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Columns

Building trust — the truth starts with us

Over Christmas I think we saw the classic movie “A Christmas Story” three times. It was playing in the background Christmas Day. I can relate to the entire movie, except growing up we had a natural gas and not a coal furnace. Dad was a master at changing fuses in the basement after we ...

Making holiday dreams come true for others

Christmas is an event that has emerged in bits and pieces, formed from out of the mists of antiquity. The tradition of giving gifts at Christmas time dates back to a practice in vogue in pagan Rome. Each year, on Dec. 17 and 18, ancient Romans celebrated the festival of Saturnalia, honoring ...

For some reason, my weekends are going to the dogs

I am an animal lover — a fact evidenced by the numerous pets that have passed through my life — and dogs, in particular, seem to respond to me and me to them. A week ago, I had the chance to help a couple of pups in what seemed to be an oddly coincidental series of events. First, I ...

Making time for what matters most this holiday season

Talking to some friends after church last weekend, one commented, “As we get older, time seems to fly by. I can’t believe 2024 is almost over.” Time, is a great equalizer. We all have different talents and abilities. Some people have more money than others. We all have 24 hours in a day ...

The people who make good things happen

Where would the rest of us be without the people who make things happen? Let me explain what I mean. Over the years I have spent reporting on local news, I have noticed that the same people seem to keep community events and activities happening time after time. Whether it is organizing a ...

Let common sense guide ‘energy transition’

Last week at the Outer Banks our family discussed relationships. One of our friends has been married four times. A comment made was, “Of course, they married the same type of person all four times.” I remarked, “A definition of insanity is doing the same thing …” Lynnda, my ...