About this time each year we looked forward to receiving the Sears Wish Book. This wonderful catalogue was about three inches thick, packed with thousands of items. It was the official kickoff to Christmas and long before Thanksgiving its pages were dogeared, ripped and marked with all the toys and games we wanted from Santa. You could phone in your order and have it mailed to you.
Is retailing going out of business?
Tom Campbell
Many are saying that the November 6 elections are all about Trump, a referendum either affirming or refuting his leadership. Our president cas…
We talk a lot about today’s tribal, partisan politics, where the camps seem to migrate farther and farther to the right or left, screaming at …
Bill Friday was right. Friday, the founding president of the 16 campus University of North Carolina System, fought with then-Governor Bob Scot…
The 2018 midterm was one of the most interesting elections held in our state. While there wasn’t the “blue wave” many had predicted, this was …
RALEIGH — Democrats achieved significant victories this year in the “inner suburbs” of Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro, and North Carolina’s ot…
As a young boy I remember hearing the stories about that first Thanksgiving, when the Pilgrims and Indians feasted together. The romanticized …
What did North Carolina Democrats learn from the elections earlier this month?
RALEIGH — When it comes to giving parents more control over where their children attend elementary and secondary school, North Carolina has be…
RALEIGH — Whether your frame of reference is a country, a government, a business, or your own household, being better off in the long run requ…
Back in 1897, an eight-year-old girl, prompted by naysaying friends, wrote The New York Sun wanting the truth about the existence of Santa Cla…
Have you driven around North Carolina recently? More people have decorated with outdoor lights, blowups and festive displays than we’ve seen i…
It was Christmas Eve 1914. World War I was in its early stages and trench warfare was the rule of the day. Soldiers on opposing sides could he…
No self-respecting columnist passes up the obligatory prediction column the first week of the year. So here goes mine.
This weekend marks the end of a sports era. Since I was around at the beginning, I want to join others in mourning the loss of over-the-air br…
When President Trump visited North Carolina he assured our state that the federal checkbook would be opened and that we would get almost anyth…
It happened once again with Hurricane Florence. Whenever North Carolina is in crisis - such as with storms or other catastrophes – we collecti…
We should start a petition for the National Weather Service to eliminate names starting with the letter “F” in naming storms. Fran, Floyd, now…
State Treasurer Dale Folwell administers the State Health Plan, the largest in our state. Folwell believes his office should know what various…
Labor Day was the saddest day of the year when I was young. It signaled the official end of summer and the start of the routine of getting up …
North Carolina is about to undertake the greatest revolution in healthcare since the 1965 advent of Medicaid and Medicare. And yes, that inclu…
What we are currently witnessing in state government feels like watching the movie “Groundhog Day.” Our legislature passes a bill, the governo…
As a young boy I would sometimes walk out of my Greenville home and smell rotten eggs. My mother explained this smell came from the paper mill…
Even when July 4th falls in the middle of a week you can count on fireworks displays, flags hanging, neighbors gathering for cookouts, waterme…
“Whoever thought I was going to live so long,” my 96 year old mother asked? She isn’t alone. 10,000 of us turn 65 every day. In 1990, North Ca…
Note to readers: With all the recent activity regarding immigration we decided to repeat the column we wrote following a visit to Ellis Island…
Every Saturday night our family would gather round the black and white TV to watch the latest Perry Mason episode. Before the hour was over Ra…
When the phone rings at 2 a.m. it’s a pretty safe bet there isn’t good news, as Bill found out that December in 1960. The agent on the other e…
The selection of Peter Hans to head our state’s Community College System was expected, especially after it became known that Governor Roy Coop…
Note to readers: 55 years after graduation members of our high school class reunited to reminisce and renew friendships. I wrote this piece fo…
What should we expect when we invest $150 million in reading programs for our elementary students? I’m not sure what the objectives were, but …
If you could wave a magic wand and make one change that would provide the greatest benefit to rural North Carolina what would it be? I’ve been…
“You ain’t from around here, are you?” This question may not be grammatically correct but it is an increasingly accurate observation about our…
This week was Sunshine Week, not that we saw a lot of it, either meteorologically or metaphorically. What we got for the start of the week was…
The “help wanted” sign is popping up all over North Carolina, and while it is a good sign of a healthy economy, it also portends some larger p…
The latest Elon University Poll contains disturbing, but not surprising results. More people know the starting quarterback for the Carolina Pa…
It feels like the 2017 session of the North Carolina General Assembly has lingered longer than grandma’s Christmas fruitcake and the fruits an…
“Pay me now or pay me later, but pay me you will,” said the guy selling Fram Oil Filters in the 1970s TV commercials. I remembered those ads a…
Should those receiving public benefits be required to do anything in return? It’s not a new question, but one that is resurfacing today.
When you reach a milestone it is wise to pause and reflect on the journey that brought you there. Having produced and moderated 1,000 weekly T…
