TCB March 21, 2024 — 10 years

10 YEARS

503 ISSUES

8,000+ STORIES

30+ WRITERS

11+ MILLION VIEWS

15 AWARDS

TRIAD CITY BEAT CELEBRATES A DECADE

THURSDAY

MARCH 21 - 23

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Paw Crawl @ Incendiary Brewing (WS) 5 p.m.

Forsyth Humane Society’s Paw Crawl is back at Incendiary Brewing this month. Bring your pet to meet the team and learn more about how to foster, adopt, volunteer or support shelter pets in Forsyth County. More information on the Facebook event page

Perseverance — Spring Dance Concert @ Hayworth Fine Arts Center (HP) 7:30 p.m.

High Point University’s spring dance concert, directed by Lindsey Howie, features choreography by HPU students and will show for three evenings. Visit highpoint.edu for more information and to purchase tickets.

FRIDAY

Community TechDay @ Benton Convention Center (W-S) 10 a.m.

Pathway Community Foundation in partnership with the city of Winston-Salem is hosting the WinstonSalem Community TechDay and North Carolina HBCU Smart Cities Showcase highlighting accomplishments in tech by local and national companies. Participants will enjoy technology exhibits, a career fair, networking opportunities and more. Register at pathwayoz.com/ community-tech-day

Green Party @ Boxcar Event Space (GSO) 8 p.m.

Guilford Green Foundation is excited to announce its annual GAYla is extending to a weekend-long shindig.

Dance to music by Tomie B and view drag performances by Giselle Cassidy Carter as Brenda the Drag Queen emcees the night. Tickets include a drink ticket and appetizers from Empanada Grill. Find tickets and more information at guilfordgreenfoundation.org/green-party

Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro @ High Point Theatre (HP) 8 p.m.

Piedmont Opera is bringing Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro to the stage. Watch on as Figaro’s wedding day is riddled with hilarious inconveniences, including being chased by an old spinster. Buy tickets at piedmontopera. org/marriage-of-figaro

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SATURDAY

Summer Hiring Event @ Truist Building, Third Floor, McAdoo Room (GSO) 10 a.m.

Guilford County Parks is hosting a summer hiring event just ahead of the pool season, looking for skilled lifeguards and pool managers. Secure your spot at a hiring event prior to attending at bit.ly/24GCPSumJobs

CITY LIFE

MARCH

Storybook Tales @ Carolina Theatre (GSO) 2 p.m., 7 p.m.

The Greensboro Ballet is partnering with Carolina Theatre for a production of Storybook Tales featuring a Coppélia Suite from the comic ballet Coppélia in which “a jealous young lady finds out her fiancé is infatuated with a lifesize doll.” Children will find delight in Fancy Nancy and the Mermaid Ballet based on the children’s book of the same name. Purchase tickets at carolinatheatre.com

The Breakfast Club @ 1614 DrinksMusic - Billiards (HP) 8 p.m.

Spend an evening rocking to popular hits performed by the Breakfast Club, the “longest running, most recognized ’80’s tribute band in the United States.” Visit the event page on Facebook to purchase tickets.

SUNDAY

Drink & Draw @ Wise Man Brewing (WS) 3 p.m.

Wise Man Brewing invites you to drink and hang out with host and artist Taylor P. Starnes during Drink & Draw. Bring your own materials. More information on the Facebook event page

WEDNESDAY

Voices for Change: Dismantling Racism, One Policy at a Time @ UNCG School of Education Building, Room 114 (GSO) 5:30 p.m.

White Voices Against Racism is hosting a four-part educational series offering an exploration of the “historical and contemporary issues surrounding systemic racism.” On this day, talk with Leah Rothstein, co-author of Just Action: How to Challenge Segregation Enacted Under the Color of Law and Sue Schwartz, City of Greensboro Planning Director and President-Elect of the American Planning Association. Visit www.wvar.love for more information.

THURSDAY

Egg Hunt Extravaganza @ Freddy’s (HP) 10:30 a.m.

Only this Freddy’s location is hosting an egg hunt extravaganza for “Fred Heads” to win eggs with special prizes inside. More information on the Facebook event page

Night Church: An Immersive Theatrical Dance Party @ Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts (WS) 7 p.m.

This 2.5 hour dance party by DOSE Artist Collective celebrates art in the community through an immersive experience. Purchase tickets at intothearts.org/campusevents/night-church

To Brian, congratulations on 10 years, and thank you

by Sayaka Matsuoka

The lantern and the mirror.

Those are the two things that Brian often likes to say symbolizes journalism. In the dark, when information is scarce like in the pandemic, journalism lights the way. And when our society has fractured, caused harm to those undeserving like in the cases of police brutality and the resulting Black Lives Matter movement, journalism acts as a mirror.

But I think about how my mentor symbolizes those two things, too.

I started my journey into journalism the same year that Triad City Beat was founded. Fresh out of college with a degree in art history, I applied for an internship at the newly minted publication and was soon learning the trade on the job. Under the mentorship of Brian, Jordan and Eric in those early years, I caught the bug, and I’ve been chasing it ever since.

In the six or seven years that I’ve been working with TCB since returning to Greensboro in 2018, I’ve worked under Brian’s direct mentorship. And it’s been nothing short of life changing.

writing clips for different publications in the Triangle. And when I came back in 2018, he was happy to hire me back at TCB as a staff writer. Quickly, I moved up the ranks to associate editor and then managing editor where I sit now.

And sure, we were short staffed and he needed the help, but he’s always invested in my career in ways big and small.

He’s helped me get to national conferences and land a seat on the board. He’s edited and worked through hundreds of my pieces when it was just us two editing work in the metaphorical newsroom. He was the one I would call when I was frustrated, confused, discouraged, pissed off about a story. And always, he’s been the mirror that reflected back what he knew to be true: That I was good at this job, and I belonged in the alternative press.

And he’s always been supportive, not just as an extension of TCB, but as a mentor who cares deeply about those he’s helping to guide. Every time I’ve thought about leaving TCB, he’s taken it in stride. In fact, he’s even encouraged me to seek greater positions, anything to further my career and help me grow as a journalist.

“I’m not here to trap you, I’m here to help you in any way I can.”

That’s what he would say. And it’s been so true.

BUSINESS

PUBLISHER/EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Brian Clarey brian@triad-city-beat.com

PUBLISHER EMERITUS

Allen Broach allen@triad-city-beat.com

TCB IN A FLASH @ triad-city-beat.com

He’s who taught me how to write — the kind of sentences that capture a reader, that show, don’t tell.

He’s who taught me that shoe leather is still one of the most important parts of the job, even when our industry becomes increasingly digital.

He’s the one who taught me the importance of a work-life balance even when he didn’t really believe it for himself. He’s been the lantern that’s guided my career.

And he’s always believed in me.

After I moved away from Greensboro at the end of my internship in 2014, I started

Many of us think of TCB as an entity that has grown over the last decade through a collective effort. Dozens of writers and artists have passed through its pages, but only one person has been the anchor, the ink, the pulp of the paper, through it all. And that’s Brian Clarey.

Of course, we have everyone who has contributed to the work to thank for the last 10 years. But without Brian, it wouldn’t exist at all.

So congratulations Brian on 10 years of being an incredible boss, newsmaker and friend. And thank you.

A Decade in the Making: Triad City Beat looks back on 10 years

BY STAFF, FRIENDS AND ALUMNI

Sometimes retrospectives feel a little forced.

We were guilty of that at Triad City Beat, particularly in the early days when we were trying so hard to make our mark.

But 10 years — 10 years! — is a significant enough milestone that it feels right to devote most of our entire issue to the work we’ve done to get here, the people who did it and others who made everything possible.

A newspaper is nothing without its readers. Giving people something to read is more or less the whole point of the thing. Of course, we always strived for more than just words on a page. For us, it has always been about pulling out those stories that might not otherwise be told, finding a counter-narrative to the prevailing wisdom, bearing witness to the important events of our time, taking a stand when the occasion calls for it.

Things have changed around here over the years: We’ve had dozens of writers, designers and photographers pass through our ranks. Our cities have matured in the last 10 years — so many coffeeshops and breweries! — and our editorial goals have morphed along with the climate for media and politics in the Triad, though our mission remains the same and the work is still as satisfying as ever.

The work is what we bring today: 10 lists of 10 items each, culled from our pages, that together tell the story of who we are, and who we hope to be.

I truly hope you enjoy this romp through our 10-year history as much as I did looking back on all TCB has accomplished in its time, and these elements that make it what it is.

— Brian Clarey, publisher

Black Lives Matter

The first time the words “Black Lives Matter” appeared in our work was Dec. 5, 2014 as it was chanted by a group of protesters in Greensboro, and then again a couple weeks later by BLM protesters in Winston-Salem, who blocked the entrance to Hanes Mall right before Christmas. We covered the movement extensively, with some of our best materializing during the Racial Reckoning protests in the summer of 2020. We also covered those who made the movement necessary: Marcus Smith, John Neville, Nasanto Antonio Crenshaw, Joseph Lopez Jr., Fred Cox, Chieu Di Thi Vo and the many others who died at the hands of law enforcement in the Triad. 1

Triad Stage

10 BIG STORIES THAT SHAPED THE TRIAD

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For months we sat on allegations of sexual assault by Triad Stage founder Preston Lane, until he announced his retirement and we were able to convince some sources to go on the record. We followed the scandal as it wound through UNCG’s theater department, and then across T-Stage’s resurgence and eventual dissolution in June 2023.

UNCG

We were there in May 2015 when Frank Gilliam took over as chancellor at UNCG. Since that time we’ve covered his victories and his travails, from expansion of the school to the most recent round of austerity that included major cuts to programs.

COVID-19

The pandemic posed an existential crisis for TCB. We lost every single one of our advertisers and were pretty sure we’d go under. But we leaned into the news anyway, publishing nightly updates on the slow encroachment of COVID-19 in the Triad, detailing the advent of the vaccine and helping to understand what it all meant for our region.

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Abortion access

Even before the repeal of Roe v. Wade, we’ve been keeping tabs on abortion access in the Triad, including pieces on protests and policy, reports from clinics and their pressure points on a person’s right to choose.

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Pushback against Trump

We covered the rise of Trump starting in August 2015 — Jordan Green was the only one on staff who thought (knew) he would win the presidency the next year. We watched, bewildered, as he swept through the primary season and then fact-checked his Greensboro appearance and documented the atrocities of his supporters. When the worst happened on Election Night 2016, we swung into action with a strong cover image, and a new section “Trump’s America,” where we detailed our national descent into madness, along with a guide on how to resist the creep of fascism in our country. We followed up with reams of coverage about the alt-right, Jan. 6 and other disasters Trump has wrought.

Crystal Towers

10 CELEBRITY INTERVIEWS

Nikole Hannah Jones

We had the opportunity to interview NHJ when she visited the Triad in 2019, right after she had launched the 1619 Project for the New York Times. During her call, Jones told TCB that “all [she] ever wanted to write about was racial inequality.” And it’s been a throughline in her work from the time she covered the Durham Public Schools for the News and Observer to her work at ProPublica and now at the Times

Nick Offerman

Ginsburg had a chance to interview her. At the time, she talked about how the school “is the sort of place where nothing changes but everything is different.” She talked about her family roots in WinstonSalem and her plans for teaching at her alma mater, where she still teaches.

Ken Jeong

High Point rising

From the early days, when Al Heggins was released for talking about white supremacy, to the Andres Duany fiasco that eventually cost Wendy Fuscoe her job with the city, all the way up to the vote on reparations, the new ballpark, the football club and other hallmarks of downtown development, we’ve watched High Point rise.

LGBTQIA2S+ coverage

Our coverage of the LGBTQIA2S+ community has been a bedrock of of TCB from the beginning. From an investigation into a trans person ejected from Greene Street Club on LGBTQ night, to the economic devastation wrought by HB2, to the continued demonization of the people who continue to be marginalized today.

Brewery boom

We first wrote about Crystal Towers, the embattled low-income highrise in downtown Winston-Salem, for our Feb. 25, 2015 issue: a history of the building and two others — Sunrise Towers and Healy Towers — in the city. Most recently we’ve been clocking the deteriorating conditions for the people who live there, including fire hazards, mold and faulty elevators. 7 9 8 10

There were just a small handful of Triad breweries when we started in 2014, and we’ve covered all the hits (Preyer Brewing, Brewer’s Kettle, XII Tribes, Wise Man and others) and misses (remember Stone Brewing?). Even now, when it seems like every neighborhood has its own brewery, we continue to report on this important beat.

In his conversation with TCB from 2023, actor Nick Offerman talked about how comedy has shaped his career, while juxtaposing that with his dedicated and delicate role as Bill in the Last of Us, for which he won an Emmy. “It was pretty daunting insofar as I hadn’t had a dramatic role,” he told TCB. Offerman also touched on his longtime relationship with wife and comedic partner, Megan Mullally and how music, writing and woodworking are some of his lesserknown passions.

Malcolm Gladwell

In his beer and drinks column, Eric Ginsburg got a chance to sit down with author Malcolm Gladwell who he found out only drinks four things: red wine, espresso-based coffee drinks, water and tea. The revelation built the foundation for the piece, which is still one of our favorite celebrity interviews.

Melissa Harris-Perry

Like Nikole Hannah-Jones, many in the Triad don’t know that Melissa HarrisPerry has roots in the area. As a Wake Forest alumna, Perry returned to campus back in 2017 as the new Maya Angelou Presidential Chair, which is when Eric

As a senior at Page High School, Ken Jeong — famous for “Community,” The Hangover, Crazy Rich Asians and his own TV show, “Dr. Ken,” which ran from 201517 — was nominated for Mr. Buccaneer, Page’s annual male beauty pageant. “I was a little chubby kid. And during the swimsuit competition I did, like, a mock bodybuilder pose,” Jeong told Brian Clarey in his interview from 2015. “I got a huge laugh.” The piece chronicled Jeong’s life growing up in Greensboro and his life after he left the city. “As a performer, everything is coming full circle,” he told TCB. “It’s pretty beautiful.”

Rhiannon Giddens

In 2021 when Brian Clarey interviewed hometown hero Rhiannon Giddens, the musician/artist/MacArthur genius knew she was doing too much. “I can’t stop,” she said. “I want to stop. I’m trying to stop.” But no one had really bothered to ask her why. She didn’t need the money or the fame. So she did it to get a message across. “I’m just so used to hustling and working and trying to get the message out because there’s such a huge story, such a huge mountain to climb,” she said. And that hustle has paid off big time. On top of all of her other accolades, Giddens made national news in early 2024 for being a collaborator on Beyoncé’s new single “Texas Hold ‘Em.”

Bakari Sellers

In 2021 when Sayaka Matsuoka spoke to media specialist and attorney Bakari Sellers, he was representing the family of Andrew Brown Jr. who was killed by police that April in Elizabeth City. In his conversation, Sellers talked about how people could create changes within the system that harms Black and brown people, and why he does the type of civil rights work that he does. “I always want to do good and do well, and I was always taught to fight for something larger than myself,” he said.

Paula Poundstone

In a conversation with Brian Clarey in 2019, comedian Paula Poundstone admitted that she never laughs harder than when she “sees someone with toilet paper stuck” on their foot, despite her intellectual leanings. Poundstone talked about her robust career in public radio and how she still wants to try acting, noting how she thinks Bridesmaids is “arguably the funniest movie ever made.”

John Grisham

In 2017, former staff writer Lauren Barber had the chance to talk to author John Grisham who was on his first book tour in 25 years. Grisham talked about the importance of local bookstores, his wife’s connection to North Carolina and plugged Killers of the Flower Moon as the book he recommended for that year.

Fred Chappell

Award-winning fiction writer, former North Carolina poet laureate and retired UNCG professor Fred Chappell didn’t consider himself to be that famous. In his conversation with Eric Ginsburg in 2014, Chappell maintained an unassuming presence as the two talked in Chappell’s backyard. The late poet talked about his forthcoming collection of cat poems, which was inspired by the two felines that graced him and his wife’s home. “I always watch cats wherever I go because they’re fun to look at,” he said. “I tried to borrow from people who couldn’t sue me.” Chappell passed away in Greensboro on Jan. 4 of this year at the age of 87.

10 THINGS I LEARNED FROM THE LAST DECADE

by Brian Clarey

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When the worst happens, use it

I’ll never forget Election Night in 2016, when I raced to the office from a GOP watch party to report that Donald Trump had won the election. We had a pretty good idea how bad it would get — our cover the next day was fairly apocalyptic. So we leaned into it, doubling down on our coverage of right-wing extremism and the encroachment of fascism in our country. Likewise, when the pandemic nearly wiped us out, we responded with deeply reported Covid coverage and, when it came time, utilized all of our assets to bear witness to the Racial Reckoning that summer.

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What is an altweekly anyway?

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Get over yourself

I knew from the beginning that if I took on this endeavor as some sort of divine ego trip, we would be sunk before we started. So from the get-go I really tried to push my own needs to the margins and act on what was best for the paper. That made it easier to gradually give up writing for the paper so I could spend more time working on it.

Listen to your people

To that end, I’ve been fortunate to be surrounded by incredible people with great ideas and the drive to make them happen. I’ve heard pitches I never could have come up with, and had my own blind spots pointed out more than once.

Sometimes you lose one

Robert Paquette sat in the art director chair from 2017-22, the second person in our history to occupy that space. He didn’t drive, so I took him home from work a lot, and he was always up for lunch as long as it wasn’t a smoothie. I was shocked when he died in September 2022 — so fast, so young. But I’m grateful that some of his illustrations and other design work live on in our archive.

Learn new skills

This business has changed much since I got started all the way back in 1994, when all we had was print and there was nothing else to read. I spent my first couple years as publisher learning about digital marketing, web design and server maintenance. I had to learn how to sell ads — anathema to someone reared in the newsroom — to keep books and do payroll. These days I spend more time making emails than I do proofing pages. And I’m learning to write grants and navigate the realm of philanthropy, which has become an important source of sustainability for local news outlets.

I’ve spent pretty much my entire career in altweeklies, a colloquialism for pugnacious free papers like ours known for speaking truth to power, highlighting stories that other media neglect, bringing some swagger and style to the news cycle. But as the media landscape here and elsewhere continues to deteriorate, I feel less “alt” than ever. A few years ago I was wondering if we’d ever be able to get a cannabis writer. Now I’m looking to fund a reporter to cover the school board.

Be fair

I realized a long time ago that “journalistic objectivity” is a canard. None of us are able to filter these stories through our consciousnesses without coloring them in some way with our proclivities and biases. So we can’t truly be objective, but we can be fair. This means, among other things, giving everyone equal say but not giving their arguments equal weight, like: “These people think the LGBTQIA2S+ community deserves equal rights, and these people don’t.”

People love bullshit and hate the truth

Everyone who’s ever worked in this business knows it: People would rather read a happy little lie than an unpleasant, hard-found truth. And people will hate you for delivering those truths. We should never reciprocate that hate, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t seek it out. One of the highest pieces of praise I can give a reporter after reading their piece is, “They’re gonna hate it!”

Self-care matters

This is a new concept for me — for most of my time in the news game I drove myself like a cheap rental car: hard and fast, and with low-end fuel. In the beginning, I put so much of myself into TCB — literally! — that I lost 25 pounds and my hair started to go gray. But after the pandemic I pulled back as much as I was able, taking most weekends off and recognizing when I’ve given all I can.

It’s a privilege

When I get down about things, I try to remember that it is a privilege to do the people’s business, to record these first drafts of history, to bring into the light those things that might have remained in darkness were it not for us.

READER LOOKBACKS

Andrew Young: Ten years is a long time for any business to stay afloat, let alone thrive. TCB isn’t a luxury. As the Triad grows, so do the stories and the need for increased, in-depth reportage, especially about unpopular topics. With so many alternate facts floating around, it’s easy to go along with stories that please our prejudices. I like puppies and children, but I don’t think I’ve ever run across a TCB fluff story. For those with extra dollars in their pockets, please don’t wait for a Trump presidency or Robinson governorship before you decide to contribute to supporting TCB

Casey Thomas: Democracy isn’t real without the kind of local investigative journalism Triad City Beat does, because if you don’t know what your local government is doing with your money, in your name — you can’t let them know to do more or do better. They also report on things that only people in the Triad care about, like Black homeowners in a local housing development fighting the city to hold Habitat for Humanity accountable for the mold and deterioration in their homes, or a local business’ staff walking out due to poor treatment — or neat new places you might want to eat.

April Parker: Congratulations to TCB for a decade of truth telling! As a community organizer I give great thanks for telling the stories of younger Black leadership in the Triad. In your absence our collective social justice work and its lineage would not be archived. TCB has marked movement milestones and even when making mistakes, TCB’s dedication to reflection, evolution and accountability is exemplary. We deserve an imperfect revolution.

Mackenzie Cates Allen: I have read Triad City Beat since the very beginning. At first it was because it was widely available, and always had something interesting in it to read. It wasn’t until later that I noticed the true quality of the journalism, and all the painstaking work that went into the publication. I have never stopped reading TCB, and, indeed, have watched over the last decade as it has grown stronger, and more in tune with the community. I really love the accessibility of the online articles, and I love the Triad City Beat reporting position, in particular. I’ve also been privileged to get to know the folks who run TCB, and pour their passion into it every week. The care that they take with this mission is and always has been evident. We are blessed to have this beacon of journalism in our area, especially with the demise of traditional newspapers. I’m honored to be a longtime fan, and will continue to enjoy and support TCB through the years. Congratulations on your decade of achievement, Triad City Beat! We greatly appreciate you.

Vikki Vassar: I have been a reader and a fan of Triad City Beat since 2015, when I happened to be in an art show at Delurk Gallery and Sayaka covered the show. I guess, at the time, Sayaka was fairly new to TCB, but her coverage was great and having my name printed up in TCB gave me the warm fuzzy feeling that only a hyper-local publication can accomplish. I have followed TCB since, occasionally popping in the publications to write something, advertise, and try to support TCB the best I can as a small business owner in the Triad. In a world where the term “journalism” is increasingly more flexible, Triad City Beat sticks to the old school meaning, with well researched articles and relevant community information.

Lewis Pitts and Spoma Jovanovic: We turn to TCB for their coverage of critical, community issues. From their stellar reporting, we learn about local matters of social justice new to us and appreciate the coverage of our work as activists in the community. TCB’s in-depth, balanced articles are bold enough to reveal the underbelly of government and power in the Triad. We shudder at how journalism has been devoured by the corporate business model, leaving most newspapers today mere scribes of government and wealth propaganda. But not TCB! Congratulations on these 10 years. We’re proud to be members of the First Amendment Society and hope others will join to support TCB’s independent, cutting-edge journalism that we all need.

Gwen Frisbie-Fulton: When I was a teenager, I imagined I’d become a journalist. I thought I’d end up a fast-talking career gal in New York City, riding the subway and, inexplicably, living in a penthouse with a rooftop garden. I was 17 and didn’t know much about wages — nor did I know what would happen to local news. I never became a journalist, but I did become an organizer. I work in towns all over North Carolina trying to expand democracy to include all of us, a hard task made harder by the near-absence of local press due to corporate consolidation. I’m grateful that my hometown has Triad City Beat to report local news and bring the democratizing impact that journalism was made for.

Jason Heyman: The first time I picked up a Triad City Beat newspaper, it was by mistake. It looked similar to another weekly that I was used to looking at to check out the local music scene to see if a friend’s band was playing. When I began to turn the pages, I realized it was much more than a weekend calendar of events. In those pages, I discovered intelligent writing by authors who seemed unlike what I was used to reading in the local papers. In those pages I found reporting on local politics, crime and culture, three of my favorite things. Since that first edition, I knew I had found something valuable and for free, which let me know there was a higher purpose for the paper. I’ve really enjoyed reading (most of) the articles over the years. They all can’t be Pulitzer Prize winners, but many of them are extremely relevant, informative and come from a place of genuine concern for the community, which in my opinion is desperately needed in today’s media. It’s been fun and interesting to watch what TCB is becoming. Congratulations on 10 years and here’s hoping for 10 more.

Dan Rose: When my family and I moved to Winston-Salem in 2017, we wanted to become a part of this community. Triad City Beat has played a huge part in that. From Brian Clarey’s 2016 explainer of the 1918 Winston-Salem Lynch Mob to Sayaka Matsuoka highlighting Tré Shawn Legette’s vegan cookbook, I love the way TCB uncovers what makes WinstonSalem the place it is, for better or for worse. I’m truly inspired by TCB and recently had the honor of co-authoring an indepth look at the financial backers of Mayor Allen Joines with reporter Gale Melcher.

Terry Austin: I have been an avid fan and supporter of Triad City Beat ever since it was founded by intrepid journalists Brian Clarey, Jordan Green, and Eric Ginsburg. As the Greensboro News & Record was hollowed out by a corporate buyout, TCB stepped up to cover local news, culture, and investigative reporting. Brian’s determination in a time of great financial difficulty for newspapers and his management of TCB has been outstanding. I am particularly impressed that the inevitable staff turnover has resulted in more great reporters, and female to boot: Sayaka Matsuoka and Gale Melcher. Providing essential information and holding local and state representatives accountable is vital if we are to have a functioning democracy. TCB does it well!

ALUMNI REFLECTIONS

Eric Ginsburg: Working at Triad City Beat was t he best job I ever had.

How could it not be when I spent a good portion of the gig shoving food into my face?

In the early years, I wrote weekly columns about food and booze (in addition to untold other responsibilities ranging from delivery driver to party planner). You could find me on the side of the road in east Greensboro, barbecue sauce smeared on my yellow notepad as I interviewed the Crazy Ribman. Or sitting at a high-top table in the back of Old Winston Social Club judging its annual Mac & Cheese Fest.

It was in these pages that I wrote about the opening of the Porch or when Krankies started serving food, documented the tidal wave of craft brewery openings, and indulged in all-you-can-eat sushi with our interns, one of whom is now the paper’s managing editor.

I delighted in so many parts of TCB, particularly the chance to explore nooks of my chosen home I might never otherwise see. I reveled in the freedom this paper offered to a young writer, allowing me to pursue whatever I deemed interesting and important, be it a now defunct Jamaican restaurant or an unaccountable police department.

That’s the beauty of a locally run and fiercely independent press. Looking back through its pages, you can see the first draft of history. I just hope that after a decade, people don’t take This Little Paper That Could for granted.

Joanna Rutter: My first story for TCB as the wetbehind-the-ears intern was covering a midnight BLM protest in downtown Greensboro. I got my notebook and recorder out and interviewed people about why they were protesting and what they dreamed our world could look like without violence. Eight years later, I’m still doing work with people carrying a notebook and a phone, interviewing people about their values -- just as a social worker instead of a journalist. The mentorship of the TCB crew definitely nudged me in this direction. Local, deep-rooted, anti-white-supremacist, justiceoriented journalism is rare, because being told the truth through media is rare. If you’re reading this, you’re experiencing something special and worth preserving, worth growing, worth fortifying. Protect it.

Anthony Harrison: I count my time at Triad City Beat, serving both as an editorial intern and resident sports columnist, as two of the most exciting and fulfilling of my life so far. I grew not only as a writer, but as a person — into a better coworker, a better friend, a better man. Working with Brian, Sayaka, Jordan, Eric and others found me crafting each week to improve my art to meet the potential of my peers, and I still see TCB as the pinnacle of local journalism in the Triad.

Jordan Green: The memory that sticks out for me the most as a charter employee, part owner and senior editor at Triad City Beat is driving the delivery route every Wednesday during the early years of the operation. I stuck it out for far longer than was economically practical, and only reluctantly gave it up when Brian Clarey forced me to relinquish the route to a professional delivery driver. Delivering papers absorbed an entire day — one in a seven-day workweek. My route covered the entirety of High Point and the western flank of Greensboro, and at one point arced over to a couple branch libraries on the north side of the city and down to the Hayes-Taylor YMCA in the southeast.

Driving the delivery route was a grounding experience. It was also a chance to reset in a week that included enterprise reporting, possibly a city council meeting, some kind of cultural event or another, all culminating in an intense production sprint on Tuesday night. The route took me through hair salons, rec centers, pizzerias, health clinics, courthouses, public housing communities, galleries and coffee houses — all the places where people go about their daily lives. It was a humbling reminder of all the people we were writing for.

Counting the returns at each stop could be a painful lesson in how relevant our reporting was — or wasn’t, as the case may be. I might be despondent at the returns, but usually I felt a new glimmer of hope that this new issue was going to find an audience. The route usually included a 20-minute stop at a gym on the north side of High Point to post the new stories on Facebook and send them directly to readers based on interests in verticals such as police accountability, housing, food security and LGBTQ+ rights.

I listened to a lot of NPR on those delivery days, and I remember exactly where I was on a sweltering day in July 2016 when I realized that Donald Trump was going to win the presidential election — the alley behind the J.H. Adams Inn. The guest on NPR was commenting that Trump had built a new political coalition based on the old Reagan Democrats. I thought back to my time in the late 1990s working on house-building crews alongside bitter and resentful white men steeped in racism, misogyny and homophobia. I knew in my gut that Trump had a message that could translate their hate into votes.

I made a Facebook post — something like, “Alert: A Trump presidency is in the realm of possibility.” By the time I checked the thread at a stoplight on Lexington Avenue, there was one comment: “Trump can’t win. One reason: polling.” Journalism isn’t always glamorous, but it can be real.

Nikki Miller-Ka: I’ve had the privilege of witnessing TCB’s journey from its beginnings to the present, feeling like I’ve grown alongside it. I always wanted to flex my culinary knowledge in print and TCB made that possible. Brian Clarey, whom I’ve long admired and considered a friend, played a pivotal role in championing and nurturing my food writing from my early freelancing days. Contributing regularly to the alternative weekly landscape felt like attending a journalistic finishing school. The gratification of seeing my work in both print and online, coupled with instant feedback, was immensely validating. Brian’s oft-quoted wisdom about the 10-year journey to overnight success rings true, and indeed, the proof is in the results.

Todd Turner: From the very moment that I met Brian, I was so inspired by his unwavering passion to always uncover the truth and spread the word to his community. I soon realized his immense talent for recognizing this same trait in so many that have worked with TCB over the years. Everything has always been so raw and honest and I’m so grateful for every opportunity I’ve had to photograph stories for this publication. Here’s to the next decade TCB!

Joel Scronce: My internship at Triad City

Beat began in those unsettled, anxious days between Trump’s election late in 2016, and his inauguration on January 20, 2017. I entered the trade very green, a tornado of political fervor and fury, hope and dread, hurling pitches, content and analysis around like a maniacal auger tearing up the red clay world around it. Eric, Jordan and Brian gathered the resulting debris off the newsroom walls, sat me down at the potter’s wheel of journalism, and began to show me how it’s done. A few months into the internship, I fulfilled a childhood dream and became a professional sports writer, also at TCB, and to this day leverage that position to pitch stories at the intersection of sports and politics.

The Triad, and really all of North Carolina, are so, so fortunate that TCB rumbles on, guided by Brian’s determination, Sayaka’s courage, and the hard work of all those involved, agitating, reporting on the most urgent news in the most urgent ways. I owe the Beat a lot – considerable growth, companions to navigate and chronicle an intense political moment, and to be sure some amazing memories. I hope my deep gratitude is enough to repay it.

Jorge Maturino: Wow, 10 years, congratulations! It was an honor contributing as the first Art Director to TCB. What great memories in a small office with (The Comedian) Brian Clarey, (The Food Guy) Eric Ginsburg and (The Investigator) Jordan Green. I not only grew as a designer but I had life lessons from these guys. With Jordan, I learned a lot of good grammar and how to pronounce words properly, such as “exactly”; somehow I alway left the “t” out. Through Eric I learned where the best places to eat were. And with Brian, how to act in front of authority figures. He has some extremely humorous stories of some, let’s say not so good decisions in his life that had me crying of laughter. I miss those days, thank you all for great times and pushing the limits as a journalist.

Nicole Zelniker: As a first-year at Guilford College, I listened as Eric Ginsburg spoke to a group of students about the paper’s mission — to provide a platform for the voices for the Triad. Working for TCB several years later reinforced what I already knew: that this was a paper that cares deeply about the people it represents, and that TCB is a model of what local journalism can and should be.

Spencer K.M. Brown: As a young writer fresh out of college, joining the brilliant team at Triad City Beat taught me more about writing and culture than I’d ever known before. Working alongside such talented editors and writers as Brian Clarey, Jordan Green, and Eric Ginsburg was truly incredible. Triad City Beat’s mission and dedication to arts, culture and news across the Triad is inspiring. To be able to write about the place I’ve lived my whole life and share the beauty of its people is a joy I’ll carry with me forever. Thank you for letting me be a part of the team in those early years, and here’s to 10 more years of TCB!

CAROLYN’S 10 FAVORITE SHOT IN THE TRIAD SHOTS

by Carolyn de Berry

Ten years ago I pitched an idea to Brian about doing a weekly photo series in the paper and I’m not sure either of us imagined we’d make it this long! I’m so thankful to TCB for the support and absolute creative freedom they’ve given me in my photographic exploration of where we live. Teaming up with our great writers to tell the stories of our community has been a great joy. From election night parties to street protests to presidential visits to meeting people in their living rooms, our small but mighty team has been there. Here’s to 10 more!

10 OF TCB’S MOSTVIEWED STORIES

1Staff of beloved Green Bean coffee shop in downtown Greensboro walk out citing pay issues, absent ownership

If coffee house mismanagement was a beat, then Sayaka Matsuoka has made it hers in the last few years. In 2023, she added to her clips with this story about how one of Greensboro’s most popular coffee shops faced a staff walkout. Employees Matsuoka spoke to talked about the business owner’s mismanagement of the schedule, inadequate pay and the owner’s lack of belief in a “living wage,” which caused those who previously supported the shop to turn away. About two months after the walkout, the owner sold the business to her son and the shop reopened

The Pallet community for the unhoused in Greensboro is open. Here’s a look at how it’s going.

This story published by Gale Melcher in January 2023 almost broke our website. It’s a story that looks at how the city of Greensboro’s first round of Pallet housing — temporary pop-up shelters for unhoused folks — was working. Our reporting found that this new initiative, while wellintended, had lots of flaws and shortcomings. It continues to be the most-read story on our website of all time.

Black men arrested with weapons at protest while armed white militia men avoid charges in Greensboro

This story at the height of the early stages of the pandemic in 2020 is another punchy piece of reporting by Jordan Green. As Black activists took to the streets in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd, six Black men were arrested by Greensboro police in downtown despite the fact that nearby, white militia men, who had a history of training with white supremacists, went unscathed.

3

Haters target Winston-Salem concert by African band that stood up to Islamacists

7

Triaditude Adjustment: Can we stop with this #GoodwillDateNight thing?

This story from 2019 by Jordan Green delved into the hate that Tinariwen, a Grammy-winning group got after they announced their show at the Ramkat in Winston-Salem. The issue started on Facebook where racists started commenting on the venue’s event posts likening the group to ISIS and stating that the musicians “look like terrorists.” Green’s quick reporting on the issue drummed up support for the concert, which went off without a hitch.

Local conservative activists prepare for violent confrontation with Islam

This story published in 2017 by Jordan Green foreshadowed the kind of reporting that Green would go on to do for the national outlet for which he currently works, Raw Story. Just one year after Trump was elected, the story delves into how about 20 conservatives gathered at Captain Tom’s Seafood in Kernersville to talk about a supposed Muslim plot to conquer the United States.

10 9 5

A secret taqueria in WinstonSalem serves up some of the best tacos in the city

This piece by former TCB food critic Nikki Miller-Ka from 2021 had some unintended consequences due to its popularity. In the piece, Miller-Ka talked about her experience finding and visiting a secret taco business operating out of a house in Winston-Salem.

While TCB didn’t publish the address, the post got enough traction that sleuths figured out the location which caused an issue of congestion in the neighborhood. That then resulted in the city trying to crack down on the business. Eventually, the family raised enough money to upfit a food truck, out of which their business continues to run today.

8

Greensboro’s hippest new coffee shop is owned by a conservative church

When Sayaka Matsuoka published this piece in 2019, Union Coffee was just one of the few specialty coffee shops operating out of Greensboro. And that’s why its aesthetic as a hip, millennial-bait business came off as ingenuous when Matsuoka discovered that the shop had ties to a conservative church. Since then, the coffee shop has divested from the church and is operating independently from the previous co-owner.

White frat party is latest wound to students of color at Wake Forest

In fall 2014, Jordan Green reported this story in which it was revealed that white students who were a part of the Kappa Alpha Order fraternity at Wake Forest University had hosted a party in which guests were encouraged to come dressed as Black people. The piece centered the voices of Black students who raised concerns about the event and the racial tensions on campus as a whole.

Fresh Eye’s: Aunt Bee’s Siler City cat house

An oldie but a goodie, this column by Jelisa Castrodale from 2017 scathingly took down an out-of-touch white couple that went shopping at Goodwill and then went out on a date night wearing the clothes they bought. In their comments, they said that they were hoping someone might think they were “pitiful” after looking at their new outfits. At the time, the post garnered close to 300,000 on Facebook. Mind you, this was five years after Macklemore’s hit “Thrift Shop” had hit the radio. The other thing, of course, was that the whole thing was absolutely tone deaf because people shop at Goodwill everyday for essentials because it’s what they can afford. That’s kind of the whole damn point. 4 2 6

This story by local Billy Ingram has continued to gather views since it was first published in 2014, just months after TCB was launched. The story digs into Frances Bavier, the Emmy-winning actor from the Andy Griffith show, and her life after fame in Siler City. But all was not quiet for Bavier, who had moved to the town to escape the tiring life of a star. Ingram chronicles how her popularity amongst locals drove the star to live “out of her back bedroom, curtains pulled tight, with 14 devoted kitties for company.”

10 AWARDS THAT TCB HAS WON

2016 Altweekly Award, Second Place Best Political Column — Citizen Green

by Jordan Green (also Second Place, 2018, and Third Place, 2019)

Jordan Green’s weekly column was always insightful, often deeply reported and usually cut against the grain of the conventional wisdom. It vacillated between nuanced takes on the news, items of cultural significance and personal anecdotes. That it was so frequently recognized for excellence was no surprise to our little newsroom, where we’d often have to temper our admiration when we lopped off a couple hundred words to fit the space.

2019 Altweekly Award, First Place Best Political Column (also Third Place, 2022) — TCB Editorial

by Brian Clarey

We felt it was important to have a house editorial in every issue, taking a stand on the topics of the day. It gives us a spot to opine on the things we couldn’t report on for our news section — often state government, frequently local, always newsy — and it gives our publisher a chance to do some writing every week.

2020 Altweekly Award, Third place Investigative Reporting — United Youth Care Services and Medicaid

Fraud by

Jordan Green

In June 2019, Jordan Green was able to uncover a multi-tiered scam perpetrated by United Youth Care Services, among others. UYCS would seek out folks desperate for housing and offer it to them, free, along with mental healthcare, substance-abuse counseling and childcare, provided they could fail a drug test, whether they were users or not. Medicaid would foot the bill. UYCS principal Donald Booker, who also owned the drug-testing facility United Diagnostic Laboratories, was convicted in January 2023 of defrauding NC Medicaid of more than $11 million and sentenced to more than 16 years in federal prison.

2020 Altweekly Award, Third Place Right-Wing Extremism

Coverage — “Guns Up, Safety Off: First responders and public safety personnel joined militia Facebook group” by Jordan Green

Through extensive searching through right-wing chatrooms and social media spaces, Jordan Green was able to identify dozens of first responders, detention officers, police and enlisted military personnel who had joined the III% Security Force, a Facebook group set up by a notorious militia leader where administrators and members shared content promoting violence against Muslims, undocumented immigrants and other groups.

2022 Altweekly Award, Second Place Special Vaccine Coverage — “Why I Changed My Mind” by Sayaka Matsuoka

At the height of the pandemic, when new rifts were forming between the vaccinated and unvaccinated, this piece aimed to bridge the gap by asking people who were vaccinehesitant why they didn’t want to get the shot. The answers surprised and enlightened us and showed readers how leading with empathy, rather than vitriol, can open up conversations.

2020-21 NC Press Award, Second Place Lighter Columns — Editor’s Notebook by Brian Clarey

When he was still managing editor, Brian Clarey created the Editor’s Notebook column as a short piece — just 350 words or so — to talk about trends in media, counterintuitive takes on the media or, sometimes, personal stuff that was weighing on his mind. In 2023 he handed the column off to new ME Sayaka Matsuoka.

2022 NC Press Award, Second Place Arts & Entertainment Reporting — “UNCSA’s Secret Temple of Film” by James Douglas

This piece by TCB’s food columnist took readers behind the scenes into one of the most treasured film archives in the country. While alluding to several masterpieces that are housed within the collection, Douglas’ piece also touched on how secretive the whole archive is.

2022 NC Press Award, Second Place Lighter Columns — In the Weeds by James Douglas

In his monthly columns, food writer James Douglas shares the ups and downs, the ins and outs, the front and back of working in a restaurant or bar. With humor and impeccable insight he shares his own and other industry workers’ experiences of waiting on customers, drinking with regulars and kicking out the bad guys.

2022 NC Press Award, Third Place General Excellence for Websites — Sam LeBlanc

In 2021, after almost seven years of churning out stories, TCB unveiled a brand new website, designed by Sam LeBlanc, TCB’s webmaster and Managing Editor Sayaka Matsuoka’s husband. The new site, which is fast, responsive and color coordinated, took LeBlanc almost a year to create. And for that, we’re forever grateful.

2023 Altweekly Award, Second Place LGBTQ+ Coverage — “Finding wholeness: What transaffirming care looks like in the Triad” by Autumn Karen

As the social, political and emotional landscape for trans people became more and more dangerous for people in the United States, this piece by Autumn Karen took a close-up look at what accessing trans-affirming care in the Triad looked like. In a state that once passed HB2, the anti-trans bathroom bill, TCB centered the experiences of families who were fighting to make sure their loved ones had the care they needed.

UNIQUE STORIES BY TCB

No pain, no gain: Kinky fitness comes to High Point

This piece delved into a very niche community operating out of an unassuming space in High Point of all places. Centering the work of Candace Liger, known to her trainees as Coach Feline, the piece explored how Liger’s marrying of kink and fitness taught students — adult students, to be clear — the importance of consent, bodily autonomy and strength. “You’re consenting to fitness, consenting to [your] body going through this experience,” Liger said.

The incomplete Bartsy

When the anonymous graffito known only as “Bartsy”started tagging Bart Simpson all over Winston-Salem, we knew it was our duty to track and map the work. The resulting effort was this piece that listed out all of the places people could go to find a Bartsy. While the piece had the unintended consequence of allowing one asshole to cover up the pictures, we stood by the story and even put it on our cover at the time

The Man Behind the Counter: Charles Bess remembers the Greensboro sit-ins

While many people are familiar with the four Black men who sat at the Woolworth counter in Greensboro at the start of the sit-in movement, much less was known about the fifth figure in the now famous photograph. In 2020, on the 60th anniversary of the sit-ins, TCB sat down to profile one Charles Bess, who was working as a busboy at Woolworth’s on that fateful day. This was his story.

‘End of life guides’: Death doulas advocate for compassionate care for the dying People are familiar with birth doulas, but much less is known about the work of death doulas who work with dying members of society and their grieving families. This piece took a look at the tight-knit community of death doulas in the state, focusing on the intimate care they provide to their clients. “We are filling the holes in that care paradigm,” said death doula Abigail Textor-Dobbins.

One Hot Minute: An oral history of the Flying Anvil

Years before Mellow Mushroom, the International Civils Rights Museum and before the brewery boom downtown, there was a music venue in Greensboro called the Flying Anvil, “which flourished, floundered and finally gasped its last during a nine-month stretch in the halcyon year of 2006,” as TCB wrote back in 2016.

Carolina Kennel Club’s dogs on parade

Brian Clarey always laments how all he wants to do is be a sports columnist. And this piece from 2015 shows how any subject, even a dog show, can be turned into a piece of narrative journalism in his hands.

It Just Might Work: De-sexualizing Sexual Chocolate

When former staff writer Lauren Barber wrote this opinion column back in 2018, it caused quite a stir. Arguing that the Foothills beer, Sexual Chocolate, was racist and a fetishization of Black women, Barber had a point but was met with criticism from

There’s something unique about the kinds of stories that altweeklies can tell. They tend to be off the beaten path and center people, places and phenomena that traditional media wouldn’t touch. These are some of our favorite pieces that fit into that category.

people who said that she, as a white woman, had no place to call for change. But her opinion foreshadowed changes that Foothills themselves made in 2019. Whether Barber and TCB made it happen, who knows?

Breadwinners: A complete guide to panaderías of the Triad

This piece by Luis H. Garay won an honorable mention in the Best Food Writing category at the 2023 Altweekly Awards. A robust piece of work by Garay, the story outlines and documents all of the Mexican bakeries — or panaderías — one can find in the Triad along with a nifty guide on the different types of breads, plus the etiquette involved when purchasing the goods.

Thanks, I Hate It: That Frida Kahlo mural

For a long time, this was Managing Editor Sayaka Matsuoka’s most famous piece of TCB writing. The punchy opinion piece from 2019 took aim at a new mural that transposed Frida Kahlo’s head onto a white woman’s body much to the chagrin of community members. Matsuoka used her art history degree to delve into Kahlo’s history to argue the point that if the artist were alive, she probably would have hated the mural, too. A few days after the piece was published, the artist went back and painted over the piece, covering Frida’s head for the white model’s instead.

Greensboro has its own meme Instagram and it’s fkn hilarious

We at TCB love inside jokes. And memes specific to a city, whether it’s Greensboro or Winston-Salem are peak humor. So when we caught up with the creator behind the popular Greensboro meme Instagram, it was as expected, hilarious.

Hours: 24/7, 365

Monthly allotment of meeting room time

Access to both tGSO locations

Locally roasted coffee

Single person Offices and Cubicles

Large offices for teams of 6-8

Enhanced Coworking benefits

Two locations with 10 meeting spaces

Downtown

Each room has

BEST TCB COVERS

Media War (Feb. 26, 2014): Depicted the cover story in which Brian Clarey chronicled this history of news in the Triad.

Playing with Numbers (Nov. 11, 2015): A graphic design by Jorge Maturino which accompanied a story about how Yes! Weekly’s distribution numbers were off.

Aug. 10, 2016: PAYDAY: One of TCB’s first Salary Guides in which we outline who makes what in the Triad cities from garbage collectors to police to city council.

Nov. 9, 2016: God help us: In the aftermath of the 2016 election, a collage of Donald Trump with other leaders like Richard Nixon, Joe McCarthy, Jesse Helms and, um, Hitler, under the slug “God help us.” It cost us some advertising, but history has vindicated us.

Jan. 24, 2019: No Pain No Gain:

A photo by Todd Turner depicting a kink-themed fitness class out of High Point graced the cover that week.

Aug. 12, 2019: Where’s Bartsy?:

In 2019, a mysterious graffiti artist started painting Bart Simpson all over WinstonSalem. So we worked to map the works.

March 19, 2020: We’ll get through this: Our first issue of the pandemic.

Aug. 13, 2020: DeJoy Ride: An illustration by Rob Paquette depicting Greensboro’s own Louis DeJoy as Sid from Toy Story. DeJoy had just been named the Postmaster General by former President Trump’s administration.

Nov. 3, 2022: Blue and Gold: This shot by Todd Turner exemplified what GHOE feels like in the Triad.

June 8, 2023: FIRED: One of designer

Aiden Siobhan’s first cover designs for TCB featured disgraced firefighter Dustin Jones — shot by Todd Turner — engulfed in rainbowcolored flames.

NCDOT TO HOLD A PUBLIC MEETING REGARDING THE PROPOSAL TO CONSTRUCT A NEW CHARLOTTE PASSENGER RAIL FACILITY IN MECKLENBURG COUNTY

STIP Project No. P-2918F

CHARLOTTE - The N.C. Department of Transportation is hosting a public meeting to discuss the proposal to construct a new passenger rail facility southwest of uptown Charlotte to support the growth of intercity passenger rail and the new Charlotte Gateway Station in Mecklenburg County.

Project details and maps can be found on the NCDOT project web page

https://www.ncdot.gov/projects/charlotte-passenger-railfacility

The information will be presented at the meeting allowing for one-on-one discussions with Rail Division staff, but there will be no formal presentation.

The meeting will be held Mar. 25 at Pritchard at South End Church, 1117 South Boulevard, Charlotte. The public is invited to attend at any time between 5 - 7 p.m. Free parking is available in the YMCA parking garage, located at the corner of South Caldwell Street and Lexington Avenue.

People may also submit comments by phone at 512-5808850 project code 6193, email charlotte-passenger-rail@ publicinput.com, or mail at the address shown below by April 25, 2024

By Mail: Mathew Potter NCDOT Rail Division –Project Development Engineer

Consultant 1553 Mail Service Center Raleigh, N.C. 27699-1553

NCDOT will provide auxiliary aids and services under theAmericans with Disabilities Act for disabled people who wish to participate in this meeting. Anyone requiring special services should contact Tony Gallagher, Environmental Analysis Unit, at 1598 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, N.C. 27699-1598, 919-707-6069 or magallagher@ncdot.gov as early as possible so arrangements can be made.

Those who do not speak English, or have a limited ability to read, speak or understand English, may receive interpretive services upon request prior by calling 1-800-481-6494.

Aquellas personas no hablan inglés, o tienen limitaciones para leer, hablar o entender inglés, podrían recibir servicios de interpretación si los solicitan llamando al 1-800-481-6494.

Wilson-Covington Construction Company Blends Commercial Acumen with Residential Expertise

Wilson-Covington Construction Company has built commercial and residential properties across the Carolinas and Virginia for 77 years, priding itself in strong contractor-client relationships and high-quality results from a team effort.

“I believe that, due to the breadth of the company, that we bring more experience, expertise, and professionalism than a single owner-operator builder can provide,” says Hayes Wauford. Hayes is a licensed general contractor. His grandfather, Clay V. Ring, managed Wilson-Covington for decades before becoming the sole stockholder in 1995.

Wilson-Covington’s work is comprised of about 65 percent commercial projects and 35 percent residential projects, teaming with a collective of superintendents, project managers, subcontractors and architects. Their recent commercial construction projects include industrial expansion for Dubose Properties, South Atlantic Companies and Carolina Public Warehouse. Their grocery store clients include Harris Teeter, Lowes Foods, ALDI, and Food Lion. They are also currently building several Sheetz stores across the state. According to Jimmy Hoots, president of Wilson-Covington, the organization required to execute these commercial projects enhance the company’s capability to handle residential projects.

“What we want to do is show that from our commercial understanding, capacity and structure, is that we can approach the residential jobs in such a way to give the customer a better experience,” he says.

Hoots also stresses that the company only targets custom homes and remodeling, specifically catering to the needs of the client and offering an individualized home construction experience.

“We do very specific, relationship-driven, construction for each homeowner,” he says.

Before construction begins, each client is met by a team of experts ready to meet their requirements. Wilson-Covington stresses that having designers, project managers and owners working together is at the core of the company, and these projects would be impossible to complete without that collaboration.

“That whole team aspect is the key to a good construction project,” Hoots says.

Once the addition or home is discussed, Wilson-Covington produces a general cost budget that meets the client’s capacity before an architect is asked to produce detailed plans. Designing within budget first instead of designing and pricing the project later allows for a smooth building process and avoids unexpected costs and frustration from the homeowner.

“If a real-world budget can be more accurately understood on the front end, then the

architect can be more precisely informed and focused in their design for the owner,” Hoots explains.

According to Wauford, the materials and finishes recommended are products that stand the test of time, emphasizing the quality of the design and the company’s work.

“What we’re trying to do is put together that holistic package,” he says.

For the client’s convenience, the company is also able to do additions and remodels without displacing the home’s residents.

“If we’re doing a kitchen remodel, we minimize the downtime in their kitchen or we’ll set them up a temporary kitchen somewhere else in their home if that’s an available option,” Wauford says.

He continues, “The goal would be to allow them to continue using their home while the work is being done.”

According to Wauford, due to rising land costs, choosing to remodel or build an addition can be the best fit for many homeowners.

“If you’re building a new home, construction costs have certainly gone up since the pandemic. You’re going to experience the same construction cost on the addition or remodel, but you don’t have the purchase price of the land to deal with,” he says.

Hoots believes an addition or remodel is the best option for homeowners who are happy where they live, but need more space, or just want to update and modernize their home.

“If you’re in the right school district for your family, if you like your neighbors, if you like the location where you’re living, the remodeling aspect can give you the additional space you need without changing school districts and those types of things,” he says.

Whether it’s a residential build, commercial build or historic restoration project, Wilson-Covington Construction Company has completed them all with both durability and style since 1947.

“The longevity of the Company should give the owners that we work for a lot of confidence that Wilson-Covington is going to be here for them, not just through the end of their job, but years down the road as they need additional services,” Hoots says.

“We’re going to be here.”

2700 Boulder Park Court, W-S | 336.724.1721 | wilsoncovington.com

OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW TURNPIKE TROUBADOURS

NICKEL CREEK

WATSON

THE TESKEY BROTHERS

Local news is in crisis, and under attack

by Brian Clarey

In a lot of ways, it’s already happened.

Local news outlets have been decimated over the last 10 years, and it happened so slowly you might not have even noticed it, until one day you don’t know what district you live in and there are unrecognizable names on your ballot on Election Day.

We’ve seen it right here, when a billionaire bought the daily newspapers in Greensboro and Winston-Salem, thinned the ranks of reporters by at least half, sold out the property underneath them and then foisted the husks onto a venture capital firm that seems to be steering into the ground these prime daily news sources in the thirdand fifth-largest cities in the state.

social media, programmatic, email and other avenues. We’ll never sell as much advertising as we used to, which means we’ll never be able to fund our news operations through advertising sales alone. TCB is no exception.

We’re all working around it – finding new revenue streams, re-imagining editorial coverage, modernizing operations, building new business models. And we – I – believe help is on the way. A new wave of interest in preserving local news outlets has formed among philanthropic groups, community groups, universities and the sorts of corporations –Google! – that stripped us of advertising revenue in the first place.

Local news outlets have been decimated over the last 10 years.

This process has been replicated all across the nation. The consequences are seismic.

Last year in their study on the state of local news, the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University put it succinctly: “The local news crisis in the US is deepening, with profound implications for communities, their inhabitants and ultimately the health of our democracy.”

Moreover, the few independent papers that are left struggle to stay afloat under a broken business model. Some of us can remember when the Sunday paper was as thick as a dictionary. Those ads and inserts don’t come in anymore, the dollars moved into other channels like

They’re doing it because they know it’s becoming a big problem.

Local news matters because it’s close to home. Your city council has way more of an effect on your day-to-day than your US House rep. They’re in charge of land use in your neighborhood, the police you may interact with, the quality of your water and when your garbage gets picked up. Your county commission wields enormous power over your life: public schools, property tax, roads. They can pass ordinances, condemn properties, and they oversee a massive budget that supports a giant chunk of the workforce.

Seems like it’s worth paying attention to what they do, and yet local news is the most starved for talent, resources and consumers than any other niche in the media landscape.

BY CAROLYN DE BERRY

Our last dinner at Boba House.

CROSSWORD

by Matt Jones

PUZZLES & GAMES YOUR AD GOES

‘One, Please’ — no room for any more.

SUDOKU

by Matt Jones

Across

1. Jesting sort

4. China, long ago (as seen in an airline name)

10. “Blueberries for ___” (award-winning kids’ book)

13. Chicken ___ king

14. Max for tax calculation

15. Bird that’s not native to Tasmania

16. Radio personality who’s good at archery?

18. With “The,” 1970s musical Oz remake

19. Scorched

20. Notable time period

21. Bionicles maker

22. “Return of the Jedi” princess

23. Actor who’s good at pressing clothes?

26. July in Marseille

27. Pilot-licensing org.

28. Show grief

29. Cardinals’ cap initials

30. ___ nous (confidentially)

year

65. “The Waste Land” author’s monogram

Down

1. Sings like a bird

2. Montreal CFLers

3. English actress Wilde of “Carrie” and “Wonder Woman 1984”

4. ___ au vin (French dish)

5. Kwik-E-Mart owner

6. Director Lars von ___

7. Le ___ (French seaport)

8. Starting lineups

9. The Beatles’ “___ Blues”

10. “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” setting

11. Fernando’s friend

12. Largest island of the Philippines

14. It’s a blast

17. ___ minute

21. Scales of the zodiac

23. 1998 Wimbledon champ Novotna

24. Food package date, informally

33. Ceremony performed by a mohel

36. Actress/TV host who’s good at economics?

39. “SNL” alum Horatio

40. Search site with an exclamation point

41. N, S, E, or W

43. Talk trash about

45. Write-___ (some nominees)

46. Number of three-letter chemical elements

47. Blues rocker who’s good at hauling stuff?

52. Prefix for drama

53. “Roots” author Haley

54. “Anchorman” anchorman Burgundy

55. Colts’ fathers

56. Big wheel

57. Rapper/actor who’s good at holding together documents?

60. Vow words

61. Curse-inducing stare

62. Graceful shade tree

63. ___ Moines, Iowa

64. Picks up for another

LAST ISSUE’S ANSWERS: ©

25. Yokels, in Australian slang

27. Andre the Giant’s role in “The Princess Bride”

31. Irish actor Stephen

32. Body of morals

34. Companion that’s great for apartments (and won’t run off)

35. They’re found in the epidermis

37. Alphabetical listing

38. Sound the horn

42. Phrase on tote bags and plastic containers

44. Try hard

47. Michelangelo masterpiece

48. Bypass a vowel

49. Auctioned autos, often

50. “Rise of the ___” (PlayStation game coming out on March 22)

51. Mom’s brother

52. ___ de los Muertos

55. ___-Therese, Quebec

57. To see, in Tijuana

58. “That’s disgusting”

59. Pt. of CBS

Thu 3/21

Wake Forest Demon Deacons Baseball vs. Louisville Cardinals Baseball

@ 6pm

David F. Couch Ballpark, 401 Deacon Blvd, Winston Salem

Fri 3/22

Editor's Pick

Ballroom Burn Line Dance Class

@ 6:30pm / $7

Mar 22nd - Apr 26th

Real World Ballroom, 690 Jonestown Rd. Sutie 200, Winston-Salem. realworldballroom@ gmail.com

Guilford Green Foundation & LGBTQ Center's Annual Green Party

@ 8pm / $40

Join us for Guilford Green Foundation & LGBTQ Center Iconic Green Party on Friday, March 22nd, at the Event Space at Boxcar. Boxcar Bar + Arcade, 120 West Lewis Street, Greensboro. info@ggfnc.org, 336-790-8419

William Nesmith

@ 8pm

The Playground Golf and Sports Bar, 6355 Jessie Ln, Clemmons

Sat 3/23

Editor's Pick

"Storybook Tales" by the Greensboro Ballet

@ 2pm / $20

Celebrate this spring by enjoying an afternoon or evening with the Greensboro Ballet as it presents "Storybook Tales" at the historic Carolina Theatre in

downtown Greensboro. Carolina Theatre of Greensboro, 310 South Greene Street, Greensboro. info@greensboroballet.org, 336-333-7480

T. Walker: Night Vision Tour Experience Greensboro @ 7pm Bankers Bar And Lounge, 2519 W Gate City Blvd, Greensboro

Seneca Burns, Between Two Trees, blankstate., nervous surface @ The Den @ 7pm The Den, 3756 Ogburn Ave, Winston-Salem

Sun 3/24

Sunday Yoga @ SouthEnd Brewing Co. @ 10am / $5 SouthEnd Brewing Co, 117b West Lewis Street, Greensboro

William Nesmith @ 2pm Boxcar Bar + Arcade, 120 W Lewis St, Greensboro

Tue 3/26

SKYLAR GUDASZ: Songbird Supper Club @ 6pm West Salem Public House, 400 S Green St, WinstonSalem

Wed 3/27

Japanese Class @ 6pm / $58

Reto's Kitchen, 600 South Elam, Greensboro

powered by

Sun 3/31

Featured Featured

Possum Jenkins

@ 8pm

The Ramkat & Gas Hill Drinking Room, 170 W 9th St, Winston-Salem

Thu 3/28

Streetlight Cadence

@ 7pm

Gas Mill Drinking Room, Winston-Salem

Fri 3/29

WITHER THE FALLACY

@ 7pm 1614 Drinks - Music - Billiards, 1614 N Main St, High Point

@souljammusic: Souljam @ Wise Man @ 8pm

Wise Man Brewing, 826 Angelo Bros Ave, WinstonSalem

Sat 3/30

Editor's Pick Editor's Pick

TINA - The Tina Turner Musical @ 7:30pm / $44-$171

Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts, 300 North Elm Street, Greensboro

The best place to promote your events online and in print. Visit us @ https://triad-city-beat.com/local-events powered by Featured Featured

INFINXTY, Glass, Neuron Activation, nervous surface @ Above Board Skatepark @ 6pm

Above Board Skatepark and Skate Shop, 2616 Greengate Dr, Greensboro

Will Easter

@ 8pm

H.P. Trousers, 142 Church Ave Suite 101, High Point

Sunday Yoga @ SouthEnd Brewing Co.

@ 10am / $5

SouthEnd Brewing Co, 117b West Lewis Street, Greensboro

Kazha @ 12pm

Benton Convention Center, 301 W 5th St, WinstonSalem

TINA - The Tina Turner Musical @ 6:30pm / $29-$171

Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts, 300 North Elm Street, Greensboro

Tue 4/02

Swiss Class @ 6pm / $58

Reto's Kitchen, 600 South Elam, Greensboro

Erica Campbell @ 6:30pm

Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts, 300 N Elm St, Greensboro

Wed 4/03

Leanne Morgan: Just Getting Started @ 7pm / $35.75-$65.75

Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts, 300 North Elm Street, Greensboro

Cashavelly Morrison @ 8pm

The Ramkat & Gas Hill Drinking Room, 170 W 9th St, Winston-Salem

Calendar information is provided by event organiz‐ers. All events are subject to change or cancellation. This publication is not responsible for the accuracy of the information contained in this calendar.

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July 14-19

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