Independent Register Blog

We've moved (and relaunched)

2008-08-08T15:50:00.002-04:00

Check out the new combination Independent Register Web site and blog at www.indieregister.com. (Also at http://indieregister.wordpress.com)

The new site will be updated much more frequently than this one, so please check it out.

Education Rant II

2008-02-22T16:11:00.001-05:00

According to Earl Taylor with Onslow County (NC) schools, "...a high school diploma [is] the minimum that is required to be successful in life."

I couldn't disagree with him more.

That statement is what the Establishment wants you to believe. Formal Education is severly over-rated. Time and time again, I hear that you have to have a four-year college degree to get anywhere. That too is an exaggeration.

In high school, and even collge...depending on your "track"...what do you really learn? Mostly useless, trivial tripe that you will probably never use except to recall on a test...or if you happen to be a contestant on a game show.

Unfortunatly, I do realize that part of Taylor's statement does have an element of truth. To get most jobs that pay enough to live off of, you do have to have at least a high school diploma.
But, it isn't the determination of success. To be successful in life, you need ambition. I'm not saying education isn't important...just not formal, state-run education where beauracrats sitting at a desk decide what is important for you to learn.

To paraphrase the great Mark Twain, I never let schooling interfere with my education.

To be successful in life also depends on your defininition of the word success.

You could be successful by getting a high-paying job and climb up the corporate ladder. Or you could, by your own cleverness and/or blood, sweat and tears make your own success.

One thing that formal education fails to teach...is life. When a student gets out in to the "real world," that's when the real education begins.

My imersion into the "real world" came full force in November 2006 when I decided to move in with and support my girlfriend and her five-year-old daughter...now my wife and seven-year-old stepdaughter.

Money and time management skills are probably two of the most needed, non-labor intensive skills.

Maintainence skills are also good to have...especially when you live paycheck to paycheck and can't afford to pay someone to take care of problems for you. Luckily my dad has been there for us in times of need. However, I regret not trying to learn how to do a lot of things he does when I was younger. I'm trying to now because I realize he's not going to be around and able forever.
Keep learning, just don't buy into the Establishment's hype about the importance of formal education to success in life.

Carolina coast revels in real estate growth

2007-10-24T09:05:00.000-04:00

By William R. Toler

The waters that surround eastern North Carolina’s coastal region are reflecting more than cypress trees.

Condominiums and single-family homes are rising on the inland waterfronts of tiny towns throughout the Inner Banks. The coastal hamlets, once home to family fisheries, are giving way to condo communities and modern marinas.

In the past, these areas have been relying on commercial fishing — one of the state’s oldest industries — for the stability of the economy. But with that way of life threatened by what the N.C. Fisheries Association calls “increasingly stringent, unrealistic and ineffective regulations,” county and town leaders see the boom as a boon.

“We have tremendous growth opportunities,” Bob Spivey, mayor of Windsor, told Carolina Business. “I expect our waterfront areas to explode in the next four to five years. That will expand our tax base and create new business opportunities.”

Real estate developers discover inland waterways

Real estate developers are using the historic charm along with the waterfront and other natural wonders of the region to lure in prospective homebuyers. Inland creeks meander through the state’s coastal area providing waterfront alternatives, yet access, to the rivers, sounds and the Intracoastal Waterway.

“We’re seeing a trend in North Carolina toward inland waterway development,” says Dave Wood of Boomer Advertising, a real estate marketing firm. “People are looking for the waterfront American dream, and the Inner Banks and inland waterways offer an affordable alternative to the beachfront.”

PrivateCommunities.com, a real estate Web site, lists 27 new communities along North Carolina’s coast. In addition to those listed on the site, there are numerous others catering to boaters, nature lovers and those just looking for a slower, quieter pace and a warmer climate.

One of those communities is Swan Quarter Landing. Not yet built, the 45-home condominium community is a first-timer for developer Don Faulkner. He told the magazine NCboatinglifestyle that those interested have been attracted by the small-town atmosphere.

“I was talking with a guy from California recently, and he said that one of the major attractions of Swan Quarter Landing is the ambiance of the village at Swan Quarter,” he said. Swan Quarter is a working fishing village with fewer than 1,000 residents located in Hyde County.

The community’s location is also a big draw, according to Faulkner. Four national wildlife refuges, including Lake Mattamuskeet National Wildlife refuge, occupy the surrounding county. Less than a mile away from the community is a ferry that traverses the Pamlico Sound to Ocracoke, the number one beach in America, according to the 2007 list from Dr. Beach.

“There are a lot of people who ride their bikes to the ferry, spend the day at Ocracoke and then ride their bikes back home,” Faulkner told the magazine. “It’s sort of like having Outer Banks access without the high price tag of waterfront property.”

Baby boomers have Carolina on their mind

The National Active Retirement Association announced in August that North Carolina will “become the number one retirement state over the next 10 or so years,” according to Dan Owens, president of NARA.

The projection comes from a study commissioned by Del Webb, the national leader in developing communities for 55-plus consumers. It showed that the Tar Heel State ranked third, behind Florida and Arizona, as a top retirement destination of baby boomers between the ages of 41 and 69.

Owens added that with huge numbers of people turning 50 each year, the survey results portend a dramatic expansion in the number of older adults living in the state. “This trend is the ‘silent growth engine’ in the Southeast and will continue over the next 25 years. Certainly, North Carolina is in the catbird seat...the trends will increasingly favor the state and help fuel the real estate market.”

With the forecast of a bevy of baby boomers beckoning, the number of projects along the state’s inner banks continues to grow. The News & Observer reported, “Nearly 100 subdivisions and condominium projects with more than 34,000 homes are planned or have just begun to be built... Others are certain to follow as baby boomers retire and head for the water.”

Sources:
Many see urgency of saving state's 'inner coast'
Forum brings foes together
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/growth/inner_coast/story/447538.html
Jay Price
June 6, 2007 News & Observer

Don Faulkner Creates a Waterfront Paradise in Swan Quarter
Cindy Hodnett
July 2007 Volume 5, Issue 7
NCboatinglifestyle

A New Face on the South
Retiree In-Migration Is Becoming an Economic Sweepstakes
http://www.retirementlivingnews.com/rankings.html

www.privatecommunities.com

Bertie County Creates A Healthy Economic Future
A Proactive Approach To Economic Adversity
http://www.carolinabusiness.net/index.php?articles=6
Kay Hubbard Carolina Business

Is this any way to run a business?
Reprinted with permission from Fishnet USA
By Nils Stolpe - 10/1/2007
http://www.ncfish.org/article.asp?id=194

education rant

2006-12-07T12:31:00.000-05:00

The North Carolina State Board of Education and the Department of Public Instruction are trying to push through a “Core Course of Study” that would “require all students to enroll in the University/College Preparatory or College Technical Preparation course of study except those determined by a professional review team to be better served through participation in another pathway,” according to Wandra Polk, director of the division of secondary education for the DPI.

The new rigorous course of study will also include a fourth math requirement higher than Algebra 2 and two units of a foreign language.

Hey, as long as you’re adding core requirements, add another social science, like geography so kids can find Moldova on a map. And why not require four units of physical education to help wipe out the obesity problem?

And why require a foreign language? I failed French, forgot Spanish and German and some say I struggle with English.

For once, I agree with Dr. Jeff Moss, superintendent for Beaufort County Schools, who said he and other educators across the state want the SBE and the DPI to “slow the train down a little bit.”

I was never the smartest kid in class. But I’m not the village idiot either. I never went to a four-year university, mainly because I couldn’t afford it. I did, however, go to a community college...albeit for seven years. I wouldn’t trade those seven years for four at a university. Well, maybe a full-ride at UNC-Chapel Hill. I’m just not cut out for a university, just like a lot of other students.

Isn't high school supposed to be a time of exploration. Some people don't know what they want to do when they go or get out of college. I suppose this is supposed to help that. But by not having a chance to explore multiple options, aren't students being made to decide early and pick a path for what they think they want to do when they're 14?

Why nail down students to a particular "track" and not let them have the academic freedom to choose what classes they want to take?

All through my educational career, I’ve never stuck to a track. In high school, I explored. I took classes that seemed interesting, with the thought, maybe I can find something I want to do. I spent four years in Junior ROTC, but didn’t go into the military. Why? Not for me.

But, my career path, unbeknownst to me, began to take shape. I served as squadron photographer and two positions in public affairs. I also took a graphics class in high school.

In college, I became interested in video production and other forms of communication.

Since then I have interned on a year-long television show, helped start two newspapers, worked on several independent movies and even dabbled a bit in radio...all without a college degree in communication or high school training. Heck, no journalism training either...just a public relations course, and a few desktop publishing classes for my marketing degree. But before I graduated high school, I wouldn’t have even imagined doing all of that by age 25.

I believe if you have and take the time and opportunity to explore your options, you’ll wind up where you want to be.

Letter to the Editor

2006-10-25T10:25:00.000-04:00

Editor:

Most NC voters will go to the polls this year thinking that they will have an
opportunity to choose who will represent them in the NC legislature. However,
53% of the NC House districts and 43% of the NC Senate will be running
unopposed. The NC Board of Elections will throw away any attempt to cast a write
in vote against these privileged candidates.

Half of the NC legislature is chosen before the voters see their ballots. It may
come as no surprise to those who know or care that laws which prevent a third/
fourth party from being on the ballot is passed by - the NC legislature itself.
In 2006 the legislature voted to retain ballot access laws, even to making it
more burdensome, accepting the argument that if the requirements were loosened
it would lead to a “crowded” ballot.

The people of NC have been living with this no-newcomers-welcome system for
years. You should be disgusted; some of us are not surprised. As individuals,
the disenfranchised voters will be disappointed that they have no alternatives
for particular races and in some the same people.

Most citizens of this state do not and will not realize, half of the ballots
contain no choice or only two choices in the NC Senate and House. You might
think that this story would warrant some coverage by the mainstream media. But
that happens only rarely.

Again: half of the NC legislature will have no opponents; others will have the
usual two on the ballot because the NC legislature does not want the ballot to
become “crowded”.

For those “lucky” legislators, it is not an election, but merely a coronation.
We, the voters, need more choices on election day.

Richard C. Evey,
Havelock, NC

Health Care

2006-10-11T15:31:00.000-04:00

It probably comes to no surprise to people across the country as to how messed up the health care system in this country is.
Health care should be afforded to all; but all can’t afford health care.
One reason, some say, medical costs are so high is because of our sue-happy society. Doctors have to carry so much malpractice insurance that it raises the cost of a simple visit; God forbid you get diagnosed with anything.
Another reason for rising costs are the technological advances that have been made. Medical machines are pretty pricey, so the overhead needs to be cleared.
Let’s go back to insurance. Can a person, working for less than $10 an hour, really afford to see a doctor? Not really. Not unless you have health insurance. If you don’t have insurance, you’re pretty much SOL. Sure you can get it (health insurance) on your own, but if you’re making less than $10 an hour and living by yourself, or trying to support a family, you can barely make ends meet...if you can even do that.
I’m not a communist, or a hippie, but I support the idea of socialized health care, similar to our northern neighbors in Canada. Having said (or rather written) that, I realize that there is about as much chance of that type of system in America as there is for Jerry Falwell to spend a weekend “hanging out” with Hugh Heffner.
If this country were to immediately switch to a socialized health care system, thousands of insurance agents would be out of work, adding to the unemployment rate. But, if they got sick, they could go to the doctor.
The Medicaid system is a good program that is in place to assist those who can’t afford health care. But just like any other government program, there are many who abuse the system and make it hard for the people that really need it. I truly think that I would be denied. I am a 25-year-old, white male with a job that pays more than minimum wage. If I wasn’t currently living with my parents, I would be barely scraping by. There is no probable way that I could afford to see a doctor with the price of services.
Switching subjects slightly: I have recently come to the conclusion that most doctors are nothing more than drug pushers. And that problem is creating a nation of pharmaceutical slaves. Can conditions be so much worse now than they were 20 years ago that we need a drug for everything? Of course, everything now is a disease, disorder or some other medical condition with a nice little “happy pill” to go along with it.
To quote Forrest Gump, “I’m not a smart man,” but I know there is a problem. So do many more Americans. At this time, I can’t offer any suggestions to fix the problem, but admitting it is the first step. Once this country admits the problem united, then maybe we can see a change.

OK, we mean it this time, I think

2006-09-06T12:22:00.000-04:00

It's not that we haven't been trying.

Rather, we've encountered numerous roadblocks in our efforts to revive the Independent Register as an online newspaper. One volunteer Web designer petered out, the second made a complete Web site but thus far has been unable to upload it to our indieregister.com domain.

But Register co-founder, sports editor and all-around nice guy Eric Voliva has agreed to reprise his role as webmaster. He and I will get to work on bringing the Web site back -- with weekly news, sports and features updates.

The new Register won't be the same as our dearly departed print edition, but look on the bright side: You won't get any newsprint ink on your hands.

Web site slowly creaks back to life

2006-05-24T23:25:00.000-04:00

It's been neglected since January, and as of this writing, it's been replaced with a hokey "Under Construction" page.

But rest assured, the Independent Register Web site, www.indieregister.com, will be back online with a new look and a complete archive of the newspaper's nine print editions.

I've been planning the Web relaunch for about two months and, after attempts to learn Macromedia Dreamweaver and Microsoft FrontPage on the fly (that evil paperclip from Office makes a startling return), I finally decided to seek professional help.

And that's no euphemism for therapy. Someone who actually knows what she's doing is bringing my PageMaker designs to life and uploading them to the Internet.

So, if you're visiting this page again to see if we'd resurfaced, please check back soon.

As Mark Twain once said, the reports of our death have been greatly exaggerated.

Instructors should limit conferences

2006-05-12T12:25:00.000-04:00

This may seem a bit personal, but it affects others as well.

College instructors should be limited on the amount of conferences they are allowed to attend per semester.

Sure they pick up ideas, learn new techniques and learn about developments in the ever-changing world of education...but these conferences shouldn't interfere with the education of the students.

I have heard students complain before about this problem, and recently I too have become victim to a wandering instructor...the same one I might add.

Nothing personal about the instructor, I think he/she is a great person. But by being gone -- what seems like every other week -- how is the instructor expected to instruct?

One thing I'm not clear on:
Is it the instructors' choice to attend so many conferences, or is the institution requiring professors to leave their students for a week...several times in one semester?

My soloution:
Limit instructors to one conference per semester.

The value of the information brought back cannot equal the success of a student trying to improve their own life.

Closing the door is an eye-opening experience

2006-02-23T13:04:00.000-05:00

Dust collects in the corners and lines the walls where the tackstrip still evidences long-removed carpet. The walls are bare, and they wheeze through nail holes and pinpricks where photos once hung, breathing sorrow, groaning.

Few vestiges of the home’s occupants remain, save for the collection of beer, wine and liquor bottles atop a weathered piano.

Magnets still adhere to the refrigerator, advertising pizza joints, a funeral home and the House of Blues. Strange combination, but then, so were the roommates.

One drawer — the Vice Drawer — is left open. Aspirin bottles and Little Debbie snack cakes sit untouched, forgotten in the rush to remove televisions and stereos and desks and chairs.

We left the house sullen, feeling woozy and nauseated, like we hadn’t truly slept in months, save for the sleep of the drugged, and we never rested.

The daze drops from the doorframes like a curse, throttling all who enter the house and adding dark circles under each pair of eyes.

The house harbored a quixotic dream, a vision born of competence, tempered by defeat and burnished by hope, that bravest and most resilient human emotion. We thought we could reinvigorate the local marketplace of ideas and make a living doing it.

We were half-right.

If kudos, respect, gratitude and pats on the back could be bartered over the counter at some pawn shop, the house wouldn’t sit empty. People gave a damn, but not a dime.

And the list of regrets is remarkably — even defiantly — short.

I regret the failing, but not the striving; certainly not the 44-hour production marathons, the bleary-eyed drives to Morehead City or the ink stains on my hands that I can still see and feel after my skin has been scrubbed raw.

This was a failure — but not a mistake.

After five months, Register stops the presses

2006-01-25T04:34:00.000-05:00

Severe funding shortfalls and mounting debt forced Craven County’s alternative biweekly newspaper to announce Wednesday, Jan. 25 that it will suspend publication for at least six months.

After printing the newspaper regularly since Sept. 27, 2005, Independent Register co-publishers Corey Friedman, William R. Toler and Eric Voliva said the gutsy newspaper with all-local content and few advertisements has become prohibitively expensive to produce.

"I don’t want to hear people say, ‘They ended this on their own terms,’" Friedman said. "That would be an insult, because this is a deplorable choice that I feel we have been forced to make. The money just isn’t there. We can’t afford to live or pay our electric bill, and we can’t afford to print the newspaper."

With publication of the twice-monthly broadsheet newspaper halted, the Independent Register will continue to operate a Web site, www.indieregister.com, and update the newspaper’s blog.

Co-publishers have tentatively scheduled an Independent Register summit for Aug. 22, after which they will announce whether the paper will resume publication in 2006.

Including the premiere issue, the Independent Register has published nine editions. In its pages, the newspaper tackled thorny and sometimes controversial local issues, including Craven Regional Medical Center’s lack of trauma center designation, a Bangert Elementary School student’s suspension on what her mother claims were religious grounds and radio self-censorship under threat of stiff Federal Communications Commission penalties.

"It has always been the mission of this newspaper to provide a voice to the voiceless citizen and to inspire honest and vigorous debate," Friedman, Toler and Voliva said in a joint statement. "We hope our departure will make residents see the dire need for an alternative publication in this community, and we hope we will have another opportunity to meet that need."

This edition speaks for itself

2006-01-17T20:01:00.000-05:00

For Tony

2006-01-17T03:53:00.000-05:00

I know it's not Oriental, but I figured you might like it anyway.

It was taken during the final minutes of sunset, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2006.

The boats seen are in the Shereton Harbor on the Trent River in New Bern.

An Inside Look

2006-01-17T03:39:00.000-05:00

[Note: Following entry can be seen with photos in the next issue of the Independent Register, which will begin to hit newsracks the afternoon Jan. 17 ]

It’s 3 o’clock in the morning.

There are three computers on.

Behind three desks littered with notebooks, miscellaneous papers and caffeinated beverages sit three sleep-deprived young men.

For the co-publishers of the Independent Register, this is a common occurrence.

Corey Friedman, editor, scratches his head and stares — sometimes shouting profanities — at his computer screen, trying to work out a lede for one of the "umpteen" news stories or editorials in his section. Two weeks worth of press releases and notes from various news events wait their turn to be compiled into their final form.

Sports Editor Eric Voliva, meanwhile, is in his room/office playing back coach quotes from a recent high school game on a microcassette recorder. Elated from a recent Carolina Panthers victory, he gathers national sports scores in a spreadsheet for his back page. Later, he will poll the other two for their picks on a sampling of upcoming games and to select players for their fantasy football teams.

Walking in from the cool night air after his hourly smoke break, self proclaimed "jack of all trades, master of jack" Features Editor William R. Toler sits down at his desk to prepare local band listings, transfer pictures and figure out ad placement.

The end result of two weeks of gathering, a weekend of writing and designing and a trip to Morehead City is a copy of the alternative newspaper you now hold in your hands.

The lads cut their teeth on various media outlets before coming together on their current venture. The tie that bound them together was the experience of working on the Campus Communicator (affectionately referred to as "the Commie") at Craven Community College. Their writing, photography and layout skills developed as they worked their way up becoming the top editors of the monthly publication.

Toler took over layout of the Campus Communicator — which had previously been done by a desktop publishing class — in November of 2002. During 2003, he also assisted in ad design for Dad’s Magazine and interned for the morning television show "A.M. Scuttlebutt." In addition, he served as historian for the state chapter of Phi Beta Lambda, a national collegiate business organization. His main duty was to design two issues of the chapter’s newsletter, the Heartbeat of PBL. With the stress of television and other school related activities, Toler resigned from the Commie, only to return as managing editor a year later.

Friedman served as editor of the Campus Communicator for one year after a year of reporting. In addition, he worked part-tme as a general assignment reporter for the Sun Journal. He began as a freelance columnist while in high school, moving on to become a freelance sportswriter, and was hired for part-time employment following a summer internship. He also worked for the local public access station C-TV 10 and freelanced for the short-lived publication Wheelhouse Magazine.

Following two months of sports writing for the Commie, Voliva took over as production manager after Toler’s departure. When CCC’s administration ceased the work-study payment of the position, he joined the Pamlico News as a sportswriter. During the summer, while high school sports were on hiatus, the aspiring novelist served as a journeyman reporter covering local government and writing features.

After the dishes are washed, the laundry is done and the bills are paid, Friedman, Voliva and Toler say that they strive to put out a publication that provides Craven County with accurate information and gives citizens an open forum for the free exchange of ideas.

FCC crackdown intimidates local broadcasters

2006-01-06T16:54:00.000-05:00

George Carlin has his famous list of seven words you can't say on television. Strangely, the Federal Communications Commission, the agency responsible for regulating TV and radio broadcasts, has no such list.

Letting a four-letter word slip out over the airwaves isn't against the law, assistant program directors for local radio stations told the Independent Register. The FCC does ban "indecency," but the agency never elaborates on just what constitutes indecency.

The result is broadcasters grow ever more timid and lapse further into self-censorship. Two assistant program directors from Beasley Broadcast Group stations told us they've grown more cautious since the FCC announced its clampdown on media indecency.

It seems to us -- we wrote in a Jan. 4 editorial -- that if the FCC is going to enforce its anachronistic code of morality and censor citizens' speech, the least it could do is give folks a clear answer on what is and isn't allowed.

Read more about this fascinating and complex issue in "You can't say [CENSORED] on the radio," a front-page news feature in the Jan. 4 edition of the Independent Register.

The free broadsheet newspaper is available at more than 25 Craven County locations. For the distribution point nearest you, call (252) 633-2757.

Merry Christmas from the Independent Register

2005-12-23T03:25:00.000-05:00

New Bern's city hall is shown festooned with Christmas lights early this morning. Yours truly, a veteran insomniac and amateur photographer, took to the streets of downtown New Bern as a heavy frost set in.

Unfortunately, the frost didn't show up too well, and the fountain on James Reed Lane didn't freeze over, despite temperatures hovering in the mid 20s.

But this late-night excursion lifted some of the gloom that gathers when you aren't sure how your newspaper will stay alive in the upcoming year.

All that matters is we're alive and kicking now, the downtown district beckons, and it's Christmastime in Craven County.

On behalf of William, Eric and myself, I wish everyone here a blessed and fulfilling Christmas holiday.

Merry Christmas!

Sports Guys

2005-12-18T04:42:00.000-05:00

Are Sports Editors in eastern North Carolina that generic?

(yeah...I know the pic is a little fuzzy...do I care...no)

Register welcomes two new columnists

2005-12-15T23:40:00.000-05:00

Craven County's alternative voice is proud to welcome two new contributors who will author columns for the Independent Register's print and online editions, respectively.

"Off the Wall," a Local & State page column by Sandra Ervin Adams, will premiere in the Dec. 20 edition of the Register. Adams, who has written for daily and weekly newspapers, will comment on life and living in Craven County.

We are proud to have a writer of her caliber join the Independent Register's stable of talented wordsmiths.

Indieregister.com this week welcomes Ben Goldstein, who will write an online entertainment column on a biweekly to weekly basis. Goldstein previously wrote an entertainment column for the Campus Communicator, the student newspaper at Craven Community College.

Both columnists have been invited to join the blog and may later do so at their leisure.

The newspaper has two other regular columnists, Stephen Lewis, who pens "Spunky Diablo's Laundromat" for the Opinion page, and sports editor/co-publisher Eric Voliva, who writes "It's All Sports."

New Bern falls to Independence 38-19

2005-12-11T01:23:00.000-05:00

Photo by William R. Toler

Bears wide receiver Darryl Reynolds goes up to catch a pass over Patriots defender Zavis Padgett.

By Eric Voliva

The Independent Register

RALEIGH — The Bears were stunned tonight by an Independence team that had yet to lose a single game in the last six years — 91-0 was their record heading into the game — in the 38-19 loss. New Bern was out-gained on offense 224 yards to Independence’s 377, but managed to win the turnover battle by taking the ball away three times while only giving it up twice. Bears quarterback David Towarnicky was held to 166 yards passing, while completing 10 of the 29 passes he attempted, good enough for a 34 percent completion ratio. New Bern running back Kelvin Hardesty rushed for 68 yards on 15 carries, with an average of 4.5 per rush. He had some big gains — a 26-yarder in the third quarter — but mostly was held in check on the night by a tough Patriots defense. Darryl Reynolds led the Bears in receptions with five for 68 yards and a touchdown. Woody Wilson wasn’t far behind Reynolds with three receptions for 36 yards and a long of 18. Generra Taylor had an amazing 39-yard reception in the first quarter, but was shut down for the rest of the game by Independence. The Independent Register’s pick for the Bears’ player of the game was Darryl Reynolds for his 27-yard touchdown reception with 29 seconds left in the first half, and also his interception of Patriots quarterback Darryl McFadden, which he turned into a 65-yard score. Reynolds accounted for 12 of the Bears’ points in the 19 point loss.

It's 'Independence' Day for New Bern Bears

2005-12-10T12:10:00.000-05:00

Good luck to New Bern High as this year's 4-AA East Region champion Bears face undefeated Charlotte Independence in today's state championship game.

Eric Voliva, our sports editor, and William R. Toler, photographer extraordinare, are headed for Raleigh and Carter-Finley Stadium on the campus of N.C. State University, where the Bears and Patriots will clash helmets this afternoon.

One of us will update the blog tonight with some highlights from the game.

In other Indie Register personnel news, the transformation from newsman to elf is underway. My girlfriend and I will be suited up as marching elves for this afternoon's Oriental Christmas Parade, representing the fine folks at The Boonedocks Marina and Guesthouse.

It's too much to hope that photos of that won't make it onto the blog sooner or later.

So, from all of us at the Independent Register's small, untidy compound at Fort Insanity, merry Christmas and good luck, Bears!

A rolling, sputtering, stalling ad

2005-12-09T14:31:00.000-05:00

Every time I swerve into the neighboring lane, cut someone off or am overheard shouting four-letter words in traffic, my fellow drivers will think of the Independent Register.

After unearthing a tube of window chalk, I decided to mark up the exterior of The Albatross, my white Ford Taurus sedan that has most assuredly seen better days. I scribbled the Web address at least four times and tried -- unsuccessfully -- to duplicate the Indie Register's flag on the rear passenger side door.

If you see the Indie Register car in traffic, please oblige us with a quick visit to the Web site. To readers who may be viewing this blog for the first time, please post a comment if you got the Web address from the car and followed a link from the site to this blog.

I may soon decide to scrap this experiment and resort to a slightly neater method of on-car self-promotion, like printing the Web address on paper, sheathing it in plastic and taping it to the window or surface of the car.

But until then, long live populist paintings!

Craven County trauma care is the Pitts

2005-12-07T03:13:00.000-05:00

That's not to say that Craven Regional Medical Center, New Bern's 313-bed hospital, provides substandard emergency treatment. To the contrary, health care and EMS professionals countywide have lauded CRMC's standard of care.

The problem is that Craven County trauma patients will probably never see the inside of their own hospital, because emergency first responders -- following established protocol -- dispatch EastCare helicopters to airlift patients to Pitt County Memorial Hospital in Greenville.

Pitt Memorial is a Level I trauma center -- the state's highest designation -- due in part to the hospital's affiliation with East Carolina University's Brody School of Medicine. CRMC has no trauma center designation, but hospital spokesman Megan McGarvey told the Independent Register this week that the hospital's level of care is about equivalent with that of a Level III trauma center -- the lowest designation.

Does the local hospital have any plans to apply for trauma center designation, and in doing so, greatly reduce the number of trauma patients airlifted needlessly to Pitt?

Read the Dec. 6 issue of the Independent Register to find out more about this intriguing and complex issue facing Craven Regional Medical Center in our front-page special report, "Airlifted. Treated. Released."

New edition released today...we promise

2005-12-06T13:17:00.000-05:00

The Dec. 6 edition of the Independent Register has finished rolling warmly off the presses in Morehead City, and William and I are leaving momentarily to pick up the bundles of newspapers and distribute them across Craven County.

The current issue contains an investigative report about the frequency of car crash victims being airlifted to Pitt County Memorial Hospital in Greenville instead of being treated down the road at New Bern's own Craven Regional Medical Center.

In our Currents section, you'll find a photo essay on the New Bern Christmas parade. The sports page (and Page A1) contains thorough coverage of New Bern High's ascent to the 4-AA East Region championship and details of the Bears' upcoming state championship bid.

The paper is available at about 25 location throughout the county, including Wal Mart Supercenter, Port City Java, Cow Cafe, Trent River Coffee Co., BearTown Bistro in New Bern.

Tennessee principal muzzles student newspaper

2005-11-29T23:22:00.000-05:00

Student journalists in Oak Ridge, Tenn. offended their high school principal's Puritan sensibilities with a planned column on birth control options and feature article on students with tattoos, according to the Student Press Law Center.

The principal -- exercising strong-arm censorship not seen since the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics dissolved -- confiscated all 1,800 copies of the Oak Leaf, student newspaper of Oak Ridge High School.

I'm not in the right mindframe to mount my weary student media soapbox, but I will use this space to renew the Independent Register's pledge to fiercely and ardently fight administrative censorship in high school and college student media.

If a student newspaper in Craven County is confiscated or has its content otherwise suppressed, the Independent Register will publish the censored content and use its resources to publicize the offending administration's trampling of student expressive rights.

We hope this will never happen, but if it does, student journalists will have a ready ally in the Indie Register.

More information: Student Press Law Center http://www.splc.org/newsflash.asp?id=1136

where can i find one of these?

2005-11-09T20:43:00.000-05:00

And by the way, who is this?

if you find her, send her my way...

A little bit of sports.

2005-11-09T19:45:00.000-05:00

I think the West Craven Eagles have finally turned the corner as a team. They lack an adequate passing game, but their ground game is phenomenal. Don't be surprised if they run all over Edgecomb in the playoffs.

This year's New Bern football team is, in my opinion, second to none, even though they did lose to Rose and Mt. Tabor, they are playing like a team possessed. Towarnicky is an experienced quarterback, with tons of potential once he settles down in the pocket, but young Brett Williams has the focus and accuracy to step in without missing a beat if Towarnicky were to go down.
Trust me, this team is solid all around.

Havelock's football team has a lot of heart. They could've packed it in a long time ago, but they played their hearts out against West Craven and New Bern. Their a high quality team, from their coaching staff to their trainers to their players and down to their fans. They are a tribute to high school football.

My best to the Eagles and the Bears in the playoffs.

Eric Voliva

Press freedom advocates hold their breath

2005-11-02T10:33:00.000-05:00

In a move signaling interest in a case with vital First Amendment freedoms at stake, the U.S. Supreme Court has requested a response from an Illinois college administrator whose right to censor a student newspaper was stunningly upheld by the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Students from Governors State University filed a petition for a writ of certorari; in essence, asking the nation's high court to re-hear the case. Attorneys for the university administrator waived their right to respond to the students' petition, according to the Student Press Law Center. (http://www.splc.org/newsflash.asp?id=1115)

The request signals that justices may believe the petition to have some merit, according to an explanation of Supreme Court practices quoted on the SPLC's Web site.

We at the Independent Register stand in solidarity with Governors State University student journalists. We support college press freedom and hope courts interpret the First Amendment faithfully and defend it doggedly.

For more information, visit the SPLC Web site at www.splc.org.

Visual aid for the aestheticists among us

2005-11-01T23:25:00.000-05:00

If you haven't yet gotten your hands on the most recent copy of the Independent Register, here's an image of the front page so the eager Web readers among us know what to look for.

Call this Web launch a 'soft opening'

2005-10-27T15:18:00.000-04:00

The Independent Register this morning lurched onto the on-ramp of the information superhighway with the launch of our new Web site, www.indieregister.com.

But Florida-based Netdor, the company that hosts our servers, is currently experiencing power outages caused by Hurricane Wilma. The Web site -- and our indieregister.com domain e-mail -- are only accessible between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. because the servers are running off power generators.

So if you see this post during bankers' hours, we encourage you to check out the new site and see what you think.

The site is still a work in progress, and we hope to update it frequently and incorporate this blog into the site. Kudos to Eric Voliva, our sports editor and co-publisher, for spearheading the charge for a Web site and doing the entirety of the design work himself.

Once again, the URL address is www.indieregister.com.

Oct. 25 edition nears completion, release

2005-10-24T21:45:00.000-04:00

Tonight, the Oct. 25 edition of the Independent Register is occupying hard drive space on three computers in various states of malfunction.

Tomorrow, it will roll off the presses and find its way to newsstands and countertops -- and hopefully into your hands.

We're excited to release what we feel is the best Independent Register to date. The forthcoming edition features an article and accompanying editorial on Amy Holliday, a 28-year-old New Bern woman with cystic fibrosis. Holliday needs a double-lung transplant to extend her life, and the Children's Organ Transplant Association is helping local volunteers plan and promote fund-raisers to reach a $55,000 short-term goal.

The paper also contains thorough game stories chronicling Friday night's high school football action and an engaging feature on the weekend's Junior ROTC drill meet at West Craven High School. For all this and more, pick up a free copy of the Independent Register.

The newspaper is available at about 25 locations throughout New Bern and Craven County, including the Wal-Mart Supercenter on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, the Piggly Wiggly on Trent Road, Port City Java and Cow Cafe on Middle Street and Trent River Coffee Company on Craven Street.

Real view of the Independent Register...

2005-10-18T00:18:00.000-04:00

Well, to kind of break up the story monotony on this blog, i've decided to let the readers get a real view of what goes on behind the scenes here at fort insanity... Be afraid; very afraid...

After classes are over (which is more often than not), we stumble to our computers, check our mail, mumble hello's to each other, and then we take a break... a long break.

Maybe we stand around the water cooler (refrigerator for us poor people), or gather around the television and watch ESPN, or even strum a few chords on the guitar... But, whatever we do, we're hard at work, on the ball, and even cutting a few deals here and there...

After our long break, we usually stroll back to our computers and take a brief look at what has accumulated over the past 12 hours... Then we take another break... This one is usually longer than the previous...

Ok, after hours of breaking, we finally do some work, which is constantly interrupted by friends, hunger pains, and more work...

After finishing up the work from last week, we take another break. Then we go to bed and hope that no new work happens to find its way to our desks before we wake up... We leave little gifts for the work fairies, hoping that they are kind to us throughout the night...

P.S. Notice that there are very few breaks taken during the course of the day, and even less food being consumed.

Our best wishes go out to our readers... Keep reading...

Down-to-earth commissioners steer Craven County

2005-10-17T23:13:00.000-04:00

All the blazers, ties and pantsuits in attendance couldn't shade the fact that Craven County doesn't take itself too seriously.

As members of the Craven County Board of Commissioners filed back into the room Monday morning after a brief recess, I saw one commissioner walk to the dais with a vanilla cream cookie held between his teeth.

It made this former Floridian chuckle, and one of my first thoughts was that the savvier politicians in Hillsborough County (the Florida county that contains Tampa) would sooner be stripped of office than caught by the media mid-chew. But the more I pondered this odd sight, the more my respect and admiration for Craven and its colorful county leaders grew.

All cookies aside, the point is that our county commissioners are not career politicians. They're ordinary citizens who sought election to public office to make a difference, as hackneyed and cliched as it may sound. The Board of Commissioners is truly a representative government body -- county residents elected their neighbors, not a privileged subgroup of politicos.

The most disappointing aspect of the meeting -- held at 8:30 a.m. at the county administration building on Broad Street -- was that no one from the public bothered to show up.

Citizens, this is your county and your government. You should know what's going on, from every tax hike to every cookie crumb.

Incumbents projected to win aldermen races

2005-10-12T15:31:00.000-04:00

Incumbent aldermen up for re-election in New Bern are projected to defeat challengers in four wards, with provisional ballots to be counted and election results to be certified Tuesday, Oct. 18.

Preliminary results show Alderman Robert G. Raynor Jr. retaining his Ward 2 seat with 58 percent of votes -- 164 to challenger Marshall Williams' 117.

Mack L. "Max" Freeze captured 61 percent of the vote in Ward 3, thwarting Robert P. "Chick" Natella, who logged 187 votes.

In Ward 5, Barbara Lee triumphed over Bernard White by an 80-61 margin, or 57 percent.

William H. Ballenger edged Dana E. Outlaw in Ward 6, with 50 percent of votes (195) to Outlaw's 45 percent (177). Frank E. Kerr trailed with 5 percent of ballots cast (20).

New Bern Mayor Tom Bayliss and aldermen Julius C. Parham Jr. (Ward 1) and Joseph E. Mattingly Jr. (Ward 4), all unopposed, retained their seats with 100 percent of votes cast for those offices.

Provisional ballots should be counted Oct. 18, according to the Craven County Board of Elections. Results are not final until the provisional total has been added and results are certified.

Polls close in New Bern municipal elections

2005-10-11T19:26:00.000-04:00

Four of six seats on the New Bern Board of Aldermen are contested, with polls closing at 7:30 p.m. tonight in municipal elections for the 30,000-population Bear City.

Mayor Tom Bayliss and two aldermen running unopposed are expected to retain their roles in city government, while results for the remaining four seats on the Board of Aldermen should be certified and released later tonight by the Craven County Board of Elections.

The Independent Register will make every effort to post election results in this space as soon as information from the Board of Elections can be obtained.

Oct. 11 edition of Indie Register hits newsstands

2005-10-11T19:07:00.000-04:00

The second issue of the Independent Register was printed today and is available at about a third of its distribution points throughout New Bern and Craven County.

Remaining newspapers will be distributed Wednesday and Thursday. Papers are currently available at City Limits Auto Sales in Havelock, Port City Java, Trent River Coffee Co., Cow Cafe and Marina Sweets in downtown New Bern, and at the New Bern and Havelock campuses of Craven Community College.

The Independent Register is a biweekly alternative newspaper providing comprehensive coverage of Craven County. It is published every other Tuesday and has an average circulation of 2,250.

For information about the newspaper or directions to the distribution center nearest you, call (252) 633-2757 or e-mail corey@indieregister.com.

Sympathy for the Blue Devils-Rolling Stones at Duke Universtiy

2005-10-11T01:15:00.000-04:00

Durham – More than 40,000 fans of the legendary Rolling Stones got satisfaction as the aging rockers blasted onto the stage at Duke University’s Wallace Wade Stadium.

Opening for the Stones was Trey Anastasio, former Phish guitarist. Anastasio’s set included a cover of the Beatles’ "I am the Walrus" and a song dedicated to his mother, who was in the front row, for her birthday.

Pyrotechnics lit up the cloudy sky as Mick Jagger pranced out onto the stage in his trademark strut to open the show with "Start Me Up." At age 62, the formidable frontman proved time was on his side as he continued through with the classics"You Got Me Rocking," "She’s So Cold," and "Tumblin’ Dice."

"Oh No, Not You Again" was the first of several songs from the band’s new album "A Bigger Bang."

Sly, smoking guitarist Keith Richards then traded his five-string Fender Telecaster for an acoustic for the popular ballad "Wild Horses." Jagger, too, donned an acoustic guitar to perform the country-like "Dead Flowers."

A horn section came in for "Bitch" and continued with a soulful rendition of the Ray Charles song"Night Time is the Right Time," featuring back-up vocalist Lisa Fisher as the female lead.
Jagger then introduced the band including bassist Darryl Jones, who replaced Bill Wyman in 1994, and legendary rock pianist Chuck Lavelle.

Richards took center stage for "The Worst" and "Infamy," jokingly proclaiming between songs, "It’s good to see you...it’s good to see anything, really" as the crowd roared.

Jagger returned to the stage, guitar in hand, as the band broke into "Miss You."
As the song began, the center of the stage began to trolley into the center of the field.

The band then performed the high-energy single "Rough Justice" from the new release with Richards and lead guitarist Ron Wood trading off licks.

It began to drizzle as the Stones belted out their first major hit "Satisfaction."

While the band played in the center of the stadium, a flowered, inflatable tongue rose from the stage.

"Honky Tonk Woman" was next in the line up as the mini-stage rolled back to the larger set up.
The light rain seemed to set the mood for the bluesy "Out of Control," which gave Jagger a chance to wail on the harmonica.

Drummer Charlie Watts, staying with the band despite a recent bout with throat cancer, banged out the beginning beats of "Sympathy for the Devil," as fire shot out from the tops of the stage on both sides, prompting fans to howl out the backup "Woo woo" part.

Jagger, dressed to kill, portrayed Satan himself as he pranced along the balcony of the stage. The video screens had a red tint as the song went on.

The band went on to perform the classic hits "Brown Sugar" and "Jumping Jack Flash" before leaving the stage.

They soon returned for an encore, however, due to the response of the multi-generational audience with "You Can’t Always Get What You Want" and "It’s Only Rock and Roll."

After leaving the stage a second time, the crowd pleaded for a second encore, but was notified by a series of fireworks that the show was regrettably over.

The Rolling Stones proved to the Carolina crowd that, even after 40 years, they still have what it takes to put on a great show, and sealed their stake as "The World’s Greatest Rock and Roll Band."

Down with Columbus Day

2005-10-10T14:24:00.000-04:00

"In 1492, natives discovered Columbus lost at sea."

That’s a quote from a t-shirt I acquired several years ago at a Pow-Wow at the fairgrounds in New Bern. I bought the shirt specifically for that quote.

Ever since I learned the truth in the 8th grade from then history teacher David Rackley, the thought of Columbus Day being a holiday has irked me.

Why does the American government perpetuate a lie through its holiday system which spills over into the schools?

This may come as a shock to some people but, Christopher Columbus did not discover America.
For one, there were already people at the places he "discovered." So if people were already there, how could he discover it?

One may raise the point, he was the first European to traverse the Atlantic. Wrong again. Leif Erikson would take that claim, landing somewhere between Newfoundland and Cape Cod hundreds of years before Columbus was even born.

President Lyndon B. Johnson, in 1964, commemorated Erikson for being the first European to reach North America by declaring Oct. 9 as Leif Erikson Day, just before Columbus Day. So why don’t we just get European discovery week off?

I will give Columbus points for sticking to his belief that the world was round. That fact we now know is true. So, with that frame of mind, he set forth to find a new route to China. He thought he did. And we give a man who never knew he didn’t reach Asia such creedence?

Columbus never even reached mainland [North] America. Truth be told, his voyages landed him in the islands south of America, including Cuba and Jamaica and later to parts of Central America. Close Chris, but no cigar...well...

History teachers: Please tell your students the truth, not lies. Disregard the falsehoods and half-truths found in the standard textbooks and teach what you really know.

A plea for tech support as deadline looms closer

2005-10-10T14:11:00.000-04:00

We're three relatively intelligent human beings, so it's mystifying how we can't seem to customize this blog, not even using the written-for-a-7-year-old help page. ("Ask your mommy and daddy to send money.")

Short of begging our mommies and daddies, we're stumped. If any of the few readers who have stumbled across this new blog have experience with Blogger code and would like to offer a word to the not-so-wise, please do so in a comment or in an e-mail to corey@indieregister.com.

Here are the things -- so far -- that I've failed to figure out:

1. How to change the "About Me" box to "About Us," and substitute the information about me with information about the Independent Register;

2. How to add a photo (.TIF image) of the Independent Register's flag;

3. How to add another box to the template for contact information; and

4. How to publish the blog off an FTP server, our indieregister.com domain.

I remember setting up my own blog eons ago and seriously doubt that the template formatting was as incomprehensible as it is now. Please bear with us until we get these technical bugs worked out.

Until the next time, I hope you'll keep reading.

Welcome to the blog; city elections near

2005-10-08T11:35:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the Independent Register Weblog, the blogging home of Craven County's premier alternative community newspaper, the Independent Register.

This blog will be used primarily to provide readers with a lively online forum and to supplement the print edition, which is distributed every other Tuesday at more than 25 locations in New Bern and Craven County. First, it will be used as an election results blog for the City of New Bern's municipal elections, which feature four contested seats on the city Board of Aldermen.

Since we go to press on Election Day (Tuesday, Oct. 11), and will be unable to provide readers with results in our print edition, we will wait in the county administration building as election officials tally and certify the ballots.

Keep checking this space for updates between now and Tuesday. We may not be a daily newspaper, but we will continuously strive to get information to our readers in new and inventive ways.