Happy Friday, everyone! (Even if it is April 1, which means your Facebook feed will be clogged with dumb fake stories, and oh God is that annoying.) Let’s get to it. 1. This is getting redundant: the fallout over HB 2 continues apace. Yesterday, the INDY reported that Fullsteam, the Durham brewing company, asked to […]
Jeffrey C. Billman
Posted inNews
The Morning Roundup: “Some Have Called Our State an Embarrassment”
Happy Wednesday, all. Except it’s not a happy Wednesday for Pat McCrory. Actually, it hasn’t been a very happy week for him at all—ever since the legislature rammed through and he signed HB 2—what with the denunciations from business leaders, the protests in the streets, condemnations from various city officials, the “fact-check” that went nowhere, […]
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The Morning Roundup: Welcome to the Fallout, Day 2. We’ve Really Screwed the Pooch Here, Haven’t We?
Morning, everyone. Let’s dive right in. 1. Did the General Assembly really not see this coming? It’s a question worth asking. As the INDY has reported on this here blog Wednesday, it was readily apparent to anyone with eyes and a brain what would happen after the legislature rammed through the knuckle-dragging House Bill 2. […]
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Required Watching for All HB 2 Defenders
A year old, but still relevant. Watch the whole damn thing. This is why this fight matters.
Posted inGuides
I Went to (Almost) Every Triangle Distillery—and Two Meaderies. We Have Those Now.
In my experience, most vodka is tasteless, flavorless, odorless, and boring. It’s gin’s less-interesting cousin, a somewhat palatable shot or a fine backdrop for vermouth, Red Bull, or ginger beer. But TOPO’s vodka is none of those things. An offshoot of Top of the Hill, the restaurant and brewery that’s long been perched above Chapel […]
Posted inSoapboxer
What Bernie Sanders Won by Losing the Democratic Primary
It’s no secret that I supported Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primarya choice of pragmatism over populist idealism, of a theory of change oriented around attainable, incremental progress instead of lofty, unrealistic promises. It’s also no secret that much of the INDY‘s readershipand some of its staffersdisagreed, oftentimes vehemently. I understand that. I understand, too, […]
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The Morning Roundup: The Legislature’s About to Blow a Bunch of Money to Put LGBTs in Their Place (Sigh)
1. The potty protectors are back on the case. Two weeks after publicly mulling a special session to override Charlotte’s new LGBT ordinance and then deciding not to—these things cost $42,000 a day, and the legislature will be back in session April 25 in any event—Republican lawmakers announced that they will likely convene a special […]
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Breaking: Wildin Acosta Will Not Be Deported Today, Rep. Butterfield Says
Just in: Wildin Acosta, the nineteen-year-old Riverside High School student who was rounded up by Immigrations and Custom Enforcement in January, and who was scheduled to be deported today, won’t be. At least not yet. According to a press release from Representative G.K. Butterfield, Acosta’s deportation has been put on hold pending an appeal. “Through […]
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The Morning Roundup: Richard Burr Ain’t Budging from That Indefensible Position That Will Cost Him His Job
It’s been gorgeous out all week, hasn’t it. Surely that will continue through the week—Oh. Thanks for nothing, Mother Nature. On to the Roundup. 1. Richard Burr’s not backing down on SCOTUS. Burr, like most Senate Republicans, is still adamant that he will not consider a Merrick Garland’s appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court no […]
