Opinion Roundup: NC jobless rate, offshore drilling, school funding controversy and more

Saturday, June 16, 2018 -- A round up of opinion, commentary and analysis on: Gov. Cooper vetoes judiciary/election bills, approved N.C. early voting changes bring tense debate, new prisoner crimes and reporting gets legislative green light, offshore drilling and more. 

GARY ROBERTSON: Long week at legislature ends; constitutional changes next (AP reports) -- Legislators have wrapped up a long week of debates and voting on scores of bills designed to clear the decks on this year's most contentious legislation that Gov. Roy Cooper can sign or veto.

MATTHEW BURNS: Cooper vetoes elections, judiciary bills (WRAL-TV reports) -- Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed two bills, one dealing with elections laws and the other one of two judicial redistricting efforts passed by the General Assembly.

GARY ROBERTSON: Approved N.C. early voting changes bring tense debate (AP reports) -- The General Assembly gave final legislative approval Friday to more changes to N.C.'s early in-person voting laws that Republicans say promote election uniformity but Democrats argue again discourage black residents from voting.

MATTHEW BURNS: Legislature OKs changes to early voting (WRAL-TV reports) -- Changes to early voting schedules cleared the General Assembly, less than 40 hours after they were unveiled.

RICHARD CRAVER: Skimpier health insurance plan bill may be shelved for session (Winston-Salem Journal reports) -- The odds grew slimmer that the state House and Senate will reach a compromise in the current session on a controversial Senate attempt to introduce a cheaper, skimpier and unregulated health insurance option. The House voted 53-38 against the Senate version of House Bill 933 that would make the option available to nonprofits with a statewide presence.

New prisoner crimes and reporting gets legislative approval (AP reports) -- The General Assembly has approved new or expanded crimes for N.C. prisoners who expose themselves to correctional workers or perform other malicious acts.

T. KEUNG HUI: This legislation could let towns hold schools 'hostage' to pay for road improvements (Charlotte Observer reports) -- Legislators are allowing towns to withhold approval for projects unless school systems reduce or waive the amount they'd be reimbursed for making municipal road improvements. Critics say it allows schools to be held "hostage."

School funding litigation option eliminated by legislature (AP reports) -- The legislature is ready to bar local education boards from suing county commissioners when they can't agree on how much to spend operating district schools.

KEVIN GRIFFIN: Senator's office fields 200 calls on bill that would provide a retirement benefit to firefighters (Hickory Daily Record reports) -- State Sen. Andy Wells said he has nothing to do with a House bill that would provide a retirement benefit to firefighters . The state senator was accused on the Iredell County Firewire Facebook page this week of blocking the bill. A post on the Iredell County Firewire Facebook page Wednesday morning said that Wells, who represents Catawba and Alexander counties, was holding up a bill that would provide a retirement allowance to firefighters and rescue workers. The post urged members of the public to call Wells’ office about the bill.

ROB SCHOFIELD: Corporate power over human wellbeing (Winston-Salem Journal column) -- It usually happens a few times every legislative session: at some point during their annual stay in the state capital, North Carolina lawmakers come to a bellwether moment or two at which they provide a full expression of who they are and what they stand for.

ANN DOSS HELMS: That $200,000 NC taxpayers were giving to 35 CMS schools? It's spiked. Here's why (Charlotte Observer reports) -- Lawmakers budgeted $200,000 to fund classroom projects at public schools in Sen. Jeff Tarte's district. But they pulled the plug after DonorsChoose, the nonprofit tagged to distribute the money, said no thanks.

MARK BARRETT: Bill would create 5 Asheville City Council districts, but there are hurdles ahead (Asheville Citizen-Times reports) -- State Sen. Chuck Edwards has filed his long-expected bill to force most members of Asheville City Council to run in districts instead of citywide, but with a twist. The bill Edwards, R-Henderson, introduced in the state Senate on Friday would set up only five districts instead of the six he had previously advocated. That means citywide elections would be used to choose a mayor and one other member of council.

TAYLOR BATTEN: Filing for judges opens Monday. 'Katie, bar the door.' (Charlotte Observer column) -- Filing for N.C. judicial offices opens Monday. Democrats and Republicans have already made their endorsements, and the state's judiciary is becoming as politicized as the other branches of government.

ADAM OWENS: Troopers charged in Raleigh man's beating fired, sergeant placed on administrative duty (WRAL-TV reports) -- Two State Highway Patrol troopers charged with beating a Raleigh man during an April arrest were fired Friday, officials said. Meanwhile, Highway Patrol Sgt. R.W. Goswick has been placed on administrative duty for his role in the incident. Troopers Michael Blake and Tabithia Davis were terminated following an internal investigation.

N.C. jobless rate drops to 4.3 percent in May (AP reports) – N.C.'s unemployment rate dropped slightly last month, continuing a slow decline.

VANESSA WILLIAMS: Trump’s most visible black supporters are not faithful Republicans (Washington Post reports) -- Many black Republican Party activists and political leaders have been either ignored by Trump or keep their distance because they disagree with his divisive racial rhetoric. it’s definitely a cult of personality,” said Theodore Johnson, a senior fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice, whose research focuses on race and politics. “They just like the access to power.” Another pair of highly visible black Trump supporters are duo Diamond and Silk, the stage names of N.C. sisters Lynette Hardaway and Rochelle Richardson, who saw their profile on YouTube soar after they became supporters of Trump. They use over-the-top rhetoric and pep rally-style chants to profess their fealty and shout down critics of Trump.

AARON MOODY: ‘There is no excuse for it,’ UNC student body president says of racial slurs in old tweets (Durham Herald-Sun reports) -- UNC-Chapel Hill’s student body president issued a public apology after the Daily Tar Heel newspaper shed light on some old tweets in which she used racial slurs and other offensive language. In her apology on Facebook, Savannah Putnam said The Daily Tar Heel probed her Twitter account after contacting her regarding a report on “inclusive language and the dangers of insensitivity.” What the newspaper found became the case in point for the article.

ROB SCHOFIELD: Cooper rightfully blasts Trump’s “ransom” proposal on offshore oil and gas drilling (Policy Watch column) -- In case you missed it amongst all of the hubbub and chaos at the General Assembly this week, Gov. Roy Cooper issued strong statement of opposition yesterday in response to the Trump administration’s latest scheme to force Atlantic Coast states to allow oil and gas drilling. The Trump plan would actually force states to pay the federal government to be exempt from drilling.

RANDY STURGILL: Stand firm against offshore drilling (Wilmington Star-News column) -- I have long encouraged North Carolinians to speak out about offshore drilling. Our coastline has been protected from leasing for more than 30 years, but the oil and gas industry seem bent on changing that. The citizens of North Carolina have a clear stance on drilling off our coast – they don’t want it.

JEFF HAMPTON: Cape Hatteras Lighthouse could get a new LED light (Norfolk Virginian-Pilot reports) -- An LED light would have no moving parts, require almost no maintenance and use 90 percent less electricity.

Gaston County restaurant owner wins $10 million helping of good luck (WRAL-TV reports) -- Howard Smith III of Belmont said he's going to use a $10 million lottery prize to make sure his children can have big dreams for the future.