It’s always a great time to celebrate our mothers, this year keep it casual and enjoy these pick-up foods made with bounty from your local Farmers Market!
All in Columns
John Hood: There is no teacher-pay penalty
Are nurse anesthetists overpaid by 74%? Are telemarketers underpaid by 25%? If you accept the standard statistical model used to defend huge and sweeping pay raises for public schoolteachers, then you pretty much have to accept these conclusions, too. They derive from the same set of data.
Reece Gardner: The secret to growing old
Let's talk about age today. This year, 2021, the United Nations expects the number of people living past 100 to rise to approximately 573,000 worldwide, with the highest concentration in the U.S. and Japan, and with a significant number of those living well beyond the age of 100. In that category are people like Emma Morano, who died on April 15 at age 117.
John Hood: Conspiracy theories damage democracy
For weeks after the ballots were counted, supporters of the defeated presidential candidate insisted the election had been stolen. Some alleged a shadowy conspiracy to rig vote-counting machines, throwing out just enough legal votes and manufacturing just enough illegal ones to decide the outcome.
Mike Parker: Recognizing academic excellence despite COVID pressures
On Friday, April 23, I attended an induction ceremony at Trenton Elementary School for six new members of the school’s National Elementary Honor Society. I went chiefly because my grandson Alex was taking part in the induction ceremony. Last year, Alex was inducted. This year he had one of the lead roles in inducting this year’s honorees.
Kristy Bock: The pros and cons of DC statehood
A Gallup poll in 2019 indicated that two-thirds of American’s oppose making Washington, D.C a state. A bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives wants to do it anyway.
Cooking with Tammy Kelly: In season pick up delights for Mother’s Day
It’s always a great time to celebrate our mothers, this year keep it casual and enjoy these pick-up foods made with bounty from your local Farmers Market!!
Tax policy shapes migration flows
North Carolina is a popular destination for those seeking to make a new life in a new state. According to a tracking report by United Van Lines, we ranked sixth in the nation for inbound migration during 2020.
John Hood: Resist the temptation to coerce
The problem with freedom is that other people may do things that trouble, annoy, or even anger you. In a free society, you have no authority to stop them.
Reece Gardner: Topics everyone wants to discuss
First, let's talk about COVID-19 and the effort by most to put it safely behind us, while there is an effort by some to keep it alive. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has challenged advice from Dr. Fauci and some others in the medical community urging people to continue social distancing and wearing a mask even after they are fully vaccinated.
Josh Stein: Don’t fall for fake vaccine cards
More than 3 million North Carolinians are now fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus. This is a remarkable step forward in our fight against the pandemic, and soon we can begin safely returning to our lives. But scammers have used the pandemic as an excuse to take advantage of people for the past year, and they’re still at it. The next fight against COVID-19 vaccine scams is stopping the spread and use of false vaccine cards.
Antionette Kerr: You don't know what you've got until it's gone
A few years ago, when I returned to newsrooms as a freelance writer, it was like a ghost town. Daily newspapers are far from perfect, but we rely on the coverage of everything from football games, government gatherings, school board meetings, church notes, and community interest ranging from weddings to obituaries. Local reporters work to bring us information about elections, candidates, courts and education that is essential to our democracy. I’ve learned firsthand that deadlines pay no respect to holidays, hospital visits, weekends or family vacations.
Mike Parker: BBQ Fest on the Neuse set for May 7-8
What a difference a year can make. The 2020 BBQ Fest on the Neuse was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the festival will be back this year. Vendors will begin arriving at 8 a.m. on Friday, May 7. Cook teams will begin setting up at noon at the corner of Caswell and Herritage streets. The festival opens to the public at 5 p.m.
Nationalizing politics was a mistake
If Californians want to make their government the monopoly payer of all medical bills, why should North Carolinians be able to tell them they can’t?
Cooking with Tammy Kelly: Asparagus is awesome!
Asparagus is popping up, and I do mean popping up, this interesting vegetable grows straight up, and can pop up to almost a foot.
Cooking with Tammy Kelly: Time for opening Farmers Markets and fresh strawberries
The magic day in much of Eastern North Carolina is the day our strawberry producers let us know that strawberries are ready!
John Hood: Too many workers are sidelined
The latest federal job report is out — and it shows North Carolina’s employment recovery stalling out a bit during the first quarter of 2021.
Reece Gardner: We influence and are influenced by others
All of us are influenced by the actions of others, and that influence can be positive or negative. It was sad this week to see the tragic end of the life of a 13-year-old boy slain on the streets of Chicago at three o'clock in the morning while in the company of a 21-year-old criminal.
John Hood: Bigger Government isn’t the answer
Is it the job of government to make you happy? While it may seem like a straightforward question, there are some important subtleties packed into those few words.
Mike Parker: Local historian publishes compilation of Wyse Fork documents
When Dennis Harper was 11 years old, he became fascinated with the Wyse Fork Battlefield. In the decades since, Harper has collected more than 12,000 artifacts from that battle.