By any standard, Jimmy Capps was an extraordinary musician. Some would argue that the North Carolina native with silver hair and matching goatee is the standard by which other studio musicians in Nashville should be compared. I was unfamiliar with Jimmy C

Spectacular. Amazing. Breathtaking. Those are the words that immediately came to my mind when asked what it was like jumping out of a perfectly good aircraft traveling 13,500 feet (roughly two and a half miles) above the earth at a speed of 140 miles per

I’m hoping this week’s column will put a great big smile on your face. Today, June 24, is the National Day of Joy. We can sure use one of those about right now, huh? The inaugural National Day of Joy was celebrated last year. Comfort Keepers, a provide

It’s only halfway over, but 2020 has already brought us a global pandemic, protests, riots, racial tension, a growing distrust in law enforcement, and an upcoming election that will no doubt bring a truckload of finger-pointing, accusations, mud-slinging

I was listening to an old John Prine song called “Dear Abby” the other day and it brought back memories of reading the much-loved syndicated column in the local newspaper. The letters she shared and her responses to them rarely failed to make you grin. Th

Sometimes treasures are found in the most unexpected places. With a tangle of golden brown hair swirling around an angelic face, the baby blues eyes of the soon-to-be five-year-old locked in on the phone screen in her tiny hand. A slight cough is followed

It has officially been one year since I moved into my new newspaper digs on Railroad Ave. after becoming the editor of The News Journal. Over the last 365 days I think I’ve settled in quite nicely. It has been quite a year. I had the opportunity to report

Many communities around the nation, including Florence and others around the Pee Dee, will not be holding annual Memorial Day ceremonies on Monday. You can chalk it up as the latest victim of the coronavirus. While there will be no public gatherings, spe

In his nearly 70 years of life, 45 of which have been spent as an educator, Dr. Charlie Burry has learned a few lessons. Some of those lessons arrived by way of valuable advice offered by a mentor or friend. Others came by way of the school of hard knocks

A short essay offering an interesting perspective on the effect the COVID-19 pandemic is having on each of us personally has been making its rounds on social media in recent weeks. The essay reminds us that our experiences are not always the same as other

During a news conference last week, Gov. Henry McMaster and Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman confirmed what I think most of us already knew – South Carolina schools will remain closed for the remainder of the school year due to COVID-19. While t

This Saturday would have been a big night at Freedom Florence Recreation Complex. There would have been food, fun, games, entertainment, luminaries, a survivor’s walk, and hundreds of supporters completing laps in memory or in honor of cancer victims or s

They never heard of an unemployment check and certainly not a pandemic check. With every morsel of food generated from the soil under their feet, every meal made from scratch, multiple mouths to feed, water to tote, laundry by washboard, along with the ab

You have heard this plea many times before, I’m sure. You need to hear it again. Now, more than ever, our local businesses and establishments need our support. I assure you not one has been immune to the damaging effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Save fas

“I can’t wait until this thing is over and we can get back to normal.” How many times have you overheard someone say this during the past few weeks? How many times have you found yourself saying those same words, either to someone or mumbling them to your