YES! Weekly - October 20, 2021

TANGER CENTER

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ELECTION DELAYS

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NC MUSIC HALL OF FAME

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OCTOBER 20-26, 2021 VOLUME 17, NUMBER 42

12 - 15 5500 Adams Farm Lane Suite 204 Greensboro, NC 27407 Office 336-316-1231 Fax 336-316-1930

ALMOST ELECTION GUIDE

Publisher CHARLES A. WOMACK III publisher@yesweekly.com EDITORIAL Editor CHANEL DAVIS

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chanel@yesweekly.com YES! Writers IAN MCDOWELL MARK BURGER KATEI CRANFORD JIM LONGWORTH NAIMA SAID PRODUCTION Graphic Designers ALEX FARMER designer@yesweekly.com

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Your YES! Every Wednesday! yesweekly.com YES! WEEKLY

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With the TANGER CENTER fully operational now, it’s time to consider how best to have “dinner and a show.” This week, we look at recommended restaurants located close to Tanger. For my Nov. 17 column, we will visit Tanger’s pre-theater dining.

5 Greensboro is alive with the sound of music once again as the 2020-2021 Music for a Great Space “SEASON ANEW” season tunes up for an in-person season.

6 With the RiverRun International Film Festival’s free family screening of Paddington 2 set for Oct. 23 at Marketplace Cinemas Drive-In, the tireless team at RiverRun has yet another FREE SCREENING event this week...

8 Although technically incorrect, I was always taught that the polite way to address a LT. GOVERNOR is to call him or her, “Governor.”

9 The fact-based psychological drama NO MAN OF GOD, which stars Luke Kirby as serial killer Ted Bundy and Elijah Wood as Bill Hagmaier, the FBI agent who interviewed him while he was on Death Row in Florida, initially seems very promising.

12 As a verb, to GERRYMANDER means to manipulate the boundaries of an electoral district in order to favor one political party. As a noun, it means an instance of this process or an area to which it has been done.

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Just like everything else in the past year, COVID and the fallout from the pandemic is expected to take a front row seat in this year’s elections. According to survey research conducted by Gallup, 81% of adults in the U.S. say coronavirus has caused “SIGNIFICANT DISRUPTION” in their day-to-day affairs.

14 At a Town Hall in Greensboro on Oct. 12, Democratic Candidates for U.S. SENATE talked about healthcare, gerrymandering, marijuana, and the best way to beat Republican incumbent Ted Budd in 2022.

15 Greensboro mayoral election incumbent NANCY VAUGHAN laughed when asked if she thought The Rhino Times would endorse her like it did in 2017. “The way I read John Hammer’s column; it looks like he’s already made an endorsement.”

18 The North Carolina Music Hall of Fame is pleased to celebrate its annual INDUCTION CEREMONY at the Gem Theatre in Kannapolis on Oct. 21. With a goal of “honoring the past and shaping the future of music in North Carolina,” the nonprofit museum began inducting artists in 1999—celebrating musicians and figures, either native or residents, of North Carolina with at least ten years of experience in the music industry.

AUSTIN KINDLEY artdirector@yesweekly.com ADVERTISING Marketing TRAVIS WAGEMAN travis@yesweekly.com KAREN GRISSOM karen@yesweekly.com Promotion NATALIE GARCIA

DISTRIBUTION JANICE GANTT ANDREW WOMACK We at YES! Weekly realize that the interest of our readers goes well beyond the boundaries of the Piedmont Triad. Therefore we are dedicated to informing and entertaining with thought-provoking, debate-spurring, in-depth investigative news stories and features of local, national and international scope, and opinion grounded in reason, as well as providing the most comprehensive entertainment and arts coverage in the Triad. YES! Weekly welcomes submissions of all kinds. Efforts will be made to return those with a self-addressed stamped envelope; however YES! Weekly assumes no responsibility for unsolicited submissions. YES! Weekly is published every Wednesday by Womack Newspapers, Inc. No portion may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. First copy is free, all additional copies are $1.00. Copyright 2021 Womack Newspapers, Inc.

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EAT IT!

Chow down with John Batchelor’s Tanger Center Restaurant Guide

BY JOHN BATCHELOR

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ith the Tanger Center fully operational now, it’s time to consider how best to have “dinner and a show.”

This week, we look at recommended restaurants located close to Tanger. For my Nov. 17 column, we will visit Tanger’s pretheater dining.

I would strongly advise making reservations well in advance.

B.Christopher’s (201 North Elm, 336274-5900, bchristophers.com) is located right across the street from Tanger. The restaurant describes itself as “The Great American Steakhouse,” and I do like their steaks. My wife and I share the blackened ribeye. It’s big enough for two, and you can’t beat the flavor. Other cuts, of course, are available too.

The menu states the rest of the concept: “… everything on this menu is fresh, all-natural, hand-selected, and local when in season. This is ‘real food’ with no trans fats, hormones or pesticides. Our beef is corn-fed, our fish is fresh, and line caught, our chicken is free-range, and our produce is locally grown in season.”

Start with Three Cheese Ravioli, Fried Calamari with spicy chive aioli, Oysters Rockefeller, Bacon-Wrapped Jumbo Shrimp with horseradish-orange marmalade, or Jumbo Lump Crab Cake with lemon-dill aioli and roasted corn tomato relish.

Scallops Risotto, Blackened Salmon, roasted Free Range Chicken, and Roasted Portabella Mushrooms stuffed with goat cheese are stellar non-beef entrees. Sides are exceptional: garlic mashed potatoes, fried onion crisps, thin, crisp French fries (fresh cut in-house), corn crème Brulee, as well as green beans, spinach, Brussels sprouts, and asparagus.

The Undercurrent (327 Battleground Avenue, 336-370-1266, undercurrentrestaurant.com), about a block away from Tanger, ranks among the Triad’s absolute best. This kitchen is one of the most creative, yet food here is accessible, easy to enjoy, and even at this level of dining, a time payment plan is not necessary to accommodate the check.

Especially attractive starters gleaned from the current menu: Confit Beef Empanada, based on bacon braised beef, with roasted tomato salsa, chimichurri, and ancho carrot-jicama slaw; Roasted Brussel YES! WEEKLY

OCTOBER 20-26, 2021

Café Europa Sprouts with apple cider and grain mustard sauce; and Fenugreek Rubbed Chicken Satay with pickled beets. Fried Oysters and Spring Rolls filled with lobster and shrimp are permanent fixtures on the menu, due to their perennial popularity.

Entrée favorites include Grilled Pork Tenderloin with tasso, butternut squash, and bean ragout; Seared Sea Scallops with bacon (cured in-house) and caramelized onion risotto, roasted Brussels sprouts, parsnip pear puree, orange glace, and fried peppadew; Grilled Joyce Farms Chicken Breast with cheddar grits, roasted cauliflower, French beans, parsley-thyme puree, and red pepper jam; Skillet Seared Salmon Filet with roasted sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, grilled scallion aioli, molassesmustard glaze, and a sesame-sunflower seed crumble; and Herb de Provence Roast Rack of Lamb with multigrain pilaf, roasted tomato and kale sauté, Bordelaise sauce, and pickled fennel. Bread Pudding is famous here.

Blue Denim (217 South Elm, 336-6765689, bluedenimgso.com) is all about flavor- abundant, wonderful flavors that characterize the South, especially Louisiana cooking.

Consider starting with Crawfish Beignets, Fried Oysters with remoulade sauce, or Grilled Ribs with peanuts and cilantro.

Shrimp and Grits with tasso ham and andouille sausage cream sauce, cornmealdusted fried Catfish with field pea succotash, Crawfish Etouffee, Gumbo YaYa, or Steak Frites with homemade steak sauce

highlight the entrée list. White Chocolate Bread Pudding is decadent!

Liberty Oak (100 W. Washington St., 336-273-7057, libertyoakgso.com) has a pleasant patio area almost adjacent to one of the downtown parking garages.

Convenient.

Consider starting with Truffle Fries, Dynamite Shrimp, or Fried Oysters, among the first courses. Especially appealing entrees: Steak Risotto, made with Certified Angus filet medallions; Seafood Risotto Carbonara with Applewood-smoked Bacon, sweet corn and green onions, finished with hollandaise; Crab Cakes; Blackened Salmon topped with cherry pepper vinaigrette; Shrimp and Grits with andouille sausage; or my personal favorite, Key Lime Pepper Grilled Shrimp with sautéed vegetables, saffron rice, and Creole remoulade.

White & Wood (215 South Elm, 336638-1216, thewhiteandwood.com) offers a lot of cheeses and cured meats, in addition to raw oysters, beef tartare, plus unusually good salads. Entrée choices tend toward the higher end: a $22 burger, made from filet mignon and ribeye; Salmon with beurre blanc sauce, Halibut with green beans, Granny Smith apples, mango, and cucumbers; Baby Back Ribs with Brussels sprouts; and Rack of Lamb with herbed yogurt and root vegetables.

Two other places also get solid recommendations, but they do not take reservations.

Crafted (219-A South Elm St., 336273-0030, eatatcrafted.com) is the most

original restaurant concept in the Triad. The food is casual and inexpensive, but scratchmade from quality ingredients. Much of the menu is Latin American influenced, with some northern American traditions thrown in — a good burger, for example. Tacos are the main attraction, prepared in myriad ways.

Exit the Church Street parking garage, and you’ll walk right by Café Europa (200 N Davie St #15, 336-389-1010, facebook. com/europagso). Follow the sidewalk along LeBauer Park directly to the Tanger entrances. This restaurant has the largest patio seating area downtown. It really does evoke a European café ambience.

Choose from sandwiches, pizzas, four mussels configurations, or three entreesSpanakopita (baked phyllo pastry filled with spinach, onions, and feta cheese), Pasta Primavera (vegetarian), or Steak Frites. I especially like the Garlic-Lime Shrimp starter.

I am a volunteer usher at Tanger, and I’ve also attended several performances in the capacity of a paid guest. This place is a treasure! !

JOHN BATCHELOR has been writing about eating and drinking since 1981. Over a thousand of his articles have been published. He is also author of two travel/cookbooks: Chefs of the Coast: Restaurants and Recipes from the North Carolina Coast, and Chefs of the Mountains: Restaurants and Recipes from Western North Carolina. Contact him at john.e.batchelor@gmail.com or see his blog, johnbatchelordiningandtravel.blogspot.com.

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visions

SEE IT!

The sound of music returns

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reensboro is alive with the sound of music once again as the 20202021 Music for a Great Space “Season Anew” season tunes up for an in-person Chanel Davis season.

“Music for a Great Space (MGS) celEditor ebrated our 30th-anniversary last season during the pandemic, so of course, that year didn’t happen as we had initially envisioned,” said Rebecca Willie, executive director of MGS. “This year, we decided to “begin anew” with a season with a wide variety of artists and musical styles, collaborating with other local organizations, and continuing some of our virtual programming from last year. So we are calling this, our 31st year, ‘Season Anew.’”

The mission of Music for a Great Space is to annually present a culturally diverse series of inspiring small ensemble and solo concerts. Founded in 1990, the series features world-class artists in significant venues in Greensboro for audiences across the Piedmont Triad. The organization accompanies each concert with related educational experiences for children and adults.

According to Willie, the music featured in this year’s season will span generations and come from across the nation.

“Season Anew will include string quartets, voice, piano, and organ. The music will span the classical genre from the 1500s to today as well as represent jazz and Mexican folklore,” she said. “We are bringing musicians from as far as California and New York to Greensboro to perform for our audiences and work with students here in Greensboro.”

The season kicked off with Organist Edie Johnson at Christ United Methodist, located at 410 Holden Road, where all but two of this season’s performances will be held. Johnson now serves as organist at Church Street United Methodist Church in Knoxville, Tennessee where she’s also faculty at the University of Tennessee. She’s been featured on American Public Media’s Pipedreams and AGO conventions.

Pianist Aaron Diehl will perform on Oct. 22 at 7:30 p.m. Chad Eby, Steve Haines, and Thomas Taylor will join him for this WWW.YESWEEKLY.COM

(Clockwise starting at left) The Telegraph Quartet, Pianist Aaron Diehl, and the Harlem String Quaretet are among performers scheduled for the Music for a Great Space “Season Anew.” performance. Diehl studied at Julliard following his success as a finalist in Jazz at Lincoln Center’s 2002 Essentially Ellington competition. He was invited to tour with Wynton Marsalis and came to wider recognition as winner of the American Pianists Association’s Cole Porter Fellowship.

The Bel Canto Company and organists John Alexander and Timothy Olsen will perform Yves Castagnet’s Messe Salve Regina to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the two Letourneau organs housed in the sanctuary of 1st Presbyterian Church on Oct. 29. This performance can be viewed on the organization’s website and will be presented free of charge. There will be a live question and answer segment after the performance.

Telegraph Quartet will perform on Nov. 19 at 7:30 p.m. Performing across the United States and abroad, the group has been awarded the prestigious Walter W. Naumburg Chamber music Award and the Grand Prize at the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition. The group serves as quartet-in-residence at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

Organist Stephen Price will perform on Feb. 4 at 7:30 p.m. Price currently teaches organ, church music, and music theory at Ball State University. He holds degrees from Western Connecticut State and Indiana Universities and has garnered several international awards. Price has also received a Fulbright Scholarship to Toulouse, France where he studied “Historical and Modern” performance practices of French Organ Music.

The Harlem String Quartet will perform on Feb. 18 at 7:30 p.m. The New York Citybased quartet is currently the quartet-in-

residence at London’s Royal College of Music in Harlem. The Grammy-Award winning group is known to engage new audiences while diversifying classical music.

Anthony Dean Griffey and Warren Jones will perform on March 25 at 7:30 p.m.

Griffey, a High Point native and four-time Grammy-winning artist, is a frequent performer at many prestigious opera houses and serves on faculty at the Eastman School of Music. Jones is a faculty member at the Manhattan School of Music who has performed at many important events including multiple state dinners and also serves as principal pianist for Camerata Pacifica.

Cascada de Flores will perform on April 8 at 7:30 p.m. but the venue is yet to be determined. Arwen Lawrence and Jorge Liceaga, a mariachi torch singer and Mexican flamenco guitarist, founded Cascada de Flores to celebrate the music of Mexico.

They have since recorded many albums and performed throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Cuba.

Precautions will be taken to keep audiences and artists safe during the event.

Masks will be required, social distanced seating will be in effect, and proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test within 72 hours of the event will be required as well, according to the website. Those who purchase a ticket and decide to remain home due to potential contact or illness will be given the choice of a

refund or credit to another event.

Willie said the season has something that will appeal to everyone and may have some things they haven’t experienced before while also offering residents an opportunity to support local arts.

“Every concert will be an enjoyable, exciting experience. It’s important to support local arts organizations that bring great music and art to our city so that we can be inspired and learn from those experiences,” Willie said. “Attending music and arts events in our communities brings us together too, gives us an experience to share. And, it’s always nice to have a live music event to look forward to!”

For more information, tickets, or show specifics, visit www.musicforagreatspace. org. !

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.

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Storm Lake: RiverRun opens new season of Indie Lens Pop-Up screenings this Thursday With the RiverRun International Film Festival’s free family screening of Paddington 2 set for Oct. 23 at Marketplace Cinemas Drive-In, the tireless team at RiverRun has yet another free screening Mark Burger event this week: The critically acclaimed feature documenContributor tary Storm Lake, which will be shown Thursday, outdoors at the offices at Kilpatrick Townsend, 1001 W. Fourth Street, Winston-Salem. A pre-screening discussion will take place at 6:30 p.m., followed by the film.

The Storm Lake screening inaugurates the 2021-‘22 season of the Indie Lens Pop-Up screenings being presented by the festival, and admission is free. Those planning to attend should bring their own chairs to ensure their comfort.

“RiverRun is proud to launch our new season of Indie Lens Pop-Up screenings with a screening and discussion of Storm Lake, a film highlighting the struggles and importance of local journalism,” said Rob Davis, RiverRun executive director.

“We have been a partner of the Indie Lens Pop-Up series for a number of years and are honored to be one of a select group of screening partners nationwide.”

The pre-screening panel discussion will be moderated by Jane McKim, the festival’s education and community director.

“We are such huge fans of anything that is presented by Independent Lens, and this film is no different,” she said. “RiverRun has had such a wonderful time having a screening at Kilpatrick Townsend during the 2021 festival, and we are excited to return to this gem of a viewing area right in the heart of downtown for this screening.”

The award-winning, hour-long documentary was filmed on location in Storm Lake, Iowa, and explores the history of the Storm Lake Times, a Pulitzer Prizewinning bi-weekly newspaper owned and operated by Art Cullen and his family, which comprises half of the newspaper’s 10-person staff. The daily rigors of running a newspaper at a time when almost

2,000 local papers have ceased publication since the turn of the century have been made even more difficult by the COVID-19 pandemic. Storm Lake examines the efforts of the Cullens and the Storm Lake Times to survive under adverse circumstances that few could have predicted.

The film was produced by Beth Levison and co-directed by Levison and Jerry Risius (making his feature debut), the latter an Iowa native and self-professed news junkie who first broached the idea of making a film about the Cullens, the Storm Lake Times, and its readership.

“We pursued the documentary because we thought that the Cullens are an incredible family doing critically important work in a fascinating community,” said Levison.

“Once COVID hit, I think we really started to understand that their work has life or death consequences and that it’s really at the core of keeping a democracy alive.

We hope that viewers watch the film and reconsider their own relationship to local news. A subscription can cost as much as a T-shirt. Do they support their own local news and subscribe? Are they

local business owners and, if so, do they advertise in the newspaper? We want the film to force a rethink around community journalism. We think it can be a route toward unity and away from the partisanship that has come to erode so much of civil society.”

Storm Lake won the NYWIFT award as Best Documentary at the 2021 Provincetown International Film Festival and, according to Levison, has resonated with audiences beyond even the filmmakers’ most hopeful expectations.

“We are thrilled with the final film and the impact it’s having across the country,” she said. “We are six months into a national impact campaign, designed to underscore the promise of local news — and yet it’s very real challenges.

We have screened in over 50 cities since June with such partners as Report for America, Solutions Journalism, America’s Newspapers, and others. We can’t attend RiverRun this year but would love to hear from audiences and hope they will share their thoughts and feedback with us at @ stormlakemovie. We also hope that after seeing the film, they will subscribe to their local newspaper!”

“Our work with Indie Lens has provided a unique space for community members of diverse backgrounds and beliefs to come together and watch films from the award-winning Independent Lens series and engage in conversations on issues that are at the center of American life,” Davis said. “In light of current times, connecting is more important than ever — (and) it’s refreshing and important to come together and have these discussions. Our goal is to create Indie Lens PopUp events that will spark conversation and connect people to resources in our community. These resources and discussions are more important now than ever.”

The rain date for the Storm Lake screening is Oct. 24. The official website for the film is https://stormlakemovie.com.

The 24th annual RiverRun International Film Festival is scheduled to take place April 21-30, 2022. For more information about the free screening and other RiverRun events, visit https://riverrunfilm.com. !

See MARK BURGER’s reviews of current movies on Burgervideo.com. © 2021, Mark Burger.

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From all the staff at Smokey Shay’s, Family, Friends, and Customers that knew our employee

Christopher Nichols We honor him.

We lost a great human being way to soon.

Your funny personality brought joy to those around you, especially in the workplace!

Your rise in the ranks within the organization should be a forever example to current and future employees.An example of what hard work, team work, and good communication can achieve. The bar that you set is very www.yesweekly.com

high and we thank you for your dedication, loyalty, and contributions.

It was good to see you keep your promise to Cameron Francis and move to Colorado like you guys dreamed of.That says a lot about your character, the character we all came to know and love.

We will remember your second to none intelligence.Your love and passion for the industry that

we are in drove you to gain insight from peers on how to excel and make more of yourself at a young age. It was truly impressive to see you flourish quickly.

You will never be forgotten Chris Nichols.You will forever live in our hearts and minds through all that you taught us.We thank you and we honor you.

We love and miss you.

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We need to clarify powers of Lt. Governors

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lthough technically incorrect, I was always taught that the polite way to address a Lt. Governor is to call him or her, “Governor.” It sounds like an Jim Longworth instant promotion, but it’s just a respectful formality, unless Longworth of course, the Lt. at Large Governor in question abuses the title.

Earlier this month, North Carolina’s Lt. Governor Mark Robinson became an instant object of derision for remarks he made to the congregation of Asbury Baptist Church in Seagrove last summer. Speaking about the kinds of things he doesn’t want our children to be exposed to while in a school classroom, Robinson said, “There’s no reason anybody anywhere in America should be telling any child about transgenderism, homosexuality, any of that filth.”

Ever since a video of his speech was posted, Robinson has come under fire from a host of high-profile groups and individuals. They range from The Human Rights Campaign to President Biden, and all of them have called on the Lt. Governor to resign his office. Meanwhile, Gov. Roy Cooper called Robinson’s remarks “abhorrent.” But if Cooper is smart, he better only utter his criticisms of Robinson from within our State borders. That’s because according to the North Carolina Constitution, the Lt. Governor assumes the powers and responsibilities of our Governor anytime the chief executive is incapacitated or leaves the State.

Of course, there’s no real worry that Robinson would ever take advantage of a Constitutional loophole is there? Or is there? For an answer to that question, let’s examine what happened in Idaho just two weeks ago.

While Idaho Governor Brad Little was on a fact-finding trip to the US/ Mexico border, his Lt. Governor, Janice McGeachin issued several executive orders on her own authority, including one that extends a ban on COVID vaccine

mandates. McGeachin also attempted to order the Idaho National Guard to the Mexico border. Fortunately, Gov. Little hurried home and rescinded all of the hare-brained actions taken by Ms. McGeachin in his absence.

Given the dangerous divisiveness in America today, we must guard against any elected official being able to implement his or her own wacky agenda, especially when they aren’t even legally elected to the office which they are usurping. In Idaho, Lt. Gov. McGeachin’s power grab was short-lived and without any real consequence. And here in North Carolina, Lt. Gov. Robinson’s homophobic views didn’t translate to executive action since Roy Cooper was still in residence.

But Idaho and North Carolina may have just dodged a bullet. That’s why every state needs to amend its Constitution, so as to update and specify the conditions under which a Governor can be replaced by his second in command.

It’s important to keep in mind that the powers of North Carolina’s Lt. Governor were created by our State Constitution in 1868. Back then if a Governor trav-

eled out of his home state, he could be gone for weeks or months with no way of enacting orders until his return.

Moreover, there were no cell phones or smartphones in 1868. There was no texting, no emailing, and no faxing. But that was then, and this is now. Today if Roy Cooper has to leave the state, he can communicate instantly with his staff in Raleigh should the need arise. In other words, a Governor in this century is not incapacitated just because he’s attending a conference a thousand miles away from home, so there’s no justification for transferring power to the Lt. Governor simply because of a temporary absence. But until our Constitution can be amended, Governors would do well to remember an old Mafia saying, “Keep your friends close, and your Lt. Governor even closer.” !

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).

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No Man of God: The last days of Ted Bundy

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he factbased psychological drama No Man of God, which stars Luke Kirby as serial killer Ted Bundy and Elijah Wood as Bill Mark Burger Hagmaier, the FBI agent who interContributor viewed him while he was on Death Row in Florida, initially seems very promising. What might conceivably be a real-life variation on The Silence of the Lambs (1991) is instead a talky, underwhelming melodrama. A choice opportunity has been missed here.

Given the subject matter, No Man of God could easily have been sensationalized and, indeed, some viewers may wish that it had been. Given the time frame that the narrative takes place, there really isn’t much at stake. Bundy is on Death Row, and there he’ll stay — until his execution. That he was eventually electrocuted in January 1989 is common knowledge, so there’s a distinct lack of suspense.

If the intent was to take a meditative look into the psyche of one of the most notorious serial killers of the 20th century, No Man of God nevertheless feels like a police procedural.

There’s a bit of irony in the portrayal of the media frenzy surrounding Bundy’s impending execution, but it’s presented in very modest, even mild, terms. I moved to Florida a year after Bundy’s execution, and the barrage of media coverage remained unabated at the time. Everyone, it seemed, had an opinion about Ted Bundy, and everyone wanted to share it.

Hagmaier is tasked with interviewing Bundy in the hopes that he’ll confess to some of his earlier crimes, which have remained officially unsolved over the years.

The FBI estimated that Bundy killed at least 35 women, yet the final count might have exceeded 100. Hagmaier is warned WWW.YESWEEKLY.COM

by his superior Roger Depue (reliable Robert Patrick) not to get too close to Bundy, who is infamous for being a master manipulator.

In the very next scene, which takes place a year later, Hagmaier and Bundy are shown joking and laughing in the interrogation room at Florida State Prison.

Clearly, a transition has taken place. We’ve been clued into it, but we never actually see it take place. This is problematic, and equally so is that Patrick, who incorporates little bits of business in his scenes — flossing his teeth, shining his shoes — all but disappears from the film, and he’s missed.

Kirby joins a long list of notable actors who have portrayed Bundy in the past: Mark Harmon (the 1986 mini-series The Deliberate Stranger), Billy Campbell (2003’s The Stranger Beside Me), James Marsters (2008’s The Capture of the Green River Killer), Zac Efron (2019’s Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile), and Chad Michael Murray (this year’s Ted Bundy: American Boogeyman). Not surprisingly, Kirby’s performance tends to dominate the proceedings, even when he’s offscreen. His shifts in mood, alternately subtle and sudden, are played with the proper measure of creepiness and conviction. Kirby’s Bundy is a master of the abstract, touting “theories” that initially seem absurd or disturbed, yet he manages to justify — in his own mind, at least — in an almost charismatic fashion.

In contrast, the earnest Wood can’t help but come up short. He’s merely a sounding board.

His is a reactive character, and there’s only so much he can do with it. Faring a bit better is Aleksa Palladino, who shows up in the film’s final third as Bundy’s attorney. Carolyn Lieberman. That she is charged with Bundy’s ongoing appeals is her responsibility, yet it’s clear that it has taken a toll on her psyche. She despises Bundy but despises herself even more for defending him.

The screenplay is credited to one Kit Lesser, which is actually a pseudonym for C. Robert Cargill, best-known as the

screenwriter of Sinister (2012) and Sinister 2 (2015), to say nothing of the Marvel Studios box-office bonanza Doctor Strange (2016). That Cargill would adopt a nom de plume for this effort may well indicate his dissatisfaction — in one form or another — with the finished product.

That, perhaps, is the most tantalizing mystery of No Man of God, a well-intentioned true-crime drama that falls far short of its promise — and its premise. It’s

watchable and credible, but it could have been so much more.

No Man of God is available on-demand and streaming on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Google Play, iTunes, Microsoft Store, and more. It is also available on DVD ($29.96 retail) and Blu-ray ($29.97 retail) from RLJE Films. !

See MARK BURGER’s reviews of current movies on Burgervideo.com. © 2021, Mark Burger.

OCTOBER 20-26, 2021

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[NEWS OF THE WEIRD] SPACE INVASION

Chuck Shepherd

Forget a “rude” awakening — this one verges closer to “terrifying.” Ruth Hamilton of Golden, British Columbia, told CBC News that she woke up on Oct. 4 to her dog barking.

“The next thing was just a huge explosion

and debris all over my face,” she said. After realizing something had punched a hole in her ceiling, she called 911. While answering the operator’s questions, she moved a bed pillow and discovered a “melon-sized space rock” that must have landed inches from her head while she slept. Peter Brown, a physics and astronomy professor at Western University in London, Ontario, confirmed the rock was “certainly a meteorite,” but will require further study to determine its exact origins.

OUT ON A LIMB

A police standoff that began on Oct. 6 finally came to an end more than 48 hours later, as a man wanted in connection with an assault case climbed down from the tree he had taken refuge in. When police arrived at the Queens, New York, home of Roody Thomas, 44, in response to a call about a domestic dispute during which Thomas threatened his mother, Thomas climbed out of a second-story window and onto his roof. He then leapt from the roof into a 30-foot spruce tree, where he spent two uncomfortable nights. According to Fox 5 NY, a negotiator was ultimately able to talk Thomas into leaving his perch. Thomas, who had a warrant out for his arrest for allegedly punching his girlfriend on Sept. 30, surrendered to police and was sent to a hospital for evaluation.

SPRINKLEGATE

Don’t mess with a man’s sprinkles.

The owner of a U.K. bakery went viral for ranting about regulations that are cutting into his bread and butter — or rather his cake and frosting. Rich Myers, 32, of Leeds, can no longer sell his most popular items because they featured “illegal sprinkles” imported from the United States. The sprinkles contained an additive called E127, which has been linked to “hyperactivity disorders and tumors in rats,” reports the Mirror. An anonymous customer tipped off West Yorkshire Trading Standards, the local regulatory agency, about the infraction.

Myers swears he won’t switch to the approved sprinkles from his home country, claiming they don’t hold their colors during the baking process. “If I can’t use (the imported sprinkles), I won’t use any,” he said. “I will be on sprinkle strike and won’t budge for no man.” The contraband goodies aren’t exactly hard to come by, he added: “We buy them from a shop in London, so it’s not like we’re getting them from a cocaine haulage in Mexico.”

PAIN IN THE NECK

For the last two years, Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials have been witness to a bizarre wildlife sighting: a bull elk roaming the wilderness with a tire around its neck. CNN reported that CPW officials had been monitoring the elk since it was first spotted in July 2019, and though the tire did not impede the animal from drinking or feeding, they grew concerned that the tire might get tangled in branches, fencing or the antlers of another elk. CPW officers

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received a community tip on the elk’s whereabouts on Oct. 9 and were finally able to tranquilize it and remove the tire — which had 10 pounds of debris inside it — after removing the elk’s antlers. “We would have preferred to cut the tire and leave the antlers for his rutting activity, but the situation was dynamic and we had to just get the tire off in any way possible,” CPW officer Scott Murdoch said. The elk is expected to make a full recovery.

ONE PERSON’S JUNK ...

— Go take a closer look at your garden gnomes: A Sudbury, England, couple was unknowingly using artifacts from ancient Egypt to decorate their garden.

The pair of small sphinx statues went up for auction as the couple cleared out their home before a move. The couple had bought them at another auction 15 years prior, thinking they were 18thcentury replicas, and expected to get a few hundred dollars for them. But when prospective buyers suggested the items could be actual Egyptian relics, bidding took off. An international art gallery ended up paying $265,510 for the sphinx statues. Auctioneer James Mander said the gallery owners determined the items are indeed authentic, although more study is needed to determine their exact age and provenance. “I wonder where they’ve been for the last 5,000 years,” Mander said.

RECALCULATING ...

The robot apocalypse may be getting closer every day, but if self-driving car technology is any indicator, it’s probably still a ways off. Case in point: A deadend street in San Francisco has seen a swell in traffic recently, but the humans inside the cars are not to blame — the A.I. is. Those who live in the area of 15th Avenue in the Richmond district have been baffled by the Waymo self-driving cars that seem to have taken a liking to their street. The cars appear throughout the day and night; they enter and drive to the end of the street, the drivers inside take over and make a multipoint turn, then the cars go back the way they came. Resident Jennifer King told KPIX 5 that “there are some days where it can be up to 50. It’s literally every five minutes.” Waymo representatives told KPIX 5 they are looking into the situation. !

© 2021 Chuck Shepherd. Universal Press Syndicate.

Send your weird news items with subject line WEIRD NEWS to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com.

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[KING CROSSWORD]

[WEEKLY SUDOKU]

GONE FISHING

ACROSS 1

6 12 20 21 22 23 25 26 27 28 30 31 33 35 38 40 41 43 48 49 50 52 53 57 59 61 62 64 68 69 70 72 73

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Like a cook or a welder Land amid water, in Italy An inverse trig function Fish going here and there?

Pasty luau food Delivery path

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Keats, e.g.

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High Point Museum 1859 E. Lexington Ave. highpointmuseum.org

The Jazz of through the Eyes of Chuck Stewart Curated by the GRAMMY Museum®

Sept. 3 - Dec. 5, 2021

OCTOBER 20-26, 2021

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E

arlier this year, an ivyleague team of election analysts called North Carolina the most gerrymandered state in the nation.

“What’s hapIan McDowell pening in North Carolina right now is a very unique Contributor case of opportunity and intent,” Hannah Wheelen, senior analyst and project manager for the Princeton Gerrymandering Project, told the Chatham News & Record in May. “We see the legislature having control to get whatever lines they want passed in the next redistricting cycle. And so, I think that’s what’s different, that’s what makes North Carolina feel so much worse.”

As a verb, to gerrymander means to manipulate the boundaries of an electoral district in order to favor one political party. As a noun, it means an instance of this process or an area to which it has been done. Its two principal tactics are “cracking,” which means diluting the opposition’s voting power by spreading its supporters across many districts, and its opposite strategy “packing,” which consolidates the opposition’s voters in one district to reduce that voting power elsewhere.

The term is named after Elbridge Gerry (pronounced “Jerry”), US Vice-President under James Madison. Before the 1812 presidential election, Gerry was governor of Massachusetts, where he signed a bill creating a new partisan district in the Boston area. On a map, the new district appeared so twisting and narrow that a political cartoonist compared its shape to that of a salamander (although the resulting cartoon image more resembled a dragon). Ironically, Gerry disapproved of the practice that would bear his name.

So, what does this 18th Century name for a widely-condemned partisan political practice have to do with 21st Century North Carolina?

In 2010, Republicans won historic majorities in state legislatures across the nation. This allowed control of post-census redistricting in key swing states, including this one, resulting in new electoral maps that packed Democrats and Black voters into a few districts. In 2017, the U.S. Supreme Court ordered North Carolina to redraw districts that discriminated YES! WEEKLY

OCTOBER 20-26, 2021

What is Gerrymandering? against Black voters. In response, the Republican-controlled state legislature drew congressional districts that elected 10 Republicans to the state’s 13 districts, even when Democrats got more total votes.

The “Blue Wave” of 2018, in which Democrats won unexpected victories in such conservative bastions as Oklahoma and South Carolina, had no equivalent impact on North Carolina. The same three districts elected Democrats and the same ten districts elected Republicans, just as they had in previous elections, and despite Democrats winning 48.5% of the statewide vote. Democrats charged that the state GOP had created a fixed outcome that deprived voters of any meaningful influence in the election.

In June 2019, a challenge to North Carolina’s gerrymandering failed in the U.S. Supreme Court. Chief Justice Roberts wrote that the state’s electoral districts may “reasonably seem unjust,” but “Federal judges have no license to reallocate political power between the two major political parties.”

However, state Democrats scored a victory three months later. In September of

that year, a lawsuit in North Carolina Superior Court by Common Cause resulted in a 3-judge panel unanimously ruling that extreme gerrymandering violates the state constitution. Quoting a 1787 precedent, the judges warned that lawmakers could declare themselves “legislators of the state for life, without any further election of the people,” if courts did not intervene, and ruled that gerrymandered districts denied voters “the opportunity to participate in congressional elections conducted freely and honestly to ascertain, fairly and truthfully, the will of the people.”

The court ordered new maps created within two weeks. Republican legislators announced that, in order to accomplish this task in such a short amount of time, they would use sample maps created by an expert witness in the recent trial as “base maps” for the new ones. Each chamber of the legislature selected a set of maps and chose one at alleged random.

Common Cause then alleged that legislators never explained why the House and Senate pulled their base maps from different sets and stated that “the set

Political cartoon depicting a new district

chosen by each chamber is the one that is relatively more favorable to Republicans.”

An analysis by Sam Wang of the Princeton Gerrymandering Project agreed, stating that the state Senate’s base map was “still biased toward Republicans” and that the House’s map included “between one-half and two-thirds of the partisan advantage that was present in the illegal gerrymander.”

While gerrymandering is the redrawing of electoral districts in order to gain political advantage, the neutral term “redistricting” describes the process of redrawing electoral district boundaries in order to reflect changes in the census.

As the U.S. Constitution mandates a national census every ten years, states are required to redraw congressional and electoral districts and legislative and local electoral maps every decade.

In North Carolina, the process has often been lengthy, convoluted, and behind schedule. “We are always redistricting in this state,” said Michael Bitzer, author of Redistricting and Gerrymandering in North Carolina, in an Oct. 12 interview with WUNC 91.5. “Since 1980, it’s been the political dynamic. And it’s been the legal dynamics that have forced North Carolina not to go through a decade with one complete set of congressional and or state legislative maps.”

Due to this year’s census delay, and the resulting (and still ongoing) redistricting and remapping, only some areas of Guilford County will hold municipal elections next month. Burlington, Gibsonville, Jamestown, Kernersville, Oak Ridge, Pleasant Garden, Sedalia, Stokesdale, Summerfield, Whitsett, and the Sedgefield Sanitary District will hold theirs on November 2. But Greensboro’s mayoral and city council elections won’t take place until March 8, 2022, and High Point will not have another municipal election until 2023. As Winston-Salem’s municipal elections were held last year, that city won’t hold mayoral and city council elections until 2024.

Because of this, 2022 may be an unusually crowded and potentially chaotic election year for Greensboro voters.

Mayoral and City Council elections will be held in March, the dates of the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representative Primaries are yet to be determined, and the U.S. Senate and U.S. House General Elections are in November. !

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.

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Pandemic and Politics: How COVID will impact the campaign trail Just like everything else in the past year, COVID and the fallout from the pandemic is expected to take a front row seat in this year’s elections.

According to survey research conducted

by Gallup, 81% of Chanel Davis adults in the U.S. say coronavirus has caused “significant Editor disruption” in their day-to-day affairs. A public service issue that quickly became political in 2020 with the introduction of travel bans, a shift in voter priorities, postponed elections and a historic rise in absentee voting.

Historically, candidates prepare to tackle the traditional topics including education, taxes, healthcare and the economy. This year, it would be of no surprise that COVID and its lasting effects are expected to be a talking point for many candidates on the trail. John Dinan, Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Wake Forest University, believes it’s almost a guarantee.

“There is no doubt that COVID is one of the top issues on voters’ minds in 2021 and that candidates can be expected to focus to a great degree on discussing the governmental response to COVID and plans for combating COVID,” he said. “It is not the only issue on voters’ minds. Education and taxes are among other issues that also rank high in surveys about what voters are focused on. But there is no doubt that a significant number of voters will be paying close attention to candidates’ positions on and plans for dealing with COVID.” Dr. Martin Kifer, Chair and Associate Professor of Political Science, and Director of the school’s Survey Research Center, said that the pandemic is the “single biggest issue” in the state and country.

“It certainly will be part of the campaign conversation. The politics of COVID-19 will lead politicians of different parties to talk about the pandemic in different ways.

Citizens are engaged on this issue,” Kefir said. “Candidates for office will be reacting to citizen perceptions of the virus, how dangerous it is and whether conditions are getting better or worse.”

Following the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, there are many that will also be following the rhetoric of many candidates. While politics has always had its share of mud-slinging and veiled accusations, acts of physical violence and the dissemination of misinformation that lead to it, is at an all time high.

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John Dinan

Earlier this month, a survey released by the Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts at the University of Chicago and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research showed that more than eight in 10 Americans say misinformation is a major problem and regardless of political affiliation. The nationwide survey gathered opinions from 1,071 adults online and via phone Sept. 9-13.

Two-fifths of Americans are extremely or very concerned that they have been exposed to misinformation, the poll found, and most people blame the spread of misinformation on social media platforms and their users, as well as U.S. politicians.

Blaming social media for spreading misinformation was popular across party lines, with 79 percent of Republicans and 73 percent of Democrats ascribing the issue to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other online platforms, according to the study. That kind of consensus has led to significant crackdowns on social media and tech companies. Facebook has come under fire recently for its role in spreading misinformation after a whistleblower testified in a congressional hearing that the site’s algorithm amplifies misleading and harmful content. Seven in 10 people said politicians should take steps to address the problem, and two-thirds said social media companies should do the same.

Political action committees of many companies and lobbying groups said they would pause some or all contributions after rioters broke into the Capitol to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential win. According to MarketWatch, dozens of big companies, citing their commitment to democracy, pledged to avoid donating money to the

Martin Kifer

147 lawmakers who objected to Congress’s certification of Joe Biden’s victory on the false grounds that voting fraud stole the election from then-President Donald Trump, even if that promise only lasted for a little while.

Dinan said that it’s too early to tell whether Americans can expect to see any change in how candidates campaign.

“We do know that U.S. politics continues to be characterized by extreme polarization, with a significant portion of members of both parties viewing the other party very unfavorably,” he said. “In this sort of polarized era candidates often find that one of the leading ways to motivate their voters to turn out to the polls is by criticizing the other party and that this strategy can be even more effective than touting their own accomplishments and plans.”

Kefir believes candidates will do more listening than speaking this campaign season.

“I do not think candidates are moving their rhetoric in any particular direction because they are speaking to different audiences, from whom they are hearing different perspectives. It is important to remember that candidates are listening very carefully to what their constituents or possible future constituents are saying,” he said. “So, if people are concerned about what politicians are communicating, they should say that to the candidates themselves.”

There are many that believe that the pandemic, and the lack of voter participation during heightened outbreaks, changed the traditional standings of many states. North Carolina is traditionally a red state but has been known to swing purple every few years, with Guilford and Forsyth trending blue. When asked if there was

a clear advantage for either party in the 2021 elections, Dinan said the challenge lies with the party in office.

“One clear pattern from recent years is that whichever party controls the presidency will often face a challenging political environment in off-year elections and the out-of-power party will usually receive a boost in turnout and election outcomes.”

Performance matters on a local level but national forces may determine which party takes the lead according to Dinan.

“Most local elections will still be decided based on local issues and the performance of particular officeholders and candidates; but to the extent that voter turnout and behavior are affected by national forces in 2021 and also in 2022 the effect will likely be to put Democrats at a bit of a disadvantage and give somewhat of a boost to Republicans, because Democrats control all of Washington, DC.” Kifer said that it might be more difficult to pick up trends in the state, overall, without any statewide campaigns in 2021.

“We can look at areas that have municipal elections to figure out if a particular party is gaining an advantage. I would not expect any huge shifts in areas that are particularly Republican or Democratic in major election years. But there can be some surprises because turn out tends to be much lower in years like this. Distinctive local candidates can make a bigger difference in those kinds of elections,” he said.

“Next year (2022), we have a U.S. Senate election, so there will likely be even more attention to broader state and national issues, including conflicting expectations for COVID-19-related policies. I would also expect some clues about how people view candidates from the two major parties as we will have U.S. House and North Carolina General Assembly elections, and they will probably be in new districts because of the 2020 Census.”

IMPORTANT DATES Oct. 26, 2021: Deadline for civilians to submit an absentee ballot request form for the November municipal elections.

Oct. 30, 2021: One-stop early voting period ends for November municipal elections. Nov. 2, 2021: Civilian absentee ballot return deadline and Election Day for November municipal elections.

For more information, visit www.ncsbe. gov and www.guilfordcountync.gov. !

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.

OCTOBER 20-26, 2021

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Town Hall offers glimpse at potential candidate and Budd Challenger At a Town Hall in Greensboro on Oct. 12, Democratic Candidates for U.S. Senate talked about healthcare, gerrymandering, marijuana, and the best way to beat Republican incumbent Ted Budd Ian McDowell in 2022.

Candidates Jeff Contributor Jackson, Dr. Tobias E. LaGrone, Erica Smith and Dr. Richard Watkins took questions from a group of panelists, introduced by Guilford for All Member Terrell Dungee, about their proposed polices.

Jackson became the state’s secondyoungest senator when he won District 37 in 2014. A military veteran, who served in Afghanistan, he is a Major in the Army National Guard.

LaGrone is Senior Pastor of Soul House Christian Fellowship and a Clinical Pastoral Psychotherapist in Greensboro. His website states “tax dollars should NOT be used to abort the God-designed destiny of any child, either through abortion, unjustified police shootings, school to prison pipelines, or foreign wars for corporate interests.”

Smith was elected to the North Carolina Senate in 2014, representing District Three from 2015 to 2021. She has been a Research and Design Engineer for Boeing and Senior Specialist Engineer for the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. In 2020, she lost the US Senate Democratic Primary to Cal Cunningham, who was defeated by Republican Tom Tillis.

Watkins earned his Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology (with a specialty in Virology) from UNC-Chapel Hill. He has served on the American Association for the Advancement of Science and is Founder/CEO of The Science Policy Action Network, Inc. (SPAN), formed in 2014 “to fill dangerous gaps between scientific advancement and stakeholders.”

In his introductory speech, Jackson emphasized the challenges the primary winner will face and described visiting all of the state’s 100 counties in which he “heard about healthcare, heard about climate, heard about broadband, heard a lot about water and sewer — there are still a lot of counties that don’t have that.”

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OCTOBER 20-26, 2021

Dr. Richard Watkins

Jeff Jackson

“We want a candidate who will look Ted Budd in the face, stand flat-footed and tell the truth that we are sick and tired of being sick and tired,” said LaGrone, who ended his introductory speech by saying “I come today as a conservative Democrat.”

Smith said she is also running a 100-county campaign, and that as a state senator, “used my engineering skills to re-engineer policing” and “was one of the most effective Democrats in my first term, despite being a Black woman in the minority party in a Republican supermajority.”

Watkins emphasized his Greensboro past, his background in Virology, and his economic status, calling himself “someone who has month at the end of the money rather than money at the end of the month.”

Cone Health Director of Government Affairs Ryan Blackledge, noting that all candidates support Medicare for All, asked “what does that mean?”

Jackson spoke to policy. “Are they going to pass Single Payer Healthcare by 2024?

No. It doesn’t have anywhere close to the number of co-sponsors. So, how do we get there? We put Medicare on the exchange, and anyone who wants to have access to it, can. We automatically enroll people who are unenrolled and we lower the Medicare eligibility age.”

LaGrone stated he would lobby “for every citizen who qualifies to have a healthcare debit card that’s directly funded through Medicare for All.” Smith called healthcare a basic human right. “With 51 votes, the Senate tried to take away our healthcare. So, we get rid of the filibuster, and with those same 51 votes, we give every American Medicare for All, no exclusions, no exceptions.”

Reflecting on his mother’s death from cancer, Watkins asked, “if the life of a loved one was on the line, do you have

Erica Smith

Dr. Tobias LaGrone

time to wait for politicians to explain to you why it’s not politically convenient to save their lives?”

Activist and organizer A.J. Morgan asked the candidates what tools law enforcement should be equipped with to deal with poverty.

“Poverty should not be criminalized,” replied Smith. “We need to be sure we have affordable housing, we need to be sure that we have jobs in the community that pay more than minimum wage.

Secondarily, we bring in 21st Century justice reforms reimagining public safety.

We need to equip police officers with personnel more suited to handling mental health crises.”

Watkins spoke about spending an evening with the unhoused population in downtown Raleigh’s Nash Square. He alleged the group was threatened by mounted police until the officers realized he was a senatorial candidate. “I say all that to say that your interactions with law enforcement depend heavily on who you are, where you are, what your worth is, and what you look like.” Watkins also declared his support for “ending the prohibition on both medicinal and recreational marijuana across this country.”

Jackson noted that “17 states have switched from taking a criminal to a regulatory approach to marijuana, and the sky has fallen in none of them. Crime has gone up in none of them. Hard drug use has gone up in none of them. I’ll ask you what’s gone up in all of them? Revenue!”

LaGrone said he believes in decriminalization but not legalization of marijuana.

“There’s a study out of Denmark that says, a small subset of society, teens who use marijuana, will bring on the onset of schizophrenia by the age of 18 or 19.

But we need to drop the cruel charges and make it a civil fine. Do not destroy people’s lives, branding them a felon forever.”

Smith supports full legalization. “The only way we’re going to restore justice in this country, particularly for Black and Brown people, is to legalize marijuana and pass a marijuana justice act like Senator Cory Booker, which I have supported, and also Senator Bernie Sander’s decimalization plan.”

Police Community Review Board member Kay Brown asked, “what do you think is possible on the Federal level to stop gerrymandering?”

“We have to do it at the federal level,” said Jackson. “Gerrymandering is the biggest racial equity issue in our state. I’ll make ending it via a new Voting Rights Act my number one priority, and the filibuster with it.”

LaGrone agreed. “It’s a relic that was put in place to make rich white men always feel secure that they have a place in this nation.”

Smith stressed the necessity of passing the For the People Act. “One of that act’s biggest portions is a non-partisan citizen redistricting commission, a bill I filed in the NC Senate, and fought to give us access to the ballot. We also have to pass the Freedom to Vote Act.” Watkins said, “We have to work night and day to make sure we protect that precious right that is being ripped from us so that our children can participate in this democracy.”

Brown asked how candidates would support the expansion of voter rights.

LaGrone said, “I will use the same tactics Donald Trump used to have his way and push a Republican agenda. Democrats must learn how to wield power and get what’s needed for their constituents and bring along the rest of society, just as Republicans do.”

Smith said, “I will use my position first and foremost by going to Washington, DC, and being unbought and unbossed, as Shirley Chisholm would say.”

“We have to protect people’s right to vote, but we also have to give them something to vote for,” said Watkins.

Jackson implied the question was moot unless the candidate could win.

“We can’t get crushed in rural NC. We don’t have to win in the rural counties, but we can’t get crushed.” !

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.

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“My boots have always been on the ground”: GSO Mayor on bodycam videos, her achievements, and her opponent Greensboro mayoral election incumbent Nancy Vaughan laughed when asked if she thought The Rhino Times would endorse her like it did in 2017.

“The way I read John Hammer’s Ian McDowell column; it looks like he’s already made an Contributor endorsement.”

In 2017, Vaughan said that would be her last term. After District 3’s Justin Outling announced his mayoral candidacy, Vaughan declared her intention to run again.

“I knew that I had to do it when we were faced with issues that we hadn’t faced in the past. This is no time for on-the-job training. My boots have always been on the ground and I’ve always been out in the community. Had I known in 2017 that all of these challenges were ahead of us, I would not have made that statement.”

Vaughn took exception to Outling’s claim, made in his Sept. 15 YES! Weekly interview, that one of his major achievements on council was his leadership on the policy that allowed body-worn camera footage to the public.

“The body-worn camera issue came up prior to Justin being on council,” said Vaughan. “We had a blue-ribbon panel come and talk to the city, and it was actually [former City Attorney] Tom Carruthers and I who started that work.”

Vaughan did acknowledge that Outling later became involved. “Justin approached me and asked if he could do some work on the body-worn cameras, and I said go for it.”

Shortly after Greensboro became the first NC city to allow the release of police bodycam footage, then-governor Pat McCrory signed a law requiring a judge’s consent for the release. Vaughan called this “extremely frustrating,” but said, “I have been really leading the way when it comes to body-worn camera video.”

Both the progressive group Equality NC and the Rhino Times cited the body-worn camera policy as a major achievement of Vaughan’s 2015-2017 term. When asked what she considered her greatest achievement of her current term, Vaughn cited strong leadership throughout the pandemic, the tornado, and social unrest.

WWW.YESWEEKLY.COM

“I was always there, I was always decisive, and that’s something I’m very proud of.”

Outling also cited “my leadership in revising our housing ordinance” as another of his major achievements. He credited that leadership with creating a policy in which, when property owners refuse to fix problems, “we make those improvements and take out a first priority lien on the property.”

According to Vaughan, “That has yet to be implemented in any significant way.

The pandemic has made inspections and upholding the inspectors very difficult, due to the necessity of having Zoom meetings.

A lot of landlords say they prefer to answer these questions in person, which they’re allowed to insist on, and that leads to delay after delay.”

Vaughan acknowledged the importance of curbing the rising crime rate, which has spiked during the pandemic.

“I think that working with the police chief and his strategic plan is important, as is working with community members. I’m excited about the American Rescue Plan funds, which will give us the opportunity to work with minority-owned businesses in the qualified census tracks. We need to listen to people who are telling us what they need and what they want to see and not put our expectations on them. This will be an opportunity to work with the community, and build wealth, a part of which will be used to make the community safer.”

In 2017, Vaughan told the News & Record that race relations would be one of the major challenges faced by the City Council in the upcoming term. This statement proved prescient.

Last year, Conservatives criticized Vaughan for allowing the city’s first three George Floyd protest marches to temporarily close sections of I-95, Wendover, and Battleground. From late 2018 until the present, Progressives denounced both her and the rest of council for tabling an investigation into the death of Marcus Smith and tabling a proposed conduct investigation into GPD. This criticism led to her and the City Attorney’s unsuccessful attempts to impose a rule against public speakers talking about matters under litigation or criticizing individual police officers by name. While he condemned and successfully opposed that proposed Code of Conduct as a clear violation of the First Amendment, her op-

Nancy Vaughan

ponent Outling has otherwise been largely silent on the Smith case.

Now a new controversy involving GPD BWC footage of hogtying incidents may impact Greensboro’s municipal campaigns.

On Sept. 2, the Greensboro NAACP and the Greensboro Justice Coalition sent a letter to Steven Rosenbaum, Chief of the Special Litigation Section of the United States Department of Justice. It asked Rosenbaum to “open a pattern and practice investigation into racially and sexually discriminatory policing by the Greensboro, North Carolina Police Department (GPD), as well as into its grossly inadequate supervision, discipline, and training with regard to police brutality and other misconduct.”

Signatories included Greensboro NAACP President Bradley Hunt; former Greensboro Mayor Carolyn Allen; District 28 NC Senator Gladys Robinson; and Jonathan M. Smith, Director of the Washington Lawyer’s Committee for Civil Rights & Urban Affairs.

At the Oct. 5 meeting of the Greensboro City Council, speaker Paulette Montgomery addressed Mayor Vaughn and City Attorney Chuck Watts about this issue, and quoted descriptions from a court document filed

by Attorney Flint Taylor.

These included “a veteran officer” stating “every time he’s had to use a RIPP Hobble, he has to go back and get another one, because it’s covered in blood;” a Black woman hogtied “on the ground for more than five minutes, with her breasts exposed, yelling and screaming in pain;” a pregnant woman “with an officer’s knee on her neck” and “an elderly woman, suffering from dementia, who was RIPP hobbled [hogtied] while she

repeatedly complained that the officers were hurting her arms.”

Vaughan responded, “I would caution people who just parrot the words of the plaintiff attorneys.”

In our conversation at the Green Bean last Friday, this writer asked Vaughan if she had seen the videos.

“Yes, I have. The judge in her order allowing council to view those videos really restricted what we can say, and even ruled that we cannot give impressions or say ‘yes’ or “no’ to things. I have asked to go back to the judge and see if we could have the ability to speak about them. But I would say that those descriptions are written by the plaintiff attorneys, and that, therefore, the people who continue to repeat those allegations are just restating Flint Taylor’s talking points.”

I asked if she would be willing to defy the gag order if she saw something on a bodycam video that she sincerely believed represented outrageous police misconduct or brutality.

“As you described it, I would say yes. It is absolutely our duty to be transparent, and if we see something, to say something.”

I pointed out that, in early 2019, she stated that former Police Chief Wayne Scott told her that this controversial form of restraint had been used hundreds of times, even though the US Justice Department warned against it in 1994, the LAPD banned it in 1997, and, it was prohibited by the Guilford County Sheriff’s Department and the police departments of WinstonSalem, Durham, Raleigh, and Fayetteville.

“As neither you nor anyone else on council called for an investigation of that statement or to find out who was restrained in that manner and why, can you see how your critics might be skeptical when you and the City Attorney appear to rebuke them for accepting statements by the Plaintiffs?”

After some consideration of the question, Mayor Vaughan made this reply.

“I did ask whether or not there had been complaints filed in incidents of maximum restraint, whether there had been prior injuries reported, or had there been any deaths attributed to prior use of maximum restraint, and I was told ‘no’ to each of those questions.” !

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.

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SouthEnd Brewing Company 10.16.21 | Greensboro

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Paleface performing @ Little Brother Brewing 10.16.21 | Greensboro

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NC Music Hall of Fame holds induction ceremony

T

he North Carolina Music Hall of Fame is pleased to celebrate its annual induction ceremony at the Gem Theatre in Kannapolis on Oct. 21.

With a goal of Katei Cranford “honoring the past and shaping the future of music in Contributor North Carolina,” the nonprofit museum began inducting artists in 1999—celebrating musicians and figures, either native or residents, of North Carolina with at least ten years of experience in the music industry.

Notable triad inductees include opera singers like Thomasville-born Victoria Livengood (1999) and High Point’s Anthony Dean Griffey (2011). Gospel-singer and NC School of the Arts alumni John P. Kee (2005) is one of several Winston-oriented inductees, which include doo-wop pioneers, the “5” Royals (2009), and multiplatinum piano wizard Ben Folds (2011) who attended the same R.J. Reynolds High School as 1950s teen idol turned country star George Hamilton IV (2010).

From Greensboro, Billy “Crash” Craddock (2011) followed a similar path, from teen heartthrob to “Mr. Country Rock.”

While Donna Fargo (2010) kept it country following her graduation from High Point University, in the 1960s, along with a Grammy Award, Country Music Associa-

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tion Award, and five awards from the Academy of Country Music.

Other legends and jazz greats like High Point’s John Coltrane (2009) and NC A&T graduate Lou Donaldson (2012) have been honored, as well as American Idols: High Point’s third-season winner Fantasia Barrino (2014) and fifth-season contestant (and former Oak Ridge resident) Chris Daughtry (2018). Both of whom have their share of Grammy nominations, along with Grammy-winning Greensboro artist Rhiannon Giddens, and her old-time string outfit the Carolina Chocolate Drops (2016) and Grimsley-grad Graham Sharp of the Steep Canyon Rangers (2017).

Fellow Grimsley alum and Grammynominated artist, and radio personality Rick Dees (2013) who performed the title song for “Meatballs,” and founded what became the Cooking Channel. Meanwhile, the class of 2019 included notable Winston-Salem producers: Mitch Easter and 9th Wonder.

For 2021, organizers will honor the late bluegrass guitarist (and Reidsville resident) Tony Rice. “He redefined bluegrass guitar playing and left a lasting print on

the genre,” organizers said of the guitar virtuoso.

A Grammy-winner, and 2013 inductee into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame, Rice was revered for his expansive style and his work with J. D. Crowe, David Grisman, Bela Fleck, Jerry Garcia, and Ricky Skaggs—with whom Rice released the “Skaggs & Rice” album, after playing together in the New South bluegrass ensemble. Rice also founded the Bluegrass Album Band; the Rice, Hillman & Pedersen trio (with brother Larry Rice, ex-Byrd Chris Hillman and Herb Pedersen), and the “experimental spacegrass” Tony Rice Unit (featuring Alison Krauss).

Greensboro native producer and executive Charles Whitfield will be honored as an inductee for 2020. Currently the Manager of Community Relations at Lowe’s Companies Inc, Whitfield began his music career as an intern at Hidden Beach Recordings in the late-90s, where he rose through artist relations as Hidden Beach released work from artists like Grammyaward winner Jill Scott; the “Yes We Can: Voices of a Grassroots Movement,” the

2008 compilation album and fundraiser for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, which featured Kanye West, Stevie Wonder, and Sheryl Crow; and the official 2009 inauguration commemorative CD-DVD set, “Change is Now: Renewing America’s Promise,” which included Obama campaign speeches and songs from artists like Stevie Wonder, James Taylor, India.Arie, will.i.am, and Wilco.

In North Carolina, Whitfield served as Director of Live Events & Community Outreach for the Charlotte-based Beasley Media Group; and producer for the Queen City Jazz Fest. “I feel totally blessed to be from Greensboro and represent Guilford County in the Hall of Fame,” Whitfield said. “It’s a very humbling honor and one I will cherish for the rest of my life.”

In addition to inducting a new class of honorees, the ceremony will bestow “Lifetime Achievement” Awards, recognizing “lifetime achievement of success in the music industry and massive contributions to American music over several decades,” with the 2020 award going to Greensboro-native, and Nashville producer, Tony Brown.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF TONYBROWNENTERPRISES WEBSITE

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHARLES WHITFIELD

Charles Whitfield (second from left) and friends Considered a “founding father,” of the alternative-Americana sound, Brown’s entrance into music came as a pianist for Dixie Melody Boys, followed by the Oak Ridge Boys, J.D. Sumner and the Stamps, and as the last pianist for Elvis Presley, spending three years in the TCB Band—with an appearance on the “Jungle Room Sessions,” and Presley’s final album “Moody Blue.” Afterward, he spent the late-1970s backing for Emmylou Harris as part of the Hot Band; along with hiredgun session work and tours with Rodney Crowell and Rosanne Cash.

He’s served as President of MCA Nashville (where he founded the MCA Masters Series) co-founded Universal South Records; and produced a number of records for artists like Steve Earl, Nanci Griffith, Vince Gill, Wynonna Judd, Brooks & Dunn, Patty Loveless, Rodney Crowell, Marty Stuart, Trisha Yearwood, Shirley Caesar, Jimmy Buffett, Sara Evans, Tracy Byrd, and Pat Green. Along with a whopping 19 albums with George Strait, 13 with Reba McEntire, and three with Lyle Lovett.

Outside of country music, Brown dabbled in jazz circles, producing albums for Larry Carlton, Edgar Meyer, Jerry Douglas, Acoustic Alchemy, and John Jarvis. While

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also working with Barbra Streisand, Billy Joel, Joe Cocker, and Lionel Richie. Overall he’s produced more than 100 number one singles (and albums that have sold more than 100 million copies).

A winner of multiple Grammy Awards, (along with nine certificates for producing Grammy-winning singles) Brown also boasts ten awards from the Country Music Association, seven from the Academy Of Country Music, and an array of accolades from Nashville organizations. He was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Awards from the 2008 Americana Music Association; and holds membership in the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.

“As I look back on my life, being raised solely on Southern Gospel music in North Carolina heavily influenced me,” Brown noted. “Elvis’ favorite music was Southern Gospel so that’s how I got my job with him. As I got older I was exposed to Rock n Roll, Folk, Country, Jazz, and all kinds of music — it was a whole new world and I was a kid again! But the fact is, my Southern Gospel music roots still remain my main influence.“ Turning to his upcoming award, “it’s completely overwhelming to receive acknowledgement from the Music Hall of

Tony Brown Fame in the place you were born,” he said.

“This achievement award has no genre limit. Receiving the award at this point in my life is totally out of the blue clear sky and completely blows me away.”

Roberta Flack will join Brown as a “Lifetime Achievement Award” recipient for 2021. Current class inductions from beyond the Triad include: Jermaine Dupri, Robert Moog, the Briarhoppers, Donald

Lawrence, Michael T. Maudlin, and the Squirrel Nut Zippers.

The 2021 NC Music Hall of Fame ceremony begins with a red carpet walk, followed by live performances and the installation of inductees on Oct. 21 at the historic Gem Theatre in Kannapolis. !

KATEI CRANFORD is a Triad music nerd who enjoys spotlighting artists and events.

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Visit yesweekly.com and click on calendar to list your event online. home grown muSic Scene | compiled by Austin Kindley

ASHEBORO

Four SaintS BrEwing

218 South Fayetteville St. | 336.610.3722 www.foursaintsbrewing.com thursdays: taproom trivia Fridays: Music Bingo oct 23: tBD oct 30: Cory Leutjen nov 6: tyler Millard nov 13: william nesmith nov 20: Casey noel nov 21: Eastern Standards time Jazz

Jam w/ Mark Dillon & Friends nov 27: Emma Lee

CHARlOttE

BoJangLES CoLiSEuM

2700 E Independence Blvd | 704.372.3600 www.boplex.com oct 22: Steely Dan oct 24: Los tigers del norte oct 29: Myke towers oct 30: nEwSBoYS nov 4: Frankie Valli

CMCu aMphithEatrE former Uptown Amphitheatre 820 Hamilton St | 704.549.5555 www.livenation.com oct 23: LanY oct 27: Machine gun Kelly

thE FiLLMorE

309 W Morgan St | 919.560.3030 www.carolinatheatre.org oct 21: the Mavericks

DpaC

123 Vivian St | 919.680.2787 www.dpacnc.com oct 19-24: tootsie oct 29: Sal Vulcano & Chris Distefano nov 3: Caamp nov 4: gabriel iglesias

SpECtruM CEntEr

BaxtEr’S taVErn

ClEmmOnS

thE BLinD tigEr

ViLLagE SQuarE tap houSE

6000 Meadowbrook Mall Ct | 336.448.5330 www.vstaphouse.com | www.facebook. com/vstaphouse oct 28: James Vincent Carroll

OctOber 20-26, 2021

CaroLina thEatrE

1000 NC Music Factory Blvd | 704.916.8970 www.livenation.com oct 23: all them witches oct 25: Beach Fossils & wild nothing oct 26: Bad religion & alkaline trio oct 26: Quicksand oct 27: the Monster Energy outbreak tour presents City Morgue oct 28: august Burns red presents Leveler 10 Year anniversary tour oct 28-29: Chase atlantic Beauty in Death tour oct 29: indigo girls oct 30: Surfaces: good 2 Be Back tour oct 30: Madison Beer - Life Support tour oct 31: the record Company: play Loud tour w/ JJ wilde oct 31: isaiah rashad: Lil’ Sunny’s awesome Vacation nov 3: tee grizzley nov 5: Caamp nov 5: Larry June: orange print pollstar tour nov 6: Sleepy hallow: Still Sleep tour nov 7: Mayer hawthorne - rare Changes tour nov 8: Cafe tacvba nov 8: pouya nov 9: tesla nov 10: Shaky graves was here nov 10: beabadoobee 333 E Trade St | 704.688.9000 www.spectrumcentercharlotte.com oct 24: Michael Buble oct 27: gold over america tour nov 5: Maverick City tour nov 20: genesis

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rEEVES thEatEr

129 W Main St | 336.258.8240 www.reevestheater.com Fourth thursdays: old-time Jam aug 19-oct 21: the Martha Bassett Show oct 16: terry Baucom’s Dukes of Drive oct 29: Chance McCoy

gREEnSBORO

arizona pEtE’S

2900 Patterson St #A | 336.632.9889 www.arizonapetes.com oct 30: Dying Fetus w/ terror, Brand of Sacrifice, Vitriol

Barn DinnEr thEatrE 120 Stage Coach Tr. | 336.292.2211 www.barndinner.com oct 2-nov 6: Love Machine the Musical

536 Farragut St | 336.808.5837 www.baxterstavern.com Fridays: Karaoke oct 23: Southern Sounds Band oct 24: the Marsha Morgan Band oct 30: Flat Blak Cadillac 1819 Spring Garden St | 336.272.9888 www.theblindtiger.com oct 20: Bodysnatcher oct 21: neal Francis oct 22: an Evening with Bring out Yer Dead - a grateful Dead tribute oct 23: unfiltered tour oct 27: Chris webby w/ Dizzy write, Ekoh, pMo & Squires oct 28: randall King

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Oct 29: Eric Gales Oct 30: Dying Fetus w/ Terror, Brand Of Sacrifice, Vitriol Oct 31: Ghoe Spooky Halloween w/ Conway The Machine Nov 5: Nevermind - Nirvana Tribute Nov 6: Nightrain - Guns N’ Roses Experience Nov 7: Cold w/ Waiting for Eternity & New Dilemma Nov 8: Grayscale w/ Girlfriends, Cemetery Sun, Young Culture Nov 12: Buckcherry Nov 13: Gemini Syndrome Nov 20: Corey Smith

CaROliNa THEaTRE

310 S. Greene Street | 336.333.2605 www.carolinatheatre.com Oct 23: Discordia Dames Oct 29: Back Outside Homecoming Comedy Show Nov 5: laura Jane Vincent in The Crown Nov 12: Dr. Bacon in The Crown Nov 13: Emily Scott Robinson Nov 26: Seth Walker Nov 27: a Motown Christmas - BPE Productions

COMEDY ZONE

1126 S Holden Rd | 336.333.1034 www.thecomedyzone.com Oct 20: Ben Brainard Oct 21: Marvin Hunter Oct 22-23: Kerwin Claiborne Oct 29-30: Social Misfits Homecoming Comedy Show Nov 5-7: Shuler King

CONE DENiM

117 S Elm St | 336.378.9646 www.cdecgreensboro.com Oct 25: Toosii

liTTlE BROTHER BREWiNG

348 South Elm St | 336.510.9678 www.facebook.com/littlebrotherbrew Oct 22: Tre. Charles Oct 23: Chadwick Hubbard Oct 30: Johnny-O and the Jump Out Boys

PiEDMONT Hall

2411 W Gate City Blvd | 336.373.7400 www.greensborocoliseum.com Nov 17: in This Moment, Black Veil Brides

RODY’S TaVERN

117B W, Lewis St. | 336.285.6406 www.rodystavern.com Oct 20: James Vincent Carrol Oct 22: Brothers Pearl Oct 27: Megan Doss/Matt Crowder Oct 30: Radio Revolver

SOuTH END BREWiNG CO. 5105 Michaux Road | 336.282.0950 www.southendbrewing.com Tuesdays: Trivia Night Wednesdays: Music Bingo Oct 25: Boos & Booze

FlaT iRON

221 Summit Ave | 336.501.3967 www.flatirongso.com Oct 22: Sam Fribush Organ Trio Nov 20: amelia’s Mechanics

GREENSBORO COliSEuM

1921 W Gate City Blvd | 336.373.7400 www.greensborocoliseum.com Oct 27: aggie Homecoming Concert Oct 28: For King & Country Oct 31: aggie Homecoming Gospel Concert Nov 5: los angeles azules Nov 6: 85 South Comedy Show live Nov 12: lil Baby and Friends Nov 13: lynyrd Skynyrd

Small Business Spotlight

Listen every Sunday at 9 AM for WTOB’s Small Business Spotlight.

Hosted by Josh Schuminsky, you will learn about the many small, locally-owned businesses in the Winston-Salem area.

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ThE IdIoT Box ComEdY CluB

503 N. Greene St | 336.274.2699 www.idiotboxers.com oct 23: Everlasting Improv-ers & Trouble With Shapes

high point

AfTEr hourS TAvErn

1614 N Main St | 336.883.4113 www.facebook.com/AfterHoursTavernHighPoint oct 23: Chaos fm

hAm’S PAllAdIum

5840 Samet Dr | 336.887.2434 www.hamsrestaurants.com oct 22: After Party oct 23: Stephen legree Band oct 29: Jukebox revolver oct 30: Bad romeo

hIgh PoInT ThEATrE

220 E Commerce Ave | 336.883.3401 www.highpointtheatre.com oct 23: Best of the Eagles Tribute oct 24: Ernie haase & Signature Sound

jamestown

ThE dECk

118 E Main St | 336.207.1999 www.thedeckatrivertwist.com oct 21: Coia oct 22: next-o-kin oct 23: Jill goodson oct 29: kris rowdy oct 30: halloween Bash w/ Spare Change

kernersville

BrEAThE CoCkTAIl loungE

221 N Main St. | 336.497.4822 www.facebook.com/BreatheCocktailLounge oct 28: Brothers Pearl

lewisville

old nICk’S PuB

191 Lowes Foods Dr | 336.747.3059 www.OldNicksPubNC.com fridays: karaoke oct 30: halloween Party w/ 60 Watt Combo

liberty

ThE lIBErTY ShoWCASE ThEATEr 101 S. Fayetteville St | 336.622.3844 www.TheLibertyShowcase.com oct 23: doug Stone

raleigh

CCu muSIC PArk AT WAlnuT CrEEk

3801 Rock Quarry Rd | 919.821.4111 www.livenation.com oct 22: knotfest roadshow: Slipknot, killswitch Engage, fever333 & Code orange

lInColn ThEATrE

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126 E. Cabarrus St | 919.831.6400 www.lincolntheatre.com oct 20: neal francis w/ duck oct 21: larkin Poe w/ The Collection oct 22: Spafford w/ Eggy oct 23: khruangbin w/ lee fields, The Expressions and Big daddy kane oct 23: delvon lamarr organ Trio oct 26: lukas nelson & Promise of the real oct 27: Turkuaz w/ Thumpasaurus oct 28: Andy frasco & The un w/ Cosmic Superheroes oct 29: hayes Carll oct 30: Qdr howl-o-Ween harvest Ball feat. Priscilla Black, dillon Carmichael, kameron marlowe

rEd hAT AmPhIThEATEr 500 S McDowell St | 919.996.8800 www.redhatamphitheater.com oct 21: modest mouse oct 22: for kIng & CounTrY oct 23: Band Together feat. khruangbin oct 28: Porter robinson

PnC ArEnA

1400 Edwards Mill Rd | 919.861.2300 www.thepncarena.com oct 26: michael Buble nov 19: genesis

winston-salem

Bull’S TAvErn

408 West 4th St | 336.331.3431 www.bullswsnc.com Wednesdays: karaoke oct 30: The Plaids

BurkE STrEET PuB 1110 Burke St | 336.750.0097 www.burkestreetpub.com Tuesdays: Trivia

CB’S TAvErn

3870 Bethania Station Rd | 336.815.1664 www.facebook.com/cbtavern oct 29: halloween Bash

fooThIllS BrEWIng 638 W 4th St | 336.777.3348 www.foothillsbrewing.com oct 24: Sunday Jazz oct 30: 90’s halloween Prom oct 31: Sunday Jazz

mIdWAY muSIC hAll

11141 Old US Hwy 52, Suite 10 | 336.793.4218 www.facebook.com/midwaymusichallandeventcenter Wednesdays: line dancing w/ denise

ThE rAmkAT

170 W 9th St | 336.754.9714 www.theramkat.com oct 20: Shamarr Allen & The underdawgs oct 21: Sierra hull oct 22: All Them Witches, The messenger Birds oct 23: Buddy guy oct 28: dirty logic (Steely dan Tribute)

WISE mAn BrEWIng

826 Angelo Bros Ave | 336.725.0008 www.wisemanbrewing.com Wednesdays: game night Thursdays: music Bingo

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last call

[THE ADVICE GODDESS] love • sex • dating • marriage • questions

SORRY, WRONG NUM-NUM

I love my boyfriend.

We’ve been together two years. Recently, however, we’ve been experiencing conflict over the issue of children. He wants kids; I don’t. I’ve always felt Amy Alkon strongly about this, and he said he was Advice fine with this when Goddess we started dating.

But he’s been bringing up the subject of kids a lot lately (I suspect because he’s thinking about popping the question). The discussions have grown fraught — to the point where he was in tears at the end of an argument. I eventually said I could be open to kids because I love him and don’t want to lose him. But can this be healthy for us long-term? —Conflicted Though many things in life come with the opportunity to push the “back” button, once you have a kid, you have a kid. You can’t just drop ‘em off at the fire station if they turn out to be precociously criminal — already hot-wiring cars at age 7.

Deciding whether to have kids is a very recent state of affairs, coinciding with the development and availability of reliable birth control (starting in the late 1950s with the Lippes Loop IUD). For most of human history, unless a woman spent her fertile years all alone on one of those New Yorker cartoon desert islands, there was a good chance she’d have not just a child but

the beginnings of a litter.

There’s a widespread (and mistaken!) assumption that a woman who gives birth will immediately and unconditionally bond with her baby, explains anthropologist and primatologist Sarah Hrdy. Probably because of this, many people seem to believe the only thing stopping any woman from wanting a child is having yet to bring one into existence.

In fact, neither humans nor other mammals “automatically nurture each baby born,” Hrdy observes. Clinical psychologist Idun Roseth and her colleagues, reviewing research on mother-infant bonding issues, report: “Most mothers find that feelings of affection come within a week from birth.

However, some mothers are still struggling with this after many months. ... A small percentage may even have hostile feelings towards their infant.”

In other words, the public has an overly rosy, sentimental — and scientifically incorrect — view of what’s often referred to as the “maternal instinct.” There is no such thing — and the term “instinct” is the problem. The actual scientific definition of an instinct is an innate behavior (“factoryinstalled” — present at birth rather than learned afterward) that members of a species perform automatically. An example is a baby’s crying — alerting everybody in earshot, “YO! I HAVE UNMET NEEDS!” (Nobody has to send their baby to crying school. It automatically wails its little head off when it’s wet, scared, cold, or wants a sip o’ nippy.)

In contrast with automatic instinctual behavior, there’s behavior that’s learned as well as behavior that is only sometimes

triggered in some members of a species.

Accordingly, the misnamed “maternal instinct” would be better termed a maternal impulse or motivation.

The impulse to nurture one’s infant is just one motivation that may arise in a woman. Hrdy has long emphasized that ambivalence and even rejection of an infant are other impulses a new mother may feel. (Unfortunately, the myth of instantly falling in love with one’s infant is so pervasive and strong that women who don’t experience this tend to feel there’s something wrong with them.) In reality, “maternal commitment” tends to emerge “piecemeal,” Hrdy explains, and is “chronically sensitive to external cues.”

By “external cues,” she means a woman’s current context — such as whether she’s unable to adequately feed and protect her infant. War, famine, postpartum depression, or even a new partner who doesn’t want another man’s child are contexts that may even trigger infanticide: a horrifying maternal impulse but a maternal impulse just the same. Thankfully, this impulse is relatively rare in our society, and many women (and men!) report “falling in love” with a child they never planned to have.

Maybe...possibly...you’d become one of those “in-love” women and be wildly happy you’d had children. However, in your email, you repeatedly made it clear that you don’t want kids. You are only considering it because you love this man and don’t want to lose him — which is quite different from wanting children.

You might ask friends who are parents to an infant and other young kids to let you spend a long weekend with them.

Admittedly, this isn’t the same as parenting your own kids, but it might give you a sense of whether you’re actually up for the job — or whether you’re like me. Personally, though I have great respect for devoted, loving parents, if I were in charge of a thing that screams like it’s being eaten alive by a zombie, it would take about 20 minutes before there was grain alcohol in my coffee — and in someone’s sippy cup. !

GOT A PROBLEM? Write Amy Alkon, 171 Pier Ave., #280, Santa Monica, CA 90405, or email AdviceAmy@aol.com (www.advicegoddess.com). Follow her on Twitter @amyalkon. Order her latest “science-help” book, Unf*ckology: A Field Guide to Living with Guts and Confidence. ©2021 Amy Alkon. Distributed by Creators.Com.

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