Magic Mile Media was built on the idea that small businesses need help navigating the ever-changing world of social media. Almost eight years later, we've grown into a full-service company offering everything from live-streaming and video production to local and state news. The journey hasn't always been easy, but it has been driven by a commitment to helping businesses succeed in the digital age.
Read MoreRANT ALERT: I’ve been bombarded with requests to publish so-called “dirt” on candidates for office. Here’s my response…
Read MoreAt the September 13th Lenoir County Public Schools board meeting, Chairman Bruce Hill admonished the public on when it’s appropriate to contact a school board member. He cited a chain of command, the need to go straight to the source, and emphasized the school board’s primary goal is to be policymakers. However, Mr. Hill seemingly chastises parents, guardians, and stakeholders for attempting in any type of way to hold school board members accountable. In an eye-opening statement, Mr. Hill says about the school board, “[we] aren’t as versed in education” and “we as board members we don’t know what goes on at the schools.”
Read MoreI am more concerned about the next four years for Kinston today than I was four years ago.
The impasses we face with the City of Kinston pose significant challenges for our community’s future, and we need leaders to step up at a time such as this. The mayor’s seat and two councilmembers’ seats are up for grabs, and the $10 filing fee period ends on Friday, July 16th at 12:00 pm.
Now is not the time to complain. Now is not the time to critique. Instead, if you feel led to run or compelled to serve your community greater than your role today, here is your opportunity to influence or shape the change you desire.
Read MoreSadly for the second year in a row, the Kinston City Council has sought these personal increases, yet this year's discussion is distracting from the fact that they are also raising property taxes. The cost to the taxpayers if approved would be $670,000. Despite the fact the Kinston City Council has already voted on their increases, they could amend the budget tonight, by stripping the salaries and allowances back to the FY20 funding and passing a revised budget.
Read MoreRoughly one year ago, Governor Cooper declared a state of emergency regarding COVID-19, and while an emergency is typically seen as a momentary crisis, this has been harnessed into the “new normal”, expanding bureaucratic control over citizens’ lives for an alarming period of time. Regardless of the continued state of emergency, our local officials are holding themselves to a different standard. The Kinston City Council and Lenoir County School Board continue to meet outside of their chambers and only through Facebook or Zoom. Are they afraid for their safety while asking their staff to be dismissive of their own? Are they worried about facing parents and the community in a real public forum again?
Read MoreWhatever happened to tax credits and tax deductions? How many more payments will people expect in the future before we declare the pandemic over?
The utter reliance and potential household budgeting for future stimulus payments disincentivizes Americans from using their skills and creativity to find a way to meet their obligations. The unintended consequence of stimulus payments may very well be a methodical way of killing the American dream by taking away all incentives of hard work and individualism.
Read MoreHad the honor of being interviewed by the infamous Reece Gardner this week on TMGI - CTV10. We discussed the acquisition of N.C. Political News and how the devastation of Hurricane Matthew led me to launch Magic Mile Media. I also got on a small kick about the politics of COVID-19 and its impact on our business community. Sometimes I question the politics when looking at the same data and science.
Read MoreOn an episode of Locked In with Algenon Cash, I took a moment to discuss the acquisition of NCPoliticalNews.com as well as the importance of social media for business branding. Algenon was too kind when he called me “the Rupert Murdoch of Digital Media in North Carolina” and while I’m not at that level today, I believe that the actions our team has set in motion will lead to continued momentum and growth.
Read MoreDefunding the Police has been one of the most controversial topics of 2020, stemming from the wake of high-profile cases involving concerns of racial profiling or cases of police brutality. While some calls for Defunding the Police mask redistributing money from police budgets to social programs, others are a bit more blatant by defunding police departments altogether.
Fast forward to this past week in La Grange, where 31 policing agencies descended on our area. They came with helicopters, heat-seeking devices, K-9s, SWAT teams, armored vehicles, and more. Tax dollars well spent to protect our community from harm. Imagine living near Kennedy Home or Banks School Road in an era where Defunding the Police wasn’t a phrase but a policy.
Read MoreThe nation is probably as divided as it has been since the American Civil War in the 1860s. The supposed blue wave tsunami that was predicted by the media and pundits did not materialize in the numbers that they proclaimed. The White House may be changing parties, but Republicans picked up several House seats and look to maintain a Senate majority come January.
Despite COVID, lockdowns, a battered economy, partisan hoopla, racial issues, social unrest, riots, and a huge backlash against Trump, the nation is still bitterly divided, almost down the middle of its population. The polls were wrong--again, and many are losing faith in journalists, news, media, and the entire political system.
Read MoreAt the October 5th Kinston City Council meeting, the elected members unanimously approved two motions allowing city employees new vacation days for June 19 and Election Day. With roughly less than five minutes of discussion, both motions passed.
The City of Kinston has 378 positions on payroll and have about 350 positions filled at this time. Let’s assume all 350 are eligible to vote. If 70% take the time to vote, that will equate to approximately 245 employees exercising that right. If 61.2% have already cast their ballots in our area, it would mean about 214 employees have already done so.
Based on historical numbers, the cost per vote on Election Day (31) is roughly $1,729, plus time and a half for our police, fire and other essential employees.
Read MoreOne of the unique ideals of our country is that we’re able to express views and beliefs without fear of reprisal or censorship. And the internet has brought forth a plethora of opportunities to distribute information through a multitude of platforms and websites. But with the acceptance of differing voices came also the silencing of dissenting opinions by those with a monopoly on power and information...namely Facebook, Google and Twitter. These tech giants have created amazing platforms for people to connect, yet now have the undaunting task of policing those platforms in the scope of free speech without sacrificing what their ad dollars crave - your attention and engagement.
Read MoreCouncilman Sammy Aiken and I served together for 6 years. We probably disagreed on only about 5% of matters before our board. I'd attest it was largely because we rarely got caught up in national politics on a local level.
Read MoreWhile TikTok has been all over the news after President Trump drew attention to the potential theft of data from Americans and the endangerment of officials, a silent giant has put the hard work and talent of local entrepreneurs and workers on display without permission or a conversation. News Break, created by Chinese media veterans, is a news aggregator application that is robbing small American businesses of their intellectual property, infringing upon copyrighted material, and denying them the potential for revenue.
Read MoreCOVID-19, economic issues, social unrest, wildfires, natural disasters, and explosive “gotcha” books will help shape the political landscape. Technological advances like geo-targeting and social media will provide new means of communicating candidates’ messages in local and national elections. The old cliche that “all politics is local” continues to ring true, but how do local candidates stand out in the noise of presidential election year rhetoric?
Read MoreWhile reporters and TV talking heads continue to refer to North Carolina as a swing state, they are largely mistaken. We do not “swing” between Republicans and Democrats for president and governor much to the media’s chagrin. Our selection of US Senators, however, would qualify for that designation. The reality is that NC tends to vote for Republican presidents, Democratic governors, and flip flops on US Senators.
Read MoreThe Covid-19 pandemic has greatly affected everyone in 2020 and will affect us for years to come. I will leave some of the national debate about the economic stress, masks, hydroxychloroquine, or other issues to the pundits. On a local level, the recent potential 18-week decision by the Lenoir County School Board exposed a servant leadership deficit catching parents, teachers and even administrators by surprise.
Read MoreOn Friday night I went to bed much earlier than usual. Guess this approaching 40 thing is becoming a reality. 🤣 However, I woke up in the middle of the night with multiple things weighing on my mind. Things like the Lenoir County School Board, my upcoming 40th birthday and the 2020 elections.
Read MoreHave you ever had something gnaw at you long enough that you finally had to address it?
Last month the City of Kinston requested that Neuse News run a Public Notice informing the community of the proposed Fiscal Year 2020-2021 budget. Having served for eight years as mayor, I know the budget process and numbers well. Glaring to me was the proposed $26,100 increase in the mayor and council’s salary line item. Surely that was a mistake. Surely in a time like this that would not be on the table.
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