Carter Wrenn
Gary Pearce
The November 7 election could be a big win for Wake County Democrats. And it could dump a big problem into their laps. Assume two things: The school bond issue loses. Democrats take control of the county commissioners. First task for the Democrats will be figuring how to pay for more schools. The Democrats I…
I didn’t know what YouTube was until my wife and children introduced me to it. Now, my 17-year-old, James, uses it to keep me current on what’s really happening in politics. Once again, the potential power of the Internet amazes me. Go to this link and you’ll see what I mean: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JE-S1bA_Rsc It’s a clip…
In an odd sort of way it’s a tribute to House Speaker Jim Black that after the Video Poker scandal, the Optometrists scandal, the Lottery scandal and Representative Mike Decker’s bribery conviction, he has survived. But, in fact, the Speaker has more than survived. He has retained power without a single serious challenge. Kevin Geddings…
The non-profit foundation that sponsored the North Carolina A & T “Aggie” vs. North Carolina Central University “Eagle” football classic has fallen on hard times. Attendance at Carter-Finley stadium fell in 2005 when the game was moved to Monday, to avoid a conflict with NC State’s first home game and the foundation ended up in…
Parents who oppose mandatory year-round schools also oppose the Wake County school bonds. But they may be the biggest losers if the bonds lose. Especially if you look deeper into the WRAL/News & Observer poll on the bonds. The bonds are losing 54-35, the poll says. But the internal numbers are even more interesting: Most…
Last month, the News and Observer reported the UNC Health Care system filed a lean on a man’s home when he was unable to pay his bill, after being struck by a crippling disease. Now, the newspaper reports the UNC system has paid executives $2.5 million in bonuses. Its CEO received a bonus of $110,000…
In New York, they used to say of Senator Alfonse D’Amato, one of the legendary pork-barrellers, ‘He’s a crook, but he’s our crook.’ In other words it wasn’t the scandals it was the pork that mattered. After House Speaker Jim Black’s debate with opponent, Hal Jordan, Black told the press, “This is not about Kevin…
When it comes to downtown Raleigh Mayor Meeker has his own version of political correctness â it could be called âurban correctness.â The Mayor and two of his allies on the City Council, Russ Stephenson and Thomas Crowder, have very definite â and rigid â views about what they do and donât want downtown and…
White House Press Secretary Tony Snow says the words “stay the course” may never pass his lips again. But does that mean the President’s policy in Iraq has changed – or is Mr. Snow simply abandoning what has become an unpopular phrase, two weeks before the election? It’s not exactly clear. Has the policy has…
Senator Phil Berger was out of touch with voters in his district – and suffered the…
A reassuring lesson from our trip to Germany and Czechia is that dictators, despots and tyrants…
Gwyn and I just returned from a 12-day journey through 1,000 years of history in Germany…