We found the TV show almost by accident. Someone with the same last name as my spouse was informed that "Papandrea" appeared as the last name of a byline for a Burlington Times-News story from around 2008 or 2009. He tracked down her work email via online search and sent her a message. He wanted … Continue reading Grave Secrets: TV program revisits an Alamance County murder
Community
Take part in this sharing season — for a friend
The Christmas season delivers a large supply of rich foods, rich gifts and rich excess of nearly every description. But it's also a season of mixed messages, confusion, conflicting expectations and an excess of poverty and despair of every description. It can be overwhelming. I'm just as likely to get down around the holidays as anyone … Continue reading Take part in this sharing season — for a friend
‘You can’t trust nobody’
My late Italian father-in-law, who came to the United States in the 1950s and learned to speak English by watching Martin and Lewis movies, had a frequently quoted saying in the family. It goes like this: "You can't trust nobody." Often the man we called "Papa Joe" made this observation during the holiday season, a … Continue reading ‘You can’t trust nobody’
Wonder why school is called early when snow is in the forecast? Here’s why
It's every school superintendent's nightmare -- making the call to dismiss students from school or cancel the day altogether when snow is in the forecast and doing so too late. That's why on Friday night the superintendent of schools in the mountain community where I grew up posted a video apology to parents and students … Continue reading Wonder why school is called early when snow is in the forecast? Here’s why
The story of Big Dave, a big man with an equally big heart
I probably should've posted this on what has become Giving Tuesday -- the Tuesday after Thanksgiving and Black Friday, and Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday and whatever they think of next to fill the hours on Sunday. It's inevitable. For many of us giving is something that's a part of the season stretching from … Continue reading The story of Big Dave, a big man with an equally big heart
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)
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 