I don’t like it. It’s quiet. Too quiet. A tired old Hollywood trope, yes, but it’s also relevant at the moment. Like a hyper-vigilant, squinty-eyed sheriff in a 1950s western, I’m keeping an …

Sarah Sholar grew up in Morganton. She is the daughter of Stacey and Marc Sholar. Sarah attended Forest Hill Elementary School, Liberty Middle, and Patton High Schools.Upon graduation from high …

Grandma Kuper never burned a bra. She didn’t march for any causes. But now that I’m technically old enough to be a grandmother myself, I have come to realize that she was ahead of her time. …

March is Living Well Month and a great time to get on the right path. Taking charge of your health contributes to your overall well-being. Let’s take this opportunity to look at several aspects of …

At this time of year mayors everywhere are on the civic circuit giving State of the Town presentations. They speak to Kiwanis. Pilot Clubs. Youth Groups. And Rotaries. I’ve attended many Mayoral …

Burke County property owners who took the time to go through their mail last Saturday morning probably did not like what they found. Waiting for them there was a property revaluation notice from Burke …

Having volunteered many hours at the current facility, I can personally attest to the direneed for a new animal shelter. The existing shelter, consisting of 16 dog kennels and 24 cat cages, was …

Launching a new business is generally fraught with challenges, and the birth of The Paper has proven to be no exception. First challenge, finding a place to set up shop.Here, we have been either …

This is an American history educational moment of those who made a difference during the Revolutionary War era and how they served our Country.John Laurens grew up having an impetuous personality and …

I am grateful for the days I spent working at the old Winn Dixie grocery store during my years commuting to Lenoir-Rhyne College (now University). By commuting, I missed out on many of the normal …

I previously wrote about the importance to Burke County of the upcoming, biennial budget for North Carolina.  Much of this past week in Raleigh has involved we legislators getting well into work …

Spring remains but a hope and a promise on a late February morning at Lake James.The gray skies and the chill air at the water’s edge make a visiting reporter long for a crackling log fire and a …

Many things about Tuesday, March 9, 1976, have long since been forgotten. ... But I do remember being on the front row when a slight man in a dark suit strode to the front of a cheering crowd at the Morganton Community House, flashed a grin as wide as a country mile, and said, “My name is Jimmy Carter and I’m running for President.”

I’m not usually a big fan of the many reality TV shows that currently populate the airwaves. Around my house, reruns of The Andy Griffith Show are about as real as it gets.But I’ve finally found …

Christmas is now two months past and receding rapidly in the rearview mirrors of time and of memory. In Florida and Arizona, the Boys of Summer are making preparation in the late days of winter for the Major League Baseball season …

Proverbs chapter 3, verses 5, 6:  Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and rely not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge the Lord, and the Lord will direct your …

Walk in my living room pretty much any day of the week, and the TV will almost certainly be tuned to a rerun of The Andy Griffith Show. Sometimes, it’s all I want to watch.The networks are pretty …

(EDITOR NOTE: Some of the descriptors contained herein are not “real words” as we know them, or as you know them. But “They” know them.)I have friends who are high-grade Meditation People. …

I’ll admit I’m biased in writing a review of Hillman Brewery. I absolutely love the place and have since the company established its second location in Old Fort.I’ve frequented that venue since …

Good morning, Burke County. Good morning and welcome to the Opinion Pages of your brand new newspaper, The Paper. As we get acquainted with each other, we thought it’d be a good idea to talk about …

So many of our fellow Burke County residents have lived significant, interesting, consequential lives and, too often, we don’t realize it. I hope this column will focus on some examples of those …

Tracy slipped through the cracks and never stopped falling. He was 51 years old when he died the morning of Dec. 20, 2022, in the hospital in which he spent his final 80 days, alone except for a …

This is our third edition. Three weeks in, and the response by all measurements from Burke communities, businesses, schools, leadership, athletics, and readers is sensational. Thank you for reading The Paper. We are just getting started. ...

 You’d be hard pressed to find a high school teacher who doesn’t think that the end of the fall semester and its subsequent final exams ought to come before Christmas. Wrapping things up …

  To the editor: I would like to spread awareness concerning wildlife, which most people have very little knowledge or appreciation of, in particular, snakes. Most people kill snakes out …