Veteran editor-publisher Ken Ripley of the Spring Hope Enterprise (seated, center) is surrounded by the UNC Community Journalism class “Bucket Brigade,” left to right: Laura Davenport, Gregg Found, Kate Newnam, Sam Giffin, Kendal Walters, Marianna King, Elyse Archer, Emily Burns, Cody Braun and Cameron Weaver. Instructor Jock Lauterer is at lower front right. Photo by Vickie Ripley

The construction of a new town hall; plans for the annual autumn Pumpkin Festival; the dedication of a rebuilt country church following a devastating fire; the semi-annual Ruritan Club chicken barbecue — hardly the breathless “this-just-in” breaking news of CNN — but to the folks of the Spring Hope Enterprise, this is the stuff of next week’s front page.

My students and I know this firsthand because we are the reporters and photographers covering these seemingly ordinary events in the little town of Spring Hope (1,281) one hour east of here.
How did a band of UNC-Chapel Hill journalism students find themselves last week in what some would call “the middle of nowhere”?

Therein lies the tale.

More »

A modified kiosk, part of an art project in downtown Chapel Hill, on September 11, 2002. Photo Courtesy of Erik Ose

Erik Ose

With every year that passes, September 11, 2001 recedes further into history. But this year marks the fifth anniversary of another dark time for our country. The first time we memorialized the victims of 9/11, our (fraudulently) elected leaders were hard at work exploiting this national tragedy by conning us into an unnecessary war of choice in Iraq.

The day after the first 9/11 anniversary, on September 12, 2002, George W. Bush addressed the United Nations and served up one fiction after another about why Iraq, not al Qaeda, was America’s most important enemy. “Al Qaeda terrorists escaped from Afghanistan and are known to be in Iraq,” said Bush.

He assured the world that Iraq has “failed to account for more than three metric tons of material that could be used to produce biological weapons” and “retains physical infrastructure needed to build a nuclear weapon.”

More »

Giuseppina Maria “JoJo” Finazzo, 22, died Wednesday, September 5, 2007.  She was a native of Durham County and grew up in her family’s Italian Restaurant, Sal’s Pizza. After graduating from East Chapel Hill High School, she received her CAN and was currently working as a teacher’s assistant at Carrboro Elementary School. Her goal was to become a nurse. She loved children and spending time with her family and friends. She will be missed by all of her relatives, friends, and everyone who knew her.

More »