When Pam Herndon tells you that insurance is "the biggest waste of money…until you need it," you believe her. After 35 years in the industry and delivering much-needed funds into the hands of almost 100 grieving families, she has earned the right to that hard-won wisdom.

But what makes Pam different from every insurance agent you've ever met isn't just her candor—it's that she genuinely doesn't consider herself a salesperson at all.

"I don't sell a thing," she says. "I just uncover the risk that my customers have. Then I present solutions and leave it up to them."

This philosophy didn't come from a corporate training manual. It came from a lifetime of teaching—a career that began in tobacco fields, wound through junior high classrooms and school administration, climbed the corporate ladder at State Farm's national headquarters, and ultimately landed her right here in Chapel Hill, where she's been serving our community for over two decades.

Pam grew up in Durham when tobacco fields still stretched across the landscape. Her first job? Handing tobacco—work so grueling that the tar stained her fingers for months.

"That was the hardest I've ever worked in my life," she recalls. "I said then, I will go to college. It was my Scarlett O'Hara moment—I will never be this hungry again."

But those tobacco fields taught her more than just the value of education. Standing alongside older Black women at the wagon, sharing stories to pass the day, she learned something fundamental: people are the same, regardless of race or socioeconomic status. Everyone was working together toward a common goal.

That lesson would shape everything that followed.

SEE HOW FAR THESE LESSONS WOULD TAKE HER →

A few of our Chapel Hill Trivia Quiz winners still haven’t picked up their signed Ed King Chapel Hill Cartoon Map posters!

If you won and haven’t received yours yet, please reach out to me directly at [email protected] to arrange personal delivery. These beautiful 24"x36" posters are hand-signed by Ed himself — don’t miss out on yours!

Friday, January 9

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Friday–Sunday, January 23–25

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Saturday, January 24

The beloved thrift shop at 125 West Main Street in Carrboro has a new operator — and it’s staying mission-driven.

Extraordinary Ventures, the Chapel Hill-based nonprofit that provides jobs and workforce training to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, announced this week it will take over the space after CommunityWorx ended its 72-year run on December 31.

Executive Director Lisa Kaylie called it “a major expansion” of E.V.’s impact and visibility. The organization plans to enhance accessibility and collaborate with CHCCS social workers, the Inter-Faith Council, and the Refugee Community Partnership to offer voucher programs.

“The community has long valued this space as a place of connection and support,” said Board Chair Pam Hemminger. The thrift shop’s origins date back to 1952, when the Chapel Hill Art Guild founded it to raise money for art education.

A third suspect has been charged in connection with a series of break-ins that hit the Red Hill Lane and Seven Springs Road neighborhoods off Highway 70 East in November.

Keshaun Christopher Byrd, 24, of Durham, was served with 28 felony warrants yesterday while already in custody at the Durham County Detention Center on similar charges. He joins two others—Jostin Josue Ramirez-Duarte, 18, and a juvenile—charged in December for the crimes.

The trio allegedly traveled through the neighboring communities in the early morning hours of November 21 and 22, pulling on car door handles and entering unlocked vehicles. They made off with a firearm, tools, $600 in cash, purses, and a vehicle that later crashed in Durham. Home security footage and evidence from the wrecked vehicle helped investigators piece together the case.

Sheriff Charles Blackwood used the occasion to remind residents: "We cannot stress enough how important it is for people to remove valuables from their vehicle every time they leave it unattended."

Byrd is being held on an $847,000 bond. Anyone with additional information is asked to call Sergeant K. Goodwin at (919) 245-2918.

Two Tar Heel legends will be inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame this year. Basketball’s Tyler Hansbrough — the program’s all-time leading scorer and 2008 National Player of the Year — will join soccer great Eddie Pope, a two-time World Cup player and MLS Best XI selection. (Induction is scheduled for April 11 in Raleigh.)

The Carrboro Town Council heard a sobering update this week on progress toward its climate action goal. The target: reduce municipal greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent from 2010 levels by the end of the decade. The latest reported progress: a 25 percent reduction since 2010.

This week’s Chapel Hill Town Council meeting focused on proposed amendments to the Land Use Management Ordinance (LUMO), designed to facilitate new housing development by easing certain size and parking restrictions and streamlining approvals.

Chapel Hill Insider is your weekly guide to the people, places, and stories that make our community special. Know someone we should feature? Have a story tip? Reply to this email.

Big news: Ed King's beloved hand-drawn Chapel Hill Cartoon Map is now available digitally! In partnership with the original artist, we've brought this charming map—capturing every quirky corner and beloved business in our town—into the digital age.

Until next time,

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