YES! Weekly - April 12, 2023

The case of reparations has come to the forefront recently, as many states and local municipalities look to see how and if they can amend damages for and to the African American communities in the areas.

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Publisher CHARLES A. WOMACK III publisher@yesweekly.com

EDITORIAL

Editor CHANEL DAVIS chanel@yesweekly.com

YES! Writers IAN MCDOWELL MARK BURGER KATEI CRANFORD JIM LONGWORTH NAIMA SAID DALIA RAZO LYNN FELDER

PRODUCTION

Senior Designer ALEX FARMER designer@yesweekly.com

Designer SHANE HART artdirector@yesweekly.com

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4 The four adult Jewish women face the Nazi camera, their arms linked. THEY KNOW THEY ARE GOING TO BE MURDERED. The young girl huddled against her mother possibly does not.

6 For his first film, Dead Poets Society (1989), screenwriter TOM SCHULMAN WON THE ACADEMY AWARD for Best Original Screenplay... At this year’s 25th anniversary RiverRun International Film Festival, he’ll be adding a Master of Cinema award to his trophy case — as well as screening Double Down South, which he wrote, produced, and directed.

8 SOME PEOPLE JUST NEVER LEARN. In a recent column I warned Democrats that if they persisted in condoning, promoting, or flaunting far-left-wing agendas, they would push moderates and independents to vote for far-right-wing candidates in next year’s elections.

9 Producer/director BEN AFFLECK’S AIR is a polished and persuasive dramatization of the circumstances surrounding Michael Jordan’s groundbreaking endorse-

ment deal with Nike, which took place in 1984 just as Jordan was about to make his professional NBA debut with the Chicago Bulls.

14 On March 30, Guilford County District Attorney Avery Crump announced that “although tragic,” THE FATAL SHOOTING OF A 17-YEAR-OLD by Greensboro police corporal Matthew Sletten was justified by common law principles and statutory provisions.

15 On March 29th, North Carolina’s Republican-controlled House of Representatives voted to override Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of a bill doing away with HANDGUN BACKGROUND CHECKS conducted by local law enforcement.

16 STOKES COUNTY NATIVE MASON VIA has been crossing horizons as a member of Old Crow Medicine Show, the GRAMMY-winning Americana string band outta Nashville, who’ll headline the inaugural Pilot Mountain Outdoor Adventure Festival & Expo at the Armfield Civic Center in Pilot Mountain on April 22.

Marketing ANGELA COX angela@yesweekly.com

TRAVIS WAGEMAN travis@yesweekly.com

Promotion NATALIE GARCIA

DISTRIBUTION JANICE GANTT ANDREW WOMACK We

is North Carolina’s

Holocaust memorial

The four adult Jewish women face the Nazi camera, their arms linked. They know they are going to be murdered. The young girl huddled against her mother possibly does not. In the center of the doomed group stands the matriarch. Her arms are crossed over her waist and she is wearing boots.

Ian McDowell

In the background are their Nazi murderers and the piles of clothing previous women and girls were ordered to take o before being shot.

This is the moment captured in Victoria Milstein’s sculpture “She Wouldn’t Take O Her Boots,” which will be unveiled in Greensboro’s LeBauer Park at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 18, at 5 p.m. It is North Carolina’s first holocaust memorial monument.

The photo was taken during the Liepāja massacre of December 15, 1941, a series of mass executions committed by the Nazis after the German occupation of Latvia. Thousands of Jewish women

and children were forced to strip before being shot.

The monument inspired by the photo is being named in honor of Eva Weiner and Sofia Guralnik, who saved their children, and Shelly Weiner and Raya Kizhnerman, by hiding them in Nazi-occupied Poland for almost two years. Shelly Weiner, now a resident of Greensboro, contributed the lead gift that enabled this project to proceed.

Her sculptor friend Victoria Milstein first saw this photo when it accompanied “Tell them I was not afraid,” a New

York Times op-ed by Bret Stephens, about Holocaust survivor Raya Mazin, his maternal grandmother’s first cousin. But before seeing it, Milstein was haunted by the holocaust, and was wrestling with the idea of a piece inspired by it.

“I’m an American Israeli Jew who has been a portrait artist for 30 years. I’d lived in Israel, and learning about the Holocaust when I was 17 years old has had such an impact on my life, knowing that this could actually happen, that a civilized society with music, culture and art could actually become murderous and kill over six million, and millions of others, including Roma, the disabled, LGBT. It wrecked my world.”

After Milstein, who grew up in New York, moved to Greensboro, she went on a trip with the Greensboro Jewish Federation and Temple Emanual to the March of the Living, an annual educational program which brings students from around the world to Poland, where they explore the remnants of the Holocaust.

“I went to the women’s death camp, and I had voices in my head, shouting at me. I was open to do another body of work, and this was just screaming in my ears that I had to do the story of the women and children, because of the hate and how it happened. Four hundred years of slavery in our own country, what we deal with here in Greensboro with the Civil Rights Museum, and what we’re trying to do here, it’s all the same story about how we deal with hate and those

who see others

as inhuman.”

She began listening to stories of those who survived the camps, and those they lost in them. “Typically, in the past, we’ve heard more from men who survived, but here in Greensboro, as I brought elders in, this whole project stated with Holocaust women survivors. As I worked on the project, more and more stories of women came out. So, I decided I was going to a sculpture or body of work about what happened to those women in their journey.”

She says living in Greensboro was just as crucial to her own creative journey as the trip to Poland.

“This city place that’s helped me become a stronger person and helped me understand about racism. It’s always been a growth place for me, and I’ve met so many inspiring women here.”

While doing a TED talk on another subject, Milstein talked about the upcoming project, and displayed a 7-foot pastel inspired by the photograph. The audience gasped when she unveiled it.

“So, I made the maquette, which is about a 16-inch study in clay, and I started to bring women leaders from our community. I brought in one of my mentors, Shirley Fry and I brought in Shelley Weiner, who is an 83-year-old Holocaust survivor who started the Holocaust Council of North Carolina. And I said to them, I want to do a piece of public art that speaks about hate and antisemitism and teaches about the holocaust.

“She wouldn’t take o her boots”

first

Contributor

“She Wouldn’t Take O Her Boots” clay sculpture before being cast in bronze. Artist Victoria Milstein

Because so many are ignorant of it.” This was driven home when she Googled for more images of the Liepāja massacre. “Photos of these women came up on a website about examples of Shabby Chic. I only tell you this because it shows you how much we have to do in terms of education. I am shocked and horrified by the percentage of younger Americans who either never heard of the Holocaust or who don’t believe it happened.”

In September 2020, the Millennial Holocaust Knowledge and Awareness Survey conducted by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, the first-ever state-by-state study of Holocaust awareness among Americans between 18 and 39, found that one in nine believed that the Holocaust never happened, 23% believed that the number of those killed has been exaggerated, 12% said they’d never heard the word “Holocaust” before, and 11% believed that Jews rather than Nazis were to blame for the death toll.

“I told my friend Rob Overman, at the time director of Greensboro Downtown Parks Incorporated, that I’d like to have this memorial in a downtown park, and he agreed. Nancy Ho man, the District 4 representative for Greensboro City Council, also agreed. I wanted it to be in Carolyn’s Garden in LeBauer Park, as it was created by a Jewish woman, Carolyn LeBauer, who donated money for this world-class park and she has a garden beside the library. That was my dream, and the ad hoc committee decided to have it there, and the proclamation went to City Council and they voted 100% in favor of it. Councilwoman Ho man’s husband, Jack Ho man of blessed memory, was a holocaust survivor.”

The National Holocaust Memorial Museum recorded an oral history interview with Jack Ho man in 2006, nine years before his death, which can be viewed on the museum’s website. In it, he talks about his memory of Kristallnacht and the destruction of the Synagogues, and being sent on the Kindertransport to London. His younger brother, who stayed behind, died in Buchenwald, and other family members died in camps.

“At City Council, Nancy Ho man read the proclamation in tears and I cried, too. And I then talked to my friend Jon Hardister. And Jon said, ‘Victoria, I’m going to help you, the state of North Carolina is going to help you.’ And the governor appointed me on the board of the Holocaust Council of North Carolina. That council is in charge of Holocaust education in our schools. And so, I kind of got a statewide initiative on this project.”

“I am honored to have played at least a minor part in making Victoria’s dream a reality,” said Hardister, Republican Majority Whip for the North Carolina House on Representatives. “This monument will promote the understanding of history and the importance of human rights.”

Milstein is grateful to all the people who helped make this happen.

“Shelly Weiner said to me, ‘Victoria, I’m going to help you raise this money, I’m going to be your first sponsor,’ and this is about her as much as anyone else. She posed for the matriarch in the middle who is holding everyone. Shelly posed for her hands; she was the key.”

Nancy Ho man is also proud of what Milstein has accomplished. “There is an education component to the sculpture once it’s unveiled, and that will be video that tells the story of Shelly Weiner.

I was videoed to tell Jack’s story. He would have loved to have seen something like this come to fruition.”

Milstein said only recently saw the memorial after it was cast in bronze from her full-size clay sculpture, and it took her breath way. “Oh. My. God. I hadn’t been able to sleep the night before seeing it. When you change media, from pastel to clay to bronze, it changes a little bit. I can’t wait to unveil it.”

One thing Milstein wants to make clear is that the title, “She Wouldn’t Take O Her Boots,” is her interpretation.

“I don’t know if she wouldn’t take her boots o . It was my impression, my inspiration in the moment. Some of the interviews have said she wouldn’t take o her boots, as if that was the story that was written from her voice, and I don’t know that. I can’t know that. This is the result of my interaction with the photo.”

April 18, the day on which the sculpture will be unveiled at 5 p.m. in LeBauer Park, is Yom HaShoah, which is Holocaust Remembrance Day in Israel.

“We will have candle lighting for the six million, and for all those killed who were not Jewish. We have community leaders, from Nancy Ho man to John Swain of the Civil Rights Museum, to

light the candles, as well as Ivan Canada from North Carolina Community and Justice. We have a choir of community children. It is for the whole community.”

Milstein feels this particularly important in 2023, when antisemitism had had such a resurgence in the United States. The Anti-Defamation League tracked 3,697 incidents of harassment, vandalism and assault targeting Jewish people and communities last year, the highest number ever recorded since the ADL first began collecting data in 1979.

“As Jew, as an American Jewish woman artist, as an Israeli, this is why I am doing this work. If you work against hate, it’s about all hate. The more I learn on our 400 years of Slavery, the Greensboro massacre, all these things, it’s the same hate of seeing people as others as not human, as not understanding their culture and not seeing them as real people, that’s what this is about.”

For more information about the unveiling and dedication ceremony and the creation of the memorial, check out womenoftheshoahjp.org. !

IAN MCDOWELL is the author of two published novels, numerous anthologized short stories, and a whole lot of nonfiction and journalism, some of which he’s proud of and none of which he’s ashamed of.

Chris Perondi’s Stunt Dogs Experience

sATURDAY, APRIL 15, 2023 shows @ 2Pm & 7:30Pm

Barbra Lica in Concert

FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 2023

DooRs oPen @ 6:30Pm // show @ 7:30Pm

Barbra Lica is a fast-rising star in the Canadian Jazz scene and has been receiving accolades for a unique vocal ability that stresses subtlety and grace. Based in Toronto, Canada, Barbra’s live show captivates audiences all over North America with her genuine warmth and confident stage presence. Her music fuses country, pop and jazz — no rules, all fun.

Stunt Dog Productions is a family-owned business led by husband-and-wife team Chris and Suzey Perondi, and offers three full-time traveling teams, both offering the same high-energy frisbee dog shows mixed with mind blowing dog tricks, incredible stunts, audience participation, and much more. This show is sponsored by our friends at Northwood Animal Hospital. A portion of ticket proceeds will go towards Break the Chain Kennel Kru, a nonprofit organization designed to assist families with chained dogs in underserved communities in Guilford County.

Photo taken during the Liepāja massacre that inspired the sculpture.

RiverRun welcomes Oscar winner Tom Schulman

For his first film, Dead Poets Society (1989), screenwriter Tom Schulman won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. His next e ort, a last-minute rewrite of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989), yielded a beloved fantasy blockbuster that sparked a franchise. At this year’s 25th anniversary RiverRun International Film Festival, he’ll be adding a Master of Cinema award to his trophy case — as well as screening Double Down South, which he wrote, produced, and directed.

Double Down South will be screened 8 p.m. on Friday at Hanesbrands Theatre (251 N. Spruce Street, Winston-Salem) and 4 p.m. on Sunday at Marketplace Cinemas (2095 Peters Creek Parkway, Winston-Salem), and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids will be presented Saturday as a free outdoor evening screening at Crossnore Farm (1001 Reynolda Drive, Winston-Salem), with gates opening at 6:30 p.m. For tickets or more information, visit https://riverrunfilm. com/.

Double Down South (originally titled Southern Gothic) marks Schulman’s return to directing after 25 years, having earlier helmed the 1997 black comedy 8 Heads in a Du el Bag, which starred Joe Pesci as a hitman charged with transporting the title “items.”

Grateful for the opportunity to direct his first feature, Schulman bowed to numerous concessions during and after production that proved detrimental to the film. “As the writer/director I knew I would get blamed for all of it, that it was my fault — and it’s mine!” he admitted. “I was sleeping only four hours a night. I honestly wondered if I was cut out for directing.”

Thus, he was determined to make Double Down South his way, hence the triple-threat hyphenate writer/producer/director. “When you make a movie, you’re playing chess with the universe,” he observed. “You don’t get everything you want. But I wanted to live or die on my own. The compromises I had to make I made on my own. It was my decision.”

The film centers around the game of Keno, a form of billiards, and stars Lili Simmons as Diana, a sharp-shooting young hustler competing in an illegal high-stakes tournament, having been staked by Nick (Kim Coates), who recognizes a kindred soul in the younger woman — as well as a potential goldmine.

“Keno was a popular underground sport until around 2000, then it just kind of dried up,” Schulman related. “It’s based on some experiences of mine as a pool hustler during my misspent youth. It definitely has a noir-ish feel, but it also has humor in it. Everything I write has humor in it.”

Simmons, Coates, and Tom Bower may not be household names, but that didn’t matter to Schulman. “Hollywood never knew quite how to make Kim a leading man, but he’s worked steadily for 30 years and is always terrific. He brings an intensity to everything he does, and he’s so versatile. I love Lili and Tom is fantastic.”

Yes, Schulman would have liked a bigger budget and longer schedule — “everybody says that,” he quipped —

but his second stint at helm was much more enjoyable than his maiden voyage, and he also took a piece of advice from Dead Poets director Peter Weir: “We make not make a good movie, but we can have a good experience.”

On both counts, he believes he has succeeded. Even better: “I got eight hours of sleep every night!”

Dead Poets Society may be the film Schulman is best known for. So be it, he says. The prep-school drama, which also earned Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor, starred Robin Williams as an unorthodox English teacher who inspires his students to discover the riches of literature. Originally, the Williams character was to have been a icted with Hodgkin lymphoma, but Weir felt that was one plot twist too many.

“Peter said to me ‘It’ll be easiest rewrite you ever do: Start at Page 70,’” Schulman recalled with a laugh. Initially wary, he soon came around to Weir’s way of thinking, particularly when he saw the finished version. “I absolutely loved, loved, loved what he did. I felt really good about it.”

Schulman was concerned when he saw that Disney had scheduled Dead Poets Society for an early summer release, and planned to open Honey, I Shrunk the Kids the same day as the much-hyped Batman. “I thought ‘They’re burying my movies!’”

A memorable meeting with CEO Je rey Katzenberg ensued, in which Schulman expressed his concern to Katzenberg ... and a room full of studio executives. In the end, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids grossed over $100 million — largely due to Batman sell-outs or parents preferring lighter fare for their children. Dead Poets Society cruised through the summer and fall of 1989, barely falling short of a $100 million gross as well.

Schulman notched another box-o ce hit with the Bill Murray/Richard Dreyfuss comedy What About Bob? (1991), but the behind-the-scenes contretemps are well-known. “It was a nightmare,” he said. “Richard has

talked about it. Bill was very di cult to work with. Bill fired everybody. I was fired — more than once. He tried to fire the producer (Laura Ziskin). He was just in a bad place at the time.”

Nevertheless, as the film was being edited, “I remember thinking ‘I think it’s working’ — and that was due to (director) Frank Oz,” Schulman said. “He made it work.”

He’s reluctant to discuss Medicine Man (1992) — on the record, at least — but admits it was not a highlight. He’s never seen the film and has no intention to, but laughed when told that Michael R. Miller, a UNCSA School of Filmmaking faculty member, edited the film. “I would love to meet him,” he said. “I’d love to swap stories!”

Welcome to Mooseport (2004) holds little distinction other than being Gene Hackman’s last film, and although the studio shifted the emphasis from political satire to more of a romantic comedy, it was at least a pleasant experience. “Gene was surrounded by a lot of actors he felt comfortable with (Christine Baranski, Rip Torn, Ray Romano, Marcia Gay Harden) and the director (Donald Petrie) worked well with him, but basically this was a payday for Gene,” Schulman said. “We were happy to have him and he was fine, but that’s it.”

Schulman’s other credits include 1993’s Indecent Proposal (executive producer), 1998’s Eddie Murphy comedy Holy Man (screenwriter), and executive producer of the Farrelly Brothers’ Jim Carrey comedy Me, Myself & Irene (2000). He also on the negotiating committee of the Writer’s Guild of America (WGA), which has been in the news lately regarding a potential strike. “I can confirm two things: I’m on the negotiating committee, and I can’t talk about the negotiations,” he said with a laugh. “All I can say is we’re working hard.”

For more information, call 336.724.1502 or visit the official RiverRun website: https://riverrunfilm.com/. !

See MARK BURGER’s reviews of current movies. © 2023, Mark Burger.

Mark Burger Contributor

Double Down South

[ WEEKLY ARTS ROUNDUP] SPRING PROGRAMS ENLIVEN A HISTORIC GEM AT SECCA

PHOTO BY STEPHANIE BERBEC BY PHILIP PLEDGER | Marketing Director at SECCA

Since 1977, the historic Hanes House at SECCA has welcomed visitors into its wood-paneled rooms for warm conversations, dinner parties, and familial gatherings. Built in 1929 as the country home of textile industrialist and civic leader James G. Hanes, the Hanes House became the unlikely home of SECCA, or the Winston-Salem Gallery of Fine Arts as it was originally named, when Hanes bequeathed the house and grounds to the gallery upon his death in 1972.

Now, nearly a century after the home’s construction, the Hanes House enters a new phase of life. Visitors have watched the space transform in recent months as the SECCA team reimagines how the home and surrounding grounds can serve today’s audiences. While the historic elements remain the same — handcarved crown molding, marble fireplaces, vintage French wallpaper — fresh new furnishings and lighting now greet visitors. Furniture selections span midcentury modern icons to works by leading contemporary designers, an amalgam of the historic and the cutting-edge.

The new energy at the Hanes House runs deeper than beautiful furniture, however. As with everything that SECCA does, the substance of our mission can be found in our programming, the ways we bring our spaces to life. The legacy of the Hanes House won’t be found in its history or architecture, but in the ways we use it to reach new audiences, create memorable experiences, and tell new stories with diverse perspectives.

Launching this new chapter, SECCA is proud to present two new monthly series at the Hanes House. The first Thursday of every month, Fireside hosts intimate artist talks representing a broad range of creative disciplines, set casually in front of the living room fireplace. Then, on the last Friday of each month, House Hangs features a social gathering with dinner by a rotation of local chefs, music by the area’s finest DJs, and cocktails on the Hanes House terrace. Admission to both programs is free.

House Hangs returns Friday, April 28 from 5–8pm with dinner by Chef Adé and a DJ set by p.s. edekot. The next Fireside

will take place Thursday, May 4 at 6pm with “Chaos & Harmony,” a conversation between artists Frank Campion and Jon Rollins, who will discuss their approach to abstract artmaking and the role of music in their creative processes.

Looking forward, long-term plans for a café and retail space in the Hanes House will add a whole new facet to the visitor experience. If the SECCA galleries are for discoveries and revelations, then the house is for reflection and imagination. We hope longtime supporters and newcomers alike will join us this year as we transform the Hanes House into a welcoming space, where new memories are woven together like a pair of seamless Hanes stockings.

The Hanes House and SECCA are located at 750 Marguerite Drive in WinstonSalem. Learn more at haneshouse. com and view exhibition and program information at SECCA.org.

ARTS COUNCIL is the chief advocate of the arts and cultural sector in Winston-Salem and Forsyth County. Our goal is to serve as a leader in lifting up, creating awareness and providing support to grow and sustain artistic, cultural and creative o erings throughout our region We acknowledge that it takes every voice, every talent, and every story to make our community a great place to live, work, and play. Arts Council is committed to serving as a facilitator, organizer, and promoter of conversations that are authentic, inclusive, and forward-thinking. There are over 800,000 art experiences taking place in WinstonSalem and Forsyth County annually. To learn more about upcoming arts and culture events happening in our community please visit www.cityofthearts.com.

Drag Show (down):

FTCC vs WSFCS

APRIL 15 & 16

APRIL 15 & 16 @ 11AM

Bring

1310 WESTOVER TERRACE, GREENSBORO, NC WORLDOFBEER.COM • (336) 897-0031

Some people just never learn. In a recent column I warned Democrats that if they persisted in condoning, promoting, or flaunting far-left-wing agendas, they would push moderates and independents to vote for far-right-wing candidates in next year’s elections. But no sooner had the ink dried on my column, than Forsyth Tech hosted a Gay Pride event in which a simulated sex act was performed for all to see. Even worse (if that is possible), some who witnessed the pornographic display were 14 and 15-year-old children who attended Early and Middle College classes on the Forsyth Tech campus.

According to a report by the WinstonSalem Journal’s Lisa O’Donnell, “a drag performer straddled a student who is sitting in a chair.” The “performance,” which took place at a campus restaurant, was recorded and posted on a social media channel called Libs of TikTok.

Later, the Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools issued a statement apologizing for allowing students to be exposed to an “inappropriate dance,” and saying, “That performer’s dance was not something students of that age should have been able to access or witness.”

But the nature of the dance itself is only part of the problem. According to the aforementioned statement, “Middle College and Early College administrators knew of the event and a drag performance, but were not aware that there would be an entertainer performing in a manner that was not appropriate for underage students.”

According to O’Donnell, had the school district known about the dance, it would have limited access to the event. Am I missing something here? I mean, why is a taxpayer-supported educational institution hosting Gay Pride drag queens to begin with? And why didn’t the Middle College administrators keep their kids away from Forsyth Tech that day? Perhaps I’m mistaken, but I thought community

colleges were supposed to be focused on preparing students to enter the workforce, not preparing them to enter each other. But here’s the best part. Rather than issuing a public apology and firing a bunch of people, Forsyth Tech released a statement in which it threw public school o cials under the bus.

“Our shared campus and educational experience provides Winston-Salem/Forsyth County high school students access to all Forsyth Tech facilities and events unless high school administrators decide access should be limited. They were aware of this event and knew it featured a drag performance, and, to our knowledge, they didn’t limit access.”

So much for the spirit of brotherhood between two local educational entities. And all this comes on the heels of a recent shooting at Forsyth Tech while local high schoolers were on campus. In that incident, a student shot himself in the hand. In the pornographic drag queen incident, Forsyth Tech shot itself in the foot and helped to push otherwise moderate parents into voting for a host of right-wing wackos in next year’s election. Thanks a lot Forsyth Tech. !

JIM LONGWORTH is the host of Triad Today, airing on Saturdays at 7:30 a.m. on ABC45 (cable channel 7) and Sundays at 11 a.m. on WMYV (cable channel 15) and streaming on WFMY+.

Jim Longworth Longworth at Large

To see the video mentioned in this column, scan the QR code here.

The Air up there: A

Producer/ director

Ben Affleck’s Air is a polished and persuasive dramatization of the circumstances surrounding Michael Jordan’s groundbreaking endorsement deal with Nike, which took place in 1984 just as Jordan was about to make his professional NBA debut with the Chicago Bulls. That the outcome of the story is well known doesn’t diminish the film’s appeal. Actually, familiarity with the story is an enhancement to the enjoyment, watching as the pieces fall into place.

Yes, Air is the dream of American capitalism come true, but co-producer Alex Convery’s very good screenplay (his first) deftly cuts both ways, being both rousing and ironic. It’s about ambition and success but not about greed. It’s about the product and the people who created it, and how it paid enormous dividends — which continue to this day. Air is absorbing, entertaining, and, thus far, one of the best films of 2023.

Affleck passes the proverbial ball to old friend and fellow producer Matt Damon, playing Nike talent scout and “basketball guru” Sonny Vaccaro. He’s the visionary — a pudgy, middle-aged gambler willing to roll the dice and bet his career — on Jordan, knowing full well that the phenom is leaning more toward signing a deal with Adidas or Converse than with lowly Nike. How Vaccaro pulled off this feat is the heart of the story.

The opening credits immediately and effortlessly convey the MTV-inspired, pop-culture ambiance of the era, replete with a fabulous selection of top tunes from the. But Air is more than a mere wallow in ‘80s nostalgia. It’s a crisp and incisive depiction of hard work, ingenuity, and that magical component known as serendipity. Much as Jordan was the right man to market, Vaccaro was the right man to make it happen, and how it happened is told in fine fashion.

Surrounding Damon is a first-rate ensemble including Jason Bateman,

true-life sports drama scores big

shines. Julius Tennon plays Jordan’s father James, who bemusedly sits back and lets his wife call the shots. Damian Young plays the young Jordan, but he never shown in closeup and speaks only a few words throughout the entire film, while actual footage of Jordan’s career is interspersed periodically.

If Air occasionally recalls Oliver Stone’s Wall Street (1987), that was undoubtedly Affleck’s intention, as he tapped ace cinematographer Robert Richardson — who shot several of Stone’s films (including Wall Street ) — to shoot this film, and the stylistic similarities are unmistakable. There’s a terrific, nervy energy to the proceedings, and a real sense of accomplishment at the end. !

Marlon Wayans, Chris Tucker, Chris Messina, Matthew Maher, and Affleck himself. As Nike founder Phil Knight, Affleck gives a droll, understated performance that nevertheless encapsulates Knight’s idiosyncrasies. Bateman, as Vaccaro’s supervisor Rob Strasser, shares a particularly good scene with Damon as they express their concerns that their careers have crushed their personal lives, while Messina’s sports agent David Falk enjoys a foul-mouthed telephone rant that would make David Mamet blush. Affleck allows each actor plenty of room to maneuver and make their mark.

In an understandably male-dominated narrative, Viola Davis most assuredly

asserts herself — both as an actor and the character — portraying Jordan’s mother Deloris, inarguably the dominant presence in his life. It’s not a large role but a pivotal one, and Davis again

See MARK BURGER ’s reviews of current movies. © 2023, Mark Burger.

Mark Burger

Contributor

High Point University invites the community to campus for an exciting lineup of complimentary cultural events. The spring schedule includes a variety of speakers, art, music and theater performances.

For a complete list of community events and to sign up for email notifications on future events, go to: www.highpoint.edu/live.

BY THE EDITORS AT ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

IT’S COME TO THIS

“There will be no plans to hunt eggs again.” So proclaimed Jessica Baer, the assistant manager of The Greene in Beavercreek, Ohio, after an Easter egg hunt went awry there on April 2. The Dayton Daily News reported that the activity, which was planned as a well-choreographed event for children, was ruined when people didn’t listen to directions. Instead, during the time period restricted to 1- and 2-year-olds, adults ran out to hunt eggs, which prompted a free-forall. Some people even allegedly pushed children out of the way or knocked them over. “This is absolutely unacceptable behavior,” o cials said. “We feel the community will be better without the hunt.”

UNCLEAR ON THE CONCEPT

THEATRICAL PERFORMANCE

SILENT SKY BY LAUREN GUNDERSON

April 20-22

7:30 - 9:30 pm

Hayworth Fine Arts Center, Pauline Theatre

CLARINET AND PERCUSSION

ENSEMBLES CONCERT

April 14

5:00 - 6:30 pm

Charles E. Hayworth, Sr. Memorial Chapel

SENIOR DANCE CAPSTONE BY

BLOOM

April 14 - 15

7:30 - 9:00 pm

Charles E. Hayworth, Sr. Memorial Chapel

WIND ENSEMBLE CONCERT DEPARTURES

April 26

7:30 - 9:30 pm

Hayworth Fine Arts Center, Pauline Theatre

CHORAL CONCERT REQUIEM

April 24

7:30 - 9:30 pm

BY MOZART

Hayworth Fine Arts Center, Pauline Theatre

Secure your complimentary tickets by visiting www.highpoint.edu/live.

Siva Moodley, a pastor at The Miracle Centre near Johannesburg, South Africa, died on Aug. 15, 2021, Oddity Central reported. But until recently, his body lay at a funeral home — for almost 600 days — because his family members were convinced he would come back to life. The mortuary couldn’t move forward on a burial without consent from the family, who at first came to the facility to pray for his resurrection. “He was a well-known man and does not deserve this kind of treatment,” the mortuary owner said. Finally, he took legal action to further the pastor’s burial. In response, the Gauteng High Court authorized a mandatory burial or cremation, and on March 16, Moodley was finally laid to rest.

COMPELLING EXPLANATION

In Dallas, grocery worker Coby Todd, 21, is sure that a “mischievous child ghost” pushed a shopping cart into his car as he was leaving work, Fox News reported on March 30. The day before, Todd had gone “ghost hunting” at a home in Frontier Village, Texas, and had sensed the presence of a “little boy” spirit, he said. He thinks the spirit followed him home and to work the next day. “Maybe he was trying to play with me,” Todd said. He checked out the store’s security footage to see who might have pushed the cart, and it does appear to suddenly turn and roll on its own toward Todd’s car. The damage amounts to about $25,000, and Todd said “it upset me. It’s not fake.”

PARENTING GOALS

TikTokker Will Meyers posted in early April that he had to “go pick up my kid from school today because I made a big mistake,” the Daily Mail reported. As Meyers packed his son’s lunch that morning, he loaded in a can of Guinness — because the black can looks a lot like Liquid Death sparkling water. “It looks like sparkling water, but it’s definitely not sparkling water,” Meyers said. Other parents weighed in, with one admitting they sent “two packs of cigarettes in a bag of paper plates and napkins to my daughter’s class.” A teacher soothed the guilty parents, saying it’s a common mistake.

SUSPICIONS CONFIRMED

The Environmental Protection Agency released the findings of a study on April 4 revealing that more than 9 million lead pipes carry water into homes across the United States, the Associated Press reported. The survey also ranked the states in order of how many lead pipes are still in use; Florida was first, with more than 1 million pipes underground. Erik Olson of the environmental group Natural Resources Defense Council was surprised at Florida’s position on the list because lead pipes were installed mostly before Florida’s population rapidly grew. “We look forward to hearing an explanation,” he said. The survey will be used to distribute funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

BRIGHT IDEA

Here’s a new thing to worry about: super pigs. Starting in the 1980s, Canadian farmers bred domestic pigs with wild boars, resulting in “super pigs” that are a headache for wildlife and crops, Yahoo! News reported. Now, the hybrids, which sometimes grow to 600 pounds, are moving south into the United States. “They are the worst invasive large mammal on the planet. Period,” said Ryan Brook, a wildlife researcher at the University of Saskatchewan. The pigs feed on agricultural crops but also damage the soil by digging in it. They eat reptiles, birds and even white-tailed deer, and they contaminate water. While some have suggested hunting as a way to control their numbers, Brook said, “You simply can’t BBQ your way out of a wild pig problem.” O cials in Montana have introduced the “Squeal on Pigs!” campaign encouraging residents to report feral swine, and North and South Dakota have reported possible populations. Soo wee! !

©2023 Andrews McMeel Universal

CONNIE QUAGLIATA

ACROSS

1 “Same Old Love” singer Gomez

7 Taken-back autos, e.g.

12 Most adultlike

20 Sanctuary

21 Novelist Jong

22 Undeveloped expanse 23 Carole King album hanging as a decoration? 25 Surpass 26 Drags to court 27 Endures 28 Big primate 30 San — (Texas city, informally)

31 Nixon veep Spiro 32 Taylor Swift album signed for a Catholic dignitary?

34 Title ship in a 1997 Spielberg epic

38 Hullabaloo 40 Hoodwink 41 John Lennon album sitting there all by itself?

43 Shoe parts 45 “Attack, dog!” 48 Portions out

In the style of

Closest buds, in brief

Savoir- —

Get as profit

Historic start? 55 Write preliminary lyrics to a Patti Smith album?

RECORD PLAYING

68 Pope before Stephen IV

69 Having no depth, in brief

70 Spellbound

71 Bob Marley album that’s very popular in big cities?

74 Granola bit

75 Dearth

79 Works by painter Joan

80 Small bouquet

81 Polymer used in piping, for short 82 U.S. Navy

3 Actor Waggoner

4 Edifice extensions 5 Granola bit

Mixtures

Della of song

Of times past

Fruit stones

Scanner of bar codes, for short

Doc’s throat-checking request 12 Copied a cow 13 Clerk on “The Simpsons”

14 The “T” of the DPT vaccine 15 Detach, as a jacket fastener 16 Toy in a crib

Mistake 18 River by the Louvre

DOWN

1

The Case of Reparations

THE BIG PAYBACK

he case of reparations has come to the forefront recently, as many states and local municipalities look to see how and if they can amend damages for and to the African American communities in the areas. The Oxford Dictionary defines reparations as “the making of amends for a wrong one has done, by paying money to or otherwise helping those who have been wronged.”

North Carolina Agricultural and State University recently hosted two conversations focusing on equity and reparations

Tfor the students and the Triad community. Adam Harris, award-winning journalist and author, headlined the event “An Audacious Call to Action: HBCU Equity in Higher Education.”

Harris, a staff writer for The Atlantic covering national politics, was selected as this year’s Writer-in-Residence at the university and will feature a series of master classes and speeches throughout the semester. His book, “The State Must Provide: Why America’s Colleges Have Always Been Unequal — And How to Set Them Right” is the text-in community book for the year.

Harris’ book explores the history of inequality that has long plagued Black students, historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and African Americans in higher education overall.

According to Harris, America’s colleges and universities have never given Black students a fair chance to succeed. The

“An Audacious Call to Action: HBCU Equity in Higher Education”

idea that Black students have always been an afterthought when it comes to higher education is a topic that is thoroughly addressed throughout the book.

Filmmakers — actress, producer, director and co-founder of Color Farm Media Erika Alexander and Whitney Dow — partnered with historically Black colleges and universities across the state and country to hold a series of national reparation debates. These debates were inspired by the 1965 James BaldwinWilliam Buckley debate.

The documentary focuses on the former Illinois Alderwoman Robin Rue Simmons historic battle and conquest to usher in Resolution 126-R-19, the first such legislation of its kind in the United

States, that devoted funds to local reparations for Black residents in Evanston, Illinois. The film features interviews with political figures including Simmons and scholars on the subject, like Ta-Nehisi Coates, and community members who support reparations and others who remain skeptical.

Color Farm Media has also partnered with Ben & Jerry’s, which will disseminate social impact materials and serve a unique flavor of ice cream in honor of “The Big Payback,” at the events.

“This is the second program at N.C. A&T this week that has focused on conversations related to equity, fairness and reparations on this campus in discussion and has certainly been in the spotlight,”

Chanel Davis Editor

said Chancellor Harold Martin.

Martin said that actor, producer and director Erika Alexander and her co-director Whitney Dow allowed their audiences to both view and discuss their feelings and reactions behind the film. He said that they knew there would be “so many emotions, arguments and opinions among those who watched it that it would be a shame to send them home in silence.”

“Much better, they realized to intentionally create a space where those thoughts could be articulated, presented to others and discussed. What a brilliant and respectful way to engage an audience,” Martin said. “We truly owe both filmmakers, Erika Alexander and Whitney Dow, a great debt of gratitude. Not just for their incredible documentary but for their heart and soul they have poured into this entire project.”

Alexander is all about making films that make a difference.

“The Big Payback is one of those things. I got a chance to meet and campaign with a lot of people looking for answers again. I started to tour politics and I joined campaigns trying to help, trying to observe, and got the opportunity to travel the world.”

Alexander said that she and her Color Farm Media co-founder, Ben Arnon, had the same vision when it came to making films.

“We wanted to change the face, media and rebrand blackness. We thought we should do it together. After we did “John Lewis: Good Trouble,” we thought what should be our next film? Joy Reid, a good friend from the Reid Report and one of the executive producers of the film, said you need to meet Whitney Dow. He is a very powerful, white male filmmaker who works in race. We met. Certainly something that we both had skin in the

game. He sized me up and I sized him up and said let’s do this,” Alexander said. “Then Covid hit. Well, before Covid hit we started filming at the hearings in 2019 — the first hearings on reparations HR 40. While we were filming we got a call that we had to get down to Evanston, Illinois and that someone had passed an historic bill. So we jumped up and out.”

They would go on to film Simmons as the Alderman successfully implemented the historic bill. It was the first tax-funded reparations bill for Black residents in American history. There are no cash payments here. The project is focused on a specific part of the Black community, where eligible adults that live in Evanston before 1969 are eligible for grants of $25,000 that can only be used towards housing. Residents can use it as a down payment on a house, for housing repairs, or to pay down their current mortgage.

“It was like watching Rosa Parks at the bus station and as she was getting on the bus,” explained Alexander. “That movie was interrupted by all these things. George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and everything that came with it. It just proved our point that reparations, now more than ever, were necessary in order to be fully aligned with what the principles of America is about, which was justice at its core.”

The actress said that the duo felt it was important to do an impact campaign to create dialogue and open discussion for everyone.

“This is the dream. The dream wasn’t to just do the film. The film was the tool to begin to talk about, and have conversations and dialogue. And not make it so scary and radioactive. The word reparations should give people happy, and an

opportunity to look and see something anew or perhaps place a new foundation. America is a democracy. It’s not in a building or a piece of paper, it’s you (the people).”

When asked how to implement these changes and who should foot the bill, the state or federal government, Dow pointed out that they are connected.

“I really believe that it’s not an either or but the road to federal reparations runs through every community in this country. What Evanston did. It’s a majority white community that has no obvious connection to slavery but looked honestly at history and saw the damage that the legacy of slavery had done to their community and the Black residents,” Dow explained. “They came together to make repairs and provide restitution, and they came out the backend stronger for it. I believe part of the reparations movement is consciousness raising. You have to socialize this idea with people, especially white people so they can understand their connection to the issue.”

REPARATIONS AROUND THE TRIAD

The topic around reparations and how to successfully implement them has been a topic around the Triad for the past several years, following a national push from Congress. In January 2021, Texas House Representative Sheila Jackson Lee, sponsored US House bill HR 40 — a bill that establishes a commission to “study and develop reparation proposals for African Americans. The commission shall examine slavery and discrimination in the colonies and the United States from 1619 to the present and appropriate remedies.”

According to the bill, this will be done by the commission identifying “the role of the federal and state governments in supporting the institution of slavery, forms of discrimination in the public and private sectors against freed slaves and their descendants, and lingering negative e ects of slavery on living African Americans and society.”

Asheville City Council passed a resolution in support of community reparations for Black residents of Asheville in July 2020. The 25-member Community Reparations Commission has the task of studying and making recommendations to the city and county to help repair the damage caused by public and private systemic racism, including redlining and economic destruction for profit. The initiative is designed to provide assistance in creating generational wealth for Black people in Asheville that have been impacted by educational, income and health disparities.

The Commission’s report is expected to be done by late spring/early summer.

In Winston-Salem, city council approved a reparations resolution in April 2021. The resolution passed in a 7-1 vote with councilmember Robert Clark against. The resolution apologizes to the African American community members for racism and discrimination throughout the decades, and is also supposed to be an act of support for future municipalities, the state and the federal government. The city manager will make twice-yearly presentations on the city’s e orts moving forward.

In High Point, city council created the One High Point Commission in February 2022, and adopted a resolution for the newly-formed commission to “explore community reparations for the African American citizens of High Point.” Initially the idea for the commission and resolution was brought by the High Point chapter of the NAACP.

The goal is to address policies and systems that were put in place that have negatively impacted Black people within the city. The commission is expected to submit a written report of its findings and recommendations to High Point City Council this summer.

Greensboro has not taken steps to pass any sort of reparations legislation at this time. However, in June 2020, Councilwoman Goldie Wells asked the Greensboro City Council to look into o ering reparations similar to its neighboring city, Asheville. !

CHANEL DAVIS is the current editor of YES! Weekly and graduated from N.C. A&T S.U. in 2011 with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications. She’s worked at daily and weekly newspapers in the Triad region.

A Tribute to John

Sousa & His Band

Saturday, April 22, 2023 7:30pm Wait Chapel on the campus of Wake Forest University Purchase tickets at: piedmontwindsymphony.com/sousa

Phillip

“The Big Payback”

GPD o cer cleared in shooting that killed a teen

On March 30, Guilford County District Attorney Avery Crump announced that “although tragic,” the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old by Greensboro police corporal Matthew Sletten was justified by common law principles and statutory provisions. “I will not be seeking charges related to the death of Nasanto Antonio Crenshaw.”

Crump wrote this in a letter to the State Bureau of Investigation, which she cc’d to GPD Chief John Thompson. The GPD released this letter to the press along with a statement declaring Sletten “officially cleared.” This was the first time the officer who shot Crenshaw on August 21 of last year has been named.

Crump cited N.C.G.S. 15A-401 as

permitting “deadly force by a law enforcement officer to defend himself or another from what he reasonably believes to be the imminent use of deadly force.” She also stated this does not mean “the matter was in all respects handled appropriately from an administrative or tactical viewpoint,” but that “there is not a reasonable likelihood of proving criminal charges beyond a reasonable doubt unanimously to a jury of 12 individuals.”

In the media release accompanying Crump’s letter, GPD public information manager Josie Cambareri stated her department “will file a petition with the court for the release of body-worn camera recordings and video-mounted camera recordings capturing this incident.”

Crump’s description differs from what attorneys for the victim’s mother have stated they witnessed on the videos. Both sides describe the Nissan driven by Crenshaw as colliding with Sletten’s patrol car after officers attempted to prevent Crenshaw from exiting a parking lot near the International

Shopping Center on Market Street. The attorneys described Crenshaw as then attempting to drive away and Sletten exited his car. Crump’s letter states that Crenshaw “began to accelerate towards Cpl. Sletten, whereupon he discharged his duty weapon three times,” killing Crenshaw.

As previously reported, the Nissan contained Crenshaw and four other juveniles from Fayetteville, where it was reported as stolen. Three exited and fled on foot when Crenshaw temporarily stopped in the parking lot. A juvenile, described in various accounts as 14 or 15-years-old, was in the front passenger seat when Sletten fired through the windshield.

Crump stated that SBI agents later discovered a “9mm pistol located between the front left driver seat and center console of the Nissan Altima,” as well as a ski mask and gloves. This March 30 statement is the first time that law enforcement has described a weapon being found in the car.

Crump wrote that the car’s owner “stated that she did not know Mr. Crenshaw, or any of the other individuals apprehended, and did not give him permission to drive her vehicle” and that “none of these items listed above belonged to her.”

“Even if the District Attorney believes a shooting was avoidable or an officer did not follow expected procedures or norms,” wrote Crump, “this does not necessarily amount to a violation of criminal law. In these circumstances, remedies (if any are appropriate) may be pursued by administrative or civil means.”

they allege “shot Brandon Combs five times, paused to call it in, and then fired again just to make sure he was dead” and the Elizabeth City incident “when law enforcement shot Andrew Brown Jr. in the back of the head, proving that he was trying to flee and was never a danger.”

“And we see it here now with District Attorney Crump refusing to let the grand jury do its job because they might choose to indict the officer who opened fire on an unarmed teenager and killed him. As a result, we are fully prepared to request that the U.S. Department of Justice investigate and prosecute this brutal and needless killing.”

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Within hours of the GPD statement that included Crump’s letter to the SBI, the legal team representing Crenshaw’s mother, Wakita Doriety, in her wrongful death lawsuit against Greensboro and the previously unidentified officer released their own, titled “Attorneys React to Greensboro District Attorney’s Failure to Pursue Charges Against Officer Who Killed Black Teenager.”

“While Ms. Doriety and all of Nasanto’s family are deeply disappointed by Ms. Crump’s failure to seek justice for her son’s killing, we’ve unfortunately become accustomed to the fact that District Attorneys in North Carolina are simply unwilling to bring charges to the grand jury if the killer happened to be wearing a badge.”

The attorney statement cites former Concord officer Timothy Larson, whom

On April 6, the Greensboro Police Department released the following statement:

“Superior Court in Guilford County heard and granted the Greensboro Police Department’s Request for the release of body-worn camera recordings and video-mounted camera recordings capturing the officer-involved shooting that occurred on August 21, 2022. The Greensboro Police Department will release recordings from this incident to the community, consistent with the conditions set by the court, including the redaction of any image or voice of a minor. Pursuant to the Court’s Order, the recordings will be released no later than April 25, 2023.” !

IAN MCDOWELL is the author of two published novels, numerous anthologized short stories, and a whole lot of nonfiction and journalism, some of which he’s proud of and none of which he’s ashamed of.

Ian McDowell Contributor

Nasanto Crenshaw

NC GOP passes bill abolishing state background checks for handguns

On March 29th, North Carolina’s Republican-controlled House of Representatives voted to override Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of a bill doing away with handgun background checks conducted by local law enforcement.

The GOP override means that North Carolinians no longer need permission from sheri s to purchase pistols. The successful bill also allows guns on private school campuses hosting church services when school is not in session and launches a statewide firearm safe storage awareness initiative.

The primary sponsors of Senate Bill 41 were District 24’s Danny Earl Britt Jr., who represents Hoke, Robeson, and Scotland counties; District 46’s Warren Daniel, who represents Buncombe, Burke, and McDowell counties; and Senate Majority Whip Jim Perry, who represents Beaufort, Craven and Lenoir Counties in District 2.

“After years of Gov. Roy Cooper obstructing our Constitutional rights, today marks a long overdue victory for law-abiding gun owners in our state,” said Britt, Daniel, and Perry in a March 29 joint statement they made with District 3 rep Bobby Hanig. “By successfully overriding Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto, we have guaranteed and secured Second Amendment rights for North Carolinians, and set forth a path to overcoming any future impediments from the lame-duck governor.”

All 49 Republican state senators voted to overturn the veto. 19 Democrats attempted to uphold it, with Democrat Graig Meyer having an excused absence.

After the override of Cooper’s March 24 veto by the NC Senate supermajority on March 28, the bill went to the NC House. As House Republicans are one vote short of a supermajority, they required Democratic help, or at least inaction, to overturn Cooper’s veto. All 71 House Republicans voted to overturn Cooper. 46 House Democrats voted to uphold this veto. District 60’s Cecil Brockman, who represents Guilford County, District 12’s Tricia Ann Cotham, who represents

Mecklenburg County, and District 27’s Michael H. Wray, who represents Halifax, Northampton, and Warren counties, all had excused absences.

Brockman’s, Cotham’s, and Wray’s absences gave Republicans the threefifths majority necessary to make the bill become law.

Republicans say that requiring the approval of the county sheri ’s o ce to purchase a pistol is unnecessary and leads to long waiting times. Their opponents argue that the repeal makes it easier for dangerous people to buy guns.

In response to the veto, Governor Cooper tweeted the following statement.

“Without any debate allowed by GOP leadership because the arguments were too compelling for them to hear, the House voted to override my veto and eliminate strong background checks for handguns in NC. Allowing known domestic abusers and mentally ill people to buy handguns puts communities at risk.”

House majority whip Jon Hardister, who is also the Republican representative for Guilford County, did not respond to YES! Weekly’s request for comment. Neither did Greensboro Mayor Nancy Vaughan, a Democrat since she switched parties in 2009, who has often spoken against gun violence and was instrumental in ending the Coliseum gun show.

The vote occurred two days after shooter Audrey Hale killed three children and two adults at Christian Covenant School in Nashville. As of Monday, 74 people have been killed at American schools in 2023, meaning more than one every two days.

“There’s never a right week to make it

easier for criminals to get their hands on guns, but doing it this week is absurd,” tweeted NC Attorney General Josh Stein shortly after the House vote.

Others disagree. On Monday, Kevin P. Cherry, president of Cherry’s Fine Guns in Greensboro’s Wendover Business Park, told YES! Weekly that he considers the House deregulation “the right thing to do,” and emphasized that does not do away with background checks, just those from local sheri s, and that it actually means more work for gun dealers.

“We already have the Federal NICS [National Instant Criminal Background Check System] background check system that has been in place for many years. This has made N.C. Pistol Permits a

redundant situation. The N.C. Sheri ’s Association supported this legislation. It will actually make for work for the FFL [Federal Firearms Licensees] holders. When the N.C. Pistol Permit was valid, we never had to call into NICS. Now, with the sunset of the N.C. Pistol Permit, ATF has made all valid N.C. Pistol Permits null and void, [as those permits] can no longer be used as of March 29th, 2023 for the purchase of a handgun.” !

IAN MCDOWELL is the author of two published novels, numerous anthologized short stories, and a whole lot of nonfiction and journalism, some of which he’s proud of and none of which he’s ashamed of.

Ian McDowell

Contributor

Warren Daniel

Danny Britt

Jim Perry

Mason Via and the wide-open horizon

Stokes County native Mason Via has been crossing horizons as a member of Old Crow Medicine Show, the GRAMMY-winning Americana string band outta Nashville, who’ll headline the inaugural Pilot Mountain Outdoor Adventure Festival & Expo at the Armfield

Civic Center in Pilot Mountain on April 22

Running April 21-23, the festival aims

tain, Hanging Rock, and Stone Mountain. Expo activities include a bicycle criterium, 5k run, and disc golf tournament; along with wellness workshops, guided hikes, and vendors geared toward outdoor enthusiasts.

Music festivities kick o with a Friday night block party from DJ Ish at the “Downtown Bandstand” on Depot Street. Saturday’s bandstand lineup features Cooks Wall, the Robertson Boys, Will Easter & the Nomads, His & Hers, and April B & The Cool. Old Crow takes the stage at Armfield that night. Michael Chaney and Stillwater Junction will play the bandstand on Sunday.

The concert will serve as both a touring adventure and homecoming for Via, who’s been living in Nashville since joining the group in 2021. “It’s pretty dang cool,” he

said, “to get some love from back home — it just feels, like, full circle.”

Steeped in Appalachian tradition, waxing the philosophic with down-home charm, “We all just want to fit in,” Via said. “It’s part of our human DNA or something. We all wanna be loved. And as a musician, you feel that even more, you know? You’re being vulnerable putting out your art and you’re going for something.”

“It’s been an eye-opening experience with this band,” he continued. “And whenever I get to play close to home — and this’ll be the closest to home I’ve actually gotten to play with the band — I’m excited I can go back home and folks’ll be like: ‘I remember him when he was just playing at the local co ee shop.’” With reference to Pilot Mountain, folks might recall a high school-aged Via playing for handfuls of

COME SEE WHY EVERYONE LOVES

friends at the Living Room Co eehouse and Wine Bar.

“I grew up doing theater in Mt. Airy and going to the Fiddler’s convention,” he said, reflecting on his upbringing, with a pause to praise his fellow Piedmont pickers — noting both he and Old Crow bandleader Ketch Secor particularly enjoy Surry County’s Nancy Sluys and the Pilot Mountain Bobcats.

Via’s talent is unquestionable, but he remains adamant in eschewing ideas of the extraordinary. “There’s talent all over these towns,” he said. “Talent that should be recognized — it honestly doesn’t exactly make sense why I’m up on the big stage. There’s people doing what I’m doing in the fields over there at Veterans Memorial Park or Blackmon Amphitheater.”

“And people doing it at these open mics I’d play in Greensboro or Winston,” he continued, with a nod to memories at the Green Bean and New York Pizza. “To go from there to playing these stages — it’s just really something to be thankful for. Really.”

While recording his 2022 solo LP, “New Horizons,” Via had his eyes on the world beyond his hometown — though he had no idea how far those horizons would stretch by the time it was released. “It’s funny when making records, ‘cuz it can take a couple years before it comes out,” he said. “I recorded it before I joined the band, but it ended up coming out around the same time as Old Crow’s ‘Paint this Town.’”

Katei Cranford Contributor

“It’s wild,” he continued, waging the balance between solo work against his album debut as part of a GRAMMY-winning band. “It does mean I haven’t really been able to tour ‘New Horizons’ like I’d figured when it was being made.”

When it comes to “Paint this Town,” however, he’s been touring — a lot — and having a ball. “I’m checking o boxes of states I’ve never been,” he said, excited for upcoming dates in Alaska and Arizona. And then there’s the artists he’s meeting along the way. “We’re doing some touring with Hank Williams Jr.,” Via said, “which is gonna be an interesting pairing — we’re kind of like a liberal band and he’s not exactly that. But it’ll be interesting — and I’ll probably get some stories to share home.”

”My favorite has honestly been getting to meet Willie Nelson,” he continued, recounting other recent “bucket list moments”: singing with Keb’ Mo’, hanging with Warren Haynes (and playing with Gov’t Mule.) “Oh, and Amos Lee when we played Red Rocks!” Via recalled. “I was a fan of his when I was a kid, so to meet and have him sing with us was kinda out of this world.”

“Especially ‘cuz nobody even knew he was going to be there,” he added — turning the page from being a wide-eyed rookie. “That happens kind of a lot with these artists,” Via explained. “They’ll end up being at some show. And it’s like: wow, we’re playing on stage together.”

As Via settles into a new chapter of arena-stage horizons, he’s no longer the new kid in Old Crow — and is even becoming something of an “old hand” at the Grand Ole Opry, where the band is a member. “I’ve played it at least 15 times,

or something, and it never gets old,” he noted, “but I’m starting to lose some of that deer-in-a-headlights kind of feeling.”

“I’m getting to where I can actually enjoy it,” Via continued. “I can go mingle around and say ‘Hey, how you doin’?’ And feel comfortable shakin’ howdy a little bit more.” The notion marks a stark contrast to his experience as a contestant on season 19 of American Idol.

Via got the golden ticket and went to Hollywood. Making the cut into the Top 24 before his Idol run ended. “Honestly, I was like a fish out of water,” he admitted. “I was trying to be myself but was also trying to be something I wasn’t to impress them. And whenever you do that — it ain’t a good feelin’.”

“I’m glad I turned out where I am,” he added, praising the “hillbilly roots” he carries across horizons — highways, stages, television shows — and even onto a new Old Crow album due later this year. Dropping the working title to “Jubilee,” Via is excited to have co-written more than half of the material with Secor. “It’s going to be sort of a look back, with the jug band and traditional elements of what the band was known for early on. I can’t wait for people to hear it.”

With a slew of tour dates across the country and a new Old Crow album on the way, the horizon is mighty wide for Mason Via.

Old Crow Medicine Show will headline the Pilot Mountain Outdoor Adventure Festival & Expo on April 22. !

artists and events.

KATEI CRANFORD is a Triad music nerd who enjoys spotlighting

Mason Via receiving the golden ticket on American Idol.

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2700 E Independence Blvd | 704.372.3600

www.boplex.com

Apr 15: Brandon lake

Apr 19: Bethel Music

Apr 20: los dos Carnales

Apr 22: Soul II Soul

May 3: It’s Time Ft: naomi, Tasha, natalie and Taya

May 4: Seal

May 7: Blessd: Blessd Corner

May 12: Ceelo green, Plies, Juvenile, Trick daddy, goodie Mob, lil webbie

May 26: Ramon Ayala

CMCU AMPHITHEATRE

former Uptown Amphitheatre

820 Hamilton St | 704.549.5555

www.livenation.com

May 11-12: Cody Jinks

May 14: Quinn XCII

May 15: Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

May 30: Ryan Adams & The Cardinals

THE FIllMORE

1000 NC Music Factory Blvd | 704.916.8970

www.livenation.com

Apr 12: Queensryche

Apr 13: Fozzy

Apr 14: Skinny Punny

Apr 14: Built To Spill

Apr 15: The Plot in You

Apr 16: Ruston Kelly

Apr 19: whitechapel

Apr 19: Ripe

PnC MUSIC PAVIlIOn

707 Pavilion Blvd | 704.549.1292

www.livenation.com

May 12: Janet Jackson & ludacris

May 21: godsmack & I Prevail

May 30: dead & Compamy

SPECTRUM CEnTER

333 E Trade St | 704.688.9000

www.spectrumcentercharlotte.com

Apr 21: Straight Jokes! no Chaser

Comedy Tour

CLEmmOnS

VIllAgE SQUARE

TAP HOUSE

6000 Meadowbrook Mall Ct | 336.448.5330

www.facebook.com/vstaphouse

Apr 13: Taylor Mason

Apr 14: Smash Hat

Apr 15: Bad Romeo

Apr 20: Corky Jams

Apr 21: KIds in America

Apr 22: Black glass

Apr 28: next O’ Kin

DuRHAm

CAROlInA THEATRE

309 W Morgan St | 919.560.3030

www.carolinatheatre.org

Apr 20: Big Bad Voodoo daddy

May 8: Morgan wade

May 9: Keb’ Mo’

dPAC

123 Vivian St | 919.680.2787

www.dpacnc.com

Apr 11-16: Bettlejuice

Apr 20: david Spade

Apr 21: The Old Friends Acoustic Tour w/ Ben Rector

Apr 22: druski

Apr 23: Bill Maher

Apr 26: Andrew Santino & Bobby lee

Apr 27: Travis Tritt

Apr 28-30: Chicago

May 2-14: Moulin Rouge! The Musical

May 19: get the led Out

May 20: John Mellencamp

May 23: The Beach Boys

ELKIn

REEVES THEATER

129 W Main St | 336.258.8240

www.reevestheater.com

wednesdays: Reeves Open Mic

Fourth Thursdays: Old-Time Jam

Apr 21: Tab Benoit

May 13: The Foreign landers

May 19: The Classic drifters

gREEnSBORO

BARn dInnER THEATRE

120 Stage Coach Tr. | 336.292.2211

www.barndinner.com

Mar 7- Apr 15: Church Basement

ladies: The last Potluck Supper

Apr 22- May 27: The Sweet delilah

Swim Club

CAROlInA THEATRE

310 S. Greene Street | 336.333.2605

www.carolinatheatre.com

CHAR BAR nO. 7

3724 Lawndale Dr. | 336.545.5555

www.charbar7.com

Apr1 3: Megan doss

Apr 20: wishful Thinking

Apr 27: Coia

COMEdY ZOnE

1126 S Holden Rd | 336.333.1034

www.thecomedyzone.com

Apr 14-15: Brian Simpson

Apr 21-22: Steve Rannazzisi

April 28-29: Carlos Mencia

May 19-20: darren Fleet

May 26-28: Tommy davidson

COnE dEnIM

117 S Elm St | 336.378.9646

www.cdecgreensboro.com

May 18: Jackyl

upcoming EvEnts

Apr 13: Jess Klein w/ Couldn’t Be Happiers

Apr 14: Jack The radio w/ Crenshaw pentecostal

Apr 15: Yarn ft. Brock Butler (perpetual Groove) w/ Alan peterson

Apr 16: Monsoon w/ Condado + Housewife

Apr 17: Griefcat w/ Brittany Ann Tranbaugh

Apr 19: Unheard project Monthly Series

HOURS: Tues-Fri: 3pm-unTil

saT & sun 12pm-unTil 221 Summit Ave | 336.501.3967

www.flatirongso.com

GaraGE TavErn

5211 A West Market St | 336.763.2020

www.facebook.com/GarageTavernGreens-

boro

apr 13: Bradley Steele

apr 14: The Band Tess

apr 15: Muddy Creek revival

apr 16: Irish Jam Session

apr 20: Daniel Love

apr 21: Camel City Blues

apr 22: radio revolver

apr 23: Big Bump

apr 27: Jacob vaughan

apr 28: Brother Pearl

apr 29: room 42

apr 30: Buddyro

GrEEnSBoro CoLISEuM

1921 W Gate City Blvd | 336.373.7400

www.greensborocoliseum.com

apr 14: Harlem Globetrotters

apr 15: Los Temerarios

apr 23: Legacy Tour w/ Keith Sweat, Guy and special guest Tank

apr 29: Kenny Chesney w/ Kelsea Ballerini

May 6: Mana

May 12: Straight Jokes! no Chaser

HanGar 1819

1819 Spring Garden St | 336.579.6480

www.hangar1819.com

apr 12: The Home Team

apr 13: Icon For Hire

apr 15: The Last Ten Seconds of Life

apr 21: nu Metal Madness Tour 2

apr 22: Hovvdy

apr 28-29: Slaughter To Prevail

LITTLE BroTHEr

BrEwInG

348 South Elm St | 336.510.9678

www.facebook.com/littlebrotherbrew

wednesdays: Trivia

Fridays & Saturdays: Free Live Music

apr 14: The Good watts

apr 15: Sam robinson Band

apr 21: along Those Lines

apr 22: wake Moody Duo

apr 28: Swamproots

apr 29: David Childers

PIEDMonT HaLL

2411 W Gate City Blvd | 336.373.7400

www.greensborocoliseum.com

apr 21: Green Queen Bingo

May 6: alter Bridge: The Pawns & Kings Tour

May 11: Grace Potter

roDY’S TavErn

5105 Michaux Rd | 336.282.0950

www.facebook.com/rodystavern

apr 12: Darell Hoots

apr 14: Patrick rock Duo

apr 19: no Strings attached

apr 21: Jason Duggins

apr 26: JvC

apr 28: Shane Key

STEvEn TanGEr CEnTEr

300 N Elm Street | 336.333.6500

www.tangercenter.com

apr 18-23: Beetlejuice

apr 27: Theresa Caputo Live!

apr 28: Ben Folds

May 5: Jill Scott

May 7: Zach williams

May 11: Branford Marsalis

THE IDIoT Box CoMEDY CLuB

503 N. Greene St | 336.274.2699

www.idiotboxers.com

Thursdays: open Mic

apr 15: Katie K

apr 22: Steve Gillespe

May 9: Maria Bamford

May 12: Carter Deems

wInESTYLES

3326 W Friendly Ave Suite 141 | 336.299.4505

www.facebook.com/winestylesgreensboro277

high point

1614 DMB

1614 N Main St | 336.883.4113

https://www.1614drinksmusicbilliards.com/

apr 15: astrocat

apr 21: Latino night

apr 22: Huckleberry Shyne

apr 29: Carolina rhythm Machine

GooFY FooT TaProoM

2762 NC-68 #109 | 336.307.2567

www.goofyfoottaproom.com

HIGH PoInT THEaTrE

220 E Commerce Ave | 336.883.3401

www.highpointtheatre.com

apr 14: Barbra Lica

apr 15: Chris Perondi’s Stunt Dog

Experience

May 5-7: HPu Theatre: Matilda

May 25: Letters From Home

PLanK STrEET TavErn

138 Church Ave | 336.991.5016

www.facebook.com/plankstreettavern

SwEET oLD BILL’S

1232 N Main St | 336.807.1476

www.sweetoldbills.com

VOTED

Weekly Specials

MON: $2 Domestic Bottles & All Burgers $9.99

TUE: 1/2 Price Wine | WED: $3 Draft

THU: $6 Bud Light Pitchers & $3 Fireball

Band Schedule

APRIL 13 Banjo Earth

APRIL 20 Metro Jethro’s

APRIL 27 Turpentine Shine Trio

MAY 5 Jimmy Hayes

VOTED BEST BURGER IN HIGH POINT DURING EAT AND DRINK BURGER WEEK

1232 NORTH MAIN STREET, HIGH POINT, NC 27262

WWW.SWEETOLDBILLS.COM | (336) 807-1476

MONDAY-THURSDAY 11AM-10 PM | FRIDAY-SATURDAY 11AM-11PM

jamestown

ThE DEck

118 E Main St | 336.207.1999

www.thedeckatrivertwist.com

Apr 14: Stephen Legree

Apr 15: cory Leutjen

Apr 20: Micah Auler

Apr 22: hampton Drive

Apr 28: carolina Ambush

Apr 29: Radio Revolver

May 5: Brother Pearl

kernersville

BREAThE

cockTAiL LoungE

221 N Main St. | 336.497.4822

www.facebook.com/BreatheCocktail-

Lounge

Wednesdays: karaoke

Apr 15: Vinyl Tap

Apr 20: Sip n’ Splash!

May 13: Burlesk Flower Power

May 26: SMAShAT

kERnERSViLLE

BREWing coMPAnY

221 N Main St. | 336.816.7283

www.facebook.com/kernersvillebrewing

Thursdays: Trivia

liberty

ThE LiBERTY

ShoWcASE ThEATER

101 S. Fayetteville St | 336.622.3844

www.TheLibertyShowcase.com

Apr 15: Junior Brown

Apr 21-22: The John conlee Show

Aor 29: Jimmy Fortune

Apr 29: Doug Stone

May 13: Bryan White

May 20: Rhonda Vincent & The Rage

raleigh

ccu MuSic PARk

AT WALnuT cREEk

3801 Rock Quarry Rd | 919.821.4111

www.livenation.com

LincoLn ThEATRE

126 E. Cabarrus St | 919.831.6400

www.lincolntheatre.com

Apr 14: Wilder Woods w/ Abraham

Alexander

Apr 15: Ruston kelly w/ Annie Dirusso

Apr 18: Ripe w/ The heavy hours

Apr 20: Tab Benoit w/ Alastair greene

Apr 21: Dr. Fresch Rave’s Anatomy 2023 Tour w/ The Sponges

Apr 22: Sickman w/ The Fifth

Apr 23: The Band of heathens

Apr 25: Prof w/ Juice Lord/ Bayo/ Willie Wonka

Apr 26: The hip Abduction

Apr 28: Dillon Fence w/ Wonderwhys

Apr 29: Enslaved & insomnium w/ Black Anvil

May 5: Pert near Sandstone & The Way Down Wanderers

May 6: SuSTo w/ harvey Street co.

May 7: Ana Popovic

May 13: Railroad Earth

May 19: Mostley crue w/ Flying high Again/ Voodoo

May 20: Start Making Sense ( The Talking heads Tribute)

May 26: Bigbabygucci

May 28: k. Flay

RED hAT AMPhiThEATER

500 S McDowell St | 919.996.8800

www.redhatamphitheater.com

Apr 14: Mt. Joy

May 28: Ryan Adams & the cardinals

Pnc AREnA

1400 Edwards Mill Rd | 919.861.2300

www.thepncarena.com

Apr 16: harlem globetrotters

May 10: Lizzo

May 12: Stevie nicks

randleman

kAMikAzE’S TAVERn

5701 Randleman Rd | 336.908.6144

www.facebook.com/kamikazestavern

karaoke Every Tuesday & Thursday

winston-salem

EARL’S

121 West 9th Street | 336.448.0018

www.earlsws.com

Mondays: open Mic

Thursdays: Will Jones

Apr 14: Lando and the Mando

Apr 15: zack Brock and the good intentions

Apr 21: Anna Leigh Band

Apr 22: Drew Foust and the Wheelhouse

Apr 28: Time Bandits

Apr 29: Aaron hamm and the Big River Band

FiDDLin’ FiSh

BREWing coMPAnY

772 Trade St | 336.999.8945

www.fiddlinfish.com

Tuesdays: Trivia

Apr 14: Sam Robinson

FooThiLLS BREWing

638 W 4th St | 336.777.3348

www.foothillsbrewing.com

Sundays: Sunday Jazz

Thursdays: Trivia

Apr 14: Megan Doss

Apr 15: XPLoRER

Apr 16: Eddie clayton & Friends

Apr 21: Dana Bearror

Apr 22: chasing Daylight

Apr 23: heather Rogers

Apr 28: Whiskey Mic

Apr 29: Vogan Thompson

Apr 30: Brown Mountain Lightning

Bugs

MiDWAY MuSic hALL

11141 Old US Hwy 52, Suite 10 | 336.793.4218

www.facebook.com/midwaymusichallandeventcenter

Mondays: Line Dancing

Apr 13: cadillac cowboys

Apr 15: The Delmonicos

Apr 29: Atlantic coast highway

MuDDY cREEk cAFE & MuSic hALL

137 West St | 336.201.5182

www.facebook.com/MuddyCreekCafe

ThE RAMkAT

170 W 9th St | 336.754.9714

www.theramkat.com

Apr 13: Emily Stewart, David chillders

Apr 15: chatham county Line, Deffrey Dean Foster

Apr 18: carolina Twine, Michael Witt

Apr 19: The Wallflowers, Drew Foust

Apr 21: Laura Jane grace, Weakened Freinds, Totally Slow

RoAR

633 North Liberty Street | 336-917-3008

www.roarws.com | www.roarbrandstheater. com

Apr 14: Darrell hoots, grizzly Panda

Apr 15: Men in Black, Robertson Boys

Apr 16: geezer Sunday w/ The Rockers

Apr 20: Pure Fiyah on the Mayfair club

Apr 21: Mystic Muse, Susana Mcfarlane, DJ Fish

Apr 22: hawthorne curve, Red umber

Apr 23: Brown Mountain Lightning Bugs

WiSE MAn BREWing

826 Angelo Bros Ave | 336.725.0008

www.wisemanbrewing.com

Thursdays: Music Bingo

Apr 14: Barefoot Modern

Apr 15: Dangermuffin

Apr 21: gipsy Danger

Apr 28: Friday night Music club

[SALOME’S STARS]

Week of April 17, 2023

[ARIES (March 21 to April 19) This is a good time to reassess important relationships, both personal and professional, to see where problems might exist and how they can be overcome. Keep the lines of communication open.

[TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) It’s not easy to bring order to a chaotic situation, whether it’s in the workplace or at home. But if anyone can do it, you can. A pleasant surprise awaits you by week’s end.

[GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) Be careful that you don’t make an upcoming decision solely on the word of those who might have their own reasons for wanting you to act as they suggest. Check things out for yourself.

[CANCER (June 21 to July 22) A personal relationship that seems to be going nowhere could be restarted once you know why it stalled in the first place. An honest discussion could result in some surprising revelations.

[LEO (July 23 to August 22) That unexpected attack of self-doubt could be a way of warning yourself to go slow before making a career-changing decision. Take more time to do a closer study of the facts.

[VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) A workplace problem needs your attention now, before it deteriorates to a point beyond repair. A trusted third party could be helpful in closing the gaps that have opened.

[LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) A recent family situation could give

rise to a new problem. Keep an open mind and avoid making judgments about anyone’s motives until all the facts are in.

[SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) Rely on your always-sharp intuition to alert you to potential problems with someone’s attempt to explain away the circumstances behind a puzzling incident.

[SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) Although you still need to do some snipping o of those lingering loose ends from a past project, you can begin moving on to something else.

[CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) With your self-confidence levels rising, you should feel quite comfortable with agreeing to take on a possibly troublesome, but potentially well-rewarded situation.

[AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) Travel is favored, both for business and for fun. The end of the week brings news about an upcoming project that could lead toward a promised career change.

[PISCES (February 19 to March 20) You might feel suddenly overwhelmed by a flood of responsibilities. But if you deal with each one in its turn, you’ll soon be able to hold your head above water and move on.

[BORN THIS WEEK: You have a wonderful way of o ering comfort as well as guidance. You would do well in the healing arts.

© 2023 by King Features Syndicate

answers

crossword on page 11

sudoku on page 11

by Fifi Rodriguez

[1. TELEVISION: What is the name of the president in the drama West Wing?

[2. GEOGRAPHY: Which U.S. state shares the same name as one of the Great Lakes?

[3. U.S. PRESIDENTS: What are the ZIP codes assigned to the president and first lady?

[4. LANGUAGE: What is cryptophasia?

[5. MOVIES: What is the number on top of the bus in the movie Speed?

[6. LITERATURE: What is the setting for Dashiell Hammett’s novel “The Maltese Falcon”?

[7. ANATOMY: Which two parts of the human body contain the most bones?

[8. U.S. STATES: In which state would you find the Grand Teton National Park?

[9. AD SLOGANS: Which popular product uses the slogan, “Is it in you?”

[10. FOOD & DRINK: What is the primary ingredient of baba ganoush?

answer

10. Eggplant.

9. Gatorade.

8. Wyoming.

7. More than half the bones are in the hands and feet, 27 in each hand and 26 in each foot.

6. San Francisco.

5. 2525.

4. A language developed by twins that only the two children can understand.

3. 20500-0001 and 20500-0002.

2. Michigan.

1. Josiah “Jed” Bartlet.

© 2023 by King Features Syndicate, Inc.