RDU On the Rise: Sunflowers, cocktails for a cause, and funky Latin jazz
Ladies and gentlemen... the weekend.
Sadly, I’m not Daniel Craig and I’m not hosting “Saturday Night Live.”
I’m Aaron Sánchez-Guerra and I cover breaking news and public safety for The N&O. ¡Saludos a todxs!
Not nearly as exciting, I know. But I won’t bore you either, I promise.
— ladies and gentlemen, the weekend (@CraigWeekend) July 15, 2022
This is RDU On the Rise, a newsletter for young professionals in the Triangle, hungry for entertainment, rest and mayhem on their weekends off from the grind.
I have no recent photos of myself on the job, so here’s photo of me earlier this week, not at work. I was playing the Latin jazz standard “Nica’s Dream” on the conga with some cool cats at a jam at The Cave in Chapel Hill (yes, that’s Al Strong to my right.)
It feels good to take a break from chasing breaking news stories and to take to moment to remember that it’s not all bad news, at least not all the time.
But first, the news
Lots happened this week. Here’s some of it. Bear with me.
Relevant to the recent Supreme Court overturning of Roe v. Wade, North Carolina’s Attorney General is siding with abortion rights: AG Josh Stein said he won’t ask a federal judge to reinstate a 20-week ban on abortion.
▪ Stein said the N.C. DOJ would not “take action that would restrict women’s ability to make their own reproductive health care decisions.”
▪ In an unrelated matter: Stein is facing a criminal investigation into his 2020 campaign, my colleagues found. But Stein is challenging it with a lawsuit because he says it’s based on a law that’s “outdated, antiquated,” and “in fact unconstitutional.” Stay tuned.
Today, my campaign took action to end an invasive & baseless investigation into one of our 2020 campaign ads. The ad was true & I stand by my record - we are working hard to bring justice to rape survivors & put rapists behind bars. That is the work I remain focused on doing.
— Josh Stein (@JoshStein_) July 21, 2022
From our national desk: This week, the U.S. House voted 228-195 to pass the Right to Contraception Act, which was introduced by N.C. Rep. Kathy Manning.
▪ Eight Republicans joined Democrats in supporting the bill. None of those Republicans were from North Carolina. It now moves to the Senate, where Republicans could block it if it can’t win at least 60 of 100 votes.
What else? The saga between Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones and UNC-Chapel Hill has once again emerged in the news.
▪ UNC reached a settlement with Hannah-Jones following the months-long battle last year over her initially not being offered tenure at the university.
▪ Hannah-Jones will be paid $74,999 by the university. You can read the settlement document here.
The biggest story I’ve worked on this week is about the death of Rev. Anthony Spearman, a well-known Black activist in North Carolina and former president of the N.C. NAACP.
▪ The story details the people he leaves behind (his close friend Rev. William J. Barber II, among others) and reveals some troubling details of how he was found dead at his home.
▪ The story, which I worked on with Insider Editor Lars Dolder, also looks at some of the recent problems that plagued him in his past position as state NAACP president. We’ll be sure to keep you updated on the situation.
Sunflowers, cocktails and ice cream
The world might seem like it’s ending, but take time to frolic in the flowers, people. We laid out how you can do just that and check out Raleigh’s recently bloomed sea of sunflowers at Dorothea Dix Park.
After you take some Instagram-worthy pictures — send us some here! — The N&O would love to be your guide to dessert afterwards.
▪ We’ve got a list of the best ice cream spots in the area, and our Triangle ice cream bracket is alive and well. If you haven’t voted in it yet, we would love if you did so. We’re down to our final six spots.
▪ While not in our bracket, we can’t overlook Jeni’s, the trendy gourmet ice cream shop that opened its first Triangle location two months ago in Durham’s Brightleaf District. Now, a second Jeni’s is coming to Raleigh with plans to open in the Village District.
▪ The Durham Hotel will host a dessert pop-up on Sunday afternoon from 4 to 6 p.m. with an assortment of ice cream sandwiches from Rose’s Sweets.
Looking for a drink at night? There’s a cocktail with worthy cause that debuts in the Triangle this weekend.
▪ LM Restaurants (which runs Taverna Agora, Vidrio, a’Verde Cocina and seven Carolina Ale House locations in the Triangle) are offering a Ukraine cocktail until July 31 to raise money for World Central Kitchen’s efforts in Ukraine.
▪ The charitable act is part of an effort to raise $100,000 for World Central Kitchen, the organization that has been feeding Ukraine citizens fleeing the Russian war in their country. The special cocktail costs $12, and all proceeds will be donated. If it’s on you, let me know and I’ll gladly join you.
▪ The delicious details: The cocktail is made with Ketel One Botanical Peach and Dutch Orange Blossom Vodka, peach liqueur, fresh lemon juice, housemade simple syrup and fresh mint.
In the mood for music?
As a musician and percussionist who is very cozy in the Latin American and jazz side of things, I’m happy to let you know about some local concerts and dance opportunities this weekend.
I play in a Brazilian-inspired jazz and pop band called Também (shameless self-plug). We recently recorded a live set at House of Art in downtown Raleigh.
I’m a proud dancer given to the Afro-Latin rhythms of Salsa, Cumbia, Merengue and a Bachata (shout-out to my Dominican coworkers Paola Pérez and Laura Brache). I’ve rounded up some good stuff for y’all. ¡A gozar!
▪ My band is performing at Boxcar Bar + Arcade in Durham from 7 — 10 p.m. on Saturday. Come check me out on the congas, bongos and maybe the pandeiro. The excellent funky jazz band Public Opinion will be performing there at 2 p.m.
▪ Dust off your dancing shoes at a dance social at Carmen’s Cuban Cafe in Morrisville on Friday night starting from 9 p.m. — 2 a.m. A great opportunity to learn to dance Salsa, Bachata and more.
▪ The Tropic Orchestra, an explosive salsa orchestra, will be performing Saturday night in Morrisville at Sophie’s Grill and Bar.
▪ Dulce Melodrama, a Latin pop-rock band from Raleigh for fans of rock en español, will perform Saturday night at House of Art across from Moore Square in downtown Raleigh.
▪ If you want to get your summer Latin dance on, Sabroso Sunday at Casa Cubana restaurant near Wake Forest is where you want to be on Sunday. Join the outdoor dance party and drink a mojito from 3 — 8 p.m.
See y’all later!
Thank you for reading. Next week’s newsletter will be written by Jordan Schrader, who oversees our coverage of North Carolina politics at The N&O. Brace yourselves.
Got any questions or feedback? You can always reach me by email, and check out what I’m up to on my Twitter account. And before you go:
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