I first met Savannah Collins early in the summer when I interviewed her for a series of stories about the deadly fentanyl epidemic. Though only 20, Savannah was already an expert on the topic, having …

Not many months ago, I interviewed a student about his first year at the Morganton campus of the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics. As he reflected on his junior year, he admitted to …

The Atlanta Braves are absolutely without question, argument, or discussion the very best team in Major League Baseball. The 1927 Yankees had nothing on these guys. Check out these stats: Ronald …

My wife Sandra picked up the Sept. 9 edition of The Paper the day it came out and turned to the Opinion section. A puzzled look crossed her face. “I figured you’d write about Jimmy Buffett this …

Usually the purpose of  communication — written or otherwise — is to get from Point A to Point B as efficiently and directly as possible. Spontaneous twists and turns enroute can muddle the …

Fifty years ago this month, a wise and wizened old English professor assigned his class of slack-jawed freshmen the reading of what he said was his favorite novel, “Look Homeward, Angel” by North …

My mother (may she rest in sweet peace)  was a sucker for brain health potions. Nooceptin, ginkgo biloba, ginseng, bourbon. All of them I am right there with her. I’ve been known to imbibe in …

Trailer parks, and by extension, the people who live in them, are easy targets for all manner of societal derision and scorn.  The soul-crushing — and ever-burgeoning — dichotomy between the …

Mixed-Media Monday will be held on Monday, Sept. 25, at 6 p.m. at the Morganton Public Library. Pre-registration is required. Space is limited and adults only. The Oxymorons New Adult Book Discussion …

The last time the entire Poteat clan was gathered together under one roof was Christmas Day, 2021. Hopefully, we will all be together today, and tomorrow, and Monday. Since their long ago graduations …

It’s almost October and the river is calling. I cannot answer. There isn’t time.  Maybe next year, if I can get far enough ahead at work, I’ll be able to steal a few days and lose myself …

EDITOR’S NOTE — Exhausted by a whirlwind 28-hour driving marathon to Massachusetts and back for a family wedding last weekend during the over-promoted Hurricane Lee, Allen VanNoppen submits for …

My three brothers were in town recently. It was a civilized reunion. We weren’t always so civilized, especially when I was 12 years old.  It was 1967 and we lived in Green Valley, a …

Monday, Sept. 4, was Labor Day — a day duly celebrated with cook-outs and pool parties, and as little labor as possible. But Sept. 4 was also significant for another reason. The day marked the …

Every workday morning, at least one member of The Paper’s staff is asked a key question by the curmudgeonly old editor when they stagger through the door and head sleepily to their desks for work: …

Despite their omnipotence, Big Pharmas have met their match with the English language: The industry has run out of names for its medicines... “Who dareth disturb the slumber of Vraylar?” “It is I, Prevnar, Lord of Vabomere...

Take heed, fellow climate control warlords, a peaceful cease fire is unlikely. The battle over global warming and climate change has reached into our homes. Battle lines are drawn.  It’s a …

As you may remember from a column I wrote a couple of months ago, I have stopped wasting my time perusing Facebook or making posts to the social media site. I do still have the separate Facebook …

One spring day a few years ago, I was confronted with the strongest scientific evidence I have yet observed that people are, in fact, getting dumber. It seems counterintuitive, doesn’t it?  I …

It’s back to school time and recently I was asked what I remember about school. Besides flunking fifth grade, my answer was, not much. Unless we’re talking about sixth grade. Then we’re …

There was a point in my life, not so many years ago, when 68 seemed old. Really, really old. Ancient. Near death, certainly. But not anymore. Now that I’ve reached 40 I can say with great certainty that 70 is the new 50 and my father is still in the prime of his life. 

Brisk, chilly mornings. Comforting mugs of hot chocolate. The cozy feel of a time-worn wool sweater. Leaves descending gracefully from the trees, flashing dulcet tones of orange and yellow as they …

I am reading Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, by New York Times White House White House Correspondent Peter Baker. It’s a revealing inside study of our 43rd President, George W. …

Here are the facts, plain and simple: Last week I woke up in the middle of the night because of a leg cramp. I leapt out of bed to stretch out said cramp. I got a little dizzy with the sudden leaping …

Back in 1799, an English cartoonist named James Gilray produced a work of art entitled “The Gout.” In it, a small-but-vicious, fire-breathing, demonic creature sinks a mouthful of razor-sharp …