October 28, 2009
A few weeks from now: The governor calls a meeting of her top advisers -- in the Wake County jail. "I brought you a cake," one of them says, holding a bakery box. "Does it have a file under the icing?" "Governor, breaking out of...
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October 21, 2009
There's no place like the furniture market in High Point. And, if Dorothy from Kansas could visit, I'm sure she'd agree. Wait. She is visiting, sort of, in the "Trip to Ahhs" visual presentation by artist Mike Farrell on the top floor of...
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October 7, 2009
Why aren't there as many book clubs for men as for women? 1. Men don't read as much. 2. They do, but they don't care to talk about books. 3. Their wives don't believe they're really going to a book club meeting.
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September 30, 2009
In Tanzania, a secondary school graduation program is worth every bit of five hours. When the students in caps and gowns are girls, there's even more reason for celebration. My son, Andrew, and I attended commencement exercises at Kongei Secondary...
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September 16, 2009
The N.C. Zoo features hundreds of magnificent animals, but its biggest attractions are its seven elephants. The zoo last year completed an $8.5 million expansion project, officially opening its Watani Grasslands Reserve. The enhanced exhibit afford...
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September 9, 2009
Manju Schwandt is a soft-spoken woman, but I finally received her message loud and clear: This is important. Pay attention. For months, she's been trying to raise my awareness about events in her native Sri Lanka, an island nation off the coast of...
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August 26, 2009
"The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit" -- Proverbs 15:4. For once, I'm going to listen to my better angels. This isn't easy for an editorial writer whose stock in trade is criticism. But my...
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August 19, 2009
State legislators and Gov. Bev Perdue should play it straight about the death penalty: Just put an end to it. There are too many problems with implementation, too much inconsistency in application. Public opinion is slowly turning against it and jur...
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August 12, 2009
While I was enjoying a cool vacation in northern Michigan last week (temperatures in Harbor Springs topped out at 72), the health care debate was heating up. Or were some people lighting torches and looking for something to burn? Here's the take from Orga...
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July 29, 2009
Here's a preview of President Obama's Town Hall meeting in Raleigh today ... if audience members are allowed to ask really interesting questions: Q. Mr. President, will you scrimmage with the Wolfpack basketball players while you're here today? A. I wish...
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July 22, 2009
When President Barack Obama nominates a new federal judge for the Middle District of North Carolina, he can choose between two women with very different professional backgrounds. One had been widely expected to get the job since the vacancy opened last De...
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July 15, 2009
Elizabeth Edwards let Rielle Hunter off too easy. She should have sued the hussy for "alienation of affection." And added "criminal conversation" for good measure. Alienation of affection is willful and malicious interference with marr...
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July 8, 2009
When word got out about Judge Henry Frye Jr.'s decision to retire Aug. 1, people around the Guilford County courthouse started to get busy. Opportunities like this don't come up very often. So Gov. Bev Perdue likely will be receiving letters from several...
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July 1, 2009
Pam Spence says she's the "bed bug lady" at the Guilford County Department of Public Health. It's not good that Guilford County needs a "bed bug lady," but calls about the blood-sucking pests have been increasing. Spence, a community h...
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June 24, 2009
Here's how North Carolina can balance its budget. See if you can tell which suggestions have actually been proposed by elected officials: Use inmate labor to pave roads and repair bridges.Use inmate labor to teach school.Release inmates who are elder...
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June 14, 2009
Ask Ward Purrington for a favorite memory of last year's inaugural season of Appalachian Institution retreats and he hears music. The Appalachian String Ensemble was performing in the convocation hall at the Lake Logan retreat center near Canton in wester...
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June 10, 2009
A bad day at the Easleys': "Mike, are you awake yet? There's something on TV you should see." "Mary, you know I sleep late on Mondays." "Like every day. Now, please get up." "What is it? Have the media dug up the...
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June 3, 2009
The Web site for Graham County Schools provides this evocative description: "Graham County is located in the far reaches of Western North Carolina in the beautiful Great Smoky Mountains of the southern Appalachians. The region is home to some of the...
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May 20, 2009
Every day brings more bad news for Mike Easley, but it could be worse. He could still be governor. His successor, Bev Perdue, is dealing with a deepening budget crisis and plunging popularity. She should use Easley's troubles to strengthen her own image b...
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May 6, 2009
It's not often that matters of life and death depend on the meaning of an ordinary word. But, as I read it, that was the issue in last week's capital punishment ruling by a closely divided N.C. Supreme Court. The question is what the legislature intended...
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April 29, 2009
In the near future, maybe: A craving for a burger hit me, so I stopped at a fast-food place. The menu board gave me a jolt. A quarter-pound cheeseburger, $8.95? "Is that the right price?" "Yes, sir," a teenaged girl behind the c...
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April 22, 2009
UNC-Chapel Hill looked like a world turned upside down one night last week. Angry demonstrators stopped immigration opponent Tom Tancredo's speech by shouting insults, stretching a banner in front of him and, finally, bashing in a window. And they accused...
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April 15, 2009
If you owe the state money, please send it in today. Then, maybe the state can afford to cough up my $600 refund. Yes, finances in Raleigh are that precarious. The state is just about broke. We can blame the recession for the dire straits. Fortunately, we...
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April 8, 2009
You can call it June Atkinson v. Beverly Perdue, but the lawsuit brought by North Carolina's superintendent of public instruction against the governor isn't personal. It's not a test of wills. It's not a power struggle. It's not a popularity contest. It's...
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April 1, 2009
The Tar Heels were lighting it up against Gonzaga last Friday night, but our guest was stretched out on the couch asleep before halftime. That's a former Peace Corps volunteer for you. They can make themselves at home anywhere, anytime. We'd just met Just...
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