Berkshire Hathaway

Warren Buffett Tacitly Admits Newspapers Are More Difficult To Produce Than Bottles Of Ketchup

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Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Media just announced a partnership with Lee Enterpises Inc.

The Oracle of Omaha, the billionaire that it’s okay to like-if you don’t look too closely, Warren Buffett knows how to cut deals. But clearly, he doesn’t know how to run newspapers.

Buffett’s life work has been relentless acquisitions; transforming Berkshire Hathaway from a struggling textile company into a Wall Street mega-conglomeration of unrelated companies and stock portfolios.

He’s great with numbers, corporate earnings reports, etc. … Read the rest

Winston-Salem City Council

The Winston-Salem City Council Merry-Go-Round: June 4, 2018

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Monday’s city council meeting was brief. In just over an hour the Winston-Salem City Council meeting ended. That’s the Allen Joines’ machine at work. Little debate, no contentious arguments, and no public comment-except where prescribed by law! That’s what rule by the rich looks like in Winston!

The principal topic before the council Monday was a zoning petition in Ardmore. A developer wanted to convert a former goat farm on the corner of Ebert and Silas Creek into a townhome/office … Read the rest

Arts Scene

Winston-Salem Light Project Shines Light On The Horrors Of World War I

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The Winston-Salem Light Project just completed its 10th annual outdoor lighting installation. The Winston-Salem Light Project has become a tradition, a must-see exhibition of public art.

This year’s WSLP returned to its original home, the Millennium Center, to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of WWI. While the WSLP focused primarily on WWI, they used the “great war,” the “war to end all wars” as a starting point to explore the wider topic of war.

Eight large-format projectors blended … Read the rest

WS Police

Edward McCrae’s Death Overshadows Winston-Salem’s City Council Meeting

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Monday was Councilmember D.D. Adams birthday. But it wasn’t a day for celebrations. After quickly wishing Adams a happy birthday Winston-Salem Alliance president and Winston-Salem mayor, Allen  Joines took a more somber tone as he addressed the shooting of Edward Van McCrae by a Winston-Salem Police Department officer.

Mayor Joines essentially repeated what he and Councilmember James Taylor said at a press conference earlier in the day:

“We will, as a city be diligent in releasing the all information possible,

… Read the rest
Winston-Salem City Council

The W-S City Council Flip-Flops, Awards Marketing Contract To Wildfire

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Monday night’s city council meeting witnessed a flip-flop that won’t soon be forgotten. Over the last few months, the Winston-Salem City Council has turned the relatively routine matter of partnering with a local ad agency to market the Dixie Classic Fair into a soap opera.

To be fair Wildfire deserves its share of the credit for the controversy. Wildfire is a local ad agency on Liberty Street that has worked with some big corporate/non-profit clients. None of Wildfire’s 32 current … Read the rest

Activism

Protests At Richard Burr’s Office Past And Present

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Wednesday, March 14, 2018, will be remembered as a day of action against gun violence. It was the one-month anniversary of the mass shooting in Parkland, Florida that took the lives of 17 students and staff members at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Across the country, students walked out of their classrooms to protest Congress’s failure to pass sensible gun control measure that would decrease the frequency and severity of mass shootings. Locally student walkouts varied from school to school. … Read the rest

Downtown Developments

Ramkat Ramblings: As Downtown Winston Creeps East It Must Embrace East Winston

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The Ramkat hosted its first concert Friday night. The Vagabond Saints Society, an amazing collection of the city’s best musicians had the honor of reopening Downtown Winston’s premier music venue.

It’s been just over two years since the club that Jay Stephens opened in 2011 on the corner of 9th and Trade closed. It’s nice to see large-scale live music return to Downtown Winston. The hope is that The Ramkat will succeed where Ziggy’s failed.

Over the last couple of … Read the rest

W-S Business

Subsidies Go From Main Street Winston-Salem To Wall Street

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Monday night the city council was happy to approve $147,834 in subsidies to The Clearing House over 5 years. Earlier in the month, the Forsyth County Commissioners approved  $179,038 in subsidies to TCH. State subsidies are yet to be determined. But if The Clearing House expands in Winston it will clear a sizable check from local taxpayers.

Monday’s Winston-Salem City Council meeting was more of a sprint than a marathon. The council’s agenda was short and the city council members … Read the rest

Berkshire Hathaway

Against Their Will: The Journal, News And Record Layoff Workers To Aid Buffets Bottom Line

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Today is another sad day for local journalism in the Triad and beyond. The Winston-Salem Journal and Greensboro News & Record just laid off more workers, including journalists. Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, the parent corporation of the Journal, News & Record and many other small and medium-sized newspapers is cutting costs even as its publication’s page views are increasing. Warren Buffett is famous for playing the long game in stocks. But Buffett isn’t demonstrating the same patience with his … Read the rest

Winston-Salem City Council

Winston-Salem City Council Notes: The C-SPAN Edition

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Not a lot transpired at Monday’s Winston-Salem City Council meeting. While not much news was made at the city council meeting, there was an announcement from a representative of the C-SPAN Cities Tour that Winston will be the subject of several features that will air March 17-18 on C-SPAN2 and C-SPAN3. While Winston might not always have a lot of newsworthy events going on, it will always have a lot of history.

I have serious doubts that C-SPAN will examine … Read the rest

Downtown Developments

Winston’s Twin Arches Viewed From Happy Hill

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Earlier this week, Mayor and Winston-Salem Alliance president Allen Joines oversaw the official powering-up of the LED lights on the Twin Arches over Highway 52.

The public art initiative is a public/private partnership spearheaded by the Creative Corridors Coalition. It’s the first of several projects that Creative Corridors are working on in conjunction with the ongoing road-work along Highway 52 and Business 40.

The Winston-Salem Journal is reporting that opinions on the Twin Arches are mixed. I personally find … Read the rest

East Winston

Lake Park Is Part Of An Ocean Of Failed Projects In East Winston

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Last week the Winston-Salem City Council forgave a $167,500 loan to Lake Park Develpment, Inc. Lake Park Development, Inc. is owned by media/real estate mogul, Jose Isasi. Mr. Isasi’s has been the recipient of generous city subsidies in the past. But for now, let’s focus on Lake Park.

Lake Park is a nice subdivision, that was built in the 1990s onto an existing neighborhood off of Waterworks Road. It’s an upper-middle-class subdivision that would not be out-of-place in Clemmons … Read the rest

Activism

Trump Protesters Shouldn’t Give Allen Joines A Free Pass

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Thousands of protestors from around the Triad gathered at Corpening Plaza Saturday to denounce Donald Trump and the politics of hate. It was nice protesting an ugly president on such a beautiful day.

Donald Trump has made life dramatically worse for women, immigrants, the LGBTQ community, workers, minorities, and the environment upon which we all depend. (By contrast, Trump has delivered for the billionaire class that elected him)

Indivisible Piedmont NC did a great job of bringing thousands of women … Read the rest

Immigration

Supporting The Undocumented In The Age Of Trump

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Friday night, a little over 25 people gathered at Parkway United Church of Christ to support undocumented members of our community. Immigration reporter Tina Vasquez and her partner Ben Presley prepared a delicious family style Mexican dinner-complete with appetizers and desserts. Tickets were $20 per person.

Members of Parkway UCC helped set-up and clean-up the dinner. Compare Foods donated the groceries. All proceeds-over $500 raised, went into an emergency fund to benefit undocumented community members being targeted for deportation.

Tina … Read the rest

East Winston

From Martin Luther King, To Market-Based Solutions

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Martin Luther King Day is a curious holiday in the United States. We give Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. a day, yet ignore Dr. King the other 364 days of the year. What if we celebrated Christmas the same way that we celebrate Martin Luther King Day?

Only a fool would unwrap their gifts, enjoy them for one short day, then box them up until next Christmas. But that is how we celebrate Martin Luther King Day.

We need Dr. … Read the rest