As a newspaper reporter, editor and now community blogger, I have written about the evils of racism for almost 40 years. I have pointed out biases, called out politicians, noted historical incidents like lynchings, attempted to define the idea of privilege, saluted black and white leaders who mattered, taken part in Rev. Dr. Martin Luther … Continue reading Carrying a life and death message forward from now on
Author: madisontdawg
Faded memory: Not just another goat tale
This is a column I wrote for the Jacksonville Daily News in 1996 from a collection compiled by my wife Roselee just before we got married in 1997. In those days I wrote often about growing up in Stokes County, especially during the summer months when childhood memories for me are strongest. And in those … Continue reading Faded memory: Not just another goat tale
Blanche Moore: Not the biggest story but the toughest I was involved in
Last fall I sat down with two Elon students for coffee at The Oak House, a popular spot downtown across from the main campus for coffee by day and something a little more potent at night. I was meeting them as part of their newspaper internship with the Burlington Times-News. Elon's School of Communications requires … Continue reading Blanche Moore: Not the biggest story but the toughest I was involved in
Just a phase: What’s reopening and how in downtown Burlington
A few hours after North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper unfurled the new and slightly confusing "Safer at Home" phase two plan for reopening the state during the COVID-19 pandemic, restaurants and other impacted businesses in Alamance County began their own rollouts for how to serve customers safely in the weeks and months ahead. And it's … Continue reading Just a phase: What’s reopening and how in downtown Burlington
A prediction that was eerily accurate
Several years ago, just about a year before we got married, Roselee created a really cool gift for me. It was a bound booklet of nearly two years worth of my columns published in the Jacksonville Daily News when I was managing editor there. It took a lot of work to put it together. She … Continue reading A prediction that was eerily accurate
From the Wayback Machine: Tribute to a true sports writing legend
The other day I wrote about the sad departure of Burlington Times-News sports editor Bob Sutton after 25 years due to corporate layoffs related to the merger of GateHouse Media and Gannett. I noted then that I had worked with the best sports editor in the newspaper's history -- the late Bill Hunter -- and … Continue reading From the Wayback Machine: Tribute to a true sports writing legend
Bob Sutton: The hardest working man in journalism is looking for what’s next
When I returned to the Burlington Times-News in 2007 as executive editor, one of the first people I wanted to meet was Bob Sutton, the sports editor. Bob was hardly new to the job then. His dedication, commitment and work habits were already the stuff of legend. And if I recall correctly, he had just … Continue reading Bob Sutton: The hardest working man in journalism is looking for what’s next
Book Review: ‘Deacon King Kong’ is a rollicking romp
"Deacon King Kong"; By James McBride; 2020, Riverhead Books; 270 pages. In devouring every delightful sentence or poignant passage in "Deacon King Kong" it is impossible to believe that author James McBride didn't have a grand time writing each and every word. That's how much fun it is to visit this slice of south Brooklyn … Continue reading Book Review: ‘Deacon King Kong’ is a rollicking romp
An Easter tradition still endures despite . . .
Three years ago I wrote about the only long-standing Easter tradition in my immediate family -- placing flowers at the Danbury Town Cemetery on graves in the area marked of for the Taylors. The headline back in March of 2018, "An Enduring Easter Tradition." Today I am happy to report that it still endures, even … Continue reading An Easter tradition still endures despite . . .
Adjusting to our new abnormal normal
Sunday morning was the first time I woke up unsure of what day it might be. Saturday, perhaps? Didn't seem like Saturday. Then again, what does Saturday feel like anymore? Monday? Nah, it was too late in the day to be Monday -- 9 a.m. is past my normal 8:30 a.m. weekday telephone meeting with … Continue reading Adjusting to our new abnormal normal
