Border Belt Independent • 16th May 2021

After 24 years as Robeson County district attorney, Johnson Britt now on the other side of the aisle

When he was in law school Johnson Britt turned down opportunities to work in district attorneys’ offices because he thought prosecutors were the bad guys. Eight years later he successfully ran for DA of Robeson County, an office he held for 24 years. He inherited 81 pending murder cases and 14 capital resentencing cases on his first day. Throughout his career, Britt remembers four cases he personally prosecuted in which the defendant received the death penalty. He’s lost count of how many othe

The Daily Tar Heel • 30th April 2021

Mediterranean Deli, Bakery, and Catering: Best Vegetarian/Vegan Meal

More than 63 items line the cases at Mediterranean Deli, Bakery, and Catering, most of which are vegetarian, vegan or gluten free – and that’s why it’s been voted Best Vegetarian or Vegan Food by DTH readers Since 1992, Med Deli, as it is known by the Chapel Hill community, has served authentic cuisines from the Middle East and the Mediterranean with fresh and healthy ingredients. According to its , Med Deli’s traditional recipes were passed down to the head chef, Jamil Kadoura, from his mothe

UNC Media Hub • 26th April 2021

2021 NCAA tournament opens conversation about gender inequality in sports

When Jules Micchia was growing up, her parents only took her and her sisters to women’s sports games. Now, Micchia is an athlete herself, competing on the women’s rowing team at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Micchia has seen and felt the inequality between men’s and women’s sports. When a video from Sedona Prince, a center on the University of Oregon’s women’s basketball team, went viral during the NCAA women’s basketball tournament in March, Micchia said she was upset, but

1893 Brand Studio • 6th April 2021

How to write captions for social media posts

How to write captions for social media posts While photos are important for showing off your business, the captions that go along with them need to be just as attention-grabbing. Social media captions create a personality for your brand online. They not only add context, but can also be used to entertain and inspire your audience. Compelling social media captions grow engagement with your brand. This is critical, because when the Instagram algorithm orders content on users’ feeds, it rewards

The Daily Tar Heel • 6th April 2021

Who is ... Kathryn Peters? Carrboro civic technologist wins 'Jeopardy!' game

Carrboro resident Kathryn Peters, a lifelong trivia fan who grew up watching "Jeopardy!", recently got the chance to compete on the show and left a champion. Peters won first place on a "Jeopardy!" episode that aired on March 22. She returned as the reigning champ on an episode that aired March 23, where she misread the Final Jeopardy! question and finished in second place. Peters’ combined winnings from both games was $22,001, some of which she pledged to two organizations that work to ensure

UNC Media Hub • 31st March 2021

NC Zoo summer veterinary camp goes virtual this year

Claire Bublitz’s favorite memory from veterinary camp when she was in high school is learning how to do physical exams on baby goats. “I remember being so excited first off because they’re adorable, right?” Bublitz said. More importantly, she learned about a path she could take as an aspiring veterinarian. Her love for animals could take her beyond the small animal clinic where she works now to working in zoo animal medicine which she is now studying in her first year at the N.C. State College

Chapelboro.com • 29th March 2021

Made in NC: Sour Bakery

When thinking of a name for her bakery, Janee Allen wanted people to know her schtick — sourdough. Everything at Sour Bakery, which sells at the Chapel Hill Farmers’ Market and the Fearrington Farmers’ Market, is made with wild yeast culture, typically known as sourdough. “My scones are actually yeasted scones,” Allen said. “Which is weird and rare.” Along with scones, Allen makes croissants, sourdough crackers and many other types of bread with the wild yeast culture. She also has sweet bake

The Daily Tar Heel • 22nd March 2021

Members of Carrboro High's Black and Brown Student Coalition discuss their podcast

From right: Carrboro High School seniors Navia Mosley and Phoenix Tudryn are two of the students who recently launched The Black and Brown Student Coalition podcast about living as a student of color right now during the pandemic. "We wanted to give a voice to the black and brown kids in our school to be able to speak to teachers directly as to what they can do better to support them," Tudryn said. Following the civil rights uprisings of summer 2020, students at Carrboro High School formed the

UNC Media Hub • 22nd February 2021

Four women. One campervan. Orlando to San Francisco.

In the three-and-a-half weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas, Victoria McAlister, Michelle Li, Cameron Beals and Emily Williams traveled the country, sleeping in a campervan on the sides of roads, in national park campgrounds and once outside of a COVID-19 testing center. For months, the UNC-Chapel Hill seniors talked about taking a cross-country road trip because they thought it would be the safest way to travel during the pandemic. Besides, they wanted to celebrate Li’s early graduation f

The Daily Tar Heel • 21st February 2021

Retired CHCCS teacher Karen Reid is looking for a kidney donor

Karen Reid, a retired teacher from Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, is looking for a kidney donor. Reid, who was diagnosed with a chronic kidney disease in 2014, recently published a letter asking for help finding a donor. Her disease has now progressed to stage four and her kidneys have lost 85 to 90 percent of their function. She said she did not immediately begin looking for a kidney donor after her diagnosis, as she hoped to find ways to make her kidneys last longer and didn't know how t

The Daily Tar Heel • 21st January 2021

Meet Nyah Hamlett, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools' new superintendent

Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools opened 2021 with a new superintendent, Nyah Hamlett, who said she'll prioritize racial equity, school-based mental health and wellness, deeper learning and family engagement. Hamlett replaces interim superintendent Jim Causby. She previously served as Chief of Staff in Loudoun County Public Schools and as an assistant superintendent in Henrico County Public Schools, both counties in Virginia. “I hope to model for others that equity is more than just naming ine

The Daily Tar Heel • 28th December 2020

Orange County sheriff wins state award for responding to county opioid epidemic

Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood received a Dogwood Award in October from Attorney General Josh Stein for his efforts in responding to the opioid epidemic in Orange County. Blackwood was recognized specifically for the Coordinated Opioid Overdose Reduction Effort. This program was spearheaded by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, with collaboration from the Criminal Justice Resource Department, Orange County Emergency Management Services, Freedom House and local police departments. Bla

1893 Brand Studio • 18th December 2020

How to tell a story about your business

How to tell a story about your business Knowing how to tell a story will make a human connection with consumers– it’s a way to draw people in and keep them engaged with your brand. Telling your story can inspire trust between your business and your customers. Here are some ways to make your brand stand out using storytelling techniques. Tell a story: start off with establishing the who, what, why, when and how of your business: To break it down: • What is the purpose of the business? • Where

Chapelboro.com • 5th December 2020

Made in NC: Tonya’s Cookies

After several attempts to make a cookie that tasted like her grandmother’s pecan pie, Tonya Council was about to throw out another batch of cookies when her mom stopped her. You’ve got something, her mom told her after trying a cookie. Council is the owner of Tonya’s Cookies, and her grandmother was Mama Dip, or Mildred Council, the famous owner of Mama Dip’s Kitchen in Chapel Hill. Tonya’s airy and crunchy cookies were more like pecan crisps, but they still tasted just like Mama Dip’s pecan p

1st December 2020

Les High, Legacy Reporter

I made this video for a filmmaking class I took while studying abroad at Lorenzo de' Medici - The Italian International Institute. This film is about Les High, publisher of The News Reporter in Whiteville, NC, a Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper his family has owned for decades. I was sent home early from my study abroad experience because of the coronavirus pandemic, so I had to change my story subject. I decided to make the film about someone who helped launch my own career in journalism.

Chapelboro.com • 28th November 2020

Flavor of the Week: Market and Moss

Annie Johnston’s first job was as a server at Pazzo in Southern Village when she was in high school. Fifteen years later, Johnston has come a long way – she just celebrated the grand opening of her own restaurant, Market and Moss, in Pazzo’s former space. Market and Moss, located in Southern Village at 700 Market St. in Chapel Hill, is described by Johnston as “seasonal, new and American.” The restaurant opened officially in October. “We want stuff that is approachable but always offers some

1893 Brand Studio • 15th November 2020

Instagram stories: how to use it for your business

Instagram stories: how to use it to talk about your business Every day, more than 500 million users log onto Instagram. If your business is not using all of the platform’s features, you could be missing out on growing engagement and awareness for your brand. One critical feature to start using is Instagram Stories, which allow users to share photos and videos with their followers on their “Story.” Instagram Stories can help your business make a more authentic connection with consumers. Inst

Chapelboro.com • 7th November 2020

Flavor of the Week: Brandwein’s Bagels

With a slightly crispy outside and a chewy airy inside, the boiled and baked bagels at Brandwein’s Bagels have the authenticity of a New York-style bagel. Born and raised in New York, Alex Brandwein, the owner of Brandwein’s Bagels, located at 505 W. Rosemary St. in Chapel Hill, grew up eating bagels every day. He came to UNC to get a master’s degree in business administration, but did not know what he wanted the next chapter of his life to be. “I started to think about what means the most to

The Daily Tar Heel • 25th October 2020

Carrboro to implement second 'Truth Plaque' at site of former Freedmen's school

In 2015, Tucker met Sherick Hughes, a professor in the UNC School of Education, whose students did research on and wrote about the former Freedmen’s school. Torri Staton, one of Hughes’ former doctoral students, said Freedmen’s schools were a form of protest. “Once states started emancipating, formerly enslaved people looked to education as a way to gain access to societal privileges and started pushing their way towards self-sufficiency in American society,” Staton said. Staton said Freedmen

Chapelboro.com • 17th October 2020

Made in NC: Rockwood Dairy Bar

When grocery stores were running out of ice cream during the early months of the pandemic, Stephanie Rosse knew she could do something about it. On April 15, Rosse, a trained pastry chef, opened Rockwood Dairy Bar at 2514 University Drive in Durham for grab-and-go, fresh-made ice cream and baked goods. This came about two weeks after Gov. Roy Cooper announced a statewide stay-at-home order to stop the spread of COVID-19. “Eating ice cream is a way to get through this pandemic,” Rosse said. “It