Livestreams blacked out

Not allowing home sporting events to be televised is an archaic philosophy, directly linked to harming live attendance around the initial rise of televisions hitting homes in the 1950s and 1960s.

Questions pertaining to EcoKing solutions

EcoKing Solutions reopening the old Stanley plant and investing $80.5 million locally (“EcoKing coming to Town,” July 24, 2025) seems promising for Graham County.  It also raises questions that are worth asking.

How else are they to hear?

My hometown is near Morganton, where one of the two N.C. Schools for the Deaf is located. It was built in 1894, for the deaf and hard-of-hearing students in Western North Carolina. A number of families moved there, so their children could attend the school.

Summers spent in the field

Randall Standridge wrote a song titled “When Summer’s in the Meadow,” which reminded me of my childhood days.  In my case, when it was summer in the meadow, I was in the field – either tobacco or hay – and both before the summer ended.

Can you freeze a soul?

* Conclusion of a 2-part column My last column ("The Frenches and Snowflake Adoption," July 17) briefly introduced Stuart and Maggie French, as well as their children. The column focused on the couple's 2024 snowflake adoption.

Moonshine and meteorites

Daddy and I were headed to Gibson’s Grocery in my brand new car. It was a beautiful 1965, burgundy-and-pearl white Ford Fair Lane 500, loaded with leather bucket seats, a 289 HP engine and cruise-o-matic transmission.

What's old is new again

Looks like I picked the wrong week to go on vacation. My first time off in two years was a bit surreal, as I spent quite a bit of the break trying to piece together what unfolded in the court of public opinion at the Graham County Community Building on July 16.

Sentinels of a time past

Far back in the coves of Graham County are lonely sentinels.  I am speaking of stone chimneys, usually the only thing still standing of what was once a family home place. I am still amazed of just how far back in the woods some of the early families chose for a building site.

Field of potatoes

I never met a potato I didn’t like.  You can bake, fry, boil, mash, hashbrown or scallop them, and I enjoy them anyway they are prepared. I was always glad when Dad told me to dig up a mess of taters and wash them, because I knew I would be eating them soon.

The Frenches and snowflake adoption

* 1st in a 2-part series C.S. Lewis rightly wrote, “There are no ordinary people.” All human beings have inherent value, but some people stand out. I met Stuart French – a studious, long-haired seventh-grader who whooped me anytime we played Madden football – about 20 years ago.