All tagged kristy kelly
A house fire will break you.
It doesn’t just take everything you own. It takes the memories of scrubbing crayon off every surface and digging Play-Doh out of the carpet. Never again will you walk down hallways lined with slightly crooked photos where you once stepped on Legos at two in the morning. There will never again be tangible evidence of your children’s handprints at that age, left behind on a wall, a table, or a door.
We were supposed to be married on Friday the 13th on the rooftop of The O'Neil, but due to rain, we were married in front of an antique bank vault that fit our vibe just the same. Our first camping trip ended in a flash flood where we almost died. Our second cruise was rerouted due to civil unrest in Haiti. Our third cruise was held off port due to mutant fog, and then Tampa had a power outage at the port.
Tucked beside the Lenoir County Farmers Market sits a red building with a lot of promise.
As is the theme of my life, I am a day late and a dollar short on writing anything for Women’s History Month. The last column I wrote was about famous women who did good, but were terrible humans. This time, I thought I’d write about the women who are making history every day.
Imagine going to school every day with statues of long-dead men lining the walkway. Their names are memorized through deliberate instruction in South Carolina classrooms. Wade Hampton III, Francis “Swamp Fox” Marion, Thomas Sumter and Andrew Pickens are known far and wide for their Revolutionary War prowess.
I woke up with the sun streaming through the windows and knew the time had come to commune with nature, drop my kayak in the water, and float down the Neuse. The plans were set. I was ready to go. There is something deeply soul-soothing about spending an hour or two away from civilization.
A reader, that I will refer to as Lee, emailed me with the kind of question that sounds silly until you realize you have wondered the same thing in the cereal aisle.
I’ve become obsessed with watching yoga videos. Not because I can do them, but because I haven’t been able to bend that way since I was a toddler. The yogis are on a journey toward enlightenment, and I’m clearly on a vastly different journey of stiff joints and bad decisions.
After a decade in call centers, nothing makes me turn into the stereotypical entitled, middle-aged, woman quite like a bad customer service experience. Last month, my youngest son was involved in an accident while riding the monster bike. Apparently, a red pickup truck side swiped him, sending him and the bike over a curb. He’s fine, the bike is banged up, but fine, so he goes home.
I’m starting to understand all the Florida jokes. From fog that seemed unfazed by the sun to a power outage in a parking garage, my day was one long string of minor inconveniences that managed to feel much bigger than they were. It really did start with wearing the wrong shoes.
If I had judged the year by how it began, I would have written it off before it even got started. January dragged me into 2025 while I was sick, exhausted, and quietly wondering if my body was about to fail me in a way I wasn’t prepared for. Nothing felt steady. Nothing felt hopeful. I thought I was bracing for the worst year of my life.
As Thanksgiving arrives and the Christmas season begins, the Magic Mile Media, Neuse News and partner teams reflected on gratitude in their own words. Their responses show the range of personalities behind the work, from heartfelt to humorous.
If I had judged the year by how it began, I would have written it off before it even got started. January dragged me into 2025 while I was sick, exhausted, and quietly wondering if my body was about to fail me in a way I wasn’t prepared for. Nothing felt steady. Nothing felt hopeful. I thought I was bracing for the worst year of my life.
Needing a welder to lose weight was not on my 2025 bingo card, I admit—but alas, here we are.
With municipal elections set for Tuesday, Nov. 4, Neuse News Managing Editor Kristy Kelly and Magic Mile Media President BJ Murphy sat down to reflect on a year of unexpected filings, budget debates, and public controversy that helped shape local races across Lenoir and Greene counties.
Magic Mile Media, the parent company of Neuse News and NC Political News, has announced two leadership promotions as it moves into what CEO BJ Murphy called “an exciting new season” for the organization. Aleatha Thrower has been named vice president of Magic Mile Media, and Kristy Kelly has been promoted to managing editor of Neuse News.
Charlie Kirk did not deserve to die. Full stop. We do not live in a society that condones vigilante justice, and yet, a man was executed in public view.
Yesterday, I witnessed a handful of adults berate the city council and call for the reallocation of police funds because an officer allegedly abused his power and was caught on video doing so. The police department gave a canned “we are investigating the issue” statement, and the mayor co-signed their message by way of copy and paste.
I thought I was the adult—until the adult child touched the holy grail: the thermostat.
Living with adult children is the fastest path to prison for a parent just trying to stay sane.
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