arts district. Wear your mask and check out the art!

SATURDAY Aug. 8

High Point Sprint Virtual Triathlon @ Oak Hollow Marina (HP) 7:45 a.m.

Ampston Hews has opened for Michael Blackson, DC Youngfly and Kountry Wayne and is taking his talents to the Comedy Zone during this standup event.

Tickets can be found on the Comedy Zone’s website.

Maintainment is hosting a literary experience featuring spoken-word artists and poets in this free event, the first at the gallery. If you’re interested in taking the stage, open mic sign-up will begin at 7 p.m. Be sure to take a mask — it’s required for this event.

FRIDAY Aug. 7

Free COVID-19 testing @ 1300 Ogden St (GSO) 4 p.m.

Old North State Medical Society is offering free testing in various areas of the community. Visit the ONSMS website to view future dates and locations.

Big Cheese Food Truck @ Natty

Greene’s Brewhouse (GSO) 5 p.m.

Big Cheese will be at Natty Greene’s ready to serve their cheesy varieties of sandwiches, subs and brunch. Visit their Facebook page to learn more about them.

SUNDAY Aug. 9

Duck Donuts @ Starmount Forest Country Club (GSO) 8 a.m.

You have between the Aug. 8-18 to virtually complete the 500-meter swim course, 12.4-mile bike course or 3.1 run course and submit your results. There will be an opportunity to win awards so visit the event page to get registered. This event is sanctioned by USA Triathlon. You must currently be a member of USAT or purchase a one-day membership with your registration to compete.

Brews & Barks Bootcamp @ Doggos Dog Park & Pub (GSO) 10 a.m.

6Feat trainers are heading to Doggos to lead this dog-friendly workout event. Admission is $20 and includes up to two dogs.

Humans must be at least 12 years old to participate and do not have to have a furry friend to join! The 40-minute workout will be met with a celebratory cider, beer, wine or snow-cone afterwards. Visit the event page for more information and to register.

Duck Donuts is going mobile! Online ordering is available but not required and can be done here.

La La Land @ Marketplace Drive-In Cinema (W-S) 8:45 p.m.

La La Land will be showing on the big screen at Marketplace Cinema. General tickets are $20 and can be purchased here.

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Aug. 6-12, 2020

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NEWS

by Jordan Green District 74 in western Forsyth is considered one of three most “pivotal” races in Democrats’ quest to regain control of the NC House.

Up Front News Opinion

Republican Jeff Zenger (left), a commercial and residential construction company owner is up against Democrat Dan Besse, who is serving his fifth term on the Winston-Salem city council, for the House District 74 seat.

lawmakers fail to abide by the rules.

Zenger’s campaign website does not include a position on redistricting.

Reached by phone on Tuesday morning, he said media requests were being handled by a campaign associate; the campaign did not respond before the deadline on Tuesday evening.

Healthcare, guns, education

The two candidates’ positions are far apart on virtually every issue.

Besse said he and other Democrats are committed to expanding Medicaid in North Carolina and to protecting coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. “If today’s Republican Party gets another decade of control of this legislature,” Besse charged, “they have signaled they will do everything they can to undercut genuine healthcare for

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states in the country, with a succession of maps drawn to favor the Republican majority that took control of both chambers in 2010. But asked whether his party’s zeal for reform might wane should they find themselves in the driver’s seat, Besse said unequivocally: “If Democrats win this fall in North Carolina, we will have redistricting reform. I and a lot of other Democrats will come with a commitment to redistricting reform. It’s not going to be just musical chairs on who’s abusing the rules.”

Besse said he personally favors establishing a nonpartisan redistricting commission to take map-drawing out of the hands of state lawmakers. But he said he would also support what he describes as “a legislative process under strict guidelines and judicial review” in which the decision would default to a judge if

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endorsed by Obama also includes Terri LeGrand, a candidate for Senate District 31 in Forsyth County, Roy Cooper for governor, Yvonne Holley for lieutenant governor, Ronnie Chatterji for treasurer, Jessica Holmes for labor commissioner and Cal Cunningham for US Senate (see coverage on page TK).

“We’ve been pointing out for months now that House District 74 is one of probably a half dozen state House races that will decide control of our North Carolina House of Representatives for not just the next term, which means in effect for the next decade,” Besse said. :The legislators elected this year will draw the district lines for the coming decade.”

Over the past decade, North Carolina has earned a national reputation as one of the most extremely gerrymandered

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Culture

Under ordinary circumstances, Jeff Zenger, a commercial and residential construction company owner and selfdescribed “principled conservative” who served eight years on the Lewisville Town Council, might have reason to feel confident about his prospects in House District 74.

Republican Debra Conrad carried the district by 9 points in her last election in 2018 (she resigned on July 31). But a remedial redistricting maps imposed by the courts in October 2019 suddenly made District 74 more favorable for a Democratic candidate. Party activists set their sights on 74 as one of three “pivotal districts” that “will likely be key in determining control of the NC House in 2020,” according to an analysis by the grassroots Democratic group Flip NC. (The other two are District 59 in Guilford County and District 82 in Cabarrus County.)

Beyond the redistricting boost, Democrats are feeling emboldened as widespread discontent about President Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic and the protests for racial justice threaten to drag down the entire GOP ticket. Democrat Dan Besse, an environmental lawyer who is serving his fifth term on Winston-Salem City Council, has raise more than 12 times as much money as Zenger, as of the most recent reporting period ending on June 30. The $211,363 total in receipts reported by the Besse campaign comes from 1,977 donations, which translates to an average contribution of $107. But the $27,163 tally so far from the NC Democratic Party House Caucus also shows that the party is heavily banking on a Besse win to help cement a governing majority.

On Monday, Besse received another boost — a coveted endorsement from President Obama.

“It was certainly a wonderful surprise,” Besse said. “President Obama was without a doubt in my mind the best president in my lifetime.” The slate of 118 Democratic candidates in 17 states

Aug. 6-12, 2020

House District 74 race in Forsyth considered “pivotal” for Dems

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Aug. 6-12, 2020 Up Front News Opinion Culture Shot in the Triad Puzzles

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House District 74 spans the northwestern section of Forsyth County.

people who need it the most.”

Zenger favors getting government out of healthcare, and he pledges on his campaign website to “advocate for innovative solutions such as Association Health Plans that put the individual consumer in control and remove costly, inefficient government-led plans.”

Besse, in turn, warns that Association Health Plans “have no requirements for insurance companies to continue to cover people with preexisting conditions” and “might work out as a way of dividing the market and cherry-picking the healthiest people.”

Zenger and Besse are also sending different signals to voters on the polarizing issue of guns.

Zenger’s website features a photo of him aiming a rifle, while he warns: “If we lose our ability to bear arms, all our other rights as Americans are vulnerable.”

Besse’s website includes a photo of him wearing a solemn expression and holding a sign declaring, “We can end gun violence.”

When Democrats retook control of the legislature in neighboring Virginia in early 2020, they pledged to enact an

SCREENSHOT

ambitious raft of gun-control legislation.

Dozens of cities and counties in Virginia enacted so-called “Second Amendment Sanctuary,” and the movement spread to several rural North Carolina counties in early 2020.

Besse said if Democrats retake control of the General Assembly, voters can expect gun legislation to be on the table.

“I think what you’ll see is an effort to adopt more common-sense gun safety rules,” he said. “I emphasize gun safety.

We’re not talking about eliminating the Second Amendment. We’re talking about closing the legal loopholes that help us keep guns from flooding onto the streets and falling uncontrollably into criminal use — closing the private-sale background check loophole. We need to do a much better job of promoting safe storage for guns that are legally owned.

We need to stop pretending that weapons of war have any legitimate role in public streets. Huge ammunition clips and silencers — what legitimate use do they have? None.”

Like other Democratic candidates, Besse advocates for more robust funding of public education and faults the current Republican majority for under-

funding education and allowing North Carolina’s national rankings for teacher pay and per-pupil spending to slip over the past decade.

“As things stand today, if you don’t have a laptop and you don’t have broadband access, you’re not going to be able to keep pace with the education you need without that,” Besse said. “It’s important that systematically we recognize that we need more teaching assistants in classrooms. We need more school nurses and counselors. We need to keep pace with neighboring states in how much we pay teachers. We haven’t done any of that because of the starvation diet this legislature has imposed on schools.”

Besse charged that Republicans’ priority is cutting taxes for corporations, not public education. “That’s why they arbitrarily decide to cut the tax rates to corporations,” he said, “then figure out how many crumbs can we toss on the plate of public schools.” He added that Republican lawmakers “are pushing to take more money away from the vast majority of our students and instead redirect it to the private schools.”

Zenger clearly takes a different tack.

The positions on his website on “government efficiency” and “education and school choice” spell out his philosophy on financing education. On the former he says, “In my time following politics, I’ve found a government of any size rarely that had a revenue problem. It is far more common to see a government filled with overspending, inefficiency and corruption.” On the latter, he says, “We must allow students and parents more flexibility in pursuing education.”

COVID pandemic, human rights

Besse said he would support Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s cautious approach to reopening the state’s economy and public schools as the coronavirus pandemic continues to chart an uncertain course.

“I vocally back Gov. Cooper’s sciencebased decision-making,” the candidate said. “I think we’re seeing positive results…. In states that have ignored that guidance, cases are spiraling out of control.”

Zenger’s website includes a page with links to resources to help weather the pandemic, but he does not articulate a policy position on the issue.

Besse said if Democrats retake the

House, they need to address human rights, civil rights and voting rights that have, in his view, severely eroded over the past decade.

The provision of HB 142 — the 2017 law that replaced the notorious HB 2 — prohibiting local governments from enacting protections against discrimination expires on Dec. 1. But Besse said he won’t be satisfied with just letting it die.

“We’ve got to yank that old rule out by the roots and go further to establish state-level protections,” he said. “There’s no excuse in our society for allowing people to be hired and not hired on the basis of who they love or denied housing and parental rights on the basis of who they love. It’s way past time to fix that.”

He also said the General Assembly needs to be responsive to the protests for racial justice that have swept the nation in the wake of the death of George Floyd.

“Too often our society has acted as though Black lives don’t matter,” Besse said. “We have to prove they do. We have to do that with police reform. We have to do that with putting resources into communities of color.”

Specifically, Besse said he would work for the repeal of a 2016 law sponsored

by Rep. John Faircloth (R-Guilford) that prohibits the release of police body-camera video without a court order.

Zenger’s website doesn’t reveal his positions on discrimination against LGBTQ people or police accountability, but his emphasis as a conservative is different. On one issue — abortion — his views are loud and clear.

“We must care for and protect innocent lives in the womb,” he says.

While 2020 in many ways looks like a replay of 2008 — a blue-wave election year that followed a mid-term election in which Democrats made significant inroads — Besse is not taking anything for granted.

“It’s looking good for positive change now, but we have to push as hard as we can now because our future depends on it,” he said. “If we slack off and they sneak up on us, that’s a catastrophe for at least the next generation. For a crisis like climate change, it will be longer than that. I’m taking this contest like my grandchildren’s lives depend on the outcome.”

Aug. 6-12, 2020 Up Front

News

Opinion

Culture

Shot in the Triad

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Aug. 6-12, 2020 Up Front News

Tillis, Cunningham race heats up with just three months until election

by Sayaka Matsuoka November is now less than three months away, which means that candidates are releasing campaign ads to try and win over voters or mobilize their bases. One of the most highly anticipated races in the state is for the US Senate seat in North Carolina between Democratic challenger Cal Cunningham and Republican incumbent Sen. Thom Tillis.

Cunningham, who was born in WinstonSalem, served as a state senator from 2001-03 and ran unsuccessfully for the US Senate in 2010, losing in the primary to Elaine Marshal, after a runoff. Now, Cunningham is running against Tillis, who has held the seat since 2015, in one of the key races that will determine which party controls the US Senate.

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Culture

Opinion

Republican attack ad claims Cunningham benefited from PPP; Cunningham pushes back

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The race between the two veteran politicians remained fairly quiet amid the pandemic until a few weeks ago, when a political attack ad aimed at Cunningham was pulled from North Carolina TV stations after Cunningham’s campaign stated that the ad wasn’t factually correct. The ad, which was paid for by the National Republican Senatorial Committee, tied Cunningham to a Paycheck Protection Program loan obtained by his former employer, WasteZero. Cunningham served as the vice president and general counsel for the Raleigh-based waste-reduction company starting in 2013, according to the company’s website, but Cunningham’s campaign told the Charlotte Observer he left the position on March 20, although he continues to work part-time for them.

The gist of the political ad, which began running on July 28, opens with a shot of Cunningham stating during a Spectrum News interview that PPP funding has sometimes “ended up in some of the wrong hands.” The 30-second ad then goes on to state that WasteZero, where Cunningham was formerly employed, obtained $2 million in PPP funding in May. Cunningham’s campaign told the Charlotte Observer that he hasn’t received any compensation of financial benefit from the PPP program and that he wasn’t involved in the application process.

A WRAL fact-check found Tillis’ claim that Cunningham benefitted from WasteZero’s PPP loans to be “half true” because Cunningham has criticized the way the program was implemented but

that evidence to show that he benefited could not be found.

In early July, Tillis helped introduce a bipartisan bill which would allow forgiveness for small business PPP loans of $150,000 or less.

“The Paycheck Protection Program played a crucial role in supporting small businesses and saving jobs for hardworking North Carolinians,” Tillis said in a news release. “I am proud to co-introduce this bipartisan legislation that will help small businesses save thousands of dollars by allowing forgiveness of their PPP loan and use those funds to help restart our economy.”

The attack ad was reworked by the National Republican Senatorial Committee to say that “wrong hands are tied to Cal Cunningham” rather than “those wrong hands were Cal Cunningham’s” and went back up on July 31.

Funding and polling shows Cunningham in lead

Cal Cunningham has been leading in recent polls against his

opponent.

Cunningham’s campaign website says the Republican attack ad was orchesthe state, which was set by former Sen. trated because recent poll numbers Kay Hagan, a Democrat, who raised show Cunningham leading his oppo$4.8 million in the third quarter of her nent. Analyses by FiveThirtyEight and 2014 reelection bid before she lost to RealClearPolitics currently show CunTillis. ningham leading Tillis by about 9 points One reason Tillis’ polling numbers in the upcoming race. FiveThirtyEight could be trailing is his close connection categorizes the race as a “toss-up.” to President Trump, whose own ratings When it comes to funding, Cunninghave fallen in the last several months. As ham again leads Tillis by a wide margin. voters associate Republican candidates According to July quarterly finance filwith the president, Trump’s mishanings, the Cunningham campaign raised dling of the coronavirus pandemic may $7.4 million in the second quarter of impact how the year, nearly voters view tripling Tillis’ Elections will be held on Nov. 3.

Tillis, who has total fundraising aligned himself amount of $2.6 For more election coverage, visit closely with the million for the triad-city-beat.com/category/ president. Acsame timeframe. cording to data According to election-2020/. from FiveThirFederal ElectyEight, Trump tion Commishas a 54.6 disapproval rating that is sion data, Cunningham’s campaign has climbing and a 41.4 approval rating that raised more than $15.1 million since is sinking. FiveThirtyEight also shows June 2019 and currently has about that Tillis’ career score, measuring how $6.6 million ending cash on hand. Tiloften he votes in line with Trump’s lis’ campaign, on the other hand, has positions, is 93.4 percent. Recent polling raised $14.3 million since 2015. The numbers compiled by RealClearPolitics Tillis campaign has $6.8 million ending also mostly give a leg-up to Democratic cash on hand. And despite the fact that challenge Joe Biden for many states, Tillis has slightly more cash on hand with North Carolina favoring Biden by than Cunningham, reports show that 4 points according to a CBS News/Youthe challenger has consistently raised Gov poll. Watching the trends, David more than Tillis this year. Cunningham’s McLennan, a political science professor whopping $7.4 million haul breaks the at Meredith College recently told the previous quarterly fundraising record in

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Christian Science Monitor: “Tillis is in the same boat as some other [Republican] senators who are in trouble. They are all trying to walk this tightrope and it’s a challenging tightrope to walk.”

According to CSM’s report, Tillis has balanced singing the president’s praises in some instances, like during the state’s GOP convention in early July, which was livestreamed on Facebook, with distancing himself in political television ads and during townhall events.

“Maybe in rural places Tillis will show up” said McLennan, “but if the president shows up in Raleigh or Charlotte, maybe Tillis will have something else to do that day, like wash his hair.”

Tillis and Cunningham, and the coronavirus

As the coronavirus surged through the nation and the state, both Cunningham and Tillis announced plans for how best to tackle the pandemic. Tillis, who unveiled a 13-page plan on his website on July 23, outlined action items such as finding ways to increase domestic production of personal protection equipment for healthcare workers, and expediting approval and deployment of testing, and promotion of faster treatment and cures for the virus. Tillis was one of few Republicans who supported Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s stay-at-home restrictions in March, and one of the few

Culture Shot in the Triad Puzzles

pandemic continues to surge in the state, data has consistently shown that Black and Brown communities are disproportionately affected by the virus. Cunningham argues for better data collection on racial and ethnic demographics for COVID-19 as well as building on the Affordable Care Act to help close coverage gaps for Black Americans to access healthcare.

On July 14, Tillis stirred up controversy when he said during a tele-town hall that Latinx people are less likely to wear a mask and adhere to social-distancing measures. The audio clip, which was released by Democratic super PAC American Bridge, captures Tillis saying, “One of the concerns that we’ve had more recently is that the Hispanic population now constitutes about 44 percent of the positive cases, and we do have some concerns that in the Hispanic population we’ve seen less consistent adherence to social distancing and wearing a mask.”

Almost immediately, Tillis faced a backlash from Democratic representatives on Twitter, including Rep. Ruben Gallego of Arizona, who argued that Latinx individuals are more likely to get coronavirus because they tend to be frontline workers in industries like meat processing and construction where it’s difficult to maintain social distancing.

Questions to Tillis’ office were not returned in time for publication.

Opinion

to mention early on the importance of wearing masks, which the Republican party and the president resisted.

Tillis, who outlined his plan about a week ago, has been criticized by his opponent for not being more vocal on issues surrounding the coronavirus from the beginning. As early as March 9, Cunningham’s campaign was posting news releases on its website calling for Tillis to ask the federal government to deliver test kits to our state. In May, Cunningham released his own plan for tackling COVID-19, including several action items in line with Tillis’ July 23 plan. Calls for widespread testing and more PPE as well as providing financial support for research institutions to develop vaccines were also seen Tillis’ recent plan.

Differences between Tillis and Cunningham’s plans lie in their approaches to how best to take care of families financially. Cunningham’s plan includes safety-net measures like building upon the Affordable Care Act and expanding tax credits, while Tillis’ plan focuses more on businesses rather than individuals and families, like his “Back to Work Child Care Grants Act of 2020,” which would provide nine months of financial assistance for daycares. Cunningham’s plan calls on an expansion of paid sick and family leave for employees.

Another key difference between the two candidates’ plans is Cunningham’s attention to the way COVID-19 has affected communities of color. As the

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News

Republican incumbent Thom Tillis has had to reckon with his close ties to President Trump as his polling numbers fell in recent weeks.

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Aug. 6-12, 2020

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Aug. 6-12, 2020

OPINION

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EDITORIAL

USPS drowning in Louis de Joy’s Irving Park bathtub It looks from here like Postmaster Genof its 10 largest clients — FedEx, UPS and eral Louis DeJoy, of Greensboro, hates Amazon among them. the US Postal Service.

This is the loan President Trump said All conservatives do — USPS is a fine he’d withhold until they quadrupled prices. example of a useful, affordable and effecBecause why should it cost just 55 cents to tive government service, which conservasend a letter from New York to California? tives believe the government should not Someone could make a buck off that! be in the business of doing.

Now, we have the specter of the 2020 And it exists independent of the election, which will rely more than usual profit motive, which is anathema to the on timely, affordable and accurate mail conservative philosophy delivery, all of it overseen — because why shouldn’t

by Louis DeJoy. someone make a buck off DeJoy — and, for that this? matter, his wife Dr. Aldona What to do when The Post Office has Wos — is an unabashed long been in the crosshairs political operative, the postmaster of the GOP. In 2006, the responsible for hundreds general hates the Bush administration dealt of millions of dollars in a fatal blow, requiring the donations to Republican post office.

USPS to fund its pension candidates and GOPand medical payouts for friendly causes. They’ve the next 75 years, a term hosted presidents Bush unheard of in the public and Trump iun their Irving or private sector. The timeline gave the Park home. His appointment to postmasagency 10 years to sock away $110 billion, ter general, though, is more than just a which is an awful lot of stamps. That reward for a job well done. period ended in 2016.

The new deal allows DeJoy, who spent Fast-forward to the coronavirus age: most of his professional life in the logistics Like virtually every other business and and distribution business, a deep trove concern in the world, the USPS found of information on lucrative contracts. It itself on shaky footing. But while Congress serves to erode faith in the mail, which turned on the tap in terms of unemployDeJoy has already abetted by making ment payouts and business loans both major changes to the mail stream and carlarge and small, the USPS got frozen out. rier operations.

It eventually borrowed $10 billion from the And that gives Trump more ammuniTreasury Department last week; in turn, tion in his quest to de-legitimize the 2020 the Post Office agreed to turn over details election.

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Aug. 6-12, 2020

Nik Snacks ‘It is not a good time’: How my life has changed due to COVID-19

J

Up Front News Opinion Culture

In pre-pandemic times, I’d text my friends, swoop lipstick across my face and sprint out the door.

dance with abandon at crowded nightclubs and bars.

It is not a good time.

I’m feeling so sickened and scared; I fear that the future of the hospitality industry is doomed. But I continue to hope. I have hope that the restaurant community will trim bottom lines and collectively make sure no one fails. I have hope that a new norm of restaurant dining will blossom and flourish. I have hope that the industry will once again welcome its hungry masses with open arms and open tabs. I’ve lost my appetite, but I still have hope.

Puzzles

to weather the loss of a paycheck. But they’re also at tremendous risk from exposure to diners who open their mouths to order, eat while some scream about the indignity of being asked to wear masks to protect their fellow humans.

Outdoor dining has resumed with fervor and I hate it. I find myself crossing the street to avoid the sight and sounds of unmasked diners, even as I envy them. I, too, would like a break from the increasingly crushing monotony of my own home kitchen, and delivery from local spots I’d like to stay see in business forever. I’d like not to flinch when characters on TV shake hands or

COURTESY PHOTO

Shot in the Triad

ust like thousands of hospitality workers and employees of local companies, my job and life as a culinary professional is under attack. The shutdown has affected me in more ways than one. Even though restaurants

by Nikki Miller-Ka are open at 50 percent capacity, I’m just not ready. Nowadays I’d have to dress in a suit of armor under the guise of PPE, Google search each restaurant, take note of the new hours, document the new and truncated menus and hope for the best.

Customer service as we know it is gone. There are no more lengthy, casual conversations; it’s hard to convey empathy and joy from behind a mask. Asking servers and other restaurant workers for an additional ramekin of ranch or more napkins all seem excessive when lives and incomes are on the line.

I want to. I want go out to eat and enjoy myself.

In pre-pandemic times, I’d text my friends, “See you in 20!,” swoop some lipstick across my face and sprint out the door. My favorite bartender would see me walk in, and while she’d go through the pretense of asking, we’d both know it’s an IPA and she’d have already started pouring it in a mug. Hugs and handshakes from friends, banter with the veteran servers and various managers, a burger (cooked med rare with melted pepper-jack and a slick of hot sauce, black-bean corn salad instead of fries — or maybe not), and deep, guttural laughter from the depths of our souls fill the air while we cap it all off with a little too much Fireball because hey why not, and I glide home in an Uber with my heart and belly full. It’s a celebration. It’s just so normal.

All of that feels like a different life. And I don’t think we’ll ever get it back.

The last time I took up residence at any bar was on March 14, which I remember quite vividly because I led a food tour in downtown Greensboro. I had to smile and hold back tears because as we left each stop, the restaurants all but locked their doors behind us. I did the only thing I could: finish quickly, pray my guests tipped heavily and say a heartfelt thank you to the them.

“I hope we’ll be back soon!”

Now the restaurants are back — some of them — with a thousand precautions and protocols and outdooronly seating, limited delivery options and no to-go cocktails but cocktail mixers, beer and wine sales seem to be booming. I just can’t make myself sit down at a table to join everybody else. I’m too afraid.

Not of them but for them.

People who work in hospitality are my personal heroes and my friends. They keep my belly full, feed me with gossip, fuel my employment and they’re all among the most vulnerable people in the workforce.

Many haven’t gotten any sort of government-based unemployment assistance because of documentation status or because of overwhelmed and antiquated systems. Many restaurant workers don’t have an option to not return to work, because they’re the least able

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Aug. 6-12, 2020 Up Front News Opinion Culture Shot in the Triad Puzzles

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CULTURE Angie the Rose breathes vivid, colorful life onto her canvases

by Sayaka Matsuoka

Y

ou’ve probably seen her work before.

Broad, colorful brushstrokes that branch out from a central point and create a sprouting form of rapturous color. Bright pinks and teal greens interact and weave in and out from one another in tear-shaped droplets that form clouds or tornadoes or, on rare occasions, the artist herself.

Greensboro artist Angela Barker, known by her artist name as Angie the Rose, has been creating art since she was a child in the mountainous landscape of western North Carolina.

“Ever since I was a little girl, those were the most vivid memories I have from my childhood,” Barker says. “I was either playing in a mountain forest or making art. I was really obsessed with horses and I drew what I saw or painted what I saw back then.”

Since then, Barker has moved past representational art to the forays of abstract visualizations. Her pieces evoke images of the natural world like plants or horizons, but Barker explains that much of her work, particularly the Molecular Series for which she’s known, draws inspiration from the small molecules that make up our bodies. In July, she debuted her first solo exhibit named after the series at the Revolution Mill’s Central Gallery, and many of her pieces can be seen at area shops like Vivid Interiors, Tiny Greenhouse and Lao. Barker says she started the Molecular Series, which is characterized by a cacophony of primary and secondary colors that branch across canvases, about six years ago during a difficult time in her life. The artist, who is now 32 years old, was going through a kind of quarter-life crisis and had just finished what she calls her Dark and Moody series, the first cohesive collection of art she made as an artist.

“It was kind of depressing,” she says about Dark and Moody. “I didn’t know what I was doing with my life but once I was done with the series and I had gotten all of this funk out of me, I realized that it was time to work with colors again. It was about embracing a healing process of sorts.”

At the onset of the series, the shapes Barker created tended to be more insular and closed off. More recently, she has been paying a woodworker to create cutout wooden shapes to make the pieces more three-dimensional and open.

“In the beginning they were closed like a bud,” she says. “I was going through a hard time in my life, and the more I started healing, the more [the shapes] started opening up.”

Barker’s intent was to emphasize the importance of human bodies and what goes on beneath the surface.

Part of that was finding a way to empower women through her art and depicting that gender or sex doesn’t limit any person’s capabilities in life.

“There should be no limitations because we have a vagina,” she says. “You can be a woman and choose to love bright and cheery colors and choose to have depth behind that.”

As visitors go to see the works at her new exhibit in person, Barker encourages them to listen to music.

She says she likes to listen to lo-fi beats and German composer Nils Frahm as she paints, and offers them as suggestions.

COURTESY PHOTO Barker says she’s had more time to paint during the coronavirus pandemic As the soft beats play because she doesn’t have to commute to her job in Chapel Hill. through my headphones, the humming of the AC unit at my workday, I can shut my laptop and fully immerse myself in the century-old mill fades away and the vibrancy of Barker’s painting.” pieces begin to pop against the beige walls of the gallery. In And like before, when she faced personal struggles in her Barker’s Flora pieces, bursting tendrils reach out from a center twenties, painting continues to be a way for Barker to stay in point as they bend and arch and drip towards the floor. In tune with her emotions, to find balance. She says she picks the Changes, the artist’s kaleidoscopic colors remain encapsulated colors she uses depending on her mood or the season, and the in a white circle, resembling a vibrant snow globe. The hypkinds of shapes she paints are determined by what’s going on nagogic lo-fi pop imbues a kind of psychedelic element to the in her life, too. While she normally doesn’t do many portraits, pieces while the minor piano notes in Frahm’s compositions Barker says she’s been painting herself recently as a way to relend themselves to a more melancholic, introspective experiexamine who she is as a person. ence. Like a soundtrack in a movie, the music brings the art to “My parents are going through a life, allowing visitors to imagine the divorce,” she says. “I wanted to slice trajectory of Barker’s pigments past out the part of myself that my dad the limitations of their canvas. And Learn more about Angie at @ contributed to. Like, How can I be mythat’s really the artist’s goal. angietherose on Instagram, on self with him still in me? and How can I “I’m trying to make these creatures, change or how can I learn to accept who Facebook and on her website at these molecular beings more tangible I am?” in the world,” she says. “On a canvas angietherose.com.

Barker says she eventually wants to their trapped but when they’re cut out, be able to work full time as an artist they could reach out and grab you.” and says she’ll continue evolving her And even though she’s disappointed Molecular Series, maybe even venturing out to do installation that her first solo show happened during a pandemic, Barker type pieces. says COVID has given her more time to paint outside of her “I’m just trying to be a happy little artist with my rainbow day job as a front-end web developer. palette,” she says. “It’s who I am. If I’m not creating some sort “It’s freed up my time so much more,” she says. “I don’t of abstract reality or playing with colors, I don’t know who I have to worry about commuting…. As soon as I’m done with am.”

by Michaela Ratliff

W

Up Front News Opinion

Raman Bhardwaj poses with his mural of Lupita Nyong’o at the art garden in Greensboro off Pisgah Church Road.

CAROLYN DE BERRY

Shot in the Triad Puzzles

broken chains to pay homage to the actor’s role as Patsey in pened.

12 Years a Slave for which she won an Academy Award for Best “I got a good break into a leading English newspaper in my Supporting Actress . The chains are symbolic of the end of city as a cartoonist,” he says. slavery, but the third eye on Nyong’o’s forehead raises a quesHe would continue to work for the newspaper for a decade tion about the accuracy of that. before quitting to be a full-time freelancer, which eventually “It’s like a double play,” he says, “a hint to her movie, and brought him to Greensboro. He settled in Greensboro due also, the slavery chains have been broken so many years ago to its close proximity to a lot of his clients, and he loved the but the mental slavery of the race in invisible form, that’s the equal mix of busy and quiet areas around the city. question. Are they still broken?”

He painted the front of the building at Food Lion on Lees The third eye was also a reference to his own culture, repChapel Rd., and he is currently working on a painting at the resenting inner consciousness. He ultimately wants people to outdoor seating area of Burger Warfare — both of which are open their eyes and become more aware of what is happening properties owned by Kotis. He is also scheduled to paint a around them. mural at Fairview Elementary School in Bhardwaj is from Chandigarh, India but High Point. When it comes to art, Bhardwaj Learn more about Raman has been in the United States on an artist says he is consumed by it, stating that art by following him on Insvisa since 2018. He realized he was artistic is his life. tagram at @artistraman around six years old, but it wasn’t until “I’m either creating art, reading about it, seventh grade that his father convinced or watching someone else’s,” he says. and at ramanartist.com. him to attend art school. That same year, media of choice include acrylic paint, The art exhibit is located at oilHis he began illustrating books, officially startpaint and charcoal. He finds joy in 1316 Lees Chapel Rd. ing his art career. His dad was a writer with watching himself improve as he continues publisher friends, and a young Bhardwaj and creating the Lupita mural was Bhardtook advantage of the opportunity to waj’s way of speaking truth to power. build connections. Those publisher friends purchased his art, “I just want people to open up their eyes and appreciate which boosted his confidence. He continued to do illustrations Black and brown people,” he says. “That’s about it.” throughout college and his final year, something big hap-

Culture

here are you going to find a husband? How are you going to find someone darker than you?”

Those were the words Oscar-winning actor Lupita Nyong’o heard from her second-grade teacher. Hatred for her dark skin continued until she viewed The Color Purple, a film based on the novel of the same name about a woman married off to an abusive man by her father. She endures years of abuse using reunification with her sister as motivation to survive. It was seeing the representation by a dark-skinned actress in the starring role that made Nyong’o realize she could be successful with her dark skin, too.

Throughout her career, she has made it a point to be a role model for young Black girls, teaching them that lighter skin does not make them more beautiful.

Inspired by Nyong’o, Greensboro artist Raman Bhardwaj chose her as his muse in one of his latest murals.

One of Greensboro developer Marty Kotis’ latest projects is his street gallery located just off North Church Street in Greensboro next to Food Lion. The gallery is ongoing, consisting of some complete projects and some blank walls.

Paths were created to make walking through the gallery easier. String lights hang above the area, illuminating the area at night and making the colors in the art really pop.

Bhardwaj has participated in street projects led by developer Marty Kotis before. This new gallery is a collective of graffiti, anime inspired fan art, and abstract pieces created by artists from all over, but the mural of Nyong’o, with her voluminous afro and piercing gaze immediately captures viewers’ attention. The mural took about 20 hours to complete and consists only of spray paint, according to Bhardwaj. Bhardwaj chose Nyong’o due to her outspokenness on the beauty of dark skin and her unique, intense face.

“I wanted to dedicate this to Black beauty and the beauty of Black people and appreciate it,” he says, “not just on the surface.”

He also wanted to raise awareness to issues plaguing the Black community, such as systemic racism and police brutality.

“I felt like this was a good opportunity to say something about it,” he says.

In the background behind Nyong’o’s portrait, Bhardwaj painted a link of

Aug. 6-12, 2020

CULTURE Raman Bhardwaj creates ode to Black beauty at street gallery

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Lake Brandt Road, Greensboro

Aug. 6-12, 2020 Shot in the Triad

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Summer afternoon at Lake Brandt.

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Opinion Culture Shot in the Triad Puzzles

1 They’re out to pasture 10 Words before “your mother” or “your father” 15 Prepared statement 16 Slip 17 Verdi opera originally titled “La maledizione” (“The Curse”) 18 ___ Sel‰nne, highest-scoring Finn in NHL history 19 Short gamut 20 Measures of loudness 21 Change direction sharply 23 Does a dairy duty 27 “Them!” creature 28 Cry of accomplishment 30 WWE wrestler ___ Mysterio ©2020 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@jonesincrosswords.com) 31 Iconic “Lady and the Tramp” song whose title means “Beautiful Night” 33 Elemento numero 79 34 CLE player 35 Middle of a French Revolution motto 36 Pharmacy chain with unusually long receipts 37 Card seen in skat 38 Risky purchase 40 Places for Whoppers, briefly 41 Frigid ocean areas that can be seasonal or Answers from last issue permanent 42 Site for mil. planes 14 Cereal on “The Simpsons” where 43 Record producer Mike ___, or actress Bart ingested some jagged metal ___ Kaye 22 Small-screen movie, quaintly 44 Go with the flow, maybe?

23 One in charge 48 Minimal 24 Admire excessively 50 Hull backbone 25 Told, as a secret 51 Rod Stewart’s “Lost ___” 26 ___ Bachika (“Gurren Lagann” anime character 52 Extended who I just found out is a human and not a cat) 57 Make grime pay?

29 ___ De Spell (“DuckTales” character voiced 58 Moved forward, perhaps

by Catherine Tate in the 2017 reboot) 59 River through France and Belgium 31 Place for neighborly gossip 60 Vacation purchase with a possibly 32 Samuel L. Jackson movie that Roger Ebert aggressive sales pitch called the best film of 1997 34 Adherence to mystic doctrines Down 39 Wisconsin city known for kids’ overalls 1 Harness part 45 Yiddish gossip 2 Nation where kreyÚl ayisyen is spoken 46 “I gotta go feed the ___” 3 Bush or Clinton, informally 47 Hitch in haste 4 Game for NFL all-stars 49 ___-chef 5 Daughter of Loki 52 1-800-CALL-___ 6 One of the saisons (bygone collect call service) 7 Dirty groove?

53 “What ___ know?”

8 “The 5,000 Fingers of ___” 54 DeLuise in many outtakes with (1953 Dr. Seuss film) Burt Reynolds 9 ___-Caps (movie candy brand) 55 Get by, with “out” 10 Increases in difficulty, like a hike 56 ___ EFX (“Mic Checka” hip-hop group) 11 Vowel-rich cookie 12 Category for Styx and (arguably) the Stones 13 “Wow, that was rude!”

EVENTS

Aug. 6-12, 2020

CROSSWORD ‘Getting Free K’—reaching #1000! I say 28 Across! SUDOKU

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