by Andrew Kenney photographs by Nick Pironio Patrick Torres watches from the front of the hall as people take the stage one by one. He hears them lay bare their own true stories: The woman who found a moment of…
by Jessie Ammons photograph by Travis Long “I have four teenage boys, so the State Fair is a big event for us. My family just walks around testing the food for the most part. We go in a big circle.” –Debra Capps,…
by Mimi Montgomery photograph by Travis Long “If I could have 12 dogs, I would.”– Monica Laliberte, WRAL 5 on Your Side reporter and Canine Companions for Independence volunteer You probably know Monica Laliberte as the face of WRAL’s 5 On Your…
by CC Parker photograph by Jason Dail Tucked into a tiny, unassuming shopping center in the heart of Wolfpack country, Man-Mur Shoe Shop on Hillsborough Street may look like a run-of-the-mill shoe repair place, but for its longtime customers, Man-Mur…
by Liza Roberts photographs by Chris Fowler When 1,700 museum professionals from 30 countries gather this month at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences for the prestigious global Association of Science-Technology Centers convention, these international scientists, researchers and educators will…
by J. Peder Zane photography by Nick Pironio Ladies and gentleman, children of all ages, step right up and prepare to be bedazzled, bewitched, mesmerized and amazed. For a limited time only, you can witness the biggest, fiercest, most commanding creatures…
by Samantha Thompson Hatem photographs by Nick Pironio Before you even read this, go ahead and pull out a recycling bag. Denise Hughes asks that you kindly fill it with plastic bottle caps. All sizes and colors are welcome. And don’t…
by Jessie Ammons photograph by Travis Long “When you waltz to Nine Inch Nails or Pearl Jam, it’s like, holy cow, this is fun.” – Larry Larson, founder and CEO, Larry’s Coffee Nine years ago, Larry Larson’s doctor asked…
by Charles Upchurch photographs by Geoff Wood The airbrushed colors come at night. The green and orange of an autumn leaf. The silver-blue of darting fish. Soon, the airbrush is out again. Flawless transitions. Scale patterns in geometric perfection. As a…
by Jessie Ammons photograph by Travis Long “I can’t wait for the Meredith College Sizzlin’ September concert. I have been a student at Meredith for the past two years and this is always one of my favorite things.” –Kate…
by Andrew Kenney photographs by Tim Lytvinenko Cliff Bleszinski lived on the Internet before the rest of us did. The video-game chat rooms of the late 1990s buzzed about his work, and they exploded when “CliffyB” himself logged on. He…
by Ann Brooke Raynal photographs by Jason Dail Growing up in Greene County, Darrell Dail, 79, watched his father Frank make homemade scuppernong wine. The family’s grapes came from vines grown with cuttings from Dail’s mother’s family farm in Pitt…
by Liza Roberts illustration by Vanessa Mercante Boyd When Vanessa Mercante Boyd, a native of Marostica, Italy, moved to North Carolina in 1997, the trained artist was working in technology, writing code, and enjoying a flourishing, computer-tethered career. “I thought technology…
by Thad Woodard, president and CEO, N.C. Bankers Association School children gather before the statue on the Capitol grounds in Raleigh every day to admire the three presidents noted as North Carolinians by birth: James Polk, Andrew Jackson, and Andrew Johnson….