United States of America
I'm an award-winning career executive editor, writer, teacher, coach, journalist, leader, online and print editor, public relations manager and Air Force veteran who’s evolving with the industry. I have a master of fine arts in creative nonfiction and bachelor’s degree in journalism and communications. I graduated from Defense Information School and trained as a military journalist during my seven years in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army Reserve.
Every year, right around this time, a voracious group of music fans - a cult of sorts - overtakes a rough, wooded hillside at Wilkes Community College in North Carolina. They arrive early. To secure a spot under a tree, which will provide shade or deflect some of the rain.
Making a difference. Oftentimes the phrase is a cliché - overused and mostly meaningless. But sometimes it's not. Sometimes that commitment to "make a difference" is very real. Sometimes, the desire to make a difference changes lives. Emily Morris (JD '16) coordinates the expungement clinic - helping people remove criminal charges from their records - ...
The long, scraggly gray beard is decidedly fake. The worn straw hat and the fedora - a reference to today's distiller, who wears many hats to get his products on the shelves - are clever theater. But they're only props, Vann McCoy's way of introducing you to Mayberry Spirits.
Much has been written and reported about the war in Afghanistan. We've read and heard about the people. We recognize some of the cities - Kandahar, Kabul, Mazari Sharif. We think we know something about the country, a third-world land of desert and rocky landscapes known for its austerity.
George Smith stood behind the tasting bar, bottle in hand. The bar is underneath a pair of heavy metal doors, the entrance to the boiler of the old Key City Furniture Co. factory in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina. "That's where the maintenance crew would climb inside the boiler, scrub it out and inspect it," said Smith, referring to the doors.
Scot Sanborn stood behind the bar and concentrated on a drinking glass. He wiped it clean and carefully laid the glass on the bar, alongside another just like it. He pointed at each glass and counted in silence, save for the soft jazz that came from a speaker set high in the corner of the candle-lit room.
This past summer a group of students gathered for a course taught by the Wake Forest University School of Law. The students and Professor Steve Nickles met at 5:30 p.m. several times a week. The course was split into two separate courses - debtor-creditor law the first half of the summer; bankruptcy the second half.
Kevin Bobal slid a tiny, nondescript plastic cup toward me. It has a sweetness, he told me, referring to the clear liquid inside. Bobal, who wore a grey flat cap and dark-rimmed glasses, watched as I got a nose of cotton candy and fresh-baked cookies, followed by a mouthful of sweet and smoky goodness.
The 1961 New Yorker is quiet now, its 500-horsepower engine still and silent. The vintage Chrysler isn't retired, exactly. This car - painted brilliant Carolina blue - still gets around some. People gather near it to hear stories, to tell stories, to relive its history in this place - these glorious North Carolina mountains surrounding Wilkes County, often referred to as the "Moonshine Capital of the World."
By John Trump | Watchdog.org CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Democrats characterize their party with reference to any number of metaphors. It's a big tent, an umbrella, a wide net. Everything to everybody. "I think the Democratic Party is all about inclusion," says Taling Taitano, a delegate from Guam here for the 2012 Democratic National Convention.
Reid Hunter ('86) grew up with a love for music. He listened to music, he talked about music and, though an old-fashioned notion to many of today's youth, he bought music. Lots of music. So much of it that his friends refused to help him move whenever he relocated.
By John Trump Watchdog.org CHARLOTTE, N.C. - North Carolina voters have elected three Republican governors since 1897. The Tar Heel State will add another in the 2012 election. Probably. Well, almost certainly. Former Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory is effectively trouncing Democratic Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton, his challenger, in the polls.
What if you talk and no one listens, if you cry and no one hears? What if you're lost, afraid, alone? What then? And what if you're a child? What if? Would you help? Would you offer your hand, your talents, your time? Kyleigh Feehs (JD '17) would. In a heartbeat.
Andy Krafsur ('86) is a disruptive sort. In a good way. He's smart, tenacious, outgoing and congenial, a clever innovator who likes to shake things up. He's a successful bankruptcy attorney who became a partner three years out of Wake Forest Law and started his own firm - Krafsur, Gordon and Mott, P.C.
Bourbon whiskey continues to trend upward, as more and more drinkers eschew clear and imported spirits for a taste of the iconic brown liquor. Production, says the Kentucky Distillers Association, has increased more than 170 percent since 1999. At 1.3 million barrels, production in 2014 reached its highest mark since 1970.
Jason Benetti ('11) sat in on a law class at Wake Forest University three years ago, just to see what it was like, to take a seat reserved for future lawyers. He settled in and listened to the professor. He was intrigued. The chair, he found, was quite comfortable.