Tag: Durham

Living in another world, not far away

February 27, 2014 Brody No Comments

This column appeared in The Herald-Sun in February 2014:

I live less than three miles up the Durham Freeway from where police say a man accidentally shot a baby with a gun stashed in the pocket of his hooded sweatshirt on Wednesday morning.

The only thing that’s liable to go off in one of my pockets is my phone, pinging as yet another Words with Friends challenge arrives.

That usually doesn’t hurt anything but my ego.

So why in the world would Arin Tavon Futrell pack a gun in his pocket while standing on the porch of his girlfriend’s house on Macon Street?

What was he thinking?

Journalism, Non-Fiction, Sample Columns

Turning up the heat

February 15, 2014February 15, 2014 Brody No Comments

This column appeared in The Herald-Sun in February 2014: Jousting a boulder, it turns out, isn’t such a great idea. The boulder in question was a hard-packed orb of snow left behind during a pass by the city’s plow truck as it rolled past our house in Watts-Hillandale on Thursday, shortly before the second wave…

Saying so long to Bubba

February 2, 2014 Brody No Comments

The ram on the lam is out of the slam.

But the future, although brighter for Bubba now that he’s no longer attacking his own reflection in shiny Durham neighborhood cars or chewing shrubs, remains uncertain.

On Friday morning, bidders gathered on Dave Artigues’ farm in Rougemont to get a look at the celebrity sheep.

Not a goat, they quickly point out. In case any doubts existed before, Bubba the Goat on Twitter is an imposter.

He’s a sheep. But what kind of sheep?

Not the woolly kind, to be sure. Instead, Bubba – estimated to be between 4- and 6-years-old – is a “hair breed.” Literature handed out before the auction by Artigues said: “Although his exact breed is a matter of speculation, the sheep farmers we harangued seem to agree that he is likely a Barbados or Katahdin (or a cross thereof).”

We apologize for any identity issues or mental distress Bubba may have suffered from ever being labeled a goat.

Read More “Saying so long to Bubba” »

Journalism, Non-Fiction, Sample Columns

Local districts continue response to Newtown tragedy

January 7, 2014 Brody No Comments

This article appeared in The Herald-Sun in December 2012:

Orange County Schools may take the unprecedented step of putting school resource officers in elementary schools in the wake of Friday’s shootings in Newtown, Conn.

For at least this week, before breaking for the holiday, law enforcement officers are on campus in collaboration with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and Hillsborough Police Department. But they could become as permanent as the SROs already found in middle and high schools.

“They will be providing an increased presence through the end of the week,” said Michael Gilbert, OCS public information officer. “Over the break (Superintendent Patrick) Rhodes and the (Board of Education) will be discussing the possibility of placing SROs in our elementary schools with our local law enforcement agencies.”

In a statement issued to parents, Rhodes wrote: “We are all deeply saddened by Friday’s tragic incident in Connecticut. While we hope such incidents never happen, Orange County Schools and our law enforcement partners view the safety of our children as our top priority.”

He outlined several steps taken to improve school security and emergency response planning, such as:

— Site-specific school safety plans.

— Specialized training in threat assessment.

— Crisis response measures.

— Regular presence and close monitoring of schools by the Sheriff’s Office.

— Full-scale and tabletop drills with law enforcement and emergency responders.

— Video surveillance in all schools.

Journalism, Non-Fiction, Sample News Articles