All in Columns
It’s not a secret that berries are really good for us, strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries, are all packed with fiber, antioxidants and many other super nutrients. Often overlooked until Holiday season are cranberries, nope they aren’t just for cranberry sauce and stringing garland!!
These past few months have been a turmoil of emotions. October started on a high with a family and friends vacation to Gulf Shores, AL gifted by Custom Sound Designs (CSD) in recognition for the tech work done during COVID lockdowns at church.
North Carolina has an official state bird (the Northern Cardinal), an official state reptile (the Eastern Box Turtle), an official state insect (the honeybee), an official state mammal (the Gray Squirrel), an official saltwater fish (the Channel Bass), an official freshwater fish (the Southern Appalachian Brook Trout), an official state marsupial (the Virginia Opossum, which seems awfully unpatriotic), and two official state amphibians, the Pine Barrens Treefrog and the Marbled Salamander.
I retired from teaching in June 2011. Frankly, sometimes I miss teaching more than I can put into words. As I looked over my Facebook “friends,” more than half of my contacts are students I taught at Farmville Central High School.
I am a huge pasta fan, I wish I weren’t, but if you feel like me, it might be time to try a different type of spaghetti: spaghetti squash. I am not going to tell you that it is just as yummy and comforting as true pasta, but it is a great healthy alternative!! Spaghetti squash is a yellow-orange vegetable harvested in early fall. When cooked, the inside of the squash can be shredded into long, thin strands similar to angel hair noodles, and can be used in comparable ways.
Nearly a decade ago, former Canadian politician Michael Ignatieff argued in the New York Times that democracy can only thrive when its practitioners respect the difference between adversaries and enemies. “An adversary is someone you want to defeat,” he wrote. “An enemy is someone you have to destroy.”
Just months ago, the housing market was blazing hot. Now median prices are dropping, even in states like North Carolina that continue to attract new residents. The Federal Reserve isn’t done pushing up interest rates to combat inflation. Consumers are responding to higher prices by cutting back on expenses.
Neuse Regional Libraries staff are currently hard at work on a new Strategic Plan for 2023-2028 which will guide the future of our local libraries and provide a road map for how we provide innovative services that meet the demands of our community
Load up the tents, tables, and chairs all in red, blue or even purple…it is time to step up your tailgate for homecoming!! Games are great, but as you know half the fun is in the parking lot before and after the game!
The science fiction pioneer H.G. Wells once observed that “human history is, in essence, a history of ideas.” This is a wise observation — and it speaks to the political debates we’ve been having here in North Carolina.
Stories about declining test scores among North Carolina students have filled news media outlets. The statistics were bleak not only in North Carolina but across the nation.
Many have voted early, but there will be others who choose to vote on election day. I would like to leave you with a few thoughts to consider as you go to the polls this Tuesday.
Fall is the season for everything pecans!! The pecan is the “original” supernut, especially in the south. Pecan trees are abundant all-over eastern North Carolina and soon to be dropping in abundance. The much sought after nut is a complex whole food, packed with multiple health-promoting nutrients and bioactive compounds. Each delicious pecan is a nutrition powerhouse.
November 11 became a federal holiday in the United States in 1938 as Armistice Day. In 1918, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, an armistice was declared between the Allied nations & Germany in World War 1. The next year, 1919, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration to honor the World War 1 soldiers in the United States.
Article I, Section 35 of North Carolina’s Constitution has a pertinent reminder as we head to the ballot box. Article I is the “Declaration of Rights,” and Section 35 reads:
Sometimes a rainy or cold Halloween night will leave you with loads of leftover candy! Instead of cleaning them out by snacking until they are gone, use them in these recipes to make sweet treats to share!
On Friday, October 28th 2022, the Lenoir County Historical Association is giving a small number of visitors an opportunity to experience for themselves the alleged hauntings of Historic Harmony Hall. Visitors who purchase a ticket ahead of time will reserve a spot for the evening’s program.
On Thursday, October 20, early voting started in North Carolina and will continue until November 5, 2022. I like early voting because it helps me avoid lines and do my civic duty. By the time you read these words, my wife Sandra and I will have voted. Of course, election day is November 8 this year.
Our new weekly articles have veterans’ news for everyone, keeping Kinston & Lenoir County residents abreast of all veterans’ issues & events. We accept any information concerning veterans. However, we need the information a week in advance---on Monday before it is to be published the following Monday--- sent to dsh2526@gmail.com or dropped off at G.I. Joe’s.
