Category: Open Lines

Reminder, be sure to come to downtown Henderson tonight for the Meet Me In The Street festival for some free live music! The Wenatchee Valley in Washington is decked out with millions of blossoms as a backdrop for the state’s 93rd annual Apple Blossom Festival, beginning tomorrow. An estimated 100,000 people will enjoy events including parades and a carnival and, of course, lots of apples, along with applesauce, apple butter, and apple pies.  Apples are a perennial American favorite — we …

Many automobile license plates herald the scenic wonders of the various states, others contain words giving a glimpse of the driver’s personal preferences.  New York was the first state to require license plates on motor vehicles 111 years ago this month.  At the time, there were just under 15,000 rudimentary automobiles in the entire country, traveling over muddy roads without a license for the driver or the automobile.  Now, there are more than 246 million cars, trucks, and buses zipping …

I noticed dueling articles Monday with “Most N.C. hospitals are slim on charity care” at the Charlotte Observer and “North Carolina’s urban hospitals pile up the cash” at the N&O. Nonprofit hospitals such as Caldwell Memorial are exempt from property, sales and income taxes. In return, they are expected to give back to their communities, largely by providing care to those who can’t afford it.  These institutions were created with charitable missions. But many don’t look or act like nonprofits …

President Obama believes that we should be doing everything we can to put higher education within reach for every American – because at a time when the unemployment rate for Americans with at least a college degree is about half the national average, it’s never been more important. He is calling on Congress to act before student loan interest rates double for more than 7.4 million students, adding an average of $1,000 to their debt. Congress has a chance to …

Yesterday was National Hanging Out Day.  No it’s not a special day for friends to hang out together for a few beers — although that could also happen — but the idea is to educate people about saving energy.  The goal is to get people to hang their clothes out to dry and not use electric or gas-powered clothes dryers to do the job.  Those who advocate using clotheslines point out that the practice saves energy, makes clothes smell better …

This week is set aside as a time to honor those who make life a little better by the work they do without pay to help others.  It’s National Volunteer Week.  It’s also a time to consider becoming involved in solving local problems and helping organizations that benefit communities and the nation.  More than a quarter of us do some sort of volunteer work.  This is a trend that cuts across age categories, with those 18 to 24 donating about …

Sixty-five years ago April 16th and 17th, the nation’s worst industrial accident devastated Texas City, Texas.  Tons of ammonium nitrate fertilizer were being loaded into a French ship when fire broke out.  About an hour later, the ship exploded, causing catastrophic damage and loss of life.  The blast damaged another ship that blew up the next day.  It’s estimated that some 600 people were killed, another 5,000 injured, and a third of the town’s houses had to be condemned.  Property …

Debate about income tax rates ebbs and flows through the years, but has been especially heated during this presidential election year.  Federal income taxes have been around since 1913, when the 16th Amendment to the Constitution gave Congress the right to levy such taxes.  The first year, fewer than 360,000 returns were filed.  Now, some 142.5 million returns are submitted annually.  For those who don’t like to compute their own taxes, there are nearly 112,000 tax preparation offices around the …

This weeks Weekly Address: It’s Time for Congress to Pass the Buffett Rule, President Obama urges Congress to pass the Buffett Rule — which asks those who make more than $1 million a year to pay at least the same percentage of their income in taxes as middle class families — as a principle of fairness. West Wing Week: “You’re Proof of Change” This week, the President hosted a forum on Women and the Economy, welcomed the President of Brazil, …

On April 12th, in 1955, the nation was loudly celebrating great medical news.  Dr. Jonas Salk announced a vaccine against polio — the most feared disease of that era.  Polio affects the nervous system, causing paralysis in the legs and the muscles operating the lungs.  Most victims were children — hence the other name for the illness, infantile paralysis.  However, adults could also contract polio and its most famous victim was Franklin D. Roosevelt.  After the introduction of the Salk …

Forty-four years ago on April 11th, the Civil Rights Act became law.  At the ceremony, President Johnson said: “The proudest moments of my presidency have been times such as this when I have signed into law the promises of a century.”  The event occurred one week to the day after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.  Among its provisions, the act protected civil rights workers, expanded the rights of American Indians and established measures to end discrimination in housing.  …

Please be informed that the Vance County’s Public Safety Committee is scheduled to meet on Tuesday, April 17 at 3:30 p.m. in the Commissioners Meeting Room to continue discussions on animal shelter plans. Everyone knows that a clean car seems to run better —possibly because someone who cares what their car looks like also tends to its mechanical needs.  April is one of two National Car Care months this year, the other is in October.  This month was chosen to …

We’ve posted a lot of events today for the upcoming weeks, mostly having to do with Relay for Life.   Please take a few minutes and browse the articles, and support the local businesses that are participating. Tomorrow is already April 11th.  May not mean much for you, but around here we’re going to be celebrating our 1 year anniversary of the revamped Home in Henderson. We want to go all out, and in turn I need you go to all …

I’ve already posted the White House Weekly Address yesterday since it was an Easter message, but in case you missed it here it is again: President Obama offers his warmest greetings to all who are celebrating Easter and Passover this weekend, and reflects on the common thread of humanity that binds us all together. But not posted yet is the West Wing Week.   West Wing Week: “Spring Break Edition” – This week, the President hosted a summit with North American …

I went to my usual gas station down the street that is normally the cheapest around, and was shocked at the gas price of 3.91 for regular gas!  Just in time for holiday travel I suppose.  I think that is the highest I’ve ever paid for gas. Here’s a current map for your horror: North Carolina Gas Prices provided by GasBuddy.com Click here to add this map to your website.   One of the most compelling stories of the triumph …

If you have any dealings with government or many businesses this week, be sure you get them done today, as Friday they will be closed for Good Friday. During this year’s political campaign, much has been said about the role of women in government and women’s health issues.  One item that received very little notice is that Yesterday marked the 125th anniversary of America’s first woman mayor.  The citizens of the small town of Argonia, Kansas made history that day.  …

Does anyone know of some Easter Egg Hunts in the area? For most of history, a good meal was followed by the drudgery of scrubbing the pans used to prepare it.  But something was invented this week in 1938 that changed all that — tetrafluoroethylene — far better known as Teflon.  Developed by Roy Plunkett of the DuPont Company, Teflon revolutionized cooking utensils.  By the time he died in the early 1990s, three-out-of-four of all cooking pans in the nation …

Yesterday was a day long awaited by researchers and genealogists as the detailed information collected in the 1940 Census is released to the public.  These census forms have been kept confidential by law for 72 years.  The 1940 Census is considered to be the first modern census, using sampling to collect detailed data, and also taking the first census of housing.  The census that year counted 132 million Americans, compared to the 2010 Census total of nearly 309 million.  The …

Weekly Address: Passing the Buffett Rule So That Everyone Pays Their Fair Share.  President Obama calls on Congress to pass the Buffett Rule, a principle that ensures that millionaires and billionaires do not pay less in taxes as a share of their West Wing Week: 3/30/2012 or “I’ve Got Seoul”:  This week, the President traveled to the Republic of Korea to attend a nuclear security summit where he also visited the DMZ, held a series of bilateral (and one trilateral) …

Even with the economic downturn, one consumer product that is advertised in every possible medium — television, radio, newspapers, magazines, and billboards — is the automobile, reflecting the huge role that cars and trucks play in our lives.  The first advertisement for an automobile in a general consumer publication appeared in an issue of the Saturday Evening Post this month in 1900.  The car was the short-lived product of the W.E. Roach Company of Philadelphia, and the ad’s theme was …