03/29/2024
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Reminder of the Bladenboro Christmas Parade today … beginning at 10:30 a.m. Following the parade, enjoy a BBQ plate, available at the Bladenboro fire department. … A Kevin Conner Foundation fundraiser. … Plates, $7 each, proceeds will benefit the scholarship fund that will be used to assist high school seniors in Bladen and Columbus counties, to further their education.

On the topic of scholarships. … High School seniors, beginning to search for scholarships should check for info in various places. … Star TMC has scholarship info on their website, 2 different scholarship sources, one funded annually by the local coop and another funded by Foundation for Rural Service.

Speaking of Star Communications … questioned daily about news related to Star’s recent grant of nearly $24 million to fund fiber to consumer/members homes and businesses in the areas served. Star’s service area is one of the most rural anywhere in the country … averaging about 4 telephone consumers per mile. Much attention is being paid to the effort of providing rural America better service, at the state and federal government level. The good news is fiber is on the way … the bad news is it will take time … not weeks or months, but years. A required match of 25% is required, so a $30 plus million update, about $60 million is needed. When the initial fiber is installed, related to this grant and the match, over 70% of Star consumer/owners will be better served. The upgrades will be by exchanges … ex. Abbottsburg, Harrells, Lisbon, Kelly, etc., not necessarily in that order. Exchanges in Sampson are also included, until, hopefully, all will eventually be served by 100% fiber.

How do you eat a whale … if a whale is edible … one bite at the time.

Filing for political office is moving at a ‘snails pace’ in Bladen County. Glenn McKoy is the latest to file. He is seeking re-election to the Bladen County Board of Education.

You can tell how big a man is by what it takes to discourage him.

“In business, successful people reach goals, not quotas” Stephen Jermyn

“If we study what is merely average, we will remain merely average.” Shawn Achor

robert g hester
rgh4612@gmail.com
910-876-2322

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