When Mrs. Smith tried to post a legal notice about her late husband’s estate, she experienced a headache undeserving of a widow. Neuse News could have offered a quick, affordable solution, but NC’s archaic laws forced her to use a slow, expensive weekly print newspaper with a shrinking number of subscribers.
I remember seeing Mayor Ritch on the campus of Kinston High School and by his presence alone one could tell someone special, someone important was in this place. Understanding his impact on me, helped shape my own approach to speaking with students when I became mayor.
We’re finally here - Election Day! As many people vented their frustrations about national, state, and local politics on social media this election (and I’m sure it’s not over, gahhhhhh), it’s common to see heated debates, complaints, and accusations aimed at politicians and the government. However, real change doesn’t come from being a keyboard warrior—it comes from taking action.
North Carolina’s future isn’t locked down by Republicans or Democrats—it’s the independents and swing voters who hold the real power." With 16 electoral votes at stake, faith is influencing both sides, but weaponizing religion to win political points only deepens the division. In this battleground state, independents will be the ones to tip the scales in 2024.
Dr. Crystal Hayden joined UNC Health Lenoir as CEO about three months ago and is already working on the hospital's long-term stability. UNC Health Lenoir has served our community for 117 years and treats thousands of patients annually. Neuse News Publisher BJ Murphy visited Dr. Hayden to learn more about her and the recently unveiled Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy.
On November 23, 2021, I loaded my handgun to potentially defend my family for the first and, hopefully, the last time in my life. Due to Covid, our children had to stay home from school, but one positive outcome was the installation of exterior security cameras around our home. At 2:00 AM, our Ring camera notifications woke me up. With one eye barely opened, I noticed a figure walking across our driveway. Once I jumped up, this man stood 15 feet from one of my daughter’s bedroom windows.
As I stroll down Queen St., looking back on the five-year journey of Neuse News, I'm struck by the crucial role we've come to play in our community. When we embarked on this venture, we were simply a group of friends, concerned by the glaring absence of local news reporting and community relevance. We noticed a lack of accountability for public officials and a lack of accessible information for our neighbors. In starting Neuse News, we didn't claim to be seasoned journalists or skilled videographers. Through our publication, social media presence, website, newsletter, and breaking news text alerts, we've aimed to counteract the decline of corporately-owned print news and provide a trusted news source for our community.
The tears I cry and hold back are both of sadness and joy. Sadness because you were a giant in my life. You allowed a political neophyte access to your platform and wisdom, and you encouraged me. I am also very happy for you. From the moment of Emma’s passing, you knew where she was and you’d meet her there one day. Honestly, we all should be a little jealous of the love you had for each other. Now you’re there with her, my friend.
The disappointment felt by our community this past week as a result of the Down East Wood Ducks (DEWD’s) team being sold and eventually moving to South Carolina, is less a result of business and market forces out of our contol and more a sense of losing hope our community can sustain minor league baseball indefinitely.
At the September 13th Lenoir County Public Schools board meeting, Chairman Bruce Hill admonished the public on when it’s appropriate to contact a school board member. He cited a chain of command, the need to go straight to the source, and emphasized the school board’s primary goal is to be policymakers. However, Mr. Hill seemingly chastises parents, guardians, and stakeholders for attempting in any type of way to hold school board members accountable. In an eye-opening statement, Mr. Hill says about the school board, “[we] aren’t as versed in education” and “we as board members we don’t know what goes on at the schools.”
I am more concerned about the next four years for Kinston today than I was four years ago.
The impasses we face with the City of Kinston pose significant challenges for our community’s future, and we need leaders to step up at a time such as this. The mayor’s seat and two councilmembers’ seats are up for grabs, and the $10 filing fee period ends on Friday, July 16th at 12:00 pm.
Now is not the time to complain. Now is not the time to critique. Instead, if you feel led to run or compelled to serve your community greater than your role today, here is your opportunity to influence or shape the change you desire.
Sadly for the second year in a row, the Kinston City Council has sought these personal increases, yet this year's discussion is distracting from the fact that they are also raising property taxes. The cost to the taxpayers if approved would be $670,000. Despite the fact the Kinston City Council has already voted on their increases, they could amend the budget tonight, by stripping the salaries and allowances back to the FY20 funding and passing a revised budget.
Roughly one year ago, Governor Cooper declared a state of emergency regarding COVID-19, and while an emergency is typically seen as a momentary crisis, this has been harnessed into the “new normal”, expanding bureaucratic control over citizens’ lives for an alarming period of time. Regardless of the continued state of emergency, our local officials are holding themselves to a different standard. The Kinston City Council and Lenoir County School Board continue to meet outside of their chambers and only through Facebook or Zoom. Are they afraid for their safety while asking their staff to be dismissive of their own? Are they worried about facing parents and the community in a real public forum again?
Whatever happened to tax credits and tax deductions? How many more payments will people expect in the future before we declare the pandemic over? The utter reliance and potential household budgeting for future stimulus payments disincentivizes Americans from using their skills and creativity to find a way to meet their obligations. The unintended consequence of stimulus payments may very well be a methodical way of killing the American dream by taking away all incentives of hard work and individualism.
Defunding the Police has been one of the most controversial topics of 2020, stemming from the wake of high-profile cases involving concerns of racial profiling or cases of police brutality. While some calls for Defunding the Police mask redistributing money from police budgets to social programs, others are a bit more blatant by defunding police departments altogether.
Fast forward to this past week in La Grange, where 31 policing agencies descended on our area. They came with helicopters, heat-seeking devices, K-9s, SWAT teams, armored vehicles, and more. Tax dollars well spent to protect our community from harm. Imagine living near Kennedy Home or Banks School Road in an era where Defunding the Police wasn’t a phrase but a policy.
