🧵 In Today’s Edition

1. Stuck in a Byzantine Limbo
2. The Agenda
3. What We’re Reading

The Guilford County Courthouse in Greensboro. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

Stuck in a Byzantine Limbo

Two years after a Guilford County district judge seized a News & Record reporter’s notebook and issued a gag order, the case is no closer to being resolved. The paper’s attorney says that’s because the judge and court officials have blocked his efforts to challenge her ruling. 

In 2023, District Court Judge Ashley Watlington-Simms denied a request to get an audio recording of the hearing in which she ordered bailiffs to seize reporter Kenwyn Caranna’s notes. She also told Caranna not to speak or write about anything she had observed in Watlington-Simms’ juvenile courtroom that day in 2023.

As The Assembly previously reported, her actions appear to run afoul of two state laws. Legal experts said she violated the U.S. Supreme Court’s prohibition against prior restraint, or the suppression of information a news organization has obtained. The court considers it “the most serious and the least tolerable infringement on First Amendment rights.”

Read the entire story here.

— Michael Hewlett

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.

Greetings, y’all. Local governments across Guilford County have a packed week ahead. Here are the highlights.

City of Greensboro

City Council bimonthly meeting

Monday, Aug. 4, at 5:30 p.m. @ Melvin Municipal Office Building, 300 W. Washington St. in the Katie Dorsett Council Chamber

This meeting will include a public comment period. In-person speakers must sign up by 6 p.m. on Monday. Watch the meeting live here.

The agenda includes:

  • Accepting Homeland Security Grant Program money awarded to the city by North Carolina Emergency Management. The money is going to be used for portable barricades.
  • Directing $1.88 million in grant money from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services—plus $895,905 in matching funds from the city—toward salaries for 15 Greensboro Police Department officers.
  • Approving a $1.4 million purchase of seat risers for the Greensboro Coliseum.

Human Rights Commission meeting

Thursday, Aug. 7, at 6 p.m. via Zoom

To join the meeting, click here. The meeting code is 816 6361 2650.

Guilford County

Board of Commissioners bimonthly meeting

Thursday, Aug. 7, at 5:30 p.m. @ The Old County Courthouse, 201 S. Eugene St. on the second floor

Commissioners will vote on more than a dozen decisions, including:

Watch the meeting live here.

City of High Point

City Council special meeting

Monday, Aug. 4, at 4:30 p.m. @ 211 S. Hamilton St.

Before city leaders hold their twice-monthly meeting, they’ll hear a briefing from the city manager on the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative, a year-long program where mayors and senior leaders from 40 cities focus on a key priority. High Point is known for its twice-annual furniture market and, through this initiative, has identified that its priority needs to be a shared vision for how to expand on the year-round economic impact of the market and design in the community. “Not having this shared vision is a problem for residents, city leaders, and businesses, as it affects economic growth, city planning, and the ability to attract and retain creative talent to High Point,” according to the city. Ideas that have come out of listening sessions include investing in an art and design competition, a space for a creative hub, permanent public art displays, and education opportunities.

City Council bimonthly meeting

Monday, Aug. 4, at 5:30 p.m. @ 211 S. Hamilton St.

The council will vote to approve:

  • An agreement with Guilford County for the joint repair of a bridge on Bicentennial Greenway near Regency Drive.
  • The city’s five-year consolidated plan, which will include a public hearing.

View full agenda here.

City Council Community Development meeting

Tuesday, Aug. 5, at 4 p.m. @ 211 S. Hamilton St.

This agenda hasn’t been published yet. Check here.

Watch High Point’s meetings live here.

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

What We’re Reading

Detained: Lawyers representing a Greensboro man who was taken by ICE and held in a federal detention center are filing suit, asking for a federal judge to review ICE’s argument for keeping Mohamed Ali Aboubaker Naser in custody, according to the News and Record.

Summerfield Struggles: The town of Summerfield is suing two former employees over alleged misconduct. An attorney for the former employees calls it a smear campaign. WFDD reports.

Museum Expansion: The Greensboro Science Center will be the home of a new Biodome in 2027, including an indoor rainforest and a new Aquatic Rehabilitation and Conservation Center. The Triad Business Journal reports it’s expected to attract 750,000 visitors annually.

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