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Lena Geller @writingthings.bsky.social · 23d

Following the INDY's investigation into Yes for Durham, all four candidates the group endorsed have publicly rejected its support

Candidates Distance Themselves from Yes for Durham Following INDY Report

Candidates endorsed by Yes for Durham committed to not accept any money from the group, which has yet to disclose its leadership.

indyweek.com

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Lena Geller @writingthings.bsky.social · 23d

I didn't ask specifically about endorsement criteria, though in response to one of my other questions, they said "The organization is focused on advancing its policy agenda and has identified candidates who support that agenda."

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Lena Geller @writingthings.bsky.social · 25d

Scoop: A brand new nonprofit endorsing Durham candidates hasn’t disclosed its leadership—but initially listed an endorsed candidate’s husband’s property as its address, and mirrors her campaign messaging

Anonymous Durham Political Group Has Ties to Candidate It Endorsed

Yes for Durham made candidate endorsements. But the group, which hasn’t disclosed its leadership, has ties to one endorsed candidate.

indyweek.com

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Lena Geller @writingthings.bsky.social · Sep 1

the East Durham glory hole/Jesus banner mystery has been solved

Who's Coming to This East Durham Storefront? At Last, an Answer About an Eye-Catching Banner

After 15 years in downtown Durham, Dame’s Chicken & Waffles is relocating to 455 South Driver Street in East Durham.

indyweek.com

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Lena Geller @writingthings.bsky.social · Aug 18

I spent time with Chapel Hill residents whose home flooded during Tropical Storm Chantal. They're trapped in a house no one will buy, watching luxury apartments rise upstream while their land erodes beneath them.

They Can’t Sell. They Can’t Stay. From a Chapel Hill Floodway, the Future Looks Grim.

For Lou Horton and her husband, Chantal was a singular catastrophe and the yearslong culmination of watching their situation grow more precarious.

indyweek.com

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Reposted by Lena Geller

neilst.bsky.social @neilst.bsky.social · Aug 16

This is an area near us. In America now, make one serious mistake and unless you have wealth or a needed skill you are done. Happily we are higher than them; and about the highest house on our street. FEMA, I think, has bought endangered houses and destroyed them; no more.

They Can’t Sell. They Can’t Stay. From a Chapel Hill Floodway, The Future Looks Grim.

For Lou Horton and her husband, Chantal was a singular catastrophe and the yearslong culmination of watching their situation grow more precarious.

indyweek.com

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Reposted by Lena Geller

Sarah Edwards @eddysarah.bsky.social · Aug 16

Read this story! (by @writingthings.bsky.social)

They Can’t Sell. They Can’t Stay. From a Chapel Hill Floodway, The Future Looks Grim.

For Lou Horton and her husband, Chantal was a singular catastrophe and the yearslong culmination of watching their situation grow more precarious.

indyweek.com

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Reposted by Lena Geller

The Assembly @theassemblync.bsky.social · Aug 14

From @writingthings.bsky.social: Rev. Lorenzo Lynch Sr. was the patriarch of a prominent Durham family, his daughter Loretta the former U.S. attorney general. Now tenants of his derelict properties are mired in a legal dispute with the family.
www.theassemblync.com/politics/cou...

A Legacy in Limbo

Loretta Lynch's father Rev. Lorenzo Lynch Sr. was the patriarch of a prominent Durham family. Now tenants of his derelict properties and the family are in a legal dispute.

www.theassemblync.com

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Reposted by Lena Geller

Sarah Edwards @eddysarah.bsky.social · Aug 14

a hilarious and slightly unsettling story about an opulent drink deserves an opulent lede (@writingthings.bsky.social 🦀)

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Reposted by Lena Geller

Sarah Willets @sarahwillets.bsky.social · Aug 14

Even if you already heard about a Holly Springs bar trying to break the world record for largest Bloody Mary, you should read @indyweek.bsky.social's version bc a) you should read everything Lena @writingthings.bsky.social writes and b) no one else was behind the scenes for this behemoth's creation.

INDY Week @indyweek.bsky.social · Aug 14

“You can put this in print: we wanted to put our foot in their ass,” says Paul Walters, Alexis’s husband. “That way, next time somebody wants to step up, they just have to pull us out.”

A Private Investigator, 34 Texans, and an $8,887 Bloody Mary Walk Into a Holly Springs Bar

Last week, a group of out-of-towners traveled to local restaurant The Blind Pelican with ambitions of breaking multiple world records.

indyweek.com

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Reposted by Lena Geller

Sarah Edwards @eddysarah.bsky.social · Jul 30

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.

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.

indyweek.com

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Lena Geller @writingthings.bsky.social · Jul 28

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

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.

indyweek.com

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Lena Geller @writingthings.bsky.social · Jul 12

lol

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Peter Haugen @peterhaugen.bsky.social · Jul 10

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

Lena Geller @writingthings.bsky.social · Jul 9

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

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.

indyweek.com

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Lena Geller @writingthings.bsky.social · Jul 10

late summer ☀️

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Lena Geller @writingthings.bsky.social · Jul 9

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

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.

indyweek.com

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Reposted by Lena Geller

Melody Joy Kramer, MLIS @mkramer.bsky.social · Jul 9

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

INDY Week @indyweek.bsky.social · Jul 9

It was the kind of night that makes you think about your disaster preparedness plan, the women say—and whether to double down on planning or accept that some things are beyond your control.

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.

indyweek.com

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Reposted by Lena Geller

Sarah Edwards @eddysarah.bsky.social · Jul 9

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

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.

indyweek.com

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Lena Geller @writingthings.bsky.social · Jun 17

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

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.

indyweek.com

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Lena Geller @writingthings.bsky.social · Jun 13

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

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.

indyweek.com

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Lena Geller @writingthings.bsky.social · Jun 11

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

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Lena Geller @writingthings.bsky.social · Jun 9

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

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Lena Geller @writingthings.bsky.social · Jun 9

well, this is surreal!

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Lena Geller @writingthings.bsky.social · Jun 8

For College Students, It’s Summer Vacation. For Scavengers, It’s Christmas.

www.nytimes.com

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Lena Geller @writingthings.bsky.social · Jun 8

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

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