A 17-year-old girl is charged with first-degree murder of a man found dead on Wednesday morn… Read more17-year-old girl accused of killing man
A Conetoe man was jailed under a $1 million secured bond on illegal-drug-related charges aft… Read moreConetoe man jailed under $1M bond after drug bust
The Edgecombe County Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing on the 2023-24 fiscal… Read moreEdgecombe board to hold public hearing on budget
Edgecombe County Deputy Karena Velasco was injured in a two-vehicle accident Wednesday in Tarboro. Read moreEdgecombe deputy injured in two-car crash
The City of Rocky Mount has gone to the first stage of a voluntary water conservation effort… Read moreCity asks residents to conserve water
A man was found dead inside a residence on Wednesday morning in Southeast Rocky Mount, and p… Read morePolice investigate after man, 57, found dead
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Editor’s Note: This is the fourth in a series of articles spotlighting high school athletes … Read moreRM's Williams to play basketball at Richard Bland
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The Southern Nash High School girls soccer team was rewarded for its Big East 2A/3A Conferen… Read moreALL BIG EAST SOCCER: Ladybirds garner two awards, six all-conference selections
Nash Central senior Nora Stroud is an example of the adage, “You get out of something what y… Read moreHard work results in state pole vault crown for NC's Stroud
North Carolina Republicans just passed a 12-week abortion ban, but their recent comments suggest this might just be a first step in a long-term plan. Read moreEditorial: Abortion ban might be first step for GOP
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has announced he's in.
He's running for president.
I caught DeSantis' remarks in Orlando at the annual meeting of the National Religious Broadcasters the day before he formally announced.
It was immediately clear that this is no ordinary politician.
It has been said that there are two types of people. Those who want to be someone and those who want to do something.
DeSantis is clearly that latter. And at age 44, he has already done a lot.
Yale baseball captain, Harvard Law School, Navy veteran — including serving in the war in Iraq —three-term U.S. congressman and two-term governor of Florida, the nation's third largest state in population and fourth largest in economy.
What immediately spoke to me, and probably most of the 4,000 Christian broadcasters in the room, was DeSantis started right off talking about bringing water from the Sea of Galilee in Israel to Florida to baptize his three children.
This is a man who stands firmly in cement regarding his view of the world in terms of right and wrong, and man's ability and responsibility to make the right choices.
His battle against woke culture is really a battle for freedom and against indoctrination.
And hence DeSantis' remarkable achievement of making school choice available practically throughout the whole state of Florida.
This puts parents in charge of their children's education — not politicians, bureaucrats or unions.
This defines real conservativism. You start with clarity about right and wrong and then give people freedom to live their life as they choose.
DeSantis' list of accomplishments as governor in many important areas is long. But the headliner is his bold and courageous move in opening his state's economy and schools during the pandemic, when most other states were still closed.
He has made the point that Disney, which has fought him in his battle against sexual indoctrination among youngsters in school, profited handsomely because they were able to operate their business in Florida during the pandemic while being forced to close in California.
It speaks much about the widespread unfortunate realities of many corporations today, which on the one hand profit from freedom and capitalism and at the same time promote policies that undermine that very freedom.
One line of criticism that has been aimed at DeSantis is that he is not charismatic and that, in the words of The Wall Street Journal, "He's a cultural brawler more than a likeable unifier." The Journal suggests he adopt a little of "Ronald Reagan's self-deprecating humor."
But DeSantis is a soldier, not a socialite, motivated, as was Reagan, to do what is right for the country. He is not going to reinvent himself based on alleged wisdom from political consultants about what voters want to see and hear.
More importantly, the leadership challenges today are even greater than those faced by Reagan. Our fiscal and cultural challenges are daunting.
Our national debt today is about 100% of GDP. When Reagan ran in 1980 it was less than 25%. Federal spending today is almost 25% of GDP. When Reagan ran it was 20.6%. The federal budget deficit now is 5.4% of GDP. In 1980 it was 2.6%.
As result of dramatic expansion of government, our economy today is growing around 2% per year, well below the historic rate over 3%.
As a result of the breakdown in traditional values and family, the country is aging. The percentage of Americans over 65 stood at 16.9 % in 2020, compared to 11.3% in 1980.
The birth rate of babies to unwed mothers is now 40%, compared to 18% in 1980.
If there is any hope in turning it all around, it's more important that our leadership is tough than jovial.
From what I have seen so far, Ron DeSantis has exactly what America needs in 2024.
Star Parker is president of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education and host of the weekly television show "Cure America with Star Parker." To find out more about Star Parker and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
COPYRIGHT 2023 CREATORS.COM
Last Updated: Tuesday, May 30, 2023 15:19:32 -0700 Read moreStar Parker: Ron DeSantis has real presidential firepower
In a perfect world — or even a really good one — there’s no doubt that the debt ceiling agreement President Biden struck with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy over the weekend would be a frustration and a disappointment. The agreement will inflict all manner of painful cuts to core public structures and services that are both essential to the nation’s wellbeing and eminently affordable for a country as large and wealthy as the United States. Americans have right to expect much, much better. Read moreRob Schofield: Biden makes best of impossible situation again
Here we go again.
A strong, prominent woman in the political arena comes under attack for being too strong, too ambitious, having too big a role in her spouse's campaign.
Sound familiar? Painfully so. Sexist? No question. Read moreSusan Estrich: Sexism still wrong, red or blue
“Summertime… and the living is easy. Fish are jumping and the cotton is high.” Anticipation of summer parties, cookouts and pool parties. Beach trips and lake trips, and our favorite, the Neuse River. My memories are thick with the good times of summer. That is the privilege of growing up White in the South. Read moreLib Campbell: Summertime memories tinged with racism
The French government just announced the implementation of a ban on flights between cities that are accessible by train within two and a half hours. Read moreRachel Marsden: European climate change rules are tyrannical
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No Rocky Mount business wants to lose sales because of an internet outage. Read moreJeremy Taylor: Failover internet should be key component of business strategy
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State AP Stories
Toyota will invest another $2.1 billion in an electric and hybrid vehicle battery factory that’s under construction near Greensboro, North Carolina. The plant will supply batteries to Toyota’s huge complex in Georgetown, Kentucky, which will build Toyota’s first U.S.-made electric vehicle, a new SUV with three rows of seats. The plans announced Wednesday won’t immediately create any more jobs at either factory. Toyota plans to have 2,100 employees at the battery factory. The investment will prepare infrastructure to expand for growth. Production is to start in 2025. It brings the total investment to $5.9 billion. The huge Kentucky complex now employs 9,500 people. The company says jobs will shift to the new electric vehicle when production starts in 2025.
The North Carolina General Assembly’s chief advocate for legalizing medical marijuana in the state has revealed how he smoked pot over 20 years ago to withstand intense chemotherapy during his fight with cancer. Sen. Bill Rabon of Brunswick County has previously described himself as a colon cancer survivor. But he had been reticent on details like whether he used marijuana until pitching his legislation on Tuesday to the House Health Committee. The measure passed the Senate three months ago. Rabon recalled how a physician told him to obtain marijuana when he sought a more aggressive form of treatment. Medical pot opponents say marijuana may cause harm to patients.
As the Supreme Court decides the fate of affirmative action, most people in the U.S. say the court should allow consideration of race as part of the admissions process. Yet few believe students’ race should play a significant role in those decisions. A poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds 63% say the Supreme Court should not stop colleges from considering race or ethnicity in their admission systems. The poll shows little divide along political or racial lines. People are more likely to say grades and standardized test scores should be significant factors. Lawsuits are challenging admissions systems at Harvard and the University of North Carolina.
Two North Carolina state House Republicans have lost their caucus leadership positions following recent comments directed at Democratic colleagues questioning their religion and educational attainment. A top House GOP leader announced on Thursday that Reps. Keith Kidwell and Jeff McNeely, who are both white, are no longer deputy majority whips after their resignations were sought by other GOP leaders. The Democrats who were the subject of the comments are both Black. McNeely took criticism during debate last week on legislation to expand the state’s private-school voucher system when he asked a question about a colleague's time at Harvard University. A television station reported that Kidwell disparaged a colleague's religion as she debated a bill restricting abortion.
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National & World AP Stories
Asian stock markets are following Wall Street higher ahead of an update on the U.S. jobs market. This comes after Federal Reserve officials reignited hopes they might skip another interest rate hike this month. Shanghai, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Seoul advanced Friday. Oil prices strengthened. Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index rallied 1% after data showed manufacturing and retail activity weakening following rate hikes to rein in surging inflation. That added to hopes the Fed might decide to postpone or scale back more planned increases. The U.S. Senate gave final legislative approval to raise the amount the government can borrow and avert a possible debt default.
Plans to demolish a partially collapsed six-story apartment building in Iowa could become more clear. Davenport Mayor Mike Matson says officials likely would announce Friday that a company would plan out a “very systematic approach” for the building after a section crumbled last weekend and left three tenants missing and feared dead. It’s a difficult task because officials have said the remains of the building have continued to shift, leaving an unstable building that eventually will collapse on its own. Adding to the challenge is a giant pile of brick and steel at the base of the building that is helping to hold up the structure but also may contain the remains of people killed in the collapse.
Arizona will not approve new housing construction on the fast-growing edges of metro Phoenix that rely on groundwater thanks to years of overuse and a multi-decade drought worsened by climate change. In a news conference Thursday, Gov. Katie Hobbs announced the pause on new construction that would affect some of the fastest-growing suburbs of the nation’s fifth-largest city. Driving the state’s decision was a projection that showed that over the next 100 years, demand for almost 5 million acre-feet of groundwater in metro Phoenix would be unmet without further action, Hobbs said. An acre-foot of water is roughly enough to serve two to three U.S. households per year.
Nikola Jokic got a triple-double in his NBA Finals debut, Jamal Murray scored 26 points and the Denver Nuggets had little trouble with the cold-shooting Miami Heat on the way to a 104-93 win in Game 1 of the title series on Thursday night. Jokic finished with 27 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds for the Nuggets, who waited 47 years to make the finals and didn’t disappoint. Aaron Gordon scored 16 and Michael Porter Jr. added 14 for Denver, which trailed for all of 34 seconds and eventually led by as many as 24. Bam Adebayo finished with 26 points and 13 rebounds for Miami, which shot 41 percent.
