MLILY Mattresses in Greensboro, NC

Top three candidates chosen from more than 50 artists nationwide; Winning artist to be selected next month following formal presentations of original concepts

PARSIPPANY, N.J., April 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The nationwide search for an artist to help honor civil rights pioneers The Greensboro Six has officially narrowed to three finalists: Vincent Ballentine of Brooklyn, N.Y.; Raman Bhardwaj of Greensboro, N.C. and Abel Jackson of Charlotte, N.C.

Selected by a committee of key community figures and organizations, more than 50 artists from across the nation submitted qualifications for consideration. The outdoor mural, slated for installation at historic Gillespie Golf Course, is being commissioned by Wyndham Rewards^®—proud title sponsor of the PGA TOUR's Wyndham Championship—and overseen by the City of Greensboro in partnership with First Tee - Central Carolina.

"The Greensboro Six left a lasting legacy at Gillespie—one that deserves to be memorialized for generations to come. Our chosen finalists have unparalleled talent and passion for their craft, and the quality of their work makes us confident these men will have a permanent place to be celebrated in our community."

- Ryan Wilson, CEO, First Tee – Central Carolina

Meet the Finalists Selected from a pool of more than 50 artists nationwide, the three finalists collectively bring more than 80 years of experience while representing a variety of styles and skills.

The Legacy of The Greensboro Six In 1955, one week after Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus, six Black men led by Dr. George Simkins started a local movement of their own by defiantly playing a round at the whites-only Gillespie Golf Course. They were later arrested, convicted of trespassing and spent 15 days in jail. Seven years and numerous court cases later, their actions led to Gillespie desegregating, and later, seeing The Greater Greensboro Open (now the Wyndham Championship) become the first PGA Tour event in the South to welcome a Black player (Charlie Sifford).

Today, Gillespie is home to First Tee - Central Carolina, a national youth development program using the game of golf to create life-changing opportunities for local youth on and off the course. It also has the distinction of being the first course in North Carolina to offer PGA HOPE (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere), a national program leveraging golf to enhance the wellbeing of active-duty military and veterans and is one of the only courses in the Triad catering to players with spinal injuries and disabilities through adaptive equipment and free programs.

To learn more about the Greensboro Six Mural Project at Gillespie Golf Course, visit FirstTeeCentralCarolina.org/Mural-Project.

Images associated with the above release can be downloaded here.

About The City of Greensboro Built around the core values of respect, inclusiveness, safety, innovation and sustainability, the mission of the City of Greensboro is to shape an inclusive future for equitable economic opportunity and sustainable, safe neighborhoods through resident focused services and programs. The Greensboro Parks and Recreation Department exists to provide professional and diverse leisure opportunities through inclusive programs, facilities, parks, and open space, ensuring that Greensboro is a desirable place to work, live, and play. Learn more at Greensboro-NC.gov.

About First Tee Central Carolina First Tee - Central Carolina is a youth development organization that enables kids to build the strength of character that empowers them through a lifetime of new challenges. Using golf and life skills as our tools, we provide kids opportunities on and off the course they may never have otherwise. We are active throughout the Triad region, and specifically focused on serving the East Greensboro and East Winston-Salem communities. Learn more at FirstTeeCentralCarolina.org.

About The Wyndham Championship Contested annually on the Donald Ross-designed golf course at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C., the Wyndham Championship was founded in 1938 and is the seventh-oldest event on the PGA TOUR, excluding the Majors. As the last tournament of the regular season, it sets the 70-player field for the FedExCup Playoffs. The tournament thanks title sponsor Wyndham Rewards and presenting sponsor Truist for their continued support. Additional tournament information is available at WyndhamChampionship.com and the tournament's social media channels (@WyndhamChamp) on Facebook, X, Instagram and LinkedIn pages.

About Wyndham Rewards Proud title sponsor of the Wyndham Championship, Wyndham Rewards^® is the blue thread tying together some of the world's largest and most well-known travel companies and brands: Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, the world's largest hotel franchising company and Club Wyndham^®, the flagship vacation ownership brand of Travel + Leisure Co. Recognized as the #1 hotel rewards program by both U.S. News and World Report and USA Today, members—over 106 million enrolled around the world—earn a guaranteed 1,000 points with every qualified stay and can redeem for free nights starting at just 7,500 points. With more than 60,000 hotels, vacation club resorts and vacation rentals globally, no other hotel rewards program is more generous or offers more places to stay. Join for free at WyndhamRewards.com.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/wyndham-rewards-unveils-finalists-for-gillespie-wall-mural-honoring-greensboro-six-302120909.html

SOURCE Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

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If you think the price of eggs has been increasing, you should see what inflation is doing to the Guilford County Schools construction projects – many of which were conceived when inflation and interest rates were next to nothing.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the bank after the COVID-era when the county’s voters, in 2020, approved a $300 million school bond referendum and a couple of years later when those same voters approved a historic $1.7 billion school bond referendum.

The funny thing that happened is that the cost of just about everything related to construction went up and so did interest rates. Which meant that the school system projects started to come in more costly than predicted, and, simultaneously, the county realized it would have to pay more on the giant debt’s interest than it planned because interest rates are now higher than predicted when the bonds passed.

So, it’s bad news all around.

School costs and construction priorities will be a part of the discussion when a group of Guilford County commissioners – including Chairman of the Board of Commissioners Skip Alston – meets with Board of Education members and school administrators and facilities staff at a meeting between the county and the schools next week.

The Guilford County Joint Capital / Facilities Committee has scheduled a meeting for Wednesday, April 24 at 3 p.m. in the large John McAdoo Conference Room on the third floor of the Truist Bank Building at 201 W. Market St. in Greensboro.

Guilford County voters approved the $2 billion for the school board to use, but, in order to spend a dime of that money, the commissioners must approve the expenditures.

Alston said he feels the county commissioners are providing good oversight on how the school board is spending the money, but he added that he’s been alarmed by the increasing cost estimates he hears when the two bodies meet, as they will next week.

“I don’t like the numbers I see,” Alston said, adding that he doesn’t feel the mounting expenses are the fault of the school system, but instead, he said, are part of the current macroeconomic landscape.

“We ask a lot of questions to make sure they’re doing all they can to keep cost down, and I think they are,” Alston said. “I think they are very transparent when they answer our questions.”

Alston also said the Joint Capital/Facilities Committee meetings are a good chance for the two bodies to communicate about issues and dig into what can be done to address rising costs.

The chairman said this week that county residents need to understand that the $2 billion won’t be enough to address all the school system’s needs and that more school bond referendums will be needed.

While the county commissioners do attempt to provide oversight on the construction expenditures, this current board is almost certainly more school-system-friendly than any Board of Commissioners in the history of Guilford County government.

Not all that many years ago the angry school board would come close almost yearly to threatening to sue the Board of Commissioners for not adequately funding the schools – and now the county spends almost half of the county’s budget providing the school system with just about everything it requests.

The current Board of Commissioners includes a teacher in the school system, two former Guilford County school board members, a commissioner who’s done significant volunteer work in the school system for a decade, and a chairman who once said during a commissioners meeting, after the school system got voter approval for $2 billion in bond money, that the schools really, “need 10 times that much.”

(Though Alston later acknowledged that was a slip of the tongue and the school system will not actually need $200 billion.)

The joint committee meeting is open to the public and will also be shown via Zoom at https://www.zoomgov.com/j/1611870474.

Rhino Times readers often point out in article comments whenever a free city event is announced that no city event is really free because taxpayers paid for it. So, perhaps a better way to describe those events is in this way: You’ve already paid for these so you might as well go out and enjoy them if you’re interested.

This week, the City of Greensboro announced three “free” events that will appeal to a wide range of area residents.

For intellectuals interested in history, on Thursday, April 25, the Greensboro History Museum is welcoming J. Myrick Howard, the author of “Buying Time for Heritage: How to Save an Endangered Historic Property.”

Howard will discuss his book with Preservation Greensboro Executive Director Haley Moloney at 6 p.m. that evening at the museum at 130 Summit Ave. in downtown Greensboro.

Howard is President Emeritus of the statewide nonprofit Preservation North Carolina – an organization he led for 45 years. He’s also the recipient of the 2023 Louise du Pont Crowninshield Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. If you don’t know, that’s the highest honor there is in the field of preservation.

Buying Time for Heritage is described as “a practical guide built on decades of historic preservation experience to provide readers with legal, financial, political, and technical tools and strategies to be more effective preservationists.”

He stresses that it doesn’t take a lot of money to save endangered historic properties – just knowledge and passion.

For those who like things with wheels, there’s a “free” “Wheels on the Greenway” event set for Saturday, May 4. The Greensboro Parks and Recreation Department is hosting the ninth annual event from 9 a.m. to noon along the Downtown Greenway.

The center of activity will be Woven Works Park at the intersection of Lindsay Street and Murrow Boulevard.

Parking is available at the State Employees’ Credit Union at 405 N. Murrow Blvd. – “although visitors are encouraged to roll up to the event on their bikes, skateboards, roller skates, or scooters.”

All human-powered wheels and e-bikes and e-scooters are welcome.

At the event, over 30 organizations will be offering things like “adaptive cycle demos, youth helmet giveaways, a bike repair station, a mini skate park and skateboard demos, a children’s bike safety rodeo, guided rides, ‘bling your bike’ stations, prize drawings, face painting and the wild animals of the ECO Bus.”

This event may actually be truly free; it’s made possible by the support of these 2024 Downtown Greenway sponsors: Cemala Foundation, Cone Health, Dawn S. Chaney Foundation, Deep Roots Market, Fleet Feet Greensboro/High Point, Greensboro College, the Greensboro Parks Foundation, Joymongers Brewing Company, and Ready for School/Ready for Life and The Basics Guilford.

And finally, on Sunday, May 5, Lake Townsend is hosting a “Demo Day” Paddling Event.

There, people can try kayaking, canoeing, standup paddleboarding or rowing a boat on Lake Townsend from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The event will feature expert paddling demonstrations, live music and food trucks (which will want money).

All boat launch fees, fishing pier fees and boat rental fees will be waived that day.

There will be booths at the event from Get Outdoors Paddle & Pedal, the North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission, City of Greensboro environmental educators, REI, and the Lake Townsend Yacht Club.

Children under 16 will need permission from an adult to paddle, preferably an adult who has some sort of responsibility for them and not just some random adult.

The City of Greensboro adds this note to patrons: Lake Townsend will be closed to power boats during the Demo Day event.

For more information about programs and events at city lakes, you can visit www.greensboro-nc.gov/lakes.

GREENSBORO, N.C. – A 10-run second inning led No. 3 Duke to a 16-3 run-rule victory over UNC Greensboro on Wednesday at UNCG Softball Stadium.

Graduate student Gisele Tapia led the offense, batting 3-for-4 with two RBI on the night. The trio of Blue Devils finished 2-for-3 at the plate in senior Francesca Frelick, junior Ana Gold and freshman Amiah Burgess. They also combined to drive in eight of Duke's 16 runs.

Sophomore Sophie Garner-MacKinnon earned the start and the win after tossing all five innings. The West Hartford, Conn., native allowed three runs off five hits while recording two strikeouts.

HOW IT HAPPENED

NOTES

UP NEXT The Blue Devils welcome Virginia to Duke Softball Stadium on Friday for a three-game conference series. Friday's opener is set for 6 p.m. and will mark the Blue Devils' Support Your Cause game. Duke will also honor its seven graduating players on Sunday for Senior Day.

To stay up to date with Blue Devils softball, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeSOFTBALL"

Duke Centennial In 2024, Duke celebrates its Centennial, marking one hundred years since Trinity College became Duke University. Duke will use this historic milestone to deepen the understanding of its history, inspire pride and strengthen bonds and partnerships, and prepare for a second century of continued excellence and impactful leadership. To learn more, please visit 100.duke.edu

#GoDuke

(TNS) — On Monday, Greensboro welcomed the arrival of Bird's e-scooters and e-bikes, with promises of less traffic congestion, reduced carbon emissions and enhanced urban accessibility.

However, studies regarding the environmental impact of electric scooters and bikes raise uncertainty whether these machines can truly help the environment — or hurt it.

In 2019, researchers at N.C. State found that shared e-scooters may not effectively reduce environmental harm if not accompanied by more sustainability-focused measures such as increasing the lifespan of an electric scooter, reducing their collection and distribution distance and charging them less frequently.

"Without these efforts ... while e-scooters may be an effective solution to urban congestion ... they do not necessarily reduce environmental impacts from the transportation system," according to the study.

E-scooters and e-bikes have seen remarkable growth in recent years. The number of e-scooters alone has increased by 28 percent from 2021 to 2022, according to a report from researchers at UC Berkeley.

The university's research found that among 157 million trips on shared micromobility vehicles that North Americans took, e-scooters accounted for nearly half in 2021 and 2022 while e-bike use surged by 64 percent during that same period. To that end, shared use of electric vehicles offset 74 million pounds of CO2 in 2022 by replacing cars.

However, some researchers caution that the environmental footprint of shared e-scooters goes beyond their electric operation.

In line with the findings of N.C. State researchers, scholars at ETH Zurich observed in 2022 that shared e-scooters and e-bikes often replace trips that are already environmentally sustainable, such as public transportation or walking, rather than displacing journeys made using cars.

According to the study: "Substitution patterns reveal that personal e-scooters and e-bikes emit less CO2 than the transport modes they replace, while shared e-scooters and e-bikes emit more CO2 than the transport modes they replace."

To mitigate these concerns, companies are exploring solutions such as developing longer-lasting scooter models. In 2021, for example, Bird announced the launch of Bird Three, the third-generation electric scooter, featuring a battery designed to outlast the machine itself.

Meanwhile, Greensboro officials say the current fleet of e-scooters and e-bikes will eventually increase to 170. Currently, they are accessible throughout downtown and on the UNCG campus and surrounding areas.

©2024 the News & Record, Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.