East Durham Update: The NCDC VOICE

www.durhamvoice.org

Capitol Broadcasting Co. is supporting this community newspaper and website that's "narrowcasting" to the Northeast Central Durham neighborhood.

VOICE is staffed by teens from the NCDC, and they are mentored by journalism students from UNC-CH and NC Central Univ. Read more about it; click here.

This project has been nurtured by Jock Lauterer, Director of the Carolina Community Media Project at UNC's J-school.

We have UNC and NCCU students working together...with kids from a high poverty neighborhood...giving the young folks career direction...and creating a sense of community in Northeast Central Durham.

I'm delighted to give VOICE to this excellent collaboration!

East Durham Update: Meals on Wheels

Meals on Wheels of Durham has completed a renovation of its "depot" in east Durham. It's on Ross Rd. a few blocks off Highway 98. The MOW HQ has convenient access to I-85 and the US 70 bypass. That's good for the volunteers who trek all over Durham County delivering hot meals - about 280 daily across 25 routes.

Durham MOW has a volunteer cadre of 200, and the Durham Bulls host an annual outing for that group and provide tickets for the vols throughout the season. MORE VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED! Visit their website.

Durham County’s aging population is among the fastest growing in the state, and seniors - as they become more senior - are a vulnerable group. Currently, 30% of Durham County's seniors over 65 years live alone, 21% live below the poverty level, and 25% have a disability.

MOW is attacking those stats with a hot meal and vital daily contact. Executive Director Gail Singer Adland believes MOW could be delivering 400 meals per day...the need is that great!

I've been helping out for about eight years. Join me!?!

The 2011 season begins...almost.

We have good players. We’ve got a great manager, good assistant coaches, and we’ve always got talent here in Durham.

Top prospect & outfielder Desmond Jennings, Tuesday in Durham

We welcomed the 2011 squad to Durham Tuesday with a luncheon at American Tobacco's Bay 7, and the team held its first practice that evening.

The Bulls open on the road this year. That's Thursday night in the Atlanta suburb of Gwinnett. (Follow us on the road via radio - WDNC AM 620/The Buzz.)

TV5's Jason Jennings covered the team luncheon and assembled a complete Bulls prospectus, including this interview with manager Charlie Montoyo:

Click here for more including several player interviews from wralSPORTSfan.com.

Check out the interview with Dirk Hayhurst, new to the pitching staff. He's a blogger, author and celebrity in the making. His book - The Bullpen Gospels - has been a New York Times bestseller.

Click here for Dirk's website

The Walk to Defeat ALS

Saturday's Triangle walk was a humongous success for the Jim "Catfish" Hunter ALSA Chapter. $250,000 was raised!!!!

THANKS to my supporters. We accounted for 1% of that total.

...and there was another walk in Winston-Salem where 1000 ambulatory volunteers raised over $70K. It was a record day for the chapter!

2500 participants walked to defeat ALS at the Credit Suisse campus in Morrisville.

Wool E. Bull dances to defeat ALS.

It's a busy month for the dedicated chapter staff as they fan out across the state for these events in Chapel Hill, Greenville, Greensboro, Lancaster SC, Wilmington and Charlotte:

www.catfishchapter.org

Final Four: GO RAMS!

Our attention turns to hoops. I'm pulling for the Rams of Virginia Commonwealth University - my alma mater.

Confession: I’ve been a lousy alum. I graduated from VCU in May of ’75 and immediately moved to Charlottesville where I was soon involved with the radio broadcasts at UVA. Capitol bought that company in ’82, and I was introduced to sports marketing at Duke and NC State. The Wolfpack connection has held steady for close to three decades.

...but I’m totally on the Rams’ bandwagon this week, and I've told all of my Facebook friends:

(I guess I’ll have to join the alumni association to avoid being a complete hypocrite.)

Baseball Blackout

After touting MLB.TV in the last post, I have egg on my face - a three-egg omelette w/a side of grits.

I fired up the iPad, downloaded the new app, and as fate would have it, the Rays vs. Orioles game is blacked out on MLB.TV. Major bummer.

This part of NC is considered to be in the Orioles television market. We're supposed to watch the Orioles telecast when the Rays and Orioles play. Well and good, but the O's games are not available on cable here.

It's not a blackout as much as it is a deep, dark, black hole. Crazy.

Rays Open Tonight!

And so it begins: the Tampa Bay Rays play the Baltimore Orioles tonight at 7:10. Former Durham Bull David Price will pitch before a sell-out crowd at the Trop in St. Pete. How sweet it is!

I'm not getting a kick-back or commission for this; still, I'm compelled to recommend some hardware and software that will profoundly enhance one's baseball fandom. It does require an investment, about $615 total: an iPad ($500), with the At Bat app ($15) and MLB.TV's video streaming subscription ($100).

This stuff will work on a computer or smart phone, but the iPad takes it to another level. It becomes an amazing portable television with impressive video quality.You can watch games from every MLB team and geek out on stats.

Disclaimer: There's a hidden cost to this mobile, multimedia investment - HOURS OF YOUR TIME WATCHING BASEBALL. How sweet it is!