A national reevaluation of Confederate monuments met small-town politics. As the statue came down, the town of 11,000 was left to ask, “What’s next?”
Past Stories
Posted inEssay
Fathers and Strangers
Best selling author of The Last Ballad, Wiley Cash, reflects on his father’s journey from mill town to middle class, and the tensions of character and politics that emerged.
Posted inPlace
Oberlin’s Persistence
Buffeted by racism and urban development, Raleigh’s “premier African American suburb” was nearly lost in the wake of Cameron Village and Wade Avenue. As Raleigh reckons with its past, what’s next for a rising Oberlin?
Posted inPlace
Breaking Out of Purgatory
The North Carolina Zoo intentionally left the “city-zoo” model behind, with its sprawling footprint at the center of the state. Today, as zoos question their foundations and principles, that decision looks prescient.
Posted inPolitics & Government
The Motivations of Phil Berger
The state’s most powerful politician enters his 20th year in office but remains inscrutable as ever. As Republicans enter their second decade in power, what does Berger want?
