2023 saw violent deaths on 2 Triangle campuses, tough questions and 2 unique athletes
Part 1 of a five-part package revisiting the 2023 stories that The News & Observer’s staff members will remember long after the year is over.
How do you measure a year?
In big new events, of course — a tragic college campus shooting, political conflicts from Raleigh to Washington, a shocking stabbing death at a high school, weather events showing how vulnerable coastal communities are, disputes over health care.
You also measure in the people you met — the champion athlete who is now a champion coach, the farmer recovering from a bull attack with the help of his friends, the karaoke singer in the bait shop, the college basketball players forging their own creative paths, the young people hanging out in the wee hours in Raleigh’s busiest entertainment district.
And you measure in what you saw (an outside hockey game) and heard (an amazing country singer) and tasted (just the best ice cream ever).
We asked all our reporters, photojournalists and editors to reflect on the things they will remember long after 2023 is over. It’s a selection of stories and images as varied as life itself — important, joyful, funny, somber, touching, beautiful, heartbreaking and silly.
We hope you enjoy reading them.
Texts from a college student’s mom: ‘Please stay safe,’ ‘You ok?’
In August, my 18-year-old son, James, started his new life as a college student at East Carolina University. His longtime friends also scattered off to freedom, off to grow into the people they will become at places like N.C. State, UNC Wilmington and UNC-Chapel Hill.
Less than two weeks into those teens’ newfound adulthood, I sent a text to one of them, Luke Toscano, a freshman at UNC. It read, “Please stay safe.” There was a gunman on campus, and Luke was in lockdown not far from where associate professor Zijie Yan was shot and killed.
“You ok?” is what I texted Luke again 16 days later when UNC went into another lockdown. And this month, it was James I checked in on after a former longtime ECU professor shot and killed three people at UNLV.
These stories and the dread, sadness and worry that comes with them will stay with me for a long time.
Jessaca Giglio is a McClatchy flex editor based out of the Triangle.
A needed lifeline for North Carolinians without health care
When a deal was announced this year granting hundreds of thousands of people Medicaid coverage, I spoke with many North Carolinians about what it means for them.
DeAnna Brandon, who was diagnosed with a blood cancer that has no cure, invited me to her home in Salisbury. She shared her story and spared no details on how difficult not having insurance was and the struggles she faced to get limited care to manage her cancer and the pain. She shared her passions, as well as plans for the future should she be able to get a needed life-extending surgery.
Brandon ultimately got coverage through Medicaid, a federal-state health program for low-income individuals. She is hoping to get the surgery soon.
For me, this story and countless others that echoed across the state highlight the immense role that health care — or better said the lack of access to quality health care — plays in our lives.
Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi covers North Carolina state politics and government.
Lightly regulated HOAs have the power to foreclose
Every now and then you learn something truly illuminating about where you live.
That happened this month when News & Observer data reporter David Raynor and Charlotte Observer investigative reporter Ames Alexander published a project on HOAs called “Dreams Foreclosed.”
The reporting included a first-of-its-kind analysis on how frequently these foreclosures occur in North Carolina and how little debt can trigger residences to reach auctions. It detailed the financial and emotional pain that can result.
Democrats and Republicans have written bills to tighten up state rules, including raising the minimum amount of money owed before HOAs can start steps to take property. Lightly regulated, the organizations have opposed that.
And state legislators have followed their lead.
Cathy Clabby is McClatchy’s Southeast investigations editor.
A Duke hoops star who is ‘unapologetically himself’
Duke basketball player Jared McCain arrived on campus not with one-and-done aspirations but with his own uniqueness. This is a freshman who meditates each morning before joining teammates in the gym at 6 a.m. He has enough flair to paint his fingernails and produce TikTok dance videos that draw millions of followers on the social media platform. Yet he’s grounded enough that criticism bounces off him.
“I know people will definitely be in the comments and stuff,” McCain said before playing his first Duke game. “So, just got to embrace it. You know, that’s just who I am.”
McCain stepped into Duke’s starting lineup immediately, joining four returning starters from last season’s ACC championship team. That’s not easy.
Duke coach Jon Scheyer is confident McCain will help the Blue Devils find success. “He’s unapologetically himself all the time, which I love about him. He’s so secure in who he is as a person and as a player.”
Among all the freshmen stars who’ve joined Duke over the past decade, McCain stands out just for that.
Steve Wiseman is assistant sports editor and covers college athletics.
A fatal stabbing in the middle of the school day
I’m nearing 25 years of covering education in North Carolina. And one of the things I had always been glad of is that I had never had to deal with a homicide at a school.
But all that changed on Nov. 27 when 15-year-old student Delvin Ferrell was fatally stabbed at Southeast Raleigh High School.
The memory of the fear, frustration and hopelessness I saw on the faces of parents and students that day won’t disappear anytime soon.
School violence is definitely more of a concern than when I was a student, especially after mass shootings in Columbine, Newtown, Parkland and Uvalde.
The Southeast Raleigh High stabbing is a reminder that death can come anytime and anywhere.
T. Keung Hui is the K-12 education reporter.
Asking powerful people uncomfortable questions
Reporters have to learn to press forward even in uncomfortable situations. It’s our job to ask questions and to hold powerful people accountable.
That was the case for a sit-down interview I did with Republican House Speaker Tim Moore, as I asked him about allegations in a now-resolved lawsuit. Moore, who’s divorced, was accused of breaking up a marriage and trading political for sexual favors, which Moore vehemently denied.
There’s a difference between talking to reporters briefly on the House floor versus a one-on-one interview. It’s harder to deflect.
Moore did not want to talk about it, but among other things did share details of how he “hugged it out, if you will” at a Raleigh Biscuitville with the man who sued him.
As I left Moore’s office, I said I’d ask about policy the next time I saw him, which was about an hour later.
Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan is the state Capitol Bureau chief.
Swapping stories and sharing connections
A story that will always stick with me is the Voices of Oberlin exhibit — an oral history project that contains the stories of elders who grew up in one of the largest and longest surviving Black freedman’s villages in North Carolina.
I loved the conversations with the elders being highlighted. One source, Majorie Tucker Keith, and I spent at least an hour talking after the interview. We sat in her kitchen swapping tales of late nights shucking fresh peas and butterbeans, and how our grandmothers shaped our lives.
It was an honor to share her and other’s stories. I hope anyone who listens to them also experiences this sense of connection.
Brianna Atkinson was a 2023 summer intern. She graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill and now has a fellowship covering higher education for WUNC.
A fine example of the craft of writing
As an editor, I read differently than normal people. I notice how stories are written, and sometimes the writing affects me as much as the content. That was the case with a piece written by Richard Stradling, a longtime N&O reporter, about a historic home in downtown Raleigh that has been revived and renovated.
The Andrews-Duncan House has stood at the corner of Blount and North streets since 1874. That’s a lot of history for a writer to distill. The restoration could have been a story of its own, as we’ve seen for 45 years on “This Old House.” The couple who took on the project had their own story to tell, one that recalls an iconic 1970s TV show. It would have been easy for a writer to get lost in all of that information (and leave readers lost as well).
Richard gathered the material, condensed it, and guided readers through it with agility and grace. If you saw the story when it first appeared, you probably came away thinking about everything you had learned without even realizing how easy Richard made it for you. That’s the mark of a true professional, and Richard is a master of his craft. If you missed the story in June, it’s worth reading now. If you did read the story, it’s worth reading again. You’ll see what I mean.
Dave Hendrickson is the growth and business editor.
Turning lose ‘Beast Boy’
Few could have guessed the impact DJ Burns would have on NC State basketball last season. He was a big man. He could play center. He transferred to NCSU from Winthrop, where he had been the Big South Conference player of the year. He was needed.
But Burns proved to be an example of the thoroughly modern college athlete. Not only did he perform on the court but also off it, eagerly and enthusiastically taking advantage of the new opportunities college athletes enjoy.
Burns built his personal brand. He fully embraced the financial possibilities of his name, image and likeness. He worked social media. Videos of him celebrating wins in the Wolfpack dressing room, sunglasses in place, went viral. He even released a song track – “Beast Boy” – before the Pack’s appearance in the 2023 NCAA tournament.
And Burns could play. He was a big guy, all 275 or more pounds of him, who was light on his feet and had the soft touch around the basket, Wolfpack fans urging him on every time he touched the ball. “Beast Boy” was a blast.
Chip Alexander covers college athletics and the Carolina Hurricanes.
Read the rest of the series: Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5
