http://www.standeatherage.com Thu, 9 Sep 2010 11:40:35 EDT http://www.standeatherage.com/post/150/7/pcs-is-now-officially-on-the-sell-block.html http://www.standeatherage.com/post/150/7/pcs-is-now-officially-on-the-sell-block.html On August 17, 2010, BHP Billiton of Australia tendered an unsolicited offer to purchase Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan for 38.5 billion dollars (US currency), or 130.00 per share. At the point of this corporate announcement, they also flatly rejected the bid. Today they are reported to review the hostile takeover bid to advise shareholders of what action they should take.

BHP Billiton operates as a diversified natural resources company in Australia, the Americas, and southern Africa. The ... Read More]]> Mon, 23 Aug 2010 17:38:54 EDT http://www.standeatherage.com/post/141/7/ashley-woolard-calls-on-g-k-butterfield-to-resign-from-the-house-ethics-committee.html http://www.standeatherage.com/post/141/7/ashley-woolard-calls-on-g-k-butterfield-to-resign-from-the-house-ethics-committee.html Publisher's Note: Submitted as a press release from the Ashley Woolard Campaign.

GOP First District Congressional candidate Ashley Woolard will call on Congressman G.K. Butterfield to resign from the House Ethics Committee or face investigation, in a series of press conferences Tuesday.

Woolard will appear at the NCGOP Headquarters in Raleigh at 10:00 a.m.; the train station in Rocky Mount at 12:30 p.m.; and the Craven County GOP Headquarters in New Bern, NC at 3:00 p.m.

Butterfield is a memb... Read More]]> Thu, 12 Aug 2010 15:04:16 EDT http://www.standeatherage.com/post/138/7/brhs-looks-to-invest-in-improving-its-rate-of-returns.html http://www.standeatherage.com/post/138/7/brhs-looks-to-invest-in-improving-its-rate-of-returns.html The Beaufort County Medical Center Board of Trustees made a leap of faith at its meeting Tuesday toward bringing in a company to help the hospital implement a Clinical Documentation Improvement Program, which would help the hospital collect $1 million to $1.7 million in extra revenue within the coming year, according to worst and best-case scenarios provided by Cost/Containment Committee Chair Hood Richardson and Beaufort Regional Health Systems Chief Financial Officer Chris Riggs, respectively.... Read More]]> Fri, 30 Jul 2010 13:04:45 EDT http://www.standeatherage.com/post/133/7/woolard-to-call-on-butterfield-to-return-tainted-contributions.html http://www.standeatherage.com/post/133/7/woolard-to-call-on-butterfield-to-return-tainted-contributions.html Publisher's Note: Submitted as a press release from the Ashley Woolard Campaign.

GOP First District Congressional candidate Ashley Woolard will call on Congressman G.K. Butterfield to return tainted campaign contributions from embattled Democratic congressman Charlie Rangel in a series of press conferences Tuesday.

Woolard will appear at the Pitt County Courthouse in Greenville at 10:30 AM, Woolard for Congress Headquarters in Washington, NC at 1:30 PM and the Wayne County GOP Headquarters in... Read More]]> Wed, 28 Jul 2010 12:17:24 EDT http://www.standeatherage.com/post/130/7/general-stanley-mcchrystal-retires-in-a-private-ceremony.html http://www.standeatherage.com/post/130/7/general-stanley-mcchrystal-retires-in-a-private-ceremony.html In a small, and emotional ceremony, General Stanley McChrystal retired from the institution that had brought him so much fame, respect and controversy - the United States Army. In this private retirement ceremony, at 6 p.m. Friday, held at Fort McNair in Washington, D.C. The retirement ceremony was closed to all but three reporters: Greg Jaffe from the Washington Post, Julian Barnes from the Wall Street Journal, and Gordon Lubold from Politico. The following report is compilation of informa... Read More]]> Wed, 28 Jul 2010 10:03:19 EDT http://www.standeatherage.com/post/107/7/general-stanley-mcchrystal-fired-by-president-obama.html http://www.standeatherage.com/post/107/7/general-stanley-mcchrystal-fired-by-president-obama.html General Stanley McChrystal has been relieved of his duties as the General-in-charge in Afghanistan. He will be replaced by Four Star General David Patraeus.

The charismatic and controversial three star general has a short history of being at odds with the President over the timing of implementing the Afghanistan version of the Iraq surge that drove the radical Islamic insurgents and terrorists underground or out of Iraq. On this occasion, the General was recalled to Washington, D.C., and summ... Read More]]> Wed, 30 Jun 2010 09:59:43 EDT http://www.standeatherage.com/post/87/7/woolard-celebrates-his-party-s-nomination-as-republican-candidate-for-u-s-congress.html http://www.standeatherage.com/post/87/7/woolard-celebrates-his-party-s-nomination-as-republican-candidate-for-u-s-congress.html In yesterday’s primary election, Beaufort County resident Ashley Woolard defeated three competitors to win the North Carolina Republican Party’s nomination to run for the U.S. House of Representatives District 1 seat, currently held by Democrat G.K. Butterfield.

Woolard received 45 percent of the 8,302 votes cast for the Republican contenders across the 23 northeastern counties comprising District 1; whereas Butterfield received 73 percent of the 63,243 votes cast for the Democratic contend... Read More]]> Thu, 6 May 2010 11:07:12 EDT http://www.standeatherage.com/post/84/7/supreme-court-justice-visits-beaufort-county.html http://www.standeatherage.com/post/84/7/supreme-court-justice-visits-beaufort-county.html It’s never too early to start campaigning, according to North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Paul Newby, who showed up in Beaufort County last Thursday to elicit support from politicians, activists and Rotarians for his 2010 re-election bid for his second, eight-year term on the highest court in the land.

En route to the Washington Noon Rotary, where he was scheduled speak about the state’s operation to obtain North Carolina’s original copy of the Bill of Rights, Newby stopped at the Bea... Read More]]> Mon, 26 Apr 2010 11:39:15 EDT http://www.standeatherage.com/post/82/7/county-commissioner-candidates-release-unfiltered-statements.html http://www.standeatherage.com/post/82/7/county-commissioner-candidates-release-unfiltered-statements.html Welcome to Beaufort County Now's inaugural candidate statements, unfiltered edition. We begin by thanking those five candidates who are seeking their parties' nomination to run for Beaufort County commissioner in the November general election who timely submitted their entries. For the sake of fairness, we will hold open the proverbial door of this publication for the remaining four candidates to submit their entries, up until the weekend before the primary election day.

A word of advice for t... Read More]]> Fri, 23 Apr 2010 12:53:32 EDT http://www.standeatherage.com/post/79/7/commissioner-candidates-build-their-platforms-at-forum.html http://www.standeatherage.com/post/79/7/commissioner-candidates-build-their-platforms-at-forum.html Beaufort County commissioner candidates went under public scrutiny at the Washington Daily News Candidates Forum, held Tuesday night in the auditorium at Beaufort County Community College in Washington.

Republican, Democratic or unaffiliated, all candidates were given equal time and identical prompts in which to express their political philosophies and, sometimes, promises. These candidates will face off with their partisan counterparts in the May 4 primary election. The winners of the primary ... Read More]]> Mon, 19 Apr 2010 14:30:23 EDT http://www.standeatherage.com/post/78/7/elections-director-notes-elevated-participation-level-at-candidates-forum.html http://www.standeatherage.com/post/78/7/elections-director-notes-elevated-participation-level-at-candidates-forum.html It doesn’t necessarily take a presidential election to motivate potential voters; it takes a midterm election, and a slight distrust of the Fed. Perplexed by the federal government's 2000-page health-care reform legislation and trillions of dollars in bailouts, the people are grasping at local politics for a sense of control.

According to a Zogby International poll, as of February 2010, 57 percent of American voters still had confidence in their local governments, while only 41 percent had co... Read More]]> Mon, 19 Apr 2010 14:24:46 EDT http://www.standeatherage.com/post/59/7/at-this-naco-conference-change-was-in-the-air.html http://www.standeatherage.com/post/59/7/at-this-naco-conference-change-was-in-the-air.html President Obama has made the proposed Health Care Reform Bill the centerpiece of his presidency. His political fortunes will continue, or be diminished by the crafting of this partisan initiative, and its subsequent passage before the midterm election cycle. To a lesser extent at the NACo conference, there were other talking points on other issues: proposed Cap and Trade / Clean Energy Policy legislation, but what resonated with me was the simpatico culpability within the NACo (National Associ... Read More]]> Fri, 19 Mar 2010 11:47:05 EDT 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/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/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/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/29/7/public-hearing-north-carolina-community-colleges-admission-of-illegal-immigrants.html http://www.standeatherage.com/post/29/7/public-hearing-north-carolina-community-colleges-admission-of-illegal-immigrants.html I Was Embarrassed for my Fellow Man.The Stupidity ... Oh, the Stupidity!

On Friday, December 18, 2009, I represented Beaufort County at a public hearing on the North Carolina Community Colleges' decision to allow illegal / undocumented immigrants admission to the Community Colleges, providing that they pay out of state tuition. My initial impression with the collective theme of that impassioned crowd, after a number of speakers (10 or more) spoke: Wear your heart on your sleeve, but check your... Read More]]> Mon, 18 Jan 2010 14:57:00 EST http://www.standeatherage.com/post/25/7/congressional-candidate-ashley-woolard-kicks-off-his-campaign-at-rally.html http://www.standeatherage.com/post/25/7/congressional-candidate-ashley-woolard-kicks-off-his-campaign-at-rally.html It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon at the Woolard’s residence, which is part of their family estate, on Market Street Extension. The sky was blue the music, the music was very entertaining, and the conversation was definitely concerning politics, and the direction of our government; its resulting influence upon our society.

Ashley Woolard’s residence is a lovely renovated farm home sitting atop the high ground adjacent to a recently harvested farm field. The white clapboard s... Read More]]> Mon, 18 Jan 2010 14:35:28 EST http://www.standeatherage.com/post/12/7/ashley-woolard-announces-his-candidacy-for-the-u-s-house-of-representatives-1st-district.html http://www.standeatherage.com/post/12/7/ashley-woolard-announces-his-candidacy-for-the-u-s-house-of-representatives-1st-district.html Ashley Woolard Announces his Bid to Oust G. K. Butterfield

Former candidate for the First District Seat in the United States House of Representatives, Grey Dority, announced, by way of the introduction, that "Beaufort County's Favorite Son Ashley Woolard" would run and win the seat currently held by G. K. Butterfield.

Ashley Woolard took his place behind the podium and gave a rousing speech that began with, "Much has changed since G.K. Butterfield was first elected to the Congr... Read More]]> Sat, 16 Jan 2010 14:07:01 EST