The Chatham News + Record

Perch Coworking's 2,000 square-foot space features 12 personal workspaces, three private office suites and a conference room that can be reserved by the hour.

Work fills the time alloted for it. As Joe Pinsker wrote for The Atlantic last month: “When we have 40 hours of work a week, we find ways to work for 40 hours.” That’s not to say we … more

BY D. LARS DOLDER, News + Record Staff | 7/21/21

For Chatham’s unvaccinated, it’s time for a reality check

It’s time for a reality check. That’s the message from both a World Health Organization epidemiologist and the director of the Chatham County Public Health Department (see story, page A1) in … more

CN+R STAFF EDITORIAL | 7/21/21

What makes a home?

Home. Before your mind jumps to the physical and metaphorical meanings of this loaded word, try saying it slowly out loud. Or, if you are reading this in public, you could whisper quietly. Home. Do … more

BY ANDREW TAYLOR-TROUTMAN, Columnist | 7/21/21

North Carolina can lead on LGBTQ nondiscrimination

As a longtime North Carolina faith leader, I am hoping that Senators Richard Burr and Thom Tillis will help find common ground to ensure fairness and equality for all Americans. For decades, … more

By Rev. Troy Lesher-Thomas, Guest Columnist | 7/21/21

Rep. Reives: Child Tax Credit is one of most pro-family policies enacted by Congress in generations

Last week, many families across our community woke up to a deposit in their bank account via the Child Tax Credit. That money, signed into law by President Biden in the American Rescue Plan, has not … more

From Rep. Robert Reives II | 7/21/21

A missing woman in Manteo — and it’s not Virginia Dare

What happened to her? If you raise this question in Manteo on Roanoke Island at the edge of the Outer Banks, people will think you are asking about Virginia Dare. In 1587, she was the first … more

By D.G. Martin, Guest Columnist | 7/21/21

Right thing may take time but it’s worth the effort

Is it just me or is the milk of human kindness in short supply these days? Or has it always been in short supply and I was — or still am — just too stupid or naïve to notice the volume … more

BY BOB WACHS, Columnist | 7/21/21

On backyard gardening

Watching our garden grow apace under the blazing summer sun brings me no end of joy. I married a woman with a green thumb. My Elizabeth is more of an herb and flower kind of gardener than the … more

By Dwayne Walls Jr., Columnist | 7/21/21

Fireworks — fun and philanthropic

Everyone’s seen the fireworks tents that pop up in the week before July 4, but what happens to the take-home-combustibles business in the other 51 weeks of the year? Not a whole lot. “The … more

BY D. LARS DOLDER, News + Record Staff | 7/14/21

'The problem this history presents today is that,' Columnist Eliza Brinkley writes, 'even in a post-second and third wave feminist era, teachers in the United States — male and female alike — suffer from a view of education that remains marred in part by the outdated, sexist ideology of the past.'

Why do we shortchange teachers so badly?

On June 21, state Senate leaders presented a budget spending proposal that would slash corporate taxes and invest heavily in infrastructure. Despite the state’s $6.5 billion surplus, public school … more

By Eliza Brinkley, Guest Columnist | 7/14/21

Healthcare and hubris

My wife and I were both raised in North Carolina. After more than a decade out of state, we were delighted to become Tar Heels again in 2018. Our home state stands out in our minds as the best place … more

BY ANDREW TAYLOR-TROUTMAN, Columnist | 7/14/21

How about turning the nozzle down on all that high-pressure salesmanship?

We’re kicking around the idea of replacing the shower in a bathroom at our house. In the process, as we’ve talked to a few companies specializing in that kind of refurbishment work, I’ve been … more

BY BILL HORNER III, Publisher | 7/14/21

Comic strips, O. Henry, and this column

It has happened again. As reported in this column recently, the Library of America honored the late Elizabeth Spencer on June 1 by adding to its series an 864-page volume of her work. This month … more

By D.G. Martin, Guest Columnist | 7/14/21

We all want better schools

North Carolinians disagree about a great deal. But here’s a proposition virtually all of us endorse: the future of our state is closely tied to the amount and quality of education our people … more

By John Hood, Guest Columnist | 7/14/21

Senate budget heading to a veto

Wouldn’t it be nice if our state elected officials worked together amicably to craft a biennial budget? One with the primary purpose of meeting needs instead of furthering political agendas? One … more

By Tom Campbell, Guest Columnist | 7/14/21

What are the issues in today’s tax rate debate?

Tax policy is always a controversial issue, and we’re about to have another round of debate over taxes. At the national level, there are proposals to increase a variety of tax rates. Here in … more

By Mike Walden, Guest Columnist | 7/14/21

What’s in a word? Could be plenty.

The good folks who listen to me in the morning from Sunday to Sunday — maybe “endure” would be a better word — know how I often speak of the importance of words and how we should strive to … more

BY BOB WACHS, Columnist | 7/14/21

The author, left, with his father, Lorne Baker.

Finally, a trip back to Busch Stadium with my dad

A few days after returning home to St. Louis from the University of Missouri back in March of 2020 because of the spread of COVID-19, my mom had a sudden realization. “I totally forgot there … more

By Max Baker, News + Record Staff | 7/7/21

The author shown during the backpacking trip she took with her youth group from Chapel Hill Bible Church the last week of June.

On disconnecting and reconnecting again

Two weeks ago, I was backpacking with my church youth group in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains when it hit me: anything could happen in the outside world, and I wouldn’t know it. That Tuesday, … more

BY HANNAH McCLELLAN, News + Record Staff | 7/7/21

Reflecting on the Revolution

On this past Sunday we celebrated our 245th year of independence from British kings. In the spirit of the day I would like to share some words from a man who was there at the start of the … more

By Dwayne Walls Jr., Columnist | 7/7/21