It's time to be thankful

Some news, thoughts and information while we all catch our breath following Hanna's blitz through our little piece of heaven ...

It could've been worse

For the most part, the worst anyone in our area got from Tropical Storm Hanna on Friday and Saturday were some downed tree limbs and limited power outages.

That is something for which we should all be thankful. As Hanna approached North Carolina from the Atlantic, some forecast models were showing - as late as Wednesday and Thursday - that Hanna could be a Category 1 or 2 hurricane.

Hanna lost most of her punch, though, because the storm was so wide. Again, that's a good thing.

We've also apparently dodged another bullet with the movement of Hurricane Ike heading into the Gulf of Mexico. Some hurricane forecast models had Ike tracking right behind Hanna, but thankfully, they were wrong.

A historic election

No matter what happens in November's presidential election, it's going to be a history-making event. We're either going to have our first African-American president (Barack Obama) or our first woman vice-president (Sarah Palin).

It's about time. For too long, our country has been controlled by the status quo - read: Old White Men - and it's well past time for some diversity in our top political positions in America.

There's been quite a bit of discussion at my blog (http://bhanks.encblogs.com) about the election - and I'd love for you to join in. Go to the link, read the daily Morning News Reports and chime in.

How about those Vikings?

OK, those of you who know me best won't be surprised that I can't get away from sports. And we've had some very special stories in football this year. After an 0-11 season in 2007, the North Lenoir Hawks were 2-0 before losing to Kinston on Thursday. South Lenoir is also 1-1 this season, while Ayden-Grifton and Jones Senior are going to be 1A powerhouses again this year.

But the most impressive beginning of this 2008 season has been the one by the Vikings of Kinston High School. The Vikings are 3-0 after setting a school record for points in a 65-19 win at North Lenoir on Thursday.

On top of that, the team has scored more points (142) through the first three games of the season than any Kinston High School team in history. They've won the Freedom Cup - presented by The Free Press to the best public school football team in Lenoir County - for the third straight year and they've already tied last year's win total.

Kinston has won a total of six games in the previous three years. It's highly likely they'll top that win total this season.

Coming soon - a new face in town

Since accepting the position as The Free Press' Content Editor a couple of months ago, I've searched for a new sports editor for you. Well, I've found him.

His name is Ryan Herman and he'll be the new SE of the paper beginning Oct. 6. He hails from Newton, where he's been the sports editor of the Observer News-Enterprise. Ryan also worked for one of the true sports-writing icons of North Carolina, Chris Hobbs of the Hickory Daily Record.

Please make him feel as welcome as you did when I got here nearly six years ago.

Bryan C. Hanks' column appears every Sunday in The Free Press. You can reach him at (252) 559-1074 or at bhanks@freedomenc.com. Check out Bryan's blog at http://bhanks.encblogs.com.