INDY Week February 21, 2024

Raleigh | Durham | Chapel Hill February 21, 2024

Behind the Bar with Bruce Kenyon

by Justin Laidlaw, p. 21

Old Hillside Bourbon Company serves up spirits and history

by Gabi Mendick, p. 23

Umbrella Dry Bar elevates the mocktail experience

by Jasmine Gallup, p. 26

plus!

: rs for a b t s Be , dates , s e gam ore! m d n a

Raleigh W Durham W Chapel Hill VOL. 41 NO. 4

CONTENTS

NEWS 5

Here's how to make your 2024 primary ballot count. BY SOFIE BUCKMINSTER

7

The stakes are high for the races for seats on Durham County's board of commissioners. BY JUSTIN LAIDLAW

10 A Wake County district court judge's recent retirement is shaking up judicial elections in 2024. BY JASMINE GALLUP 11

INDY's 2024 Primary Election endorsements. BY INDY STAFF

2024

Drinks

20 Best Triangle game bars. BY INDY STAFF 21 Veteran bartender Bruce Kenyon slings drinks and style from behind the bar at Rubies on Five Points. BY JUSTIN LAIDLAW 22 Best Triangle bars to read a book at. BY INDY STAFF 23 At Durham's Old Hillside Bourbon Company, Black history and spirits go hand-in-hand. BY GABI MENDICK 24 Best date bars in the Triangle. BY INDY STAFF 25 Best bars to order an over-the-top drink. BY LENA GELLER 26 Umbrella Dry Bar, Raleigh's first fully nonalcoholic bar, prioritizes both consumption and a good time. BY JASMINE GALLUP 27 Best Triangle bars to order a mocktail. BY SAM OVERTON

THE REGULARS 4 Backtalk 28 Culture calendar COVER A glass of the ‘Matcha-Do About Nothing’, a non-alcoholic cocktail, at Umbrella Dry Bar. PHOTO BY ANGELICA EDWARDS

CORRECTION The year of Jeff Jackson's bid for U.S. Senate was misstated in the profile of Durham district attorney Satana Deberry published two weeks ago. It was 2021, not 2022.

INDY staffers gather for drinks after work at Kotuku Surf Club. PHOTO BY ANGELICA EDWARDS

WE M A DE THIS Publisher John Hurld

Editorial Editor-in-Chief Jane Porter Culture Editor Sarah Edwards Staff Writers Jasmine Gallup Lena Geller

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Reporters Justin Laidlaw Chase Pellegrini de Paur Contributors Mariana Fabian, Desmera Gatewood, Spencer Griffith, Carr Harkrader, Matt Hartman, Tasso Hartzog, Brian Howe, Kyesha Jennings, Hannah Kaufman, Jordan Lawrence, Elim Lee, Glenn McDonald, Thomasi McDonald, Nick McGregor, Gabi Mendick, Cy Neff, Shelbi Polk, Byron Woods, Barry Yeoman

February 21, 2024

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Copy Editor Iza Wojciechowska Interns Sam Overton James Burrell

Creative Creative Director Nicole Pajor Moore

Advertising Publisher John Hurld Director of Revenue Mathias Marchington Director of Operations Chelsey Koch

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INDYweek.com February 21, 2024

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BACK TA L K

In our paper two weeks ago, along with our voter guide and more elections coverage, we published our 2024 primary endorsements for all the local races that will appear on voters ballots. (Please note: we’re no longer endorsing in statewide, congressional, or national elections).

Our readers had plenty of thoughts:

From JEREMY (Twitter):

BORDEN, via X

unwillingly drawn into the court system.

She deserves reelection.

The @indyweek endorsement of Mike Woodard reminds me of the time a newspaper I was working for endorsed an otherwise unqualified felon because at least he understood government’s problems “from the inside.” #ncpol

From reader LIZZIE ADAIR, via email:

From reader and former Wake county commissioner JOHN BURNS, via email: The Indy has missed on its judicial endorsements in Wake County. In failing to endorse current District Court Judge Anna Worley, the Indy made the absurd statement that “in a court that often feels stagnant, we’re in favor of change.”

The rest of the endorsements - where Indy chooses among various attorneys whose full experience is in criminal law - reveal why such a perspective is faulty.

Judge Worley is a certified family law expert currently sitting on the District Court Bench, the court where all family court matters are decided. She is, to my knowledge, the only such certified expert on the Wake County District Court. She is certainly the only one in the primary.

Children and families are her calling, her background, and her expertise.

I have searched publicly available information high and low for information on Dr. [Jennifer] Moore. There is little to no information available. Her website is a template with minimal information and the email address does not work. Her website prior to the current one was also a template with stock photos and minimal information. Her attendance at OC School Board meetings is not stellar. Her responses on publicly available candidate questionnaires have the majority of the answers done by AI (not human!). There is little to no publicly available information on her current or former employment, or her education. Dr. Moore was also uncomfortable with answering questions at the Chamber/Kiwanis Forum.

Ms. Padilla is also a conundrum from an endorsement standpoint. She has no connection to Orange County schools, her children go to Durham schools, and in a recent forum when asked why she was running, she stated “Why not?”

Changing for change’s sake in this office discards valuable experience and a necessary focus on children and families in this office.

How can your staff make endorsements on one candidate that has such poor publicly available information, poor performance as a Board Member, and has difficulty answering the public’s questions; and another new candidate that has no background or data on her involvement in Orange County schools?

Anna Worley is a superb judge with a record of working for he safety and benefit of the children who find themselves

I believe transparency in your process, and disclosure of the material you review, is needed to help your readers feel more

WANT TO SEE YOUR NAME IN BOLD? 4

February 21, 2024

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confident in the endorsements you make.

Disclosure of the members of your advisory board would also go a long way to increasing the public’s confidence in your endorsements. I hope you can publish information that will help support your endorsement choices, as on the surface, the choices are confusing and lacking.

On the web (and in print this week, on p. 5), we’re publishing a story by our partners at the 9th Street Journal on election changes in North Carolina that will impact the primary. Web reader BOB WARREN sent us the following message via email: …this is one of the few articles I have seen that calls out the important (and counter-intuitive) change in the deadline for absentee ballots to be received. I hope the INDY will continue to highlight this change.

I did not see any discussion of the these issues of importance to visually impaired voters: 1) See Option 3 on the NC Absentee ballot portal, intended for visually impaired voters to request to vote completely online (request, vote, and submit ballot). See https://votebymail.ncsbe.gov/ app/home (I actually did not see any discussion of this portal - perhaps for another article) 2) If you request the right to vote online when registering for an absentee ballot, there is a hard to find option to request an absentee ballot for all elections in 2024 (primary, second primary if needed, general election).

backtalk@indyweek.com

3) If you choose to vote online, there is an option to indicate that you do not have access to a printer/copier/scanner to provide for the voter ID. Otherwise people have to somehow create an electronic version of their ID and upload it.

4) While not applicable this year, the online ballot is typically done on a computer or tablet where trying to sign with one’s finger will be especially problematic for someone who cannot see. This may pose real problems when/if the signature validation becomes a requirement.

5) Some counties (Wake for sure) have changed the technology used as the “ballot marking machine” that each polling place is required to provide to people with various disabilities. From personal experience, poll workers do not always have a good grasp on how to set up these machines properly and have trouble helping people to use them. Some people who have used older ballot marking machines in the past may have problems with the new machines.

We are republishing our voting guide and endorsements this week on p. 11, alongside reporting on Durham’s Board of County Commissioners’ races (p. 7) and Wake County District Court (p. 10). We’ll have even more reporting online ahead of Election Day (March 5). Check out indyweek.com for candidate questionnaires and watch for the launch of our live blog for coverage of early voting and election night.

@INDYWeekNC

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The Triangle Early voting at Durham County Main Library PHOTO BY NICOLE PAJOR MOORE

Make Your Ballot Count North Carolina is rolling out a string of new laws governing how elections work, with some important changes going into effect for the primary.

BY SOFIE BUCKMINISTER backtalk@indyweek.com

T

he primary election is coming up on March 5, and voters have a lot more to figure out than simply who they want in office.

A string of new laws governing how elections work is being rolled out in North Carolina this year, with some important changes going into effect for the primary. Primary elections can be confusing already, with so many offices holding elections, and these new rules laid out by the state legislature don’t make them any easier to navigate. Below, we’ve outlined the most important things for voters to know this election season to make sure their votes get counted.

Mail-in ballots In past elections, there has been a grace period for mailin ballots that arrive late, as long as they were postmarked by election day. This year, mail-in ballots must be received by election day, with no exceptions.

Plus, there is a new photo ID requirement for mail-in voters. Voters must include a photocopy of their ID in

the envelope with their ballot. If voters don’t have ID or access to a photocopier, there is an exception form to include with the return ballot. This new, larger version of the ballot currently costs $1.63 to mail.

The deadline for requesting a mail-in ballot is February 27, one week before election day, but waiting until then may create too tight of a window. Kate Fellman, founder and executive director of You Can Vote, a North Carolina voter rights nonprofit, says a buffer may be necessary.

“It’s just extra, extra technical paperwork,” Fellman explains. “If you make one mistake and are not in compliance with every single check box, you’ll have to go back to the Board of Elections and fix it.”

Fellman recommends that people who must vote by mail request their ballots now.

Registration forms A new voter registration form was recently released, requiring voters to give either their North Carolina driver’s license number or the last four digits of their Social

Security number. According to Fellman, this question was optional in past versions of the form, and voters could present their ID or residency document upon voting. Now, the Board of Elections will no longer accept registration forms without one of those numbers, she said. The form includes an option to indicate that you do not have an ID number or a Social Security number, but Fellman says it’s unclear what happens to forms with that box ticked.

This will be especially problematic for students and first-time voters, Fellman said. Many young people don’t have a North Carolina driver’s license, let alone know the last four digits of their Social Security number.

Plus, if they call their parents to ask for the number, it may not go well, even though there’s nothing one can do with just the last four digits.

“Their parents are going to say, ‘Don’t give it,’” Fellman explains. “‘Don’t give it away! What are you doing?’”

Same-day registration Same-day registration is an option during all 17 days of early voting—February 15 through March 2—but votINDYweek.com February 21, 2024

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ers need to come prepared. To successfully register, you must bring proof of residency and a photo ID. Proof of residency is anything with a voter’s current address and name on it, such as a lease agreement or a utility bill.

Accepted forms of photo ID include a wide range of options. And, of course, voters must be prepared with either their driver’s license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number.

Photo ID Voters need to bring one of the accepted forms of photo ID with them to the polls, even if they are already registered.

However, if you don’t have a photo ID, you can still vote—there is an exception form.

You will be given a provisional ballot, but as long as your exception form is deemed valid, your vote will count.

This policy was rolled out in the municipal elections in the fall, but is still relatively new to voters and poll workers alike.

Fellman said there is a lot of confusion about what is and isn’t acceptable, and Derek Bowens, director of the Board of Elections for Durham County, agrees. Election workers seem to have a good handle on it, but there are “at times, mix-ups in understanding,” he says.

Provisional ballots If voters slip up on any of the requirements, they are likely to be given a provisional ballot. Provisional ballots are essentially put on hold and may or may not be counted, depending on whether the voter’s case gets resolved. Some get resolved more easily than others—voters who forget their photo ID will be given a provisional ballot that will be counted as long as they come back and show their ID later, for instance. However, some are more taxing for the voter to fix.

Students and transient people are more likely to receive provisionals, because their registration is more likely to be out of date.

Out-of-date registration is a common reason for getting a provisional ballot, and many college students change addresses annually. Students can update their registration until the registration deadline, February 9. If they miss that deadline, they can also update their address using same-day registration during the in-person early voting period. But, if they show up on March 5 without valid registration, they will be given a provisional ballot.

Gunther Peck, associate professor of

public policy at Duke University, worries that provisional ballots lead to fewer younger voters’ ballots being counted.

“The throw-out rate for provisional ballots … has been just inexorably climbing,” he explains.

Provisional ballots can also serve as a sort of blanket solution for issues that arise at the polls, he says. “If you have a problem voter … you give them a provisional, and the problem goes away,” Peck says. “It’s crowd control. It keeps the line moving.”

Signature-matching program Lastly, Durham is one of 10 NC counties piloting a new signature-matching program for mail-in ballots. The software will compare the voter’s signature on their ballot to their past signatures on file. Because this is a pilot program, the results will not affect whether or not any ballots get counted in this primary election.

Still, the pilot program is raising concerns about the potential for erroneous ballot elimination in future elections.

According to Bowens, 90 percent of new voters register at the state Division of Motor Vehicles, where they sign on an electronic pad as opposed to paper. Those electronic signatures may not match up with voters’ handwritten signatures on their ballots.

“That’s definitely concerning,” says Bowens. “We look at those signatures every day, and we definitely see a big difference.”

The program could also pose a threat to the votes of disabled citizens in the future, Fellman says. “We work with folks who have lost limbs that need to use a pen in their mouth—how do you account for matching those types of [signatures]?”

New election rules could generate confusion for voters and poll workers alike.

When difficulties arise, the discretion of each individual poll worker may lead to varying results.

“Just because there’s a uniform document does not mean the application is the same,” Bowens says.

So, voters must plan ahead, come prepared, and leave buffer time to make sure their voices get heard. Peck emphasizes the importance of minimizing the margin for error at the polls: “You need to have accuracy to have voting rights.” W This story was published through a partnership between the INDY and 9th Street Journal, which is produced by journalism students at Duke University’s DeWitt Wallace Center for Media & Democracy.

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Durham County

A County Contested

An upcoming rewrite of the county’s development code. Dwindling NC counching pro- education bond funds. A salary tware will crisis currently roiling Durham their balPublic Schools. The stakes are high . Because sults will for the Durham County Board of allots get Commissioners election.

m

sing con- BY JUSTIN LAIDLAW jlaidlaw@indyweek.com rroneous elections. nt of new vision of gn on an er. Those match up tures on

says Bowres every s the meeting commenced on December 4, Durham fference.”

County attorney Alan Andrews sat at the head of the a threattable and addressed the room. ns in the “Welcome to the December 4, 2023 meeting of the with folksGuilford County Board of Commissioners,” Andrews said. to use a Murmurs and snickers echoed through the audience. u accountCommissioner Nimasheena Burns swiftly caught the gaff. natures]?”She offered Andrews, the former chief deputy city attorrate con-ney for the City of Greensboro, the seat of Guilford Couners alike.ty, a mulligan. retion of “Take that back, brother,” Burns said. y lead to Andrews repeated the date back to Burns, still unaware of his misstep. rm docu- “Durham. You said Guilford,” Burns said. ion is the “Sorry. My apologies,” Andrews said with a chuckle.

The shared moment of levity at Andrews’s expense ome pre-didn’t last long. make sure Andrews was there to preside over the vote for the next mphasizesboard chair, a position that the commissioners select annue marginally. Over the years, the board has typically elected the d to havechair and vice chair to serve in those roles for the duration W of their four-year terms. Commissioners Brenda Howerton and Wendy Jacobs, the longest-tenured board members, h a part-have both served as chair and vice chair. With commissionth Streeter Heidi Carter declining to run for reelection, it seemed ournalismlikely that the newest board members, Nida Allam and Witt Wal-Burns, would take on the responsibility of board leadership. acy.

Carter was first to make a motion, nominating Allam.

A

Four incumbents on the Durham County Board of Commissioners are running for reelection. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ANN SALMAN

Jacobs seconded. Each member was then asked to give an “aye” or “nay” verbal vote. Allam, Carter, and Jacobs confirmed with “ayes.”. Burns gave a begrudging “uh huh.”

Howerton gave her “aye” without adjusting her microphone, her voice barely audible. The vote was unanimous, though an undercurrent of rancor that traces back to 2021 clearly still lingers. That year, a majority of the board—all of its non-Black members—voted to relieve then-county manager Wendell Davis of his job duties in May, weeks before his contract, which was not renewed, was to end in June.

This year, the races to be Durham’s next county commissioners might sound familiar to observers of Durham politics. Allegations of dysfunction and misconduct have plagued the board of commissioners recently, not unlike their colleagues on Durham’s city council. Last year, Davis received $790,000 from Durham County to settle a lawsuit in which Davis made claims that racial discrimination played a role in his firing. While the controversy is ostensibly behind them, the residual animosity that stemmed from it still seems to loom over the board members.

“I do think it’s really important that elected officials can get along and work harmoniously together as a team,” says Carter, who, whether fairly or not, was at the center of the Davis controversy. “It feels more like a team now. But there have been times where it hasn’t felt like a team. It’s hard to get stuff done if you can’t work together.”

The Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People, one of Durham’s more influential PACs, chose not to

endorse Jacobs or Allam in either of the last two elections.

As the INDY reported in 2021, some believe the choice is in retaliation for their role in ousting Davis.

“It seems like [Allam’s] votes are not aligned with the interests of the Black community,” Tia Wilson Hall, former chair of the Durham Committee’s PAC, told the INDY at the time.

Interpersonal drama aside, the county must confront the issues that need their immediate attention. Durham Public Schools have been ravaged by employee walkouts related to salary disputes, and dwindling funds for necessary renovations and new construction means the county will have to consider another school bond referendum. Affordable housing also remains a perpetual need. The upcoming rewrite of the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) could help encourage housing construction in the areas of priority for both the city and county, but it won’t solve affordability on its own. Last year, the county teamed up with city officials and nonprofit partners to acquire property at Carver Creek to maintain and develop more supportive housing for Durham residents, but questions remain about whether the board will be able to replicate that success. The five commissioners selected after the primary election on March 5 will have to work together and with their community partners to address all of these challenges.

I

n January, DPS alerted classified staff members that their pay would be less than expected that month and INDYweek.com February 21, 2024

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going forward, and that the school district would only recognize public sector work experience in its salary schedule. The issue sparked ongoing protests and staff walkouts for weeks, led in-part by the Durham Association of Educators, the closest thing Durham has to a teachers’ union. The problem stemmed from budgeting errors and a lack of communication between former superintendent Pascal Mubenga, who resigned this month, former chief financial officer Paul LiSieur, who resigned in January, the school board, and HIL Consultants, the firm that the school board hired in 2022 to conduct a salary study for classified staff.

The dispute highlights the need to bring candidates who understand the public school system, and can work closely with the school board, to the board of county commissioners. Three candidates with strong ties to the school district are running. One will likely replace Carter, who served on the school board from 2008 to 2016 before joining the county commissioners, as the new liaison to the education community.

Mike Lee chaired the school board from 2016 to 2020 and oversaw the hiring of Mubenga. Jovonia Lewis currently serves on the school board, which has been under severe scrutiny from the education commu-

nity for its handling of the budget dispute.

And Michelle Burton, a longtime school librarian, has been a member of the North Carolina Association of Educators since 1995 and served as president of DAE for four years from 2019 to 2023.

Jacobs says the commissioners’ role in voting to supplement public education in Durham is significant, as the county uses a large portion of its budget to support DPS and is statutorily required to approve the district’s budget. In the 2023-2024 fiscal year, the county allocated $188 million to DPS, or 20 percent of its total $889.5 million budget. Without a significant increase in funding from the state on the horizon, the county may have to consider increasing its own budget to supplement the needs of the school system.

“What has happened in North Carolina since I was first elected [in 2012] has been a deliberate and progressive attack on public education,” Jacobs says. “There’s been defunding and underfunding not just of operational needs but also the capital needs of schools and then also lifting the cap on charter schools, putting a burden on our local funding.”

Because the school board doesn’t have taxing authority, it is at the mercy of the county to provide any additional gap fund-

Carver Creek Apartments PHOTO BY ANGELICA EDWARDS 8

February 21, 2024

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ing. Jacobs says the county has done its best to fill those gaps.

“You see in a lot of counties school boards and county commissioners fighting each other because there are such limited resources,” Jacobs says. “But instead, what we have done is work together collaboratively. I’m really proud that, for the first time ever, we have a joint capital improvement plan.”

Jacobs became board chair in 2016 while Lee was the chair of the school board. She says they worked together to improve collaboration between both boards, DPS staff, and other elected officials.

“That’s when the dynamics between the school board and the board of county commissioners really started to shift,” Jacobs says. It was that close relationship between the two boards that saw the negotiation of a $423.5 million public education bond referendum to go before voters in 2022; the bond was approved overwhelmingly.

But due to rising construction costs, the bond funds will not cover as many projects as was originally projected. Current commissioners and candidates believe the county will consider another bond in the near future to finance maintenance and new school construction that the school district needs to meet rising demand due to

population growth and outdated facilities.

“Because of the cost overruns of the new DSA,” Burton says, “many schools in Black communities that were slated for repair with the 2022 bond will not receive much-needed repairs. This is an equity issue. If elected to the county commission, I would support a bond being on the ballot in two or three years. Students deserve to go to school in functional, up-to-date buildings.”

As the county works with the school district to update existing school campuses, it has a unique opportunity to leverage outdated facilities that are currently unused, like at Northern High School, and campuses like Durham School of the Arts, which DPS plans to relocate in the coming years. Some candidates have proposed reusing the campuses as educational facilities, while others see potential for housing to support teachers and other public employees.

“As Durham continues to grow, we should request that DPS do a comprehensive land usage strategy plan with the city-county planning department,” Lewis said in her INDY candidate questionnaire. “We need to leverage all publicly owned land (city, county, DPS, DHA) to support the construction and renovation of existing school facilities and create affordable and workforce housing together.”

Durham School of the Arts PHOTO BY ANGELICA EDWARDS

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ontrary to the wishful thinking of Durham residents who attend city council and county commissioners meetings, both bodies are limited in how they can directly affect the housing market. But Jacobs says that a concerted effort between the county, city, DPS, and private partners could move the needle.

“We all have to come together and develop a plan,” Jacobs says. “Mecklenburg County has a plan. Wake County has a plan.

We’re behind the eight ball on this. And we need a comprehensive plan that includes all of the available tools that lay out the strategies for how we’re going to meet certain targets each year.”

In 2019, Durham voters passed a $95 million affordable housing bond that was paired with $65 million in additional local and federal funding to create the Forever Home, Durham program. The initiative aims to support housing equity in Durham by partnering with for profit and nonprofit developers as well as other organizations to construct new housing, create pathways for folks to access housing that is available, and keep renters and homeowners stabilized.

One of the challenges for local officials is finding available land to build affordable housing. Like the school district, the county owns key plots of land throughout Durham, assets that it has started to leverage. Through a private-public partnership, 553 total units are under development between two projects at 300 and 500 East Main Street, plots that were previously county-owned surface parking lots.

Of those, 305 will be affordable housing for households earning between 30 and 80 percent of the area median income.

The projects at 500 Main Street will also include a childcare center and around 30,000 square feet of commercial space.

Last summer, the county scored another housing win with the acquisition of Carver Creek Apartments, a complex in North Durham. The 30-year restrictive covenant that locked in affordable rates for renters was set to expire at the end of 2023.

The county worked with the city council and the nonprofit Housing for New Hope to purchase the property for $6 million.

Housing for New Hope already manages a neighboring supportive housing community at William Square. Combining the two campuses makes it more likely that Housing for New Hope can recruit on-site supportive services to the community, says Russell Pierce, executive director at Housing for New Hope.

“When we looked across the county, what we saw was projects that housed 100 to 120 residents tended to be most likely to have a committed nurse, behavior-

al health, or other clinic services on-site,” Pierce says. “What we found out was there was land on the William Square property that had never been developed and land at Carver Creek that wasn’t big enough [to develop]. Neither property could do anything on its own, but you put it together and suddenly you’ve got your magic 100120 range. So it just became this opportunity to do something extraordinary.”

Replicating the success of Carver Creek isn’t a guarantee. Funds for affordable housing have to be distributed across a multitude of projects, and purchasing new property in a competitive market like Durham is especially difficult for the county commissioners who are beholden to stricter budget constraints.

“None of us have enough money to fix this problem alone,” Jacobs says.

Still, both city and county leaders voted to pass the Simplifying Codes for Affordable Development (SCAD) amendments last fall in the hope of increasing Durham’s housing stock. SCAD makes significant changes to Durham’s development codes that developers say make building new units easier. The commissioners voted 3-1 to pass the SCAD text amendments in December after the city council approved the amendments the month before.

Howerton was absent from the meeting. Burns was the lone dissenting vote on SCAD. “I don’t have a problem with us making it easier for folks to do what it is that we do in Durham and that’s make a good place to live,” she said at the meeting. “Durham is open for business but Durham is not open for piracy.”

The SCAD amendments come ahead of a full rewrite of the city’s and county’s UDO, which the planning department has already started. Any pieces of SCAD that don’t produce the desired outcomes for new construction or affordability can be reworked or eliminated when the new UDO is implemented but will need consensus from county leaders. Planning staff estimate the rewrite will take roughly two years to complete and provide clearer design standards for developers. The new code will likely offer more opportunities for housing diversity which could lead to more affordable housing choices—but there are no guarantees.

“I heard a lot of grievances about a lot of different things,” Jacobs said the night of the SCAD vote. “I don’t want to mislead people that what we’re being asked to vote on will necessarily address what people are upset about … to give you all the idea that we have the power to address things that we don’t have the power to address.” W INDYweek.com February 21, 2024

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Wake County Kevin Boxberger PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ANN SALMAN

Judicial Shuffle The Wake County Democratic Party grapples with electoral law as it tries to pick up more judge’s seats in Wake County’s District 10.

BY JASMINE GALLUP jgallup@indyweek.com

O

bscure electoral law is coming into play as the Wake County Democratic Party scrambles to compete for a newly vacated seat in the county’s district court.

On February 1, longtime chief district court Judge Ned Mangum, a Republican, retired from his seat. As it wasn’t originally scheduled to appear on the November ballot, his seat opening gives Democrats a chance to pick up an additional judgeship this year in Wake County’s District Court 10 in the general election. (Earlier this month, NC Supreme Court Justice Paul Newby appointed Wake County district court judge Margaret Eagles to serve in the chief district court judge’s role.)

With Democrats competing over four other seats in the March primary, and with another competitive race in November, election results this year could lead to significant criminal justice reform in the county. The only problem is finding a candidate.

When vacancies like this occur, the Wake County Democratic Party (WCDP) has only seven days to find someone to place on the ballot. District courts in North Carolina 10

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were made partisan once again in 2017, and when judicial vacancies occur in district courts, parties are statutorily required to nominate candidates to run to fill those vacancies.

“It’s very draconian,” says Wake County Democratic Party chair Kevyn Creech. “This particular statute that we have to follow is not something that’s well known.”

It’s a tight deadline, Creech says, but doable.

Earlier this month, the WCDP Executive Committee elected public defender Kevin Boxberger to run in the November race for Mangum’s District 10D, Seat 3 spot.

The only problem is that Boxberger is already running in the March 5 election for District 10D, Seat 5 against Wake County clerk of court Blair Williams.

This is where it gets complicated.

Boxberger can’t run for two seats on the District Court, so if he wins the election to 10D, Seat 5 in March, but wants to run for 10D, Seat 3 in November, he’ll have to resign from Seat 5 first.

After receiving the Democratic Party’s nomination, that’s

what Boxberger will do, he tells the INDY. This will allow Boxberger to get his name on the ballot in November in an election against the GOP’s nominee, Karl Roth, for the seat.

Continuing this hypothetical of Boxberger winning in March, the Wake County Democratic Party would then have to nominate yet another candidate to run for Seat 5 after Boxberger resigns. Of course, if Boxberger’s opponent, Blair Williams, wins the Democratic race in March, no action will need to be taken: a Democrat will fill the seat as Williams would run unopposed in November, and Boxberger would be free to file for the race for Mangum’s seat in the general election.

Creech is optimistic.

“We expect to pick up both seats in the fall,” Creech says. “Even though none of us want partisan elections, all judicial elections matter. We’ve been diligently working for over two years to pick up as many district court seats as possible. So the onus is on us to pay attention. We have to be on our toes double-checking and triple-checking statutes constantly.” W

INDY's 2024 Primary Election Endorsements

BY INDY STAFF backtalk@indyweek.com

Early voting began last week for Durham, Orange, and Wake Counties’ March 5 primary elections, and several local races are on voters’ ballots.

In Durham, voters will select five county commissioners from a field of 11 candidates. Commissioner Heidi Carter isn’t running for reelection, but the four other incumbents are all running to keep their seats. Durham Public Schools has one competitive at-large race and three candidates running unopposed, whose names will also appear on the ballot.

In Orange County, one county commissioner is running to keep her seat against two challengers in the Democratic primary, while three school board seats are up for election. These candidates include three incumbents and four newcomers.

And in Wake County, there’s one Democratic primary for the county board of commissioners between Tara Waters and DaQuanta Copeland.

Races for four district court judges’ seats are also competitive.

Finally, across the Triangle, a handful of state House and Senate races have Democratic primaries.

Our team of four writers and one editor met to make endorsements in these races last week. We considered a variety of factors including individual skill sets, past experience in governing and civic life, volunteer experience, and other publicly available information. We also used much of our own reporting over the past year to inform our decisions.

Read our endorsements in these pages and refer to our handy clip-out guide on p. 12 when you head to the polls. And if you want even more information, check out online candidate questionnaires at indyweek.com.

Editor’s note: In keeping with our reenvisioned mission to provide hyperlocal news to the Triangle, including elections coverage, we are dedicating our limited staff resources to making endorsements only in local elections, including municipal, county-level, school board, local state legislative, and judicial races. We will no longer make endorsements in statewide, congressional, or national elections.

We are happy to assist with some recommendations of where to find other information for the top-of-ballot races. Just email us at editors@indyweek.com.

I N DY Elections 2024

Primary Election Info At-a-Glance Important Dates Early Voting: FEB 15 - MAR 2

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Primary Election Day: TUES, MAR 5

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Early Voting You can vote early at ANY Early Voting site in your county. Find your county’s early voting sites at https://vt.ncsbe.gov/EVSite/

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Same-day Registration You can REGISTER TO VOTE during Early Voting at any Early Voting site.

You must provide an accepted ID document to an election official at an Early Voting location to verify your name and address. Note! If you use this process to register, you cannot change your party affiliation.

Election Day All polling places are open from

6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m On Election Day, voters must vote in their assigned polling place, and anyone in line at 7:30 p.m., when polls close, will be allowed to cast their ballot.

Don’t Forget Your Photo ID! North Carolina voters will be asked to show photo ID when they check in to vote.

INDYweek.com February 21, 2024

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INDY's 2024 Primary Election

VOTE!

Voter Guide

Durham County

Orange County

Wake County

Durham County Board of Commissioners

Orange County Board of Commissioners

Wake County District Court Judges

This is a partisan primary. Voters elect five candidates at-large.

This is a partisan primary. Voters elect one candidate in District 2.

Nida Allam

Phyllis Portie-Ascott

This is a nonpartisan election. Voters elect judges in Districts 10 A, Seat 3; 10 C, Seat 3; 10 D, Seat 5; and 10 E, Seat 3.

I N DY 2 0

Endorsem e n ts E L ECT I O Wendy Jacobs Michael Lee

Stephen Valentine

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Orange County Board of Education This is a nonpartisan election. Voters elect three candidates at-large.

Carrie Doyle

Michelle Burton

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Jennifer Moore

Durham Public Schools Board of Education

Wendy Padilla

DISTRICT B Millicent Rogers

NC Senate District 14

s t n e m e

DISTRICT 3 Jessica Carda-Auten

TIONS

AT-LARGE Joy Harrell

NC Senate District 22 This is the only competitive state legislative primary for Durham County voters this cycle.

Mike Woodard

Wake County Board of Commissioners

NC House District 33

INDYweek.com

tio endors emen ns ts

Dan Blue

This is a partisan primary. Voters elect candidates in the District 5 Democratic primary and the District 6 Republican primary. We are not making endorsements in District 6, and Darren Eustance, who will appear on the ballot in that race, says he has suspended his campaign.

Tara Waters

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Wake County

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This is a Democratic primary.

Monika Johnson-Hostler

NC House District 35 This is a Republican primary. The candidates are James Norman and Mike Schietzelt. The INDY is not making an endorsement in this race.

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NC Senate District 13

2024 This is a Democratic primary. elec

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This is a Republican primary. The candidates are Vicki Harry and Scott Lassiter. The INDY is not making an endorsement in this race.

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10 C, SEAT 3 Renee Jordan

10 E, SEAT 3 Crystal Grimes

DISTRICT A Wendell Tabb

February 21, 2024

10 A , SEAT 3 No endorsement

10 D, SEAT 5 Kevin Boxberger

This is a nonpartisan election. Voters elect one candidate in District A, District B, District 3, and at-large. The only competitive race is for the at-large seat.

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I N DY Elections 2024

Durham County

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Durham County Board of Commissioners

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Board of Education from 2014 to 2022, serving as the board chair from 2016 to 2020 and vice chair in 2015 and 2021. During his tenure, he oversaw the development of the DPS Office of Equity Affairs. Lee also has over 20 years of business experience, and holds an MBA and doctorate in business administration. Lee’s blend of privateand public-sector experience would bring valuable skills to the board as it tackles major challenges such as procuring affordable housing and funding public education.

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MICHAEL “MIKE” LEE served as a member of the DPS

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Michael Lee

MICHELLE BURTON built her career advocating for public education. She served as the president of the Durham Association of Educators from 2019 to 2023, and has worked as a public school librarian for over 20 years.

Burton has a thorough understanding of the challenges students, parents, and teachers face in the classroom and offers decades of experience building coalitions to solve them. At a time when educators and staff need a strong voice for them on the board, and as someone who has a good working relationship with what is in effect Durham’s teachers’ union, we think Burton will bring a valuable perspective.

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to increase funding to DPS, championed the 2022 public education bond, and worked to ensure families in the county have access to high-quality pre-K. With priorities for affordable housing and the UDO rewrite, plus implementation of the new county transit plan, on the agenda for the next term, we think Jacobs has the institutional knowledge that’s needed to carry the county forward.

Michelle Burton

4 ts 2 n 0 e 2 S m N Y D se I O IN r T do L E C En E

s n o i done a reliably good job of collaborating with colctand scounty staff, making herself accessible and e t leagues and l n e maccountable e to constituents, and navigating controversies e carefully and with a level head. A Durham Public Schools rs (DPS) parent and former teacher, Jacobs has advocated WENDY JACOBS has served on the board since 2012

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The first Muslim woman elected to public office in North Carolina, NIDA ALLAM has proven herself to be a dedicated public servant and progressive voice for Durham. On the board of commissioners, Allam played a crucial role in raising wages for county employees and securing tax relief for low-income families. She’s also a staunch advocate for women, women’s health care, and reproductive freedoms as a Planned Parenthood board member and chair of the Durham Mayor’s Council for Women. We endorse Allam for another term.

Wendy Jacobs

service. He served in the U.S. Army for nearly two decades before attending law school at NC Central University, where he worked as an associate professor in the department of social work before becoming director of NCCU’s Veterans Law Clinic. Valentine would draw on years of building private-public partnerships to improve access to education for students and economic opportunities and health services for Durham residents. Valentine also has served on Durham’s Planning Commission since 2022, giving him a deeper level of understanding for how Durham should approach development and growth.

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Nida Allam

STEPHEN VALENTINE has a long history of public

ns io ts ct n le e DY 4 e em IN 2 rs 20 do en

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This is a partisan primary. Voters elect five candidates at-large.

Stephen Valentine

Other candidates: NIMASHEENA BURNS (I), BRENDA HOWERTON (I), FREDRICK A. DAVIS, JOVONIA LEWIS, DARYL PAYTON, RENEE VAUGHAN

Durham Public Schools Board of Education

This is a nonpartisan election. Voters elect one candidate in District A, District B, District 3, and one at-large.

D IST R ICT A

Wendell Tabb As director of Hillside High School’s award-winning drama department for 35 years, WENDELL TABB has had a profound impact on hundreds, maybe thousands, of DPS students’ lives and futures. When he retired in 2022, a former student of Tabb’s told the INDY that Tabb “wasn’t just a teacher” but devoted his “time, soul, and money” to his students. He’s also pushed the district to live up to its stated commitment to equity for all students. Tabb is running unopposed and he has our endorsement.

INDYweek.com February 21, 2024

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Durham County D IST RI CT B

Millicent Rogers A Durham native, DPS alumna, and PTA volunteer, MILLICENT ROGERS is a reliable advocate for students, parents, and school staff. Working to foster family engagement, recruiting and retaining staff, and creating welcoming, inclusive learning environments are the cornerstones of Rogers’s work on the school board. Though Rogers is running unopposed, we endorse her for another term.

D IST RI CT 3

Jessica Carda-Auten JESSICA CARDA-AUTEN was appointed to the school

board in March 2023 following the resignation of former board member Matt Sears. She is an active member of the DPS elementary school that her two oldest children attend.

Carda-Auten currently works at UNC-Chapel Hill as a public health practitioner and researcher. She’s running unopposed and we support her bid for election to a full term.

AT-LA RG E

Joy Harrell An NCCU alumna and former public-school music teacher with 13 years of classroom experience, JOY HARRELL has dedicated her two-decades-long career to working with young people as an educator and artist.

Currently, Harrell is the executive director of BUMP: The Triangle, a nonprofit that builds artistic proficiency and social-emotional wellness in youth through visual and performing arts.

Harrell’s opponent, ATRAYUS GOODE, is president and CEO of the Youth Mentoring Collaborative, which provides mentoring, training, resources, and advocacy to Black and brown youth in the Triangle, and Goode has worked in mentoring since graduating from UNC-CH in 2007. Last month, during his school board campaign, Goode was publicly accused of sexually harassing an 18-year-old coworker in 2013. Goode was terminated from his job that year, following the allegation. The INDY reported on the allegation and other public records.

We think Harrell will bring a creative, student-first approach to the school board. Harrell is the clear choice in this race and she has our endorsement.

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February 21, 2024

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NC Senate District 22

I N DY Elections 2024

This is the only competitive state legislative primary for Durham County voters this cycle.

Mike Woodard Do we like that he supported a bill promoting charter schools? No. Do we approve of him voting to override Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto? Also no. But when state senator MIKE WOODARD talks about having to work with Republicans in the legislature who have gerrymandered themselves into a supermajority for what looks like the rest of time, he makes a good point: a Democrat has to be able to work with the other side to make truly appalling pieces of legislation less bad and stand by those efforts.

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Woodard has represented Durham in the state Senate since 2012, and this is the first time he’s drawn a primary challenger in political (and Triangle) newcomer SOPHIA CHITLIK . A former organizer for President Obama’s 2008 campaign and later a strategist in his administration’s Department of Labor, Chitlik, a California native, now works as an impact investor and philanthropist supporting women-led businesses in the health and wellness sector, namely birthing centers. She’s a true progressive, her credentials and talking points suggest—but with the GOP stranglehold in Raleigh, could she get anything done?

While moderate, Woodard is certainly a Democrat. On the important civil and social issues—voting rights, the abortion ban, the so-called Parents’ Bill of Rights—his constituents can trust Woodard to vote the right way. He champions his work on the state’s clean energy bill, a rare piece of actually-good legislation to emerge from Raleigh in the past decade.

The reality is, while he didn’t earn our endorsement to lead the state’s bluest city, the legislature is a different animal entirely. Woodard has years of experience and existing relationships in the General Assembly that make him an effective leader. He also has deep relationships with Durham residents.

We don’t always agree with Woodard’s decisions, but we think his absence from the senate would be a loss. We’re endorsing Woodard for another term.

INDYweek.com February 21, 2024

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Orange County Orange County Board of Commissioners

Jennifer Moore

This is a partisan primary. Voters elect one candidate in District 2.

Phyllis Portie-Ascott PHYLLIS PORTIE-ASCOTT is a realtor and former

vice chair of the Orange County Democratic Party. Last February, Portie-Ascott’s six elected colleagues on the board of commissioners unanimously appointed her to the District 2 seat following former commissioner Renee Price’s election to the NC House, and Portie-Ascott will serve in that seat through the rest of this year.

VOTE!

INDY 202 endo4 electio nsuseful on the board, but rsem Beeman’s experience in planning and zoning would be e nhousing, with a platform focused on securing affordable ts workforce development, and strengthening mental health services, we’d like to see what Portie-Ascott Portie-Ascott’s opponents in the primary are ADAM J. BEEMAN , a business owner and seven-year member and current chair of Orange County’s planning board and member of the county’s board of adjustments, and HORACE JOHNSON JR. , a retired Duke Health worker who applied for Price’s open seat last year.

will do with a full term.

Orange County Board of Education

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With experience in education in Durham, Wayne, and Orange Counties, JENNIFER MOORE has proven herself to be a strong progressive presence on the board. Moore has stood out particularly because of her clear stance on equity. Any candidate can allude to the issue without actually addressing it—by highlighting differential education, as well as the differences between equity and equality, Moore has acted on a clearheaded view of how the district can best support students and families. We endorse Moore for another term.

ns o i t Y c IND24 ele ments 20 dorse en

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Wendy Padilla

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WENDY PADILLA stands out for her strong statement

against Senate Bill 49 (the “Don’t Say Gay” bill or “Parents’ Bill of Rights,” depending on who you ask), a law that she called too restrictive. In her past role, in the administrative office of a public school, she provided support for Spanishspeaking students and families, a growing demographic in OCS. Padilla has emphasized the need to meet communities where they are by making sure they are aware of assistance available to them instead of expecting them to find help on their own. We would be pleased to see Padilla as a newcomer on the board.

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Endo Y 2 0 2 4 r s e m ELE C T I O ents

This is a nonpartisan election. Voters elect three candidates at-large.

Other candidates include KEVIN ALSTON JR. , a behavior interventionist, who stood out among the pack for his empathetic views and, as a relatively recent OCS graduate, his sheer proximity to the issues that impact students today. We look forward to seeing his future work in the community.

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We appreciate incumbent BONNIE HAUSER’S attention to detail, but don’t believe she, CINDY SHRINER , or MICHAEL JOHNSON share the commitment to equity that the other candidates do.

Carrie Doyle A high school science teacher in DPS and the mother of three students in Orange County Schools (OCS), CARRIE DOYLE is a reliably progressive vote. During her first term on the board, Doyle has championed inclusive opportunities for students, including those who speak Spanish or one of the 40 languages other than English that are spoken in the school district. And during a tumultuous time that saw the departure of the district’s former superintendent, Doyle maintained good working relationships with her colleagues on the board as well as school administrators. For her commitment to equity and academic excellence, we endorse Doyle for another term.

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February 21, 2024

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I N DY Elections 2024

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INDYweek.com February 21, 2024

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Wake County Wake County Board of Commissioners

10 C, SEAT 3

Renee Jordan

This is a partisan primary. Voters elect candidates in the District 5 Democratic primary and the District 6 Republican primary. We are not making endorsements in District 6, and Darren Eustance, who will appear on the ballot in that race, says he has suspended his campaign.

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In a courtroom that is often dominated by the same judges year after year, longtime defense attorney RENEE JORDAN promises to bring a new perspective to the bench. Jordan, who has spent much of her career as a public defender, is dedicated to helping poor and minority residents who, in her words, “get pushed through the justice system without getting the help that they need.” Many judges are historically recruited from the prosecutor’s office; as someone who works on the other side of the system, Jordan’s pledge to listen compassionately to everyone who appears before her feels authentic.

IN 20 DY en 2 do 4 e rs lec em ti That’s o ANNA ELENA WORLEY doesn’t have a good en not ntos sayhasincumbent record.

Worley done solid work in family court and as an advocate for children. t But s in a court that often feels stagnant, we’re in favor of change.

Tara Waters

Democrats will be making a good choice this year whether they vote for former school board member TARA WATERS or community activist DAQUANTA COPELAND , but we ultimately came down in favor of Waters as the recipient of our endorsement. Appointed to the board of commissioners in January to fill the vacant seat of longtime commissioner James West, who died in November, Waters deserves more than a few months to bring her education experience and dedication to reducing racial disparities to service for the residents of Wake County.

10 D, SEAT 5

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Kevin Boxberger

As a former school board member, Waters is committed to netting more funding for public schools, an issue that deserves more attention this year in the midst of the housing crisis. She’s also passionate about lifting up the voices of underrepresented people in her district, which includes historically underserved communities in Southeast Raleigh.

In the race for retiring judge Debra Ann Sasser’s seat, KEVIN BOXBERGER is the clear choice. Boxberger, a young defense attorney, spent a little more than 10 years representing impoverished clients in District Court, some of whom struggled with mental health issues or substance use disorder. Currently, he oversees the public defender’s office for seven counties, including Wake.

Wake County District Court Judges

Like fellow candidate Jordan, Boxberger has pledged to treat everyone who comes through the courtroom “with fairness, dignity, and respect,” regardless of their circumstances. He supports exploring treatment and other diversion programs before resorting to incarceration. Finally, Boxberger’s recent criminal defense experience gives him an advantage over his opponent BLAIR WILLIAMS , an estate and civil attorney, who currently serves as Wake County Clerk of Superior Court.

This is a nonpartisan election. Voters elect judges in Districts 10 A, Seat 3; 10 C, Seat 3; 10 D, Seat 5; and 10 E, Seat 3.

10 A, SE AT 3

No endorsement While this is an important race, we don’t feel confident making an endorsement for either candidate.

Incumbent CINDY KENNEY , whom Gov. Cooper appointed to the bench just two years ago, was a former prosecutor. While she may deserve a chance to continue to serve as a judge, she ran unopposed in her last election.

DOUGLAS BROWN , on the other hand, doesn’t have any particular qualifica-

tions that inspire an endorsement over incumbent Kenney. Brown also worked as a Wake County prosecutor for several years before moving on to private practice and criminal defense work. We don’t have a great sense of what he’ll bring to the bench.

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Elections 2024

Wake County

Elections 2024

I N DY 2 0 2 4

Endorsements ELECTIONS I N DY

1 0 E, S EAT 3

Crystal Grimes It was a tough call in District 10 E, where another defense attorney, CRYSTAL GRIMES , is challenging incumbent ERIC CRAIG CHASSE . Chasse touts his experience, arguing that institutional knowledge helps make court operations more efficient. He’s also passionate about reform, working to expunge criminal records, “reunite families in crisis,” and help people with substance abuse disorder avoid incarceration.

But in a court where progressive perspectives are desperately needed, Grimes is a breath of fresh air. Grimes has spent her entire 17-year career as a public defender, demonstrating a true commitment to public service. She says she has seen the system not work for her clients and pledges to examine how race and poverty impact defendants. Grimes wants to make a difference as a district court judge, intervening at the lowest level of the justice system to, ideally, keep people out of it for good.

NC Senate District 13 This is a Republican primary. The candidates are VICKI HARRY and SCOTT LASSITER . The INDY is not making an endorsement in this race.

NC House District 33

Endorsements

This is a Democratic primary.

Monika Johnson-Hostler Following a solid decade of service on Wake County Public Schools Board of Education where she has been a successful advocate for staff salary increases and student achievement beyond test scores, we think MONIKA JOHNSONHOSTLER will continue to serve Wake County well in a state legislative role. Johnson-Hostler, who runs a local nonprofit that works to prevent sexual assault and support victims and survivors, offers an education policy expert’s breadth of knowledge coupled with a passion for public schools. With a Republican-majority legislature, that’s a type that we can never have too many of in the state House chambers.

Johnson-Hostler’s main opponent in this race, ANTOINE G. MARSHALL , is a former attorney for Legal Aid and now owns his own law practice, where he is a community economic development attorney. With a platform focus on housing, justice, and fair wages, we think Marshall is a strong candidate. But JohnsonHostler’s years of service and experience give her the edge.

A third candidate, retired state employee DEBRA DUNSTON , is also running in this primary.

NC House District 35 NC Senate District 14

This is a Republican primary. The candidates are JAMES NORMAN and MIKE SCHIETZELT. The INDY is not making an endorsement in this race.

This is a Democratic primary.

Dan Blue Now the NC Senate minority leader, Raleigh attorney DAN BLUE has served in the General Assembly, on and off, since 1981. Accordingly, Blue has a strong legislative record to fall back on, including, this past session, sponsoring bills to codify Roe v. Wade in North Carolina and provide capital project funding for NCCU and Wake County. We can’t find much information about Blue’s opponent, TERRY PASSIONE. Regardless, we think Blue has earned another term.

I N DY Elections 2024

INDYweek.com February 21, 2024

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5 Best Game Bars

BY CHASE PELLEGRINI DE PAUR AND JASMINE GALLUP

BOXCAR BAR + ARCADE | Durham A rare trifecta of games, booze and food makes Boxcar Barcade a popular destination in downtown Durham. The game catalog is extensive: Galaga and Donkey Kong for the old school nerds, skeeball, pop-a-shot and NBA Jam for the jocks, and Super Smash Bros on Nintendo 64, a group party classic, located smack dab in the middle of the room so your domination over your friends has an audience. Grab a slice of pizza and a beer and enjoy a bit of people watching as you ponder which high score to take down. -CP

GAMERS GEEKERY & TAVERN | Cary

This is technically the INDY’s first themed “drinks” issue, though of course plenty of liquor and local lore has burned through the paper’s archive. We can appreciate the experience of cracking a cold one, so to speak—sampling local hops at a festival, maybe, or marking an anniversary with a bottle of red at a downtown restaurant, or clinking mocktail glasses at a new bar with an old friend, or indulging in the neighborly joy of a porch beer on a muggy North Carolina eve.

Of course, the thread running through all this is the pleasure of celebration and companionship. In this issue, read up on the locallyowned bourbon company taking great care with Black history, a new alcohol-free bar making space for indulgence without intoxication, and the magnetic bartender around town who’s seen it all. You’ll also find our writer’s recommendations for drink joints across the Triangle: Spots to plot a game night with friends, order a booze-free drink that doesn’t disappoint, impress your date, or steal away to read a book. We hope these recommendations will serve as both a celebration of our local watering holes (and the people who work at them) and a resource to help you get to know your community better. Cheers!

– Sarah Edwards Culture Editor

Tucked away on the second floor of Waverly Place, a once-dying open-air shopping center, Gamers Geekery & Tavern offers a welcoming, social space for both beginners and experienced tabletop gamers. With a rotating draft list, it’s easy to find a new favorite brew, and a varied menu of basic but filling offerings means plenty of snacking as you while the night away. -JG

THE KITCHEN TABLE AT RELISH | North Raleigh Foodies may flock to Relish Craft Kitchen & Bourbon Bar, but they’re missing out on an equally delicious (and much less crowded) option right next door. The Kitchen Table at Relish has a more limited menu, but the best thing on it—a plate of truly heavenly pimento cheese fries—is still available.

That’s not to mention the cafe’s craft cocktails and wine list, an outdoor patio open year round, and the spot’s crowning glory: a collection of more than 400 games, conveniently categorized by difficulty level and accompanied by “gametenders” to explain the rules. -JG

THE GATHERING PLACE | Chapel Hill Chapel Hill’’s newest game bar was put at risk by a rezoning dispute in November, but as of today, it’s still going strong. The Gathering Place was a welcome addition to the quirky, one-of-a-kind businesses lining Franklin Street, especially for tabletop gamers. The bar’s sturdy wooden tables, metal music, and racks of board games combine to create a grungy basement vibe that welcomes freaks and geeks alike. With 30-some taps, it’s also easy to find a drink to love, whether it’s a craft beer or cold brew coffee. -JG

MOON DOG MEADERY | Durham If you’re craving something a little different, Moondog Meadery is the place to go. Trying the local meadery’s craft creations is always a joy, whether you’re enjoying an old favorite like Nektar of the Dogs or a new brew like the spicy-sweet Hawaiian Hellhound, with pineapple and habanero. If you’re not in the mood for mead (although, why wouldn’t you be?) there is also a bottle shop with more than 200 brews. The meadery’s substantial collection of board games is always available to play, but there’s no fee for them on Mondays and Thursdays. -JG

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2024

Drinks

Bruce Kenyon PHOTO BY ANGELICA EDWARDS

Bull City Gem Bruce Kenyon, a veteran bartender of Durham’s nightlife scene, serves up energy and style from behind the bar at Rubies on Five Points.

BY JUSTIN LAIDLAW jlaidlaw@indyweek.com

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ubies on Five Points is one of Durham’s hottest spots, in multiple senses. As you ascend the steep staircase of the bar on Main Street above Remedy Room, you can feel the temperature steadily rising. Body heat emanates from grooving patrons, making the dance floor feel like a sauna.

Perhaps that’s why Bruce Kenyon, head bartender at Rubies, is often seen sweating through a white tee, sporting an open vest—or no shirt at all—as he slings drinks to customers. The look is a feature of what Bruce calls the “rockstar lifestyle” that comes with working in an industry that requires high energy, social malleability, and crackof-dawn hours.

“You gotta find comfort in the chaos,” Kenyon, 33, says.

Rubies offers an eclectic array of shows—dance parties that usually start around 7 p.m. for folks who gotta be up in the morning, indie showcases, a regular “bring your own vinyl night.” Pink and red lighting bounce off the stickers, polaroids, and Americana paintings that lace

the walls, and lamps you’d find in a grandparent’s house dot the tables. Rubies is equally apposite for a disco or date night, and the wide range of programming brings in a diverse crowd.

Whatever energy the night gives, Kenyon is prepared to match it, even if it puts his own energy levels in the red.

“Whether I got all the energy in the world or I’m dead tired, or I just pulled an all-nighter, you just do what needs to be done,” Kenyon says. “I tell people this all the time, whether they’re customers or they’re other bartenders: If you can’t find comfort in the chaos, you’re not built for this industry.”

For folks who have crawled around Durham’s ever-changing nightlife scene over the past decade, Kenyon is a familiar face. His debut in the service industry back in the midaughts was as a host at the Tyler’s Taproom, formerly located on the American Tobacco Campus. Kenyon started as a host and food runner before being recruited to the bartending team as a barback. By the time he left Tyler’s,

Kenyon had become a bartending Swiss Army knife, adept at every aspect. He says bartending taught him how to be more sociable, an essential service industry skill. The rest came more naturally.

Kenyon is a Durham native—a rare breed these days.

Growing up, Kenyon always worked odd jobs, like doing lawn care with his dad, who he says taught him to “make money on your own so you don’t have to go beggin’ for nothing.” He attended Durham School of the Arts for middle and high school where Kenyon says he made a point to take full advantage of the different programs offered by the school: visual art, theater, chorus, track & field, piano, and saxophone. But none of those interests seemed to manifest into a clear career path once he graduated high school and landed at Durham Tech. He graduated with an associate’s degree around the same time that his journey into the service industry took off. Since leaving Tyler’s, Kenyon worked stints at Juju, Geer Street Garden, and Surf Club before landing at Rubies.

“I can’t say that I loved it at first but I loved being good at it, and I loved that everybody saw I was good at it,” he says, of his start in the industry. “It was effortless for me.”

Kenyon typically arrives at Rubies early in the afternoon, usually around 4:30 p.m., to make sure the bar is prepped and well-stocked for the night, taking note of any missing ingredients. Even if the staff is expecting a leisurely evening, Kenyon says it’s important to stay ready.

“Some nights, it’ll start off slow and other people will say, ‘Oh, there goes Bruce filling up that ice bin for nobody, huh?’ but sure enough, a crowd comes in and I’m over there chillin’, looking good and being happy,” Kenyon says.

In a high-stress environment where dumbassery and knuckleheadedness abound, Kenyon maintains an equilibrium. Screaming patrons don’t deter him from staying focused.

“I know if I don’t stop, all these people will have their drinks in a minute,” Kenyon says. “If I can just smile, they’ll have a drink, they’ll want to come back, they’ll tip me good, learn my name, and my job is done.”

Customers willing to order off menu are treated to the Bruce Juice, Kenyon’s signature cocktail: A blend of gin, kiwi, lime, and agave. The ingredients come from piecing together other cocktail recipes he’s observed over the years. The drink, just like the bartender who created it, is a fan favorite.

INDYweek.com February 21, 2024

21

5 Best Spots to Go Read a Book

“I always ask, ‘Do you like sweet or do you like bitter? Do you like gin? Okay, trust me,’” Kenyon says, “I serve it to them and they always love it. It never fails.”

The Future of Durham’s Social Scene

BY JUSTIN LAIDLAW, LENA GELLER, JASMINE GALLUP, AND SARAH EDWARDS

EPILOGUE BOOK CAFE | Chapel Hill Part lounge, part bookstore (new and used); Franklin Street’s Epilogue Cafe is the perfect place to take a book for some much-needed alone time. Curl up on the couch with a glass of red and ponder the facets of humanity or sit dreamily by the window with a latte and dream of fantastical lands. -JL

DA KINE’S | Durham People who read books at bars typically fall into one of two camps: Those who don’t want to be asked about what they’re reading and those who do.

At Da Kine’s, a laid back non-alcoholic kava bar with mixed seating and an indoor-outdoor setup, bar readers of both ilks are duly accommodated. If you don’t want to be bothered, you can curl up on a couch with a calming brew and bury yourself in your book, alternately, if you’re hoping your literary taste will lead to a conversation with a stranger, you can post up at the bar or on the patio. -LG

SIR WALTER COFFEE | Raleigh This casual space in downtown Raleigh is a must-visit for any coffee lover.

The cafe serves the usual caffeinated fare alongside drinks for those with more unique tastes, including cortados, Vietnamese iced coffee, and a nitro cold brew. At night, baristas become bartenders, and the menu opens up to include espresso martinis and warm winter cocktails. The cafe’s outdoor tables are the perfect place to enjoy a novel in the summertime, but you can also post up with a book at booths inside during chillier months. -JG

Downtown Durham’s renaissance is well-documented, but few people have witnessed the evolution as intimately as the service workers who’ve had a front-row seat to it all, navigating the changing parking rules and massive construction projects that loom large. The COVID-19 pandemic has not been kind to the industry, and older establishments like Atomic Fern and Criterion have shuttered. Spots like Surf Club and Fullsteam Brewery, meanwhile, have battled street closures and building debris as developments go up all around them.

“Pre-COVID, I think, people sucked,” Kenyon riffs with some sarcasm. “It was a lot more like, ‘Oh, you’re right. The sun does set on your shoulders. Whatever you say goes.’ But after COVID, I feel like people are a little bit more humble.”

Bars aren’t the only thing that have come and gone in recent years. Durham’s population remains in flux. Businesses like Apple and Google are attracting a new class of workers to the city; folks who can afford high-end living at The Novus, the 27-story building soon to be towering over

Five Points. For a Durhamite like Kenyon, the change brings uncertainty.

“I fear for the future,” Kenyon says. “All these tech companies, all this development going on, I don’t know who’s going to move to Durham but for right now, we’re still holding on to this last little bit of humanity within the community and I like being a part of that.”

Nevertheless, when some doors close, others open: New bars like Rubies have found homes downtown, and with them, Kenyon says, a new appreciation for the folks working behind them.

Rubies opened in tandem with its downstairs sister bar, Remedy Room, in 2021.

The live music venue, bar, and event space is owned by Luna owners Shawn Stokes and Rob Montemayor.

“Rob and Shawn are really dope,” says Kenyon, who has worked at Rubies from the beginning. “That’s another reason that motivates me to go so hard is because you’re defined by what you do. I’m working at Rubies, one of the newest, best bars in Durham so I can’t help but go hard. But having them be good to us makes me want to go harder.”

Kenyon, too, has made an impression on his bosses. Montemayor says the qualities that make Kenyon a top-notch bar manager include “his work ethic, his hustle, his smile, and his laugh.”

“I’ve been doing this for over 20 years, and seen and worked with plenty of bartenders,” Montemayor says “He’s the best bartender in Durham.” W

THE DAILY BEER BAR | Durham On a recent trip to The Daily Beer Bar, an older gentleman was posted up on a barstool with a Miller High Life and bowl of peanuts as he jotted reading notes on a legal pad and I thought something like: “Goals.” The Daily Beer Bar—which offers hearty sandwiches alongside salads and coffee—tends to draw solo scribblers and solitary lunch-break diners. The cafe has a comfy couch in the back, beer on tap, and a record always spinning. If the thought of hanging out alone with a book in public is intimidating, this downtown haunt will welcome you with open arms. -SE

CAFFÉ DRIADE | Durham The stretch of Franklin Street near 15-501 does not seem the likeliest location for a romantic, European-feeling oasis, but Caffé Driade proves that anything is possible. Order coffee, wine, beer, or tea (there are a plethora of loose tea options) at the bar and traipse down a wooded, ivy-strewn path to find a seat. Driade is on the pricier end, but sometimes, in order to block out the noise of the world and really lose yourself in a book, it’s necessary to set aside a few hours and treat yourself. At Driade, a castle in the air is always close. -SE Bruce Kenyon speaks to a customer at Rubies on Five Points PHOTO BY ANGELICA EDWARDS

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2024

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Old Hillside Bourbon Company co-owners Brian Burton, 49, of Durham, and Jesse Carpenter, 48.

PHOTO BY ANGELICA EDWARDS

Sweet Dreams The Durham founders of Old Hillside Bourbon Company share Black history alongside their award-winning spirits.

BY GABI MENDICK food@indyweek.com

F

or most bourbon companies, it takes seven to 10 years for an application to be approved by the North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) board. The Durham-based Old Hillside Bourbon Company, founded on June 1, 2020, however, is an exception to the rule: it successfully made it through the ABC board process in just three months. And, even more remarkably, within just three years of its founding, the company won best in show at the TAG Global Spirit Awards in Las Vegas.

It’s a good showing for the new company, which has three bourbon flavors—the Kentucky Straight, the Indiana Rye, and the Tennessee Bourbon—plus one whiskey, the Last Rye’d.

The distillery is located in Sparta, Kentucky, and bourbons can be purchased in many ABC stores across North Carolina and in liquor stores throughout Kentucky and California.

The four founders of Old Hillside chalk their early

success up to divine intervention.

“This is not us,” cofounder Brian Burton says. “We do not like getting super-religious because we don’t want to offend anyone, but we’re not doing this; somebody’s helping us.”

The idea for Old Hillside, in fact, came to founder Jesse Carpenter in a dream.

“Jesse gave me a call on a Saturday morning at about six a.m. He said he had a dream about a bourbon company,” Burton recounts. Burton and Carpenter were close friends as teens and lost touch after high school but reconnected through social media while Carpenter was living in Lexington, Kentucky, and Burton was visiting the city. The two went to horse races and on distillery tours, as one does when in Kentucky, initiating a common interest.

The third founder to come on board, Courtney Tucker, attended middle school with Burton and Carpen-

ter but had not spoken to the pair for over 20 years.

When Burton and Carpenter called Tucker and told him about their new venture, he agreed to join the team on the spot. Soon thereafter, Tucker recruited his cousin Emmanuel Waters, thus finalizing the current leadership team at Old Hillside.

The four founders—who work in industries ranging from pharmaceutical testing to TV production—had no prior experience in the spirits industry. Nevertheless, each of their backgrounds have proven essential at Old Hillside, and all four put in long hours, as they balance their day jobs with their passion project.

“I like to brag about my friends. When you step back and you admire somebody from afar, you appreciate what they’ve accomplished and these guys have always been accomplished,” Burton says. “Since second grade Courtney has excelled. To have that confidence, that this guy standing beside me is going to give it 110 percent, you know, that was, for me, what put me over.”

The company’s name is an homage to Hillside High School, the alma mater of Burton and Carpenter, who graduated in 1993. Burton explains that Hillside is the second oldest majority African American high school in the country that is still in operation (the oldest being Dunbar High School in Washington D.C.).

The pair have a common history that goes even further back than high school, making their business all the more meaningful.

“In African culture, they say that your ancestors speak through you,” Burton shares. “Jesse’s grandfather actually ran illegal moonshine. And there’s legitimate stories of him running from the police, throwing it out the window. And my family has been running moonshine up and down the East Coast for God knows how long.”

African American distillers, Burton says, account for less than 1 percent of the bourbon industry. Aware of that stark underrepresentation, the Old Hillside foursome have been working to change the landscape of the bourbon industry.

“We felt like we could create a blueprint to bring other African American business owners or entrepreneurs into the space,” Tucker says.

Old Hillside has also developed a whiskey, the Last Rye’d, and a series of cocktails featuring their products, inspired by the untold stories of African American jockeys. In the first Kentucky Derby in 1875, 13 of the 15 contestants were African American. Before the Jim Crow era, African American jockeys dominated the sport, winning 15 of the first 28 derbies.

Enslaved people and the children of enslaved peoINDYweek.com February 21, 2024

23

10 Best Date Bars

BY JANE PORTER, JASMINE GALLUP, LENA GELLER, SARAH EDWARDS, AND HANNAH KAUFMAN

THE ARK ROYAL | Raleigh

SURF CLUB | Durham

Named for a ship commissioned by Raleigh’s eponymous pirate, Sir Walter, the Ark Royal makes for a perfect date spot. The drinks are colorful enough to keep the conversation flowing, and the space is roomy enough to post up away from the crowds. A date—whether it’s a first or fifty-thousandth—is an adventure and so is the Ark Royal. The Tiki lounge’s exotic drinks utilize ingredients from different cultures and regions around the world, blended into perfect cocktails of spices, spirits, and sweeteners. If a good time is what you seek, the Ark Royal is your El Dorado. -JP

If you’ve been romantically involved with someone in Durham—nay, anyone in the greater Triangle area—you’re bound to run into them at Surf Club. Yes, that ex, that whirlwind wedding date from ten years ago, that person who ghosted you. (Once, a date ended the eve by pausing at the men’s bathroom and saying “Well, this is me.”) It speaks highly of Surf Club, then, that despite these odds it’s still a top-notch date bar. In the summer, sprawling outdoor picnic tables make for breezy rapport; in the winter, tucked-away booths make for intimate conversations. Either way, you’re bound to linger. -SE

JOHNSON STREET YACHT CLUB | Raleigh

KINGFISHER | Durham

Dates are all about having fun as you get to know (or just hang out with) someone, and sometimes, that’s going to require an activity or two. Cue the boat-themed dive bar Johnson Street Yacht Club, home to the rooftop patio, the all-women artist jukebox, and the hella fast slide. Get your heart rate up as you travel from rooftop to deck. Play a game of pool in the darkened dive bar, or just lounge on the sunny boardwalk in hammocks with a slushie or frosé in hand. You’re on island time. -JP

Kingfisher feels like a rare Durham spot where it’s possible to have a prolonged intimate conversation: It’s lively but not too loud, fancy but not unbearably stiff, and the rotating list of seasonal cocktails offer plenty of conversational fodder. Plus, it’s well-positioned to keep the date going—it’s right by the Roof at the Durham (good for a late-night jazz stop or, during baseball season, fireworks view) and right below Queeny’s (good for the burger and fries usually necessary after liquor). -SE

WATTS AND WARD | Raleigh

ORANGE COUNTY SOCIAL CLUB | Carrboro

Watts and Ward has a reputation as a speakeasy, but it’s also the perfect place to bring your partner for a night out. With low lights and plenty of cozy armchairs, it’s usually a cinch to find a quiet place for conversation. The bar will likely be crowded, but Watts and Ward’s strong and well-crafted cocktails are worth the wait. If you enjoy live music, visit during the summer, when you can snag a picnic table outside and listen to a local band. -JG

OCSC—described in this paper a few years ago as a place for “cheap beer, stiff highballs … a clean, cozy place to meet and talk; to celebrate or grieve; to waste a few hours or unwind a few years”—is not a place to lock in and lose yourself to a first date, but it is a place where life happens and atmosphere abounds.

Go to OCSC with a lover or love interest and you’re bound to riff with a regular, shoot some pool, and feel like you (and your date) are a part of something. -SE

ACCORDION CLUB | Durham

ZOGS | Chapel Hill

What’s more romantic than a hot dog? Seriously, if you haven’t gotten a dog from Accordion’s behind-the-bar rotisserie and shared it—Lady and the Tramp-style, maybe?—with a hottie from Hinge, you’re missing out. On a somewhat related note, Accordion is also a great laid-back date spot if you’re seeing someone who insists on bringing their dog everywhere (or if you’re that kind of person), as the bar has a spacious outdoor patio. -LG

Tucked away on the corner of Rosemary and Henderson, through an unassuming door and up a staircase, sits Chapel Hill’s favorite dive bar. Dimly lit and smattered with an eccentric array of art and multicolored lights, Zogs is the perfect low-key date spot: grab a couple pool sticks, open a tab for the $3.50 “mystery ciders,” peruse shelves of seemingly infinite games, or slide into a booth for the night. Cajun curly fries and pork rinds are a plus, and alongside the snacks you can order a surprise piece of weird local art off the menu. -HK

QUEENY’S | Durham Queeny’s is designed to be an inclusive space: It’s queer-owned and emphatically queer-friendly and, to accommodate restaurant workers tying up latenight shifts, the bar is open on Mondays and serves food until 2 a.m. This means that not only is it a good date spot for all kinds of couples, it’s also a safe and supportive environment if you’re meeting someone for the first time. Get there a few minutes early and snag the loveseat in the corner; it’s great for people-watching. -LG

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TRU | Chapel Hill Just next to Zogs is another bar with dim lighting, but Tru is more of a “wine, sandwiches, and outdoor seating” date environment. A beloved lunch spot for many—with no upcharge on extra avocado, mind you—by nightfall, Tru transforms into a romantic but casual cocktail bar. The long white tables on the upstairs deck welcome a low pressure chatting environment, comfortably seating a pair of two or a group of 10, and ordering food and drinks is as easy as scanning a QR code. For a smooth, stress-free Chapel Hill date, Tru is the obvious choice. -HK

3 Bars With Over-TheTop Drinks

BY LENA GELLER

COPA Durham La Diosa Negra After the La Diosa Negra’s main ingredients—spiced rum, coffee liqueur, orange bitters, and Haitian vanilla—are muddled and stirred, the drink is topped off, tableside, with a thick cloud of Cuban cigar smoke that bartenders have trapped inside a mason jar. The smoke is as delightfully theatrical as it is key to the drink’s flavor.

THE BLIND PELICAN Holly Springs Kratos Ultimate Bloody Mary

Old Hillside Bourbon Company bottles.

PHOTO BY ANGELICA EDWARDS

ple were often responsible for caring for horses, and the proximity, familiarity, and experience with the animals resulted in high numbers of Black jockeys. The cocktails (you can find the recipes on the company website) include the Isaac Murphy, a drink featuring Old Hillside rye, sweetened iced tea, lemon juice, and orange bitters. It’s named after the renowned three-time African American Kentucky Derby champion.

As for Hillside’s primary product, it’s instructive to know what’s required for a beverage to be considered bourbon.

There are five requirements: it must be made in the United States; contain a minimum of 51 percent corn in the mash bill; be aged in charred new oak barrels; be distilled to a maximum of 160 proof; and be bottled at a minimum of 80 proof. From there, a given distiller makes a number of adjustments to create a distinctive spirit.

Old Hillside’s three bourbons are all brewed and bottled at the Sparta distillery. Their products are 71 percent corn and have a strong wheat flavor and a hint of rye. A non-chill filtered process instead of a chill filtration makes for a less alcohol-forward tasting bourbon. Old Hillside’s products are all aged

between four to seven years and start at 97 proof. The longer age and the higher alcohol content make Old Hillside’s bourbons appealing to connoisseurs, while the sweetness and lack of a strong alcohol taste make it an approachable brand for beginners.

Old Hillside’s motto is “history, heritage, homage.” They abide by that in all aspects of their business, honoring their own childhoods and ancestors, as well as the greater Durham community that they call home, even for those who have relocated.

“We have the smokestack...We’ve got Parrish Street, you know Black Wall Street, on some of our bottles as well,” Burton says. “We’re just paying homage to the Durham community, to the history of those who came before us.

The founders of Old Hillside Bourbon Company continue to be amazed by the success and support they have found but, most importantly, say that they’re grateful for the impact they have made close to home.

“We hope we make Durham proud,” Burton concludes. “All of those people that we knew growing up and going to school with, we hope we make those guys proud.” W

You know you’ve got a good Bloody Mary on your hands when the menu description sounds something like the 12 days of Christmas, and the “Kratos” at The Blind Pelican fits the bill: the 64 ounce drink comes loaded with two lobster tails, two pounds of snow crab legs, a shrimp skewer AND a pound of peel and eat shrimp, oysters, bacon, and a six ounce filet mignon.

MEZCALITO Durham and Apex Cantarito Loco Pretty much every drink at Mezcalito could be labeled as over-the-top, but the Cantarito Loco—specifically, the 13-liter Cantarito Loco, which comes garnished with an Edible Arrangement’s worth of fruit and is served in a clay cup that could accommodate a Japanese Maple— is unmatched in extravagance. The Tajin-rimmed cocktail combines tequila, grapefruit soda, fresh citrus juice, and sangrita.

INDYweek.com February 21, 2024

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2024

Drinks

UMBRELLA DRY BAR 14 W Martin St, Raleigh | umbrelladrybar.com

Umbrella Dry Bar PHOTO BY ANGELICA EDWARDS

A Bar With a Twist Umbrella Dry Bar, Raleigh’s first fully nonalcoholic bar, elevates the mocktail experience into an art form.

BY JASMINE GALLUP jgallup@indyweek.com

I

decided to attempt Dry January after a particularly tipsy Christmas Day when I was tasked with helping a much drunker friend home to bed.

Anyone who has ever partied a little too hard has likely sworn off alcohol at least once, but it was witnessing the swaying of my friend that incentivized me to forgo drinks for the first month of the new year. Realizing others may have had to babysit me after one drink too many was an unwelcome epiphany.

Inevitably, giving up beer and wine was immediately harder than I thought. It wasn’t the experience of being drunk (or even tipsy) that I missed. What I really wanted was that feeling of belonging, of participating in this social ritual.

It’s a feeling shared by others who are “sober-curious,” says Meg Paradise, founder and co-owner of Umbrella Dry Bar, a new nonalcoholic bar in downtown Raleigh. Paradise, who hasn’t had a drink in about two years, says she also found abstaining difficult at first.

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“It’s not something where I felt pressured by any one person,” she says. “It was more that I was going into familiar places [with] just that environmental pressure— it’s inherent to the space that you grab a glass, you grab a beer, you grab whatever.”

“Sometimes that interaction can be uncomfortable if your intention is not drinking,” Paradise continues. “I would feel flustered and be like, ‘Whatever, give me a glass of wine.’ It wasn’t really mindful or intentional.”

The purpose of Umbrella Dry Bar is to ease that transition, making it easier for people who don’t want to drink to say no, says Paradise. The bar, which opened in early January on West Martin Street, kicked off with an alcohol-free New Year’s Eve party.

“It was very much a bold statement,” says Paradise of the decision to open the new bar (and new year) with a party. “That, you can do this. We’re all having a sober and also a good experience. We didn’t really know what to expect, but we almost sold out of tickets. We had walk-

ins. It was really cool to see that many people enjoying the most alcohol-centric holiday of the year without alcohol.”

A few weeks later, the bar still has a steady trickle of customers early on a Friday night. As with traditional bars, the foot traffic picks up later in the evening, Paradise says. The cozy, dimly lit space attracts people bar-hopping downtown, including those looking for a conventional cocktail lounge.

Once inside the space, though, it’s hard to distinguish it from your run-of-the-mill alcohol establishment. Bottles of nonalcoholic spirits are lined up on shelves behind the bar, the perfect place to chat with the bartender or meet some friends. Across the room, booths offer a lovely haven to have a quiet conversation under low lights.

My drink of choice, the cleverly titled Matcha-Do About Nothing, looks like a typical cocktail and it’s strong enough to sip on. As I savor the earthy, vanilla-forward drink, it’s surprisingly easy to relax into a frank conversation, the kind you have with your friends at two a.m. after most of the party guests have left.

“There’s definitely the placebo effect of just holding something in your hand,” Paradise says. “People walk out, and they’re like, ‘Are you sure there wasn’t something in that? I feel really good.’ Or ‘We had a great conversation.’”

While Umbrella Dry Bar is the first fully nonalcoholic bar to open in Raleigh, “zero-proof cocktails” have been popping up across the Triangle for the last few years.

In Raleigh, for instance, chic cocktail lounge Dram & Draught has several “spirit-free” options, including the Wake Up Call, with cold-brew coffee, walnut bitters, and nonalcoholic versions of Kahlúa and spiced rum. A block or so north, Willard Rooftop Lounge serves a pineapple-ginger mule with pineapple, lime, ginger beer, and candied ginger.

Nationwide, young adults are drinking less, and fewer drink on a regular basis, according to a 2023 Gallup poll.

Today, about 62 percent of people between the ages of 18 and 35 say they drink, according to the poll. That’s down from 72 percent in the early 2000s.

Dry January has also grown in popularity, according to The New York Times, which cited data from a 2022 survey by Morning Consult. According to the report, about 19 percent of Americans nationwide participate in Dry January, up from 13 percent in 2021. Sporadic sobriety is even more popular among millennials, with about 27 percent participating.

The once-niche industry of nonalcoholic spirits is also expanding, with “global retail sales of no- and low-alcohol products valued at over $11 billion, up from $8 billion in 2018,” according to The New York Times.

The generic mocktails of the early 2000s, like nonalco-

5 Best Bars With Nonalcoholic Beverages

BY SAM OVERTON

UMBRELLA DRY BAR | Raleigh A glass of the ‘Matcha-Do About Nothing,’ a nonalcoholic cocktail PHOTO BY ANGELICA EDWARDS

Umbrella proudly touts itself as Raleigh’s first non-alcoholic cocktail bar, featuring an extensive drinks menu and a few small bites. The beverages aren’t just fancy juice concoctions, either— Yerba Mate, lion’s mane mushroom, and Drømme Calm are among the mixers present alongside more typical culprits like ginger beer and lemon juice. You can also shop the bar’s small but robust selection of non-alcoholic spirits and ready-to-drink cocktails, should you like to experiment at home.

ALLEY TWENTY SIX | Durham If you’re looking for a classy evening with your S.O. or a group of pals, look no further than this swanky cocktail bar tucked away on Chapel Hill Street.

Alley Twenty Six’s menu currently features five upscale mocktails—one appropriately named “No Thanks, I’m Driving”—for the sober member(s) of your group. If it’s a nice night, sit in the narrow alley next to the restaurant for a cozy-yet-classy feel.

KILLJOY | Raleigh

The bar is located at 14 W Martin Street PHOTO BY ANGELICA EDWARDS

holic mojitos and piña coladas, are being replaced by complex craft drinks that include more than just fruit and soda. Umbrella Dry Bar elevates that experimentation into an art form, using spirit-free alternatives from freshly founded companies like Free Spirits, De Soi, and Phony Negroni.

With drinking so embedded in American culture, Umbrella Dry Bar offers a welcome alternative. Most of the customers at the bar are “crossover clientele,” Paradise says, who sometimes drink and sometimes don’t.

While sobriety may have been limited to people recovering from alcoholism in the past, today, the reasons people choose not to drink are all different. Paradise, for example, first started abstaining from alcohol when she was pregnant with her first child. During those nine months, she still went out to bars with her friends but started to realize that “maybe that wasn’t

exactly who I wanted to be,” she says.

Paradise—a devotee to healthy, mindful living—is also concerned with the health implications of drinking, like many others.

According to the Gallup poll, young adults are increasingly concerned that moderate drinking is unhealthy: 52 percent held the view in 2023, up from 34 percent in 2018.

But reasons for not drinking are as varied as the people making the choice, and it’s not always easy to put into words.

“People are coming for all different reasons and they’re really exploring and taking their own journey—figuring out what feels good for them and what feels right,” Paradise says. “We have people who do identify as sober … and then there’s some people who are like, ‘This isn’t really sitting great with me right now, so I’m going to take a break.’ They don’t really put in parameters, but they’re more mindful or conscious about their consumption.” W

Located about a block away from Raleigh’s Glenwood South district, Killjoy is the perfect alternative for those who saw their ex at Tin Roof a few too many times. The cocktail bar takes sobriety seriously, urging alcohol-sensitive customers to order directly through a manager. Order any of their Instagram-worthy mocktails and curl up in a plush chair for what’ll become one of your best sober nights out—plus, most of the non-alcoholic drinks clock in at $7 or cheaper.

ARCANA | Durham Where else can you find a bar inspired by a tarot deck? Taking design and drink ingenuity from the Rider-Waite Tarot, Arcana puts effort into making the space inclusive and welcoming, and it shows. You can sip from the “Garden of Babylon,” an herbal mocktail, or try the carrot-based “Peter Cottontail.” For those looking for spiritual guidance (in addition, perhaps, to your non-spirits-nightcap), a tarot card reader is at the bar most evenings.

UNLIKELY PROFESSIONALS | Raleigh Sure, it looks like another trendy gift shop, but Unlikely Professionals is anything but. In addition to their swanky, Western-themed storeroom filled with trinkets large and small, the downtown Raleigh spot offers a beer and wine bar with non-alcoholic options. Plus, the space offers one of the biggest selections of non-alcoholic spirits and ready-to-drink mocktails in the area.

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C U LT U R E CA L E NDA R

WED 2/21

LIKE TO PLAN AHEAD?

FRI 2/23

THURS 2/22

SAT 2/24

MUSIC

MUSIC

SCREEN

MUSIC

STAGE

MUSIC

Missy Raines and Allegheny 7:30 p.m. Magnetic Sound Studios, Durham.

Dollar Signs 8 p.m. Rubies on Five Points, Durham.

Subversive Shorts 7:30 p.m.

Shadowbox Studio, Durham.

Faye Driscoll: Weathering Feb 22-24, various times.

CURRENT ArtSpace, Chapel Hill.

The Cajammers: Cajun, Zydeco, Swamp Pop 7:30 p.m. Succotash, Durham.

STAGE

Stolen Gin 7 p.m. Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro.

COMMUNITY

Carlos, Thibaudet, and Pines of Rome Feb. 23-24, 8 p.m. Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts, Raleigh.

QuiltCon 202 Sept. 22-25, various times. Raleigh Convention Center, Raleigh.

Crosses: Familiar World Tour 7 p.m. The Ritz, Raleigh.

The Harry Show: An Improv Comedy Party Fridays at 10 p.m.

ComedyWorx, Raleigh.

David Foster & Katharine McPhee 8 p.m. DPAC, Durham.

Therapeutic Dance 6 p.m.

North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh.

Ken Vandermark’s Edition Redux 8 p.m. Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro.

Skeleton Crew Feb. 9-25, various times. Umstead Park UCC, Raleigh.

Lauren Daigle 7 p.m. PNC Arena, Raleigh.

Well Seasoned Comedy 8 p.m. Mettlesome Theater, Durham.

Brushes with the Law StorySLAM 7:30 p.m.

Motorco Music Hall, Durham.

Gregory Porter 7:30 p.m.

DPAC, Durham.

STAGE

Solstice: A Winter Circus Experience 7 p.m. Carolina Theatre, Durham.

Laugh out Loud: Black and Proud Feb. 22-24, various times. TR Studio, Raleigh.

COMMUNITY

Mambo Dinamico 6:30 p.m. Nasher Museum of Art, Durham.

Stargazing at The Willard 7 p.m. The Willard, Raleigh.

ART Artist Lecture: Taro Takizawa 6 p.m. Hanes Art Center, Chapel Hill.

Grammy winner Gregory Porter will perform at DPAC on Thursday, February 22. PHOTO COURTESY OF DUKE ARTS 28

February 21, 2024

INDYweek.com

Lovell Bradford Trio 7:30 p.m. Sharp 9 Gallery, Durham.

Puro Pisces Pari 10 p.m.

The Fruit, Durham.

Scott Miller 8 p.m. Five Oaks Clubhouse, Durham.

COMMUNITY Adult Nights: Taylor’s Version 7 p.m. NC Museum of Natural Sciences

Jim Ketch Swingtet 7:30 p.m. Sharp 9 Gallery, Durham.

Keller Williams 8 p.m. Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro.

Lamont Landers 8 p.m.

Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro.

Manic Third Planet Album Release Party 9 p.m. The Cave, Chapel Hill.

STAGE Mark Normand 7 p.m.

Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts

Steven Cozart will discuss his solo exhibition in Raleigh on Saturday, February 24. PHOTO COURTESY OF ARTSPACE

Do you have an infant younger than 14 days old?

Every mom should have access to premium nutrition for their baby.

Bubs Australia wants to work with you to make it happen.

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1. SELECT the Camera App on your smartphone 2. SCAN the QR Code with your phone 3. CLICK on the pop-up on your screen 4. REVIEW the study process 5. COMPLETE the screening questionnnaire

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INDYweek.com February 21, 2024

29

C U LT U R E CA L E NDA R

FIND OUR COMPLETE COMMUNITY CALENDAR AT INDYWEEK.COM/CALENDAR

SAT 2/24 (cont.)

Rouge: Expect the Unexpected 4 p.m. Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts, Raleigh.

Kelly Starling Lyons: Ty’s Travels: Showtime!

10:30 a.m. Quail Ridge Books

ART Talk Back with Steven Cozart 2 p.m. Artspace, Raleigh.

MON 2/26

SUN 2/25

TUES 2/27

MUSIC

STAGE

MUSIC

MUSIC

STAGE

BCMC + Nathan Bowles Trio 8 p.m. Shadowbox Studio, Durham.

The Ongoing Fight for Freedom: Stories of NC’s Black Veterans 3 p.m. UNC Friday Center, Chapel Hill.

Cloudbelly 7 p.m. The Pinhook, Durham.

EKKSTACY 8 p.m. Local 506, Chapel Hill.

Stick Men 7:30 p.m. Lincoln Theatre, Raleigh.

Evan Honer: IDK SH*T ABOUT TOURS 8 p.m. Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Feb. 27-28.

7:30 p.m. Memorial Hall, Chapel Hill.

Cole Chaney 8 p.m. Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro.

PAGE

LIKE TO PLAN AHEAD?

Joe Bonamassa 8 p.m.

DPAC, Durham.

Relay 4 p.m. Speakeasy, Carrboro.

COMMUNITY 34th Annual Pauli Murray Awards 3 p.m. Whitted Building, Hillsborough.

The String Queens 7 p.m.

North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh.

PAGE A.J. Finn: End of Story 7 p.m.

Quail Ridge Books, Raleigh.

The Hails 8 p.m. Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro.

North Carolina Jazz Repertory Orchestra 7:30 p.m. Sharp 9 Gallery, Durham.

Queer Cosmic County Night 8 p.m. The Pinhook, Durham.

COMMUNITY Lift Every Voice: Black History Month Sing-along 5 p.m. North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh.

The Ongoing Fight for Freedom: Stories of NC’s Black Veterans is a one-man performance on Sunday, February 25. PHOTO COURTESY OF UNC DIGITAL AND LIFELONG LEARNING 30

February 21, 2024

INDYweek.com

EKKSTACY performs at Local 506 on February 27. PHOTO COURTESY OF CAT’S CRADLE

Peter Pan Feb. 27-Mar. 3, various times.

DPAC, Durham.

PAGE J. Myrick Howard: Buying Time for Heritage 6 p.m.

Preservation Chapel Hill.

Rebecca Makkai: I Have Some Questions for You 7 p.m. Quail Ridge Books, Raleigh.

Raleigh's Community Bookstore

EVENTS STORYTIME

KINGS 2/22 THU 3/6 WED 3/8 FRI

6/1 SAT 6/6 THU

Hannah Wicklund

2/22 THU

Madi Diaz W/ OLIVIA BARTON 8PM | $20.00/$25.00

Frost Children 8PM | $15.00/$18.00 Ballyhoo! W/ THE HARBOR BOYS

2/24 SAT

LD Sam Barber W/ NOLAN TAYLOR 8PM SOOUT!

3/14 THU

Beach Weather W/ PHONEBOY,

W/ REESE MCHENRY 8PM | $20.00/$22.00

8PM | $20.00/$25.00

Gruff Rhys 8PM | $20.00/$22.00 3/21 THU Driftwood W/ THE PINKERTON RAID

3/10 SUN

3/15 FRI

8PM | $20.00/$22.00

4/3 WED

The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis 8PM | $20.00/$24.00 The Brother Brothers

4/12 FRI

Bailen W/ CECE COAKLEY

3/28 THU

MOTORCO MUSIC HALL

8PM | $18.00/$22.00

6/10 MON

REC HALL 8PM | $20.00/$25.00

6/11 TUE

Laura Jane Grace

W/ THELMA AND THE SLEAZE, DIKEMBE 7:30PM | $29.50/$32.00

3/16 SAT

Rhett Miller W/ CLINT ROBERTS

3/20 WED

The Armed W/ HIRS

8PM | $25.00/$30.00

Manwolves W/ CRASHPREZ

VNV Nation W/ TRAITRS

Small Crush W/ SIMILAR KIND

4/5 FRI

Mannequin Pussy

4/16 TUE

Post Sex Nachos W/ WHOOP!

4/7 SUN

Jonathan Roy W/ PORTAIR

4/18 THU

4/9 TUE

Smallpools and Grayscale

4/12 FRI

Land of Talk W/ HUA LI

5/11 SAT

Layto W/ KODE 8PM | $15.00/$18.00 SOLD The Bygones 8PM OUT! Spy W/ JIVEBOMB, DESTINY BOND

5/19 SUN

Gustaf 8PM | $15.00/$15.00

4/28 SUN 5/2 THU

8PM | $15.00/$18.00 8PM | $15.00/$18.00

CAT’S CRADLE

4/18 THU

Otoboke Beaver W/ DRINKING BOYS 3/26 TUE AND GIRLS CHOIR, BABE HEAVEN 8PM | $25.00/$30.00

4/27 SAT

4/5 FRI 4/28 SUN

The Crane Wives W/ RACHEL BOBBITT 8PM

SOLD OUT!

TWRP W/ TREY MAGNIFIQUE, NELWARD 8PM | $30.00/$35.00

CAT’S CRADLE BACK ROOM

Mike Mains & The Branches

2/29 THU W/ YOUNG MISTER, KEEP WARM 8PM | $15.00/$15.00 3/19 TUE

The Rocket Summer W/ PRENTISS

4/26 FRI

Podcast About List

8PM | $30.00/$35.00

7:30PM | $20.00/$25.00

LOCAL 506

8PM| $30.00 $35.00

7PM | $25.00/$30.00

5/6 MON 5/7 TUE 5/8 WED

OU

HAVE A GOOD SEASON 8PM | $16.00/$16.00

6/1 SAT

Fastball W/ HEFFNER 8PM | $20.00/$25.00 Andrew Cushin W/ MAX MUSCATO

8PM | $15.00/$20.00

Blondshell 8PM | $20.00/$23.00 Psychedelic Porn Crumpets

8PM | $25.00/$28.00

Pachyman and Combo Chimbita 8PM | $20.00/$23.00

Mk.Gee 9PM | $22.00/$25.00 5/14 TUE Enter Shikari 8PM | $27.50/$32.00 5/16 THU Danny Lopriore 8PM | $25.00/$30.00 5/18 SAT bbymutha 8PM | $22.00/$25.00 5/21 TUE Julia Holter 8PM | $20.00/$22.00 5/29 WED Yot Club W/ BOYSCOTT 5/10 FRI

5/30 THU Buck Meek W/ JOLIE HOLLAND 8PM | $20.00/$20.00

IN-STORE

MON Tickets required 2.26 A.J. Finn: 7:00 End of Story PM

Slater W/TONY VELOUR 7PM | $15.00/$15.00

MISSY LANE’S ASSEMBLY ROOM

Kassa Overall

3/21 THU W/ DRAGONCHILD X SUNKEN CAGES 8PM | $20.00/$20.00

La Lom 8PM | $20.00/$22.00 4/20 SAT Rebirth Brass Band 4/7 SUN

6:30PM | $35.00/$40.00

THE WICKED WITCH

8PM | $20.00/$25.00

8:30PM | $22.00/$26.00

2/23 FRI Josiah and the Bonnevilles SOLDT! W/ MON ROVIA 7PM

SOLD OUT!

Arm’s Length W/ CARLY COSGROVE, 4/16 TUE BEN QUAD, SATURDAYS AT YOUR PLACE 7:30PM | $21.00/$25.00

8PM | $17.00/$20.00

THE PINHOOK

2/21 WED Tommy Prine W/MAGGIE ANTONE

8PM | $30.00/$35.00

W/ SOUL GLO 8PM

Melissa Ferrick 8PM | $25.00/$30.00

Rosali W/ VERITY DEN 8PM | $16.00/$18.00 4/18 THU Sweet Pill W/ EQUIPMENT,

8PM | $20.00/$22.00

8PM | $15.00/$18.00

Jon McLaughlin W/ LEO SAWIKIN

8PM | $30.00/$35.00

4/6 SAT

3/31 SUN

4/14 SUN

W/ J RODDY WALSTON 7:30PM | $25.00/$30.00

8PM | $16.00/$20.00

8PM | $25.00/$30.00

3/27 WED Wayne Hancock W/ COUNTRY CRUEL

8PM | $20.00/$25.00

Nolan Taylor 8PM | $20.00/$22.00 Murder by Death

SAT Kelly Starling 2.24 10:30 Lyons: Ty’s AM Travels: Showtime!

Smoking Popes

3/16 SAT W/ RODEO BOYS, LATEWAVES 8PM | $20.00/$24.00

IN-STORE

TUES Tickets required 2.27 Rebecca 7:00 Makkai: I Have PM Some Questions For You

RUBIES ON FIVE POINTS

Dollar Signs

2/22 THU W/ DIM WIZARD, SWEET HOME 8PM | $10.00/$12.00 3/9 SAT

Thus Love W/ JENNY BESETZT

7PM | $13.00/$15.00

Tomato Flower

3/10 SUN W/ BABYBABY EXPLORES, EX-IGUANA 8PM | $12.00/$15.00

This is Lorelei

3/18 MON W/ FANTASY OF A BROKEN HEART 8PM | $12.00/$15.00

IN-STORE

THUR Mark Greaney: 2.29 The Chaos 7:00 Agent PM

RUBY DELUXE

Palomino Blond

3/6 WED W/ MR. FLOYD LARRY, BOY NAMED SUE 8PM | $12.00/$15.00

FLAT IRON (GREENSBORO) 4/14 SUN

Christopehr Paul Stelling

4/24 WED

Cedric Burnside 8PM | $17.00/$20.00

8PM | $15.00/$18.00

andmoreagainpresents.com

Get tickets to these events and others at www.quailridgebooks.com www.quailridgebooks.com 919.828.1588 • North Hills 4209-100 Lassiter Mill Road, Raleigh, NC 27609 INDYweek.com February 21, 2024

31

C U LT U R E CA L E NDA R

WED 2/28

THURS 2/29

LIKE TO PLAN AHEAD?

FRI 3/1

SAT 3/2

MUSIC

MUSIC

MUSIC

Hurray for the Riff Raff 8 p.m. Motorco, Durham.

Marc Broussard: Carencro Tour 7:30 p.m. Lincoln Theatre, Raleigh.

Bryan Adams: So Happy It Hurts 7:30 p.m. PNC Arena, Raleigh.

STAGE

Mike Mains & the Branches 8 p.m. Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro.

Stand-Up with Rhizome Comedy 7:30 p.m. The Durham Hotel, Durham.

Matt Booth Quartet 7:30 p.m. Sharp 9 Gallery, Durham.

PAGE

PAGE

Mark Greaney: The Chaos Agent 7 p.m. Quail Ridge Books, Raleigh

Gail Ceasar and Georann Eubanks 5:30 p.m. Flyleaf Books, Chapel Hill.

Mylo Choy: Middle Distance 6:30 p.m. Letters Bookshop, Durham.

Pink Martini with the North Carolina Symphony Mar. 1-2, various times.

Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts, Raleigh.

STAGE The Harry Show: An Improv Comedy Party Fridays at 10 p.m. ComedyWorx, Raleigh.

Grand Opening: Arts Access Gallery 6 p.m. Arts Access Gallery, Raleigh.

Rock en Español 9 p.m.

Motorco, Durham.

Rob Gelblum 6 p.m. Lanza’s Cafe, Carrboro.

ART

Marianne Vitale will lecture in the Hanes visiting artist series at UNC on Thursday, February 29.

Pink Martini will perform with the North Carolina Symphony March 1-2.

PHOTO COURTESY OF UNC ART & ART HISTORY

PHOTO COURTESY OF NC SYMPHONY

INDYweek.com

Onyx Club Boys 7 p.m.

Succotash, Durham.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo 8 p.m. The Carolina Theatre, Durham.

Tango Love Story 7 p.m. The ArtsCenter, Carrboro.

Charlie Berens: Good Old Fashioned Tour 8 p.m.

Carolina Theatre, Durham.

C.S. Lewis: Further Up and Further In Mar 2-3, various times. Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts, Raleigh.

Contemporary American Indian Art Mar. 2-Jul. 28

Marianne Vitale 6 p.m.

Hanes Art Center, Chapel Hill.

February 21, 2024

MUSIC

ART

Hung Liu: Living Memory Opening 5 p.m. Nasher Museum of Art, Durham.

32

MUSIC

STAGE ART

SUN 3/3

National Lutheran Choir 3 p.m. Duke Chapel, Durham.

STAGE The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe 3 p.m. The DeSales Center at Holy Infant Catholic Church, Durham.

CA L E NDA R

P U Z Z L ES CROSSWORD To download a pdf of this puzzle or view its solution, visit indyweek.com/puzzles-page

MON 3/4

TUES 3/5

MUSIC

MUSIC

Fish Narc and Horse Head 8 p.m. The Pinhook, Durham.

Color Green 8 p.m. Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro.

Talk: LFBB Tour 7 p.m.

Lincoln Theatre, Raleigh.

NC Indigenous Artist Festival on Saturday, March 2 will mark the opening of the contemporary American Indian exhibition at North Carolina Museum of Art. PHOTO COURTESY OF NORTH CAROLINA MUSEUM OF ART

INDY CLASSIFIEDS classy@indyweek.com

INDYweek.com February 21, 2024

33

C L AS S I F I E D S HEALTH & WELL BEING

919-416-0675

www.harmonygate.com SERVICES

www.regulatorbookshop.com

720 Ninth Street, Durham, NC 27705 Difficulty level: MEDIUM SU | DO| KU 10-6 Daily There is really only one rule to Sudoku: Fill in the game board so that © Puzzles by Pappocom

the numbers 1 through 9 occur exactly once in each row, column, and 3x3 box. The numbers can appear in any order and diagonals are not considered. Your initial game board will consist of several numbers that Difficulty level: MEDIUM are already placed. Those numbers cannot be changed. Your goal is to fill © Puzzles by Pappocom in the empty squares following the simple rule above.

SU| DO|KU

There is really only one rule to Sudoku: Fill in the game board so that the numbers 1 through 9 occur exactly once in each row, column, and 3x3 box. The numbers can appear in any order and diagonals are not considered. Your initial game board will consist of several numbers that are already placed. Those numbers cannot be changed. Your goal is to fill in the empty squares following the simple rule above.

EMPLOYMENT Communications Coordinator If you’re passionate about American music and Southern culture, and ready to make a difference through powerful storytelling, this full-time position is for you. With almost 30 years of establishment, Music Maker Foundation is a nonprofit organization that seeks out carriers of America’s oldest roots music traditions, supporting marginalized musicians through grants, social services, and performance opportunities. Preserve and document American roots music while creating and managing editorial content, executing digital communication strategies, and contributing to outreach programs and events. Requirements include a Bachelor’s degree and 3-5 years of professional experience in communications or journalism. Visit https://musicmaker.org/communications-coordinator/ for the full posting.

Data Engineer II Data Engineer II sought by LexisNexis USA in Raleigh, NC to provide primary support for Global Marketing Data Warehouse (GMDW) & Global Data Quality (GDQ) areas, including developing new solutions, loading sources, providing technical support, testing, documenting, & training.

Minimum of Master’s or foreign equiv degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Information Systems, or rltd + 1 yr exp in job offered or rltd occupations required. EE reports to LexisNexis USA office in Raleigh, NC but may telecommute from any location within US. Interested candidates should send resume via email to ResumesICT@RELX.com. Ref job code: 01005.

Data Engineer II Data Engineer II sought by LexisNexis USA in Raleigh, NC to provide primary support for Global Marketing Data Warehouse (GMDW) & Global Data Quality (GDQ) areas, including developing new solutions, loading sources, providing technical support, testing, documenting, training. Minimum of Master’s or foreign equiv degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or rltd + 1 yr exp in job offered or rltd occupations required. EE reports to LexisNexis USA office in Raleigh, NC but may telecommute from any location within US. Interested candidates should send resume via email to ResumesICT@RELX.com. Ref job code: 00861.

Editorial and Research Assistant Editorial and Research Assistant for book concerning Grand Teton National Park, Wyo. Part time, work from your home. Good computer skills and creativity mandatory. $25/ hour. Start soon.

Resume to: teton2021@gmail.com

If you’re stumped, find the answer keys for these puzzles and archives of previous puzzles (and their solutions) at indyweek.com/puzzles-page or scan this QR code for a link. Best of luck, and have fun!

34

February 21, 2024

INDYweek.com

INDY CLASSIFIEDS classy@indyweek.com

C L AS S I F I E D S EMPLOYMENT Expert Software Engineer Expert Software Engineer, Veradigm LLC. May telco in US & rept to Raleigh, NC offce. Dev & test WebApi & WCF svcs that provid busi logic, access variety of data storage tech & interct thru msg, REST & SOAP pattrns. Reqs Bach in Comp Sci, SW Engg, rel / equiv. Reqs 7 yrs SW engg exp incl 7 yrs: C# .NET; relational DB; Unit test; code rev; SW dsgn pattrns; 2 yrs: ASP.NET Web API; WCF; Agile methodolgy; 1 yr: GIT & AWS. 9 a - 5:30 p, 40 hrs/ wk. Apply: resume to applicants@veradigm.com & ref #111860.

Expert Systems Engineer Expert Systems Engineer, Veradigm LLC. May telco in US & rept to Raleigh, NC offce. Provid overall sys engg exprtse. Reqs at least Bach in Comp Engg/Sci or rel/equiv. Reqs 7 yrs progressive tech exp supp IT solut’ns incl 5 yrs: Sys Engg incl archt, dsgn, dev, reqs anlys, data flow & ntwrk dsgn implmnt for infrastrct; mng & mon instld sys & infrastrct; 4 yrs: VMware virtualztn & containriztn; 3 yrs: instl, confg & trblshoot Windows 2008/ 2012/ 2016 svcs in ent envir; MS svr op sys incl Actv Dir, Grp Policies, term svcs, RDP, MS SQL like MS OS 2008/ 2012/ 2016; cloud host; automat’n SW Batch Patch, PRTG Puppt, CFEngine, Chef & MS PS; OS/App patch best prac like WSUS; Cisco rel HW incl routrs, switchrs & unified comp sys; use ntwrk knwl incl OSI ntwrk layrs & TCP/IP; admin & perf tun of app stacks; scrpt sklls like PS & WSH. Reqs 5% US trvl. M-F 8a-5p & aftr hrs on-call rot 7 days 1x/mo & 24/7/365 for majr host incidnts. Apply: resume to: applicants@veradigm.com & ref #104867.

2/4/24

Sr. Software Engineer Senior Software Engineer sought by LexisNexis USA in Raleigh, NC to contribute to research/ design for software development assignments in various development environments such as Agile & Waterfall for specific software functional areas/ product lines. Minimum of Master’s or foreign equiv degree in Computer Science or rltd + 3 yrs exp in job offered or rltd occupations required. EE reports to LexisNexis USA office in Raleigh, NC but may telecommute from any location within US. Interested candidates should send resume via email to ResumesICT@RELX.com. Ref job code: 00853

Quality Control Analyst Quality Control Analyst Raleigh (Wake County) Functional control of quality processes, inspections and tests required to assure food quality and conformance with product specifications. Oversee customization/improve processes, concepts, and best practices. Identify quality problems and recommend or initiate the necessary corrective/ preventive actions. Develop and maintain positive relationships with customers and 3rd party inspectors through proper business etiquette and professionalism. Deal with quality improvement by completing product, company system and organizational audits.

Continually build knowledge and stay abreast of current functionality, capabilities and technologies. Perform audits to supervise cleanliness of equipment, utensils, and work areas of the restaurant to maintain quality standards.

Requires at least 2 years of experience working as Quality Analyst in the food industry.

Send resume to heli@guasaca.com.

Software Engineer III Software Engineer III sought by LexisNexis USA in Raleigh, NC to perform moderately difficult software design, research, development activities, & provide direct input into software system development project plans, schedules, methodology, across multiple software systems. Minimum of Master’s degree or foreign equiv in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Information Systems or rltd + 3 yrs exp in job offered or rltd occupations required. EE reports to LexisNexis USA office Raleigh, NC but may telecommute from any location within US. Interested candidates should send resume via email to ResumesICT@RELX.com. Ref job code: 01027.

©2024 Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

PUZZLE 2/07/2ANSWER 4 CROSSWORTO D SOTODAY’S LUTION

2/4/24 INDY CLASSIFIEDS classy@indyweek.com

INDYweek.com February 21, 2024

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