Adding to the folks who are wondering, "What's up?" with N&R reporter Maria Johnson's inquiries about me comes a phone message I received from City Councilman Don Vaughan on Friday.

I returned Don's call yesterday as he was getting on his boat at the beach to find that he was quite concerned about Maria's questioning.  He wanted to make sure I was aware that I am receiving close scutiny by a reporter with our local daily paper.

Attorney Vaughan was relieved to hear what Maria was up to, "I was afraid there was some kind of indictment coming down or something"  I hope not, Don.

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Ed Cone links to a Carolina Peacemaker article that doesn't quite answer questions about promises made last year.  "Written guarantees" of minority (read Black) participation in new stadium construction was touted by the Simkins PAC last year as a principle reason for asking black voters to support the stadium project.

I have been writing about my observations of the stadium construction site for several months looking for evidence of minority participation.  To the casual observer, little of the actual make-up of the construction crews would make you think that any special effort has been made to employ minority, especially black, workers.

The City's majority black precincts heavily favored the new stadium indicating that the Simkins PAC endorsement was effective.

Among other questions the article raises in my mind is this: Doesn't the phrase "written guarantee" imply that something is actually written down?

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Yesterday, probably in response to my post about Garth Hebert's new car magnets, I received some emails about ABC of Guilford County - the highly organized group of predominantly Southwest High and Middle School parents.

One correspondence, from an ABC member, asked simply, "I am curious, what is your take on ABC's position?"  I sent this response:

As for ABC's position for advocating for education, I applaud it - but the way the group has gone about it has caused some concern among many parents and educators I have spoken to.

I think that ABC can be a positive force for education once it matures.  As it stands right now however, your image by the majority of folks I have spoken to is one of being "against" more things than you are "for".

It will take many more highly publicized "Drum Line" type of initiatives to prove to the majority of Guilford parents that ABC is more than a relatively small, but very savvy, lobbying group/PAC that is working mainly on behalf of S.W. parental interests.  The "look out, you're next" warnings have fallen mainly on deaf ears even though they may well be true.

I support your group's positive side, but I'm afraid I never bought into the "Throw Terry Grier Outta Here" and related regime change efforts.  Although I think we could use some fresh thinking on the Board, I'm not willing to condemn long serving Board members solely on the weight of one or two decisions.  I tend to look at the totality of a person's service and work within the system to affect change.

ABC's "win at all costs" pressure that was brought to bear on the Board of Commissioners to hold up funding was not viewed well by many I have spoken to because it also subverted the Brown Summit program that many were counting on.

Thanks for asking...

Parental involvement in schools is always a good thing as long as the focus is on the improvement of education for everyone.  In my opinion, ABC hasn't yet adequately convinced a wide enough range of far-flung Guilford County parents that ABC can be their voice too and that they should be a part of the organization.

I hope this changes, because parents need a voice that the promise of ABC of Guilford County may very well provide once the current debate over the High Point Choice Plan (OK, ABC... make that the High Point Lottery Plan) is behind us.

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Following one of my neighborhood's (in)famous impromptu late night "porch parties" (which eventually gravitated into my kitchen), I went to bed last night still confident that I live in the finest neighborhood in the nation.

I awoke this morning to read that I live on - what market analysis types calculate to be - the "wrong side of the tracks".  In Greensboro's case the "tracks" are a metaphor for Summit Avenue which runs smack down the center of the Aycock Neighborhood.

Today's News & Record offers an excellent article by Matt Williams in which his research identifies Greensboro's Dividing Line as being the modern day manifestation of separate lunch counters and water fountains here in Greensboro. 

My neighbors, of all races, have been eating and drinking together for many years oblivious to the line that is supposed to divide us.  As the article points out, however... our choices of where to do so is severely limited.

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