OIC on the Stand: Exhibit B and C

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 →

When Real Life Reads Like a Southern Novel

Some days, it feels like weโ€™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 →

From Rocky Mount NC: A Love Letter to the American Bungalow

This morning, I looked at this gorgeous photograph of a green craftsman bungalow, its symmetry softened by shrubs, its porch pots blooming., I purred like a kitten. The reaction was instant and familiar. I have a grand passion for bungalows, one that never fades no matter how often I've written about them or pass one … Continue reading From Rocky Mount NC: A Love Letter to the American Bungalow →

William West, Telegram Staff Writer, Brings Good News

I love Rocky Mount Mills. (Everything but the stickers on the water tank that are tacky.) I admire all the wonderful people involved, from the owners to a lovely young waitress that brings your food. Check out this post I wrote on The Battle Family. https://mainstreetrockymount.com/2015/08/26/a-family-leaves-a-legacy-the-battle-family/ The preservation, restoration, repurposing, landscaping, atmosphere, businesses, the whole … Continue reading William West, Telegram Staff Writer, Brings Good News →

Faded But Not Forgotten: Rocky Mountโ€™s Ghost Signs

This isnโ€™t the first time Iโ€™ve written about ghost signs, and I doubt it will be the last. Something about them keeps calling me back. Maybe itโ€™s the way they invite us to look closer at what we pass every day. Or maybe it's the quiet dignity with which they endure, fading but not forgotten. … Continue reading Faded But Not Forgotten: Rocky Mountโ€™s Ghost Signs →