We're in another Atlantic Hurricane Season and the most active time is basically from now to October. In just the past week Hurricane Chris bypassed an East Coast landfall and puttered north over the Atlantic. Meanwhile, Beryl went pitthhh -- a highly scientific term, I admit -- before entering the Gulf Coast. I hope it … Continue reading Fluent in authentic weather gibberish
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
That time Susan Sarandon visited Graham
I wrote this at about the time the film "Bull Durham" celebrated its 10th anniversary in 1998. The baseball film comedy just turned 30 in June so it's time to share it again. A big chunk of the popular movie starring Kevin Costner and Susan Sarandon was filmed at minor league ballparks and other locations … Continue reading That time Susan Sarandon visited Graham
The summer of 1968 and my first Major League baseball game
The summer of 1968 was a pivotal and contentious year around the world, and especially so in America. The country was at war in a place few had ever heard of. The Tet Offensive in January signaled a problem there in Vietnam far greater than U.S. leaders would admit and an increasingly embattled incumbent president … Continue reading The summer of 1968 and my first Major League baseball game
Black, white and red all over
When reports first surfaced Thursday afternoon about the mass shooting at the Capital Gazette, a newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland, dozens of thoughts crossed my mind simultaneously. I'm an old newspaper guy after all and even though I left the business in November of 2016, there's no such thing as a former journalist, especially for someone … Continue reading Black, white and red all over
Remembering Mike: Great tunes for an even greater cause
I have reached an age where I read more news on social media about cancer impacting those around me than about the exploits of their children. That's how it is when you're gaining on age 59. Two years ago this week, we lost my aunt Nancy Kate to cancer. A friend just the other day … Continue reading Remembering Mike: Great tunes for an even greater cause
Playing referee for the ‘national psychosis’
A couple of weeks ago I was having a conversation by phone with my 86-year-old mother. At some point, and I'm not exactly sure how we got there, I told her bluntly, "Mom, people just aren't worth talking to anymore." I was only joking -- in part. She was probably appalled, even though she's known … Continue reading Playing referee for the ‘national psychosis’
Throwback Thursday: Remembering Dean Smith, the extraordinary man
I wrote this in September of 2012, well before legendary college basketball coach Dean Smith died on February 7, 2015 at age 83. I saw an old book (written in 1980) about Smith at the annual Friends of the Library Book Sale. I saw, bought and read it as problems in the UNC athletics programs … Continue reading Throwback Thursday: Remembering Dean Smith, the extraordinary man
Thanks to the county for honoring an important promise
A few years ago, back when I was a newspaper guy and someone seen as worth talking to about important stuff in the community, a group from the Alamance Friends of the Library asked for a sit-down at the Burlington Times-News office. I had no idea what they wanted to discuss but I was more … Continue reading Thanks to the county for honoring an important promise
The leadership to make Alamance County competitive in the modern world
A couple of weeks ago, Alamance-Burlington Board of Education member Brian Feeley made this observation on his political Facebook page: One penny. A one-cent raise to the property tax rate will avoid forced school budget cuts at a time when our county is growing. Someone I respect recently joked that “political leadership” is an oxymoron. … Continue reading The leadership to make Alamance County competitive in the modern world
Madison's Avenue 