Since September, President Trump will visit North Carolina for the seventh time as he prepares for the November election. On Thursday, October 15, President Trump will be at the Pitt-Greenville Airport at 1:00 pm at 400 Airport Road in Greenville.
All in Politics
Reece Gardner: Early voting begins tomorrow
All contests on the ballot this year are very important, but the races for the N.C. Supreme Court are ultra-important. As John Guze, director of legal studies at the John Locke Foundation pointed out, voters need to keep in mind that the NC Supreme Court has become a super-legislature as a result of judicial doctrines adopted in the second half of the 20th century.
Candidate Interview - Nancy Gilmore for School Board
Nancy Gilmore for Board of Education joins Neuse News Publisher BJ Murphy to discuss today's issues ahead of the General Election. Gilmore is running as an At-large write-in candidate for one of two seats on the Lenoir County School Board. Topics discussed include challenges facing public schools, in-person learning, stakeholders' influence on your decisions, funding from Lenoir County and the State, and more.
Candidate Interview - June Cummings
June Cummings joins Neuse News Publisher BJ Murphy to discuss today's issues ahead of the General Election. Cummings is running for the District 3 seat on the Lenoir County Board of Commissioners. Topics discussed include hiring and retention, economic growth, rural broadband access, flood mitigation and more.
City confirms time and a half for two new holidays, $53,604 daily payroll
During Monday night’s City Council meeting, motions were unanimously passed proclaiming the November General Election Day and Juneteenth as city holidays, starting with 2020. City manager Tony Sears confirmed the two additional city holidays would be paid and later confirmed to Neuse News that “the salaries for a single day across all budgets is $53,604.17.”
Statements during the meeting attested there would be no “extra cost” to the taxpayers for the two new annual holidays. Citizens took to social media following the meeting suggesting that emergency services employees should get paid time and a half for holiday pay, which potentially would be an extra cost for the city in direct contrast to the vote’s portrayal.
Candidate Interview - Jimmy Parks
Jimmy Parks joins Neuse News Publisher BJ Murphy to discuss today's issues ahead of the General Election. Parks is running for the District 3 seat on the Lenoir County Board of Commissioners. Topics discussed include hiring and retention, economic growth, rural broadband access, flood mitigation and more.
Candidates for NC Senate District 7 respond to double voting article
The News & Observer released a report that questioned why a North Carolina Senate candidate voted twice in an election year. In 2008, State Senate candidate Donna Lake participated in early voting in North Carolina, and a ballot was cast in her name in her home state of New York.
Candidate Interview - Tiffani Koonce-Crawford
Tiffani Koonce-Crawford joins Neuse News Publisher BJ Murphy to discuss today's issues ahead of the General Election. Koonce-Crawford is running for one of two At-large seats on the Lenoir County Board of Commissioners. Topics discussed include hiring and retention, economic growth, rural broadband access, flood mitigation and more.
Candidate Interview - Steve Saint-Amand
Steve Saint-Amand joins Neuse News Publisher BJ Murphy to discuss today's issues ahead of the General Election. Saint-Amand is running for one of two At-large seats on the Lenoir County Board of Commissioners. Topics discussed include hiring and retention, economic growth, rural broadband access, flood mitigation and more.
Kinston City Council creates two additional paid holidays, "not costing the city any extra money"
The Kinston City Council passed two motions on Monday evening declaring two additional paid holidays for city staff. The first motion makes General Election Day a paid holiday, falling this year on Tuesday, November 3. The second motion creates Juneteenth as a paid city holiday backdating to June 19, 2020.
Councilmember Sammy Aiken said, “For the public’s information, this is not costing the city any extra money.” Then he followed up with the question, “Is that correct?”
“That’s correct, Mr. Aikens,” said Mayor Don Hardy.
Candidate Interview - Linda Rouse Sutton
Linda Rouse Sutton joins Neuse News Publisher BJ Murphy to discuss today's issues ahead of the General Election. Mrs. Sutton is running to retain her At-large seat on the Lenoir County Board of Commissioners. Topics discussed include hiring and retention, economic growth, rural broadband access, flood mitigation and more.
Letter to the Editor: Dr. Janet Stivers-Blaebaum in support of Steve Saint-Amand
“I had a preconceived notion of Steve Saint-Amand as a redneck character running a redneck school. That notion couldn’t be further from the truth…For two years, I have witnessed Steve Saint-Amand go the extra mile for ANY of his students. Didn’t matter where they lived, didn’t matter who their people were . . . he was ready to be there for them.” - Dr. Janet Stivers-Blaebaum
North Carolina launches program to help small businesses disproportionately harmed by COVID-19
North Carolina minority and women-owned businesses hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic will have access to guidance and $12 million in grants to help them weather the crisis, Governor Roy Cooper announced this week.
Candidate Interview - Dr. Donna Lake
Dr. Donna Lake joins Neuse News Publisher BJ Murphy to discuss today's issues ahead of the General Election. Dr. Lake is running for the District 7 seat in the NC Senate representing Lenoir and Wayne County. Topics discussed include Voter ID, reopening NC schools, rural broadband internet access, COVID-19's impact on the state budget and more.
Candidate Interview - Sen. Jim Perry
Senator Jim Perry joins Neuse News Publisher BJ Murphy to discuss today's issues ahead of the General Election. Sen. Perry is running to retain the District 7 seat in the NC Senate representing Lenoir and Wayne County. Topics discussed include Voter ID, reopening NC schools, rural broadband internet access, COVID-19's impact on the state budget and more.
Candidate Interview - Dr. Virginia Cox-Daugherty
Virginia Cox-Daugherty joins Neuse News Publisher BJ Murphy to discuss today's issues ahead of the General Election. Dr. Cox-Daugherty is running for the District 12 seat in the NC House. Topics discussed include Voter ID, reopening NC schools, rural broadband internet access, COVID-19's impact on the state budget and more.
Candidate Interview - Rep. Chris Humphrey
Rep. Chris Humphrey joins Neuse News Publisher BJ Murphy to discuss today's issues. Rep. Humphrey is running to retain his seat in the NC House. Topics discussed include Voter ID, reopening NC schools, rural broadband internet access, COVID-19's impact on the state budget and more.
NC News: State unemployment rate drops to 6.5 percent, within 3 points of 2019's rate
Raleigh - According to a press release from the NC Department of Commerce, the state’s seasonally adjusted August unemployment rate was 6.5 percent, decreasing 2.0 percentage points from July’s revised rate. The national rate decreased by 1.8 percentage points to 8.4 percent. North Carolina’s August 2020 unemployment rate increased 2.7 percentage points from a year ago.
Letter to the editor: BLM - The organization is not what you think
“In the wake of several high-profile killings of black people by police, the Black Lives Matter Organization (BLM) has taken the world by storm in 2020. You can’t turn on the TV, watch sports, attend a meeting, or drive down the street without encountering BLM in every facet of society. I agree with the statement and belief that black lives matter, but I will never support the BLM organization. You may be shocked to find out what the organization is truly based upon, and I seek to inform fellow Americans, not to enflame, so hear me out.” - Seth Hobbs, Kinston
State employees can get paid leave to help during upcoming elections
State employees can use up to three days (24 hours) of paid time off to volunteer with their County Board of Elections to help with this fall’s elections, the Office of State Human Resources announced today.