All in Columns

Jason McKnight: HELP! Where can I get serious news?

Jason McKnight: HELP! Where can I get serious news?

Neuse News
Columns

At this point in 2020, you might feel like me, and wish for help in figuring out how to take news in. So much conjecture, so much agenda, so much spin… and we are dealing with really big issues: This Spring we’ve had to wrestle with Covid, Racial Questions, and Protests. As the Fall comes we face Presidential Politics. It’s more important than ever that we remind ourselves how to digest the headlines, stories, information, data, and feelings that come at us like so many inter-continental ballistic missiles.

Reece Gardner: Bring back family reunions

Reece Gardner: Bring back family reunions

Neuse News
Columns

This past weekend was wonderful for me in every way. It began with the arrival of my beautiful daughter Jessica, and that event in and of itself was enough for me to accurately describe the weekend as wonderful. But it went even further than that. Jessica planned and helped carry out a mini Family Reunion, with our traveling to Elizabeth City to celebrate with various other family members from that area.

BJ Murphy: School Board decision paves way for more diversity

BJ Murphy: School Board decision paves way for more diversity

BJ Murphy
Columns, Education

The Covid-19 pandemic has greatly affected everyone in 2020 and will affect us for years to come. I will leave some of the national debate about the economic stress, masks, hydroxychloroquine, or other issues to the pundits. On a local level, the recent potential 18-week decision by the Lenoir County School Board exposed a servant leadership deficit catching parents, teachers and even administrators by surprise.

Kristy Bock: COVID-19 sparks minimum wage debate

Kristy Bock: COVID-19 sparks minimum wage debate

Kristy Kelly
Columns

Economists have debated the merits of a minimum wage and a living wage throughout the years. Advocates call for a $15 an hour minimum wage increase from the current $7.25. The call for an increase in the national minimum wage got louder when the government added $600 a week to state unemployment to stave off an economic recession. 

Michael Spears: Are the economic risks on the rise?

Michael Spears: Are the economic risks on the rise?

Neuse News
Columns

Over the past two weeks, we’ve had some good news. It looks like the second wave of coronavirus infections has peaked and turned back down. Case growth is down significantly from the peak, and the case growth rate has returned to the lows seen in mid-June. In most states, the data indicates that outbreaks are being contained.

John Hood: Summer polls are flawed predictors

John Hood: Summer polls are flawed predictors

John Hood
Columns

In this year that sometimes feels like a decade, North Carolinians have yet to cast a single general-election ballot for president or other offices. But I’m seeing lots of politicos and pundits making confident predictions about the state’s key electoral contests based on data from recent voter surveys.

Gracie Herring: My last, first day

Gracie Herring: My last, first day

Neuse News
Columns, Education

Senior year is what most kids look forward to their whole lives. The year when you finally feel on top, but it’s also the time you look back and take in everything you've been taught for the past 13 years. It is a bit overwhelming already - now add a global pandemic. I don't know what I was expecting but I am almost positive this was not it.

Trenton’s ‘Titan’ did Down East proud

Trenton’s ‘Titan’ did Down East proud

Mike Parker
Columns

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!

Cooking with Tammy Kelly: Juicy fresh peaches!

Tammy Kelly
Columns

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

John Hood: Carolinian Led Women into Medicine

John Hood
Columns

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.

John Nix: Board of Elections power plays

John Nix: Board of Elections power plays

Neuse News
Columns

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

Michael Spears: Second wave looks to have peaked

Neuse News
Columns

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.

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