The Chatham News + Record

A few days ago, I was rummaging through the various drugstore aisles that contain the medicines and cures you can buy without a prescription. I was looking for a particular eyedrop that the eye doc … more

BY BOB WACHS, News + Record Staff | 4/19/19

Why I write about public schools so much

I’ve been a reporter professionally for nearly three years now — with a couple small breaks here and there — and no topic has fascinated me more than education, specifically public … more

BY ZACHARY HORNER, News + Record Staff | 4/19/19

Enough rain to change an attitude

Thunder! Lightning! Rain! None of it troubles me much. I sleep like a baby through most bad nighttime storms, which could be more indicative of ignorance than grit. But I know weather can pack … more

BY RANDALL RIGSBEE, News + Record Staff | 4/19/19

Bridging the ‘divide,’ the ‘$1 rag’ and more of what readers say

From time to time, I’ll use this space to share information and insights about the News + Record, to tell you about things we’re doing to make your newspaper better and, like today, to … more

BY BILL HORNER III, Publisher | 4/18/19

Gas stations at one time dispensed more than fuel

I read a news story the other day about a gas station down east in North Carolina that’s a novelty in today’s world. Seems the little place in a rural northeastern county does more than merely … more

BY BOB WACHS, News + Record Staff | 4/12/19

The Oxford comma finds a home in Chatham County

Working at a community newspaper like the News + Record, we handle a significant volume of news releases from agencies and organizations around Chatham County and simple news announcements from … more

BY BILL HORNER III, Publisher | 4/12/19

Proper paint choice takes time

There are things — death and taxes are the two most mentioned — we can’t change. And there are other things — the color of a front door is one — that we can. Compared to death and … more

BY RANDALL RIGSBEE, News + Record Staff | 4/12/19

Zachary Levi and Jack Dylan Grazer star in Shazam!

Irreverent 'Shazam' deconstructs superhero movie tropes

There’s a scene in “Shazam!” when the crimson-clad hero and his nemesis scamper across a giant piano mat while barreling through a toy store. It’s an apt … more

BY NEIL MORRIS, CN+R Film Critic | 4/6/19

Harmless pranks good for the soul

April Fools’ Day, 2019, is in the past. And, as such, it doesn’t rank all that high on the calendar. As a matter of fact, some calendars don’t even note it. Others, like the one in my head, … more

BY BOB WACHS, News + Record Staff | 4/5/19

Two milestone achievements for Chatham County Schools

Score it a big win for Chatham County Schools. Or to be more precise, two big wins. Twice in the last two weeks CCS has been recognized on a national level for notable achievement — … more

4/5/19

The not-so-surprising surprise of spring’s by-product

A year seems about the right amount of time to forget something. Not to erase memory completely, necessarily; but enough time to push some things into a recess of the brain where the particulars are … more

BY RANDALL RIGSBEE, News + Record Staff | 4/5/19

Visually absorbing 'Dumbo' flies, but never really takes flight

“What a disaster!” exclaims Alan Arkin near the end of Tim Burton’s “Dumbo.” As a critic, it’s tempting to cherry-pick this quote as applicable to both the burning … more

BY NEIL MORRIS, CN+R Film Critic | 3/30/19

What a dead jellyfish taught me about behavior

It wasn’t a rare occurrence, this thing I encountered — a jellyfish washed up on the sand of a North Carolina beach — but still, to me, it felt like it was some kind of omen. It was the … more

BY BILL HORNER III, Publisher | 3/29/19

One man’s trash ...

A debate over the value of recycling has been simmering for years; longer, probably, than I’ve been separating aluminum and glass and paper from the other disposable stuff our household sheds week … more

BY RANDALL RIGSBEE, News + Record Staff | 3/29/19

History: To remember and reflect, not repeat, rewrite, or reject

It was inevitable, I suppose, given the publicity surrounding the toppling of the Silent Sam monument on the UNC campus and the recent acts of vandalism done to other similar monuments, that the … more

BY BOB WACHS, News + Record Staff | 3/29/19

The questionable influence of ‘Instagram influencers’

Of all the things I can lay legitimate claim to being, an “Instagram influencer” isn’t one of them. My modest Instagram account isn’t over-burdened with followers, and that’s OK. Just … more

BY RANDALL RIGSBEE, News + Record Staff | 3/22/19

How should we handle the Confederate statue discussion? With perspective

Rumors of a protest over Chatham County’s “Our Confederate Heroes” monument in Pittsboro ramped up last week and eventually spread like butter melting over a piping hot ear of corn — person … more

3/22/19 | 1 comment

Loss of interest gumming up life

There was a story in a recent Sunday paper that hurt my heart. Seems, according to that piece, a bit of America is on the way out. It also went on to say that the movement had been going on for … more

BY BOB WACHS, News + Record Staff | 3/22/19

Revisiting a welcome treasure off the beaten path

On a late afternoon ride home after visiting family in Durham a few of weeks ago, we decided to delay the homecoming for a side trip. Taking our time, we turned left off of US 15-501 before … more

BY RANDALL RIGSBEE, News + Record Staff | 3/15/19

Let’s leverage Chatham Park’s tax base for the community’s good

As a Chatham resident off and on since 1970 I have observed a lot change in our county — some good, some bad. That notion that depends greatly on one’s point of view. I will admit that it is … more

BY VIRGINIA PENLEY, Guest Columnist | 3/15/19