Steven Petrow

I've had four dogs since my mid-20s — three cocker spaniels and one Jack Russell terrier — and I've come to believe that canines are unmatched as companions, providing faithful, unconditional love.

I've had four dogs since my mid-20s – three cocker spaniels and one Jack Russell terrier – and I've come to believe that canines are unmatched as companions, providing faithful, unconditional love.

Just six weeks into her new role as the site director of the Burwell School, Elizabeth Hays, a long time Hillsboroughian, sat down with The News of Orange County in the south parlor of the historic house. Hays is on board to lead the school, after a rough patch, into its next chapter, and brings just the right combination of skills, from her experience in education, nonprofit leadership, and community engagement. Originally from Jackson, Miss., Hays, 56, spoke non-stop for 45 minutes, with ease and passion, about the school, its history and future, and, no surprise, its favorite daughter. She's both humble (“I'm just here to steward”) and proud (“We have this unique opportunity”), and invites locals and tourists to stop by, sit on the front porch, or come in on a hot summer day and learn about the school's complex past, which is rich in promise and saddled with injustice.

The same year that my parents died, my sister, Julie, then 55, was diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer . Five years and three recurrences later, she'd exhausted all viable treatment options.

The award-winning journalist and filmmaker opens up about grief, risk and building a career on her own terms

Welcome Autumn... “we find beauty where we are.”

[For the record, Dale Edwards, who is managing editor of this newspaper, did not assign this piece to me. In fact, I own three of Dale’s paintings and I freely

I don't usually follow orders very well but when it comes to the much-dreaded colonoscopy prep, I should be awarded a handful of Boy Scout merit badges (especially for “Emergency Preparedness” and “Public Health”). I am compliant because I do not want to get rejected like my sister, who years ago tried a short cut in her prep, only to be told when she arrived for the procedure, “Nope. You need to comeback.”

The FDA is expected to approve a new kind of blood test that may allow earlier diagnosis and less invasive, more effective treatment. But doctors warn of drawbacks.

The FDA is expected to approve a new kind of blood test that may allow earlier diagnosis and less invasive, more effective treatment. But doctors warn of drawbacks.