Council pay raises

Where's the transparency?

Memorial Day

Many of us pay scant attention to international news.

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.

Our thoughts...Happy holidays

 Charles Dickens once said this about Christmas: "I have always thought Christmas time, when it has come around, as a good time; a kind forgivable, charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and woman are seemingly of one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and ...

Our thoughts...A gift from God

 In our Christmas Eve edition, we will be reprinting the most famous Christmas editorial of all time -- "Yes, Virginia There is a Santa Claus."

Don't drink and drive

Tonight is generally considered a night of fun and revelry as people gather to celebrate the end of one year and the start of another. It's a night that sane people sometimes do unsafe things. It's also a night when people sometimes have a few more toasts of the toddy than they usually do.

Blank pages

"We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day." - Edith Lovejoy Pier Tomorrow is the beginning of a new year, nature doesn't recognize it, and the world still goes spinning merrily along.

Fast track to nowhere

Last week I saw firsthand just how backwards and impoverished our passenger rail system in this country is when I took an Amtrak train from Atlanta to Charlottesville, Va., to attend a conference on climate change.

A lean Christmas?

I was amazed at the Wall Street Journal story about children selling toys "to some people who don't have much ..." to raise money so they can have $100 dolls for Christmas in "lean" financial times.

Musical torture

Recently some rock bands and other songwriters said they were outraged by the government's use of their songs for "musical torture" of terrorism suspects.

Strange world

Some folks would tell you that they think the world has turned upside down. The following two items might have you believing the same as them.

Santa's helpers

Saturday we had the opportunity to show some real Christmas Spirit. We gathered, bright and early, along with the other elves from the Covington Rotary and the Rotary Interact Club from Eastside High school bright and early, and helped Santa load up close to 900 bags of goodies for boys and girls of Newton County. Santa is fortunate to have such a group as the Covington Rotary to organize and raise money from folks in ...

Leadership blessings

As this year comes to a close, we are fortunate to have had good management of our county. We have been blessed with leadership over the year that has managed to ensure that, with all the fiscal uncertainties swirling around us here in Georgia, Newton County stands tall and secure. We are losing some very good leaders on Jan. 1, leaders in county government in our court system, our law enforcement, education and even our coroner's office.

Our thoughts...The office saga

 The ongoing saga on what to do with the mayor's office in Covington just might have come to a fruitful end this past week.

Our thoughts...Shame, shame

This certainly will be a bittersweet Christmas for former Alcovy High School teacher and coach Derrick Roberts as well as paraprofessional Nanette Surber.

Christmas cheer in Social Circle

If you have been too busy this Christmas season to enjoy some time enjoying the parades and lighted homes of Christmas, then you have one final chance. The city of Social Circle will be holding special Christmas activities Saturday starting at about 5:30 p.m.

A wise council

The city council of Covington made a wise decision in restructuring the management of the city, a recommendation made by City Manager Steve Horton. Having an assistant city manager in a city the size of Covington does not make sense. Horton recognized that and his recommendation that the management of the city be split into three branches with three distinct and equal managers, allows the city manager and council to have the advice and direction of three talented leaders.

Our thoughts...Good job juniors

 With last week's stories about Newton County School System employees and students in trouble with the law, it is nice to hear some good news about our teachers and children.