Cheerwine and the Outer Banks ... oh, my

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Walker

February 8, 2012

Editor/Publisher John H. Walker The Daily Southerner Wed Feb 08, 2012, 06:04 PM EST

TARBORO — I’ve already been told I need to declare, so I’ll tell you right now that my wife bleeds Carolina blue.

Me? I’m more of a Mississippi State fan, myself, although if I had to pick a favorite in the ACC it would be Wake Forest from our days in Thomasville, over in the Triad.

My career has been spent getting the word out to folks about things that were going on. I began at what really was called a cub reporter at my hometown Delta Democrat-Times in Greenville, Miss. and my first boss, Hodding Carter, III, currently serves as University Professor of Leadership and Public Policy at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Since then, I’ve worked in half-a-dozen states, spending about 25 years in Texas. Along the way, I’ve covered a bit of everything — obits, weddings, elections, Little League, Babe Ruth, local, state and national politics and all things in-between, including Hurricane Katrina.

•••

These days, I’m a resident of the Comfort Inn, although I’m working hard to change that and at least find a furnished apartment until the time nears for the dreaded move. I say dreaded not because of the move here, but because it is a move.

Period.

Believe me, I’d rather do anything that go through a move although almost since the time my wife and moved to Louisiana — I arrived exactly one week before Katrina — we’ve talked about returning to North Carolina and that being our last move.

And that’s exactly what I told Mary Ann Cumpata. The Lord opened this door for us and this is where I intend to park it.

I told my wife Stephanie about how clean the community is … even those parts that are supposed to be a bit rough around the edges and, coming from a state where the state symbol is a piece of litter alongside the highway, I can’t tell you how refreshing the sight of a clean community can be.

We love the Outer Banks, can get to the mountains and I can find Cheerwine just about any place I look and don’t have to have it bootlegged in under the cover of darkness.

•••

When we come, we’ll be bringing a 4 1/2-year-old Lab mix we adopted from the shelter last summer. Bridget has crawled right into our hearts and once we’re here, you see her riding in the front seat of my Jeep or wife my wife. If we head toward the vehicle, she’s always ready to roll.

Recalling the way she jumped off the seawall steps into Lake Pontchartrain, I can’t wait to see her reaction as the waves break on the beach and she hears that roar for the first time.

•••

And now to the important stuff … your newspaper.

I’ve heard the horror stories and I’ve seen the typos and as much as I’d love to be able to tell you I’m unpacking a magic wand that I can wave and make them go away, I can’t.

The fact of the matter is there are a few things we can do to ensure fewer mistakes make it into the paper, including reading our own copy and running spell check. My intent is to read every locally written story that goes into the paper.

There are times — game nights, for example — when a sports story is not going to have my eyes on it, but we have a software program that does a pretty darn good job at checking the spelling as well as the grammar. Not running those programs and making the changes, instead of hitting “skip”, is not going to be an option.

We don’t have a lot of bodies down here at the Daily Southerner, but we want to produce a newspaper that you’re proud to call your own. I know you’ll let me know when you find a typo that slipped through and that’s fine … after doing this since 1967; I’ve got pretty thick skin. Besides, I’ll bet I will have already seen it and mumbled a few choice words under my breath.

We want your news, we want your photos and we want your letters to the editor. Most of all, we want to put out a newspaper that serves you and the rest of the community.

I conduct a seminar for press associations that I call “The 6 most important words in community newspapering©” and when you hear them, you’ll know why I say that … they are “Local names. Local faces. Local activities.©”

If we take care of those items, then we’re taking care of you and your needs.

We look forward to being your neighbors.

(John H. Walker is editor and publisher of The Daily Southerner. He can be reached at 823-3106)

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Opinion

To The Editor
To the Editor:
A recent news story about the Montford Marines honors the important and too-often forgotten group of men. However, some of the statements in the story were wrong and need correction.

February 20, 2012
Happening a special event
My first Happening on the Common was one to remember, perhaps in part because it included a wide variety of music, arts and crafts and food.
And while you wouldn’t be able to tell by looking if someone liked either music or arts and crafts, there is no such uncertainty when it comes to food.
My favorite of the day was from the Hispanic Youth Group from Tarboro’s First Baptist Church. Their tamales were, as the Campbell Soup Kids used to say, “umm, umm. good!”

May 21, 2012
A thief at large
To the Editor:
A glorious day was marred by a pickpocket, stealing from an eldery lady enjoying the day at the Happening on the Common on Saturday.

May 21, 2012
Arts Council does many things for community
Happening on the Common, which offered the opportunity for a day filled with leisurely entertainment, didn’t just happen.

May 21, 2012
Remembering Betty Perrin NeSmith
Betty Perrin NeSmith was a force of nature. I hate the past tense, but it's the grammar we use when someone dies‚ Im just not sure it's the grammar Betty would use when thinking about death. She is moving on, with things to do. She was looking for a higher plane even while grounded on this earth, and I'm happy to think of her still searching out there in the other worlds.

May 16, 2012
A great example of poor judgment
TO THE EDITOR: I was having breakfast at a restaurant last week when I was asked, What do you think of the new police chief selection? I responded with, Who did they choose? Thats when I was given the devastating news it wasn't one of our own.

May 16, 2012
Did you ever lose your vehicle?
Have you ever found yourself in the middle of a parking lot, knowing in yiour heart that you remembered where you parked but faced with the realization that you didn’t?
I think many of us have been down that path, sheepishly realizing that the reason your automatic door opener isn’t working is because it’s not your vehicle.
Then, sheepishly, we walk away and begin our wandering and wondering as we try to find our wheels.

May 14, 2012
Economic growth a must
I give credit to Rich Karlgaard, a regular contributor to Forbes magazine, for many of the statistics I use in this column.
As we all know our economy is extremely sluggish to put it mildly. It’s just growing at somewhere between 1 percent and 2 percent and at this rate the economy can only get worse. In comparison, our economy has grown, on average, at a rate of 3.3 percent since the end of World War II. And even during this time frame we had two big recessions.

May 9, 2012
Rest of week just gets busier here in Tarboro
Just the other day, as the community was making final preparations for Relay for Life, we heard someone complaining about how there is “never anything to do around here.”
We beg to differ.

May 9, 2012
And we continue to walk ...
As a cancer survivor — and on behalf of other cancer survivors — thank you to everyone who has taken even the most minute role in the Relay for Life effort.
That effort continues this week when the Rocky Hock Opry rolls into town for a couple of Saturday performances at Edgecombe Community College.
Please, continue your support.

May 7, 2012
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