Thomas Lurey, 8, holds an albino king snake while his grandfather, Charlie Wilkins, watches. More photos below. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

By DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

Eight-year-old Thomas Lurey stood next to a table in the courtyard between two Davidson College science buildings Saturday with a white snake draped around his neck, its head in one hand and tail in the other.

“It’s an an albino king snake … It’s non-venomous,” he told a reporter, with the air of an expert.

Thomas and his grandfather, Charlie Wilkins, drove from Greensboro Saturday for the college’s annual Reptile Day, when Davidson College’s Herpetology Lab brings a horde of slithering, climbing and crawling creatures into the sunlight for a few hours. Read the full story

A crisp spring morning and cash prizes welcomed runners to the inaugural American Two Mile Road Race at Jetton Park in Cornelius. The road through the park was a “phenomenal setup” for the approximately 70 local and out-of-state athletes, according to organizers. Darren Brown and Heidi Dahl, both of Knoxville, came away winners. Story and photos in SPORTS»

Chartwell, a massive home on 31 acres off Avinger Lane in Davidson, is up for sale. Completed in 1992, the house is one of the largest to come on the Lake Norman area market recently, and experts say it could sell to a single owner or to a developer who might subdivide the property for more homes. See a story and photos of the house in REAL ESTATE & HOME»

CAPTION: Students and teachers charged through a tunnel at the Boosterthon Fun Run at Davidson Elementary School earlier this month. More photos below. (Monica Galloway photo)

Davidson Elementary students buzzed with excitement on Friday, March 15, as they took part in the DES Boosterthon Fun Run. The run marked the end of a fund-raising campaign to purchase interactive white boards for classrooms, and more than $28,000 was raised in pledges. Read the full story

Hough High School’s girls’ soccer team went into last May’s N.C. Division 4A championship game as underdogs, yet produced an impressive 2-1 victory over Green Hope to win the title. Their success didn’t end there, as ESPN ranked the Huskies No. 1 in the country. And they’re back in winning form this year, without a loss six games into the season.

Barry Pulver has a report today, along with an audio interview with Coach David Smith. IN SPORTS»

LaToya Stevens used recycled materials for a spring window at FiFi’s in Cornelius. (Gayle Shomer/DavidsonNews.net)

At the intersection of fashion and design is FiFi’s Fine Resale in Cornelius. Selling used apparel, the perfect recycling balance takes place and LaToya Stevens is one of the visionaries.

Stevens, the new creative director at Fifi’s, spent 3-4 hours making the window display using recycled materials.

“I’m the type of person that I just pick up things and start creating. I’m good at improvising with what I have”, says Stevens.

The flowers are built with recycled materials that she spray-painted. The dress emerged from leftover tissue paper and old donated newspapers. Read the full story

It was the definition of a heartbreaker. Fourteenth-seeded Davidson led No. 3 Marquette for most of the way in their NCAA men’s basketball opening round game Thursday afternoon. But an errant in-bounds pass by the Wildcats and a last-second layup by Vander Blue let the Golden Eagles steal a 59-58 victory. Story and photos in SPORTS»

Davidson College’s men’s basketball team traveled to Lexington, KY, Wednesday, where they’ll play the opening game of the NCAA tournament on Thursday afternoon. See Tim Cowie’s photos in SPORTS»