All in Columns

Reece Gardner: Let's talk politics

Let's talk politics, first on the State level (Georgia) and then on the national scene. In the Georgia election, which was held yesterday, it is reported that the GOP recruited over 8,000 volunteers to watch the polls in the counting of votes in the two races for the U.S. Senate.

Mike Parker: 2020 saw an epidemic of uncivil discourse

The year 2020 will go down as one of the more challenging times in recent memory for our nation. Of course, the biggest story has been the COVID-19 pandemic. But other stories – a host of elections, endless negative campaigning, executive orders by the bushel baskets, and a vague dread of the impending loss of individual liberty – have also caused our collective vision to blur.

John Hood: NC SPIN reaches its end

May I tell you a bit about the pioneering Campbells of eastern North Carolina?

The patriarch of the family, minister James Archibald Campbell, founded a school in Buies Creek in 1887 that we now know as Campbell University. In the early days, privation and bad luck sometimes forced “Jim Arch” to keep institution alive through sheer force of will.

John Hood: Christmas gifts aren’t wasteful

Among the pagan-inspired customs of the Christmas season, there has come to be the ritualistic burning of the straw man. Specifically, I refer to the traditional seasonal column by a sly journalist or political analyst asserting that the exchange of Christmas gifts is a major lose-lose for the economy.

Dr. Travis Towne: Teaching History during a pandemic…What’s my motivation?

I am often asked what I teach when I tell someone my job and when I say “history”, I sometimes get the response, “I wish I would have paid more attention to my history class when I was in school.” Sadly, just like many of my students are now realizing how much they actually miss and crave the socialization found within a school environment, our society often belatedly realizes how vital an understanding of the social sciences are to their everyday lives.

Who was the real St. Nicholas?

At this time of year, we are bombarded by images and music that celebrate the Christmas season. One of those images appears in the form of a rotund man with a long white beard who is dressed in a fur-trimmed red suit. We call him Santa Claus.

Reece Gardner: US Supreme Court decision based on jurisdiction, not merit

The ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court denying Texas' motion to file a Bill of Complaint alleging voting irregularities by the states of Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, and Wisconsin was based mainly on the claim that "Texas did not demonstrate a judicially recognizable interest in the matter." So this ruling by SCOTUS was apparently based on the jurisdiction and not the merits of the case, which may embolden the challengers to continue their efforts.

Travis Towne: Fueled by faith and the C.A.R.S. program

In the summer of 2019, Billy Jarrell felt a call to start a new ministry focused on bringing automotive technicians and other “car geeks” together in a way that not only made spiritual connections but also allowed them the opportunity to serve others with their talents. The C.A.R.S. mission focus is to live out Colossians 3:17 “and whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Reece Gardner: Controversy concerning our recent Presidential election

Today I want to write about the ongoing controversy concerning our recent Presidential election. Folks, some have attempted to make this a partisan issue, but that is not what it's all about. Representatives of BOTH major parties are now coming forward in the cause of justice and for the preservation of our Republic, to tell what they saw on Election Night and to bring to light supposed irregularities that have occurred.

Jim Perry: Gov. Cooper rips broadband money away from rural NC

On Sept. 3, a bipartisan supermajority in the North Carolina General Assembly appropriated $30 million for rural broadband to help rural areas impacted by the pandemic. The next day, Gov. Roy Cooper issued a press release, taking credit for our work, with the following statement: “This budget followed my recommendations on school enrollment funding and invested in important areas like high-speed internet access…” Seventy-five days after the legislation passed, and 74 days after Gov. Cooper touted the investment, his administration quietly ripped this money and broadband from the hands of rural North Carolinians.