Let the record show, in the beginning, that I am and always have been a big fan of baloney. No, not the stuff spouted by politicians, TV evangelists, crooked insurance operators, and used car …

It was big news, BIG news. Hot-to-trot news for this young cub reporter who was in a hurry to get back to the newsroom and toss a fuzzy-bunny, feel-good feature story off the front page with my …

Saturday, April 13, 2024, was a darned-near perfect day in my life — right up until the moment the phone rang at about 7:45 p.m. My bride and I had made a quiet and uneventful drive from our home …

I’ll call him Bill Joe because that is what my wife and her family call him. Most people say Billy Joe, as in Billy Joe Patton, the man who famously put Morganton on the map with his legendary Masters performance 70 years ago this week.

As a lad growing up in a small town in the North Carolina foothills, I dreamed of one day living in the magical cities of Atlanta or New York or Chicago. As a man growing older in the same small …

Last Monday, the Atlanta Braves celebrated the 50th anniversary of the legendary Hank Aaron’s 715th home run. Hank’s homer a half-century ago eclipsed Babe Ruth’s record of 714 dingers, a mark …

One of the great things about my late-life return to newspapering is the pleasure of covering the Rutherford College Town Council. Want drama, tension, and a fair amount of fussing and fuming? Go to …

Burke County’s newest high school, Longhaul High, home of the Longhorns, is about to open. This badly needed expansion to our fine education system would not be possible without the support of our County Commissioners who voted in 2005 to purchase land for our campus. We extend our thanks. 

Growing up in the 1970s and ’80s was, for the most part, an enjoyable experience. We were largely a generation of relatively autonomous, latch-key kids, unsupervised more often than not, and left …

The Masters Golf Tournament is coming up and I am sure that I will watch some of the excitement if I have A LOT of time to burn.  I’ve never attended The Masters, but I have been to other …

Opening Day. Perhaps the two most magical words in the English language. For a diehard baseball fan (look for my picture beside the definition in Webster’s) is more exciting than Christmas, more …

Sometimes, a fella just needs to recharge. I’d been feeling that need for nearly two months, since being felled by COVID for the second time just after the first of the year and returning to work …

It was right about this time a year ago when I saw the dadgumdest thing. I was walking in the alley between The Paper’s downtown Morganton office and Wells Fargo on my way to work.  As I …

Bruce Ervin is one persistent fella. That is a fact that can be verified by anyone who has worked with him – or against him – on any of a host of community issues in which he has been engaged …

As punishment for a sinful midweek extravaganza in November 1980, a P.B. Scotts musical escapade that could be felt during a Friday morning staff meeting, News Herald Managing Editor Ted Hall …

The schizophrenic personality of late February was on full display last Tuesday in Morganton — frosty cold in the morning, warm and mild in the afternoon, cold once again as evening began to fall. …

(Publisher’s Note: There are two kinds of chili in the world. Mine and everyone else’s. The 2024 March Madness Chili Cook Off is a couple of weeks away and the staff at The Paper already is …

Explore a humorous take on why running for president isn't on the cards for our columnist, sparked by President Joe Biden's unforgettable mix-up during a recent press conference. This piece dives into the realms of political humor, memory mishaps, and the complexities of immigration policy, all wrapped up with a personal vow never to venture into presidential waters.

A giant, flashing sign beside the interstate blinked an insistent warning: “Caution: Wind Advisory in effect today.” As it is wont to do this time of year, winter – perhaps sensing the end is …

It was morning rush hour recently and I was barreling south on Hwy 181/Green Street towards Morganton to get to the office after a 7:55 interview on The Big Dawg, Burke County’s oldest, continually …

The house where my bride and I reside, just a stone’s throw from the Drexel Town Hall, is starting to show its age. That’s natural. The house is virtually the same age as I am. Construction on …

And so The Paper begins Year Two. Wow! What a journey it has been. Some highlights of the first year from the editor’s perspective. Friday, Oct. 21, 2022: Allen VanNoppen offers The Paper’s …

I am a window seat guy. When traveling on airplanes I prefer the window seat. You have a great view with a little private area all to yourself. You’re not fighting over both armrests. And you have …

On the planet Saturn, the month of January lasts approximately 896.7 Earth days — give or take a day or two. For that, the Saturnians can be most grateful, for here in Burke County the month of …

The Irmo Okra Strut had been an annual event for eight years by the time September 1982 rolled around. The accompanying parade on Saturday morning stretched all along St. Andrews Road, the main drag …