Mythbusters
photograph by Travis Long “I’ve always watched Mythbusters on TV and I plan to go see the live performance. It’s crazy how they come up with (ways) to test theories and notions.” – Hai Tran, sommelier, The Umstead Hotel &…
Category: Community
Rex’s Angels: Caring for patients since 1936
by Ann Brooke Raynal photographs by Jillian Clark Despite years of passionate advocacy and numerous letters to the newspaper, when John T. Rex died in 1839, there was no hospital in Raleigh. Wealthy people could afford the journey to Charleston…
Driven to perfection
by J. Michael Welton photographs by Geoff Wood It’s early August, and Cam Ingram, 38, is under the gun, busily packing up for Pebble Beach. He’s not going out there for the golf or the ocean or the sun. And…
Gabe Bratton: Artistry and old lace
by Samantha Thompson Hatem photographs by Tim Lytvinenko Gabrielle “Gabe” Bratton loves a good story almost as much as she loves making jewelry. Bring her your grandmom’s old lace wedding dress or yellowing veil, and Bratton wants to hear everything…
Pack mentality: Lee Huggins
words and photograph by Juli Leonard Fifty-two feet, 26 ears and 13 tails swarm and churn around dog walker Lee Huggins near Raleigh’s Ridge Road on a sunny afternoon. A tangle of leashes crisscross Huggins’ chest like rainbow sashes. Poop…
A facelift and a fresh start
by Stacy Chandler photographs by Carla Williams Before a group of Wake County remodelers came to the rescue last fall, the headquarters of the Wake Interfaith Hospitality Network, which helps people out of homelessness, was worn out. Its carpet was…
Hometown heroes: The World Series champs next door
by Cam Higgins “Should I use the autograph I’ve been practicing, or just sign my normal name?” Few 13-year-olds get the chance to ask their coach that question, but then again, Dante Defranco and his fellow players on the West…
Inner strength
by Charman Driver What a fantastic year of fun and fitness adventures I’ve had with Walter. I’ve run, kicked, jumped, stretched, melted, boxed, danced, climbed – even joined the circus! People often ask me how I maintain the discipline and…
In all its forms: Close ties, deep roots, and forward focus at the North Carolina Symphony
by J. Peder Zane As the hot summer night embraced Raleigh’s Red Hat Amphitheater, sweet smoke drifted through the air, propelling the sell-out crowd to the heights of ecstasy that happen when music meets dance. Gray-haired men in tie-died shirts boogied with…
A Boy and his Dog
by Charles Upchurch photographs by Geoff Wood Field trial champion Robert Vaughan, 18, has hunted since he was 9 years old. “The first time I went quail hunting, in the fourth or fifth grade, I remember two English pointers getting…
Greg Jones: The rockin rev
by Dean King Put an ear to a window of St. Michael’s Episcopal Church a little shy of midnight on a random Wednesday or Thursday night, and you might just hear music. Not sacred music, but roof-raising rock ’n’ roll….
A persistent pastime: Pete Sack paints baseball players and much more
by Liza Roberts photographs by Nick Pironio Artist Pete Sack, 37, has always been drawn to photographs of the human face. Strangers in yearbooks speak to him; archival snapshots of orphans, schoolchildren, and athletes hold unusual sway. One particular brunette…
Gigs: The pork enforcer
by Allie Higgins A Piggly Wiggly parking lot in Warsaw, N.C., might not be the most obvious place to spend a sweltering summer afternoon, but it’s a great spot to meet Raleigh’s own Ann Edmondson. As coordinator of the North…
Swamp Mallows
text and photograph by John Rosenthal In 1996, Gibbons Ruark, Raleigh native and well respected poet, wrote a splendid poem called Swamp Mallows. It was inspired by the remarkably beautiful Ben Berns painting of the same name in the North…