The 14 graduating seniors in the Class of 2021 at Lenoir County Learning Academy had to come up with a great many answers on the way to earning diplomas, but the educator who keynoted the commencement ceremony Wednesday asked them to ponder some important questions as they step out into the world.
All in Columns
Mike Parker: Memorial Day a mix of celebration and sorrow
Today is Memorial Day, a day that honors the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. At first, this observance was called Decoration Day. Citizens would decorate the grave of the fallen soldiers in the years following the Civil War. That grueling four-year blood bath claimed the lives of almost half of all the war dead from all the wars throughout our nation's history.
Taylor Fussell: This is not a final goodbye
Graduating from the best school in the county is bittersweet (I may be slightly biased). From meeting my lifelong friends to learning more about myself than ever before, North Lenoir has given me the best four years of my life.
Tammy Kelly: Blueberries the Nutritious Little Blue Bite!
Not only are blueberries a favorite springtime snack; they also pack a lot of nutritional punch into one little bite. While a cup of the little blues is only 80 calories, you’ll get 14 percent of your daily fiber and a boost of heart-helping antioxidants. Blueberries have also proven to keep you fresh, active, fit, sharp and in a great mood!!
Nikole Hannah-Jones wasn’t cancelled
In a few weeks, New York Times reporter Nikole Hannah-Jones will join the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Hussman School of Journalism and Media, as the Knight Chair in Race and Investigative Journalism.
John Hood: Unemployment news isn’t so rosy
The latest estimates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show about 251,000 North Carolinians unemployed as of April, down about 58,000 since the beginning of 2021.
Reece Gardner: Where there is smoke, there is fire
You've probably heard the expression, "Where there's smoke, there's fire," and smoke seems to linger around the continuing speculation about voter fraud in the 2020 election.
Cooking with Tammy Kelly: Spice it up with fresh radishes!
Are you convinced that you don’t like radishes, or maybe you are afraid to try them?? If this is you, here is why you should give them a try and make them a part of your regular diet. Radishes are the perfect vegetable to add spice to your recipe when fresh or a savory taste when cooked. They also have a variety of health benefits!
Mike Parker: North Carolina: birthplace of soil and water conservation
After attending the awards ceremony honoring winners of the Lenoir Soil and Water Conservation District on May 12, I left the ceremony with a desire to learn more about the practice of conservation and its history in North Carolina. Despite the push for many years to add industrial and manufacturing facilities to our state economy, the Number 1 industry in North Carolina is still agriculture.
Reece Gardner: How happy do you want to be today?
How happy do you want to be today? You can make that decision. We all have so much to be happy about and thankful for, but we seem inclined to dwell on the perils of today, such as our current gas shortages, price increases, Covid-19, civil unrest, election irregularities, etc., to the point that we find ourselves longing for the "good old days." But just how "good" were those days?
Mike Parker: Students take top prizes in Lenoir Soil & Water Conservation competition
Thursday evening I attended the 2021 Annual Education Celebration at the Lenoir County Livestock Arena. Not only did I have the opportunity to see students recognized for posters, speeches, and computer products, but I also learned a bit about the purposes of these competitions and their organization.
Reece Gardner: Everyday is Mother's Day
Another Mother's Day has come and gone but, actually, every day is Mother's Day because, as the old saying goes, "The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world." Mothers know that children are influenced by what they see and hear, starting in the home.
Mike Parker: Mother’s Day … and the rest of the story
Multiplied thousands – perhaps millions – across this country heard Mother’s Day messages this past Sunday. The story of Mother’s Day usually focuses on Anna Jarvis. Following her mother’s death in 1905, Jarvis had the idea of establishing a day to honor the sacrifices mothers make for their children.
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!
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!!