In the news business, being wrong used to be the kiss of death. It would cost a newspaper its reputation and its readers.

Call it a Christmas miracle, but something unique happened over the holidays: A conservative Republican made a move that even Democrats applauded.

Last month, I wanted to book a flight on Southwest Airlines. I was blocked from the website. I also wanted to read about news in my childhood hometown, but the Chicago Tribune denied me access to its website. I couldn’t even read the story I wrote in November for The Pilot. I was, again, den…

I could see in my friend’s eyes, his posture and his breathing, just how trying life has been for his family. His son was just diagnosed with Asperger’s. The diagnosis was a bittersweet relief. They had been doing their best to hold it together day in and day out. No one prepares us for thin…

A man in southern Sweden was recently fined more than $2,000 for turning on the grill in his own yard. 

We’ve had some bombshell news you may have missed. ABBA is getting back together. Or, actually, they already have. Two new songs have been recorded in secret by Benny, Anni-Frid, Björn and Agnetha. We will get to hear them later this year.

“Turn the sound down on the TV. I just can’t listen anymore. It’s like I’m in some foreign country that I never have seen before.”

A recent shopping trip to the new Eataly in downtown Stockholm (just like the one in New York, Chicago or other cities, but smaller) had me stuck in the balsamic vinegar section.

A recent online story in one of our most popular mainstream news  sources shouted this headline: “Jimmy Kimmel Wrecks Car in Head-On Collision.“

My daughter had to do a presentation to her class about the changing views of feminism. She concocted a clever kick-off question to engage the room. First, she asked everyone who considered themselves to be a feminist to raise their hands.

I’m in Stockholm for a week, and it didn’t take long for Steve Bouser, opinion page editor of The Pilot, to email me asking for a column on what the Swedes and other Europeans think of what is happening in the USA. So I agreed to watch as much news as possible and ask around.

Thank you to the Rotary Club, without which I never would have gone abroad as a high school student, learned a foreign language, gained a second family, gained an education, got recruited to work in that country because of the language, had a wonderful first career, met my husband, and — wel…

Volcanoes. She wanted to build a 6-foot volcano in her classroom. That certainly got my attention.

Fake news. It’s the current alarming trend in information. A day doesn’t go by without someone shouting about fake news. However, news that is intentionally incorrect in order to mislead and deceive isn’t new for America. 

It’s been that time of year to open up the garage and go through the attic, cleaning out things we no longer want or need. Something about clearing out the clutter is good for the soul. It removes distraction. It brings about a feeling of accomplishment. It removes stress and brings on inner peace.

I remember watching the Twin Towers collapse on the TV screen.

In this fast-paced world of short attention spans, brought on by technology, internet and social media, it’s been comforting to know that refuge can be sought in sports.

Now that this election is over and the country is working to come together again, it might be a good time to check out what we’ve missed while we have been distracted with politics.

Traditionally, journalists are taught to hold accuracy and fairness in the highest regard. Readers have expected their news to be true and fair. The most recent revolution in communications, the internet, has upended this.

Europeans have always been quick to laugh at America, like an older sibling makes fun of a younger. It makes them feel good to be sitting with their centuries of history and experience and watch us stumble around and look foolish. 

It so happens that someone I respect is running for political office.

I have always had a love-hate relationship with social media.

Every homeowner knows that unless we tend to the house, the roof and the garden regularly, bigger problems will arise, costing more than original upkeep.

The child could not sit still in his seat. Up, down. Up, down. Up, down. Same with the kid next to him. Same with the one in front of him. Same with the one behind him.

It’s tax season, and for many, that means a tax return is coming. Instead of going shopping with that return, why not find an investment that will save you even more money over time?

Words can be misleading. That’s because their definitions are constantly evolving.

Thank you for reading this column. You are brave. I tend to avoid reading columns on most opinion pages these days. The debates, particularly, the political ones, depress me.

The never-ending topic among my friends right now is schools. We have come here because we have family here, work in health care, or are military. We all have K-12-age children.

I’ve never been in an accident with my car where I needed to involve the insurance companies. So when I was hit this holiday season, I wandered down a new and challenging path.

I never dreamed my kids would grow up saying “yes, ma’am” and “yes, sir” as often as they do. And yet, here we are. Schooling in the South has given them more manners than I ever could have done on my own.

Why do we tend to view women in leadership roles as “bossy,” while men who lead are “assertive” or “confident”?

I am optimistic about the future of this county. I’m optimistic because of the entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs I’ve been meeting lately.

Have you ever made assumptions about a person you haven’t met based solely on his or her name? If so, you may be suffering from something a group in Sweden calls “namnofobi,” or name-o-phobia.

Listening can be powerful. Listening is one of our most frequently used skills. But we aren’t very good at it, and we don’t invest much in getting better at it.

I watched “Ghostbusters” with my children recently. It was their first time to see this classic movie from the ’80s.

The world of business has changed. Unless you buy a franchise, a new business won’t succeed unless it truly offers something that people want and that no one else nearby can offer. This requires innovation and creativity.

I love the Sandhills. The quality of life is amazing. The weather is, more often than not, awesome. People are friendly and kind.

Which country tops the lists of credit card fraud? Americans may be surprised to learn that we do.

I am an expert. An expert at avoiding waiting at the Pinehurst Traffic Circle, that is.

I received mail from my bank recently. It was a nice, shiny brochure that proclaimed how much better my life will be in the New Year. It said I was lucky because my bank was working hard to make my New Year easy and fee-free.

’Tis the season for giving. We North Carolinians are pretty good at giving. We rank in 10th place of all the states in this country by giving 5.9 percent of our income to charity and nonprofit institutions, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy.

What types of teaching lead to good learning? This was a topic of hot debate recently in class at Chapel Hill (where I am working on my Master’s of Communication and Technology). Overwhelmingly, and surprisingly, we all said the best teachers — defined as the ones who taught us the most — we…