April 2014 archives

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Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Economic spin: Minimum wage jobs are not what this country needs

The news is out and, if you can separate fact from the spin, the economy is improving, but not in the way many had hoped. The newest numbers out suggest that the jobless numbers are dropping. But the problem is,...

Monday, April 28, 2014

Bravo: N.C. Pickle Festival Committee deserves cheer for hard work

They make it look easy -- the hard workers who help put together the N.C. Pickle Festival each year. But the number of pieces that have to fit together to make the weekend run smoothly is mind-boggling. And although, of...

Saturday, April 26, 2014

The real goal: Bickering could go on for weeks, but there is a bigger issue

This is not the first and it won't be the last argument about how to build new schools in Wayne County. And, if the truth were told, it is likely that these arguments are pretty common in other counties,...

Friday, April 25, 2014

A good show: Youth livestock handlers are some of county's future leaders

It is not just that they represent a rather important, and very large, part of the Wayne County economy. Although that matters, too. And it is not just that they work hard for months preparing their livestock exhibits to...

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Just diversion: True solution to problems in schools not about tenure

Attacking teacher tenure sounds good, tough. It makes you look like you are doing something in the battle to improve schools. It gives you a scapegoat, someone to blame. But here's the truth. If North Carolina removed every ineffective or...

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

The children: Tragic tales of abuse, neglect hard to hear anywhere

There is a case before the courts in Hawaii this week concerning a father, a former soldier, who allegedly struck his child so hard that she died. There is some dispute over whether the child, who faced some developmental...

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

With progress: Infrastructure as important as fancy new digs

The moves that are being made concerning Wayne Memorial Drive and its traffic issues might not make everybody happy. And just to be fair, almost no decision a government makes about streets and traffic ever does make everybody happy....

Monday, April 21, 2014

Primary vote: There's not much on ballot, but it still needs your attention

There is not that much time left to gather information before making a decision on the issues expected to face voters on the May 6 primary ballot. There are some challengers to decide on -- and perhaps a preview...

Friday, April 18, 2014

Ukraine: It might not be full-scale yet, but situation bears watching

With so many of our own problems in this country, and so much information competing for our attention daily, it is not surprising that the situation in Ukraine might have fallen off many people's radar. But that doesn't mean that...

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Reality 101: There are fundamental truths about the tax code

There are some realities that every lawmaker and taxpayer must face as April 15 rolls around each year. The first is that nothing happens in government without money. The determination really is how much we want the government to spend...

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Call to serve: Let's see who wants to take District 3 post

There is much to say about Monday's discussion at the Wayne County Board of Education meeting and the argument over who should replace Thelma Smith. But for right now, let's just take one small part. Here is the advertisement --...

Monday, April 14, 2014

Another danger: Officers target speed; texting should be next

You have seen the scary commercials and probably have heard the warnings: Texting while driving is dangerous. But some of us have also seen the direct result, too -- swerving drivers who cannot maintain lanes or assured clear distance because...

Sunday, April 13, 2014

True grit: Counselors' award winners are nothing less than inspiring

It would be nearly impossible to read the stories of the four young people honored this past week by the WCPS School Counselors Association and not get a catch in your throat. It should have been even harder to...

Friday, April 11, 2014

Scapegoat, check: Chief's departure sets up a whole new blame game

She is gone -- finally. There are many who wonder why it took Kathleen Sebelius so long to depart after the botched launch of Obamacare. It is really not all that hard to figure out. If she had left,...

Thursday, April 10, 2014

School horror: What should be done to stop incidents like this?

There have been way too many times this year when Americans have stood in front of a television and shaken their heads in disbelief. It is the worst when it is at a school, but it is just as...

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

For granted: Country's newest citizens have most appreciation

When Americans talk about immigrants -- especially these days, the word "illegal" is usually associated with the conversation. After all, there seem to be more than a few issues associated with the term and the numbers, which are increasing...

Monday, April 7, 2014

Library heroes: Don't forget who made Steele Memorial Library possible

There will be much hoopla over the opening of the new Steele Memorial Library in Mount Olive over the next few weeks. There will be plenty of politicians and others eager to get their pictures taken and to take...

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Donation redirect: Criticisms of big money influence worth examining, but on both sides

One of the most irritating things about political commercials -- aside from the fact that they appear everywhere ad nauseam -- is that they are often simply one-sided spin. So, in case you have heard the commercial critiquing the...

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

The reasons: Week's events in court sad tale with a message

There are some people who think drug use among teens is not nearly as prevalent or as much of a reason for concern as media and law enforcement report. And they would probably be surprised to know just how...

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Deadline: The numbers are in. Now is the time for statistics.

The Obama administration spent much of its time Monday talking about hitting goals as officials struggled to keep the online signup system afloat. The reason for the troubles, they said, was because so many people waited until the last...