Triad Today

I’m not much for modern technology so I don’t have a GPS in my car. Besides, I’m pretty adept at reading a map, or at least I thought I was until I tried to analyze the most recent congressional district map drawn up and passed by our Republican-controlled General Assembly last Thursday.

Earlier this year, the GOP’s previous attempt at re-districting had been rejected by a three-judge panel, which is now expected to rule on the revised version this week. If accepted by the Court, the new map will include a 14th district allocated to the state as a result of the 2020 Census. Still, even with the addition of a new district, the re-drawn map isn’t likely to change the overall political advantage that Republican candidates have enjoyed for years. Currently, North Carolina’s Congressional delegation includes eight Republicans and five Democrats, but the Associated Press predicts the new configuration is likely to include six, solid red districts, two as “slightly” favoring the GOP, four blue districts, and two as “likely toss-ups.” That means we could possibly end up with ten Republicans and four Democrats representing our state in the halls of Congress.

To be fair, throughout our history, both major political parties have engaged in gerrymandering, a strategy designed to protect incumbents of whichever party was in power at the time. Lately, though, the GOP’s map-drawing activities have been particularly heavy-handed and ballsy, considering that Democrats far outnumber Republicans on the voter rolls, and that district boundaries are unlikely to favor candidates of color.

But while Democrats and Blacks may find the new map hard to swallow, it’s also just hard to follow, even for us old-time map readers, and especially when it comes to how the Piedmont was carved up. For example, the city of Greensboro will be represented by two different congresspersons, one in the new 6th district, and the other in the 8th. Same thing for Thomasville. Meanwhile, residents of Reidsville will fall into the 5th and 6th districts, and Kernersville will be split between the 5th and 8th districts. And if you live in High Point, good luck figuring out who to vote for because the furniture city will fall into not one, not two, but THREE districts (the 5th, 6th, and 8th).

The new boundaries also combine geographically disparate populations. For example, folks in Davie and Yadkin counties will be thrown into the new 10th district with Burke and Lincoln, putting them near the ski slopes to the west, and close to Charlotte traffic to the south. Meanwhile, some Davidson residents will try and figure out what they have in common with Hoke and Robeson in the 9th. I’m no cartographer, but even I could have drawn up Congressional districts that make more sense than this. Nevertheless, by the time this column is published, it’s possible that the Court will have accepted the GOP map, and if that happens, a lot of folks may need a GPS before they go vote.

 
 

Most of us learn from an early age that there are consequences to breaking the rules. Bring home failing grades, and you don’t get to play sports. Keep getting speeding tickets, and you lose your driver’s license, and so on. You’d think, then, that if anyone understood the consequences of rule breaking, it would be our elected officials who actually make the rules for everyone to follow. Truth is the rule makers are often the worst rule-breakers. Case in point, the federal STOCK Act.

Congressmen have always been allowed to own stocks, and to make financial investments, but increasingly, a number of folks on Capitol Hill have increased their wealth by having access to information that the rest of us didn’t have. That’s why in 2012, Congress passed the STOCK Act, making it illegal for a representative or senator to buy or sell stocks based on insider information they had acquired from classified or confidential briefings. All but two senators voted for the Act (one of the hold-outs was Richard Burr, and we now have a good idea why), but the bi-partisan effort proved to be largely cosmetic.

According to a recent investigation by Insider, “at least 54 current members of Congress and almost 200 congressional staffers have violated the law by failing to disclose their transactions on time.” The investigation also concluded that “the law’s enforcement is uneven and inconsistent.” Moreover, that same report found that congressmen had violated the STOCK Act hundreds of times just in the past two years, primarily related to the pandemic. Insider reported that at least “75 federal lawmakers held shares of Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, or Pfizer in 2020” as they were preparing to vote to authorize more than $10 billion “to help drug companies develop and distribute vaccines.”

Not surprisingly, a move is now afoot by some of our more ethical representatives to pass legislation that would ban congressmen, senators, their family members, and staff from even owning stocks. On January 24, Representative Jared Golden of Maine, sent a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Republican leader Kevin McCarthy, urging them to bring to the House floor either the “Ban Conflicted Trading Act”, or the “TRUST in Congress Act”.

Meanwhile, some in the upper chamber are not only urging support for Golden’s proposal but want to make sure it has teeth. Just last week, Senator Elizabeth Warren, for example, said she supports a hefty consequence to rule breaking. Her idea is to fine elected officials $50,000 for every violation of the new law.

Thus far over two dozen House members have already signed off on Golden’s proposal, but there hasn’t exactly been a stampede of support. Speaking with Yahoo Finance, New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez explained the obvious. “It’s not really a mystery to me why it’s difficult to pass. […] I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a majority of members of Congress [who] hold and trade individual stock.”

Nevertheless, Representative Golden is adamant about the need for reform. In his letter to Pelosi, Golden wrote, “Perhaps this means some of our colleagues will miss out on lucrative investment opportunities. We don’t care. We came to Congress to serve our country, not turn a quick buck.”

There’s no doubt that if Golden’s bill passes, and if the law is properly enforced, we might be able to curb corruption in the halls of Congress, but those are big “ifs”. Until then, we must hope that our elected officials spend more time making rules than breaking them.

 
 

On Monday, January 31, a fire broke out in the Winston Weaver fertilizer plant located at 4440 North Cherry Street in Winston-Salem, but it was no ordinary industrial blaze. That’s because the flames were dangerously close to nearly 600 tons of ammonium nitrate, a highly explosive material used for making fertilizer. To put this into perspective, when radical right-wing nut job Timothy McVeigh blew up the federal building in Oklahoma City in 1995, he needed only 4,000 pounds of ammonium nitrate fertilizer to make a bomb that killed 168 people. It’s no wonder, then, why Winston-Salem Fire Chief Trey Mayo initially said there was enough ammonium nitrate on hand at the Weaver plant to “be one of the worst explosions in U.S. history.”

In addition to the threat of explosion, the spread of potentially toxic fumes led Mayo to order mass evacuations from the area, which included over 2,500 homes. As of this writing, nearly 7,000 people have been evacuated, including Valerie Cope and her two daughters. By Friday, the evacuation area was reduced from a one-mile radius to one-eighth of a mile, but Valerie was hesitant to return, telling the Winston-Salem Journal she was concerned about, “the remaining quantity of ammonium nitrate at the plant.” Said Ms. Cope, “You don’t know when an explosion will happen.” Fortunately, none of Weaver’s 36 employees or nearby residents were injured as a result of the fire, but that’s a miracle in itself considering the lack of safety measures at the facility.

According to Deputy Fire Marshal Angela Sowell, the Winston Weaver plant “did not have alarms or sprinklers.” But how could that be?

“They were not required to. The code depends on the year it was actually built,” said Sowell. Unbelievably, she’s right. As Scott Sexton reported in the Journal, state codes requiring sprinklers didn’t go into effect until 1953, and the Winston Weaver plant was built in 1939. Sure, the North Carolina Building Code Council can create new regs, but, due to its age, the Weaver building was grandfathered in, and therefore exempt from having to install fire safety equipment. At this point, the General Assembly and Attorney General could challenge such grandfathered policies as they apply to the health and safety of a community, but don’t hold your breath, because that would put them in direct conflict with every business and industry which owns a pre-code building. At the very least, however, the state should put a cap on the amounts of ammonium nitrate that an individual or business can store.

In any event, there’s also the little matter of liability and responsibility. Winston Weaver’s right not to install sprinklers and alarms may have been protected by an archaic loophole, but that doesn’t let them off the hook for the monies expended by taxpayers who were either affected by or had to deal with the fire. First of all, the company should be made to compensate every resident who was displaced because of the fire. Then, they should also reimburse every public agency that took part in fighting, containing, and investigating the fire. According to Governor Roy Cooper who visited the site, over 25 local, state, and federal agencies have been involved thus far, including the SBI, ATF, State Police, and regional hazardous materials teams.

It’s only by the grace of God that there’s not a huge chunk of Winston-Salem missing today, and all because a company hid behind its “grandfather,” who gave it permission to put profit over safety.

 
 

Late last month Thomasville police discovered the bodies of two elderly people, but what makes this story so tragic is that the victims were not found in an alleyway or on a park bench. Instead, they were lying dead inside of a state-licensed nursing home.

The saga began when some family members repeatedly called Pine Ridge Health & Rehabilitation Center to check on their loved ones, but couldn’t get any staff to answer the phone. Police were then called in to conduct a welfare check, assisted by personnel from the fire department and county EMS. In addition to finding two deceased residents, the team also rescued two patients who were in need of critical emergency care and transported them to area hospitals.

The question is, how could this level of neglect have happened? When Thomasville police arrived, they found the answer. There were 98 patients residing at Pine Ridge, and only three people to care for them. Those included one Licensed Practical Nurse and two nursing assistants.

Pine Ridge is owned by Kinston-based Principle LTC, which, according to their website, operates 56 centers in North Carolina, Kentucky, and Virginia. In other words, it’s a big company that should know how to staff and operate a skilled nursing facility, even in the face of a snowstorm and a pandemic, both of which Principle LTC blamed for the “disruptions to our staffing,” including 13 Pine Ridge employees out sick with COVID. But it should also be noted that Pine Ridge has had its share of problems even before the pandemic. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Pine Ridge has a one-star overall health inspections rating, and there have been numerous complaints lodged against that facility, including 12 in the past three years alone, resulting in fines of over $120,000.

As of this writing, there is absolutely no evidence to suggest that the deaths of the two Pine Ridge residents is the result of inadequate staffing, but the fact remains that it took a police welfare check to discover two other patients who were in need of emergency care, something Pine Ridge and its parent company must still answer for. And while Governor Cooper seems outraged at what happened last month, both he and the General Assembly don’t exactly have clean hands either. That’s because the state should have exercised more control over nursing facilities in the first place. Sure, DHHS can strip Pine Ridge of its license, but that doesn’t solve the long-term problem affecting hundreds of assisted living and skilled nursing communities throughout North Carolina. That problem is staffing, and DHHS knows it. In fact, here’s their official response to a question about the Pine Ridge incident:

 

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“Neither federal nor state law prescribe a minimum staffing ratio for nursing homes.” Nursing homes are only required to “have sufficient staff with the appropriate competencies and skills sets to provide nursing and related services to assure resident safety and well-being.”

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Are you kidding me? North Carolina requires no minimum staffing ratio for nursing facilities that care for elderly people, some of whom pay as much as $8,000 per month for that care? It’s unconscionable, and our state legislators must address this problem immediately. I’m not very good in math, but even I know that three people cannot adequately monitor and care for 98 patients. What happened at Pine Ridge is a tragedy. Unfortunately, it’s probably not a crime.

 
 

It is both surprising and shameful that Peter Bogdanovich doesn’t have a star along Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, and yet, a single star wouldn’t do him justice anyway. Truth be told, it would take at least a dozen stars to properly honor Peter. That’s because he was a director, writer, producer, editor, cinematographer, film preservationist, actor, casting agent, documentarian, author, voice-over talent, and film historian. And, oh yes, he was a college professor who taught directing at the UNC School of the Arts for a while. It was during that period of time that I caught up with Peter the Great for a series of conversations about his career. He was generous with his time and loved talking about filmmaking, of which he was both a fan and an expert. Peter Bogdanovich passed away on January 6. He was 82.

I wrote a series of columns about Peter back in 2011, one of which dealt with his directorial debut (Targets), and the other about his signature masterpiece, The Last Picture Show, which, at the time, was celebrating its 40th anniversary.

Targets, produced in 1968, is the story of an average American man who goes off his nut and turns into a mass-murdering sniper. One of the killer’s targets is a retired Hollywood horror icon, played by Boris Karloff. I asked Peter if he had hoped the film would bring about better gun laws in America.

 

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“I thought it would raise a little bit of controversy. It didn’t raise much. The thing that’s awful about the film is that it’s not dated. Unfortunately, that story (a guy gets a gun and starts killing people) is still very much alive.”

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And while there’s a message in all of Bogdanovich’s films, they are not, per se, message films. Most were made for the pure enjoyment of the audience, whether period pieces, slapstick comedies, or musicals. Targets was the exception, and, for the most part, so was The Last Picture Show, which portrayed life in a dying Texas town. The film won Oscars for character actor Ben Johnson, as well as for Cloris Leachman in one of her few dramatic roles. I asked Peter if he shot Picture Show in black-and-white in order to save money.

 

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“That had nothing to do with it. In fact, it was probably a little more expensive to do it in black-and-white because the labs weren’t used to it. The period of the film was early fifties, which was still a black-and-white period. The other reason is Orson Welles told me, ‘Every performance looks better in black-and-white,’ and he was right.”

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Peter was also a master at spotting talent and assembling a cast. In addition to tapping Johnson and Leachman for The Last Picture Show, he also hired Ellen Burstyn, and two young unknowns, Jeff Bridges and Cybill Shepherd, to co-star in the dark drama. He also launched the career of Tatum O’Neil in Paper Moon, for which she won an Oscar. Given his expertise at casting, I was surprised to learn that he has a disdain for the auditioning process.

 

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“Auditioning is humiliating, and not a fair way to judge talent. You get one actor in the room and he’s very nervous, then there are other actors who are very good at reading, but when they get to performance it isn’t as good as it promised to be in the reading. That’s why I would often cast people by just sitting and talking with them for a half-hour or forty-five minutes.”

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Perhaps the most impressive thing about Peter is not his film credits, but rather it was his unmistakable voice, and how he used it to keep Hollywood alive, whether lecturing, narrating a documentary, providing commentary on DVDs, doing podcasts, or just having a private conversation. That voice will be missed.

 
 

When I was ten years old, my parents put me on a Piedmont Airlines turbo prop and sent me to visit my sister in Florida. Prior to that, my only flying experience had been when I imitated Superman and leaped off the back of the living room sofa, but the flight to Florida lasted much longer. In those days everyone got dressed up to fly, so the plane was filled with people who looked like they were on their way to church. Male passengers had on ties and jackets, and the ladies all wore dresses. Everyone was well-behaved, and it was a wonderful experience except that the cabin was filled with cigarette smoke. That’s because back then, passengers were allowed to light up. Later that year, though, the Surgeon General issued his first warning about the dangers of smoking and, before long, frequent flyers could no longer be frequent smokers. Smoking and non-smoking sections were designated in planes beginning in 1973, and four years later, the Civil Aeronautics Board banned cigars and pipes on planes. In 1995, Delta became the first airline to ban smoking altogether, and in 2000, President Clinton signed an order banning smoking on all commercial flights.

I mention all this because there is another airline industry-related ban in the works. Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey wants to ban the sale of alcohol in airport bars and restaurants. Why? Because in 2021 there were nearly 6,000 cases of unruly passengers, leading Markey to describe the problem as, “an epidemic of violent behavior on planes.” And while pandemic tempers and anti-maskers account for many of the scuffles, alcohol is believed to be the catalyst to most. Commenting to YahooFinance.com, Sara Nelson, International President of the Association of Flight Attendants, said the following:

 

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The problem with aviation right now is the violence toward flight attendants and other aviation workers…Alcohol is absolutely a contributor. I don’t want to say that alcohol is always the cause for these events, but alcohol is the biggest contributor to them.

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But does Senator Markey’s proposed ban go far enough to prevent violent in-flight behavior? Sadly, no. What if, for example, someone had two drinks before leaving home, never patronized an airport bar, and went straight to boarding?

In that case, he might not seem impaired to the boarding agent, nor to the flight attendants who would have no reason not to serve him two more drinks after take-off. That’s why in addition to supporting Markey’s airport bar ban, I also support banning alcoholic beverages during the flight. Absent that, then all boarding agents should be required to administer a breathalyzer test to every adult passenger, the same way many pandemic-era offices and hospitals once required an infrared temperature check to be administered before someone could enter the premises.

I wish these bans and preventive measures weren’t necessary, but today’s airline passengers are not as well behaved as they were when I was a child. Back then, those well-dressed folks were served mixed drinks, but they didn’t get into fights with the crew or other passengers. The fact is we’re living in troubled and unprecedented times, and if banning alcohol, even temporarily, will help mitigate in-flight violence, then so be it. It is disconcerting to know that there are a lot of idiotic, inconsiderate, and violent people roaming around free, but it’s downright scary to think I might be trapped 30,000 feet in the air with one of them. Banning alcohol in airports and planes is a small price to pay for protecting the health and safety of everyone who flies.

 
 

This past summer I excoriated NC State baseball coach Elliott Avent for not insisting that his players get vaccinated. As a result of his lack of leadership, a number of Wolfpack players contracted COVID, and the team was disqualified from post-season competition just one game shy of the World Series finals. Asked why he had not mandated vaccinations, Avent said, “My job is to teach them baseball, but I don’t try to indoctrinate my kids with my values or my opinions…These are young men that can make their own decisions, and that’s what they did.”

Avent’s head-in-the-sand attitude and the selfishness of several players cost NCSU a national championship. It also helped to further facilitate the spread of a deadly disease. State’s self-made disaster should have been a warning to all college athletes and coaches, yet exactly six months later, NC State was at the center of another major COVID controversy. This time, the Wolfpack football squad was denied a major bowl victory when a number of unvaccinated UCLA players tested positive, and the Bruins pulled out of the big game. As Yogi Berra said, it was déjà vu all over again, except that this was more egregious than the World Series fiasco.

The Wolfpack had arrived in San Diego five days ahead of the Holiday Bowl and, according to State coach Dave Doeren, his team was fully vaccinated and fully prepared. Not so UCLA, who pulled out of the bowl game four hours before kick-off, with Bruin coach Chip Kelly saying a number of his unvaccinated players had tested positive, and that his defensive unit was “decimated.” But Doeren and others have since suggested that Kelly knew days earlier of his team’s dilemma, and should have said something to Holiday Bowl officials and to State’s athletic director. If that’s true, and if Kelly had been more transparent, then there would have been time for the Holiday Bowl committee to secure another opponent for NC State. Woulda, shoulda, coulda. It’s all moot now. Sort of.

One important point lingers from this mess. Why in the hell didn’t UCLA mandate vaccinations for its players? By now, all of the Bruin squad should have been fully vaccinated, including having received a booster to help protect against the effects of two different COVID variants. Failure to do so falls on the chancellor, athletic director, and coach, all of whom should be fired. Short of that, the NCAA should put UCLA football on probation, and ban them from bowl competition for three years. The one consolation for State is that the NCAA eventually declared the game a forfeit, and awarded a victory and the trophy to the Wolfpack.

I don’t usually write about sports, but this incident has broader implications regarding the health and safety of all Americans.

The unvaccinated UCLA players are arrogant and reckless, and most likely also buy into some of the popular conspiracy theories, for example, that the government has embedded microchips into the vaccines so it can track our every movement. But I don’t need a microchip to tell me where the Bruins and other selfish anti-vaxxers are located. They’re all living in fantasy land, in the state of denial, and along Q Street, just to the right of all reason.

 
 

Off-year elections are not usually ripe with drama, but 2022 is already proving the exception. For one thing, there is still the lingering specter of Donald Trump, and how he and his false claims of voter fraud may affect turnout. There’s Joe Biden’s sinking poll numbers and a razor-thin Democratic majority in both houses of Congress, which have Republicans salivating. And then there’s gerrymandering and the courts. Here in North Carolina, congressional candidates have tried to position themselves to run in districts that may or may not exist, and a primary that has been rescheduled more times than a pandemic football game. And that brings us to the race for United States Senate, and to the folks who want to replace Richard Burr, who is retiring to count his money.

Only a few weeks ago, there were six leading contenders for Burr’s seat. Among the Democratic candidates were state Senator Jeff Jackson, Erica Smith, and Judge Cheri Beasley, while former Governor Pat McCrory, congressman Ted Budd, and former congressman Mark Walker were vying for the Republican nomination. However, shortly after the GOP map was drawn, Smith and Walker dropped out of their respective Senate races and announced bids to run for Congress. Then Jackson folded his tent while Walker dipped one toe back into the Senate race until the final maps were ratified.

In an attempt to give voters an objective look at the remaining Senate field, I featured Judge Beasley on the December 25th/26th edition of Triad Today, and I interviewed Budd and McCrory for the following episode. Among the questions I put to Pat and Ted were: How is Trump’s endorsement going to affect the primary and general elections? What can you do as Senator to help stem the tide of gun violence in America? Which of your accomplishments are you most proud of? And, Who had the most impact on your decision to go into politics?

I also asked both men why they wanted to serve in Washington, a place where there was so much partisan bickering and vitriol.

 

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Pat: The main reason I’m running for the Senate is because Washington is broken. Just look at when the federal and state government started paying people more not to work than to work. That’s when I said, “I’m running.” It reminded me of when I became Governor in 2013, and I had all these protesters because I had reduced unemployment compensation at a time when there were plenty of job openings. There were “help wanted” signs all over North Carolina, and no one was taking them. And a lot of employers told me the reason those folks aren’t taking the jobs is because they make more on unemployment than they do coming to work for us. I reduced unemployment compensation equal to what South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia were paying, and three months later, North Carolina had the largest drop in unemployment in the country.

Ted: I think about where I came from in Davie County, about 35 minutes west of here, and the people out there and all over the state, just want someone to stand up for them. They feel like Washington D.C. has largely forgotten them, and the Beltway has. And so they need people that they elect to remember them, remember who sent them there, and that they’re standing up for the forgotten men and women of America. I’ve never been one to stand on the sidelines. I’m not a complainer, I’m a doer. I threw my hat in the ring back in 2016 when there was a 17-way primary, and it worked out, and I’ve had the privilege of serving since then, and now I’m trying for the U.S. Senate.”

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Back in July, Democratic Senate candidates Cheri Beasley and Jeff Jackson confirmed that they would tape a special voter education episode of Triad Today on December 15, so that folks throughout the Piedmont could learn more about them and their positions ahead of next year’s primary. However, Jackson failed to appear, then, days later, announced he was dropping out of the race. Fortunately, Judge Beasley showed up as promised, and we spent a half-hour together talking about her life and career.

 

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JL: You were the first woman of color to become Chief Justice of the State Supreme Court. How did that make you feel at the time?

CB: Instantly I truly realized the full impact of the appointment. I understood that I would be leading all of the courts across the State. I understood I would be leading the Supreme Court of North Carolina, and those were really important roles to make sure the court system was working fairly and in full service to everybody across the State. The unanticipated piece of that was all of the responses we received from all over the world who were excited that I was serving as Chief Justice. It helped me to see that it really mattered. That diversity matters, that for so many young boys and girls it really does matter that they’re able to see people of color in leadership. So it was a real honor. I enjoyed my service and was really thankful for it.”

JL: Tell us about growing up.

CB: I grew up with my mom and my grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins, and we were a very close family. We always came together for Sunday dinner, and we were very community-oriented. My Mom earned her Ph.D. when I was a little girl, and she was very much steeped in service, and her service was steeped in faith. We were all very active in church and that is so much a part of the foundation of who I am as a person, as a judge, as a Mom, as a wife.

JL: Then is it your Mom who most shaped your life and career?

CB: She had a great impact, she was an amazing woman and was a trailblazer in her own right having created academic programs particularly for young people who lived in public housing, to make sure that they had a good chance in life. And so she was my role model. I loved her dearly. I just knew that so much of who she was as a person and so much of the obligations that she felt and lived around giving back to others and being in service. I don’t know that I consciously knew that was where I would be, but that’s just what we did.

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Judge Beasley and I covered a lot of ground during the half-hour, addressing such issues as:

• Is the Affordable Care Act still viable?
• Do you favor forgiving college debt and offering free tuition?
• What can Congress do to stem the tide of gun violence?
• Is the Democratic Party out of touch with most Americans?

You can see full video of Beasley’s appearance on Triad Today on our YouTube channel and below.

 
 

 
 

As we celebrate this holiday season, let’s not forget that there are people beyond our immediate circle of family and friends who are suffering, and could benefit from our love and generosity. Over the past decade, I’ve been able to showcase scores of community organizations on my Triad Today television show, and in the process, I’ve learned that there are three main ways we can help these agencies help others. The first is to donate goods. Second is to donate money. And, third is to donate our time. Of course, some nonprofit groups can benefit from all three types of giving. Here, in no particular order, are just a few organizations to which you might lend your support.

Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC: Even prior to the pandemic, the Piedmont Triad had one of the worst food insecurity problems in the nation, and that included the problem of childhood hunger. Now, with thousands more of our neighbors out of work, the problem has worsened, including for children. To help alleviate the hunger problem, Second Harvest Food Bank has stepped up its efforts to distribute food to nonprofit agencies that feed hungry people in an 18 county area. The Food Bank has also partnered with a number of area companies to provide meals for kids. You can write a check directly to the food bank, or you can drop off non-perishable food items at a number of locations in our area. For more information call 336-784-5770, or visit HungerNWNC.org.

Cancer Services, Inc.‘s stated mission is “to enhance quality of life for those living with cancer, and to provide the gift of life through education.” Their services include patient advocacy, medication and financial assistance, providing equipment and supplies, offering peer support groups, and much more. Ninety percent of funds donated to Cancer Services, Inc. goes directly to providing client services. In addition to money, you can also donate used equipment and supplies. Call 336-760-9983, or visit CancerServicesOnline.org.

Greensboro Urban Ministry s on the front lines when it comes to providing emergency assistance. Greensboro Urban Ministry provides homeless families in Guilford County with a safe, temporary environment. Volunteers are needed to prepare and serve meals, manage shelters, tutor children, and perform a variety of other duties. Monetary donations are also much appreciated. Call 336-271-5959, or visit GreensboroUrbanMinistry.org.

Mtn. Valley Hospice is a nonprofit agency that serves an 18 county area in North Carolina and Virginia, and provides personalized care for patients at the end of life, as well as comfort to families. Mountain Valley Hospice has offices throughout the region, and also operates two hospice homes. They also specialize in care for terminally ill children and veterans and offer grief support for kids and adults. To give money or inquire about volunteering, call 1-888 789-2922, or visit MtnValleyHospice.org.

The Petty Family Foundation: NASCAR legend Richard Petty and his family support a number of charitable organizations including Paralyzed Veterans of America and Victory Junction Camp, the latter of which provides an uplifting experience for children with severe disabilities and terminal illnesses. To make a donation or learn more, visit PettyFamilyFoundation.org.

Say YES to Education Guilford provides qualified students with college scholarships, and much more. Say YES to Education Guilford also provides students with support services that are designed to help them be successful in life. Their equity-based program begins in kindergarten and includes everything from tutoring to career counseling. Say YES relies in part upon donations from companies and individuals. To learn more about scholarships, or to make a donation, visit SayYesGuilford.org.

Carolina Donor Services and Red Cross … There can be no greater gift at this holiday season than the gift of life, and that’s why you might consider donating blood and signing a donor card. Either gesture requires only a few minutes of your time, and will almost certainly result in saving someone’s life in the future. You can reach Carolina Donor Services at 1-800 200-2672, or CarolinaDonorServices.org. You can call the Red Cross at 336-333-2111, or visit them online at RedCross.org.

Please remember that your donations of time, money, or goods to area community organizations are vitally important, not just now, but throughout the coming year. It’s also a way for us to expand the circle of people we care about, and that’s something worth celebrating in this season of giving.

 
 

Throughout this past year, I had the unenviable task of writing a number of columns about celebrity friends of mine who had passed away. Now, during this season of celebration, it is only fitting that we celebrate their remarkable lives and careers. Here are some excerpts from those columns.

 

 

DAWN WELLS

In the annuals of pop culture there have been three great debates: Coke or Pepsi?, Ford or Chevy?, and Ginger or Mary Ann? The answers to the first two questions may never be settled, but the third is a no-brainer. The overwhelming majority of men and women everywhere prefer girl-next-door Mary Ann Summers, a fictional character from the ‘60s comedy series, Gilligan’s Island, played expertly by Dawn Wells. Dawn was a stage and screen actress, a teacher, and author of What Would Mary Ann Do? Dawn Wells passed away on December 30 from complications of COVID. She was 82.

I first met Dawn in 2013 when she attended the Western Film Festival in Winston-Salem. We re-connected five years later when she performed at the High Point Theatre to promote her book.

 

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JL: Why did you write the book in the first place?

DW: Because we don’t have a Mary Ann today, and I think it’s very difficult being a parent, or a best friend. There’s no guidelines. But there still needs to be a guideline behind it, and I think that’s Mary Ann. Above all, don’t lose the values you’ve been raised with.

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That’s pretty good advice from America’s girl next door. Rest in peace, Dawn.

 

 

HAL HOLBROOK

During his storied career, Hal Holbrook portrayed, among other things, a President, a Senator, a Secretary of State, and a Deep Throat whistleblower, all of whom spoke eloquently about life, politics, and the human condition. But it was Hal himself who often articulated views that were befitting of the characters he played, such as this gem from a private conversation we had in 2013:

“What’s more important in a democracy, that somebody should become a billionaire at the expense of others, or that people who run things should make sure that the people of the United States have work, and can feed their families?”

Hal the philosopher was most famous for his award-winning and long-running one-man show Mark Twain Tonight, which he first tried out on local stages around the country.

 

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Hal: The first time we performed a Twain number was in the suicide ward of the Chillicothe insane asylum, and the next time we did it was for the Kiwanis in Newark, Ohio.

Jim: What was the difference between the Kiwanis and the asylum patients?

Hal: Well, mainly we didn’t know which ones were nuts.”

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I first got to know Hal through his wife, the late Dixie Carter (Designing Women) who had participated in a panel I convened for the Television Academy back in 2000. Hal and I stayed in touch after that, and then we met up in Greensboro when he was in town to perform Twain at the Carolina Theatre.

It’s unfortunate that Hal never was a Senator or a President in real life, but he left us with a body of work that entertained and inspired us, and we are better for having experienced it. Hal Holbrook passed away on January 23. He was 95.

 

 

CLORIS LEACHMAN

I had only known Cloris Leachman for less than 30 minutes when she asked me to take off my clothes. More on that in a moment, but suffice to say it was one of those things that sort of sticks in your head, much like everything Cloris did, and she did a lot. Cloris passed away on January 26. She was 94.

Cloris is best known as Phyllis Lindstrom on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and for playing the same character in her own series, Phyllis. But Leachman left her mark on the big screen as well, starring in everything from comedies like Young Frankenstein, to dramatic films such as The Last Picture Show, for which she won an Oscar. She also picked up nine Emmys along the way.

I first met Cloris in May of 2008 when she participated in “A Mother’s Day Salute to TV Moms”, which I produced and moderated for the Television Academy. Needless to say, Cloris took over the event and kept everyone in stitches. She talked about the time she posed naked for a health magazine and then suggested that I disrobe right there on stage in front of 800 people. Cloris was wild alright, but she was always in control when it came to her acting, no matter the part.

 

 

JOHNNY CRAWFORD

Much has been said about the importance of adult role models, and the positive impact they can have on children. But for those of us little buckaroos who grew up in the 1950s, there was no finer role model than Johnny Crawford, himself just a kid when he starred as Mark McCain on the hit TV series The Rifleman. On screen, Johnny seemed like a great guy, so we just assumed he was like that in real life. Turns out, we were right. Johnny could ride and rope with the best of them. He was a talented actor and an accomplished musician. He had a genuine smile and a genuine interest in people. He had a great sense of humor and an even greater sense of humility. He was the kind of guy you wanted to be like, whether you watched him as a kid or got to know him as an adult. I was lucky. I got to do both.

In his later years, Johnny was a fan favorite at nostalgia conventions, while continuing to conduct his band and act. In 2019, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, and he died on April 29, 2021, after battling COVID, and a bout of pneumonia. Johnny Crawford was 75 years old.

I met Johnny in 2014 when he attended the Western Film Festival in Winston-Salem, and in the years since I would call him on his birthday and exchange holiday cards. Our last conversation was just prior to his Alzheimer’s diagnosis, and we talked about his cameo role in a film in which he portrayed silent movie star, William S. Hart.

There were plenty of TV cowboys who I enjoyed watching as a kid, but it was Johnny Crawford who I wanted to hang out with. Six decades later I finally got my chance, and he didn’t disappoint. A real role model never does.

 

 

NORMAN LLOYD

In his 20s, Norman Lloyd was directed on stage by Orson Welles. In his 30s, he was directed in films by Charlie Chaplin and Alfred Hitchcock. In his 50s and 60s, he produced and directed award-winning episodic television, and in his 70s, Norman won acclaim starring on St. Elsewhere. In his 80s, he was directed by Martin Scorsese, and in his 90s, he co-starred with the likes of George Clooney and Cameron Diaz. Norman had a distinctly regal voice and a distinctly wicked sense of humor. He was a great storyteller and an even greater listener. And I’ve never known anyone to match his energy level. Set designer Roy Christopher once remarked, “Norman’s creative motor was always running.” I guess that’s why I always thought Norman would live forever but forever came too soon. He passed away on the morning of May 11. Norman Lloyd was 106 years old.

I first got to know Norman nearly 30 years ago when I was doing research for a series of articles on St. Elsewhere, and we stayed in touch from then on. I will always cherish our telephone visits, including one which occurred on his 100th birthday.

 

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JL: Has anyone ever offered you a part in a film in which you would have to appear nude?

Lloyd: No, I’ve never been that fortunate [laughs]. If I had, my career would have ascended. It would have been enormous. I would, of course, have had a great fan club of the female persuasion.

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GAVIN MACLEOD

In the early 1980s when The Love Boat was navigating prime time waters, and The Mary Tyler Moore Show and McHale’s Navy were still in re-runs, an Entertainment Tonight poll named Gavin MacLeod (who starred in all three shows) the most recognized man on TV. If they had taken a poll of the most likable star, he would have topped that list too. Truth is, everybody liked Gavin.

I first got to know Gavin back in 2013 when I interviewed him about his newly released autobiography, “This is Your Captain Speaking”: My Fantastic Voyage Through Hollywood, Faith, and Life. He was 82 at the time, and I asked him why he waited so long to write his memoirs. Said Gavin, “I only have a few years left, and I wanted to do it while I could still remember.” In the years since then, we stayed in touch, and I always enjoyed our conversations. Sadly, I will no longer have the privilege of speaking with one of the nicest men I’ve ever known. Gavin passed away on May 29 of this year. He was 90.

I once asked Gavin to recall his first acting experience, and he told me he played the part of a little boy trying to decide what to give his Mom for Mother’s Day. And why was he cast in that role? “Because I had just won the Charming Child contest by the New York Daily Mirror.” Gavin was in kindergarten then, and his performance was a huge success. “The audience applauded and I thought, ‘they like me! I want to do more of this.’” Lucky for us he did.

 

 

ED ASNER

I would imagine that most wealthy nonagenarians spend their days relaxing at the beach or at their mountain villa, but not Ed Asner. After appearing in over 150 TV shows, 70 films, and countless plays, Ed had, at the time of his death, no less than 15 projects in the works. Of course, anyone who knew Ed wasn’t surprised by his energy or his level of professional activity. It’s what we expected from the man whose blue-collar upbringing taught him the value of hard work. Ed passed away on August 29. He was 91.

Ed was best known for portraying Lou Grant on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and then playing the same character in his own series, Lou Grant. He then became the only actor to ever win an Emmy for playing the same role in two different series, and he won seven Emmys in all.

I first got to know Ed back in 2010 when he was filming Elephant Sighs in North Carolina and stopped by to tape an episode of Triad Today. We stayed in touch regularly by phone after that, including discussions about politics and his reason for writing The Grouchy Historian: An Old Time Lefty Defends Our Constitution Against Right-Wing Hypocrites and Nutjobs, which was published in 2017.

 

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Jim: What would it take for you to stop being grouchy?

Ed: I don’t want to stop being grouchy. I think being avuncular is very attractive, and I like filling those shoes, so mind your own God damn business! [both laugh]

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BETTY LYNN

Betty Lynn was a busy character actress in Hollywood long before being cast in The Andy Griffith Show as Thelma Lou, the girlfriend of Sheriff Andy’s Deputy Barney Fife. Over the years, she visited Mt. Airy several times and had fallen in love with the town and its people. So, after her house in Los Angeles kept getting burglarized, she relocated to the town that inspired Thelma Lou’s Mayberry. That was in 2007, and ever since, she gave of her time and talents to promote the TV show and her adopted hometown. That commitment included attending every Mayberry Days Festival, and appearing once a week at the Andy Griffith Museum where she signed autographs for adoring fans. Mt. Airy’s ambassador continued to give of herself until illness and old age would no longer permit it. Betty Lynn passed away on October 17. She was 95 years old.

I first met Betty in 2008 when she enthusiastically agreed to appear on Triad Today. She was a delightful human being, and I enjoyed being with her. At the end of our interview I said, “I hope you don’t mind when I slip and call you Thelma Lou.” Betty leaned over, kissed me on the cheek and said, “Oh no. I love Thelma Lou.” So do we, Betty. Rest in peace, my friend.

 

 

The good news for senior citizens is that starting next year, they will see an increase in their monthly social security check. The bad news is they will also see an increase in their Medicare part B premium. And so goes the shell game being run by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the FDA, and their not so silent partner, Big Pharma.

Last month, CMS announced that the average Medicare Part B premium would rise by just over $21 per month. That may not seem like much to some folks, but to others living on a fixed income, it might as well be $1,000 per month. That’s one problem. The other is that the increase is being driven by a single drug that may or may not be effective, and may or may not even be prescribed. That drug is Aduhelm, and it is made by those stellar humanitarians at Biogen.

Biogen claims that Aduhelm can reduce plaque in the brain, and could, therefore, slow the rate of dementia. The company also says the cost of the drug (which must be administered intravenously) is about $56,000 per year. Never mind that it won’t cure Alzheimer’s, might not even retard it, and, according to some independent sources, is grossly overpriced. Meanwhile, the Associated Press reports that last year, an FDA advisory panel voted against recommending Aduhelm’s approval, “citing flaws in Biogen’s studies.” Also, Biogen executives are under Congressional investigation for improper contact with FDA officials.

Those of us who have family members with Alzheimer’s would like nothing better than to know that a new miracle drug exists, but Aduhelm isn’t that miracle. It isn’t even close. What’s more, Biogen has apparently inflated the cost of the drug to such a degree, that it is now driving an increase in monthly premiums for every senior citizen, even if no one ever uses Aduhelm. In fact, CMS officials told the AP that half the increase in next year’s Medicare Part B premiums is “due to contingency planning IF the program ultimately has to cover Aduhelm.”

This all begs the question, who the hell is overseeing CMS? Supposedly that job falls to the House subcommittee on Health, so I was going to call North Carolina representative George Butterworth who sits on that committee. But, alas, Butterworth is retiring, plus, according to GovTrack, he has been investigated for pocketing the difference “between his requested travel per diems, and the amount he actually spent.” On second thought, maybe he wouldn’t have been the best person to expose price gouging.

It should be noted, however, that Congress is considering a compromise bill that would allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices, and, if passed, that could go a long way toward neutralizing alleged price gouging companies like Biogen. But in the case of Aduhelm, the new legislation wouldn’t help because Democrats on the Hill had to agree to exclude all newly launched drugs from the negotiating process. Call me reactionary, but all this seems a lot like elder abuse.