I saw the news yesterday when my wife sent over a link via email to the website Deadline Hollywood. The headline was very specific, unlike those wedged into small newspaper spaces: "Sidney Kimmel to finance & produce Jessica-Sanders-directed 'Picking Cotton.'" The names of the people involved didn't immediately mean much to me. But the title, … Continue reading Picking Cotton: A story that endures
About Alamance County
Keeping a successful used bookstore in downtown Burlington
I got a message last week from Bennett Harris, the owner of Steam Junction, downtown Burlington's maker space. He was letting me know that Shawna Gentert, our colleague on the Burlington Downtown Corporation Board of Directors and owner with her husband Herb of Persnickety Books, would be leaving the area soon. The family is returning … Continue reading Keeping a successful used bookstore in downtown Burlington
Volunteering at the polls: Yes we can get along and (hopefully) accomplish things
The thing about working as a volunteer at the polls, especially during early voting, is that you get to meet and talk to a lot of people. Many of them are people who don't all think alike. Some in fact, are very different. So you converse with them, learn about their families, jobs and lives. … Continue reading Volunteering at the polls: Yes we can get along and (hopefully) accomplish things
Good homes for Don Bolden’s images of Alamance County
My one-time newspaper editor and longtime friend Don Bolden had by his own estimation more than 2,000 photos in his possession at the time of his death. They are images of Burlington, Graham, Elon and other points in Alamance County dating to his start in media as a photographer for his high school newspaper just … Continue reading Good homes for Don Bolden’s images of Alamance County
Showing signs of support for the education bonds
This fall marks historic first. I have an election sign in my front yard. That's right, I'm visibly supporting something. It was the easiest decision I've ever made. But this is still uncharted territory. Because I worked in newspapers I always felt such preferential expressions were personally wrong. So I never had a sign endorsing … Continue reading Showing signs of support for the education bonds
How old are schools in Alamance County?
How old are the schools in Alamance County? Let's start with very, very old and work from there. In fact, at least one is far older than most would believe and the others aren't all that far behind. Think pre-World War I, old. That's old. The last high school was built here 48 years ago. … Continue reading How old are schools in Alamance County?
The case of the Alamance 12
Do a quick search on Google under the keywords Alamance 12. You'll find a few stories right away about what has become a notorious and politically charged (what isn't these days) case involving illegal voting in the county I call home. Most of the stories are from the local newspaper, the Burlington Times-News, where I … Continue reading The case of the Alamance 12
The life of Don Bolden: Editor emeritus, citizen emeritus
I wrote this news obituary about my one-time boss and longtime friend Don Bolden for the Burlington Times-News in advance of his death. I was asked if I would take on this assignment so the newspaper would have something substantial in hand when the end came. I sent this to city editor Tom Jones in … Continue reading The life of Don Bolden: Editor emeritus, citizen emeritus
Don Bolden, Jan. 19, 1933-Aug. 2, 2018: There will never be another like him
NOTE: Please follow this link to read the comprehensive obituary story about Don in the Times-News. I walked through the entrance to Alamance Regional Medical Center and headed toward the reception area. I applied hand sanitizer from the nearby dispenser and asked the woman behind the counter which room Don Bolden was in. "He's in … Continue reading Don Bolden, Jan. 19, 1933-Aug. 2, 2018: There will never be another like him
Pizza to go and restaurant gone in Graham
Probably the most disappointing local news item I read over the July 4 holiday weekend was this one in the Burlington Times-News. The headline, "Plans for Eddy Pub owners' Graham Italian restaurant nixed" tells only part of the story. The decision not only knocks the new Eddy Pub restaurant out of downtown Graham but might … Continue reading Pizza to go and restaurant gone in Graham
Madison's Avenue 