As a mom, I can’t help but take a break in a schedule of deadlines that have already passed to consider the case of Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman. I’ve watched a clash of cultures take place in a courtroom filled with the brightest minds in public and social media across a broad spectrum of…

Over the past few days, the NC Rural Center has had to undergo considerable scrutiny by news outlets and individuals who are not fully acquainted with the work of the Center.  Living in rural northeastern North Carolina is fraught with challenges of economics and rural development. The people, its places and a family heritage that…

Life can be fickle. One moment we are fierce beings in charge of our lives; then the next second, the unthinkable happens. Just this week tragedies once again, found its way across the states- from Philadelphia, to Santa Monica to small-town  USA. Two precious lives were taken too soon en route to a rural high-school…

When summer comes around, it’s time for sun, fun and tons of memories to be shared back at school where bragging rights are up for grabs. Some families will court the world and spend time in places others will only dream about. Others will trip tik it across the country and have a number of…

It’s only been a few weeks, and already Dominique Ansel has taken the world of pastry and its consumers by storm. Just a few weeks ago, the owner of a small French bakery in New York, Mr. Dominique Ansel wanted to make a different kind of staff snack. He decided to try crossing a donut…

Rural development will depend on a lot of factors to include new ideas.  There must be a commitment to thinking outside of parameters that have been explored for years and “repurposing” incredible technologies to meet dire needs. Looking at growing and developing economic engines consistent with the needs of small businesses in rural communities is…

It’s the smells in the atmosphere of rural places that captures your attention. The air aromatic with sage and wild flowers, blue skies and lots of land and trees. It is the silencing noise in the background and the peculiar nature of feeling exuberantly independent that gets you going amidst the fear and concern for…