The Pilot Newspaper - Opinion Section

WEB SPECIAL: Second Vass robbery suspect apprehended
(Updated 5:25 p.m. Friday) A second arrest was made Friday in relation to two earlier robberies from a Vass pharmacy. (Cont.)

WEB SPECIAL: County not clear of drought yet
(Updated: 2:20 p.m.) Moore County had higher-than-average rainfall in June, but even with the recent rains, it's too early to declare that the drought is over. (Cont.)

WEB SPECIAL: Town's minute to be available online
(Updated: 9 a.m. Friday) The town of Southern Pines has announced that its entire history of council meeting minutes will be available online Saturday, using NXT, a document indexing and archiving service provided by American Legal Publishing Corp. (Cont.)

WEB SPECIAL: Moore County seeing less waste
(Updated: 11:06 a.m. Friday) There may be more trash per person in Moore County now than three years ago, but rates still are lower than they used to be. (Cont.)

Friday -- June 30, 2006

Area Prepares For Impact of Bragg Growth
The impact of the expected growth of Fort Bragg on this county may be dramatically increased by what is done locally, a retired Air Force general told a gathering of business leaders Wednesday. (Cont.)

Coalition Launches Building Campaign
For 20 years, the Sandhills/Moore Coalition for Human Care has helped low-income families in Moore County get on their feet in times of need. (Cont.)

RYAN C. TUCK: The Pilot Begins New Online Era
Can you do anything without the Internet anymore? (Cont.)

Two Local Companies Adding 32 New Jobs
A fitness equipment manufacturer is opening up in Aberdeen, which should bring 20 new jobs to the area. (Cont.)

Recycling Swap-Shop to Close
Patrons of the popular county "swap shop" will soon look elsewhere to recycle discarded goods and to find a "free" bargain. (Cont.)

PILOT LIGHT: Sewer Fees Set to Climb
Rate increases for users of the Moore County Wastewater Treatment Plant go into effect with the new fiscal year July 1. (Cont.)

WEB SPECIAL: Animal committee mulls spay/neuter program
(Updated: 10:50 a.m. Thursday) A county pet advocacy group is driving forward with its plans to make Robbins the first focus area for a low-cost spay/neuter campaign. (Cont.)

WEB SPECIAL: Pinehurst delays vote on new architectural standards
After public hearings Tuesday, the Pinehurst Village Council did not vote on proposed amendments to the development ordinance setting new residential architectural and landscaping standards. (Cont.)

Peach Growers Enjoy Early Start to Season
From orange to white, it's all peachy at local roadside stands, farmers markets and grocery stores. (Cont.)

Robbins Seeks Help From Main Street Program
Robbins is reaching for another gold ring. (Cont.)

Auxiliary Honors Top Nursing Graduate
Juggling home and job responsibilities with a full-time nursing school course load isn't easy, but Audrey Burley made it look that way. (Cont.)

Moore Humane Society Holds Adoption Event
Visitors to the Fresh Market Shopping Center recently had an opportunity to shop for something they normally don't find at that location. (Cont.)

Holiday Travelers, Gas Prices Increase for July Fourth
Nearly 1.7 million Carolinians -- an increase of 3 percent from last year -- are expected to travel this Independence Day, the busiest weekend of the summer, according to AAA Carolinas. (Cont.)

SANDY BERGER: Understanding URLs, Computer 'Geek-Speak'
Much of the average person's trepidation regarding the computer comes from the fact that they are not familiar with the highly technical terminology associated with computers. (Cont.)

Online Advantage
Prudential Gouger O'Neal & Saunders Real Estate, a Prudential Financial Inc. affiliate, has added Online Seller Advantage to its cutting-edge platform of online buyer and seller support programs. (Cont.)

Networking Organization Expands Into Pinehurst
Business Network Inter-national (BNI) is expanding into Pinehurst. (Cont.)

Randolph Telephone Part of Fleet Watch
Randolph Telephone employees are now participating in the Fleet Watch Program. It is an extension of the Governor's Crime Prevention Community Watch Program. (Cont.)

FirstHealth Wins Awards For Health Care Marketing
The Corporate Communications department of FirstHealth of the Carolinas received three awards in the 23rd annual Healthcare Advertising Awards competition sponsored by Healthcare Marketing Report, a national health-care marketing newspaper. (Cont.)

Wednesday -- June 28, 2006

Pilot Offers Free Access To Internet
The Pilot wants southern Moore County to unplug and access the Internet's infinite space unburdened by wires. (Cont.)

Galloway Qualifies as Candidate
What first seemed an easy walk to the finish for Joe Boylan has become a three-way race for state House. (Cont.)

Kocher Retiring From Pinehurst
Beth Kocher worked behind the scenes for many years, executing plans that brought Pinehurst Resort from near-ruin to the pinnacle in the world of golf and resort destinations. (Cont.)

Massei Resigns As Golf Director
Matt Massei's rapid ascension through the ranks at Pinehurst Resort has ended with his resignation to accept a position with a club in New Hampshire. (Cont.)

Village Asks DOT for Roundabout
The N.C. Department of Transportation and the Pinehurst Village Council agree that the intersections of Carolina Vista and N.C. 2, and N.C. 5 and N.C. 2 need improvements. (Cont.)

Bypassing Carthage
All Monday afternoon, project engineers with the N.C. Department of Transportation answered questions and fielded challenges on three preliminary paths a planned Carthage bypass might take. (Cont.)

PILOT LIGHT: Fireworks Displays To Light Up Fourth
Independence Day observers will enjoy fireworks displays in six municipalities and unincorporated communities. (Cont.)

Honoring Pentagon's 9/11 Dead
Thursday, June 15, 2006, was a day of remembrance for Gary Lergner and Jan Van Fossem. (Cont.)

COMMUNITIES
(Cont.)

Group Calls Statewide Water, Sewer Bond
North Carolina's leading rural policy organization has called for a $1 billion state bond referendum to finance needed improvements to water and sewer systems. (Cont.)

S.P. Police Arrest Three In Downtown Break-In
The Southern Pines Police Department has made four arrests on charges of breaking and entering after a June 20 incident at Terpsichore dance studio in downtown Southern Pines. (Cont.)

Genomic Medicine Project Funding OK'd by Congress
The House has approved a request by U.S. Rep. Howard Coble and several of his North Carolina congressional colleagues for $4 million toward the Guilford Genomic Medicine Initiative project. (Cont.)

Special Prosecutor Appointed in Case
The state has named retired Judge Howard Greeson as a special prosecutor to review allegations against two former Moore County Assistant District Attorneys. (Cont.)

State Falls in Child Well-Being Ranking
A report released today by the Annie E. Casey Foundation of Baltimore, Md., ranks North Carolina 41st in the nation on 10 key indicators of child well-being, including family income, health and education. (Cont.)

St. Andrews College Hits Goal on Major Campaign
Eight years ago, St. Andrews Presbyterian College in Laurinburg embarked on its "Share the Vision" Campaign, the most ambitious fundraising effort ever undertaken by the college. (Cont.)

Sunday - June 25, 2006

Shaver Hits Mark On Signatures
Manila "Bud" Shaver has reached the required number of signatures on petitions to have his name on the ballot in November as an unaffiliated candidate for state House. (Cont.)

Unaffiliateds Make for Extra Work
Carol Hambrick has a long line of file cabinets -- a half-dozen squat, double-width boxes of that industrial khaki color, three drawers to each -- in front of her. (Cont.)

Fire Destroys Old Carthage House
Police officers, fire marshals, SBI agents and a fire dog investigated the still-smoking ruins of a midnight fire that destroyed a venerable Carthage home. See a gallery of images from the scene. (Cont.)

Robbins Moves On STEP Effort
A standing-room-only crowd packed the Robbins Town Hall Thursday night as the town prepared to take its first steps on NC STEP. (Cont.)

PILOT LIGHT: Area A Boundaries Could Change
The Moore County Planning Department is considering a few changes in the boundaries of the Small Area Plan A. (Cont.)

Alberto's Rains Impact Farmers
Excessive rainfall in the wake of tropical storm Alberto left its mark on Moore County farms last week. (Cont.)

WEB SPECIAL: High school graduation speeches
Read the speeches from the North Moore, Pinecrest and Union Pines high school graduation ceremonies earlier this month.

JOHN CHAPPELL: Carthage Board Approves Little River's Latest Plans
It didn't take long for the Carthage Planning Board to approve unanimously Little River Resort's latest plans. (Cont.)

Laser Institute of Pinehurst Plans Open Houses
The Laser Institute of Pinehurst, which opened March 1, will hold two open houses this week in its new office, to introduce physicians, nurses and medical staff to its services. (Cont.)

Gala Celebrates Delta Service
At least 300 residents celebrated Delta Air Lines' first day of passenger service to Moore County on Thursday evening at the Pinehurst Fair Barn. (Cont.)

Shadow Hill Farm Hosts Camp for Dogs and Kids
As the summer takes off, children from the surrounding area and as far away as Texas will be coming with their favorite dogs to the kids' and dogs' camp at Shadow Hill farm in Jackson Springs the week of June 26-30. (Cont.)

CVB Launches New Sport and Planning Section on Web Site
The Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) for the Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen area has announced the addition of a new Sports and Tournament Planning section on its Web site, www.homeofgolf.com, designed specifically to assist sports planners. (Cont.)

PODCAST CORNER: Improving the Scent of a Man
The Pilot Writer-in-Residence Jim Dodson reads a portion of this week's column in the second installment of The Pilot's Podcast Corner. Dodson will read part of his column and respond to questions each Friday at ThePilot.com. Listen to this week's podcast , hosted by Online News Coordinator Ryan C. Tuck. (Cont.)

JULY 4th INFORMATION
(Updated: 2:16 p.m. Thursday) The following is a list of events on the 4th of July in the Sandhills. If you know of other events or celebrations, e-mail ryan@thepilot.com. (Cont.)

NEW SITE COMING: Expect kinks during transition
ThePilot.com, as promised, will boast a new look and round of services Saturday. However, as we switch sites there will be some access problems. Please bear with us as we transition our services. We expect that you will be pleased with the results.