Commentary/Opinion
State Reserves May Not Be Enough
By JOHN HOOD RALEIGH — North Carolina’s state government began its 2020-21 fiscal year with $1.5 billion in cash left over from last year plus another $1.8 billion in rainy-day…
Cooper’s Post-COVID-19 Plans Should Worry All North Carolinians
By Becki Gray Gov. Roy Cooper owns this. He owns the coronavirus response and everything that will follow. Cooper has refused to confer with the Council of State, vetoed the General…
Bring Young Kids Back To School
By JOHN HOOD RALEIGH — Most North Carolina schoolchildren began this academic year trying to learn from home rather than at school. How’s it going so far? Set aside the…
Op-Ed: Clearing Things Up In Selma
By: Byron McAllister, Selma Town Councilman There have been a few articles in Johnston County newspapers over the last month or so that covered the resignation of Steven Hicks, the…
Are Farms, Farmers, And Agricultural Workers Essential?
By: Bryant Spivey Johnston County Extension Director During the COVID-19 pandemic, we have all heard discussion and debate about businesses, services, and even personnel that are deemed essential. In March…
Former Slave Blazed Trail For Writers
By JOHN HOOD RALEIGH — You surely recognize the name Frederick Douglass and know the major role he played in American history after escaping his enslavement in Maryland in 1838.…
You Decide: Will We Return To Farm Life?
By Dr. Mike Walden My father grew up on a hog farm in southwest Ohio in the 1920s and 30s. In those days, farms were highly self-sufficient and independent. Most…
Governor Cooper Op-Ed: The Path To A Stronger, Healthier Future For North Carolina
Op-Ed By Governor Roy Cooper This pandemic has affected every corner of our state, including our state budget needs. For many families, it has also shifted their priorities. Last week,…
Cooper Seeking Too Much Power
By JOHN HOOD RALEIGH — Throughout his gubernatorial term, Roy Cooper has sought vastly to expand the power of his office at the expense of other statewide-elected executives, the legislative…
Past Governors Budgeted More Carefully
By JOHN HOOD RALEIGH — As a fiscal conservative, I long for the days when North Carolina had responsible governors who responded to recessionary budget gaps with fortitude and common…
COVID Response Creates Policy Options
By JOHN HOOD RALEIGH — Although working from home provides a great deal of flexibility and potential benefits, professional and personal, most of us don’t want to make it our…
Spy And Statesman Fought For Freedom
By JOHN HOOD RALEIGH — Whether Democrat Yvonne Holley or Republican Mark Robinson wins the 2020 race for lieutenant governor, North Carolinians will be electing the first African-American candidate to…
