With diplomas and degrees already being distributed, graduation season is upon us.
North Carolina developed its current system of taxation during the revenue reforms of the Great Depression, seeking to keep state government afloat at a time of widespread hardship. It depended — and still depends — on a relatively high income tax rate and was designed to reflect an economic system driven by agriculture and manufacturing, textiles and furniture.
They are the fixers, the multi-taskers and the forces to be reckoned with when it comes to protecting their young.
THUMBS DOWN: Vote-buying
Whispers of vote-buying in Lee County have been around for a long, long time. The Lee County Board of Elections held a hearing this past week on the subject following a complaint filed by Lee County Commissioner Jim Womack
It is possible to have a gem in your very midst and not realize it.
Congratulations are in order for Patrice McNeill, a sixth-grade language arts teacher at SanLee Middle School, who was named Lee County’s Teacher of the Year in an impressive ceremony on Tuesday.
A special ceremony — paying tribute to those who gave their lives in the line of duty, was held yesterday at Village Baptist Church in Fayetteville.
THUMBS UP: Caterpillar program
How can the jobs picture be gloomy for both prospective employees and prospective employers?
Once again, Central Carolina is set for a glorious weekend of events that is sure to please locals and visitors alike.
Today is the National Day of Prayer.
During the years he was giving nightmares to safeties and cornerbacks at Rhodes Stadium on the campus of Elon University, and on other gridirons around the Southern Conference, one of the most common themes of Aaron Mellette’s Saturdays — other than big plays and making the opposition’s secondary look elementary — was the Sanford native’s desire to, in his oft-repeated phraseology, “make Sanford proud.”
THUMBS UP: Governor’s Award recipients
Volunteers aren’t celebrated nearly as much as they should be, especially those who commit years of dedicated service to organizations and people whose very quality of life, in some case, depends on their work.
It’s likely that Lee County citizens will notice an influx of people visiting our area this weekend — staying at our hotels, eating in our restaurants and shopping in our stores.
Can you remember when the three “Rs” — reading, ‘riting and ‘rithmetic — were stressed as the primary building blocks of education?
Not long before those of us in Lee County observed the second anniversary of our devastating tornado, our neighbors just to the north quietly observed the third anniversary of their own memorably tragic event: the March 2010 fire which destroyed much of the historic Chatham County courthouse in Pittsboro.
THUMBS UP: Good footing
We hear a lot about taking care of our teeth and our heart — they’ve got to last us a lifetime, of course — but not as much about our feet.
After the shock had subsided, their stories started to surface.
The local Belk store has set a great example for our community.
Certain events make indelible and emotional impressions on our minds.
THUMBS UP: Brick City Bowl’s date
We’ve always been a bit stymied by the fact that the so-called “Super Bowl” of stock car racing, the Daytona 500, is always the first race of the season. “Bowl” games — from pro football’s championship game to our own “Brick City Bowl,”
There’s a lot of talk in Sanford about public-private partnerships. The Lee County Education Foundation uses that format to get local business-people more interested in education; the Lee County Economic Development Corporation uses that format to get business-people more interested in coming to Lee County in the first place.
The Lee County school system is facing some obstacles in the road ahead.
State and local funding cuts could trim more than $5 million from the system’s budget, leading to the loss of even more teachers’ assistants and the potential loss of a valuable tutorial program. The system doesn’t appear to have the full support of the Lee County Board of Commissioners or the county’s legislative delegation.
There are supposed to be only two things certain in life — death and taxes. There's a third, of course, for many of us: property tax revaluations.
Within the tight confines of the more - is extreme too harsh a word here? - wing of the Lee County Republican Party are some self-appointed stalwarts set on making things right on our corner of the world.
It’s that time of the year when the Lee County Board of Commissioners makes its appointments to various boards and commissions.
