Friday I was taking my children to a museum in Durham when I passed a church where a funeral was getting ready to take place.  Absentmindedly, I blurted out to no one in particular, "I bet it's another murder victim."   When I picked up the newspaper this morning it turned out I was right.

The story was just below the headline: "Raleigh Killings up 48% in '08." 

Normally this is the time of year I think back on all of the murder cases I've covered in the past year and imagine families dealing with their first holiday season without their loved one-their child, their sister, their mother...I picture an empty seat at the Christmas dinner table and a missing hug from that person at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve.  But instead, I am now thinking now about 2009.  I'm thinking about how many people will die in the Triangle in the next year.

When I first came to WRAL in 1994 murder was still a rare thing in our gentile...

One of the most frequent criticisms we get in the television news business is that people don't feel comfortable watching it with their children in the room.  And here's the thing  –I agree.  News is not suitable for children, it's not supposed to be.  

Producers of local news programs take into account a lot of different variables.  They want to appeal to viewers in Raleigh as well as in other parts of the market, like Fayetteville and Rocky Mount.  They want to attract female and male viewers.   Their goal is to appeal to the widest possible audience, but that doesn't include children.

If we based our news coverage on what is appropriate for children, we could not report on the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, the Iraq War, or local murder cases.  By definition, news is an uncensored re-telling of global and local events that touch our lives.  In order for our  viewers to get the maximum benefit...

The beautiful weather we enjoyed this past weekend always reminds me of why I love North Carolina.  A warm fall day bathed in sunlight along with the orange and yellow hues of the changing leaves is always something to be thankful for.   Somehow the longer I live here the easier it is to forget just how lucky we are.

One Cary neighborhood had a particular glow this past weekend-Lochmere.  After the murder of Nancy Cooper in July it seemed like a permanent black cloud hung over what had been a tranquil suburban community defined by joggers, bikers, dogs and baby strollers.  In the months since that time it seemed as if fewer people were taking advantage of the peaceful nature trails and walkways.   It  was a combination of fear and  sadness that kept them from enjoying the natural amenities of their neighborhood.

But since the arrest of Brad Cooper Monday in connection with his wife's murder, there have been palpable signs of relief...

For as long as I've known Phyllis Rhodes, a CCBI employee, we've talked about the fact that she had never been to the beach.

"When can we take you to the beach, Phyllis?" I would say referring to myself and my photographer, Chad Flowers.

"I'll get there someday," she would say wistfully.

It was a monthly, if not a weekly conversation that became a running joke between us.

Two weeks ago something miraculous happened. I met Phyllis in the crosswalk between the courthouse and the jail.

"Guess what," she said with her trademark ear-to-ear grin that can make your day.

"What?". I said already distracted with what was on my plate.

"I went," she said.

"Went where?" I replied.

"To the beach."

With those three little words Phyllis made my heart skip a few beats. I had a ton of questions, but they would have to wait...

I've heard a lot of great quotes in my years as a reporter, but Cookie Santiago took me by surprise yesterday when she threw me a new one.  She said when someone says something insensitive to her instead of trying to assign evil motives or intentions to their words she tries to see the situation through "Jesus eyes."  She imagines and sometimes explores what bad things might be going on in the person's life that might prompt hateful or simply negligent behavior.  She puts on her "Jesus eyes."

Coming from someone else talking about putting on "your Jesus eyes" might not sound as sincere, but Santiago who is a minister with the United Methodist Church in North Carolina appears to be living every ounce of the phrase.

She is raising two daughters, working, and attending Duke Divinity School all at the same time.  If that's not enough she is also still mourning the death of her only son, Diego, who died after a long battle with...