This article was published in the Lenoir News-Topic.

Baton Elementary School principal Jason Teffeteller knew he had to do something.

His students had just returned from the 2012 winter break and they were all bringing their holiday presents to school. Kindles. iPhones. Nooks.

At first, the school had no definitive policy on what technology students could or couldn’t bring.

Years before, when Teffeteller was a middle-school principal, the policy on cellphones – which were just becoming ubiquitous – was “no.” By the end of each day, Teffeteller always had a row of blinking and beeping cellphones on his desk. One by one, they’d light up with texts from other students at the school. He’d walk down the hall to collect those cellphones, too. Continue reading →

This article was published in the Lenoir News-Topic.

Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute officials are still bracing for a cut of more than $1 million but won’t be sure of the amount until the General Assembly passes its final budget, CCC&TI president Ken Boham said Monday.

What is certain, however, is that tuition will go up by $2.50 per credit hour, raising the total cost per credit hour to $71.50 from $69, and community college employees will not receive raises. Continue reading →

This article was published in the Lenoir News-Topic.

The budget proposal set for a vote in General Assembly this week would reduce state spending on teacher assistants by $120 million, or about 21 percent. It also would provide no raises for teachers and other state employees, eventually eliminate teacher tenure and increase public spending on private schools.

Caldwell County Schools superintendent Steve Stone said he hadn’t had a chance to study the proposed budget at length and that he hoped for a provision that would save teacher assistants’ jobs. If there are no such provisions, a 21 percent reduction in spending at the state level would mean roughly 20 teacher assistant positions in Caldwell would be cut, he said. Continue reading →

This article was published in the Lenoir News-Topic. It was double-bylined with Derek Lacey; I reported the segments about the six small towns and the information from Paul Meyer and the League of Municipalities.

Projects that Lenoir had put on hold are back under way and the city’s revenue picture is brighter now under the compromise tax package that the General Assembly is poised to pass.

In fact, most cities and towns will see a small increase in revenue because the tax plan maintains three municipal revenue streams that were initially on the chopping block – the privilege tax, the food tax, and sales tax refunds – and extends the sales tax to some previously exempt services, said Paul Meyer, director of governmental affairs for the N.C. League of Municipalities.

“The compromise that the House and Senate developed very much protected municipal revenue streams, and that was very pleasing to elected officials in cities statewide,” he said. Continue reading →

This article was published in The Appalachian.

Edwin Black wants you to know the truth about American eugenics.

In the early twentieth century, over 60,000 U.S. residents were sterilized in state institutions. The sterilizations were coercive and took place for an array of reasons. Some were sterilized because of their criminal activities, others because of low intelligence, still others because of perceived promiscuity.

In North Carolina, over 7,600 people were sterilized under a system which allowed individuals to be recommended for sterilization to the state eugenics board. Some, the Associated Press reported in June, were as young as 10 years old. Continue reading →

This article was published in The Appalachian.

Eddie and Maritza Greene toyed with the idea of opening an ice-cream shop for years.

“They knew it was going to be ice-cream all along, but it just sort of expanded into the gelato realm,” daughter Rachel Miller said. “I pushed for the gelato because I felt like it was so unique.”

Today, Scoops, which opened in June, serves everything from banana pudding gelato, chocolate ganache cake, blood-orange sorbet, fair-trade tea, and specialty crêpes. Continue reading →