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Columns

  • A grateful neighbor gives thanks for help after fire

    By Lin Ferrari

    Guest Columnist

    My name is Lin Ferrari and I’d like to take a moment to thank a lot of people. Some of you we know, and we thank you, but there are so many people who have helped my family and me who we do not know. You have all been so wonderful to us and such a blessing. Thank you so very much.

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  • The only drink I need this summer

    I realize there are more pressing concerns about what Brunswick County residents are drinking, but that is a topic for a different section of the paper.

    I have a beverage issue that has needed addressing for a good long time now. Since summer officially arrived June 21, it’s time to strike while the temperature is hot.

    Four summers in Brunswick County plus another four decades of living in the South haven’t swayed me on the merits of sweet tea. No matter how sweet or cold it is, there will always be the limitation that it is made of tea.

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  • Tale of unpleasant roundabout experience gives some readers pause

    Writing last week about my ugly experience June 2 at one of Brunswick County’s roundabouts generated some good response from readers — actually, a bit more than I expected, considering staff writers Laura Lewis and Brian Slattery each had written columns two years ago about roundabouts and how to maneuver through them. It looks like the subject still strikes a nerve.

    Lest anyone mistake my position, let me go on record saying I’m pro-roundabout.

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  • Give me a break, please — not the brakes

    Hello, again! I’m back from my week-long column hiatus, which was prompted by two reasons.

    1. I was recovering from a root canal — only my second ever, but on the same tooth, and it didn’t go as well as the first. I’ll leave it at that.

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  • Education lottery offers chance to ‘dream a little’

    By Alice Garland

    Guest Columnist

    Perhaps it’s a dream of doing something fun, learning to scuba dive or going to Disney World. Maybe it’s a desire to help someone, paying for a new kitchen for your mother or donating to a good cause. Or it could be giving someone the gift of education.

    Over and over again, when you talk to someone about why they play the lottery, they mention they have fun thinking about what they would do if they win. They talk about their dreams.

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  • On Campus with BCC: Celebrating the college’s best day of the year

    By Dr. Susanne Adams

    Guest Columnist

    Commencement ceremonies are community celebrations characterized by applause, whistles, hugs and flowers. Family, friends, teachers, and peers recognize milestone achievements of loved ones and honor outstanding accomplishments of select students, teachers and educational leaders.

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  • Ask me about my vacation scar

    During our last chat, right around Mother’s Day, I wrote about my dad and baseball.

    Because I believe in equal time, today I am writing about Mom, with a little more about baseball, but more about what she has had to put up with.

    The stories Mom gets included in, as you’ll soon find out, tend to end in bloodshed.

    Back in my not-so-Little League days, it was Mom who ran my sisters and me to all our practices and games.

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  • Kindness is an invaluable lesson for local students

    Last Thursday morning, May 25, I had the privilege of participating in the morning assembly at Jessie Mae Monroe Elementary School celebrating the completion of another successful Pet Education Program (PEP) by three classes of fourth-graders.

    The program is offered through Paws-Ability, a nonprofit that raises funds for animal causes and advocates for the humane treatment of animals in Brunswick County.

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  • Enough is enough

    By Walt Eccard

    Guest Columnist

    Once again, Brunswick County and the towns in Brunswick County face the prospect of a loss of significant revenue because of actions of the North Carolina legislature. The total loss projected for Brunswick County, the 19 municipalities in Brunswick County and the school system this year is about $2.6 million. Shallotte alone faces the loss of $130,000. Legislation that would take this money from Brunswick County has passed the North Carolina Senate and is pending action in the North Carolina House of Representatives.

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  • Holiday starts our tourist, heavy traffic season

    Tourist season is nearly upon us once more, unofficially kicking off with the Memorial Day holiday weekend. That means we’ll be seeing a lot more traffic on Brunswick County roads through the unofficial end of the season, Labor Day weekend in early September. AAA reported the top five driving destinations in the Carolinas are, in order, Myrtle Beach, S.C., Charlotte, Raleigh, Wilmington and Greenville, S.C.

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