OutTakes

OutTakes

Edd Merritt

I’m tired of writing critical commentaries, which my last two have been. And besides, the natural world of Charlotte is not something one can easily criticize. Its skies, landscapes, clouds and harvest moons bring together many of the reasons for choosing here as home. Too often we fail to be conscious of the role our environment plays in our lives.

Out Take

Out Take

Edd Merritt, Contributing Editor

I admit that I watched all the sessions of Ken Burns and Lynn Novick’s Vietnam history. A young adult of the 1960s, I was there during the war and played a small a part in “Rolling Thunder” on an aircraft carrier bombing the north. But that was not the reason I found the series fascinating.

September is Nation Preparedness Month

September is Nation Preparedness Month

Chris Davis, Assistant Chief, Charlotte Volunteer Fire Department, Emergency Management Director

Did you know that September is Nation Preparedness Month? With all the news lately the recent hurricane disaster in Texas and the south seems far away, but the video footage of total strangers and neighbors helping others in need is heartwarming and encouraging. Many of us will contribute to the response effort down south in some way, but there are some things we can do right here that might be very helpful should even a small extreme weather event hit our town.

Trails Talk: Part1

Trails Talk: Part1

Laurie Thompson, Charlotte Trails Committee

The Charlotte Town Link Trail has been in the news frequently over the past several months. Although this trail has been in the works for about 20 years, now that it is becoming a reality many townspeople are more interested in the trail and have more questions about it. In an effort to answer as many questions as we can, the Trails Committee is starting this column, Trails Talk, in The Charlotte News.

Paint sticks not allowed, but guns, no problem

Paint sticks not allowed, but guns, no problem

Beth Phillips, Contributor

Kay wanted us to get a taste of her part of Texas and laid out an ambitious schedule of activities, four days that would include hiking the Violet Crown wildlife trail and biking around, and then kayaking on Lady Bird Lake in downtown Austin. We’d visit the University of Texas’s Blanton Museum of Art and ogle cowboy gear at Allens Boots. Kay’s plan included a day in the Texas Hill Country, starting with a walk to Pedernales Falls, followed by a tour of LBJ’s boyhood home and a vineyard wine tasting, and finishing up at LBJ’s “Texas White House.”