January 2008 archives

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Thursday, January 31, 2008

On right track: Planning now is critical for right use of new station

It might seem a little early to be thinking about how to best use a train station that isn’t even close to being ready to accept passenger trains or anything else wheeling into Goldsboro. In fact, there is still plenty...

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Over too soon: There must be a better way to decide party nominees

Some roller coaster, huh? By the time North Carolina voters — and really most of the country — get the chance to chime in on whom they would like to see win their party’s nomination for the presidency, there might...

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

No duck and run: The president’s message not just empty words

Presidents who are in their last year of office are called lame ducks for a reason. They are not the focus anymore. Discussions of their popularity and effectiveness are replaced by analysis of candidates who all claim they are the...

Monday, January 28, 2008

Package brigade: MOC students have issued call; now we need to answer

The part of Sunday’s story on the Mount Olive College students’ project for the troops that should have stuck with you is the comment about what it means for these men and women when they get something — anything —...

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Windfall for all? Rebates will help economy only if implemented wisely

The idea of an economic stimulus package is a good one — even if all it really accomplishes in the end is giving American families a reassuring feeling that there is no reason to panic. And accomplishing that act quickly...

Friday, January 25, 2008

The real problem: There are children inside many drug-filled homes

It wasn’t great news to hear today that seven people will face charges in Wayne County in connection with a drug lab right here in Goldsboro. It was even more unsettling to hear authorities say it is just one of...

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Real bad guys: Officials can learn something from Dwayne Dail case

There is no amount of money that can give Dwayne Dail his life back. So, even though the state has awarded him more than $350,000 to get his life started again, it is not enough, really, to make him forget...

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Baby tryouts: Teens should get taste of what parenting is really like

There is a new show coming to network television next month. It should be required watching for every teen in Wayne County and considered as a possible addition to every high school curriculum. “The Baby Borrowers” will put teen “couples”...

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

No more fights: Candidates are already starting politics of bickering

Who would have thought John Edwards would have been the sane one in this week’s Democratic candidate debates? After listening to the continued bickering and finger-pointing by front-runners Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama — and not being able to get...

Monday, January 21, 2008

Message lost? New generation needs to hear King’s message of hope

One of the consequences of the new generation’s focus on video games and the Internet is that often young people do not know their heroes. In fact, a poll of many of those who enjoyed a day off today might...

Friday, January 18, 2008

Who’s the boss? Primary campaigns seem to be dominated by group picks

Watching the primary battles and listening to the rhetoric of the moment is a lot like watching an episode of a soap opera these days — or Jerry Springer — lots of drama, lots of voices and bickering, but in...

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Watch the money: North Carolina officials better keep their eye on civil lawsuit

Right now, the only people who seem to really have any reason to worry about Mike Nifong and the fallout from the Duke Lacrosse alleged rape case are the police, the city, the county and the man himself. The civil...

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Baby steps: Commander’s message — wise words as we plan future

Every long journey begins with a small step. And it is usually accompanied by a crowd of people who are certain that they know that someone else’s first step is the wrong one. These naysayers never have ideas of their...

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

It’s the waste ... The real problem with tax hikes is way money is used

No one likes hearing that he or she is going to get a higher tax bill. There are plenty of other places that most of us could be putting an extra $200 or $500 a year. But the root of...

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Renewed energy: Chamber reaffirms commitment to leadership

This is not your grandfather’s Wayne County Chamber of Commerce. Unless, of course, his chamber was one that was not afraid to stand up for what’s right and what’s necessary even when it wasn’t easy to do so — and...

Friday, January 11, 2008

Just reward: David Weil is truly a cornerstone of his county

There was no one more anxious to escape from the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce’s annual banquet Thursday than David Weil. Through much of the presentation that led to his receipt of the chamber’s Cornerstone Award, he squirmed, stared at...

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Star ... of a man: Wayne’s native son and Hollywood’s mayor was prince

It wasn’t Johnny Grant’s A-list celebrity Rolodex that made him special — nor was it his title as Hollywood’s honorary mayor. What made the Wayne County native so special was that everyone else’s career achievements were as exciting to...

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Told you so ... You can’t always trust polls

Anyone who actually is making his or her decision about whom to support in the presidential primaries based on exit polling and the on again, off again media measurements should take note of Tuesday’s New Hampshire result. Every single poll...

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

A noble purpose: Even if you don’t agree with them, candidates are leaders

No question — politics is a pressure cooker. And whether you are for or against Hillary Clinton — a comment she made Monday night should remind us all that behind every Washington insider is a person who has at least...

Monday, January 7, 2008

One for the girls: Don’t pattern your futures after Spears daughters or other starlets

This is a message for all you young women out there wondering what to think about all the scandal surrounding some of Hollywood and the music industry’s “stars.” You might be wondering if they know something you don’t — if...

Saturday, January 5, 2008

Anything to win: Military heroism trivialized for sake of concert tickets

It seems odd that there would be a Hannah Montana concert ticket scandal — or that it would even make the news. But this one is telling — and scary, especially in a town with thousands of airmen who have...

Friday, January 4, 2008

Losing our voice? Don’t believe it ... Kerr’s retirement will leave a vacuum

So Sen. John Kerr is leaving the N.C. Senate after more than a decade of service. Congratulations should go out to him. He has earned the rest he is about to take — and his county should be grateful for...

Thursday, January 3, 2008

First advice: Want your child to get ahead?

Wayne County has welcomed its first new baby of the year — and a couple of others as well — since 2008 dawned. And that offers the opportunity for the rest of us to share a little wisdom for those...

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Facts on polls: If you don’t like the result, just wait for the next one

If you have paid any attention at all to the Iowa caucuses and the scuffle to lay claim to the frontrunner title, you know that the leads of the races for both parties have changed somewhere in the neighborhood of...