Morning, gang.

We continue to bring you some of our favorite stories from the last year. New stories will hit your inbox on July 14, after our annual two-week summer publishing pause.

Today, we bring you some of our favorite watchdog stories.

When I was a young reporter at Greensboro’s daily paper, News & Record, I learned more from watching and listening to powerhouse political reporter Mark Binker than I could have in any journalism class. A phrase he’d return to when he got praise or heat for some story he’d just written was, “Just minding the people’s business.”

We bring that spirit to stories for The Assembly and its Greensboro newsletter, The Thread—whether it’s delving into former Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson’s long history with Greensboro porn shops, the city’s controversial dismantling of a neighborhood food pantry, services for the homeless, or how immigrant communities and their advocates are dealing the increased intensity of ICE raids.

Some of these stories made a big splash when they were first published. All of them are as relevant today, worth reading again, and sharing with a friend.

— Joe Killian

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.

Ex-Porn Shop Employees Say Mark Robinson Was A Regular. He Denies It.

After he embraced Christianity in the late 1980s, the GOP candidate for governor says his behavior “did not immediately reform.” Six men say Robinson frequented Greensboro video-porn shops in the ’90s and early 2000s.

Making the Fourth Amendment the New Second Amendment

As Trump’s deportation efforts continue, Siembra NC hosts training sessions on workplace rights across the state.

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.

Want to see your message here? Contact advertise@theassemblync.com to learn how you can reach The Assembly’s 120,000 readers statewide.

Downtown Development and A Center for the Unhoused Collide

Greensboro’s Interactive Resource Center has served people experiencing homelessness for 15 years. But increased demand and an expanding urban core have put the organization at the center of a fight.

‘It Takes a Village’ to Dismantle a Food Pantry

The City of Greensboro eliminated a neighborhood food pantry that had problems with cleanliness, drawing rats and insects. The community it fed says they should have worked with them to solve the problems.