Brent_Campbell's Blog

    It is hard to believe that one in three children are overweight.  The series I am currently working on, following a family through the Brenner FIT program, has really opened my eyes.  Not so much to their situation inparticular, but just to the idea that so many children aren't exercising like they once did and they are eating things that even someone who does work out can't manage to burn off.   

     I remember the days of p.e. in elementary school, running on the playground, doing games that were more exercise than skill, so what happened?  I am not saying I was the smallest child, but it seems to me when I visit schools they aren't playing like I did.  Somewhere in the shuffle to improve our schools, have we forgot about one of the most basic of needs ...good solid playtime.  I know families are busier now, computers and television (yes I said tv) take away from children's time to exercise or in their minds just play . The identity of fast food has changed too.  For my sister and I, it was a once in a while treat, not an everyday meal.  It just seems keeping children healthy is so hard now, many families have given up trying.

    If you haven't watched part one of the Brenner FIT program, that aired last night, do! Part two is tonight and we will continue to follow the Smiths through the entire year long program.  It's interesting that doctors in the Piedmont decided to take a stand against childhood obesity.  The FIT program is detailed, exact and very impressive, but it is not something that changes children overnight. They don't focus so much on weight, but more on lifestyle, habits, and small changes.  So many small things can be changed and in the end the difference they make combined is huge. 

      The family we are profiling, is fantastic.  Fun loving, caring, kind and most of all committed to becoming healthier.  They want to make a change and lead lives that won't lead to health problems for their daughter down the road.  I commend them for that, for trying and being willing to open their doors to our cameras.  Showing the challenges to the entire Piedmont isn't easy, but they are doing it so hopefully some other families will see that there is help out there.    

  I'd love to hear your thoughts on the story and the Brenner FIT program.  Also if you know of any other unique programs aimed at bettering children's lives, programs with healthier lifestyle goals at their core, let me know!  I would love to let the Piedmont know about them too!    

Oh my gosh!  I could kick myself for never going before now. As the manager at the Lake Lure Inn told me, the landscape, the views and the beauty at Lake Lure and Chimney Rock are just short of masterpieces. While I can show you some pictures I took, (first of my sidekick and photographer Kenny Cravens) you have to see it all yourself to truly appreciate the area. 

 If you're looking for a Vegas style weekend of clubbing and fast paced restaurants this is not the place. But, if you want relaxing afternoons by the Rocky Broad River, on the lake's beach, or taking in some amazing views.... I really recommend taking a weekend to explore this area. There is any and everything an outdoors lover would want to do.

From hiking to the top of Chimney Rock (or taking the elevator like we did), there are waterfalls, hiking trails and all kinds of gorgeous places to have a picnic in and around the state park.  There are also rock climbing classes for the more adventurous or something as simple as a wildlife nature hike for the little ones.  There really is a lot to see and do at Chimney Rock.  Once your done up top, hang out below! 

 Back down along the lake, the Lake Lure Inn is a really unique place.  Built in 1927, this inn is the centerpiece of the small town surrounding the lake.  Dirty Dancing, Last of the Mohicans, and Firestarter are some of the movies shot in and around Lake Lure.  And the inn itself has been a part of it all.  With a long history of popular guests like Patrick Swayze and Franklin Roosevelt the inn is exactly what it was meant to be, the perfect place to stay in this wilderness playground.  The inn was built the same year the Rocky Broad was damned to form Lake Lure. The updated rooms and classy spa make it just sophisticated enough,  but one step back outside and the wilderness that brought you there still reigns supreme. 

With the beach, waterpark, boat tours and rentals, fishing and hiking around the lake coupled alongside everything Chimney Rock has to offer a weekend in this part of Rutherford County is a perfect way to escape the everyday headaches in the Triad.  I know now why they named it Lake Lure!  The lure...is obvious. 

Go see for yourself and let me know what you think! 

You've likely been to the top, but do you know what else it has to offer? Pilot Mountain is just about as "North Carolina" as you can get. Probably made most famous by Andy Griffith, Pilot Mountain towers over the Piedmont kind of like it's guarding the landscape below.  It is as close to the mountain landscape as you can get, without ever going to the Blue Ridge Mountains. Getting there is easy, and enjoying it is even easier. 

If you've never been, start at the top.  The drive up is simple and the views are amazing.  You can see downtown Winston-Salem on a clear day.  It is really wild to be so high after being on Highway 52 just minutes before.  There is literally nothing blocking your view except the occasional hawk or vulture circling the mountain. The trails around the "big" pinnacle offer some unique rock formations. The hiking isn't that tough, but it is very scenic.  It was interesting to find out that the actual mountain is really what's left of where the piedmont used to be. No it's not a volcano, it's actually rock that hasn't eroded as fast as everything around it over the past few thousand years. 

Once you've seen the top, did you know there was more?  Yes! The park extends down the mountain side nearly 20 miles all the way to the Yadkin River.  You can hike from the top to the river.  We chose to drive, ha!  Either way it is interesting to get a wide vareity of landscape within one park. On the river's edge you can take your horses, camp, fish and even see where years ago people tried to change the flow of the Yadkin River so they could use it for boating trade.  It's very interesting and just as pretty as the rocky pinnacle! 

So while you think you have seen the entire park, you probably haven't.  Check out our Road Trip site there is more information on the park and all the different things it has to offer.  One word of advice, whenever you go...get there early.  There isn't a lot of parking but you can't blame anyone, because once you see it...you'll know why so many want to see the Piedmont from the top! 

Swirl, sip, savor, sit and enjoy!  That is what a wine tour with Yadkin Valley Wine Tours is all about. It is a fantastic day enjoying friends, unique scenery and interesting wine.  It all starts with a 15 minute lesson that helps anyone understand what to look for and how to develop a taste for this craft that is something we can truly call a part of the Piedmont. So even the novice, can feel like a pro! 

First..... Swirl! If you're like me, you enjoy wine, but the art of truly understanding how to taste it and pick out the flavors is not something you have perfected.  After taking this wine tour, a quick lesson really helped me understand how to swirl and let air into the wine so the true flavors come out. It is here that you can appreciate the time that goes into all the intense mixing and matching of grapes, fruits, and time that end up making the wine what it is.

Sip! Once you've swirled you sip and understand why it is so important to take small tastes.  Smelling the aromas and sipping can make the difference between a wine you really like and really don't! This is also the time at many of the wineries where they explain why some wines are better with certain foods.  Its a good way to learn about how wine is meant to compliment a meal.

Savor!  Next you take time to really taste the wine.  The second sip helps you see if it is truly something you like, or not.  Not to mention while you are tasting wine, you can savor in the beauty that surrounds you on many of these farms. So many of them, old farms with lots of character.  It was interesting to see how different people have put different spins on the farm, the vineyard, the stores and of course the wine.  You can savor the wine, savor the moment and enjoy your surroundings.  It is really very relaxing! 

 They call it a relax and learn tour and I can attest, that is what you do.  You really do relax and enjoy while learning how this very detailed drink is made.  Bottom line, if you are looking for a great day, riding around the North Carolina Wine Country, enjoying some wine, seeing places you've never seen and making new friends, then this is the trip for you. Any questions about the tour, please ask! 

No it's not what you think and yes you can do it.  For me, those are the answers to the two major questions I had about fly fishing.  I will admit, this assignment led me to my first ever pair of waders, fly fishing pole and trout stream.  But I must say, it was simply amazing! 

 If you're like me and haven't ever done it, you likely have these grand visions of wide open streams, big long casts and the need for many hours of practice before you're ever able to fool a fish.  But let me tell you, fly fishing in North Carolina isn't what you see on the movies, it isn't that hard and you can fool the fish!

   Step one...getting a fishing license.  Yes you have to have one, even if your just going to fish once.  You can get it online (ncwildlife.org), and it only cost 15 dollars.  

   Step two...setting up time with a guide.  Our guide, Scott Cunningham (On the Fly Guide Service) can do everything from full day trips to entire weekends. He provides the equipment so all you have to do is show up.

Step three....suiting up and learning to cast. Thank goodness, Scott was patient.  I am not.  I wanted to throw to hard, sling too high and rush to the areas where I could see the fish.  Scott had to slow me down, teach me to let the weighted rod worry about actually throwing the cast, and he had to show me the art of gracefully landing the lure on the water so it looked natural. 

Step four...practice. After getting stuck in a few trees and learning where to place the lure you start to feel comfortable with the rod and your cast and its game on.  Then you want to catch one. 

While Scott's goal isn't solely to catch fish, I finally did, but I also got out of it what Scott wanted.  He wants his fishermen to enjoy a relaxing day in a North Carolina stream, away from the office, and walk away with a feeling of accomplishment. 

Did fly fishing hook me? Yes.  I think I will go again.

Whether you follow politics or not, your chance to see some "living history" is right around the corner.  I must admit, I am not a huge political person.  I am not one to talk politics at a dinner party.  I am not one to want to debate which candidate I think is best.  That is something I keep close to my chest and make known mostly when I mark my ballot.  I do vote by the way!!  BUT...I find it fascinating to see in person these people that have captured the national spotlight.  Watching their body language, how they address the crowd, what they wear, and how personable they seem is interesting to me especially given what they may become. To think about all the people these two have already met and may soon meet is just fascinating. I think the chance to at least observe such interesting people is something many shouldn't give up.  You may not be a fan of either but if you have a chance like this right in your backyard, I say take advantage of it if you can.  Wouldn't at least be neat to tell your grandchildren, those people they are reading about in history you actually saw?  If you're going let me know why. What do you hope to get out of it and what things are interesting to you? I want to hear what you think of them....in person.   

"The most tragic case I have seen in many, many years."  Those are the words I heard an attorney representing 21 year old Dakota Doster say as he wrapped up his case in court today.  I have to agree. As the family of 14 year old Terion Frazier wailed in sorrow, it was emotionally draining to listen to the court proceedings.  The man pleading guilty to shooting someone he called a friend was soft spoken and obviously frightened for his future.  Doster's attorney told the court,  Terion and he liked to play videogames often. As I listened it was hard not to see the scene in my mind, two "buddies" playing a game talking trash as one begins to edge the other one out.  It's a scene I am sure many have lived time and time again. But what I couldn't grasp, is before that game, finding a gun and carrying into a friends house and suddenly puling the trigger.  Why?  Did Dakota not realize it was loaded? Did he think it wouldn't really fire?  Did he think it was a toy? Did he understand what having a gun with him and pulling the trigger really meant?  Did he know the gun's power? Those are questions the court did not answer today.  Ones I would never attempt to answer. Questions I am sure Terion's mother will ask many times over. Answers that only Dakota has and will continue to ponder as he spends the next 14 to 18 years behind bars.

   As I wrap up coverage on this story I walk away pondering those questions too.  Seeing two families, two friends, and dozens of lives torn apart by one moment is not easy to witness.  What was great to see was a hurting mother, who now is making a plea to other teens.  Using her pain, to share some advice. Messages many teens should likely hear so their mother isn't put through such a nightmare. In tears,  Lakenya Frazier asked teens to put down the guns.  She says, If you find one  give it to an adult.  Respect its power and never think its a toy.  Understand a gun's power  because in one split second misused and misunderstood, a gun can change and end lives forever. I think many would argue, that's solid advice in a world where it seems senseless deaths and robberies at the mercy of a gun lead our newscasts everyday.  

"The most tragic case I have ever seen." A young man pleading guilty, accepting the blame and the punishment for an afternoon with his friend. An afternoon that may not have happened had a gun never been found.  Two buddies who probably could have never guessed their videogame that March afternoon, would end one year later with one buried and one going to jail for several years to come.   

I must admit, I am a little confused by this entire gas situation.  It just seems never ending.  Like many people, I made a choice last year to get rid of my larger SUV and down size.  Here it is one year later and I am paying about the same for gas because the prices have continued to climb.   Understanding gas pricing is confusing at best.  I try to read up on it every time I do a story like our "Winston-Salem Over Budget" story today. Once again, I am still challenged in figuring it all out and just like every other time, I still have one question. Why don't we have more alternatives? 

      It is almost unbelievable, perhaps unaccepatble to think we can build massive skyscrapers, transplant human hearts, even grow new human organs (right here in Winston-Salem), yet we can not come up with a better way to fuel cars and trucks?  Who is to blame for the lack of alternative fuel funding and alternative fuel research? Do the very companies that profit off of my weekly visits to the pump control the lack of alternative options?  I wonder and find it hard to believe that somewhere out there, someone doesn't have a better, cheaper, more environmentally friendly way to fuel the things we depend on.  Let's face it, like most Americans, I like my car.  I likely won't ever do without it.   It's the gas bill I hate!

It's so close, yet so far away!  Being from Davie County, you would think something just a few counties over would be something I would know about.  But it wasn't until working in TV news that I ever went to Hanging Rock State Park. Wow!  If you haven't been let me be your quick tour guide.  

There is so much to do inside the gates of this 7 thousand acre park.  If your a wlidlife watcher, no telling what you will see.  We saw deer, turkeys, hawks,  and thank goodness only heard of snakes,  but I am sure they are there.   There are really nice camp sites, amazing trails through some great waterfalls and of course there is boating and fishing.  It's a place that is so easy to get to, but wow do you feel like your in another world. The lake is surrounded by mountains.  The facilities are extremly nice, in fact the state just built new cabins you can rent for the entire weekend.  There is rock climbing for those unlike me who love heights!!  Whether it's a day trip or a weekend trip, pack a cooler, take your bike and hiking shoes and just explore. It is really worth the short drive and the best part,  most of the activities are free!!  Who can beat that!  It's a great place to go spend some quality, quiet time with friends and family.  Check out the link to the website as there are also educational programs for all ages. If your not at a college football game, spend a Saturday at Hanging Rock.  

Hanging Rock is a great family fun find, but I need more ideas.  Let me know what you think of the park, but also start sending me some ideas...  bcampbel@wghp.com .  Kenny and I need more places to explore, more places to show you!  Safe travels!

I certainly can't complain about my job!  I recently got the awesome assignment of finding some unique, fun places to show you.  The producers were quick to say not the typical, instead places off the beaten path.  They want places that have unique,unusal, different forms of entertainment and fun. I think on this first one...we succeeded!

 Carolina Ziplines is a fun place to spend some quality time with friends and family.  Believe it or not my photographer, Kenny, and I stumbled upon it by accident.  We were up near Hanging Rock State Park covering the search for a missing motorcyclist when owner Robert Nickell stopped us.  Robert and his wife Joanna built the zipline course and opened it in July.  They were proud to show it off and they should be.  If you saw the story you got somewhat of an idea of the views and how much fun it is, but I will admit on this one....TV does not do justice. 

First it's easy to get to!  It is really not far from anywhere in the Piedmont. We got a map set up next to the story for exact directions.   Second, it's just plain fun!  I will admit I am not a fan of hieghts. If I am more than a few feet up and not buckled or secured in, well let's just I get a litle weak in the knees. (I would never make it as a skyscraper window washer!!)  For this story,  I was worried about how high this would be off the ground!  But for the most part, it's really not bad.  You do feel secure. You're harnessed in and strapped to a security line the entire time.  You take a short hike to the top, and then zip your way down the course.  Platform to platform there's at least 11 different lines through the entire course.  Once you've zipped down the first one, any fear you have is gone!! You just want to keep going. It really feels like your flying!  After I did a few of the lines and got comfortable with controlling my speed, I could enjoy the views.  Soaring through the trees, the breeze against your face, and nothing but nature all around....it's just amazing!  I like to hike, but this is really a very different way to explore the woods from a whole new prespective. And as you go from platform to platform it is fun to watch those with you enjoy the views, laugh and smile.  Between each line you can talk about all you saw!  Not to mention, it doesn't take a lot of energy and is extremly calming and relaxing.   

Give yourself a good hour to get there (that's taking your time from most places around here).  Once in Stokes County, stop at the little store on Highway 66 before you get there, grab some ol' time snacks or maybe pack a lunch.   And then head to Carolina Ziplines and find out why all over the world ziplining is something people love.  You don't have to go out of state or country to experience it anymore!!

As for this travel segment of sorts, we would love to make it a regular. We have got more on the way and  I'll try to update you with each one.  I hope I can tell you a little more here than we can in the 2 minute story, and give you some tips about getting there, stops on the way and so on. 

To make this work....I need your help!!  If you have any ideas, remember family oriented, easy to get to, and fun most anyone can enjoy - PLEASE let me know!  bcampbell@wghp.com  I'd love to share some of the Piedmont' s hidden secrets! 

Let me know what you think of ziplining!  Safe Travels!

I must admit, today's story falls in the most unusal catagory. The "things you don't see very often" file.  When photographer Kenny and I arrived in Boone at the site of the new Watauga County High School right in the middle of 94 acres of land sat a handful of what was obviously open graves. Each one had been carefully marked and entered.  The remains were slowly and meticulously being placed into much smaller plastic vaults.  It  seemed almost sacreligious in some ways to stand and watch.  As the shovels moved dirt, slowly the outline of a coffin emerged, in a few cases the shape of a skeleton or unrecognizable parts of a human body.  Out of respect we did not show you those images but I can say having seen it, it's something I won't soon forget. Something the Hartley family, who's loved ones we were being uncovered, never wanted to have to remember.

As each grave was documented the remains were removed as the Hartley family gave their ok. Taking pictures and writing down what was inside, the Hartley's were not taking anything away from the graves but perhaps a glance, and from time to time a picture, of their 200 year old relatives.  Their names forgotten or wiped away when the grave markers disappeared years ago.  This was land that was sold to many people over the years, land the family never assumed would be developed.  While they all knew the graveyard was somewhere around, until the threat of development, they didn't know how much history was buried there.

Since the Hartley's don't own the land, they now have no choice but to watch as their loved ones peaceful rest is disturbed.  Some tears are being shed, but admitted to us, schools are important and land in Watauga County is at a premium. For that reason, there is no legal fight,  Tthe Hartley's hate the school system saw the land as perfect as their ancestors did years ago.  Now all they can do is work to recover the names, the stories, the history that was buried here and suddenly brought back to life by the needs of the future.

 I wondered as we wrapped up the shoot will we see more of this?  Are large graveyards going to be moved/condensed in other places because so much land is needed for development? Is land at such a premium now that it's too valuable to just be a resting place?  

One of the toughest things about this job, is hearing bad news about someone you've grown to care about, perhaps feel like you know really well.  Unfortunately I have some bad news to share with many of you who were touched by our story about premature babies and the great work being done at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.  Jackson Rooks, the premature baby boy featured in our story, died late yesterday.  After weeks of fighting infections and blood pressure problems, his small body could not handle any more.  I am confident doctors did all they could, but its still hard for everyone.  I can't imagine the grief and emotion the family is feeling because they have given endless hours and much heart to such a short life. We saw it in the short time we spent with Amy and David, Jackson's parents.  They were so strong and positive.  They were amazing role models for parents who have challenges before them. 

  The family says thank you to all who prayed and I say thank you for all the heart felt responses. Because our viewers care, our stories are strong and meaningful.  The story of baby Jackson is one I won't soon forget. To send your well wishes go to our message boards.  My condolences to Jackon's family.  

Have you ever seen a baby that will fit in the palm of your hand?  It's an amazing sight.  One I first experienced while shooting our story in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Brenner Children's Hospital.  All I can say is WOW!  Such small babies, such big battles ahead of them.  I've said it before and I will say it again, perhaps the most fun part of doing a story like this is walking away feeling lucky.  Feeling good about what I'm sharing with all of you. 

I was presented this idea by a loyal viewer after we did a story on the " Bubble Boy" in Yadkin County.  A few mothers who've been down the same road as Jackson and his family wanted someone to share a glimpse of the nursery and the professionals that saved their children's life.  While in no way could we capture all the things going on in that part of the hospital, all of the people, all of the technology, all the amazing things, what we wanted to do with the story was give people a feeling of pride knowing they had something so advanced right here in our backyard.  I hope that's what you saw.

As you probably saw, Jackson is a strong little guy, but he still has some battles to fight. Say a prayer for his family and all the others that are sitting by those tiny beds everyday watching, waiting and hoping for these small miracles to pull through!  Say a prayer for those who work so hard to save them. 

Thank you to those opened my eyes and alerted me to this story, thank you to those who watched it ! As always if you have any story ideas, let me know!  I will try my best to get to them! 

    Our story today is a mix of emotions. Many in the Piedmont continue to know the name Michael Hayes, nearly 20 years after his shooting spree and his not guilty by reason of insanity verdict.   

      Anger, disgust, and fear is still felt on the part of the families whose loved ones were taken away during Michael Hayes shooting spree in 1988. But in talking with those at Dorthea Dix they feel confident and obviously compassionate about their work in trying to heal the mentally ill.  Two very different yet understandable sides.

       While hospital officials could not talk specifically about Hayes, we were able to confirm through his employer, his role in the "Reintegration Through Work" Program.  A theraputic program that allows mentally ill patients of all backgrounds the opportunity to obtain a job and reintegrate themselves back into society.  Doctors say the patients have years of counseling, have been found not to be of any threat, and deserve the chance to complete the healing process. One of the last steps is getting a job, holding responsibility. Federal law protects the patients privacy, employers often don't know why the person is in the program, co-workers don't know their past. Doctors say that's all in an effort to help them heal, a right all patients have.

    But those that have been touched by these people, people like Michael Hayes are outraged to learn mental patients are allowed to work in the community, allowed to drive themselves to and from the hospital, allowed to interact with people who know nothing about their past. Family members feel Michael and patients like him do not deserve to be in such a program.  After the Virginia Tech shootings, many worry about the judgements of our mental health system. 

  Bottom line, any human can understand the anger and fear pointed toward Michael.  I certainly understand the family's feelings. But with that said, anyone who has been around the truely mentally ill knows they don't choose their condition and do deserve a chance to be healed. As a reporter, keeping the balance on this one...was tough!

   What do you think? How do you feel?  If you were a customer at Hayes' store, how comfortable would you feel knowing what he did?  Do those who've been charged with such violent crimes deserve to be released back into society?  What about the mentally ill, do they deserve a chance to heal? Do you think mental illness can be healed? Did Michael deserve to be let go from his job?   

    Let me know what your feelings are....it's a tough one!

As North Carolina pushes a 33 percent cut in funding for Community Services used by patients classified with a mental illness, I wonder just how many people in the Piedmont does this really affect?  As we shot our story with 5 year old Parker Monday, I watched first hand what his sessions with his Community Services Therapist really mean.  Like his mother says, it lieterally gives him the abiltiy to talk.  It means the words like I love you, which she didn't hear until he was almost 4, are there. The therapist spent time with Parker using specialized methods to help bring out and perfect the most basic of skills. They are skills many of us take for granted, but for Parker major accomplishments that can mean the difference in future independence.  It was truely heartwrenching to watch his excitment as he spoke, as he learned. You can't help but wonder where he would be without this therapis.  I think its fair to say without this therapy Parker would not be able to express himself, to ask for things he wanted, tell his parents if something was bothering him, and much more.  It was interesting to me that state officials want to cut this therapy.  I understand the state's concerns about misuse of funds, but I wonder what others think about cutting the funds across the board so drastically?  Should there be a better system of checks and balances? What can we do to ensure these funds are used properly instead of taken away all together?  What do others think about North Carolina lumping Autism funding (Community Service  Funding) in the same pool of money as funding for substance abuse programs? 

     Its a tough debate. I think we all want to eliminate waste from the system, stop people from abusing funds, but where do you draw the line? Is taking away therapy that many families can't afford otherwise the answer?