CBS Sunday Morning did a piece on an age-old arcane tradition called “worm grunting,” where people use the vibrations of rubbing a stake to draw worms out of the ground. In Geneva, Alabama, it’s called “worm fiddling” and there’s a whole game around it. youtu.be/Bvnh41Ie8M8?si…

Happy Father’s Day to my dad, Chuck. Here he is in front of his favorite store in Savannah, Georgia.

NYT's Rick Rojas on Buc-ee's, which is quickly becoming its own religious movement across the South, second only to the Southern Baptist Convention. It reminds me of Alan Blinder's portrait of Waffle House back in 2018. nytimes.com/2025/06/14/us/…

A new $499 smartphone from the Trump Organization could possibly be made in Alabama, but experts say that with most phones being manufactured in China, and the billions of dollars it would take to build that industry in the US, it would be a long way off. cbs42.com/news/local/tru…

I hope that I make it home by Wednesday And this Magic City let's me go youtu.be/ixnDm02uEeE?si…

An estate sale will be held at the longtime home of one of Birmingham's most esteemed family dynasties this weekend. cbs42.com/news/local/est…

Really sad to hear about Rubin E. Grant’s death. He was a longtime sports writer for the Birmingham Post-Herald who never gave up the ghost, contributing to Over the Mountain Journal and other outlets. Sad to see that generation of journalists go. al.com/highschoolspor…

My piece on Brother Jude Johnston, a monk at St. Bernard Abbey in Cullman, Alabama whose artwork was itself a kind of spiritual meditation. cbs42.com/news/local/for…

With new federal cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, WBHM has now lost 10% of its budget, a massive blow to Birmingham's NPR station that has been operating since 1976. cbs42.com/news/local/bir…

In 2018, the late Ozzy Osbourne went to Alabama and, well, he did what he does best: was his charming, mumbling self. cbs42.com/news/local/the…

You will want to make the time to read a leisurely interview with Matt Labash, conducted by Drew Taylor, about Hurricane Katrina, journalism, and life. Wisdom and (flat-out) funniness. mattlabash.substack.com/p/looking-back…

The one where Wright Thompson writes about Derek Trucks and bourbon for Garden & Gun. Who do I have to kiss up to for that gig? gardenandgun.com/articles/derek…

I see NYT is looking for a TV critic. Too bad Emily Nussbaum has hung up her critical hat, but I have a few suggestions of who could bring an invaluable perspective to The Gray Lady: -Eric Deggans (NPR) -Sam Adams (Slate) -Anyone who contribued to "How to Watch Television"

I'll really miss "Subcarrier," a local music program that first started as "We Have Signal" back in 2008. It will be airing its final episodes next month as Alabama Public Television cuts back on original programming due to budget cuts. cbs42.com/news/longtime-…

My conversation with John T. Edge on his new memoir, “House of Smoke,” as well as all things Southern and food. cbs42.com/news/local/in-…

I was fortunate enough to spend a little time talking with Mark Kerr, whose life and struggles in the UFC are part of the new movie, "The Smashing Machine," starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. cbs42.com/news/local/mar…

"Laszlo Krasznahorkai" is one hell of a name.

With "WTF with Marc Maron" coming to an end, I looked at some guests with distinct Alabama connections who were part of the nearly 1,700 episodes the seminal podcast aired over the last 16 years. cbs42.com/news/the-many-…