Voice Your Opinion Gov. Beverly Perdue has vetoed House Bill 383 which ties the extension of unemployment benefits to 37,000 North Carolinians to negotiations over the 2011-12 budget. The bill would have limited her ability to bargain effectively over the budget plan with the new majority. Other bills have been introduced to separate the two issues so that extended unemployment benefits might be provided, free of any budget talks and at an accelerated pace so that families won’t have to …
Category: Opinion
Senator Berger Newsletter
Extended Unemployment Benefits Held Hostage The House and Senate passed legislation on Thursday extending unemployment insurance benefits for 37,000 North Carolinians, but passage came with a catch. The provision extending benefits also mandated that Gov. Perdue’s proposed budget would be reduced by 13 percent and serve as a continuation budget for one year if a biannual budget is not finalized by June 30. The Governor vetoed the bill on Saturday. Democrats opposed the bill for several reasons. Budget negotiations should …
Elissa Yount: Cleaning up after the city
It is one thing to clean up for the city, but when you have to clean up after the city, that is asking too much. Most everyone in the city has to pick up litter along the streets that others have thrown out. We cannot expect the litter control workers in the city to get everything. There was a time when a crew consistently and regularly picked up trash along Beckford Drive. That is the only place in the city …
Sidwell statement regarding Dispatch article
The following press release was received this morning by Home in Henderson from Henderson Police Chief Keith Sidwell: On Saturday, March 26, 2011 HPD officers responded to 115 Country Club Drive in the city limits of Henderson to find Donald Riggan, white male, 32 years of age deceased inside of his motor vehicle.
Elissa Yount: Beds of our own making
We should not be surprised that the bed we wake up in is the bed we made.
To the editor: The Henderson hoodwink
Several years ago, residents who lived in the city of Henderson were excluded from voting in the county’s water bond referendum because they already have municipal water. This was a good decision on the part of county leaders, since a county water system will not impact city residents one way or the other.
Wednesday’s open line
I have a theory that we Americans collectively lose our minds from time to time. I’m really not qualified to make such conjectures, nor do I have any real scholarship to back it up. It’s really just a feeling. On the other hand, how do you explain World War I, flagpole-sitting, goldfish-swallowing, the Fascist movement of the early 20th century, McCarthyism, hippies, streaking, disco, 80’s music, Monica Lewinsky and the daily rantings of various and sundry individuals on this blog? …
Tuesday’s open line
When you stand by and watch injustice being done to a group that is weak by a group that is strong, remember this: One day you may be weak. Protecting the fundamental rights of your fellow citizens is not an act of charity. Rather, it is an act of enlightened self-interest. Unless each one of us has the same set of rights, we can never truly be a free people. Here’s your open line.
Thursday’s open line
To prepare for St. Patrick’s Day next month, I think that today’s comment posts should be written in limerick form. No dirty limericks, please. Coincidentally, I spent an afternoon in Limerick once, mostly cowering in fear in the train station waiting for the train to Dublin. There was nothing funny about that city (other than the irony of how blighted and scary it was). I guess they shouldn’t have exported all their humor.
Wednesday’s open line
I listened to the portion of yesterday’s installment of WIZS’ Town Talk concerning Home in Henderson, I believe that a portion of the criticism regarding comment posts is valid. There certainly could be more civility, more information, less bile, and less ruthless partisanship in comment posts. My mother always said that you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar. And with my mom’s cooking, she knew a lot about attracting flies. Here’s your open line.
Elissa Yount: Angels among us
“There is a way one thinks that the show will never end — or that loss, when it comes, will be toward the end of the road, not in its middle.” –Gail Caldwell
Elissa Yount: Our community as a matrushka doll
Sometimes our community reminds me of a nesting doll.
Elissa Yount: Maria Parham’s change-of-life
We all knew there was change in the works for the Maria Parham Medical Center, but we were waiting to find out if the Duke University Medical Center or UNC Hospitals would be given the nod.
Thursday’s open line
I’m not a huge fan of American Idol, but I was gratified to see that the show went forward without a judge with a British accent. I don’t have anything against the Brits; however, I find the presence of Brits on crap American TV talent shows for the purpose of trying to borrow a little respectability more than slightly cynical and insulting to my American sensibilities. Here’s your open line.
Monday’s open line
We cannot help but notice that the North Carolina Senatorial District 7 Annual Forum, whose topic is “Tax Reform and Charter Schools: What Does the Future Hold?” is scheduled from 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 19. Consequently, no teacher who is actively engaged in doing his or her job can attend. Teachers are further distanced from the forum by the lack of inclusion of a practicing educator in any of the presentations or panels. By “practicing educator”, …
Wednesday’s open line
While it is occasionally pointed out that your humble editor is not a Christian, I often find wisdom and comfort in many of its maxims. As the stresses of the holiday season pile on in the form of heavy traffic, crowded stores, fretting about finances, friction with family, cooking, cleaning, travel, and all the rest, I try to maintain the belief that the oft-quoted phrase “peace on Earth, good will towards men” should be more than a seasonal slogan, but …
Tuesday’s open line
We were unable to cover yesterday’s special meeting of the Henderson City Council last night, so we invite anyone who was there to offer their thoughts, observations, reflections, rants, and non-profane commentary below. On a personal note, today is a milestone for the Editor family: our daughter and eldest child is getting married this afternoon. We are very proud of her and her many accomplishments, and she exemplifies the fact that Henderson and Vance County can be as good a …
Elissa Yount: Repeat offenders
It was about 25 years ago, and my mother was just about the same age as I am now. She came out of B.M. Newman’s Grocery on Breckenridge Street and was knocked down by a young man who grabbed her purse and broke the strap off her shoulder as she carried her groceries.
Elissa Yount: Irresponsible behaviors
This may seem unbelievable, but it really happened last Wednesday on a flight from San Diego to Raleigh with a stopover in Las Vegas.