🧵 In Today’s Edition

1. Incumbent Sharon Hightower is Proud of Her District 1 Work 
2. Crystal Black Says She’ll ‘Step Up and Do the Work’ in District 1
3. The Agenda
4. What We’re Reading

Incumbent Sharon Hightower is Proud of Her District 1 Work 

Sharon Hightower has represented District 1 on the Greensboro City Council since 2013. In a recent interview with The Assembly, Hightower addressed some of her past decisions, her vision for housing, thoughts on policing, and more.

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.

In the race for the District 1 seat on the Greensboro City Council, activist Crystal Black faces longtime incumbent Sharon Hightower. Black recently talked to The Assembly about her roots in Greensboro, why she’s running for Greensboro City Council, and her background advocating for the southeastern part of the city.

Read the full story here.

— Sayaka Matsuoka

Good morning! Lots on the agenda for this week, from Greensboro zoning hearings to important updates for the Guilford County Board of Education. Read on to check the schedule and learn more about what public officials will be deciding this week.

City of Greensboro

Planning and Zoning Commission meeting
Monday, Oct. 20, at 5:30 p.m. @ Melvin Municipal Office Building at 300 W. Washington St. in the  Katie Dorsett Council Chambers

Tonight’s meeting will include:

  • Considering annexing property at 2882 Fleming Road, 4303 Farlow Drive, and portions at Cassillis Way and Lazy Sky Lane from the county to the city.
  •  Rezoning to allow multi-family residences to be built at Roberson-Comer Road.
  • Consideration of the South Greensboro Plan.

City Council meeting
Tuesday, Oct. 21, at 5:30 p.m. @ Melvin Municipal Office Building at 300 W. Washington St. in the  Katie Dorsett Council Chambers. Meetings are broadcast on the city’s website, their YouTube page, and the Greensboro Television Network as well as TV channels.

The city will be holding eight public hearings regarding zoning matters on Tuesday evening. To speak on one of those items, sign up by 5 p.m. tonight.

Other decisions on the agenda include:

  • Upping the East Gate City Boulevard Modernization Project’s budget by $1.04 million. This project will modernize East Gate City Boulevard from Willow Road to Florida Street with traffic safety improvements, curb and gutter, sidewalks, bicycle lanes, and enhanced pedestrian crossings.
  • Approving a $2.93 million budget for phase 1 of the citywide signal system upgrade project.
  • Agreement with the Golden LEAF Foundation that will grant the city up to $60 million for water and sewer construction. According to city documents, the release of Golden LEAF’s funds will be contingent upon JetZero’s capital investment and the company’s job creation.

Guilford County

Guilford County Board of Education legislative committee meeting
Monday, Oct. 20, at 9:30 a.m. @ Community Education Center in room 114 at 2703 E. Florida St. 

Today’s meeting consists of:

  • A charter schools data presentation
  • A charter school expansion cap discussion

City of High Point

City Council special meeting 
Monday, Oct. 20, at 4 p.m. @ 211 S. Hamilton St.

This meeting will include presentations about the forthcoming municipal service district as well as the permitting and plan review processes. After that, councilmembers will go into closed session.

City Council meeting
Monday, Oct. 20 at 5:30 p.m. @ 211 S. Hamilton St.

This meeting’s agenda includes:

  • Giving property at 806 & 808 Vail Ave. to Habitat for Humanity of High Point.
  • A $3.15 million contract with Pike Electric.
  • A 12-month contract renewal with Cigna Healthcare coverage for city employees.

Links to local board meetings and agendas:

Guilford County – Board of Commissioners
Guilford County – Board of Education
Greensboro – City Council
Greensboro – City Calendar
High Point – City Council

— Gale Melcher

You Get a Lawsuit, And You Get a Lawsuit: A former Greensboro employee is suing the city for wrongful termination, claiming she was fired for following the instructions of former City Attorney Chuck Watts. The suit is the latest fallout from the controversy over Watts’ retirement ahead of city accusations that he used city resources for outside work. The News & Record has more.

UNCG Police Chief Defends Controversial Arrest: UNC Greensboro’s police chief is standing by his officers after a recent social media video showing a student’s arrest sparked outrage. WFDD has the story.

Who You Gonna Call?: It’s officially Spooky Season, and O. Henry Magazine has some area ghost stories and tales of things that go bump in the night. Don’t read without a night light.

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.

Gale is a Report for America corps member and Greensboro-based reporter for The Assembly. She previously covered local government and community issues for Triad City Beat. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from N.C. State University.

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.