Winston-Salem city leaders talk sustainability: Electricity prices, food insecurity and changes to native plant regulations - Greensboro news - NewsLocker (2024)

During the city of Winston-Salem’s public works committee meeting on May 14, city leaders and staff talked about changes to the city’s electricity consumption, the output from a hydroponic greenhouse and new rules on how residents can garden with native plants.Electricity changesOn Jan. 15, electric monopoly Duke Energy hiked up its prices statewide which is impacting customers both at the municipal level and individual consumer level.As for the city of Winston-Salem, it is buckling

Greensboro’s mental health response team wants to meet you. Here’s how.

More than 3,000.That’s how many times Greensboro’s Behavioral Health Response Team, or BHRT, responded to calls for service from residents experiencing mental health crises in 2023. It’s a huge increase from 2022, when the team responded to more than 1,200 calls.May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and to celebrate this, the team is gearing up for an event at the end of this month. People can place a request for a member of BHRT to visit their business, residence or anywhere w

EDITORIAL: On mask mandate, bad faith bites back

Everyone knows that HB237, the one that outlaws masks in public throughout the state, is about more than undoing the COVID-era mask mandate so unpopular with certain stripes of North Carolinians — and which, we remind you, happened early in the last year of the Trump Administration.The bill, currently working its way through the House, does repeal those pesky mask ordinances in such a way so that no business, medical facility, university or other institution could require masks. As a kicke

With her new ballet, ‘The Hair Journey,’ Royal Expression’s Princess Johnson is claiming her worth

Featured photo: A promotional photo for ‘The Hair Journey’ (photo by Katrena Wize Artography)Seven years ago, in the midst of an organizational crisis, Princess H. Johnson created a vision board for herself and the future of her company, Royal Expressions Contemporary Ballet. By that time in 2017, her nonprofit dance organization had been in existence for eight years, but it seemed like it wasn’t gaining traction.“It was an uphill battle to get people to hear us, to under

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Triad City Beat is a finalist for two national Association of Alternative Newsmedia awards!

On May 17, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia, a national organization made up of alternative news outlets, announced finalists for their annual awards in 27 categories. Among those, Triad City Beat is a finalist for two awards: arts criticism and beat reporting, both by Managing Editor Sayaka Matsuoka.In the arts criticism category, Matsuoka’s piece “Throughline: Exhibits at SECCA and Reynolda tell nuanced story of Black-American experience” wove together two separate ar

Controversial bill requiring sheriffs to cooperate with ICE hits a snag in NC House

This story was first published by Ahmed Jallow, NC Newsline
May 15, 2024On May 15, the North Carolina House rejected the Senate version of House Bill 10, a controversial measure that requires cooperation between all North Carolina sheriffs and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.The House took issue with an amendment on the proposed bill that would have allowed anyone to file a complaint with the state attorney general if a sheriff fails to comply with the potential law. “

NC Senate approves bill making it a crime to wear a mask in public

This story was first published by Ahmed Jallow, NC Newsline
May 15, 2024The North Carolina Senate approved an amended version of House Bill 237 on the evening of May 15 that would prohibit the wearing of masks in public.The controversial bill, which would also increase criminal penalties for those who commit crimes while wearing a mask in public, comes in the wake of protests that have erupted on college campuses across the country in response to the Israel-Hamas conflict.If it becomes law, the

Guilford College students who protested for Palestine during graduation ceremony barred from walking across stage

Featured photo: A group of protesters including Guilford College students, faculty and activists held signs outside of the school gym after the college’s graduation commencement ceremony on May 18. (photo by Maaroupi Sani)As hundreds of students, faculty, staff and family members walked out of Guilford College’s Ragan Brown Field House on the morning of May 18, a small group of protesters stood in the parking lot holding signs in support of Palestine. Among the group were two graduat

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CasaShanti on Trade Street is a spiritual practitioner’s safe haven

CasaShanti
545 N. Trade St. Unit 100, WS
239.560.5224
casashanti.usPhotos by Daniel Danese
He was awakened by a voice he calls Spirit saying “Move to North Carolina and help the people!” Says Zachari, “That’s how I ended up here almost three years ago.”“No, this is the ‘other Salem.’”That’s what Zachari VanDyne tells patrons who find themselves in his occult shop asking if this is where all the witches died. While these customers are in

‘Spiritual Gatorade’: New book chronicles the life and impact of Greensboro activist, former lawyer Lewis Pitts

Featured photo: While Lewis Pitts is retired now, having resigned from the bar in 2014, the community activist has a long and storied 40-year career working in “movement lawyering.” (photo by Sayaka Matsuoka)“When I talked to Lewis, I felt better about things.”That’s the enduring sentiment that runs through a new book by civil rights lawyer Jason Langberg that chronicles the life of Greensboro activist and former movement lawyer Lewis Pitts.The Life of a Movement La

Weatherman, Boliek win run-off Republican elections for NC lieutenant governor, state auditor

After a run-off election on Tuesday, North Carolina now has two Republican nominees who will face off against their Democratic opponents for lieutenant governor and state auditor in November.In the race for lieutenant governor, Hal Weatherman of Wake Forest won the second primary against Winston-Salem’s Jim O’Neill, who currently serves as Forsyth County’s district attorney.Hal Weatherman
By Wednesday morning, with 99.2 percent of precincts reporting in, Weatherman had won 74.4

A group fighting evictions in Guilford County gathers support from city council members ahead of budget season

Featured photo: Keep Gate City Housed launch party on April 7. (Photo by Gale Melcher)A group fighting evictions in Guilford County made their way to Greensboro’s city council on May 7.Keep Gate City Housed is a group pushing for funding for TEAM, or Tenant Education Advocacy Mediation, a group that operates out of UNCG and works directly with people facing eviction. Members of TEAM set up tables outside the small claims eviction courts in Guilford County and High Point, providing legal re

GALLERY: The South Side Street Night Market brings culture, community together

Featured photo: Pro Art LLC owner at The Street Night Market on April 27, 2024.During the inaugural South Side Street Night Market on April 27, dozens of people came together to shop, enjoy and bask in community. The monthly event started in April and runs through October.Located on the Downtown Greenway at Elm Street and Bragg Street, the event “is a curated space to buy local, buy used, and support local Black-owned businesses.”The market will take place the last Saturday of each m

‘Multiple layers of safeguards’: Election experts talk about the behind-the-scenes work of ensuring fair elections in Forsyth County

Featured photo: A town hall discussion with cybersecurity experts, election law attorneys and election officials at UNCSA’s Gerald Freedman Theater. From left to right: Former mayor of Charlotte Jennifer Roberts, chief risk officer for the State of North Carolina and former chief information security officer at NCSBE Torry Crass, cybersecurity expert & professor at UNC-Greensboro Dr. Stephen Tate, member of Forsyth County Board of Elections Catherine Jourdan, elections director for For

Featured photo: Ayesha Rascoe, photographed for NPR, 2 May 2022, in Washington DC. (photo by Mike Morgan for NPR)On May 17, NPR’s Ayesha Rascoe, who hosts “Weekend Edition Sunday,” will be in Greensboro for the city’s Greensboro Bound Literary Festival. Rascoe, an NC native, will be talking with WFDD’s Amy Diaz about a new collection of essays she edited, HBCU Made: A Celebration of the Black College Experience, at the Van Dyke Performance Space in the Greensboro Cu

EDITORIAL: The fix is in

Ever get the feeling that the fix is in? Like the deck is stacked, the outcome predetermined, the prophecies self-fulfilling?From the sidelines, we’re watching presidential candidate Donald Trump slip one criminal trial after another — on technicalities, through delay tactics and other forms of lawyer bullsh*t. Sure, he’s got to sit through a few embarrassing weeks in New York for the current money-laundering trial — that’s the Stormy Daniels thing. But his criminal

W-S councilmembers will vote on Tuesday whether or not to recommend contract to renovate Willie Davis and Cleveland Avenue apartments

Featured photo: 1200 Willie Davis Drive in Winston-Salem. (Photo by Gale Melcher)The city of Winston-Salem has found a contractor to fix up 1200 Willie Davis Drive and 1635 N. Cleveland Ave., two city-owned apartment buildings located in East Winston.Most of the buildings’ residents are elderly and many have disabilities, paying around $450 per month for their units.As previously reported by TCB, residents were initially told in February 2023 that they would need to move out of their apart

City of W-S pushing forward with Willie Davis Drive and Cleveland Avenue apartment renovations

Featured photo: 1200 Willie Davis Drive in Winston-Salem. (Photo by Gale Melcher)The city of Winston-Salem has found a contractor to fix up 1200 Willie Davis Drive and 1635 N. Cleveland Ave., two city-owned apartment buildings located in East Winston.Most of the buildings’ residents are elderly and many have disabilities, paying around $450 per month for their units.As previously reported by TCB, residents were initially told in February 2023 that they would need to move out of their apart

EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK: The Assembly, and collaboration

We’ve been sort of teasing this for the last few months, but last week, the new online digital statewide magazine the Assembly announced their venture into the Greensboro area. With this move, the burgeoning news outlet is making its mark on our city and letting future readers know that they will be trying to fill the news desert that has slowly been creeping into the area since the decline of the daily. And Triad City Beat is going to be part of their efforts!For one, we have been collabo

Republicans face off in the primary election runoffs for NC lieutenant governor, state auditor Tuesday. Here’s what you need to know.

Featured photo: Republicans Hal Weatherman and Jim O’Neill face off for the seat of lieutenant governor.On Tuesday, May 14, two Republican candidates for North Carolina lieutenant governor as well as for state auditor will face off in a run-off election.
For these run-off races, only voters registered Republican or unaffiliated voters who voted a Republican ballot in March can cast their vote. Unaffiliated voters who did not vote in the March primary can also cast their vote in the run-off

‘There’s no perfect mom’: Single mothers and their kids share their stories

Featured photo: Tamara Jeffries and her daughter, Mali (courtesy photo)Of the roughly 24 million, or one-third of all American children under the age of 18 who are living with an unmarried parent, about 80 percent of them are being raised by single moms. When compared to the total population of children, that means about one-in-five or 21 percent of kids live with a single mom, according to 2018 data collected by the Pew Research Center. And despite the prevalence of this parenting dynamic, old

Single ladies: Single mothers and their kids share their stories

Featured photo: Tamara Jeffries and her daughter, Mali (courtesy photo)Of the roughly 24 million, or one-third of all American children under the age of 18 who are living with an unmarried parent, about 80 percent of them are being raised by single moms. When compared to the total population of children, that means about one-in-five or 21 percent of kids live with a single mom, according to 2018 data collected by the Pew Research Center. And despite the prevalence of this parenting dynamic, old

Telling their truths: At Voices from the Dwelling, survivors’ stories bring their pasts to light

Featured photo: Participants of Voices from the Dwelling tell their stories on May 3. (photo by Cetera Jacobs)“Some stories are hard to hear, but trust me, they are harder to tell, harder to live, even harder to heal; they’ll haunt you if you hold them in,” sings Felicia Thomas in the Winston-Salem-based church for marginalized populations known as the Dwelling on May 3.Thomas is one of nine performers in a stage production of monologues, stories and songs called Voices from th

EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK: Mothering is an act

I’ve been thinking a lot about motherhood and what it means to be a mother lately. Yes, it’s because Mother’s Day is around the corner but also because my partner and I have been having serious conversations about whether or not we want to become parents, and for me, that means becoming a mother.So what does it mean?It remains an unfortunate reality that being a mother and being a father — if you’re in a heterosexual relationship, of course — have different im

Greensboro’s Mayor Nancy Vaughan will not seek re-election in 2025

Featured photo: Mayor Nancy Vaughan speaks during the June 6 city council meeting (photo by Todd Turner)Seated at the dais in Greensboro’s city hall on Tuesday night, Mayor Nancy Vaughan reflected on the work she’s done over the last decade as the city’s leader — in the very seat where she’s made countless major decisions.“When I look back at the last 11 years, I’m proud of all of the things that we have accomplished. My goal was to move this city forwar

Tents, chants and demands: A look at the timeline of the Wake Forest University pro-Palestinian protests

Featured photo: A group of students, faculty and staff protesting against the war in Gaza set up an encampment at Wake Forest University last week. (Photo by Gale Melcher)Last week, dozens of students, professors and staff congregated on the lawn of Manchester Plaza at Wake Forest University, demanding that university administration divest from companies with ties to Israel. Wake Forest University is the latest institute of higher education to feel the wave of campus encampments led by students.

NC Senate panel OKs bill requiring sheriffs to cooperate with ICE

This story was first published by Ahmed Jallow, NC Newsline
May 2, 2024On May 1, the North Carolina Senate Committee on Rules and Operations approved HB10, a controversial bill requiring cooperation between all North Carolina sheriffs and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.The bill now heads to the Senate floor for consideration from the whole chamber. If approved, the measure will return to the House for concurrence in Senate amendments.North Carolina sheriffs are already required under c

There are 21 food deserts in Winston-Salem, a legacy of racist redlining that persists today

Featured photo: The Rescue Mission in Winston-Salem provides people with food insecurity a supermarket-like shopping experience. (photo by Hope Zhu)This story was originally published by Hope Zhu, NC Newsline
May 6, 2024This story is part of a series on food insecurity and possible solutions in Forsyth County, reported, written and photographed by Wake Forest University journalism students. The series was part of a semester-long class was taught by Newsline Environmental Investigative Reporter a

EDITORIAL: Going beyond the press release

Last week, the Justice Department sent out a press release about the indictment of a High Point man, Ariel E. Collazo Ramoz, on a single count of mailing threatening communications.From the release:“Rabbi Elizabeth Bahar of Temple Beth Israel in Macon received a threatening postcard at her home via the US Postal Service on Feb. 1, 2024, allegedly from Collazo Ramos. On one side of the postcard, there was a handwritten message: ‘Is there a child rape, torture, and murder tunnel

Dan Bishop said the 2020 election was stolen. Now he wants to be NC’s attorney general.

This story was first published by Kelan Lyons, NC Newsline
May 3, 2024After the 2020 election, U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop of North Carolina became an outspoken proponent of the lie that Democrats had rigged the results. He accused the rival party of running a national campaign to tie up the courts and disrupt the election’s administration, announcing that he would contest Electoral College votes in four states that were key to Joe Biden’s victory.“The Democrats’ objectives were