โThis yearโs song better not be lame,โ yells Carly Pittman, a preternaturally self-assured 12-year-old with a sandy blond bob and a feisty attitude. The organizers of Girls Rock NC are finishing the theme song for this yearโs band camp. One of the most spirited campers, Pittman demands that this yearโs song must rule. Continue reading […]
Jeremy M. Lange
Animazement portraits
Itโs 85 degrees on a sunny Memorial Day weekend, and Iโm in an elevator with Princess Zelda and a ninja whose kendo swordโs hilt is bumping into my left nostril. Weโre at the Raleigh Convention Center for the 12th Animazement, a festival of Japanese animation, comics, video games and culture. Iโm wearing a golf shirt […]
Portions of the American Tobacco Trail may provide more adventure than you want
It sounded like a good idea. Twenty or so miles through the woods on a hard-packed dirt trail on a balmy, late spring day from Wake County to downtown Durham. What could be better? The much-ballyhooed American Tobacco Trail (ATT) has been a public relations boon for Durham, Chatham and Wake county governments. The excitement […]
A day at the ledge: Rep. Deborah Ross
For some of us, the last time we thought about how laws and bills got passed in the opaque system of state politics was when we took an elementary school field trip to the legislative building in Raleigh. We tried to act interested as we toured the hallways, when really we just wanted to run […]

