August 2015 archives

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Monday, August 31, 2015

One at a time: Educator's gift to college a lesson in effecting change

Wayne Bryant Roberts knew he could not help -- or save -- every child. Yet, he knew that there were a lot of them out there who did not have the means to pursue a college education. So, he...

A special tribute to Nelson Bland

Published in the Wednesday, Aug. 26 issue of the Mount Olive Messenger. (Award-winning newspaper reporter, photographer and columnist Nelson Bland died Monday afternoon, Aug. 24 following a period of declining health. Bland, 70, spent more than 40 years in...

Friday, August 28, 2015

Eyes on crime: Local residents are joining forces to put an end to shootings

You won't see their names here -- mostly because many of them have to live in the communities they are trying to protect. But they are as important to ending crime in Goldsboro and Wayne County as the officers...

Thursday, August 27, 2015

Strong: Service members' actions in Paris reminiscent of Sept. 11 heroes

 When we talk about  Sept. 11, 2001, we most often focus on the victims -- the nearly 3,000 people who died that day. But what is often an afterthought is a plane that crashed in a Pennsylvania field. On Flight...

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

The real stars: Teachers change lives every day, and they are district's MVPs

If you saw yesterday's News-Argus, you saw a rather touching exchange between a little boy ready to start first grade and his kindergarten teacher from the previous year. Ethan Jenkins wasn't too sure about his new class and new...

Monday, August 24, 2015

Give a gift: Tickets to annual wine night help teach neighbors to read

The best times are when you get the chance to enjoy a wonderful evening and you can help someone else in the process. And that is exactly what will happen if you purchase a ticket to this year's Reading...

Sunday, August 23, 2015

Making lives really matter: Center scrutiny around those pulling the trigger

There is a movement afoot -- and it is getting louder. The group's goal? To advance the call, "Black Lives Matter," and to point to what they say are the violence against and unfair targeting of young black males...

Friday, August 21, 2015

Women's vote: Who is really the villain in the women's health debate?

It is campaign season so the claims have begun again and we are left to try to decipher who is for women's health and who is not. To borrow a phrase from Bill Clinton's infamous defense of his dalliance...

Thursday, August 20, 2015

Scary reveal: Iran nuclear deal should be about safety, not legacy

There are times when you have to look beyond the public face to the motivation behind the scenes. And while on the surface the Iran nuclear deal is being pitched as an instrument for peace in the Middle East, there...

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Live from New York ... NBC executives have a reason to love the latest White House race

Most of us remember Phil Hartman in a sweatsuit -- jogging into a D.C. McDonald's for a bite to eat with his "constituents." And we can still hear Will Ferrell's call for "strategery" and Darrell Hammond's assurance that just...

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Privacy lost: New cybercriminals besting government's protections

It would not matter who was in the White House. There is no question about it -- government servers don't seem to be safe. And therefore, it is safe to assume, neither is the information stored there. And, by...

Monday, August 17, 2015

Bus watch: School is just around corner. Time to slow down.

If you travel Berkeley Boulevard, you have seen them -- drivers with no conception that the speed at which they are traveling is more appropriate for a speedway. And, you might even have seen the red light challenges that...

Saturday, August 15, 2015

Out in the open: Combating the problem of violence takes cooperation

 It is easy not to acknowledge a problem. So, of course, when some people read about a rash of shootings in a community, the tendency is to explain it away as an anomaly, especially if you are one of the...

Thursday, August 13, 2015

Fumble: Tom Brady blows a chance to show some integrity

So what do you think about Tom Brady? It is not a weighty concern considering there is so much else to worry about in today's world. But there is a bigger issue. This is not just about deflated footballs....

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

The road ahead: Infrastructure spending isn't just for current needs. It's an investment.

Build them and they will come. The advice from the famous Hollywood movie does not just apply to baseball fields. In this case, roads are the key to the future. One of the reasons so many people are so...

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

No purpose: Ferguson unrest not a step toward a real solution

There seems to be a disconnect among some of those who are gathering in the town of Ferguson, Mo., to mark the anniversary of the death of Michael Brown. They say they are there to protest the number of black...

Monday, August 10, 2015

In the game: All the talk aside, more people need to listen

There is a lot of buzz about the Republican presidential debates. And there is also a little undercurrent as well about the looming battle between presumptive Democratic presidential candidate nominee Hillary Clinton and challenger Bernie Sanders. And while the...

Saturday, August 8, 2015

This America: Good, hard-working people with values; we have to find each other.

You have heard the reference more than once. "There are two Americas." And those who say it are right. There are two Americas. But the way they mean it is not how it really is. In the first America, there...

Friday, August 7, 2015

Gotcha: In the long run, questions are nothing but a diversion

There is a fundamental rule of presidential -- and really any -- campaigns. If you are a person with a strong voice and a public microphone -- and if you stand for something -- you are going to once in...

Thursday, August 6, 2015

Call for supplies: Stop by tomorrow and help a child go back to school

It doesn't cost much when we all chip in. But for many Wayne County families, the trappings of the first day back to school are just another expense they cannot afford. That is why the News-Argus, in cooperation with Communities...

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Stage is set: Republican debate is going to be fun to watch

The lucky 10 have been selected and the plans are in place for Thursday's Republican presidential candidates' debate. And for the first time in a long time, there are going to be a whole bunch of people talking about their...

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Moving on: Money is divided. On to more good news.

Mount Olive got its deal. There are still questions about why money that is spent to market a county agriculture center would not be enough of a benefit for a portion of the county that focuses on a booming agriculture...

Monday, August 3, 2015

Officer lost: Think about this as you listen to anti-cop sentiments

All it took was a moment. The Memphis cop who pulled over the car on the street did not know he was facing danger. He did not know that this traffic stop would be his last. And when it was...

Saturday, August 1, 2015

A career: Too many people see Washington jobs as lucrative meal tickets

You might have missed the story this week. An 11-term congressman -- yes, 11 terms -- from Philadelphia was indicted this past week. The charges? Rampant fraud. Investigators say U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah paid off an illegal $1 million campaign...