Dec 26, 2012 – Jan 1, 2013

Dec 26, 2012 - Jan 1, 2013 / Vol. 26 / No. 44

Cover Story

CL‘s top picks of parties, events for New Year’s Eve 2012

Oh, those doomsayer Mayans — they made us sweat a little on Dec. 21, the day the world was supposed to end. What an epic fail that was! Not that we’re pointing fingers; after all, interpreters clearly missed the mark on the prophecy, and besides, when was the last time you built a pyramid? In…

Anita Overcash

The unifying power of Amendment One

Donielle Prophete thought her transgender sibling, Toni Alston, was safe in Charlotte. Her younger brother, as Prophete still calls her, was able to live and work while living as a woman, wearing Diana Ross-sized wigs and floral shirts. But in 2010, Alston was shot and killed at her west Charlotte home at the age of…

Joanne Spataro

3 questions with Rob Bennett, manager at How Do You Roll

Less than two years ago, Rob Bennett was on the hunt for his next big undertaking. After graduating from Green Mountain College in Vermont with a degree in facilities management, the native of Westchester, N.Y., took on a series of entrepreneurial ventures. Aside from working in management at a number of restaurants and delis over…

Zacch Estrada-Petersen

Bizarre crimes from Charlotte police files (Dec. 27)

Jail Birds: A couple of women on their way to visit a friend in jail may have plenty of time to hang out with her after they assaulted each other during the trip. Both victims told officers that they were on their way to Gaston County, where the friend is locked up, but they began…

Ryan Pitkin

How to shop for the best inexpensive bubbly

Sparkling wine is the little black dress of the food world. Whether dressed up for New Year’s Eve or served casually with tapas, this wine brings the “on” to any occasion, celebratory or not. The problem is, many people think they know this wine, but they don’t. Why? Their experience with a cheap, one-note sparkler…

Tricia Childress

No honors for Jesse Helms

So Tea Partiers got their butts handed to them, as American voters rejected the right wing’s delusions, bluster and biases in an election the right had Foxed themselves into believing they’d win in a landslide. So what does Tea Party favorite U.S. Rep. Renee Ellmers of Dunn do? She ignores reality, of course — an…

John Grooms

Racist Facebook posts hide fear

In the days after the presidential election, I became intrigued by the racial backlash that permeated my Facebook newsfeed, which included statements such as, “Our way of life is being threatened” and “Obama only won because of ‘gifts’ he gave to minorities.” The media has reported more extreme Facebook post-election reactions, such as the young…

Charles Easley

Weekly horoscope (Dec. 27, 2012-Jan. 2, 2013)

Capricorn The Goat (Dec. 21-Jan. 19)You are gaining strength and ready to tackle a challenge. You are launching a new project in self-definition. Anything new can be intimidating, but remind yourself that you stand on the security of personal experience and research in your field. For All Signs: Before Congress went home for the holidays,…

Vivian Carol

Through the looking glass: The year in concert photos

Photographs are meant to tell a story. They capture a moment and can convey emotions in the simplest ways. Sometimes, however, there’s more to the story than meets the eye. When going through photos for the sixth annual Year in Music photo collection, I scanned thousands of photos from the more than 100 concerts I…

Jeff Hahne

Wham, Bam, Thank You, Ma’am

Charlotte Roller Girls, the Queen City’s oldest and largest roller-derby league, are gathering for their final practice of the year. It gets rowdy. Between the All-Stars (starters), B-Dazzlers and new recruits, the league boasts about 70 active members, ages 20 to 48. This night, about 30 skaters are in the house and the camaraderie is…

Emiene Wright

Immigration debate misses human angle

I had a baby this summer. Exhausted and overjoyed after giving birth, I sat in a hospital bed holding my newborn son as close friends and relatives came by to offer their congratulations. I smiled for pictures, debated about whether he looked more like me or his dad, and introduced him to his older brother.…

Ailen Arreaza

Sex trafficking survivor Jillian Mourning finds L.O.V.E.

When Jillian Mourning was 19, she flew from Charlotte to Scottsdale, Ariz., for a modeling gig. Her booking agent sat beside her on the flight. “I considered him, at the time, like a father figure,” Mourning says. “He would ask about my family and school. All the while, it was his way of breaking down…

Joanne Spataro

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