Film Festivals are a Vital Link in the Chain of Global Film Culture
Look at this. It’s tough to get the word out about even the best things…
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Poetry in Carrboro, North Carolina
Pit Stop: 16 Delicious Options for Barbecue in Orange County, NC
Exercising Your Demons
NC Mountains-to-Sea Trail Prepares for 14 Miles of More Trails in Orange County
Manners Matter
We were taught to say “please” and “thank you.” For years, we rode the #77 yellow school bus for a half-hour from the end of the lane to elementary school in Calvert…
Letters to the Editor
I am pleased to write in support of Karen Stegman’s reelection to the Chapel Hill Town Council. As a former Mayor, I very much appreciate what she has accomplished on the Council…
A Local Tourism Industry That Might Surprise You
August marked a reopening of the Orange County Visitors Center, located at 501 W. Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, and clearly, it has been missed. This is…
A Surprise at the Pond
A combination of abundant vegetation and some kind of water — a creek, river, wetland, pond or lake — is one of my favorite types of natural area to visit for wildlife watching…
Out of Line
After many years of faithful service, I recently got rid of my landline, which — as you may remember — we used to just call a line because it was the only line we had and so didn’t require a first name….
Carolina Football 2021
Mack Brown enters his 33rd season as a head coach in 2021, the third year of a second stop with the Tar Heels. North Carolina brings a top-ranking, a first-round quarterback and the expectation to challenge…
You’ve Seen the Play. Now Watch the Movie and Buy the Book.
The premise is simple but profound: a group of artists decide…
Everybody Say Eye
I have worn glasses for most of my life. That is, ever since they found out in elementary school that I had been cheating on the eye test. It was a victimless crime…
A New Celebrity Bird
When an unusual avian visitor turns up locally, birders tend to get excited. Many birders keep “life lists,” records of all the different bird species that they have seen worldwide…
John Rosenthal is a Chapel Hill Legend and Artist You Want to Know
Chapel Hill and, in fact, all of Orange County, is well-known for the superfluity…
Miles of Greenways and Trails in Our Backyards
We’re lucky to have almost 20 miles of hiking trails and greenways in Chapel Hill and Carrboro. As…
Schley Grange is Celebrating Their National Historic Register Designation
There’s a story behind every historic marker too…
Dear Mr. Tech Expert
I’m frustrated. My children don’t answer the phone when I call them. They don’t respond to emails. Now they have unfriended me on Facebook, blocked me on Instagram and don’t even reply when I text them. How can you communicate with younger…
Many of Us Have a Delicious Idea, But Only a Few of Us Make It a Business
You’re a wonderful, inventive cook – on good…
What is New in August 2021
The Chapel Hill Town Council approved Aura Chapel Hill at the northeastern corner of Estes Drive and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Trinsic Residential Group will build 419 apartments and townhomes and at least 15,800 square feet of commercial space…
Carrboro Music Festival
One of the first impressions I had of Carrboro was in 2005, when I made a trip down here to house hunt. In one of those wonderful accidents that can change a life, I turned a corner and walked right into the Carrboro Music Festival…
A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Lose
Do you sometimes think you’re losing your mind? This is not uncommon, particularly at a certain age. According to the federal Bureau of Lost and Found, nearly 6.2 million minds have been lost over the…
I Like Talking With Strangers
New research shows that talking to strangers is a good idea. I’m happy to hear that. I like talking with strangers. I almost always learn something and it…
Humiliated in the Garage Olympics
What with the Olympics cranking up this week, it seems appropriate for this scribbler to put my athletic prowess to the test. My…
New, Expanded and Changing Restaurants in Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough
Seafood Destiny, a Greensboro-based business…
Appreciating and Protecting Trees – A Focus for National Forestry Week
This year, National Forestry Week took place from July 12th-18th.
For the Love of a Biscuit
Growing up a Midwestern girl, biscuits were not the stars of our breakfast table. A biscuit was like a baguette: an almost foreign food. We didn’t write love letters to the biscuit.
The Reign of Pain
My neck’s a problem. Nothing terrible, but when I turned my head to back the car out of the driveway the other day, there was this crack, a shooting pain and I immediately lost any ability to speak…
Moorefields Near Hillsborough is a Special Place that Invites You to Visit
Old houses tell a story. They have a history….
Welcome Back
Orange County is beginning to feel like its former self. Restaurants and bars are open, buzzing with students, visitors, and townies. The simplest things – a drink, a meal, a walk downtown – feel celebratory.
Carrboro’s Heritage Embraces Preservation of the Town’s Early Architecture
Affectionately known as “The Paris of the….
This Has Been Eating at Me
If you want to stay healthy and help ward off the downsides of aging, such as getting older, it’s clear you have to carefully watch what you eat and drink. Yes, that means…
Open Letter to: Mayor and Town Council
First, I wish to thank mayor and council for the time and energy they have spent on Trinsic’s application for a Conditional Zoning Permit. It has become a deeply controversial process, aggravated and obscured by SARS-CoV2 restrictions on public meetings and information.
Insects Can Be Exciting!
This past May, I had the opportunity to experience both wonder and awe when observing two interesting insects busy with life events. While not many people aside from entomologists….
Hop on Pop
Roly-poly on the beach, a tow-headed cherub clambers on his disarmed father like the man is his personal playground jungle gym. Of all the snapshots hiding in dusty closets glued to old-school, black-paged photo albums from the ‘40s labeled “Snaps,”…
Re-Educate About Recycling in Honor of Fathers
My father loved plastic bags. When my sister and I cleaned out his house after his death, we found old plastic bags tucked under the cushions…