Friends and fans of local Farmers Markets celebrate this every week when the produce is ripe and abundant, but across the nation, National Farmers Market Week is designated as August.
All in Columns
Trenton’s ‘Titan’ did Down East proud
My son Michael shot us a message on our family chat. He said Will Sutton, one of his former Jones Senior High School students, was going to compete on Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s TV competition “The Titan Games.” Since Will was an Eastern Region competitor, the shows featuring his competition would be late in the series. Sandra and I kept careful watch to make sure we did not miss this young man.
Cooking with Tammy Kelly: Juicy fresh peaches!
Did you know that North Carolina growers produce as many as 70 different varieties, each with its own unique flavor? Although the Sandhills region is known for peach production, consumers can find growers all across the state. Peaches are a warm weather favorite and you will find they taste best June-August in parts of the South.
John Hood: Carolinian Led Women into Medicine
Discrimination, in addition to being wrong, is foolishly self-destructive. It keeps companies from hiring the best people and serving the most customers. It throttles innovation. It makes our families and communities poorer. When only white men were allowed to become doctors, for example, that artificially restricted the quantity and quality of medical care. One reason we are, on average, much healthier than our grandparents and great-grandparents is that healers of great skill, daring, and determination smashed through that barrier.
Reece Gardner: Control and destruction
Today, I want to talk briefly about the Covid-19 virus and the unrest in various cities in our country. There are definite connections, having to do with control and destruction.
Mike Parker: Approach of school opening makes me miss the classroom
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.
John Nix: Board of Elections power plays
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.
Michael Spears: Second wave looks to have peaked
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.
John Hood: Homicides spiking in Carolina cities
As if the COVID crisis and economic recession weren’t bad enough, here’s some more bad news to process: homicide rates are spiking in many North Carolina communities.
Reece Gardner: It's all about love, folks
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.
Neuse Foundation seeks support for Sept. 11 ‘Wings Over the Neuse’
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.
Michael Spears: Signs of a slowdown, but recovery still on track
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.
John Hood: New monuments could unify state
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.
Rep. Chris Humphrey: Expanding rural broadband a top priority for NC General Assembly
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.
Reece Gardner: Replacing the Constitution with Socialism
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.
Mike Parker: Staring into the Coronavirus ‘rabbit hole’ - Parents and teachers share concerns
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.
Cooking with Tammy Kelly: Fresh crispy summertime cucumbers
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!
Matthew Lococo: Teaching in a pandemic
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!.”
Reece Gardner: It is time to reopen
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.
Aleatha Thrower: Left and right - scoot to the middle, please.
The original decision to shut down was the right one and I fully supported Gov. Cooper. Now, it has gone too far.