June 2015 archives

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Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Call answered: Jeff Stewart has spent a lifetime serving -- and it mattered

He didn't have to continue serving this community when his predecessor retired. He had already proven his commitment to service when he volunteered to fight for his country as a member of the Army's elite Green Berets. But when you...

Monday, June 29, 2015

Safety first: Bottom line: Moped laws will likely keep people safe

There are reasons for laws. Sometimes it is to protect a person from himself, and sometimes it is to protect society from a person. Bottom line is, while the idea of a license for mopeds might seem like a...

Saturday, June 27, 2015

It's about us: Taking down a flag solves nothing. Seeing each other as people does.

Removing a flag isn't going to do it. It might make some people feel better for          a while -- and it might even be a symbolic       gesture that becomes a milestone marker for     a shift in the way people think....

Thursday, June 25, 2015

A first step: As funerals begin in Charleston, the chance to heal grows

Today is the first day that the Charleston community will gather to begin to say goodbye to some of the victims from the horrific church shooting last week. Families and friends will remember, mourn and celebrate the lives of...

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

TSA turmoil: This is one of those that we really need to get done right

Who would take that job? That is the immediate reaction to the news that there is a new chief of the Transportation Security Administration. The announcement is on the heels of at least two extremely embarrassing screwups that not only...

Monday, June 22, 2015

Heat thanks: It is not easy working in the heat

As most of us sit in air-conditioned offices and homes, we might not think about those whose jobs do not allow them the luxury. From city and county workers to emergency personnel like police, firefighters and EMS workers, there is...

Sunday, June 21, 2015

Wise spending: Nonprofits help prevent more dependence on welfare

Nonprofits and tax money shouldn't mix. At least that is the impression that one would take away if he or she were to sit through one of the Wayne County Commission meetings. On the surface the complaint seems to...

Friday, June 19, 2015

Joined hands: Charleston shootings were about ignorance, hatred

There is no getting around the facts -- what happened in Charleston Wednesday night was the action of a sick, racist individual. There is no justification in any way for anyone who would walk into a church -- or...

Thursday, June 18, 2015

School's out! Teachers and students ready for well-earned break

Did you hear the cheering Wednesday? That's right. School is now officially closed for the summer season. These last few days were spent cleaning up, closing out and making sure the schools were ready for the official shutdown. And now...

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

It was a lie. Spokane NAACP chief can spin all she wants. She is wrong.

It doesn't matter what former Spokane NAACP chief Rachel Dolezal says to any interviewer over the next few days. It doesn't matter that she "thinks like she is black." But it does matter that the man she told people was...

Monday, June 15, 2015

Heat watch: It is not worth the risk. Take heat seriously.

It would seem to go without saying: Don't play around with 100-degree temperatures. But sure as you are reading this, there will be someone who thinks that the laws of nature do not apply to them. So that is why...

Saturday, June 13, 2015

Off to the future: Wayne County's Class of 2015 has new world to conquer

This message today is for the members of the Class of 2015. It will not be as eloquent as some of the great speeches delivered by the valedictorians and salutatorians at your high schools. But there was a theme shared...

Friday, June 12, 2015

Cleveland's star: It is about heart. Not just a jumpshot.

The Cleveland Cavaliers lost last night. So, if you are one of the people who is waiting for a miracle for a city that has waited for decades to have a championship team again, you know how much those on...

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Helping hands: There are stories like this all over county every day

What happened to A.J. Underwood and his girlfriend Kayla King is not supposed to be part of the story of two barely 20-year-olds. They were supposed to be planning a new life together and doing the things young people...

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Watch what? 73 employees identified on terror watch list

In case you missed it, the Transportation Security Administration is now admitting that 73 of its employees have ties to terrorism. That's right -- 73. Good thing we are doing all that random screening of 85-year-old women in wheelchairs,...

Monday, June 8, 2015

Investment: Positioning community best plan for all of us

Bottom line is: You have to spend money to make money. And there is no truer place to see what spending money just might be able to do than Wayne County. With the recent rush of investment in everything...

Saturday, June 6, 2015

Safer streets: To keep crime at bay, you have to take care of the enforcers

The news has been grim in Baltimore. Crime is up. Murders are up. Shootings are up. In general, the city is less safer than it was before the looting, before the riots and before a black suspect died of injuries...

Friday, June 5, 2015

Litter duty: Help clean up Wayne County, pick up trash

It is summertime, and you know what that means -- more people on the roads and more litter along the highway. As a county, we want to make the best presentation possible. And with the new highway plans in...

Thursday, June 4, 2015

Debate works: Rubber-stamping issues no good for anyone

The first sign that there is a need to worry is when everybody agrees. It might seem counterproductive, but the truth is that it is when we disagree that new and better solutions are found. So the bevy of...

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

The roundup: A positive, two questions -- and a debate over plaques

Today should not pass without a mention of what happened at the Goldsboro City Council and Wayne County Commission meetings earlier this week. Both boards reconsidered proposals to cut funding to an organization that is providing a cost-effective and meaningful...

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Just John: Former state Sen. John Kerr an example for others to follow

Former state Sen. John Kerr won't be remembered just because of his titles and his legislative career -- although that would be enough to secure him a place in the history books. He will not be remembered because of...

Monday, June 1, 2015

Power couple: New investigations chief is right; police need city's help

The Goldsboro Police Department's new investigations chief nailed it. His goal is to connect the community and the police -- and for both to join in fighting crime. One can't do it without the other, Maj. Anthony Carmon says....