At a time when partisans seem to be cherishing antagonisms and keeping wounds open, it's nice to have a reason to celebrate a town treasure in common.  

Rudy Tempesta, our 83-year-old letter-carrier on the Estes-West Coker Hills route (I think we're all the 2413 part of the zipcode), was honored yesterday for not one but two million miles without an accident over 63 years of service to the US Postal Service. 

That's remarkable enough, but as "Rudy's people" have come to learn, there's a lot more to him than putting catalogues and bills in our mailboxes.  At yesterday's ceremony amid the sorting stations at the Estes Dr. post office, Rudy showed off one of the five medals he got for flying missions in WW2, when he was part of the group covering the Tuskegee airmen, and he pointed out the other veterans he now works with.

Hello everyone.

This is an update on the May 2 BlueNC Blogger Bash. It's shaping up to be a neat event. Based on RSVPs received so far, we expect somewhere between 30 and 300 people. :)

Seriously, we're planning to feed 40 to 50, but can change that number up to the day before. There's no need to bring food, but please bring your friends and family. The Bash is 100% kid friendly, with a lake for boating and swimming, and lots of room to run around.

As you may know, the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner will take place later that evening in Durham. The JJ reception starts at 5:30. If you're planning to attend, feel free to come by the Bash and make it a whole day of politicking. It's always fun to meet people behind the screen names in the North Carolina blogosphere.

Last year's Bash was an extravaganza of candidates, and some will be on hand again this year. But mostly this is a chance for North Carolina's blogging and new media communities to come together and get to know one another.

I know that this is a "political" board but it seems like we have a lot of very "tech-savvy" people that post here.  Is anyone else concerned that a contractor's mistake today, resulting in a cut in a fiber-optics network in Chapel Hill, resulted in a loss of communication amongst courthouses and county offices in all 100 NC counties?

Cut fiber line knocks out state courts' communications

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/4949649/

I find this kind of disconcerting myself.  It seems like the design of these systems has made us far, far too vulnerable.  I think this is a political issue because it raises concerns for public health and welfare , at least IMHO.