Minutes after hearing the surprise announcement on June 28 that a food hall would be the next occupant of the vacant Company Shops Market in downtown Burlington, I had a couple of questions. The first was answered by a story I found in Forbes magazine about the emergence of food halls across the nation. The … Continue reading Burlington Food Hall the next piece in downtown puzzle
Learning to balance eagerness and caution, a baseball story
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've told this story a few times over the years. It should probably stand as my Father's Day and summertime post for the rest of my days. ---- Probably no little kid wanted to play Little League Baseball more than I did. That might seem like an exaggeration. I don't think so. If … Continue reading Learning to balance eagerness and caution, a baseball story
Satisfying my longtime curiosity about the old May Hosiery Mill, uh, May Hosiery Lofts
I have always had some curiosity about the old May Hosiery Mill in downtown Burlington. During my first nine years working across the street from it at the Burlington Times-News it was still a functioning operation. It was joined to another building across Morehead Street with an overhead connection between the two buildings with Kayser-Roth … Continue reading Satisfying my longtime curiosity about the old May Hosiery Mill, uh, May Hosiery Lofts
Now we know what’s coming to the old Company Shops Market
a little more than a year ago I wrote about the sad demise of Company Shops Market, a grocery co-op that opened with great promise in May of 2011. The market was seen as an anchor for Burlington's then-struggling downtown and a symbol of hope for a bright future filled with locally produced food and … Continue reading Now we know what’s coming to the old Company Shops Market
Bringing home a piece of Charleston
We visited Charleston, South Carolina for the first time five or six years ago. That's when we met W. Hampton Brand, an artist who offers pieces of that historic and beautiful waterfront city that folks can take home if they want to, you know, pay a few dollars. So we did. Last week Roselee and … Continue reading Bringing home a piece of Charleston
Review: ‘The Rise and Fall of the Branchhead Boys’ the story of an N.C. political dynasty
The Rise and Fall of the Branchhead Boys: North Carolina's Scott Family and the Era of Progressive Politics; By Rob Christensen; University of North Carolina Press; 2019; 322 pages. In today's polarized political environment it is almost impossible to imagine a time when elected leaders worked to solve the day-to-day problems of average people struggling … Continue reading Review: ‘The Rise and Fall of the Branchhead Boys’ the story of an N.C. political dynasty
Updated: Concerned about the death of local news
UPDATE NOV. 14, 2019: The vote by shareholders concerning the future of a planned $1.2 billion merger of two large newspaper corporations is underway today, according to this story in the Burlington Times-News, one of newspapers impacted by this deal. I expect it to be approved, which will combine GateHouse Media (New Media) and Gannett … Continue reading Updated: Concerned about the death of local news
Meeting neighbors downtown for coffee
The first, First Tuesday Downtown Coffee Talk -- downtown Burlington's version of Elon University's College Coffee -- went pretty much as expected. A crowd of 30 was predicted to attend the initial 9:30 a.m. event at the Historic Depot downtown and that's almost exactly what we got. It was a nice mixture that included city … Continue reading Meeting neighbors downtown for coffee
Speaking of journalism: What I told a civic club in 2014
This is the basic text of a speech I gave to the Burlington Kiwanis Club five years ago -- May 29, 2014 -- back when I was editor of the Burlington Times-News. I was coming to the end of my journalism career then and I knew it. But I had seen a lot in terms … Continue reading Speaking of journalism: What I told a civic club in 2014
Making things happen at Elon
When I talk to people at Elon University about the intersection of business, science, engineering and the arts the expression I hear most is cross-disciplinary. It's about meeting the growing demand by students for multiple fields of study often in wide-ranging disciplines. By extension there is also a demand by employers for students with a … Continue reading Making things happen at Elon
Madison's Avenue 