Comments by Van Zant | Eastern NC Now

BO: You're right of course. The School Board should demand a Long-Range Facility Plan before they ever commit to any of these projects. They need to have the discipline not to go for anything that does not fit within the long-range plan. Too bad we have a school board where the tail wags the dog.

Commented: Friday, February 7th, 2025 @ 8:59 am By: Van Zant

It seems that what is happening now is part of an established process of poor planning and broken promises.

In all of this, Chocowinity Primary School still does not have a 5th grade on campus. The CPS 5th grade is located on the Chocowinity Middle School campus. Has anywhere else in North Carolina done this?

Also, around County/City merger time the greatest needs in the County were identified as Belhaven and Aurora. I never quite understood how the answer to that was losing John A. Wilkenson. Maybe there are things I don't know about that one, but it makes me wonder.

At the time I wasn't very negative about the Chocowinity / Aurora High School consolidation. I've had second thoughts since then. When this was going on, assurances were given to Aurora area residents not to worry, because younger children would not be subjected to having to travel increased distances. Nowadays it appears that promise is off the table too.

Consequently, I'm for having a time out on everything until we've had a detailed study done resulting in a coherent plan for Beaufort County. This hodgepodge planning seems to be headed for nowhere good.

P.S.- I can't see where any of this Beaufort County business has anything to do with Tula [Tulsa] Oklahoma in 1921.

Commented: Thursday, February 6th, 2025 @ 9:41 am By: Van Zant

Here's something interesting: I heard a big delegation from my part of the county attended the school board meeting on Monday. They were concerned because they saw on the agenda a Snowden School fiscal report that was listed as an action item.

At the last minute the item was removed. When the meeting started board member Hickman asked the chairman why it was removed. The superintendent said it would be dealt with in closed session. Hum.

Commented: Tuesday, February 4th, 2025 @ 6:10 am By: Van Zant

RH: Hoping for the best with Hudson. Time will tell. Unfortunately, we've all seen a fair number of board members sit on boards for the prestige and the extra monthly check, while taking the path of least resistance. The easy way is to turn the manager or superintendent loose while they pretend like they are doing something. With this scenario a manager or superintendent can do whatever they want as long as they have a lazy board majority in their pocket.

Stan: Yep. The uniparty runs a con game on an unknowing public.

Commented: Friday, January 31st, 2025 @ 9:44 pm By: Van Zant

Stan: The less traveled path for many of the board members on the various Beaufort County Boards does seem to be the exception rather than the rule. Ever notice that the local board members that are willing to actually work are often times criticized and attacked for it and vilified for not going along. I'd wager you have noticed.

Commented: Wednesday, January 29th, 2025 @ 4:22 am By: Van Zant

Speaking in clichés: How about this? "...kids would have a better outcome if the adults didn't act like [crooks]." Or "...better outcome if adults didn't act like [rubber stamp zombies]."

Hey cliché speaking can be fun. How about if some of our board members could take control of their boards and do their damned jobs instead of dancing on the end of their puppet strings.

Commented: Tuesday, January 28th, 2025 @ 2:19 am By: Van Zant

Does BBob say this stupid stuff on purpose or does it come natural? I know he's too politically biased to acknowledge Ted Cruz; most likely doesn't know who Octaviano Larrazola and Richard Cavazos are. Luis Alvarez or Mario Molina? Doubtful, science is not his thing. He should have remembered Rita Moreno or Joan Baez! For me Salma Hayek and Raquel Welch readily come to mind.

Commented: Sunday, January 26th, 2025 @ 9:10 am By: Van Zant

W: Due to the matrimonial relations between some of the various board members I suspect some members had a lot more knowledge of what as up than others. There's no telling how tangled this web really is.

Commented: Saturday, January 25th, 2025 @ 8:35 pm By: Van Zant

If BBob was truly for merit he would not be advocating for DEI policies. He seems to have the philosophy of Canadian wokester Justin Trudeau.

Commented: Friday, January 24th, 2025 @ 6:03 pm By: Van Zant

Just considering the very last-minute pardons: Two traitors and the ENTIRE Biden crime family for anything they MAY have done. This is really, really low.

Commented: Tuesday, January 21st, 2025 @ 9:03 am By: Van Zant

Interesting. When faced with having to defend his Red Communist Chinese voting system that has been imposed on Beaufort County, B Bob even has to abandon his knee jerk reaction race card.

Commented: Monday, January 20th, 2025 @ 9:26 am By: Van Zant

What a nightmare for people of sane rural Illinois and sane rural Oregon counties to be dominated by the insanity coming out of Chicago and Portland. We here in eastern Carolina are also feeling that more and more in a state dominated by Raleigh/Durham, Charlotte and Greensboro. If need be, where could we even try to go?

Commented: Sunday, January 19th, 2025 @ 9:22 am By: Van Zant

There seems to be lots of cart before the horse planning on this project. Also, lots of interesting interplay between three boards and husband and wife board connections. Many folks I talk with aren't understanding much of this and are wanting more transparency. I guess that's not the Beaufort County way. I suppose we can expect more delays, more cost along the way, and more ongoing side deals.

Commented: Friday, January 17th, 2025 @ 7:57 am By: Van Zant

Planning for poverty is poor planning.

Commented: Thursday, January 16th, 2025 @ 12:16 pm By: Van Zant

I know where BC Industrial Park South is.

Commented: Tuesday, January 14th, 2025 @ 12:52 pm By: Van Zant

All I know is that before Giuliani was mayor, I did not feel safe on the subway. Before Rudi I dreaded Penn Station. After Rudi, traveling in New York City was a pleasure. LA seems to be in a similar pre-Rudi situation. Blue state politics = disaster.

Commented: Tuesday, January 14th, 2025 @ 9:39 am By: Van Zant

It appears the California Democrats see Trump as the emergency instead of the wildfires.

Commented: Monday, January 13th, 2025 @ 11:15 am By: Van Zant