At a time of year when most folks are buttoning themselves into heavy coats and tying scarves around their necks, students at East Carolina University were pulling on swim trunks or bikinis and bracing themselves for a shriek-inducing leap into icy waters.

ECU hosted its 23rd annual Polar Bear…

One of Pitt County’s freshman representatives was elected to a leadership position within the North Carolina Legislative Black Caucus.

Rep. Kandie Smith, a Democrat from Greenville, will serve as the caucus treasurer for the 2019-20 term, according to a news release.

She will be sworn in as…

A nearly $3.7-million renovation of Greenville Utilities’ main office is scheduled to begin in March.

GUC’s Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the project, which will upgrade the exterior, create new office space and improve customer service options, at its Thursday meeting.…

Local wrestling squads are prepared to do battle Saturday morning at D.H. Conley High School to determine who are the kings of the county in the Pitt County Championships. 

The host Vikings have proven to once again be a powerhouse in the wrestling world. With a strong 34-5 overall record, the…

William Knight is known for his success with the North Pitt girls’ basketball program, including a bringing a state championship back to Bethel in the 2017-18 season. For his efforts, Knight was recognized as the North Carolina coach of the year in girls’ basketball by the National…

Last year, East Carolina women’s lacrosse was new enough that the team and its coaches did not yet know what they didn’t know.

As the team’s second-ever season is set to begin, so too is a whole new understanding of the game and its many nuances at the top college level. The 2018…

I've always tried to shop locally, it's just the right thing to do. But when I see the gas prices here versus what it is in neighboring Wayne and Wilson Counties, it's worth a fill-up when we pass through these areas. They can give their Econ 101 excuses for the difference,…

Today (Tuesday) I was stunned to hear that Carol Folt will be resigning from her office as Chancellor of UNC Chapel Hill; but I was not as stunned as when I read the remarks made by Harry Smith, Chair of the UNC Board of Governors (BOG). In the wake of her announcement Smith stated that he was…

What is among the most nagging, gear-grinding frustrations generated by the Great Government Shutdown is that the folks in Washington will do nothing about it except whine.

The shutdown will enter its 28th day today. Apparently, the impasse is over funding to build for a wall between Mexico and the…

While I have been traveling up and down North Carolina’s roads in search of local eateries, UNC Law School professor Gene Nichol has been traveling the same roads looking for something else.

I was gathering material for my book, “North Carolina’s Roadside Eateries,” and…

The first mistake was opening the refrigerator door. I opened it silently, but it emits a silent sound unknown to science that only cats can hear. From under the bedcovers at the other end of the house. And they do not need to walk or run to the refrigerator to inspect what I'm doing. One second,…

As I write this review, it’s still up in the air whether Kevin Hart will host this year’s Academy Awards. He was picked because he’s funny, he’s a performer of color, and his star was on the ascendance.

But someone dug up old comments by Hart that were homophobic. The…

The first mistake was opening the refrigerator door. I opened it silently, but it emits a silent sound unknown to science that only cats can hear. From under the bedcovers at the other end of the house. And they do not need to walk or run to the refrigerator to inspect what I'm doing. One second,…

Serving as your own general contractor on a home construction project means you can save some cash by serving as the cleanup crew. And if you’re lucky, your spouse will pitch in. I’m lucky.

My wife, Sharon, and I were feverishly working at the building site one recent evening clearing…

A new year is a time for resolutions, a prospect that always gives me pause. It is not that I don’t need a little self-improvement, it’s simply that changing bad habits is challenging and difficult and those are not words I readily embrace.

In the past, I often have limited my goals to…