Election night recount

Stop me if this sounds familiar: Life was proceeding on Tuesday night as it usually does, and then I was plunged into unremitting darkness.

In my case, though, the scenario was literal. I usually rent spare bedrooms when I’m on the road, since I never want to squander subscribers’ dollars, but booked a hotel room on Election Night so I could watch the returns. (For those who haven’t tangled with Airbnb, its hosts’ entertainment standard is Roku.) Before polls closed in Kentucky, I was seated quasi-comfortably in front of a big-screen TV, awaiting delivery of goat biryani and sarson ka saag from Bazil Indian Cuisine​​​​​​​.

I was still at my makeshift dining table at 9:58 p.m., when the DoubleTree Raleigh Midtown lost power.

It’s hard to convey the uncanny stillness of a shutdown hotel room. Without the hum of an HVAC system, and with primo blackout curtains blocking any light from parking lot poles, the space offers what seems like an unhealthy amount of sensory deprivation.

Fortunately, I was eventually able to locate my phone, and resume viewing online, at least until the void became preferable to the news. The whole episode (which, if you’re wondering, lasted about five hours) was a terrific reminder that reporters are always doing the work, even when it’s not immediately visible.

Of course, I already knew that journalists are essential to elections, and the health of the democratic system behind them. The whole reason I went to the Triangle was the Campaign for Better Election Night Pizza, a TFS initiative to make sure hardworking reporters eat as well as the powerful people they cover. 

Following a popular vote that selected Pizzeria Toro as the best local pizza parlor open on Tuesdays, I was in town to deliver pies to various newsrooms.

That’s one way to support independent media. But the tried-and-true way to support publications producing rigorous journalism—this one included—is to purchase a paid subscription. I hope you’ll consider it.

Right: Bonitta Best of The Triangle Tribune on Election Night.

But, back to pizza. We ended up with more TFS pizza boxes than we needed for the Campaign, so we’ve partnered with Oakwood Pizza Box in Raleigh, my personal pick for best pizzeria in the Triangle. (It’s closed on Tuesdays.)

This Wednesday, November 13, Anthony Guerra’s restaurant will send out pizzas in TFS boxes—and we’ll donate to Rural Organizing and Resilence’s Hurricane Helene fund for every pizza sold.

Look, I know I’m making a bunch of big asks here. Protect journalism! Rescue western North Carolina! I have a feeling none of this is making a tough week feel any less whelming.

An anchovy pizza from Oakwood, though? Heck, that might help. You can even place your order in advance.

Thank you, friends.