Honoring the Past, Building a Future
Her name was Kate. She was a fabulous hostess, cook, and all-around energetic and talented gal. It was from her that I first heard the pronouncement, “It’s all in the presentation.” I think a dessert failed for a small dinner party, and an Oreo cookie on a silver plate was her solution. It became her example, … Continue reading Rocky Mount, NC – It’s All in the Presentation
Not a consultant. Not another financial report. Not another City Council meeting. Lewis Grizzard There comes a point when a person who cares deeply about her city has read enough, worried enough, written enough, shaken her head enough, and said, “Surely they aren't going to do that,” enough times that another approach becomes necessary. I … Continue reading NEEDING LEWIS GRIZZARD
Winstead Electronics at 126 N.W. Main, the Philips Building, also known as the Bulluck Phillips Building, has been part of Rocky Mount’s downtown streetscape since 1907. Designed by local architect John C. Stout, the two story brick building is an impressive example of Beaux Arts architecture. Four Corinthian pilasters frame the upper story, arched windows … Continue reading The Steadfast Face of Main Street’s Historic Core -#1
The courtroom doors swing shut. The prosecutor rises once more. A Financial Auditor takes the stand, sworn to testify. What follows is not rumor, not speculation, but evidence entered into the record. Today the case turns to OIC, its leadership, its ledgers, and the uneasy lines that bind public office to private control. Exhibit B: … Continue reading OIC on the Stand: Exhibit B and C
Some days, it feels like we’re living inside a Southern novel. Not the kind with porch swings and sweet tea, but the darker kind, where power and corruption hides in plain sight, and self-preservation outweighs public service. The longer I write about Rocky Mount, the clearer it becomes. We are not just observers in this … Continue reading When Real Life Reads Like a Southern Novel
On a recent post about Rueben Blackwell and the condition of Happy Hill, a reader left a comment that spoke directly to what many in Rocky Mount have quietly hoped for: "We need City Management to assemble a group of smart, hard working, caring, professional staff members who will look at every neighborhood in the … Continue reading Rocky Mount,NC: A Neighborhood, A Task Force, A Future
