Monday night the Alamance-Burlington Board of Education unanimously endorsed the concept of a bold plan for new school districts. Some of the stickier details are still to be worked out, bonds for a new school and renovations at others approved and there is some consternation over aspects of the new alignment by board members. Still, … Continue reading Preserving the rich history of two schools under redistricting
Month: January 2017
The future roles of government, politics at the next Community Connections
When planning began for this year’s schedule of Community Connections forums I was very much still entrenched in newspapers and the Burlington Times-News, where I was executive editor for almost 10 years. A lot can change in a few weeks and months. That first meeting to plot our fourth year of public conversations about issues … Continue reading The future roles of government, politics at the next Community Connections
Book Review: Kids These Days
Here's another book review from the recent past that I thought was lost in online vapor due to corporate changeovers. It was written by Drew Perry, an Elon professor and was his second novel.I enjoyed both. I have yet to meet Perry in person. I hope to one of these days on campus. Here goes … Continue reading Book Review: Kids These Days
A moment in history: Attending the first Obama inauguration
UPDATE 2021: On the day the 45th president of the United States was inaugurated in 2017 I wrote about the first inaugural of Barack Obama, a historic day in January of 2009 we witnessed in the largest crowd and the coldest morning and afternoon imaginable. I reflected upon the moment in a peaceful and happy … Continue reading A moment in history: Attending the first Obama inauguration
My favorite thank you note. Yes, we can get along
Back in the days when I was a newspaper editor, that precarious time long ago in November 2016 when it seemed all but certain that the Green Bay Packers would miss the NFL playoffs, there were really only a handful of things I would tell reporters just starting at the Times-News. I'm talking beyond the … Continue reading My favorite thank you note. Yes, we can get along
Libraries yesterday, today and tomorrow
When MJ Wilkerson asked if I would be interested in joining a committee tasked to chart the future of Alamance County libraries, I was flattered. But more than that, there is a history. My grandmother was a key figure in bringing a library to Stokes County decades ago. My first career was in newspapers and … Continue reading Libraries yesterday, today and tomorrow
By way of introduction
About six weeks ago I closed the long chapter of a career writing and editing newspapers. It was a rewarding experience that spanned more than three decades and led me from one side of North Carolina to another. As a reporter I covered sports, crime, government and some education. I wrote movie reviews for a … Continue reading By way of introduction
Book Review: ‘Intangiball’
Of more recent vintage but I still have many others to track down. --- “Intangiball: The Subtle Things that win Baseball Games”; by Lonnie Wheeler; Simon and Schuster, 2015; 271 pages. In 2003 the book “Moneyball” by Michael Lewis altered the way people inside and outside of baseball thought about the game. In a narrative … Continue reading Book Review: ‘Intangiball’
Book review: ‘The Big Short’
I wrote this one in 2010 when the book by Michael Lewis was released about the economic collapse of 2008 — later the book was made into a movie I have yet to see. I can’t imagine it’s better than the book, which I still highly recommend. — The standard advice for an investigative journalist … Continue reading Book review: ‘The Big Short’
Fear a World Without Journalism
I first published this on a newspaper blog site in 2016. It stemmed from something I noticed in the first season of "Fear the Walking Dead" on AMC. It was devoid of reporting about the looming zombie apocalypse. Pretty important story -- or at least it should be. So I knocked this off. --- After … Continue reading Fear a World Without Journalism
Madison's Avenue 