http://www.standeatherage.com Wed, 10 Mar 2010 02:17:37 EST http://www.standeatherage.com/post/57/8/republican-commissioners-express-fear-of-losing-dominant-culture-to-hispanics.html http://www.standeatherage.com/post/57/8/republican-commissioners-express-fear-of-losing-dominant-culture-to-hispanics.html The debate over the hispanicization of America continued at yesterday’s Beaufort County Board of Commissioners meeting.

The new Beaufort County Board of Education Superintendent Don Phipps appeared before the commissioners to discuss concerns related to the Spanish translation of the Beaufort County Schools’ Code of Conduct, which can be found on their Web site.

The Code of Conduct is, currently, the only material on the site available in Spanish.

Phipps defended the necessity of a Spani... Read More]]> Thu, 4 Mar 2010 11:48:33 EST http://www.standeatherage.com/post/56/8/beaufort-county-government-s-general-meeting-agenda-monday-march-1-2010.html http://www.standeatherage.com/post/56/8/beaufort-county-government-s-general-meeting-agenda-monday-march-1-2010.html The Beaufort County Board of County Commissioners Will Meet to Discuss the County's Business

The Government of Beaufort County meets every month for at least one General Meeting to discuss and act on the county's business. Beaufort County employs the County Manager Form of Government, which stipulates that the board of county commissioners allow the county manager to set the agenda, and bring issues before them.

This is defininitely the third or second slowest, least ambitious general meet... Read More]]> Mon, 1 Mar 2010 09:04:25 EST http://www.standeatherage.com/post/55/9/a-primary-is-in-the-offing.html http://www.standeatherage.com/post/55/9/a-primary-is-in-the-offing.html I have a primary for Beaufort County Commissioner. I did not want a primary, but I welcome one nonetheless. On the negative side, a primary diverts some of my attention from my personal business. That, obviously, will not be avoided, because there are now 5 aspiring politicians running for the three Republican nominations vying for the three open commissioner seats in the November 2nd, General Election.

On the other hand, a primary in early May offers me an opportunity to campaign, and, i... Read More]]> Sat, 27 Feb 2010 13:19:37 EST http://www.standeatherage.com/post/54/10/school-board-confirms-it-s-spending-money-like-there-s-no-tomorrow.html http://www.standeatherage.com/post/54/10/school-board-confirms-it-s-spending-money-like-there-s-no-tomorrow.html Facing a multi-million dollar shortfall, they just keep spending

Beaufort County Schools officials (Dr. Don Phipps, School Board Chair Robert Belcher and Finance Officer Laurie Modlin) met with the Beaufort County Board of Commissioners in special session Thursday afternoon to review budget matters and for a "get acquainted" session with the new superintendent.

Most of the time was spent going over details of the financial reports.

On the page at the link above entitled Capital... Read More]]> Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:35:13 EST http://www.standeatherage.com/post/52/10/new-superintendent-knocks-it-out-of-the-park-on-the-social-studies-controversy.html http://www.standeatherage.com/post/52/10/new-superintendent-knocks-it-out-of-the-park-on-the-social-studies-controversy.html Jury still out on the sex ed. issue

The current controversy in North Carolina with the social studies curriculum was a focus of attention at Monday (2-22-10) night's School Board meeting. Three community members addressed the board in the Public Comment section on the agenda and the Superintendent, Dr. Don Phipps addressed it in his Superintendent's Update.

The controversy has been an on-going one in Beaufort county, long before it boiled over at the state level. Over a year ago Commissioner... Read More]]> Thu, 25 Feb 2010 11:07:51 EST http://www.standeatherage.com/post/51/10/the-charter-school-debate-heats-up-in-n-c-with-significant-issues-for-beaufort-county.html http://www.standeatherage.com/post/51/10/the-charter-school-debate-heats-up-in-n-c-with-significant-issues-for-beaufort-county.html There is a storm coming in public education in North Carolina. We have previously reported on the case of Sugar Creek Charter School et. al. v. CMS. And we have told you about the direction the U. S. Department of Education is headed. Both events indicate that charter schools are poised for a surge.

Charter schools are public schools that are tuition-free to students and supported by the same tax dollars as traditional public schools. And that is what the court ruled. They must get the same dol... Read More]]> Fri, 19 Feb 2010 12:39:57 EST http://www.standeatherage.com/post/50/9/candidates-file-for-campaign-2010.html http://www.standeatherage.com/post/50/9/candidates-file-for-campaign-2010.html In the first hour of the campaign season, on Feb. 8 at high noon, six early birds officially filed as candidates for various Beaufort County offices. Of the six were five incumbents: Sheriff Alan Jordan, Clerk of Court Marty Paramore, County Commissioner Stan Deatherage (Republican), school board members Cindy Winstead and Teresa Banks; and one newcomer: Jerry Evans, who is running for a Democratic seat on the county commission.

At first glance, Evans and Deatherage, candidates on opposite si... Read More]]> Fri, 19 Feb 2010 12:32:44 EST http://www.standeatherage.com/post/49/10/our-schools-are-headed-for-the-perfect-storm.html http://www.standeatherage.com/post/49/10/our-schools-are-headed-for-the-perfect-storm.html School board candidates should tell us how they intend to weather that storm

If there was a Category 5 hurricane a hundred miles off our coast and headed straight for Beaufort County would you expect our School Board to to preparing for it?

There is a "perfect storm" coming for our schools and our local Board of Education is still playing like an ostrich with its head stuck in the sand. As this article documents, the root cause of the impending storm is the exhaustion of Federal Sti... Read More]]> Thu, 18 Feb 2010 13:12:42 EST http://www.standeatherage.com/post/48/7/beaufort-county-commissioner-hood-richardson-announces-his-candidacy-for-n-c-senate-1st-district.html http://www.standeatherage.com/post/48/7/beaufort-county-commissioner-hood-richardson-announces-his-candidacy-for-n-c-senate-1st-district.html Incumbent Senator Marc Basnight has a challenger for the seat he has held since 1984. Enter 4 term Beaufort County Commissioner Hood Richardson, who has long given voice to the unwavering conservative Resistance in eastern North Carolina for nearly 14 years, as his deceptively energetic Republican challenger. Commissioner Richardson is scheduled to meet with the State's leading Republicans in Raleigh on Wednesday, February 17, 2010, to engage their support.

Senator Marc Basnight has long bee... Read More]]> Thu, 18 Feb 2010 13:03:30 EST http://www.standeatherage.com/post/47/7/hood-richardson-challenges-governor-beverly-perdue-to-debate.html http://www.standeatherage.com/post/47/7/hood-richardson-challenges-governor-beverly-perdue-to-debate.html Beaufort County Commissioner Hood Richardson, easily the most vocal commissioner in recent history, has, once again, exhibited the temerity to challenge the sitting governor to the Great State of North Carolina to a no-holds-barred debate on the issue of illegal immigration.

This initiative of the Commissioner began during the February 1st Beaufort County Commissioners’ General Meeting, and again on February 3rd when we were interviewed by WITN-TV, when he challenged the governor again... Read More]]> Thu, 18 Feb 2010 13:02:31 EST http://www.standeatherage.com/post/46/10/fox-news-picks-up-on-the-issue-of-whether-our-students-are-learning-u-s-history.html http://www.standeatherage.com/post/46/10/fox-news-picks-up-on-the-issue-of-whether-our-students-are-learning-u-s-history.html N. C. curriculum goes national, in not such a good way

Last week we published an article that was an outgrowth of the December County Commissioner meeting at which Commissioner Hood Richardson raised the issue of whether our students are learning what they need to be learning about American History.

That discussion originated in Hood's concern about a $250,000 grant the Beaufort County Schools has had for three years to teach 25 history teachers from Beaufort, Hyde, Tyrrell and Washington ... Read More]]> Thu, 18 Feb 2010 12:58:22 EST http://www.standeatherage.com/post/45/10/school-board-takes-its-secret-agenda-to-a-new-level.html http://www.standeatherage.com/post/45/10/school-board-takes-its-secret-agenda-to-a-new-level.html The Beaufort County Board of Education often makes many of its decision out of public view. This is a violation of the N. C. Open Meetings law, certainly in spirit if not technically. The intent of the law is that the public have access to the information, discussion and actual vote on any action any board takes.

But if you watch the January 25 board meeting you see that obviously some of their most important decisions are being made out of sight of the public. In fact, it was so glaringly obv... Read More]]> Thu, 18 Feb 2010 12:56:08 EST http://www.standeatherage.com/post/44/10/are-our-students-learning-what-they-need-to-know-about-u-s-history.html http://www.standeatherage.com/post/44/10/are-our-students-learning-what-they-need-to-know-about-u-s-history.html Even after spending a quarter of a million dollars

Back in December Commissioner Hood Richardson raised an issue about a quarter of a million dollar grant the school system has to improve the teaching of U. S. History. The school system responded by, as Hood says, "flooding us with paper that meant very little." In an Open Letter to the School Board, Hood said: "My concern, and that of other commissioners, is not only whether our students are learning U. S. History but whether th... Read More]]> Thu, 18 Feb 2010 12:50:45 EST http://www.standeatherage.com/post/43/10/the-dropout-problem.html http://www.standeatherage.com/post/43/10/the-dropout-problem.html Roughly, one out of three Beaufort County youth who enter the ninth grade fail to graduate within five years. Even more fail to graduate on time (in four years) and if you factor in those who enter the community college system, or some other "alternative program" without a high school diploma, the numbers are much worse.

And everyone "knows" that the chances for success for young people without a high school diploma are dismal.

Nearly every school board member and every p... Read More]]> Thu, 18 Feb 2010 12:30:50 EST http://www.standeatherage.com/post/41/7/greg-dority-plans-to-file-for-the-4th-district-congressional-seat.html http://www.standeatherage.com/post/41/7/greg-dority-plans-to-file-for-the-4th-district-congressional-seat.html Republican Greg Dority, a man who well understands the organized madness of a full frontal campaign, takes the battle on the road to North Carolina's 4th Congressional District to vie for the seat currently held by Reprsentative David Price. Greg Dority has run well, while running consistently hard, for the 1st District Congressional Seat in 2002 against Incumbent Frank Balance, and later against the disgraced Democrat's replacement G.K. Butterfield in 2004. Dority has long taken this Quixoti... Read More]]> Thu, 4 Feb 2010 11:56:53 EST http://www.standeatherage.com/post/40/8/governor-purdue-declines-to-take-a-stand-on-illegal-immigration.html http://www.standeatherage.com/post/40/8/governor-purdue-declines-to-take-a-stand-on-illegal-immigration.html North Carolina, under the Beverly Perdue administration, wants to encourage illegal immigration as a component of our tourism industry.

This of course will not be the Democrat take on the interpretation of the Governor’s response to the Beaufort County Commissioners’ request that the Governor remove Spanish from the state website, but most reasonable folks do understand that providing easier access to Spanish speaking people will encourage those folks to use our overburdened state... Read More]]> Thu, 4 Feb 2010 11:54:39 EST http://www.standeatherage.com/post/39/6/did-not-have-the-common-decency-to-offer-us-a-reach-around.html http://www.standeatherage.com/post/39/6/did-not-have-the-common-decency-to-offer-us-a-reach-around.html These somewhat descriptive words were offered by Gunnery Sergeant / Drill Instructor Hartman, from the classic Vietnam War film, “Full Metal Jacket,” to his new recruits when discussing the demerits of one young private’s character. Gunny Hartman, played by the irascible R. Lee Ermey never equivocated when it came to his true feelings, and I suppose his character’s words fully illustrate my true feelings as to how we, American citizens, are being treated, yet rather unro... Read More]]> Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:10:54 EST http://www.standeatherage.com/post/36/7/election-law-changes-highlighted-at-the-republican-men-s-club.html http://www.standeatherage.com/post/36/7/election-law-changes-highlighted-at-the-republican-men-s-club.html The Director of Beaufort County Elections, Kellie Hopkins, graciously expended her time by extending to the Beaufort County Men’s Club (where there usually are as many women as men) her wealth of knowledge regarding the election process in Beaufort County. Kellie, as the Board of Elections Director, oversees the machinations of providing the platform for the administering the election for Soil and Water Commissioners to the President of the United States.

Director Hopkins discussed with... Read More]]> Thu, 21 Jan 2010 10:12:44 EST http://www.standeatherage.com/post/35/8/beaufort-county-commissioners-pass-resolution.html http://www.standeatherage.com/post/35/8/beaufort-county-commissioners-pass-resolution.html Beaufort County Commissioners Pass Resolution Requesting that our Political Leaders Take Legal Action in Regards to the U. S. Senate’s Inequitable Distribution of The Public’s Money

The Beaufort County Commissioners, in their General Meeting this past Monday, January 11, 2010, passed a resolution requesting that the North Carolina Congressional Delegation, and the governing and legal components of the State of North Carolina to sue for equal protection under the law for our state... Read More]]> Thu, 21 Jan 2010 10:06:59 EST http://www.standeatherage.com/post/34/7/the-shot-heard-round-the-world-just-down-the-road.html http://www.standeatherage.com/post/34/7/the-shot-heard-round-the-world-just-down-the-road.html In 1837, poet Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote “Concord Hymn” regarding the battle of North Creek Bridge on April 19, 1775 in Concord, Massachusetts. This battle, where the Massachusetts Militia were drastically outnumbered by three companies of British Regulars, was one of the first battles of the American Revolution. The heavy losses inflicted upon these well trained, well equipped British Regulars as they fell back to seize refuge in Boston was the initial clash not only of the America... Read More]]> Wed, 20 Jan 2010 14:54:35 EST http://www.standeatherage.com/post/33/6/mr-obama-you-re-not-a-community-organizer-anymore-part-i.html http://www.standeatherage.com/post/33/6/mr-obama-you-re-not-a-community-organizer-anymore-part-i.html Mr. Obama: You're not a Community Organizer Anymore ...

You're the duly elected President of the United States of the America - the once most powerful nation in the world. Our nation could be as powerful as before and reassert its position as the preeminent place to raise our children, our nation, and keep the free world safe from the ravages of evil men. But first, we need to understand a few common precepts - outside of the mental acuity of even the best community organizer:

1. When the U... Read More]]> Mon, 18 Jan 2010 15:09:22 EST http://www.standeatherage.com/post/31/8/beaufort-county-revaluation-of-real-property-part-ii.html http://www.standeatherage.com/post/31/8/beaufort-county-revaluation-of-real-property-part-ii.html Beaufort County's Revaluation is Drawing to a Close

County Manager Paul Spruill brings the Road Show to the Home Field.

Beaufort County has been working on its revaluation of all real property, within its boundaries, on its regular eight year cycle, as mandated by the State of North Carolina.To his credit, Beaufort County Manager Paul Spruill has taken the revaluation explanation on the road; meeting with, I swear I think he said, 18 groups of concerned citizens (I have attended two such me... Read More]]> Mon, 18 Jan 2010 15:02:44 EST http://www.standeatherage.com/post/30/8/public-hearing-in-raleigh-should-the-community-college-system-continue-to-admit-illegal-immigrants.html http://www.standeatherage.com/post/30/8/public-hearing-in-raleigh-should-the-community-college-system-continue-to-admit-illegal-immigrants.html On Friday morning, while most able bodied folk were at work (providing they were fortunate enough to still have a job), I represented Beaufort County at a public hearing on whether the North Carolina Community College System should continue to admit illegal immigrants into our public school. What may seem to be a simple decision to any wise American; our governing folk in Raleigh, and the Community College Trustees have convoluted its premise to the point that they cannot summon, here-to-fore, t... Read More]]> Mon, 18 Jan 2010 14:59:29 EST