Feb. 18 marks a special day for us — our 50th wedding anniversary.
All in Columns
Reece Gardner: The most important possession we all have is LOVE
As you know, Valentine's Day is being celebrated this week - February 14 - all across the U.S. and in other places around the world. Most of us look on this Day as an opportunity to express our love for those who mean so much to us throughout the year.
Dr. Greg Murphy: Fentanyl is killing more young Americans than COVID-19
For two years, our nation has been combating the COVID-19 pandemic, which has tragically claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans. Families across eastern North Carolina have adapted their daily routines to combat this public health crisis, which has overwhelmingly targeted seniors and those with preexisting conditions and comorbidities. There is, however, another devastating reality that has failed to make headlines: Fentanyl is killing more young Americans than COVID-19.
Reece Gardner: Living longer has its challenges
I want to expand on a Column I wrote several years about age. Even with the Pandemic we have experienced the past two years, people are still living longer, Centenarians are actually the fastest growing age segment, with the number of 100-year-olds to hit 6 million by mid-century.
Mike Parker: Why is February ‘Black History Month’?
When I was still active in the classroom, one of my African American students approached me. He expressed concerns about Black History Month.
Cooking with Tammy: Happy Valentine’s Day! Healthy at Home Meals (and Desserts) For Two
Valentine’s Day would not be the same without enjoying a delicious meal with your special Sweetheart. If you prefer annual sweethearts day at home, here are some great recipes tailored especially for two. These recipes will also keep you on track with your heart healthy eating plan!
Reece Gardner: Do you have any regrets?
Do you have any regrets? Are they about something you did, or about something someone did to you? Most of the presentations on this subject that I have heard in my Dale Carnegie Classes over the years, as I have mentioned previously, have come from people who felt they they had been the cause of another's hurt.
John Hood: Preschool Intervention Gets Poor Marks
Perhaps we should “follow the science” and abolish North Carolina’s pre-kindergarten program.
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.