Lena Geller

Restaurant Owner Cheetie Kumar Wants Congress to Amend "No Tax on Tips" Proposal The vice president of the Independent Restaurant Coalition breaks down the policies she believes will most benefit restaurant workers.

the New Yorker just published a comprehensive piece on Trump's "No Tax, No Tips" wolfe-in-sheeps-clothing proposal. From June, here's @writingthings.bsky.social's interview with Triangle chef Cheetie Kumar about her work trying to amend the legislation and push for fairer policies.

Durham’s Newest Club Knows You Can’t Clock Out Anymore Switchyards, a national coworking chain, opens a location in Durham next month. It brands itself as a new kind of office-away-from-home.

you may have seen ads for Switchyards, a rapidly expanding "work club" chain that's open 24 hours a day. for @indyweek.bsky.social, i wrote about the vanishing line between work and everything else

lol

“Richards was struck by how quickly the sense of community dissolved.”

late summer ☀️

Trapped at the Mall: How Two Women Navigated Chapel Hill’s Flash Flood As Chapel Hill flooded, a mother at Silverspot Cinema and a DoorDash driver outside faced the same rising water—but made different choices.

I spoke to two women trapped at a Chapel Hill mall during the flood—one hunkered down in a movie theater until 1am, the other escaped to keep delivering for DoorDash

Also unsurprisingly @indyweek.bsky.social has excellent coverage.

Trapped at the Mall: How Two Women Navigated Chapel Hill’s Flash Flood As Chapel Hill flooded, a mother at Silverspot Cinema and a DoorDash driver outside faced the same rising water—but made different choices.

"DoorDash gave her half pay for her delivery attempts. She went home and ate the pizza she’d tried to deliver earlier."

Lunch Money: A Big Burger and Big Surcharge at Big Bob’s Car quarters, crinkle cut fries, and an ambitious cheeseburger at old-school restaurant Big Bob's in Hillsborough.

wrote about Big Bob's, where business cards for a bail bondsman named "The Rock" sit by the register and the burgers are larger than God

“Strength Comes From Us”: Thousands Gather in Durham to Protest Trump The rally was one of about 2,000 protests held under the “No Kings” banner across the country Saturday to coincide with Trump’s birthday and Flag Day.

attentive reporting from the INDY's new intern Eva Flowe:

Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association Dissolves Amid Turnover The environmental nonprofit, which oversees nearly 500 acres of protected land in Durham, is undergoing restructuring after dissolving in January.

new for @indyweek.bsky.social: the Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association, which owns & oversees nearly 500 acres of protected lands in Durham, has quietly dissolved

nooo i was hoping this was going to be a metaphor when i read the first sentence, so sorry

endless gratitude to my editor @eddysarah.bsky.social not only for her edits on the original piece but for making sure the NYT actually referenced/linked to my article

well, this is surreal!

made it into The New York Times for being a trash goblin

aahhhhh!!!

🙏🙏

I Salvaged $6,000 of Luxury Items Discarded by Duke Students. Why Did It Make Me Feel So Terrible? At the end of the school year, a lot gets tossed by Duke students at my downtown Durham apartment building. This year I decided to dive in.

Not only did @writingthings.bsky.social write this story I've wanted to read a version of for years, she made much more of it than I could have imagined indyweek.com/culture/duke...

My sister, writing about the fortunes that Duke Students throw out after every semester.

I Salvaged $6,000 of Luxury Items Discarded by Duke Students. Why Did It Make Me Feel So Terrible? At the end of the school year, a lot gets tossed by Duke students at my downtown Durham apartment building. This year I decided to dive in.

Over the past few weeks, I salvaged $6,000 worth of luxury goods Duke students threw away in my apartment building—Balenciaga slides, Valentino sneakers, barely-used Lululemon. In trying to make sense of it all, I made spreadsheets and cried:

I Salvaged $6,000 of Luxury Items Discarded by Duke Students. Why Did It Make Me Feel So Terrible? At the end of the school year, a lot gets tossed by Duke students at my downtown Durham apartment building. This year I decided to dive in.

The first time I went down there, last week, I noticed something neon in a tote bag and pulled out $395 Balenciaga slides. Nearby were $980 Valentino sneakers—worn, but definitely wearable.

Popular Pop-up Bakery Finds Permanent Home on American Tobacco Campus Lutra Bakery's new 2,600-square-foot location at American Tobacco Campus is set to open by the end of 2025.

A year later, McLaurin and his team are preparing to open their own permanent brick-and-mortar location in American Tobacco Campus! @writingthings.bsky.social got the scoop on what to expect at the new cafe.

@indyweek.bsky.social
indyweek.com/food-and-dri...

“Everything Matters”: Talking With Ken Burns A chat with Ken Burns about his new series "The American Revolution," the importance of PBS, and what he's learned from his daughters.

"Somebody’s got to be covering the school board. Somebody’s got to be covering the zoning board. Somebody’s got to be covering... the lives of ordinary people who are caught up in the indifference, the icy indifference, of incipient authoritarianism."

interviewed ken burns!

I appreciate this approach to food coverage so much more than the breathless coverage of whatever new "concept" one of the Triangle's five celebrity-ish chefs is gonna open next year.

Lunch Money: Shanghai's Open Doors A $9.50 lunch special, twenty-plus entree options, and a fortune cookie at Durham's oldest operating Chinese restaurant.

A $9.50 lunch special, twenty-plus entree options, and a fortune cookie at Durham’s oldest operating Chinese restaurant.

Durham Attorneys Reaffirm Oath Amid Attacks on Courts Law Day in Durham transformed this year into a more urgent, and public, “Day of Action” amid attacks on courts and the Constitution.

Story here:

“I’ve Seen Tears in the Hallway”: Federal Workers Decry Human Toll of Funding Cuts at AFL-CIO Event At the Durham gathering this week, workers directed their ire over federal funding cuts at U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, who is up for reelection.

as DOGE slashes jobs across the Triangle, federal employees gathered this week to direct their ire at Sen. Thom Tillis, who was represented by a cardboard cutout

"Stand up. Speak out. Defend the courts. Silence is not an option"

Durham judges and attorneys gathered outside the courthouse today to reaffirm their oath for law day of action

To Keep Up With Demand, Oakwood Pizza Box to Open Takeout Location As Oakwood Pizza Box grows, Anthony Guerra says he wants to make sure that employees also reap the benefits.

cool @writingthings.bsky.social story on restauranteur Anthony Guerra, who says that workers should benefit from restaurant success and is tangibly working to make that happen