Morning, gang.

This week marks the end of our annual two-week publishing pause, during which we’ve enjoyed sharing some of our favorite stories from the past year. Last week, we got word that one of them—Mark Robinson and the Suspension of Disbelief—took first place for Election/Political Reporting in this year’s North Carolina Press Association awards. The Assembly took 22 awards in all, 11 of them first place.

We were also proud to hear our reporters, Sayaka Matsuoka and Gale Melcher, received awards this week in the Association of Alternative Newsmedia awards for their work with Triad City Beat. Melcher took first place for Environmental Coverage, and Matsuoka an honorable mention for her long-form story Objects Can’t Lie, co-published with The Assembly. Brian Clarey, TCB’s former editor and publisher, took first place for Shorter Form Feature Story.

This week, we’ll begin rolling out new stories we’ve been working on during the break. They will include a look at the coming Greensboro City Council elections, the filing for which ends Friday. There are some interesting names in the mix, competitive races shaping up, and a few notable absences.

Today, we begin with a story about a “pay what you can” neighborhood summer camp that keeps kids safe and gives them the chance to have new experiences and build new friendships.

Let’s get into it.

— Joe Killian

Glenwood Camp is a low-cost way for families from the working-class Greensboro neighborhood to help area kids build friendships and have first experiences from city field trips to days at the pool. (Carolyn de Berry for The Assembly).

In Greensboro, a Different Kind of Summer Camp

Glenwood Camp offers families an affordable, community-centric camp where kids can build friendships and expand their worldview. It operates on a pay-what-you-can model with caregivers paying anywhere from $5 to $20 per family per week.

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.

Happy Monday, folks. This week, the Greensboro City Council and Guilford County Commissioners have a plethora of decisions before them. Stay engaged by checking out a rundown of their agendas below.

City of Greensboro

City Council meeting

Tuesday, July 15 at 5:30 p.m. @ Melvin Municipal Office Building in the Katie Dorsett Council Chamber, 300 W. Washington St.

Here’s the agenda.

A few of the 29 items on the consent agenda:

  • A $651,854 contract with Samet Corporation to design Fire Station 62.
  • Contract renewal with KnowBe4 for $108,779 for three years. According to the city, this is a platform that conducts phishing testing on a regular basis to “identify employees vulnerable to phishing attacks and provide them with additional cybersecurity training.”
  • Increasing the budgets for the Downtown Greenway Project by $442,388 and the A&Y Greenway Project by $663,500.
  • Accepting a $2,500 microgrant from the American Association of Retired Persons for Community Challenge Capacity-Building for two walk audits around E. Cone Boulevard and Summit Avenue in Northeast Greensboro. Must be completed by December 2025.

A few of the 17 items on the public hearing agenda:

  • Annexing 35.68 acres at McConnell Road into the city limits.
  • Annexing 27.64 acres at Willow Road and Sharpe Road for Mt. Zion Baptist Church into city limits.
  • A zoning request from McKinney Homes.

On the general agenda:

  • Approving a bid of $10,671,335 and authorizing a contract with Mainlining America, LLC for the Water Line Rehabilitation 2025 Project. 
  • Selling city-owned surplus property at 1001 Fourth Street to Mill District Properties, LLC for $1.18 million. 
  • Approving a change order for $80,451 for a contract with Jimmy R Lynch & Sons, Inc. for the Atwater Drive Water Line Extension Project.
  • Approving a bid of $23.4 million and authorizing a contract with Jimmy R. Lynch & Sons, Inc. for the Lees Chapel Road Feeder Main Project.
  • Amending Water Resources Capital Project Revenue Bond Fund to Lees Chapel Water Line for $23,425,866

Guilford County 

Board of Commissioners meeting

Thursday, July 17 at 5:30 p.m. @ the Old County Courthouse, 201 S. Eugene St.

This week, commissioners will be voting on a number of items, including:

  • Renewing contract with Volunteers of America of the Carolinas.
  • Approving a contract with Mental Health Associates of the Triad. They’ll provide “evidence-based substance use disorder services for incarcerated individuals housed in the Greensboro Detention Center,” according to the county.
  • Approving a contract with Election Systems and Software.

City of High Point

Finance Committee meeting

Thursday, July 17 at 4 p.m. @ 211 S. Hamilton St.

This agenda hasn’t been posted yet. Check here for updates.

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

Fly Around Fest is hosting this music festival to celebrate Appalachia’s natural beauty and rich musical traditions while raising funds to support the recovery from the historic floods from Hurricane Helene on Aug. 1 & 2.

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