https://www.kbnewsroom.comRSS Feed for Kristin BedfordenThu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://media.journoportfolio.com/users/512553/images/a3dd8fa4-b151-4f4b-8cb7-779672c9168e.jpgTold through intimate diary entries spanning 1913 to 1919 and inspired by the life of the author’s great-grandmother, this atmospheric historical novel follows one young woman’s journey from childhood into an adulthood shaped by sacrifice, displacement, and resilience. Japan, 1913. At sixteen, Kichi Murakami learns she is to marry a man from her village who is building a life in America. In a single moment, her carefree girlhood is replaced by duty, sacrifice, and a future she did not choose. Kichi begins a diary to preserve the life she leaves behind. As preparations for her arranged marriage consume her days, she navigates the relentless expectations placed upon a Japanese daughter. Expectations she has no power to refuse. When the voyage across the Pacific ends, America is not the land of prosperity Kichi imagined. Rice grows within sight of her window, yet she rations every grain and learns to supplement her meals with bread, her first lesson in becoming American. On the flat Texas prairie, she spends her days in isolation while her husband labors from sunup to sundown. Far from home and surrounded by a language that has no words for what she is losing, she turns to her diary to quiet the loneliness. In its pages, Kichi fears the girl who left Japan is disappearing beneath the demands of becoming American. Will Kichi be able to honor her obligations without surrendering herself?Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://media.journoportfolio.com/users/512553/images/a3dd8fa4-b151-4f4b-8cb7-779672c9168e.jpghttps://media.journoportfolio.com/users/512553/images/dd7679a7-2ca3-44c6-9606-e566d7a7d613.pngTold through intimate diary entries spanning 1913 to 1919 and inspired by the life of the author’s great-grandmother, this atmospheric historical novel follows one young woman’s journey from childhood into an adulthood shaped by sacrifice, displacement, and resilience.Tue, 14 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://media.journoportfolio.com/users/512553/images/dd7679a7-2ca3-44c6-9606-e566d7a7d613.pnghttps://randolphhub.com/article/community/americas-spirit-of-service-on-display-at-eventKristin Bedford ARCHDALE — At a time when national conversations can often feel divided, the Fourth of July celebration at Creekside Park in Archdale on Saturday, July 4, 2026, reflected something different: Unity of purpose.What people most likely did not notice was the extraordinary effort taking place behind the scenes to make that evening possible by the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).While families sought relief from the heat beneath trees and tents, the men and women responsible f...Mon, 13 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://randolphhub.com/article/community/americas-spirit-of-service-on-display-at-eventhttps://www.courier-tribune.com/opinion/columns/celebrating-americas-250th-through-service-community/article_546c8779-e6b1-5f08-95e8-219ba15991c7.htmlAs America approaches its 250th anniversary, communities across the nation are preparing to celebrate not only our independence but the ideals that have sustained this country for generations: service, sacrifice, and civic responsibility.“Volunteerism is one of the purest expressions of patriotism because it asks ordinary citizens to take responsibility for the well-being of their own communities,” Jared Byrd, chief of Randolph County Emergency Services said. “That spirit of service is what has...Wed, 08 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://www.courier-tribune.com/opinion/columns/celebrating-americas-250th-through-service-community/article_546c8779-e6b1-5f08-95e8-219ba15991c7.htmlhttps://www.america250.nc.gov/blog/2026/07/14/where-past-still-grinds-inside-working-colonial-mill-predates-our-nationAs America counts down to its 250th birthday, the crowds chasing history often find themselves pressed against velvet ropes at the liberty bell in Philadelphia or jostling for selfies at Boston's Freedom Trail. But the past breathes differently in North Carolina, beside the steady groan of a water wheel that has turned through every season since before the Declaration of Independence was signed.Thu, 02 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://www.america250.nc.gov/blog/2026/07/14/where-past-still-grinds-inside-working-colonial-mill-predates-our-nation