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Columns

  • What can you do? More than you think

    Thirty-four children in North Carolina died as a result of child abuse in 2006.

    That’s not just a statistic. That’s 34 people who will never go to high school, go on a first date, get married or have children of their own—34 souls that came into the world pure and full of promise for the future and who never had a chance.

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  • A lesson about how to prevent a police scandal

    At 5 a.m. on a Monday morning in an FBI field office, there was a loud knock on the front door. The young night clerk on duty inside inquired

    “Good Morning, sir. May I help you?” The serious-looking man dressed in a business suit and trench coat identified himself as the No. 1 inspector from FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C., accompanied then and there by 10 other inspectors.

    All were admitted with their heavy briefcases, and they set to work immediately.

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  • The need for a new Oak Island bridge becomes all too clear

    Last Wednesday, I backed out of my driveway on Oak Island and drove toward N.C. 211 to make the daily commute to Shallotte.

    As I crossed the Oak Island Bridge, my phone rang. It was a colleague calling to warn me about an accident on N.C. 211. A tanker had overturned spilling its contents over the roadway.

    Because Hazmat teams were already hard at work cleaning it up, I only expected a slight delay.

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  • Transportation one of our biggest state issues

    Sitting in traffic Tuesday morning waiting for the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge to lower so I could get moving, I was mulling over column ideas.

    I was listening to parents call and complain about the failing public schools system in North Carolina on local talk radio. But I didn’t feel like writing about the school system.

    As traffic finally began moving again, I was still searching the inner corners of my brain for an idea. My goal was to have my column all but written by the time I arrived at work. If only I could find the inspiration I needed, I would be set.

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  • Finding kindness more difficult in crueler world

    Is it me, or is the world getting meaner?

    I mean, I don’t mean I’M getting meaner—although my mall-shopping, cell-phone-gabbin’ teenager may beg to differ. But a lot of other people in our community and world seem to be—getting meaner, I mean.

    All you have to do is scan through some of the local crime reports from this past week to start wondering what’s up:

    Assault in Shallotte—Bubba Joe conked Willie Earl on the head with a beer bottle, and there’s a good chance alcohol was involved. Nice.

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  • Tax time a headache even for those who think ahead

    April 15 has now come and gone, but even though I filed my taxes well in advance of the deadline, it caused me more pain and anguish than I thought possible.

    Not being any kind of math genius or finance guru, I decided to take my taxes to a local professional this year. I chose a nationally known tax service, thinking it might cost a little bit but it’d be easy and hassle-free.

    During the past year, I spent time working in both Kentucky and North Carolina, so I had two sets of W2s.

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  • Providing assistance to those in need is compassion, not socialism

    Believing in needed government assistance doesn’t make a person a socialist.

    There is a consensus among many Americans that a person is a socialist or has socialist ideas when there is mention of government help for a person or a family who truly needs financial assistance.

    A major illness or a prolonged loss of employment has the potential of forcing high-income, well-educated, super religious, ultra liberal—and even my fellow conservatives—to seek assistance from the government or other agencies when survival is at stake.

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  • A special day to honor a special man

    Longtime Shallotte residents and town officials want to honor one of their own.

    The mayor and board of alderman have proclaimed May 2 “Jerry Jones Day” in Shallotte in honor of former alderman and mayor Jerry Jones, who also served as a Brunswick County commissioner for six years.

    In fact, Jones was the board chairman when I arrived at the Beacon.

    More recently, he came back to his “roots” by serving as alderman again until, due to health concerns, he decided not to seek re-election last year.His service will not soon be forgotten.

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  • Uncertainties can affect trust in law enforcement officers

    When you’re a victim of a crime, and you feel the investigation into it hasn’t been handled at its best, it can make it difficult to fully trust law enforcement.

    After a college student who had been drinking killed my mother, I had more questions than answers about the investigation.

    Although I had spent years as a journalist building relationships with law enforcement officers, when I was suddenly thrust on the other side of things, distinct lines of trust blurred.

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  • Future fisherman begins adventures with outdoorsy family

    Last week I came home from work, and my dad was excited. He wanted to tell me that Levi, my 5-month-old son, picked up a fishing rod for the first time.

    When I was about six months pregnant, my dad went out and bought two little tiny fishing rods, one with a spinning reel and bait casting reel. He was so proud Levi chose the bait cast reel, unlike his mom who prefers the spinning reel.

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