A rare Christmas season snow began blanketing eastern North Carolina early this morning around 3:00 am, December 26, 2010, at this reporting station just north of Washington, North Carolina in the suburbs known as Mac'swood. The snow began with the air temperature at 35 degrees. By 9:00 am the air temperature had dropped to 32 degrees, with air temperatures for the day having a forecast high of 33 degrees.

The fine, wet snow, searching for a lower temperature, had little trouble sticking in this unusually cold December, which had already caused the ground to build a slight permafrost, mere inches deep. The forecast for the day is a high of 33 degrees and a low of 21 degrees tonight, the snow continuing by fluctuating between light to h... Read More

On December 26, 2010 Eastern North Carolina was treated to a rare Christmas Storm that was quite beautiful, and well worth the time to record in images. This story in pictures, here below is my second batch of this unusual; but most seasonal affair.

I begin with a continuation from the heavy, blowing snow of the previous day, December 26, 2010, as I made these images along the Pamlico River waterfront in Washington, NC. The snow encrusted John Havens Moss Mill: Above. The railway between the Pamlico River and Haven's Gardens: Below.

In Mac'swood at Hillside Drive and Camelia Drive, there is a plethora of Pyracantha bushes, many of them quite large: Above. I have quite a few in my yard, and they just about ripe enough to be eaten by ... Read More

For the first time in American history, gay, lesbian and bisexual service members can justifiably look forward to being able to openly serve in the United States Military, as soon as President Barack Obama signs today's successful bill repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," more formally known as Defense Directive 1304.26. This is a huge victory for Obama, who campaigned on the promise of repeal, as well as the LGBT community, putting them one step closer to equal rights.

Earlier this afternoon, the United States Senate voted 65-31 to pass the bill, with eight Republicans and two independents siding with 55 Democrats in favor of repeal. U.S. Senator Richard Burr, from North Carolina, was one of the eight Republicans who voted to repeal. The Un... Read More

Federal District (DC) Court Judge John Bates has dismissed the case of Laroque v. Holder, a case originating in Kinston, North Carolina. It may become a landmark Supreme Court decision and if so could have a major impact on Beaufort County's "limited voting" system and the Beaufort County School Board electoral system. Here's the background:

Laroque originated in Kinston where the people by popular vote voted by a 2:1 margin to replace their partisan city council electoral system with a non-partisan system. Because Lenoir County is a "covered jurisdiction" under the Voting Rights Act the change had to be approved by the U. S. Justice Department before it could be implemented. DOJ's Voting Rights Section denied pre-clearance. The denial was... Read More

It's settled. The Washington Daily News editorial team is better equipped for politics than a democratic election.

One month and 17 days after three incumbent commissioners overwhelmingly defeated three contenders for their seats on the Beaufort County board, and one incumbent commissioner gave an N.C. Senator a run for his money, the Daily News published an article with the questioning title "Has board lost public's trust," regarding the board's role in determining the future of the financially unstable Beaufort Regional Health Systems, in which writer Jonathan Clayborne definitively answered 'yes.'

In the Nov. 2 general election, Democratic incumbent Ed Booth and Republican incumbents Stan Deatherage and Al Klemm amassed 3,341, 3,9... Read More

Publisher's Note: Usually this category is reserved for folks who want to get something off the their chest. Well this day, the Publisher wises to tender a few thoughts to his readership so we will, in turn, reverse roles, and this time the column will be: Words from the Publisher. To that effect, we beg your indulgence.

My response to the Doctor's allegations, which were published in the Beaufort Observer on October 15, 2010, is below these comments. The Doctor's allegation is below my response. If Beaufort County's Medical Community wishes for the Beaufort County Commissioners to listen to them, they have a divergent way of expressing it.

As one might agree, Dr. Tom Penders has a strange way of winning friends and influencing peop... Read More

"David is 11 years old. He weighs 60 pounds. He is 4 feet, 6 inches tall. He has brown hair. His love is real. But he is not."

Artificial Intelligence is possibly the most misunderstood, underappreciated movie of all time. The late-Stanley Kubrick/Steven Spielberg hybrid feels whole, where their other independent cinematic creations are lacking. The collaboration of these iconic directors resulted in a complete conversation on human existence, where science and faith, depravity and innocence, thought and emotion, all have their place. Many critics and viewers expressed discomfort at what they mistook as dueling, rather than dynamic, perspectives. The feeling is both "Clockwork Orange" and "E.T."; "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "Schindler'... Read More

For Immediate Release

April's recent main stage performance in the Opening Ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver confirms her status as one of Canada's virtuoso fiddlers, and the Turnage Theater is proud to bring her to their stage on Friday, January 14th at 8pm.

When you see April Verch perform, the first thing that strikes you is the pure energy that infuses her fiddle playing and step dancing. When you listen to her though, what draws you in are more subtle things--her pure voice, the finely detailed elegance of her fiddle phrasing and the depth of a repertoire that ranges through material from bluegrass to Brazilian to Celtic, from a jaunty Canadian folksong to a poignant contemporary ballad.

April was born, rais... Read More

The Lifestyles Medical Fitness Center Annual Road Race was a huge success, with over 200 runners and walkers crossing the finish line of the 5-kilomenter, 3.1-mile race on Oct. 23.

The Road Race was presented by PotashCorp, First South Bank and Birdsong Orthopedic Group.

A young runner is cheered on as he crosses the finish line at the Lifestyles Medical Fitness Center Annual Road Race in Washington.

"Our race sponsors and participants play a major role in helping us fulfill our commitment to fund wellness scholarships, and this was the largest race in its history of 11 years," said Lifestyles Medical Fitness Center Manager Judy Van Dorp.

Proceeds from the event will fund wellness scholarships for Lifestyles memberships, available t... Read More

With each meal, I am more and more convinced that happy eating is healthy eating. The stress produced by keeping to a strict, joyless diet is more damaging to your body, from my experience, than eating, say, fats or carbs every once in a while. A burger and fries may sound like an invitation to obesity or a heart attack; but not eating a burger and fries is a definite summons to every illness for which stress is listed as a causing factor.

Perhaps the thought of ingesting calories, however, stresses you out more than avoiding them. But there are ways--yes, there are ways--to eat a guilt-free burger and fries. One trick is to add green, such as a sprinkle of fresh parsley, where there would normally only be starchy white. The color green te... Read More

It's that magical time of year again when the Darwin Awards are bestowed, honoring the least evolved among us. Here is the glorious winner for 2010:

1. When his 38 caliber revolver failed to fire at his intended victim during a hold-up in Long Beach, California, would-be robber James Elliot did something that can only inspire wonder. He peered down the barrel and tried the trigger again. This time it worked.

And now, the honorable mentions:

2. The chef at a hotel in Switzerland lost a finger in a meat cutting machine and after a little shopping around, submitted a claim to his insurance company. The company expecting negligence sent out one of its men to have a look for himself. He tried the machine and he also lost a finger. The chef's ... Read More

The many birds, some Gulls and Pelicans, that inhabit these sandy islands just east of the ferry route: Above and below.

Along the waterfront in Southport, one sees a plethora of activity: the even longer Bald Head Island Ferry - above - the laughter of a small child feeding the Sea Gulls -below.

Along the waterfront streets of Southport, North Carolina, one can find a these public places on the water - this one with a dock: Above. Many beautiful homes stand upon the edge of these waterfront streets: Below.

This pretty little town, with its scenic streets and its lovely water resource, must be a a wonderful place to live: Above and below.

Near the middle of the town of Southport is the Smithfield Burying Ground. This nearl... Read More

An unexpected improvement in employment has led to a solid increase in home sales in Beaufort County this November. The number of residential properties sold in Beaufort County had been in decline for three straight months, going from 33 units sold in August, to 13 in September, to 12 in October. Last month, I illustrated this drop by providing a snapshot of the Washington market, with 19 residential sales in August, nine in September and just five in October.

Already this November, according to the National Association of Realtors Residential Sold Report, 12 homes have been sold countywide, nine of those in Washington. This upsurge comes two months after the Beaufort County unemployment rate improved from 10.5 percent in August to 9.9 pe... Read More

First of a three-part series

We were treated last week to yet another example of bad reporting. This time by Emery P. Dalesio of the Associated Press who wrote a story headlined: Court: Suspended N. C. students can go unschooled. It was a story on the NC Supreme Court's rulings in two cases that came from Beaufort County. For that reason, we presume, the Washington Daily News gobbled up the flimsy reporting and ran it virtually unedited.

You can read the AP story by clicking here.

When we asked a couple of friends who read the AP story what they got out of it we confirmed our suspicions: It was all wrong.

Most people would conclude after reading the AP report that the students lost their case. Just the opposite happened.

The students... Read More

Publisher's Note: We do very much appreciate this fine article on the BRHS debacle from our friends of the Beaufort Observer.

Beaufort County Medical Center

As we enter the short rows in the Hospital debate, one of the things we've been asked about and keep hearing some people talk about is how much better the quality of health care will be with one provider than another. In the interest of informed community debate we have done some research on the question of how the quality of medical care compares between Beaufort County Medical Center (Beaufort), University Health Systems (UHS), including Pitt Memorial and Community Health System's (CHS) hospitals. We gathered our data from the full proposals originally submitted by both UHS and C... Read More

To be a silly dilly
would be so much fun!
If i could be one

To laugh 'till I cry
not caring if i look silly

To do the impulsive thing
To have a grand old fling

My heart would soar
if I could be a silly dilly once more!

This article provided courtesy of our sister site: Beaufort County Now... Read More