Two minutes and 40 seconds of lightning-fast picking propelled bluegrass music into the mainstream. " Foggy Mountain Breakdown " written by Earl Scruggs and first recorded by Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys in 1949 helped bluegrass move from a subgenre of country to a popular and recognizable sound for American audiences.

Writing off okra as a slimy pod is a great injustice, according to Chris Smith . The garden writer and seed saver is an okra aficionado who asserts that while the vegetable may have a unique texture, it is a surprisingly versatile piece of produce. Okra is a “seed-to-stem” food: the flowers and seed pods are edible; the seeds can be ground into flour or pressed for oil; and the stalk fibers can be made into paper or rope. In his new book, “ The Whole Okra: A Seed To Stem Celebration ” (Chelsea

The internet has a hate problem. Trolls, white supremacists, and other hate groups spew vitriol and harass users on social media. The First Amendment protects hate speech, but the internet further blurred the line between speech and crime.

Politicians worldwide felt the heat on climate policy this week after a reported four million protesters took to the streets. The leader of the Global Climate Strike, Greta Thunberg, told world leaders that they had “stolen her dreams.”

Irene Kelley has been a force on Nashville’s Music Row for decades. She spent 20 years writing or co-writing hit songs for country artists like Ricky Skaggs and Loretta Lynn. But at the same time she was quietly working on her career as a performer.

Bluegrass band Carolina Blue formed out of necessity.

North Carolina has been in the midst of a prison staffing crisis for years. In 2017, shortages at the Pasquotank Correctional Institution in Elizabeth City contributed to a violent escape attempt that left four prison workers dead.

A Louisiana high school became the subject of national debate and controversy in 2007 after six black students were accused of attempted murder after a high school fight.

Durham’s Art of Cool music festival is the brainchild of jazz lover Cicely Mitchell and trumpeter Al Strong.

New proposed rules from the U.S. Department of Labor could impact tens of thousands of temporary immigrant farm workers who come to North Carolina each year.