Greg Weatherbee

When I left home many years ago, I made a promise to myself: Never forget where I come from or the small-town experiences that shaped me. I figured those little things — the quirks, the characters, the comfort — would buoy me through life's ups and downs.

Stephen F. Austin State University delivered a powerful economic punch to the Nacogdoches region last year by contributing more than $348 million in economic activity and supporting nearly 5,000 jobs, according to a recent study.

Lee Ann Womack sang the words, “I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean.” I'm not a huge country music fan, but there have been few times when I was near the ocean that those words didn't run through my noggin.

NACOGDOCHES — Stephen F. Austin State University delivered a powerful economic punch to the Nacogdoches region last year by contributing more

There's a double standard in this world that no one seems to have the courage to address. We, as a society have chosen to turn a blind eye to injustice and neglect. The only thing more calloused than our indifference is the determination to let it slide.

As a new kid in Nacogdoches, I've been taking some time to get to know not only the people in Nac but the town, too. Let me tell you, it's been a ton of fun and I'm just getting started.

Sometime in late November 1972, I sat on the floor of my grandmother's house in Athens, Alabama, watching a college football game for the first time. That experience has never left me.

When I think about why I write, why I sit down and try to turn ordinary moments into something worth reading, I can trace it back to three men who shaped my idea of what a column should be. They didn't all shape me in the same way, and they didn't all even know they were doing it. But Rick Bragg, Lewis Grizzard, and my dad each left their fingerprints on the way I string words together.