Dangerous mixture Each year in the United States, there are about 26,000 deaths that are related to gun violence. That is about twice the number of people who die on our nation’s highways in accidents that involve someone driving while drunk. Both numbers, thankfully, have been on the decline in recent years.
But that still adds up to about 40,000 deaths in this country a year — or enough people to populate two towns the size of Lumberton. That is a lot of s...
Healthy persuit
If at first you don’t succeed, try again.
That’s what officials at Robeson Community College are doing as they will make another run at establishing a licensed practical nursing program on that campus. Currently, RCC offers two nursing programs, one for nursing assistants, and an associates program for registered nurses, so the establishment of a licensed practical nursing program would fill in the missing link.
RCC is proposing a y...
Swetting it out
When members of the Lumbee Tribe went to the polls to elect Purnell Swett as tribal chairman, theirs was not a blind ballot. Swett’s resume, a bit of a mixed bag, had been in bold print for years.
Swett had in the credit column a lifetime of achievement, both in the public and private sectors. He had made a heavy footprint on education in Robeson County, working as superintendent of the old county school system to bring in millions of ...
Sports made safer Parents of athletes at our county’s six public high schools should find comfort in an agreement reached this week between the Public Schools of Robeson County and Southeastern Regional Medical Center.
The school board on Tuesday night agreed to contract with the medical center to provide athletic trainers for some practices and athletic contests at the high schools, bringing a level of medical expertise onto campus for those events not seen...
A good match This week’s news that someone has been charged with the 3-year-old murder of Willie Christie, a popular custodian at Fairmont Middle School, should bring smiles — and relief — to that tight-knit community. Since Christie’s brutal slaying in May 2008, Fairmont residents couldn’t help but wonder if the murderer were still walking among them — and if he would strike again.
Now they can confidently set aside that worry.
The man accused was livin...
Budget crunch The county Board of Commissioners will soon begin what will be a difficult task of crafting the budget for the fiscal year that begins on July 1. But this year, presumably, discussions will be different, with the tail wagging the dog instead of the other way around.
If the commissioners are true to their word, the tax rate for next year has already been established at 77 cents for every $100 of property — a drop of 2 cents from the current ...
1,100 solutions If you continue reading today’s Our View out of a desire to learn more about a company that is considering Robeson County as a home for a $100 million investment and 1,100 new jobs, you will be disappointed.
We dug as deep as we could, but hit rock right below the surface. We know no more now than we did when we put together a story that was published on Saturday.
Two regional newspapers first reported on “Project Top Drawer” after Columbus C...
State of
confusion The state by now had hoped to redirect money that is being deposited into video games across the state to the education lottery, but so far the state law to ban Internet cafes has been a crooked arrow — and the games go on.
The state’s interest is urgent: The General Assembly, when it returns in January, is facing a shortfall of as much as $3.2 billion — about 15 percent of the total budget — and education, which consumes almost half the spend...
The GOP gets a grip A true story:
Many years ago, an elderly woman who appeared to be disoriented was being evaluated by a local physician. He asked her a series of questions to determine her lucidity. One question was whether or not she was planning on voting in a pending election.
“Of course,’’ the woman said incredulously. “I always vote.”
A president was to be elected, so the doctor asked the woman to name the two candidates.
“Oh, I don’t know their names,’’ ...
Against the grain The state ABC Commission, when announcing this week that 95 percent pure grain alcohol would no longer be offered for consumption in ABC stores, had to add this exception: Customers who use the alcohol as an industrial solvent can still special order it from the state provided it’s paid for in advance.
That’s right, grain alcohol, the same that is consumed by humans, has an alternative use as an industrial solvent. Does that sound like somethi...
Sorry ending Members of the county Board of Commissioners insist that it was Ken Windley’s decision to leave as county manager, and that he was not told to resign or be terminated.
Windley is saying all the right things publicly, understanding that his desire to become executive director of COMtech depends on his willingness to hold his tongue. But he did tell The Robesonian this: “The biggest problem I have is relationships you build up and friends you ma...
Girl power History was made Monday night when the Public Schools of Robeson County elected two women — Loistine DeFreece and Jo Ann Lowery — to the board’s leadership positions.
“Thank you for your vote of confidence, and it’s wonderful to have two women in charge,” DeFreece said after she was elected chairman. Lowery will serve as vice chairman and — if tradition holds — will be elevated next year to the chairman’s seat.
Severeo Kerns made the motion to...
Big one gets away Here’s a fish story — and it’s true.
Last week Andy Thomossan, fishing aboard the Citation captained by Eric Holmes, caught an 883-pound blue marlin, and his timing could not have been better, as he hooked the record-setting fish while competing in the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament that is based in Morehead City. The mammoth fish was 52 pounds heavier than any blue marlin ever landed in the tournament’s 52-year history, and more than double ...
NASA interns praise RCC for opening door to a new future To the Editor,
Over the course of the past few weeks, we have been preparing for our summer internships at NASA Kennedy Space Center. We have been receiving countless congratulations and praise. We are really looking forward to this experience to make our family at Robeson Community College proud.
It has been a pleasure to be students here at Robeson Community College. The instructors have introduced us to a world that has opened our eyes for...
Good no call
The best decision made by City Council on Monday was probably a no decision.
The council debated, sometimes heatedly but mostly confusedly, a businessman’s request for a conditional-use permit that would have allowed him to put a thrift shop in South Lumberton.
John Cantey, the Precinct 5 representative who has taken on the cape of crime-fighter, led the prosecution, saying that the permit, if approved, could clear a path for loitering, drug...
