Click here to access all three episodes of the podcast ---------------------- The first time I walked into Rhodes Stadium on the campus of Elon University one thought immediately jumped into my mind. “Bill Hunter would have never believed this to be possible.” This happened in 2007, nine years after Hunter’s death in 1998 from cancer … Continue reading An Elon Football Odyssey: The impossible became possible (includes photo gallery)
Reporting and journalism
Covering our first hurricane: Hot, dirty, exhausted and oddly satisfied
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The 25 year anniversary of Hurricane Bertha slipped past me the other day -- July 12 to be precise. That was my first journalism experience -- or any experience at all -- with a hurricane making a direct landfall. This one was at Topsail when I worked for the Jacksonville Daily News. At … Continue reading Covering our first hurricane: Hot, dirty, exhausted and oddly satisfied
Saying goodbye to Frances Woody, a community treasure
Local newspapers used to be in the business of creating community treasures. They did so either through stories about people who step up to make a positive difference time after time in the cities and towns where they live or through manufacturing them in-house. The former was relatively easy. The latter takes some doing. Time … Continue reading Saying goodbye to Frances Woody, a community treasure
Updated: Now is not the time to cut funding for an election
Update on June 16. Monday night, June 15, my friend, Times-News reporter and former newspaper colleague Isaac Groves posted this on Twitter from the budget hearing of the Alamance County Board of Commissioners. I'm glad to see the commissioners make a move to help make the November elections process smoother. Thanks. It was something that … Continue reading Updated: Now is not the time to cut funding for an election
Carrying a life and death message forward from now on
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
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
Updated: Bob Sutton, the hardest working man in journalism is looking for what’s next
UPDATE: My longtime friend and former newspaper colleague at the Burlington Times-News is being honored July 21, 2020 by the city of Burlington, which declared in a proclamation with a bunch of whereases and therefores that today is Bob Sutton Day in Burlington noting his 25 years of high achievement and service as sports editor … Continue reading Updated: Bob Sutton, the hardest working man in journalism is looking for what’s next
Life at Elon: Heading into year four of this experiment
Today I enter my fourth year of working as a development writer at Elon University. To say leaving newspapers for higher education radically changed my life for the better is still a massive understatement. In fact my first day on the job was a clear indicator of just how different life would be. On the … Continue reading Life at Elon: Heading into year four of this experiment
Goodbye to the Newseum; hopefully it’s not the end of the story
Friday after roaming through six floors of images, exhibits, interactive features and videos telling the compelling story of journalism, the First Amendment and news we had one big question. Back on the first floor after an emotional, inspiring and exhausting journey through some of the most tragic stories of the past two centuries, my wife … Continue reading Goodbye to the Newseum; hopefully it’s not the end of the story
An anniversary of the beginning of the end . . . a newspaper story
I don't remember much about how Nov. 20, 2014 began. I only know it was a Thursday because I looked it up. Almost everything else is a big blank. I was still working in those days for the Burlington Times-News, where I was executive editor. I imagine I came into the office shortly after 8:30 … Continue reading An anniversary of the beginning of the end . . . a newspaper story
Madison's Avenue 