Columns
Dale really was ‘fresh’
It began at a church league basketball game. At least, that’s the version of the story I heard of how my friend, Dale Denning, who passed away six years ago today, became known as “Fresh.” […]
Opinion
Opinion
It’s not all Charlotte and Raleigh
North Carolina’s two most-populous counties, Mecklenburg and Wake, are home to about 21 percent of the state’s population and 28 percent of its jobs. Over the past four years, about 45 percent of the state’s […]
Editorials
Bell using his retirement to give back
Tonight, dozens of people from all walks of life will join together to celebrate the long-time legislative tenure of Dr. Larry M. Bell, a Sampson County native who has represented N.C. House District 21 for […]
Editorials
NC 24 delays ridiculous
The four-laning of N.C. 24 has been a decades-long thorn in Sampson County’s side, and it seems it will remain so for some time to come. At first, it was nothing but talk, albeit with […]
Columns
Monument protests marred by illegality
If critics of Confederate monuments truly want to accomplish their goal of removing such objects from the public square, I’m a good example of the kind of person they ought to be trying to persuade. […]
Columns
Enjoying time on the water
Graceful! That was the one word response to describe my water skiing capabilities. It was simply breathtaking to glide across the lake in spectacular fashion. I was actually amazed. Strapped to a pair of skis […]
Columns
Prioritizing K-12 education in North Carolina
As summer vacation for students nears an end, now is a good time to take a look at the state of K-12 schools in North Carolina, given the significant changes legislated over much of this […]
Editorials
Remembering Chaney, Goodman and Schwerner
Some 54 years ago, back on August 4, 1964, America and the entire world finally had an answer to the mystery surrounding the disappearance of the three civil rights workers in Mississippi. The bodies of […]
Editorials
Tariffs doing more harm than good
President Trump may laud tariffs as one of many ways to make America Great Again, but a closer look at those the tariff’s are already impacting should bring a collective intake of breath. While on […]
Columns
Some more wandering thoughts
A few more wandering thoughts from a wondering mind… According to an article in this newspaper earlier this week, the projected completion of the NC Hwy 24 road improvement has been backed up once again […]
Opinion
Protectionism reaches into the meat case
For the 98 percent of Americans not involved in agriculture, the sparring in Congress every five years over the Farm Bill may seem like something that doesn’t affect them. But this year’s Farm Bill has […]
Editorials
Clinton’s ‘Night Out’ delivers again
If the first go-round was deemed a good event, then by those standards Tuesday night’s second annual National Night Out was a home run. By the looks of the crowd at Newkirk Park Tuesday night, […]