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Davidson College President Carol Quillen testified Thursday, Feb. 2, about “Innovations in College Affordability” before a U.S. Senate committee hearing in Washington, D.C.

Her testimony for the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) focused on The Davidson Trust, Davidson College’s commitment to meeting 100 percent of demonstrated financial need with grants and employment, and without packaged loans.

For more information, please visit davidson.edu/senate-hearing

See also DavidsonNews.net’s Feb. 2 news report on the Davidson Trust, five years after it was announced, “Davidson’s no-loan policy brings results and attention”

Billie Thomason sat for an interview last week.

As has been our tradition with DavidsonNews.net, Around Davidson provides our readers with a Christmas interview.  Each year we choose someone in our area who has lived here for a long time and is willing to share Christmas memories of years ago.

This year we visited with Billie Wilma Thomason of The Pines.  Born in North Carolina, she traveled the country as a child and then lived her married life in Kannapolis. In 1997, she moved to The Pines at Davidson, where she recently celebrated her 100^th birthday!  It is with great pleasure that we introduce Billie and her family to you today. Read the full story

Watch the Town of Davidson’s short video with a few scenes from the Friday night events at Christmas in Davidson 2011, on Dec. 2 in downtown Davidson.

MORE PHOTOS

Meanwhile, see our photo galleries from Christmas in Davidson and the Saturday, Dec. 3,  North Mecklenburg Christmas parade.

Dec. 4, 2011, Santa had a choice seat for the ride to Cornelius.” – photos of the Christmas Parade.

Dec. 4, 2011, “Was this the best Christmas in Davidson ever?” Brenda Barger’s Around Davidson column and a gallery of photos by Brenda, Bill Giduz, David Boraks and Jay Wilson.

Dec. 2, 2011, “Crowds flock to 1st night of Christmas in Davidson.”

Scott Nolan

Scott A. Nolan started work this month as general manager of Davidson-based classical public radio station WDAV-FM, 89.9. In a video interview with DavidsonNews.net, Mr. Nolan called 32-year-old WDAV one of America’s great classical music radio stations, and said he hopes to help it keep the music accessible to a wide audience for another 32 years. He also talked about a favorite piece of music that once “stopped him in his tracks,” and what he sees as his role as the head of a classical public radio station. Read the full story

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On each of the past seven Sept. 11ths, Chanda Dubose of Lakeside Avenue has built a temporary shrine to victims of the terrorist attacks of 9/11/2001. Some years it has had coffins, some years lots of shoes. The past four years she has lived in Davidson and constructed it off Griffith Street and Lakeside Avenue, near Roosevelt Wilson Park. This year’s shrine was simple, with flowers, flags, a work boot and a board bearing names of 9/11 victims.

RELATED STORY: “On Griffith Street, a shrine remembers 9/11′s victims”

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An estimated 356 people young and old, from Davidson and beyond, swarmed the Davidson Village Green Saturday to set an (unofficial) Guinness Book of World Records mark for the most people bouncing paddle balls at one time. Here’s a 4-minute video of the record, produced by DavidsonNews.net.

RELATED LINK: Sept. 3, 2011, “356 paddleballers set a world record on the Green.”

Can’t see the video? Watch it directly on YouTube.

Robbie Parks, 45, glides, jumps and flips through the wake on his board when he’s in the water. But when he’s on land, it’s a different story – Mr. Parks has been in a wheelchair for almost 30 years. This summer, Mr. Parks is training to compete on the World Team for adaptive water skiing, through the adaptive sports program at Carolina Rehabilitation. Meet him and other “adaptive” skiiers in this video by Christina Ritchie Rogers.

RELATED STORY

July 22, 2011, CorneliusNews.net, “Adaptive waterskiing offers new opportunities, independence.”

The jet that was Flight 1549, the “Miracle on the Hudson” plane of January 2009, passed through Davidson on Friday morning at about 55 mph, with sirens and all.