Tim Sutton told me once that he wasn't too concerned about what his legacy as an elected county leader might be. He simply didn't care. It was an interesting statement that could be taken multiple ways. I have spoken to the longtime Alamance County commissioner dating back to his pre-elected office days -- when he … Continue reading Deja vu all over again for the county budget and education spending
Month: May 2018
Unlucky seven: The demise of Company Shops Co-op
I saw the headline on Twitter this afternoon and had two immediate thoughts. First. "It's a damn shame." And second, "I knew it." The headline? "Company Shops Market shutting down Sunday." It's a damn shame. Here's how the story on the Burlington Times-News website reads so far. It's a breaking news item and I expect … Continue reading Unlucky seven: The demise of Company Shops Co-op
A first lesson in you never know what you might find
Sometime in 1983 while on my first reporting job after college my then-new friend and newspaper colleague Fletcher Waynick told me about something I thought was pretty interesting. He thought it would make a pretty good story and I agreed. It was my first lesson in "you never know what you might find in the … Continue reading A first lesson in you never know what you might find
Fear of Alzheimer’s and having an important conversation
We don't always watch TV together at our house anymore. New technology probably made this inevitable. We had only one TV in our house for the first dozen years of our married life. That was by design. We figured with just one TV we would have to share more and talk more. It was, and … Continue reading Fear of Alzheimer’s and having an important conversation
Updated with fall schedule: A source of Inspiration at Elon
UPDATE: Earlier this year I posted the story below with videos about a wonderful program on Thursday mornings at Elon. The fall schedule is now underway for the Thursday Inspirations at Numen Lumen Pavilion. The theme this year is "Authentic Identities." Thursday Sept. 6 in the Numen Lumen Sacred Space Dr. Alan Russell, associate professor … Continue reading Updated with fall schedule: A source of Inspiration at Elon
The billions of thank yous I owe Mom
This is a column I wrote in 1997 with the Jacksonville Daily News -- published on Mother's Day, May 11. I'm still thanking my Mom, by the way. ---------------------------------------- My mother was a journalist. She was apparently pretty good at it too. At least the North Carolina Press Association thought so. They gave her an … Continue reading The billions of thank yous I owe Mom
The separation of law enforcement, justice and politics
The two least surprising pieces of news out of Election Day in Alamance County were the following: First: Incumbent District Attorney Pat Nadolski lost to challenger and one-time colleague Sean Boone in the Republican primary. And second: Subsequently Nadolski was not immediately available for comment about it. Absolutely no politician wants to talk to the … Continue reading The separation of law enforcement, justice and politics
Throwback Thursday: Ric Flair used to date a girl from Richlands
Another in a series of recently unearthed columns written for the Jacksonville Daily News last century, Feb. 23, 1997 to be exact. This one was sparked by what else, a random newsroom conversation. I'm still friends with the major players and Richlands -- pronounced Rich-lands -- is still the center of the known universe (I … Continue reading Throwback Thursday: Ric Flair used to date a girl from Richlands
Baseball’s latest record achievement is hardly a hit (updated)
I haven't seen the final figures but unless something weird happened Monday, April 30 the month will make history for hitting futility in Major League Baseball. For the first time in modern history, baseball players on the Major League level will strike out more times than they recorded a hit during a month. See the … Continue reading Baseball’s latest record achievement is hardly a hit (updated)
Madison's Avenue 