All in Columns

Michael Spears: Tips for teaching your children about money

Like many of you, I have had the opportunity to raise two children. At some point, when withdrawing money from the ATM or swiping your credit card, you will have to explain to your children that money does not grow on trees. Below are some tips to help your children understand that they cannot buy whatever they want without ever paying for it. Also, to help them learn how to handle their own money.

Reece Gardner: Examples of recent government powergrabs

We need to be aware of the negatives which are being promoted by various governors and other "leaders" who see themselves as our judges and jurors. But we are not a nation run by dictators, we are a Republic, guaranteeing the right of free enterprise and the right to earn and possess private capital. Some brief examples of recent "powergrabs" by the zealots:

Thomas Grady: What will I tell my grandchildren?

Thomas Grady, a ninth-grader at Arendell Parrott Academy, shares his thoughts on the Coronavirus Pandemic.

“There is no virus in the woods, on a creek, or 70 miles in the ocean. I believe that everything in life has a reason. God does not want everyone looking at their phones all day. He wants us to go out and see his creation, Mother Nature.”

Guest column: Life beyond the norm

There’s one sentiment that is widely expressed today despite our race, social status, or faith, and that is nothing is normal anymore. The sudden and unexpected pandemic caused by COVID-19 (Corona Virus) has taken us all out of the realm that we called normal.

"No Empty Bowl" faces empty cupboard

A nursery rhyme goes something like this: “Old Mother Hubbard / Went to the cupboard / To get her poor dog a bone: / When she got there / The cupboard was bare / And so the poor dog had none.” Despite the generosity of area citizens, “the cupboard is bare,” as the nursery rhyme says. As of May 7, all the food and supplies donated through “No Empty Bowl” have been distributed. Donations on Saturday, May 9, were down. Unless donations pour in on Saturday, May 16, the cupboard will be only sparsely supplied.

Library services continue on

We at Neuse Regional Libraries understand how difficult the stay-at-home order can be, and how much everyone misses their normal activities in the community. We certainly miss seeing all of our regular library users in person. However, the Library is still providing vital services to the community in several ways, and your library card can still be used to access a wealth of knowledge and enjoyment from home.

Reece Gardner: The hand that rocks the cradle

As I began putting this column together, an old "saying", which I hadn't really thought about for many years, came to mind. That "saying" is "The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world." That is a profound truth because it highlights the powerful influence Mothers have on our lives, for which we can all be eternally thankful.

John Hood: Numbers missing from lockdown debate

To put it simply, most people infected by the virus never get sick at all or present only mild symptoms. Protocol doesn’t subject them to testing. Indeed, most infected people wouldn’t even bother to seek it. So, how many North Carolinians truly are infected? We need to think more broadly. According to University of Chicago professor Casey Mulligan, a rough estimate of the cost of the current lockdowns nationwide is about $20 billion a day in lost economic production. On a proportional basis, that would translate to $540 million per day in North Carolina.