December 2016 archives

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Saturday, December 31, 2016

Happy New Year: 2017 offers hope for healing old wounds

Saying good-bye to 2016 isn't hard. The year will be remembered largely for the damage wreaked by Hurricane Matthew and the divisiveness of the elections, and will not be missed by most Wayne County residents. The new year always comes...

Friday, December 30, 2016

Obama's legacy: President will leave office with mixed accomplishments

Barack Obama will soon leave the office of president, and his legacy as the first black to hold the nation's highest post will be defined as much by what he did not accomplish as what he did. Obama's place in...

Thursday, December 29, 2016

Blood needed: Holiday season means demand for blood increases

With cold temperatures and harsh weather outside taking over during the busy holiday season, few people are thinking of the continued need for donations of blood. Many people are traveling to celebrate the season, and thoughts of donating blood are...

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Making the rounds: Low-performing schools get boost from 'instructional rounds'

Teachers from Goldsboro High School and Dillard Middle School have begun studying the techniques used by teachers at other Wayne County public schools in an effort to improve instruction and student performance. We think it is a great idea and...

Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Bridging the gap: Governor-elect and Legislature have to learn to work together

Roy Cooper's term in office as governor of North Carolina hasn't even started yet, but he is already butting heads with the Republican-controlled General Assembly. Legislators have not only taken away some of the governor's appointive powers, they have balked...

Monday, December 26, 2016

Trump's Cabinet: President-elect's nominees deserve benefit of the doubt

There has been much consternation and gnashing of teeth over Donald Trump's choices for the seats in his Cabinet. Instead of the usual political veterans, Trump has in many cases decided to go outside the box. He wants winners, he...

Saturday, December 24, 2016

Merry Christmas

Christmas has rolled around again, seemingly before we knew it. It seems as if just yesterday we were dealing with the flooding from Hurricane Matthew and then Thanksgiving was upon us. Where did the time go? How did Christmas get...

Friday, December 23, 2016

No deal: Republican lawmakers cannot agree on repeal of House Bill 2

It should come as no surprise that the General Assembly could not reach agreement on the repeal of the so-called "bathroom bill," otherwise known as House Bill 2. Republicans are better at in-fighting than they are almost everything else. Always...

Thursday, December 22, 2016

Muslim ban: Trump hints at going forward with ban on Muslim immigrants

President-elect Donald Trump has indicated he might continue to push for a ban on Muslim immigrants to this country following a terrorist attack in Germany. We hope he thinks long and hard about the proposal before implementing it, if he...

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Modernization: Purchase of advanced computer software will help law enforcement

The acquisition of new computer software by the Goldsboro City Council and the Wayne County Board of Commissioners will help bring the city Police Department and county Sheriff's Office into the 21st century. This week, both public bodies approved the...

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

End in sight: Legislature seems ready to repeal controversial HB2

The brouhaha over the supposed right of transgender people to use the restroom of their gender identity instead of their anatomical gender might soon be over. Legislators seem ready to repeal the state law that requires transgender people to use...

Monday, December 19, 2016

Giving smiles: Donations are still needed for Empty Stocking Fund

You should have seen the smiles on their faces. The children who attended the Empty Stocking Fund party on Saturday were full of the real Christmas spirit. With a toy under their arm and a set of new clothes at...

Saturday, December 17, 2016

Electoral College: Proven system of electing president remains best method

We predict that Donald Trump will be elected president of the United States on Monday. What, you say, are you talking about? Trump was elected back in November. No. According to this country's Electoral College system, Trump has to be...

Friday, December 16, 2016

What goes around ... Politicians need to be careful about changing rules

Republican legislators in Raleigh are currently working to change some of the rules regarding the powers of the governor in order to reduce those of incoming Democrat Roy Cooper. They should be careful about what rules they change. What goes...

Thursday, December 15, 2016

Go home: With hurricane help approved, lawmakers should call it quits

Now that the General Assembly has completed its work on Hurricane Matthew relief, lawmakers should hightail it out of Raleigh as soon as possible. Although there has been little talk yet of packing the Supreme Court, the longer the Legislature...

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Schools recognized: Grantham, Spring Creek schools get national honor

Grantham and Spring Creek middle schools have been recognized as national models for energy efficiency. Engineering News-Record listed the two new Wayne County schools as best projects in the K-12 category in the Southeast region. It is a prestigious honor....

Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Special session: Lawmakers should stick to hurricane business

North Carolina's General Assembly convenes today in special session to address the state's needs for rebuilding in the wake of Hurricane Matthew in the eastern part of the state and the wildfires that struck the mountains. They should stick to...

Monday, December 12, 2016

Hacked? Did Russia try to influence the recent U.S. elections?

The Central Intelligence Agency is saying that Russia tried to sway the recent election for president of the United States in favor of Donald Trump. Is the accusation accurate? Federal investigators are working to try to find out more about...

Saturday, December 10, 2016

Right stuff: America needs more heroes like John Glenn

John Glenn was a true American hero. Glenn, who died last week at the age of 95, served his country as a fighter pilot, astronaut and United States senator, but it is his career as an astronaut that made his...

Friday, December 9, 2016

Conciliation: President and Donald Trump have developed relationship

In what might seem a strange turn of events, President Barack Obama and President-elect Donald Trump seem to have developed a certain sense of rapport as one ends his tenure as leader of the free world and the other begins...

Thursday, December 8, 2016

McCrory: Is soon-to-be former governor in the running for Cabinet post?

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory met privately this week with President-elect Donald Trump, and since McCrory will soon be out of a job and Trump is in the middle of interviewing candidates for positions in his Cabinet, rumors are widespread...

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Pearl: Japanese attack was a turning point in history

Seventy-five years ago today, America found itself thrust into a world war. The surprise Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor ushered in a new age, one that ultimately made the United States the leader of the free world and the chief...

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Gov. Cooper: McCrory concedes gubernatorial race to Democrat attorney general

Democrat Roy Cooper will be the new governor of North Carolina. Incumbent Republican Pat McCrory conceded the drawn-out contest to Cooper, the state's attorney general, on Monday. Faced with concrete evidence following weeks of recounts, McCrory finally decided to give...

Monday, December 5, 2016

Final tally: Special session could be McCrory's last major act

Gov. Pat McCrory has called for a Dec. 13 special session of the Legislature to decide how best to deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew. It could be one of his last major acts as governor. McCrory, a Republican...

Sunday, December 4, 2016

Maverick Trump showing he will be different kind of president

Donald Trump was a maverick candidate on the campaign trail, eschewing traditional campaigning methods for his own style of getting voters' attention. Now that he has been elected, he is showing signs of carrying much of that maverick style into...

Friday, December 2, 2016

Racial disparity: Top county schools need to reflect county's racial makeup

The system for choosing students for Wayne School of Engineering and Wayne Early/Middle College High has been questioned regarding its fairness. There are too few minority students attending the schools if the goal is to have a student body that...

Thursday, December 1, 2016

Drafting women: Congress says no to drafting women for military duty

If women in the military are capable of carrying out combat roles should they also be required to register for the draft as young men are? That is a question that is not easy to answer. Congress this week dropped...