The Chatham News + Record

Randall RIGSBEE Randall Reflects Randall RIGSBEE Randall Reflects We take precautions against weather in order to mitigate, to the extent that we can, its impact on us. Examples … more

BY RANDALL RIGSBEE, News + Record Staff | 6/14/19

Books on Break: instilling the opportunity for — and joy of — reading

I walked into Siler City Elementary School’s library last Thursday morning feeling like I’d stumbled unsuspectingly into a gold mine. The treasure? Books, and lots of them. Libraries are … more

BY BILL HORNER III, Publisher | 6/14/19

What’s behind ‘holidays’ anyway?

On the desk in my study is a large calendar. Occasionally, I can find it if I move all the papers, notes, stacks of books to be read sometime in the future, bits of memorabilia created by a … more

BY BOB WACHS, News + Record Staff | 6/14/19

Lake Bell, Bobby Moynihan, Jenny Slate and Hannibal Buress star in 'The Secret Life of Pets 2.'

Uninteresting, episodic 'Pets 2' lacks magic, imagination of original

The Secret Lives of Pets 2 Grade: C Director: Chris Renaud Starring the voices of: Patton Oswalt, Eric Stonestreet, Kevin Hart, Jenny Slate, Tiffany Haddish, Lake Bell, Nick Kroll, Dana … more

BY NEIL MORRIS, CN+R Film Critic | 6/9/19

The slippery allure of Mt. Everest

“You’re gonna need a bigger boat” is a movie line so often quoted I won’t insult you by naming the film. Watching the evening news last week, a variation on the famous line crept to … more

BY RANDALL RIGSBEE, News + Record Staff | 6/7/19

Advice I’d give to graduates if I were asked

If it’s June, it must be time for baseball, weddings, graduation...and ceremonies. Through the years, I’ve attended a number of such events — my own in high school and seminary, Shirley’s … more

BY BOB WACHS, News + Record Staff | 6/7/19

That sad moment when ‘yesterday’s brand’ dies from cruft

An old familiar friend’s obituary came across my desk on Monday, and when I read it, I was shocked. I mean, I didn’t even realize iTunes was sick. Stories of the demise of iTunes — the … more

BY BILL HORNER III, Publisher | 6/7/19

'Ma' brims with contradiction, confusion, camp, compassion, crass

One of the many tropes in horror films is that the villain is often concealed in some fashion, whether it’s their identity, their physical appearance, and/or their motivations. The scariest … more

BY NEIL MORRIS, CN+R Film Critic | 6/2/19

A good time to get sick?

There isn’t a good time to get sick, but there are times we get sick that seem more ill-timed than others. The start of a three-day weekend is one of those times. That was the situation I was … more

BY RANDALL RIGSBEE, News + Record Staff | 5/31/19

Two special days tied together

A couple of things happen around this time of the year which, to me, have a direct relationship to each other. Granted, more than a couple of things happen around this time of year. School years … more

BY BOB WACHS, News + Record Staff | 5/31/19

An Oz tale: Lyman Baum, ‘The Book of Failure,’ and a prairie disaster

You might be familiar with Lyman Baum. This is the story of the thin but sturdy thread connecting him to me. Baum was something of a daydreamer. He had a restless spirit, especially when it came … more

BY BILL HORNER III, Publisher | 5/31/19

Aside from ‘fresh’ Smith, confounding ‘Aladdin’ is lively but mundane

The still image of a CGI-contorted Will Smith as the blue, buff Genie, found the early marketing Disney’s live-action update of “Aladdin,” was a source of initial castigation and … more

BY NEIL MORRIS, CN+R Film Critic | 5/24/19

Budget, not monument controversy, worthy of all the attention

On Monday evening, the Chatham County Board of Commissioners settled in for another meeting. The last two had lasted long into the Pittsboro night, and with a public hearing on a budget proposal … more

BY ZACHARY HORNER, News + Record Staff | 5/24/19

Summer’s coming – make sure you find time to play

The calendar tells us that, at least officially, summer is still a month or so away. The thermometer apparently hasn’t gotten the memo, though, as we’ve been living with temperatures above 90 … more

BY BOB WACHS, News + Record Staff | 5/24/19

Music lives and its future is in good hands

“Music,” the Greek philosopher Plato wrote, “gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” The famous Corsican Napoleon Bonaparte, … more

BY RANDALL RIGSBEE, News + Record Staff | 5/24/19

A life or death struggle in our front yard

We build and inhabit homes that safeguard us from the elements, from pests, from predators. Our air-conditioned environments, baring unusual events, serve us well. I, for example, fall asleep … more

BY RANDALL RIGSBEE, News + Record Staff | 5/17/19

Joe, java, mud...it’s all good

Ann Landers used to tell her readers to “wake up and smell the coffee.” Through the years I have taken that advice literally. Today I’ve gotten so good at it I can smell the coffee before I … more

BY BOB WACHS, News + Record Staff | 5/17/19

The lamentation of being late

Hurry up and read this column, please, because I’m late. Actually, if what I heard many years ago about being late is true — and I believe it to be — then by the time you’ve gotten this … more

BY BILL HORNER III, Publisher | 5/17/19

Roaring success of Spring Chicken Festival guarantees it’ll keep on cluckin’

It was billed as the First Annual Spring Chicken Festival, a name most wordsmiths would agree is misleading — given that technically, there’s no such thing as “first annual,” since an event … more

A CN+R EDITORIAL | 5/10/19

It’s time to celebrate our mothers

I’ll be visiting my mother on Sunday, giving her a few things I hope will make her happy and feel appreciated. She enjoys candy and crosswords, so my wife and I got her some milk chocolates and … more

BY RANDALL RIGSBEE, News + Record Staff | 5/10/19