I retired from teaching in June 2011. Frankly, sometimes I miss teaching more than I can put into words. As I looked over my Facebook “friends,” more than half of my contacts are students I taught at Farmville Central High School.
All in Columns
Cooking with Tammy Kelly: Have you tried Spaghetti Squash
I am a huge pasta fan, I wish I weren’t, but if you feel like me, it might be time to try a different type of spaghetti: spaghetti squash. I am not going to tell you that it is just as yummy and comforting as true pasta, but it is a great healthy alternative!! Spaghetti squash is a yellow-orange vegetable harvested in early fall. When cooked, the inside of the squash can be shredded into long, thin strands similar to angel hair noodles, and can be used in comparable ways.
John Hood: Adversaries need not be enemies
Nearly a decade ago, former Canadian politician Michael Ignatieff argued in the New York Times that democracy can only thrive when its practitioners respect the difference between adversaries and enemies. “An adversary is someone you want to defeat,” he wrote. “An enemy is someone you have to destroy.”
John Hood: State is ready for potential recession
Just months ago, the housing market was blazing hot. Now median prices are dropping, even in states like North Carolina that continue to attract new residents. The Federal Reserve isn’t done pushing up interest rates to combat inflation. Consumers are responding to higher prices by cutting back on expenses.
Justin Stout: Help Shape the Future of Your Local Library
Neuse Regional Libraries staff are currently hard at work on a new Strategic Plan for 2023-2028 which will guide the future of our local libraries and provide a road map for how we provide innovative services that meet the demands of our community
Cooking with Tammy Kelly: Homecoming Season calls for a great Tailgate Menu
Load up the tents, tables, and chairs all in red, blue or even purple…it is time to step up your tailgate for homecoming!! Games are great, but as you know half the fun is in the parking lot before and after the game!
John Hood: Powerful ideas drive growth debate
The science fiction pioneer H.G. Wells once observed that “human history is, in essence, a history of ideas.” This is a wise observation — and it speaks to the political debates we’ve been having here in North Carolina.
Mike Parker: Little wonder Down East students had declining test scores
Stories about declining test scores among North Carolina students have filled news media outlets. The statistics were bleak not only in North Carolina but across the nation.
Dan Perry: Vote for change
Many have voted early, but there will be others who choose to vote on election day. I would like to leave you with a few thoughts to consider as you go to the polls this Tuesday.
Cooking with Tammy Kelly: Delicious and Healthy, Fresh, Local Pecans
Fall is the season for everything pecans!! The pecan is the “original” supernut, especially in the south. Pecan trees are abundant all-over eastern North Carolina and soon to be dropping in abundance. The much sought after nut is a complex whole food, packed with multiple health-promoting nutrients and bioactive compounds. Each delicious pecan is a nutrition powerhouse.
Veterans' Roundtable: Veterans Day
November 11 became a federal holiday in the United States in 1938 as Armistice Day. In 1918, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, an armistice was declared between the Allied nations & Germany in World War 1. The next year, 1919, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration to honor the World War 1 soldiers in the United States.
Mike Parker: Jefferson’s ideas can still electrify
Article I, Section 35 of North Carolina’s Constitution has a pertinent reminder as we head to the ballot box. Article I is the “Declaration of Rights,” and Section 35 reads:
Cooking with Tammy Kelly: Give Your Leftover Halloween Candy New Life
Sometimes a rainy or cold Halloween night will leave you with loads of leftover candy! Instead of cleaning them out by snacking until they are gone, use them in these recipes to make sweet treats to share!
Chadwick Stokes: Paranormal Investigation of Historic Harmony Hall - Friday, October 28th 2022
On Friday, October 28th 2022, the Lenoir County Historical Association is giving a small number of visitors an opportunity to experience for themselves the alleged hauntings of Historic Harmony Hall. Visitors who purchase a ticket ahead of time will reserve a spot for the evening’s program.
John Hood: Politicians should hold their tongues
When news broke on October 13 that five individuals had been killed in their northeast Raleigh neighborhood by a teenaged gunman, I’m sure we all shared feelings of shock, horror, and concern for the victims’ families, friends, and neighbors.
Mike Parker: Early voting underway in North Carolina
On Thursday, October 20, early voting started in North Carolina and will continue until November 5, 2022. I like early voting because it helps me avoid lines and do my civic duty. By the time you read these words, my wife Sandra and I will have voted. Of course, election day is November 8 this year.
Veterans' Roundtable: 2022 Veterans Day events
Our new weekly articles have veterans’ news for everyone, keeping Kinston & Lenoir County residents abreast of all veterans’ issues & events. We accept any information concerning veterans. However, we need the information a week in advance---on Monday before it is to be published the following Monday--- sent to dsh2526@gmail.com or dropped off at G.I. Joe’s.
Cooking with Tammy Kelly: Sweet, Creamy Butternut Squash
Of all the winter squashes, butternut squash is the easiest to work with; it has thin skin and can be easily peeled with a vegetable peeler. Its dense flesh and robust flavor work well in a variety of dishes, from sweet to savory.
Chadwick Stokes: English Colonies of the New World - Plymouth
Pursuing religious freedom in the United States is a value that dates back to the first pilgrims or separatists that landed at Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620. At the time of their departure, they were known as separatists, with the name Pilgrims coming much later. Their pursuit of religious freedom while maintaining their English heritage and culture is essential to the telling of America’s founding.
John Hood: Carolina Is a High-Cost University
The U.S. Department of Education has started taking applications from former university students hoping to force taxpayers to pay off their loans. President Joe Biden’s loan-transfer diktat is one of the worst policies of modern times: hugely expensive, patently illegal, and grossly unfair to the millions of borrowers who worked hard and sacrificed much to pay off their debts.