For twenty-five years, UNC Greensboro has celebrated the arts of visual imaging in the form of a festival or exhibition of student and/or independent works. The Carolina Film and Video Festival, now widely recognized as one of the major regional showcases of independent and student creative film and video, inherits and continues this tradition.

Some people get phone calls asking, "What are you wearing right now?" I'll spare you those details and tell you what I'm eating right now - a few samples from Poblano's new lunch menu: A Mexican pizza on flatbread with seasoned, grilled chicken, enchilada sauce and tons of that melty Mexican cheese. Also on the plate is a Buffalo shrimp wrap, made with real nice shrimp and carrying a decent degree of heat. And what I'm thinking about is the coming storm. Food prices are rising and family budgets are shrinking tighter and tighter in the current economic climate, which is bad news for independently owned sit-down restaurants. Revival Grill in Greensboro has closed. So has Crush in High Point. And a reader tells me his newest favorite Greensboro restaurant, Sahari, which focuses on Sudanese cuisine, is on short time as well. "Go eat fast," he writes. "It will soon be gone."

Morning show host Skip Sher of 98.7 FM and his wife, Melissa, reportedly opened a franchise of Hungry Howie's Pizza earlier this month at 1609 Friendly Ave. in Greensboro. They'll open a second location in Adams Farm Shopping Center in July, according to Lindsey Burke, a publicist with Sanderson & Associates of Chicago. Looking forward to the weekend, Triad residents can conserve gas and indulge their foodie habits close to home in Greensboro or hit Interstate 40 for some diversion in Durham.

I was at Costco over the weekend, and though sales of rice were brisk there didn't seem to be any hoarding or rationing. However, if you're planning on making a rice pudding, pilaf or spring rice salad in the coming month you better get your big bag of grains now. But here in this agricultural cradle we have plenty of food. And tobacco. Coffee at the Summit, on Summit Avenue in Greensboro's Aycock Historic District, has reopened, peddling bean juice and jazz anew in those classy digs.

So it's springtime in Greensboro and the water tastes like your socks have been soaking in it. That's the word from Donnell LaVell, water education program coordinator for the city's department of water resources. Not to worry - it's just a bit of sediment stirred up by recent rains, according to the city's press release, and is a temporary condition. Also, it's chock-full of vitamins. Okay, I'm making that part up. Despite the funk, culinary activities abound in the Gate City.

All concert proceeds benefit Eastern Music Festival's student scholarship program. Tickets can be purchased from the Center for the Arts Box Office. Office hours are Monday through Friday from 12:30 to 5 p.m. Also, Elon students, faculty and staff may receive free tickets.

and members of the city's human relations commission to discuss recommendations to be presented to the city council, according to minutes from the project's June 24 meeting.

With the Rev. Nelson Johnson at his side during a press conference in the sanctuary of Faith Community Church in Greensboro on June 30, Cornell faced a bank of television cameras and proclaimed: "My goal is to bring peace to the streets, black, brown, come together as one.

Back in the 1980s, my favorite name for a band that I never actually got to hear was Gaye Bikers on Acid. While I'm sure this group sounds nothing alike, they at least share some superficial novelty. Schola Cantorosa,.