WT – Editorials

Our Opinion: Black Hole Award shines sunlight on legislative secrecy

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With its business-friendly climate and relatively low cost of living, North Carolina often lands at or near the top of national lists ranking the best states for tech startups, young families and retirees. Lawmakers have earned the Tar Heel State another distinction, but it’s not one you’ll see touted on roadside billboards or visitor guides. The Society of Professional Journalists […]

Our Opinion: ‘Hold my beer,’ Congress dares with TikTok ban

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Thirteen members of North Carolina’s congressional delegation voted to block you from using TikTok unless its Chinese parent company agrees to a forced sale of the video-sharing app. Just one stood up for your right to engage with ideas on social media platforms the federal government distrusts or dislikes. Rep. Dan Bishop, a Waxhaw Republican representing the state’s 8th District, […]

Our Opinion: Elm City plays hide and seek with its auditors

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When it comes to government secrecy, withholding public records is bad enough. Withholding them from the contractor you’ve hired to review those records at taxpayer expense really takes the cake. Accounting firm Greg Isley, CPA, sent former state auditor Beth Wood as its emissary to Elm City when town commissioners held a special meeting last week. Wood now works for […]

Our Opinion: Legal hemp can’t stop car searches for marijuana

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The best-trained noses can’t tell the difference between legal hemp and illegal marijuana, but at least for now, the smell of cannabis still gives police a valid reason to search your car in North Carolina. A three-judge N.C. Court of Appeals panel upheld a Sampson County man’s drug convictions on Tuesday after he sought to suppress evidence seized in a […]

Our Opinion: On Election Day, Wilson’s voters show leadership

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THUMBS UP to all Wilson County voters participating in the 2024 primaries. Whether you took advantage of early voting or plan to cast your ballot at your precinct polling place today, we commend you for helping to decide which candidates will advance to November’s general election. Voters in the Republican primary can show support for former President Donald Trump or […]

Our Opinion: Budd backs bill to block folly of ‘digital dollars’

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North Carolina’s junior senator believes federal agents, IRS auditors and backroom bureaucrats have no business tracking the way you spend your money. Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., is throwing his weight behind legislation to prevent the Federal Reserve from issuing a central bank digital currency. Budd helped Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, introduce the CBDC Anti-Surveillance State Act on Monday. “As Americans […]

Our Opinion: Pitch in to pay off millions in medical debt for just $18K

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THUMBS UP to St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church for the Wilson congregation’s leadership in a regional fundraiser to forgive $4.5 million in eastern North Carolina residents’ medical debt. St. Timothy’s coordinated an interdenominational Easter Medical Debt Jubilee last May, with Wilson churches banding together to wipe out $5.6 million in debt, including more than $4.6 million accrued by Wilson County residents. […]

Our Opinion: Red light cameras face reckoning in state’s high court

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Can cities shortchange public schools to pay for traffic camera systems that shake down drivers for profit? We’ll find out once and for all when the North Carolina Supreme Court weighs in. Justices heard oral arguments Wednesday in Fearrington v. City of Greenville, a case that challenges Greenville’s red light camera scheme on constitutional grounds. In March 2022, a unanimous […]

Our Opinion: State, not federal, law needed to stop protest roadblocks

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The gridlock gripping Washington might serve as a timely reminder to tie up a loose end when state lawmakers return to Raleigh next month. U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis introduced the Safe and Open Streets Act, a bill that would establish a criminal offense for blocking public roads, in the closing days of the 118th Congress’ 2023 term. With most of […]

Our Opinion: ‘Historical charters’ could be an option for small towns

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If a sudden lack of sheriff’s deputies on daily patrol causes crime to spike, Elm City residents could find themselves echoing Tiffany Fragoso’s recommendation to resolve Lucama’s town hall drama. When conflicts between Lucama’s commissioners and newly minted mayor led Darlene Newsome to resign her post as town administrator last month, a frustrated Fragoso wondered whether her local government had […]

Our Opinion: Let’s boost Wilson voter turnout in March 5 primaries

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November ballots are likely to feature a rematch from 2020 at the top of the ticket. In next month’s primaries, Wilsonians can root for a repeat of 2016. Roughly a third of registered Wilson County voters cast primary ballots that year, with the 33.05% turnout total outpacing local participation in a 2020 nominating contest that recorded 27.83% turnout. Primaries traditionally […]

Our Opinion: Why can’t voters recall suspended Sharpsburg mayor?

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Robert Williams won the gavel fair and square, but after two drunken driving arrests in as many months, even the Sharpsburg mayor’s most ardent supporters might change their votes if given the chance. The Sharpsburg Board of Commissioners has effectively sidelined Williams, adopting a Jan. 4 resolution that temporarily transfers his duties to the mayor pro tempore. Unless Williams chooses […]

Our Opinion: Reentry 2030 effort helps ex-offenders turn over new leaf

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THUMBS UP to North Carolina’s participation in Reentry 2030, a nationwide effort to reduce recidivism and help ex-offenders successfully reintegrate into society through education, housing and health care services. Gov. Roy Cooper marshaled “whole-of-government coordination to improve reentry for formerly incarcerated people” on Jan. 29 with the signing of Executive Order No. 303. The order directs state agencies to begin […]

Our Opinion: Fontenot right to slam ‘ridiculous’ rate hike request

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Stunned. Flabbergasted. Flummoxed. Gobsmacked. Even these colorful synonyms for surprise fail to capture Rep. Ken Fontenot’s reaction to a proposed 42% rate hike for North Carolina homeowners. “It shocked the pants off of me,” Fontenot said, adding that many constituents have contacted him to express concern. “One of the things I want to assure people is that we will not […]

Our Opinion: Don’t mess with Texas on border, NC senators urge

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THUMBS UP to state Sen. Buck Newton and his colleagues in the Senate Republican Caucus for standing with Texas in a dispute with the federal government over border security. In a Friday letter, 29 GOP state senators called on President Joe Biden to “stop thwarting Texas from effectively guarding the southern border.” Under the Biden administration, U.S. Customs and Border […]

Our Opinion: Change engraving to preserve Wilson memorial fountain

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Is inherited wealth subject to an estate tax or the more nefarious-sounding death tax? As an old expression goes, one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter. Political operatives have long known the terminology we use to frame an issue can play an outsize role in shaping public opinion. The power of language appears largely responsible for efforts to remove […]

Our Opinion: Honor WWII ace by pitching in for veterans in need

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THUMBS UP to decorated World War II aviator James Boswell for using his 105th birthday as an opportunity to raise money for homeless and food-insecure veterans in Wilson County. First Christian Church is marking Boswell’s Feb. 2 birthday by holding a fundraiser for Veterans Residential Services of Wilson. Organizers hope community members will show their appreciation for his combat service […]

Our Opinion: NRA lawsuit places regulatory censors in court’s crosshairs

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Some gun owners are fond of saying Americans’ First Amendment rights rely on the Second Amendment for protection. A pending Supreme Court case could show that the premise also works in reverse order. Legal heavyweights are lining up to support the National Rifle Association in its lawsuit against Maria T. Vullo, former superintendent of the New York Department of Financial […]

Our Opinion: Prayer breakfast inspires Wilson to live King’s dream

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THUMBS UP to the MLK Jr. Commission of Wilson, whose members and guest speakers inspired community members to work toward fairness and unity during Monday’s Martin Luther King Jr. Ecumenical Prayer Breakfast. “Dr. Martin Luther King’s words resonate through the ages,” said Halifax County Schools Superintendent Eric Cunningham, who gave the keynote address. “His dream was no small feat. It […]

Our Opinion: Help with filing forms shouldn’t require law degree

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What should you tell the detective who invites you to the police station for an interview? Is the chance to clear your name worth risking a conviction at trial, or is it wiser to cut your losses and take a plea bargain? Would testifying in your own defense help or hurt your case? And what kind of courtroom clothing makes […]


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