During my young life on the planet, I’ve called several places “home.”   Born in Raleigh before it got too big for its britches.   Lived in Apex the first five … more

I’m more than familiar with small town festivals.   My dad works for Southern Bank in Mount Olive, N.C., and we always would spend the last weekend in April attending the Pickle … more

PITTSBORO — The crowd selfie has become a staple of many artists and performers. They fire up their smartphone on stage, point the front-facing camera toward the crowd and click as the crowd … more

President Biden recently kicked off his “Investing in America” tour with a visit to North Carolina. It’s no wonder why the state was selected as a showcase: already a regional … more

The three most-trusted social institutions in North Carolina are the military, the police and small business. Make of that what you will. I made the following column. Last month, the polling unit … more

What do the late Mildred “Mama Dip” Council and Vivian Howard have in common? Both owned restaurants that served popular regional food to appreciative patrons: Mama Dip’s in … more

“I walk, all day, across the heaven-verging field,” wrote poet Mary Oliver. If “all day” is perhaps poetic liberty, her understanding of heaven in the world is not. … more

My next-door neighbors are my son, daughter-in-law and their brood. They bring us much pleasure, partly because the little folks still think I hung the moon. The adults, of course, have figured out … more

Almost every week we see another positive comment or ranking about the North Carolina economy. For example, recently North Carolina surpassed 5 million people in the labor force, which includes … more