🧵 In Today’s Edition

1. Little Foot Matcha’s Big Steps
2. New Elon Poll Illuminates N.C. Political Concerns
3. What We’re Reading

Little Foot Matcha’s Big Steps

By the time Anna Sullivan moved back to Greensboro in 2023, she had traveled to every continent except Antarctica and South America. While traveling, she tasted what she described as some of the best matcha she’s ever had. But it wasn’t in Japan or anywhere in Asia—it was in Italy.

She found a little coffee shop that served just three drinks. One of them was the popular Japanese powdered green tea beverage.

“I thought, ‘Oh. It has to be good,’” Sullivan said.

And it was.

This was the moment Sullivan fell in love with matcha.

Almost a decade later, Sullivan is reintroducing the drink and its ceremonial style to the Triad.

In March, she launched Little Foot Matcha, an online company selling tins of the green tea powder. In September, she branched out and started pop-ups where she prepares matcha and sells drinks in an effort to cultivate more awareness around the beverage.

Read the full story here.

— Sayaka Matsuoka

Thanks for reading The Thread, a 3x week newsletter written by Greensboro editor Joe Killian and reporters Sayaka Matsuoka and Gale Melcher. Reach us with tips or ideas at greensboro@theassemblync.com.

Courtesy of Elon University.

Elon Poll: North Carolinians Concerned About Safety, Oppose National Guard Deployments

A new Elon University Poll survey released this week found respondents concerned about public safety, especially in large outdoor gatherings, and opposed to President Donald Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops in American cities.

The survey, conducted among 800 adult North Carolinians from Sept. 23 to Oct. 1, came in the wake of the fatal stabbing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a light rail train in Charlotte on August 22. It was being conducted when there was a mass shooting at a waterfront bar in Southport, N.C., on Sept. 27. 

The poll found:

  • 61 percent of those surveyed were concerned for their safety in outdoor areas with large crowds.
  • 59 percent concerned about safety on public transportation.
  • 53 percent concerned about safety in public places such as shopping malls.
  • 49 percent concerned about safety in K-12 schools.
  • 32 percent concerned about public safety in churches and places of worship.

The poll found respondents less worried about safety in Greensboro (41 percent) than other large cities in North Carolina. Asked about spending time in Charlotte and Durham, 49 percent said they worried about safety. Concern was even slightly higher in Winston-Salem at 42 percent.

“After high-profile violent incidents close to home, many North Carolinians are evaluating how safe they feel in the state’s major cities as well as everyday spaces,” said Jason Husser, director of the Elon University Poll. “From schools to transit systems to shopping centers.

The poll did find a partisan division, with Republicans expressing much more concern than Democrats.

Charlotte’s police union sent a letter to Trump asking him to send National Guard troops to the city to help combat violent crime. The move has been opposed by a variety of local, city, and federal elected leaders, from Charlotte mayor Vi Lyles to Sen. Thom Tillis.

The poll found respondents in the state’s major cities leaning against the deployment, with Greensboro most opposed (49 percent).


Read the full poll results here.

— Joe Killian

What We’re Reading

‘Ashamed to be a Spartan’: The UNCG chapter of the NAACP, students, and alumni are expressing dismay over university police officers’ treatment of two young Black people in a video that has gone viral. Among those calling for further investigation is N.C. Sen. Michael Garrett, himself an alumnus. Carolina Public Press has more.

A Key for the Proximity: The Proximity Hotel was one of five hotels in the state to win a coveted Michelin Key, the equivalent of the Michelin star for restaurants. The News & Record has the story.

Long Term Care: Guilford County is preparing to open its first-ever long-term treatment center for people struggling with substance abuse disorders. The Reverend Prince Edward Graves Recovery and Treatment Center will offer 54 beds, with 14 reserved for treatment lasting more than a month. WFDD has the story.

Joe Killian is The Assembly's Greensboro editor. He joined us from NC Newsline, where he was senior investigative reporter. He spent a decade at The News & Record covering cops and courts, higher education, and government.

Sayaka Matsuoka is a Greensboro-based reporter for The Assembly. She was formerly the managing editor for Triad City Beat, an alt-weekly based in Greensboro. She has reported for INDY Week, The Bitter Southerner, and Nerdist, and is the editorial/diversity chair for AAN Publishers.