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For readers of a certain age, a furious is when your cranky neighbor brings over a six-pack of Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBR for you hipsters) early on a Friday night and jokes about the weather and politics turn into a heated argument about whether David Thompson could win Michael Jordan in a game of HORSE right now.
We learn a lot from young people.
Rager has many definitions, some not suitable for publication.
A “wild party” these days can cause a GoFundMe viral campaign that becomes a pseudo-political movement that raises $516,672, all thanks to fraternity brothers reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.
The more than half a million raised could have bought 574,080 half-pitchers at The Bantam Rooster bar in Five Points back in the day. For so much beer, you and your cranky neighbor might add concession hill to the best triangular HORSE game of all time.
(The Bantam Rooster is closed, but visual editor Scott Sharpe is a reliable source.)
The News & Observer’s party approach is a bit laid back. We mentioned top journalists during our morning staff call. And from time to time we order cake.
So, in a week of local news, let’s politely applaud three N&O journalists (among many) who always deserve a party.
David Vaughan
…for being N&O Capitol Bureau Chief and breaking new ground with our popular podcast Under The Dome.
We tried something different on Tuesday with Under the dome: live! a live event moderated by Dawn with two rising political stars: Sen. Vickie Sawyer, R-Mecklenburg Countyand Senator Natalie Murdock, a Democrat representing Durham and Chatham counties..
Our event was the same night as Carolina Hurricanes concluded their Stanley Cup first-round series, so let’s say we had about 18,000 fewer people dotting the halls of the North Carolina Museum of History. But the senators lived up to Dawn’s expectations that podcast guests be knowledgeable, relevant, intelligent and witty.
This from Dawn: “Most of the comments I get from listeners are about asides from the conversation or an unconventional Headliner of the Week choice. “It shows that there is something everyone can connect to in North Carolina politics.”
(Subscribe to Under The Dome and other newsletters on newsobserver.com sites and in our application).
tyler dukes
… for “Private eyes,” his must-read report on how Flock, a private technology company, has installed at least 700 cameras in more than 70 North Carolina counties and municipalities while making millions in public money.
Tyler is a talented investigative journalist who needed to be thorough and resourceful to make this detailed assessment. As Tyler reports: “Compared to other states, North Carolina has little oversight over how law enforcement agencies audit their use of license plate reading systems.”
“Private Eyes” incorporates several stories available in N&O are in the spotlight, One of our new initiatives focused on accountability reporting. Report how the security cameras are. Moving debate for Knightdale HOA and how Police errors with license plate cameras have led to unfair arrests.
It is a great job in the public interest.
Chip Alejandro
…who recently celebrated his 45th anniversary at The N&O. We ordered cake and convinced Chip to let us say nice things. He obliged, accepted the congratulations and ended his version of a late-night rampage covering the Canes’ Game 5 victory on Tuesday.
Chip began his career changing ribbons on typewriters. Now, he is a Reddit Star AMA (Ask Me Anything).
If that big HORSE game ever happened, Chip would be on a first name basis with David, Michael and Grant.
Five years ago, a Boston sports radio fan tried to get on Chip’s nerves. It didn’t happen. The incident came up during the Reddit AMA and prompted a May 13, 2019 letter to the editor titled: “Chip Alexander is to be praised for his perfect Southern style.”
Marvin Waldo wrote: “I’ve known Chip Alexander since we both attended Everett Case Boys’ Basketball School in the early 1960s. It’s in his perfect Southern style to simply move on from the outrageous way he was treated by the WBZ-FM host who so he rudely interrupted him because of his southern accent and the premise that no southern reporter could know anything about hockey. Hello Beantown, our beautiful Triangle receives national recognition every day and is filled with people from all over the United States. Chip is the perfect representative for all of us, and congratulations to Chip for his many years of handling his work with dignity and professionalism. And to the guy who interrupted him, your mom taught you better! Everyone come back now, do you understand?
That’s also something worth celebrating.
Bill Church is executive editor of The News & Observer. His definition of furious is “what someone does silently in a very long line when the customer at the counter who changed his order three times realizes that he has to pay for the purchase.”