November 10, 2009
Staving off foreclosure benefits more than the beleaguered property owner. Neighborhoods and lenders also are much better off. But stemming the tidal wave of mortgage defaults following the real estate boom and subsequent crash has been a challenge.
Read More
November 9, 2009
Better without Sheriff Hege The people of Davidson County should have been rid of Gerald Hege for good in 2004 when he pleaded guilty to felony attempted obstruction of justice and resigned as sheriff. Unfortunately, some apparently want him to run again...
Read More
November 8, 2009
Bill Knight was a numbers man during his successful career as a certified public accountant. Some numbers will continue to be important as he embarks on his new career in local government, especially 8, 4 and 1. As mayor of Greensboro, he'll work wi...
Read More
November 7, 2009
The Golden LEAF Foundation isn't officially a state agency, but it ought to be treated like one when it comes to accountability. A report issued by State Auditor Beth Wood recommends that the General Assembly tighten the reins. According to auditor...
Read More
November 6, 2009
The more we know about the senseless hit-and-run death of a Summerfield bicyclist, the uglier it gets. We know now that the motorist involved in the incident, 48-year-old Grayson Dawson of Eden, turned herself in Monday and was charged with felony h...
Read More
Sen. Kay Hagan was right to withdraw her recommendation of Superior Court Judge Calvin E. Murphy for an appointment to the federal bench. It was necessary to "avoid any appearance of favoritism from my office," she said in a statement. Hag...
Read More
November 5, 2009
Former Gov. Mike Easley displayed a very casual attitude about important matters in his testimony before the State Board of Elections last week. "Well, to my knowledge I don't think I've ever seen a campaign report," Easley said in respon...
Read More
No wonder parents living in the southeastern part of the county feel like they're being shortchanged by Guilford County Schools. Many supported last year's school construction bonds with the understanding that a new elementary school would be built...
Read More
November 4, 2009
As Bill Knight visited Greensboro polling places Tuesday, “a lot of people said they were voting for me,” he noted as those votes were being tallied during a tense evening at the Old Guilford County Courthouse. By the time the count was comple...
Read More
Bring it on, Natural Science Center Director Glenn Dobrogosz would say to skeptics while campaigning for $20 million in bonds to fund major expansions. He was still saying that Tuesday night. Even though voters had said yes with a solid 61 percent o...
Read More
November 3, 2009
Greensboro City Council campaigns conclude today with voting from 6:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. Every seat is contested, and some close finishes are possible -- which means every vote is important. Greensboro residents should not miss this opportunity to choo...
Read More
November 2, 2009
Forward, march! Oak Ridge Military Academy has found a highly qualified new leader and didn't have to look far. Cuyler McKnight, 61, a retired Army major and GTCC executive vice president, has been chosen to get the 157-year-old school back in step. He fa...
Read More
November 1, 2009
You've heard the story before. Somebody smart and enterprising starts a mega corporation in his garage with a screwdriver, spare parts and a Big Idea. Visions of a young Steve Jobs come to mind, skinny and long-haired -- and recently dropped out of...
Read More
October 31, 2009
If the Great Recession is over, you could have fooled the thousands of Triad residents still looking for jobs or worried about losing the one they have. The justification for the official optimism, albeit guarded, was a Commerce Department report t...
Read More
October 30, 2009
It might be a good idea for the Greensboro Coliseum to build an outdoor amphitheater for concerts and other events. It would have been a better idea to make sure the City Council knew about it before getting started. Assistant City Manager Bob Morgan step...
Read More
October 29, 2009
One of the nation's greatest highways, Interstate 40, runs all the way through North Carolina from Wilmington to the Tennessee state line. Except, now it doesn't. A massive rock slide in Haywood County leaves the road about three miles short of rea...
Read More
October 28, 2009
This week's State Board of Elections hearings are remarkable for two reasons. First, they're shedding light on shady practices by former Gov. Mike Easley and others, particularly concerning campaign finances. Second, they're demonstrating -- again...
Read More
Success in measuring Guilford County Schools' extensive magnet school program may well come down to relevance and cost. Once again, school officials, with input from parents, students and faculty, will try to determine if the spotty academic result...
Read More
October 27, 2009
Gov. Bev Perdue barred the prison door last week, blocking the release of 20 violent offenders until "new legal issues" are resolved. She had to go back 26 years to find those "new" issues. Whether they'll hold up in court is a...
Read More
The SUV that struck a Summerfield bicyclist late Saturday afternoon hit him with such force that it instantly killed 55-year-old David Sherman. Adding shamelessness to tragedy, the silver Dodge Durango then made a U-turn at the scene of the crash o...
Read More
October 26, 2009
Getting off the sick list So, Oak Ridge Elementary School wasn't really sick. Just a little queasy, perhaps. Or maybe a hypochondriac? After years of complaints of persistent illnesses associated with the school, which led to its temporary closing this fa...
Read More
October 25, 2009
Voters in Greensboro's City Council primary Oct. 6 made a clear distinction when choosing candidates for three at-large seats. The top six, all of whom advanced to the general election ballot, finished well ahead of the next five. No one made the cu...
Read More
October 24, 2009
Twenty million dollars. Some might wonder if now is the best time to plow that kind of money into the Natural Science Center. But proponents of this home-grown gem in northwest Greensboro make solid cases for the whys, the hows and the when. The cen...
Read More
October 23, 2009
Mike Barber isn't running for re-election to City Council, leaving an open seat in District 4. Joel Landau is the better candidate to fill it. That's true even though Mary Rakestraw currently is serving on the council in an at-large seat. Rakestraw......
Read More
Two years ago, Trudy Wade challenged and defeated an entrenched incumbent for the District 5 City Council seat. This time, her opponent is a political newcomer. Last time around, issues concerning constituent service, Police Department unrest and ho...
Read More
