All in Columns
A little more than nine years ago, I said good-bye to my students and my classroom at Farmville Central High School to enter the world of retirement. After sitting out the required six months, I started teaching again – part-time in the English Department at East Carolina. My last class at ECU was May 2018. Since then, I have been fully retired.
The struggle by the Lenoir County Board of Elections to maintain reasonable voting accommodations is never-ending. The Lenoir County Board of Elections consists of a Democrat Chairman, two Democrat members, and two Republican members. Courtney Patterson is the Chairman and has consistently pushed for a high number of early voting sites. The Democrat plan is three times the state board recommended amount with six sites. This unbudgeted plan will cost Lenoir County $30,000 to $36,000 more than required or necessary.
This week, we had some progress on the pandemic front, as things started to improve after the stabilization we saw last week. Case growth peaked, at least in the short term, and the case growth rate ticked down. Further, outbreaks in many states are now being contained, as expected. The economic news is better, with the recovery continuing. That said, there are signs of weakness.
There are some things that bear repeating, such as expressions of love, about which I will be repetitious today. Sometimes when chaos and upheavals occur in our lives, such as at the present time, we tend to long for the past or to look ahead to a less-troubling future.
Like many local businesses and organizations, the CSS Neuse Foundation has been hit hard by fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. The CSS Neuse II, the replica of the original CSS Ram Neuse ironclad, has been essentially closed from April through July.
This week, the news was much the same as it was last week. This is actually good news, as things had been getting worse. As such, this stabilization represents progress. It also indicates that, in many states, outbreaks are being contained.
If you’ve lived in North Carolina for even a few years, you’ve probably formed an opinion about whether statues and monuments honoring Confederate leaders and soldiers ought to remain in or near courthouses, town halls, state buildings, and other public property throughout the state.
During this past legislative session, expanding access to rural broadband and closing the digital divide was a top priority of mine and the Republican-led North Carolina General Assembly. In rural areas, especially in my district in Eastern North Carolina, connection to reliable high-speed internet service is critical to attracting and retaining businesses, improving health care access and ensuring that our children are not left behind in the digital age.
Folks, the chaos that's been unfolding in several of our major cities recently has little or nothing to do with racism or grievances. It has everything to do with the massive attempt underway to destroy our Constitution and replace it with Socialism.
Since my column last week, I have spoken to parents, teachers, and administrative staff from no less than five school systems regarding their concerns for the coming reopening of schools in August. Please keep in mind that opening day – August 17 – is less than a month away. These parents, teachers, and administrators were plain spoken to the point of being blunt.
Cucumbers are appearing abundantly at local Farmer’s Market and nothing says summer like the crunch of fresh cucumber. Most of us Southerners enjoy a plain cucumber in about any kind of salad, or in a bowl of vinegar and pepper, or made into a tiny sandwich, but here are some other ways to add the unique flavor to other tasty treats as well. Enjoy!
On March 14 at about 4 pm, my professional and personal life altered in ways that I would have never thought. On Friday, March 13, I told my students what I tell them every Friday, “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do and enjoy your weekend, I’ll see you on Monday!.”
While one casualty from the Coronavirus is one too many, it is important that we receive accurate information about the true nature of the plague. In a recent conversation with Congressman David Rouzer, he expressed concern about the questionable reporting in some areas about the Positivity Rate for the Coronavirus.
The original decision to shut down was the right one and I fully supported Gov. Cooper. Now, it has gone too far.
When Gov. Roy Cooper announced at his press conference Tuesday that North Carolina will reopen schools with both in-person and remote education, the in-person option is perhaps the most difficult to achieve. Possible plans the governor earlier outlined were:
Did you know that despite the possibility that we may not enjoy any Summerfest concerts this year the Pride team is moving ahead with Christmas plans? It takes months to plan a parade as well as the lights at Pearson Park.
There are signs that seem to indicate that a significant number of our K-12 schools will open this Fall. National Education Secretary Betty DeVos stated this week that she expects schools to be "fully operational" for the upcoming 2020 term.
When I visited my mother recently, she gave me a photograph of a good-sized group of her family members. I picked out my granddaddy with ease, even though he was probably somewhere in this mid-30’s at this time.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), signed into law on March 27, 2020, includes provisions that temporarily relax several key retirement account rules. One of these provisions is a waiver of required minimum distributions (RMDs) in 2020. Here’s what you need to know.
