We hear you

A few years ago, we made a decision to stop the Sunday comics and cease publishing an evening TV guide.

Impressive improvement

It is gratifying to see the 2012 graduation rate in Newton County schools grow so rapidly from the low point it dropped to just three short years ago.

Defective government

"Hold on, my friends, to the Constitution and to the Republic for which it stands. Miracles do not cluster, and what has happened once in 6,000 years, may not happen again. Hold on to the Constitution, for if the American Constitution should fail, there will be anarchy throughout the world."

New superintendent

Graduates

County budget

The Newton County Board of Commissioners has a tough task in front of them as usual, deciding how to make expenses meet revenues, but we'll say what we've said for each of the past few years - this is still not the time to raise taxes.

Some thoughts

Last week, two young lives were snuffed out on Interstate 20. A 19-year-old and a 7-month-old baby will never know what it's like to grow old.

New superintendent

On Tuesday night, the Newton County Board of Education will choose Dr. Gary Mathews' successor as superintendent of the Newton County School System.

Mother’s Day

"The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother."

Making the grade

In Wednesday's paper, we ran a story explaining what the new state school assessment model means to students and other citizens of Newton County.

Good moves

The Covington City Council has made two practical decisions that could contribute to economic growth in the future.

The morning-after pill

According to the New England Journal of Medicine, 1.3 million babies a year are aborted in the U.S. That is a staggering number.

Social Circle

If you were driving through the main street in Social Circle and blinked twice, you might miss the physical heart of the city.

Rotary

A sure sign of spring here in Covington and Newton County is the sweet smell of Vidalia onions.

Development

There's no question we've had a successful run of economic development deals in Newton County over the past couple of years.

Our thoughts...Power mongers

At Tuesday night's Board of Commissioners meeting, three members of the board voted to put in place a partial spending freeze and a hiring freeze.

Our thoughts...Excellent chairperson choice

This is not going to be the best of years for the Newton County School System. The governor and federal government have cut funds because of astronomical amounts of foreclosures and growth stoppage. In the county, the anticipated local tax funds also are way below expectations. Some very tough decisions are going to have to be made this year regarding personnel. We feel the right leader for the Board of Education who will assist the ...

Porterdale paradox

By now, we should not be surprised by the goings on at Porterdale City Council meetings. At Jan. 13's work session City Manager Tom Fox warned the council about future budget shortfalls if more expenses were not cut or if revenue did not increase. He further pointed out to the council that the 2010 shortfall was the equivalent of the salaries of five full-time employees. After all of that doom and gloom, plus much more, ...

Our thoughts... In his own words

In our opinion one of the greatest Southern humorists of all time was Lewis Grizzard. He loved Georgia and especially the University of Georgia. In his short life - he was only 48 when he died of heart complications ­ he authored 25 books, thousands of columns and was the sports editor of the Atlanta journal by age 23.

Our thoughts...A new beginning

This is a week of excitement, of change, of new beginnings. We celebrate the peaceful exchange of power. We place the hopes of our future and our children's future on the shoulders of an untried new leader, but a leader who is filled with enthusiasm and optimism.

Our thoughts...King's legacy

 We celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. this week. Dr. King was a great, but not a perfect, man.

Our thoughts...Historical, hysterical

 Four years ago there was a major outcry from liberal newspaper and television stations in this country that the Bush administration was spending $42 million on his inauguration. This year's inauguration is estimated to cost close to $150 million.

Our thoughts... Operation Patriot’s Call

 Many of our husbands, fathers, sons and brothers in the military will soon ship out for training for Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

Our thoughts... Do-nothing

In our Wednesday edition we had a thorough story on what our local state representatives' plans were for this upcoming session.

Support in tough times

We are sad to see the Goody's store here in Covington close. It has been a mainstay of local shopping for years. Not only is this a loss for local consumers, but also it is a major loss of tax revenue for local government.

Impressive leader

We had the opportunity to visit with Dr. Roderick Sams the principal of Newton High School this week. For those of you who have not had an opportunity to meet Dr. Sams we encourage you to do so. We continue to think he is a breath of fresh air in the education system and will be the change agent that Newton High needs. We also took a tour of the school and it was refreshing to see a clean environment and happy smiling faces of students, who showed respect and discipline.

Honored in our community

In addition to celebrating the peaceful transition of our presidency and celebrating the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. this past week, our community took the time to honor some of our outstanding residents. First, Doug Bolton and the Rev. Willie J. Smith were honored with the prestigious "I Have a Dream Award."

In his own words

In our opinion one of the greatest Southern humorists of all time was Lewis Grizzard.   He loved Georgia and especially the University of Georgia. In his short life - he was only 48 when he died of heart complications ­ he authored 25 books, thousands of columns and was the sports editor of the Atlanta journal by age 23. About five months ago we met with Lewis' surviving widow Dedra Grizzard and asked her ...

Our Thoughts...A resolution for the county

A new year comes with new resolutions. We would like to take a moment to encourage our local county government to take up this New Year's Resolution for 2009.

Our Thoughts...Thanks Nat

For a person to spend 10 years doing anything is a major milestone. We are proud that one of our own has been churning out a weekly column for the past 10 years this week. His name is Nat Harwell and his thoughts appear every Sunday on this page to your right. Nat has been outspoken and to the point with his columns, he has brought our readers to tears, to laughter and occasionally even ...