The Chatham News + Record

Falling leaves bring up pleasure found in trees

There has been, it seems to me, an unusually large crop of leaves in my yard this year. Or maybe it’s that I don’t rake like once upon a time, mainly due to sore shoulders and weak knees, and … more

BY BOB WACHS, Columnist | 12/7/22

On polls, Hispanics, and the Suburbs

In much of the country, the Republican Party fell well short of expectations in the 2022 midterms. Flawed GOP nominees in Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Nevada and Arizona lost winnable races for U.S. … more

BY JOHN HOOD, Columnist | 12/7/22

Speaking up for Jews

This week marks 81 years since the day “which will live in infamy” as President Franklin D. Roosevelt predicted. The attack on Pearl Harbor caused the United States to declare war against Japan, … more

BY ANDREW TAYLOR-TROUTMAN, Columnist | 12/7/22

Mother Nature vs. Father Profits

I love being in the presence of smart, articulate and visionary folks, even on a rainy, unseasonably cool late fall evening. A large crowd gathered at Wait Chapel on the campus of Wake Forest … more

BY TOM CAMPBELL, Columnist | 12/7/22

N.C. lawmakers want absolute power over our elections. It’s time to ask ourselves what we want.

This week, North Carolina’s legislative leaders are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to give them absolute power over federal elections. That’s when the … more

BY BOB PHILLIPS, Guest Columnist | 12/7/22

The lottery — still bad for North Carolina

I was firmly opposed to the state of North Carolina getting into the lottery business back in 2005. There were many reasons. What worried me most was that the government, which should be in the … more

BY D.G. MARTIN, Columnist | 12/7/22

Gracious winners

Just when you thought that politics — and those who participate in it — couldn’t sink any lower, along comes Kevin McCarthy, the man who wants to be the next Speaker of the House in Washington. … more

BY TOM CAMPBELL, Columnist | 11/30/22

A baseball fan’s soccer strategy

I have tried to get into football this year. Not the old American pigskin, but the international version currently being played at the World Cup in Qatar. It’s a struggle for me. I did not play … more

BY ANDREW TAYLOR-TROUTMAN, Columnist | 11/30/22

States should take lead on welfare

I’m a fiscally conservative North Carolinian — and I think state taxes should be significantly higher. No, I haven’t lost my head, or my spine. And while I’m a committed supply-sider, … more

BY JOHN HOOD, Columnist | 11/30/22

Have you ever been Elfed?

You ever been Elfed? Yes, E-l-f-e-d. Assuming this has nothing to do with a visit from Will Ferrell, c’mon, Jan, what do you mean by “elfed?“ Thanks for asking! Here’s my story and … more

BY JAN HUTTON, Columnist | 11/30/22

I went to the Happiest Place on Earth. A guy there threatened to beat me up.

My last fistfight, if you can call it that, was during my sophomore year of high school. It was with Mike Stoudt, a fairly good friend and a classmate, and it happened after Mr. King’s typing … more

BY BILL HORNER III, Publisher | 11/30/22

Philip Gerard: great teacher of great writers

When Philip Gerard died November 7 in Wilmington, North Carolina lost one of its most productive and multitalented writers. His students and colleagues in the creative writing department at … more

BY D.G. MARTIN, Columnist | 11/30/22

City of Brotherly Love strikes out on this one

The 2022 World Series is long over now, having been replaced in America’s collective mind by college football, the NFL and other interests. And to many folks and in many ways, especially to the … more

BY BOB WACHS, Columnist | 11/22/22

The voters’ mandate

Before the mid-term election, most analysts predicted that voting would be driven again by “It’s the economy, stupid!” — a phrase used by Bill Clinton in his … more

BY DENNIS STREETS, Guest Columnist | 11/22/22

Reclaiming the Art of Feasting

A little over a month ago, I had the privilege of being part of a team which hosted a Pay-What-You-Can Community Feast in Pittsboro. It was truly a community … more

BY BRENT LEVY, Guest Columnist | 11/22/22

Adversaries need not be enemies

Nearly a decade ago, former Canadian politician Michael Ignatieff argued in the New York Times that democracy can only thrive when its practitioners respect the difference between adversaries and … more

BY JOHN HOOD, Columnist | 11/22/22

Gather ‘round children, it’s time to make a change

Put smart and engaged people in a room and good things are bound to happen. That was exactly the case at the Chatham Partnership for Children event I attended last Thursday. more

BY BEN RAPPAPORT, News + Record Staff | 11/22/22

Little corners of ‘thank you’

A friend at church texted me to ask if she could write “a little corner of thank you” in the weekly newsletter. She meant “letter” — her voice text messed up her intended wording! But I … more

BY ANDREW TAYLOR-TROUTMAN, Columnist | 11/22/22

Wear your feelings

There is a group of German speakers which meets regularly under a large tent in Fearrington Village. Though I am seated at a different table, I catch snatches of the foreign language drifting on the … more

BY ANDREW TAYLOR-TROUTMAN, Columnist | 11/17/22

Thanksgiving alert

Thanksgiving alert! Thanksgiving alert! Oh, wait, I bet you’re fully cognizant Thanksgiving is tiptoeing its way into Chatham County (and other nearby locales). Am I right? So the planning has … more

BY JAN HUTTON, Columnist | 11/17/22