In last week's Column I talked about commitments made by a class in Roanoke Rapids to go out and live with enthusiasm in a specific area of their lives and then to come back and report on the experience. It was GREAT!
All in Columns
John Hood: Merit pay boosts student success
How much say should the public have about public education? Parental revolts against “wokeness” fads in the classroom are all the rage right now, but gaps between public preferences and the practice of public education didn’t suddenly begin a few months ago. They’ve been around for decades.
Cooking with Tammy Kelly: Celebrate National Farmers Market week – visit your local Farmers Market
National Farmers Market Week, established 22 years ago, will be celebrated August 1st-7th, 2021. This annual celebration was established by the National Farmers Market Coalition to highlight the vital role farmers markets play in the nation’s food systems. The year 2020 and the nationwide pandemic, brought about societal change, and it is now more important than ever for farmers markets to bring people together.
Local group raising funds to place historical markers
Mahatma Gandhi once said, “A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history.” Determination can express itself in different forms. Sometimes determination manifests itself on battlefields. Other times, the determined spirits work in the background, going almost unnoticed.
John Hood: To do good or do better
There are at least as many different ways to explain the origins of political disagreement as there are political commentators. I, for one, think such factors as cultural traditions, religious views, family background, educational experiences, and interpersonal relationships all help to shape how we choose our preferred political candidates or “sides” – and how we choose to act on those preferences.
Reece Gardner: Keep it on The Sunny Side
Are you enthusiastic today? Sometimes with a lot of rather negative news being circulated on a regular basis, it can become challenging to be enthusiastic, but all we really need to do is just look around us and, as The Carter Family sang many years ago, "Keep on The Sunny Side."
Mike Parker: TransPark announcement bodes well for region’s growth
When I was young, I heard a story about an elderly fellow who stood on the bank of the Hudson River as Robert Fulton fired up the Clermont, his new-fangled steamboat. As Fulton worked to get everything up and running, the old guy kept calling out:
Cooking with Tammy Kelly: Are You Ready for a “Mess of Butter Beans!”?
Everyone is always waiting for the first “mess of butter beans” if you are from the South, that just means a big pot of the yummy green baby lima beans!!! Often called "butter beans" because of their starchy yet buttery texture, lima beans have a delicate flavor that complements a wide variety of dishes. Fresh lima beans are worth the search in the summer and fall when they are in season. Dried and canned lima beans are available throughout the year.
Reece Gardner: Election audit casts further doubt on 2020 election
With the release this past Friday of the results of the Maricopa, Arizona, election audit, voting irregularities amounting to hundreds of thousands of votes were uncovered, casting further doubts on the legitimacy of the 2020 Election.
Mike Parker: CSS Neuse Interpretative Center brings back dinner theater
On Saturday, August 7, the CSS Neuse Interpretative Center will host its third annual dinner theater focusing on female spies during the Civil War. This program, which begins with dinner, features the inspiring and tragic story of Rose O’Neal Greenhow.
Cooking with Tammy Kelly: Summer Cooking with Your Air Fryer
Air frying is the cool new way to enjoy your favorite fried foods without using any of the unhealthy oils or additional steaming up the kitchen. If you have not jumped on the “air fryer” bandwagon yet, an air fryer cooks with very hot circulating air. They don’t “really” fry, but rely instead on a fan to circulate hot air to cook food, like a countertop convection oven.
Reece Gardner: Fair, secure, and accurate elections
The U.S. Supreme Court delivered its final decision for this Court Term last week and it was a BOMBSHELL. It was a landmark 6-3 ruling that bolstered the right of States to combat election fraud with statewide voting restrictions.
Neuse Foundation seeking support for Sept. 10 'Wings Over the Neuse'
The CSS Neuse Foundation took several salvos from COVID during 2020, but the iron plating did its job. During 2017, 2018, and 2019, the replica of the original CSS Ram Neuse drew more than 5,000 visitors each year. During 2020, the CSS Neuse II was closed on 14 Saturdays. Attendance for 2020 totaled only 1498, one-third of normal.
BJ Murphy: If not you, who?
I am more concerned about the next four years for Kinston today than I was four years ago.
The impasses we face with the City of Kinston pose significant challenges for our community’s future, and we need leaders to step up at a time such as this. The mayor’s seat and two councilmembers’ seats are up for grabs, and the $10 filing fee period ends on Friday, July 16th at 12:00 pm.
Now is not the time to complain. Now is not the time to critique. Instead, if you feel led to run or compelled to serve your community greater than your role today, here is your opportunity to influence or shape the change you desire.
Cooking with Tammy Kelly: Tis the season for fresh tomatoes
While we all may not agree on the mayonnaise of choice for a tomato sandwich, most of us cannot wait to enjoy one!! Top selling these days at local roadside stands and Farmers Markets are Heirloom tomatoes. Well, what is the difference between an heirloom tomato and just a regular tomato?
John Hood: What to do when they are wrong
Here are three true statements, as best I can determine. First, Americans of all backgrounds have experienced gigantic declines in poverty over the past two generations. Second, most diversity training is worse than a waste of time. Third, police officers are no more likely to kill minorities than they are to kill whites during traffic stops or arrests.
Reece Gardner: Life is fleeting, be kind!
Today I want to talk about LIFE and how fleeting it is here on Earth. We really have no guarantee of how long we will be here or what unknown circumstances might occur in our lives, or what unexpected challenges we might face.
Mike Parker: What does The Fourth of July mean?
John Adams had it wrong by two days. On July 2, 1776, the Continental Congress voted in favor of declaring independence from Great Britain. John Adams, a delegate to the Continental Congress from Massachusetts, wrote to his wife Abigail on July 3, 1776:
John Hood: State blows it on history
If the primary purpose of public education was to prepare young people for jobs, its entitlement to taxpayer support would be far weaker.
Cooking with Tammy Kelly: Quick pickling!
Even the greatest cooks have a hard time using summer’s bounty of fruits and vegetables. Canning and freezing are always a great food preservation options, but quick pickling provides a short term quick and easy option.