Perhaps we should “follow the science” and abolish North Carolina’s pre-kindergarten program.
All in Columns
Mike Parker: Working to support a key area attraction
When Matt Young approached me about serving on the CSS Neuse Gunboat Association board, I felt a wave of trepidation wash over me. About a dozen years ago, I promised Sandra, my wife, that I would start getting off some of these boards. Every time she turned around, I was heading to a board meeting. She was not thrilled.
Cooking with Tammy Kelly: January is National Soup Month - celebrate it!
What’s better on a cold winter day than a warm bowl of soup? Soup can be nutritious, easy to prepare, and inexpensive.
Rev. Dr. Michelle Gooding: When Mamas Cry!
Mamas cry when any of their children are in danger. In lite of all that is stirring in our city, I feel so paralyzed. What can I do? What could I do? What are we going to do? Picture this, it is the beginning of February, Black History Month.
Reece Gardner: Stand by friends when the going gets tough
All of us at times struggle with negative emotions, things we find difficult to understand. But we can better handle these negatives in this New Year of 2022 if we recognize that inspiration can come from them. For example, most of us are bothered by the way so many of our law enforcement people in various parts of our country are being treated today, from being humiliated and denied service at restaurants to being ambushed, wounded, and murdered.
Calling all teens to volunteer at their local library
Volunteering has myriad benefits. Volunteers learn new skills, discover new talents, meet new people, engage with their community, and have fun, which is especially important if you are a teen volunteer.
John Hood: Should felons be able to vote?
Do you think felons should lose their right to vote? If so, do you think they should be able to regain that right after getting out of prison or should they have to wait until they complete any probation or parole requirement that follows prison? Or do you think a felony conviction should forever block someone from participating in elections?
Mike Parker: My soul - a patchwork quilt
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about how I discovered the Petersens Bluegrass Band. On their latest album titled “Live Sessions Vol. 4,” several songs touched me to the heart. The Petersens’ rendition of “The Thanksgiving Song” by Ben Rector was one.
Kristy Bock: The Social Agenda
The weaponization of fear has become the new normal, with both sides of a hidden war embracing a deadly virus as their flag. The left, the right, the conservatives, the progressives, QAnon and Antifa all have more in common than dissension.
Cooking with Tammy Kelly: Winter season healthy vegetable recipes
Yes, there is surely less to choose from locally in the fresh vegetables department at Farmers Markets and Roadside Stands this time of year, but that does not mean there aren’t fresh seasonal vegetables options!
John Hood: Freedom is worth the risk
During each election cycle, we are treated to an endless parade of politicians extolling freedom. Given how many of them subsequently vote to restrict our freedom in myriad ways, we have ample reason to be skeptical about politicians.
Reece Gardner: Living today to the fullest
There are some things that bear repeating, such as expressions of love, about which I will be repetitious today. We are now fully into the New Year of 2022 and there are a lot of exciting events on the horizon. But, as always, there is also the potential for depression and sadness, especially if we try to relive days from the past or agonize about days to come.
Mike Parker: Local historian's second book hits closer to home
When Dennis Harper was 11 years old, he became fascinated with the Wyse Fork Battlefield. His first discovery was “a perfect Williams Cleaner.” The Williams Cleaner was a bullet designed so the discharge of the musket would drive the concave disks of the bullet forward, expanding the lead bullet against the interior walls of the rifled barrel to remove residue left by other rounds. Dennis has collected more than 15,000 artifacts from the battlefield over decades.
John Hood: Our Sky Was Never Falling
From July 2020 to July 2021, there was a net inflow of 637,729 Americans into these top-five destination states: Florida, Texas, Arizona, North Carolina, and South Carolina. During the same period, there was a net outflow of 918,443 Americans from these top-five exporter states: California, New York, Illinois, Massachusetts, and Louisiana.
Mike Parker: My single-item ‘bucket list’
Until recently, I have never had a “bucket list,” that list of things a person has not done but wishes to do before dying. I have written, taught, expounded texts from the Bible, and played music with some excellent musicians. My life has been satisfying.
Cooking with Tammy Kelly: Clean your fridge, keep your New Year’s Resolution!
This week I spent some time cleaning out the refrigerator, discarding all of those Holiday leftovers, and while I was at it, I packaged up all of the sweet treats that were still in containers around the kitchen and gave them to friends to enjoy! Now it is time to restock the refrigerator and kitchen with some healthy essentials for starting the New Year!!
Cooking with Tammy: The Misunderstood Brussels Sprouts
How did these delicious teeny tiny cabbages ever get such a bad reputation! Who knows but I used to be one of those people…yes, I was no way ever going to try a brussels sprout!! Not sure why but mostly I think my Grandmother tended to overcook them winding up with some soggy looking baby cabbage. But no more there are some many ways to cook brussels sprouts to bring out the sweet and sharp flavors of the winter vegetable.
Amber Hargett: Winter Reads 2022
As the weather turns colder and winter sets in, join us at Neuse Regional Libraries for an Adult Winter Reading Program. Pleasure reading is a proven stress reliever, and those who read fiction are shown to experience increased creativity, empathy, and emotional intelligence.
John Hood: School Closures Were Too Risky
When the news broke on January 3 that one of North Carolina’s largest school districts, Cumberland County, was considering a shift to virtual instruction in response to rising case counts of the Omicron variant, I felt my stomach lurch.
Dan Perry: The Carter-Baker Commission on Federal Election Reform
Speaking in Philadelphia some time ago, Present Biden condemned the idea of voter ID’s saying, “There is an unfolding assault taking place in America today – an attempt to suppress and subvert the right to vote in fair and free elections, an assault on democracy. An assault on liberty, an assault on who we are – who we are as Americans. For make no mistake, bullies and merchants of fear and peddlers of lies are threatening the very foundation of our country.” Sadly, but predictably, he went on to suggest that requiring voter ID would mean “returning people to slavery.”