In Winston, Coal Ash Waste Is Closer Than You Might Think

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Earlier this week, NC Policy Watch reported that “coal ash from a structural fill site entered an unnamed stream after a sinkhole formed in Mooresville.” Mooresville has at least 14 such sites. There are coal ash structural fill sites throughout the state. Winston has one such site at 2000 Lowery Street, the site of the Joycelyn V. Johnson Municipal building. There are also coal ash structural fill sites in nearby Tobbaccoville and Belews Creek thanks to R.J. Reynolds Tobacco and Duke Energy.

Winston-Salem City Council Meeting Merry-Go-Round: Union Station Restaurant Requirements, A Do-Nothing Gun Violence Resolution, The City Adopts Juneteenth Holiday, And Generously Funds Share Co-op!

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Last night’s meeting of the Winston-Salem City Council was short but packed with important agenda items. The votes cast at last night’s meeting will impact our community positively or negatively for years to come. The decisions the Council makes with our limited resources matter. While the Journal’s Wesley Young covered the City  Council’s adoption of Juneteenth as a paid holiday for all City employees, there were other matters Winston’s newspaper of record didn’t cover. Chief among them was a $300,000 to help make Share Co-op a reality. Regarding the Juneteenth holiday, this is a welcome, but ultimately hollow achievement as long as poverty in Winston is tied to race, and little is done to improve East Winston.

Smith Reynolds Airport Is Estranged From Northeast Winston

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Tuesday, September 8, Donald Trump made a campaign stop at Smith Reynolds Airport. At the same time that the Trump hot-air show /Covid-19 party was taking place at Smith Reynolds, the Winston-Salem City Council debated and approved the Smith Reynolds Airport/Whitaker Park Strategic Area Plan. If ever there was a coincidence, that was it. The two events have nothing to do with each other. But, interestingly, while the racism inherent in Trump’s campaign rally is explicit for everyone to see, the structural racism that produced the Smith Reynolds Airport/Whitaker Park Strategic Area Plan requires some unpacking.

Trump’s Smith Reynolds Visit Was The Polar Opposite Of FLOC’s March On Reynolds

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President Trump held a campaign rally at Smith Reynolds Airport yesterday. Trump is the embodiment of all that is wrong with the 1 percent of Americans who monopolize the wealth that we all create. Trump is a foul-mouthed fascist who despises immigrants, minorities, workers, women, renters, generally, anyone who wasn’t born white and privileged like him. Trump’s approximately one hour and forty-minute speech was full of hatred and lies. President Trump’s visit to our city brought out the worst reactionary elements in our community.

It’s About To Get A Little Easier For Crystal Towers’ Residents To Cross Sixth Street

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Crystal Towers is conveniently located in the heart of Downtown Winston-Salem, at 625 W Sixth St. The Housing Authority of Winston-Salem had a buyer lined up to redevelop Crystal Towers, but HUD wouldn’t let them sell Crystal during a pandemic. Crystal Towers’ residents are just a short walk from the Central Library (when it reopens), restaurants, and the modest amenities that DTWS has to offer. But crossing Sixth Street is no easy task for many of Crystal’s approximately 200 residents, slowed down by age and/or various medical conditions. Often motorists in a hurry to get in or out of downtown exceed the speed limit on Sixth Street on their way to Trade or Broad Street.

Remember Engine Four, Extinguish Racism In The Winston-Salem Fire Department!

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Omnibus,  a group of current and former Winston-Salem firefighters continue to speak out against the Winston-Salem Fire Department’s racist practices. These are serious allegations that must be addressed by the City of Winston-Salem. No one should have to endure a hostile work environment or be targeted because of the color of their skin. Fire Chief, William “Trey” Mayo needs to take racism in his department as seriously as he takes kitchen fires. And Chief Mayo takes kitchen fires very seriously.

WS/FC Schools: 25 Years Of “Choice”

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Yesterday was the Winston-Salem /Forsyth County Schools’ first day of classes. Due to the coronavirus, students are learning remotely via Zoom, instead of in the classrooms. With all the talk about the coronavirus this year, little to no attention has been given to the topic of school “choice.” This month marks the 25th anniversary of the WS/FC School’s controversial school “choice program,” first implemented by then-Superintendent, Don Martin in 1995. NC Policy Watch’s Rob Schofield has called WS/FCS’ choice system “a case study in school re-segregation.” Even WFDD can’t deny that our school system has been resegregated by “choice.”

The People’s Business: August 17, 2020

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Today is the first day of class for students attending Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools. The good news is, the kids don’t have to worry about what to wear. But the bad news is that they can’t go to school. For at least the first nine weeks of the school 2020-2021 school year, school has to come to them; they are going to have to learn to love online learning. That’s a huge challenge for students, parents, and teachers.

Winston-Salem City Council Meeting Merry-Go-Round: Front Street Capital And Industry Hill Move Forward, Purple Crow Gets $200,000

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Monday’s meeting of the Winston-Salem City Council was a good example of how our City Council serves Winston’s wealthiest, well-connected few. All of the items on the City Council’s agenda were approved unanimously, without any dissenting votes. Think about that; not a single dissenting vote was cast in a meeting that lasted well over an hour. One could argue that the mayor and councilmembers were simply agreeing on zoning measures and a relatively modest incentive deal with a local manufacturer. But Allen Joines and his compliant councilmembers were rubber-stamping developer’s prerogatives, while largely ignoring the concerns of the working class.

Serving Time At The Forsyth Detention Center Shouldn’t Be A Death Sentence

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After months of silence about the December 2019 death of John Neville while in the custody of the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Department, answers have finally been provided. Forsyth County D.A., Jim O’Neill’s mid-day press conference, was illuminating. O’Neill described how John Neville died and announced that he would bring involuntary manslaughter charges against five guards and one nurse at the Forsyth County Detention Center. “On December 2nd of 2019, John Neville was an inmate in the Forsyth County Detention Center. He had a pending charge of assault on a female, that arose out of an incident in Greensboro.