Opinion

Editorial: Reasons to give thanks

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 03:00:00 -0500

The economy still isn't so good, unemployment is high and the world is wracked by conflict. But those are complaints for the other 364 days.

Today we give thanks for all the good things we have as individuals and as a community. Here's the positive side of the balance sheet, as we see it this Thanksgiving.

Editorial: Political opportunities

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 03:00:00 -0500

The deal that helped win Mary Landrieu's critical vote in the Senate on Saturday has derisively been called "the new Louisiana purchase."

Editorial: Troops suffering from PTSD should not be shunted aside

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 03:00:00 -0500

An estimated one in five military personnel returning from tours in Iraq and Afghanistan exhibit symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD.

But fears of being stigmatized and having careers wrecked prevent many from seeking needed counseling after returning to stateside assignments.

Editorial: Needless confusion over mammograms

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 03:00:00 -0500

Confusion surrounding a government-funded study questioning the frequency of mammograms plays into the hands of those who predict that reform will lead to health care rationing.

Editorial: Restore confidence in police by providing full disclosure

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 03:00:00 -0500

The more that's known about the ongoing controversy dogging the Greensboro Police Department, the better the chances of closure.

Short Stack: Food for thought, quick and over easy

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 03:00:00 -0500

Picturing Jesse Helms

The late and redoubtable Sen. Jesse Helms has been immortalized on canvas by a Virginia artist.

"I hope I was able to capture some of the essence of Senator Helms," said René Dickerson.

Leonard Pitts Jr.: Why America needs this terror trial

"Leonard Pitts Jr." — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 03:00:00 -0500

"We (should) wrap him in bacon and deep fry him at a state fair while Lee Greenwood stabs him in the face."

-- Jon Stewart of "The Daily Show" on confessed 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed

And seriously now, who doesn't agree?

Editorial: UNC revolving doors

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 03:00:00 -0500

North Carolina needs to enroll more students in its state university system. But it especially needs to keep students progressing all the way to graduation.

Editorial: Shut up and sign?

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:00:00 -0500

The people at Fort Bragg are good at fighting. The Army Airborne and Special Forces troops stationed there are among the best of the best, and it is a privilege to have them on North Carolina soil.

When it comes to managing an appearance by a certain former governor of Alaska, however, it's almost like they're jumping out of the plane without parachutes.

Editorial: A precious life cut short

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:00:00 -0500

The circumstances of Shaniya Davis' death are horrendous and stunning. The mother of the 5-year-old girl, whose body was found in Lee County Monday, is charged with felony child abuse and human trafficking. Authorities say she offered her daughter for prostitution, maybe to settle a debt.

Editorial: Making sense of senseless act

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:00:00 -0500

What could have possessed the man accused in the burning and beating of a 3-month-old puppy found barely alive this August in a Greensboro park?

Twenty-year-old Lashawn Whitehead's reported response to his mother was a simple, "I don't know." In fact, such depraved behavior defies any explanation.

Correction

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:00:00 -0500

Correction

An editorial in Thursday's editions misstated the amount of the swim community's contribution to the new aquatics center. That amount is $250,000 toward the $17.4 million total cost.

Editorial: Libraries versus porn

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 03:00:00 -0500

There is no accounting for the bad taste and horrible judgment of the adults who use Greensboro Public Library computers to watch Internet porn within the view of innocent children.

But they do, and some incensed parents have rightly reported the incidents to library staff.

Editorial: The swim center shuffle

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 03:00:00 -0500

The city's new aquatics center is still afloat, thanks to a 7-1 vote of confidence Tuesday night by the City Council.

Specifically the council voted to fill a $6 million funding shortfall with certificates of participation financed by hotel-occupancy tax revenues.

Editorial: Dig deeper at landfill

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 03:00:00 -0500

Information about cancer cases around the White Street Landfill means one thing: More information is needed.

Editorial: Parting gifts are too generous

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 03:00:00 -0500

When Stanley Battle stepped down in June as chancellor at N.C. A&T after only two years in office, he didn't go off the payroll. His $273,156 annual salary continued while he took a "study leave," which began July 1 and ends Dec. 31. He then has the opportunity to return to a faculty position at "a normal salary for his discipline."

Short Stack: Food for thought, quick and over easy

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 03:00:00 -0500

Obama pulled Edwards' hair

It was more than a bad hair day for John Edwards when the story broke during his presidential run in 2007 that he was paying $400 to have his locks trimmed. The news made him a target for late-show comedians and tarnished his image as a champion of the poor.

Editorial: Finding a police chief will test new manager

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 03:00:00 -0500

First, the City Council hired a new city manager.

Then, voters elected a new mayor.

Finally, the police chief announced he'll retire within the next year.

This is really a time of changes for the city of Greensboro. Which means a time of opportunities.

Editorial: Swim center shortfall

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 03:00:00 -0500

The publicly funded swim center planned for the Greensboro Coliseum Complex is struggling to tread financial water.

The project is $6 million short of the cheapest bid to build the facility, approved as part of a parks and recreation bond package in 2008.

Editorial: When loitering is legal

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 03:00:00 -0500

The city ordinance lists seven activities that indicate someone is illegally "loitering for the purpose of engaging in drug-related activity."

And each one of those activities could be completely innocent, N.C. Court of Appeals Judge Robert N. Hunter Jr. of Greensboro noted last week.

Editorial: With incentives, one size doesn't fit all

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 03:00:00 -0500

The City Council was right on the money in allocating $3.3 million to extend water and sewer service to two areas near Piedmont Triad International Airport.

Guilford commissioners, however, should think twice before awarding the full $373,000 LabCorp wants to bring 373 lower-paying jobs here.

Editorial: Partisan tinkering

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 03:00:00 -0500

Memo from the voters to the people who keep trying to inject partisan politics into City Council elections: Sit down and shut up.

Editorial: Plan now for new smoking rules

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 03:00:00 -0500

Starting Jan. 2, it will not be business as usual for the thousands of restaurants, motels and even convenience stores in North Carolina that serve food. That's when the controversial statewide smoking ban takes effect.

Editorial: Thanking nation's vets for their job well-done

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 03:00:00 -0500

With more than 23 million surviving military vets, overlooking Veterans Day would seem like a stretch.

But as World War II's warriors pass on and without a draft to fill the ranks, the military touches fewer Americans up close and personally.

Editorial: Breaking ground in Greensboro

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 03:00:00 -0500

In an odd coincidence, dignitaries on Monday broke ground on two important new buildings in Guilford County.

In one ceremony, state and local officials turned dirt and toasted the promise of a 100,000-square-foot Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering.