It was in early November of 2013 when I began to notice an odd sensation on the right side of my head -- like tiny bugs with intermittently sharp claws were crawling there without stopping. It wasn't exactly painful, but not pleasant either. It was . . . wrong. It happened the week of municipal … Continue reading And now for a public service announcement about . . . shingles
Author: madisontdawg
Another pitch for Bill Hunter’s addition to the N.C. Sports Hall of Fame
They buried Caulton Tudor the other day, an occasion for more than a few stories among sports writers who covered the ACC and other events in North Carolina the previous four decades. Lots of tall tales, lots of laughing, lots of memories shared of games covered and late nights afterward, when the deadline was history and … Continue reading Another pitch for Bill Hunter’s addition to the N.C. Sports Hall of Fame
Still a sticking point
A couple of years ago I got a telephone call on Election Day from someone who would one day be among my colleagues in a new job outside newspapers or even journalism. Jon Dooley, now vice president for Student Life at Elon University, rang me up on the day of Burlington's municipal elections in November of … Continue reading Still a sticking point
Compassion, peace, healing and the the idea that nothing has to stay the same
"They do what?" I remember asking my spouse a few years ago when she first described what has become an annual ritual event at Elon University. "They use colored sand to make art. It takes a few days and when it's finished they destroy it," Roselee said as if that explained everything anyone might need … Continue reading Compassion, peace, healing and the the idea that nothing has to stay the same
The time I got to look inside LabCorp
Thought about this experience the other day as I was thumbing through my longtime friend Don Bolden's new book about the history of LabCorp, Alamance County's largest employer and a global giant in medical testing. Yes, LabCorp is headquartered in downtown Burlington but its branches spread throughout the community -- and the nation. Indeed, specimens … Continue reading The time I got to look inside LabCorp
How to avoid a Tornado Warning and other Community Connections thoughts
Memo to us, otherwise known as the Community Connections Planning Committee: In the future, avoid dates for our forums that include the words “Tornado Warning.” Seems simple enough. Yes, what the TV weather forecasters like to call “severe weather” crashed our party on Monday, Oct. 23 at Elon University. Conditions conducive to tornado formation were … Continue reading How to avoid a Tornado Warning and other Community Connections thoughts
A tradition continues at Bourbon, Dogs and Art (includes photo gallery)
When we bought our first piece of original art created by Steve Durland he gave us something extra to take home, too -- a shot glass. That was a first. Then again, what else would the proprietor of a place called "Bourbon, Dogs and Art" do? That initial trip came because of the first Studio … Continue reading A tradition continues at Bourbon, Dogs and Art (includes photo gallery)
Throwback Thursday: A night I would rather forget
This throwback column was first written in June of 2010 but is about something that happened nearly 30 years before, an event I had neither written about nor spoken of in years. I think I felt the time was right to put it out there because of our coverage of a now deceased legislator who … Continue reading Throwback Thursday: A night I would rather forget
An enduring legacy from the Beirut massacre
Today marks a sad anniversary in U.S. history. It's one that passes without much thought for a vast majority of Americans. It's an anniversary I can never let go. That's what comes from working for 15 years in a military community, where tragedy on an almost epic scale is never far away. Jacksonville, North Carolina … Continue reading An enduring legacy from the Beirut massacre
It began with a green envelope
The first letter from a person I never met was inside a green envelope and landed unceremoniously atop my desk on Oct. 20, 2011. It started this way. "Dear Mr. Taylor, "The other day the Times-News ran an editorial which mentioned, in part, the problems the Erich and Hornbuckle families are dealing with as the … Continue reading It began with a green envelope
Madison's Avenue 