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Today's Opinions

  • Smart Start thankful for gardening help

    To the editor:
    Smart Start of Brunswick County has been fortunate to receive several grants in support of its Just Watch It Grow project.
    This project allows Smart Start to purchase gardening equipment, materials and plants for participating childcare centers.
    Currently, Smart Start has eight centers involved in this special project that promotes healthy eating and has relied on Lowe’s Home Improvement in Shallotte for assistance with purchases and deliveries.

  • Re-start the death penalty but only when there’s proof

    By Sarah Sue Ingram
    Interim Editor

  • Make saving a life your last and lasting act

    Gov. Pat McCrory has proclaimed April as Organ Donation Awareness Month in North Carolina, encouraging all citizens to consider the many organ-donation needs throughout the state.
    “According to Carolina Donor Services (CDS), more than 3,546 North Carolinians are waiting for organ transplants, and an average of 18 people die each day due to the severe shortage of donated organs,” McCrory said.
    Eighteen people a day. That’s an alarming number.
    In the future, one of those 18 could be somebody you know. Or love.

  • Need help with spring de-cluttering? Call a Marine

    My Marine son thinks I should keep things simple.

    “I don’t need a lot of material possessions,” Sgt. Alex once remarked during a visit to my coastal cottage filled to the gills with too much stuff.

    This remark came from a mature young man who, as a boy, had constant visions of owning his own TV and video games, FAO Schwarz and Discovery Channel stores, etc., etc., etc. I don’t know where he got that from.

  • The secret to Lawing’s success: Scheduling before instead of after

    I knew County Manager Marty Lawing was a goner the moment I heard his new employers, the Guilford County Board of Commissioners, voted at 1 a.m. to offer him their county manager job.

    Now, I’m not from Guilford County, I’ve never covered Guilford County government, I don’t personally know anyone on the Guilford County board or anyone at all from Guilford County, so I’m going on a gut feeling here.

  • Departing manager did good things for Brunswick County

    Marty Lawing is like vanilla ice cream—not spicy but very reliable.
    Lawing, who has been county manager for Brunswick County for the past 12 years, just accepted a position as manager of Guilford County.
    Brunswick County commissioners who hired Lawing were David Sandifer, May Moore, Tom Rabon, Don Warren and Bill Sue.

  • Spay-a-Stray offsets costs to society

    To the editor:
    Paws-Ability funded the recent Spay-a-Stray program in Brunswick County. This program provided free surgeries to spay or neuter cats in Brunswick County brought in by proactive citizens who are interested in reducing the number of unwanted cats in the community.   
    This program spayed 111 female cats, all pregnant, and 37 males. We prevented 444 kittens from being born in a single breeding cycle. Female cats breed
    three times per year in this area. In one week, we halted the birth of 1,332 cats this year alone.

  • Unwelcome event

    To the editor:
    We just relocated to the area at the beginning of December 2012.
    We have found most people to be friendly, helpful and indeed welcoming in Brunswick and New Hanover counties; however, we received a new kind of welcome this morning.
    The car’s front passenger window was totally broken with a hatchet sitting between the front seats. Not what I expected of “Southern hospitality.”
    If you or anyone you know is missing a hatchet, it is with the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office.
    Debby Warren
    Leland