Guest Columns

Mindfulness is the practice of becoming more fully aware of the present moment rather than dwelling in the past, projecting into the future, or what’s going on around us. It involves a heightened awareness of sensory stimuli such as our breathing and being “in the now.”

The Local Reporter and its Editor deserve praise for providing a comprehensive description of the many development projects currently underway in Chapel Hill. It seems likely that many residents have lost track of the rather bewildering array of new projects and thus the recent TLR article is timely and informative.

The Carrboro Town Council held a public hearing on the Downtown Area Plan (DAP) at their October 21 meeting. Don’t know what the Downtown Area Plan is? You aren’t alone. After an extensive public engagement effort by the town, DAP remains a mystery to a large part of the community.

For 75 years, the Chapel Hill Service League has brightened the holidays for thousands of local school children through its beloved Christmas House program. During this especially difficult year for many families, the League invites the community to help spread holiday cheer and make Christmas House 2025 the best yet.

The Waste Line is a monthly column from Orange County Solid Waste Management. Each issue shares useful updates on recycling, trash, and composting, along with tips and news to help residents manage waste responsibly and stay informed.

The Carrboro communities along Morgan Creek are now dealing with the aftermath of July 6 flooding, deciding whether to sell as-is, rebuild & stay, or rebuild and sell or rent; or waiting for insurance and grants and loans to come through, not to mention keeping temporary housing manageable.

When Chantal roared through southern Orange County on Sunday, July 6, she destroyed a number of high visibility areas of Chapel Hill.

If you ask Julie McClintock, she will say volunteerism and community are inextricably linked.

The Orange County Democratic Party Chair provides her thoughts on the current happenings in the state of California and the federal response.

It took the funeral of my next-door neighbor for me to truly understand and appreciate what it means to be Jewish.

Chapel Hill Town Council’s recent decision to eliminate its advisory boards seems like the final step in Council’s move to insulate itself from meaningful public input. 

It all started when I went to buy some of Tonya’s cookies, right next to the UPS store on S. Elliott Road.

Make it a point to visit Orange County’s Festival of Arts Fine Art Show, the Laguna Art-A-Fair, and the Sawdust Art & Craft Festival.

The Saturday before Father’s Day, I drove past a guy standing in his front yard with a chubby little baby strapped to his chest.

There has been a lot of talk recently about Chapel Hill’s citizen advisory boards.

As I watch college campuses erupt, I find myself thinking about May 1970.

Without major policy changes in the federal government and a massive influx of federal funds, no community will be able to build the amount of affordable housing that is needed.

In the fast-paced world of combat sports, the boxing art is dynamic and adaptive to the changes introduced to the training techniques.

As the number of daylight hours lengthen and temperatures rise, it’s only natural to start getting itchy to get back into the garden.

 How often do we elders sneak away on a whim, as we did in school days, or young married adults?

Pickleball is an indoor or outdoor sport involving a racket and paddle.

I think Ross Gay’s poem “Thank You” is fitting for Ash Wednesday, February 14, because of his lines echoing the biblical verse about dust to dust, ashes to ashes:

The peepers are making a mating racket in the pond. These frogs make the sound of life wanting more life.

I was in attendance last Monday, January 15, at the Martin Luther King Jr. Rally and March from the Peace and Justice Plaza on Franklin Street.

Many New Year’s resolutions die on the vine. This is to be expected; it’s cold outside and dark.