Opinion Roundup: 2020 Republican National Convention, students opting out of public schools, the cost of rising temperatures and more

Saturday, July 14, 2018 -- A round up of opinion, commentary and analysis on: Charlotte refuses to release details of tentative RNC deals before Monday vote, 1 in 5 NC students now opting out of traditional public schools, environmental groups sue to stop GenX emissions, peeking at life a mile deep off the Outer Banks and more.

BRIAN MURPHY & JIM MORRILL: Can NC Democrats flip 2 congressional seats? They outraised their GOP foes 2-to-1 (Charlotte Observer reports) — Democrats in two closely watched North Carolina congressional races outraised their Republican counterparts 2-to-1 in the second quarter of 2018, a sign that the districts could be key battlegrounds in the national fight to control the U.S. House. Democrats Dan McCready and Kathy Manning held large money advantages over their opponents in the GOP-held 9th and 13th districts, respectively, before the second quarter began April 1.

VALERIE BAUERLEIN: Charlotte’s Hosting of 2020 GOP Convention Still Not a Sure Thing (Wall Street Journal reports) -- The scheduled vote Monday by the Charlotte, N.C., city council on final approval for its bid to host the 2020 GOP convention is turning into an unexpected cliffhanger, with liberal council members facing pressure not to host President Trump’s expected nomination for a second term.

STEVE HARRISON: Charlotte refuses to release details of tentative RNC deals before Monday vote (Charlotte Observer reports) — As the City Council prepares for a contentious meeting Monday on the Republican National Convention, the city declined to release the proposed convention contracts Friday, saying they are exempt from public inspection under state law.

STEVE HARRISON & JIM MORRILL: Why did council Democrats wait to oppose RNC? An inside look at Charlotte’s bid (Charlotte Observer reports) — Democrats who initially supported the convention or didn’t oppose it now say the city needed to do more outreach. Other Democrats are saying it’s too late to back out now. Underscoring the sensitivity of the issue, several business and political leaders involved in the effort declined to comment publicly for a story.

Charlotte, at least negotiate a good deal on RNC 2020 (Charlotte Observer) — The Charlotte City Council votes Monday on hosting the Republican National Convention in 2020. The city doesn’t need this headache or this risk and ought to consider why almost no other city in America wants it. But if it’s considering buying this leaky jalopy, it must at least protect taxpayers in the deal.

Political kingmaker Tom Ellis dies at 97 (Tribune News Service) -- Tom Ellis, the conservative political strategist who played an important role in the rise of Jesse Helms and Ronald Reagan, has died at age 97. Ellis, a crusty, shrewd, pipe-smoking Raleigh attorney, was a master player in Tar Heel politics. He helped build N.C. into a two-party state; was Helms' political alter ego; was a kingmaker who made the careers of U.S. senators, federal judges and a Raleigh mayor. But his most lasting political influence may have been his role in rescuing the presidential prospects Ronald Reagan in 1976. He also helped engineer the rise of tough, negative television advertising, pioneered the use of direct mail to raise money and readily exploited racial divisions for political gain.

ROB SCHOFIELD: Why we must fight Trump’s new Supreme Court nominee (Winston-Salem Journal column) -- Donald Trump’s ongoing effort to remake the federal courts in his own extreme image is something that ought to cause enormous concern for all caring and thinking Americans.

Don’t raid Coast Guard budget (Wilmington Star News) — The U.S. Coast Guard could be sailing into rough waters, and it’s Washington’s fault. Internal documents obtained by the Washington Post indicate that the Trump administration plans to shift up to $77 million in funding from the Coast Guard to other parts of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which is facing increased expenses on the U.S.-Mexican border. Yes, border security is important, but the Atlantic and Pacific coasts are our borders, too. The Coast Guard plays a major role preventing the smuggling of drugs and other contraband

MACON ATKINSON: A Raleigh Man Died of an Apparent Suicide While in Solitary Confinement at a For-Profit Immigration Prison in Georgia (Indy Week News reports) — A Raleigh man died from an apparent suicide late Tuesday night while in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement at a private prison in Lumpkin, Georgia. He’s the third person to die at the detention center in a little over a year. Efraín Romero de la Rosa was found unresponsive in his cell by staff at 10:38 p.m. on July 10, according to ICE. He was in solitary confinement for undisclosed reasons. Medical personnel attempted CPR and the staff contacted emergency services, which arrived at the prison ten minutes later. De la Rosa was pronounced dead at the hospital at 11:29 p.m. Self-inflicted strangulation has been declared as the cause of death, but an investigation is ongoing.

JANEEN BRYANT: Protest is never convenient, but we need it now as much as ever (Charlotte Observer column) — Protest — like death, illness, and taxes — never comes at a convenient time. After the fireworks and patriotism of Independence Day, I was struck by the news of a lone protester at the feet of the Statue of Liberty. The woman, Therese Patricia Okoumou, is Congolese and an American immigrant. She was there to protest policies affecting immigrant children, most of whom were brought by their parents for asylum. Her simple demand: that children be returned to their parents.

Panhandling on the decline; war on Obamacare hits home (Fayetteville Observer) — The Trump administration has slashed funding for the so-called ACA “navigators,” the people who are trained to explain health benefits to applicants, and to help them enroll in health care policies. Nationwide, the funding was cut by 72 percent. Here in North Carolina, which has had some of the nation’s highest enrollments under Obamacare, the navigator budget was cut by 85 percent — from $3.4 million to $500,000.

LIZ BELL: Five takeaways from ‘Energizing Rural North Carolina’ (EdNC reports) — The first day of a conference exploring strategies to foster rural economies and communities across the state attracted local economic developers from 65 counties to Pinehurst Thursday. Energizing Rural North Carolina, hosted by the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, outlined two of five “building blocks” to structure presentations and discussion: education and workforce.

T. KEUNG HUI: Nearly 1 in 5 NC students are opting out of traditional public schools. Does it matter? (Durham-Herald Sun reports) — Nearly 1 in 5 North Carolina students is not attending a traditional public school, and that percentage is likely to continue rising as more families choose alternative education options. For the third year in a row, enrollment has fallen in North Carolina’s traditional public schools even as the number of students continues to rise in charter schools, private schools and homeschools.

LIZ SCHLEMMER: Innovative School District Reveals First School Director (WUNC reports) — North Carolina's experimental Innovative School District will open soon and now has a director for its first school. Community leaders in Lumberton gathered Thursday to meet Southside-Ashpole Elementary's new director Bruce Major. The public school will re-open in August under its new management. The state is turning over operation of the struggling Robeson County school to a charter school operator in hopes of turning around student performance. That operator, Achievement for All Children, worked with the district's superintendent Eric Hall to select the school's head administrator. Hall says Major has a strong background in working with disadvantaged students.

JANE STANCILL: Duke will change its SAT and ACT requirements. The move aims to help low-income applicants (Durham-Herald Sun reports) — Duke University announced Friday that it will no longer require the SAT essay or ACT writing scores for students applying for admissions. The change will begin with next year’s incoming class. The writing tests attached to the SAT and ACT will be optional but recommended. Christoph Guttentag, dean of undergraduate admissions, said the the move would reduce barriers for students from low-income families and under-resourced high schools.

GREG BARNES: ‘We did absolutely nothing wrong,’ FTCC senior VP says (Fayetteville Observer reports) — A top administrator who is no longer on the job at Fayetteville Technical Community College said he has done nothing wrong.On Monday, FTCC announced that David Brand, senior vice president for academic and student services, was leaving and that President Larry Keen would be assuming his duties, “effective immediately.” The college would not say whether Brand was retiring, resigning or being fired. Brand, 61, oversaw FTCC’s All American Veterans’ Center, where four employees have been fired since May over allegations of padding time cards for veterans in the work-study program.In an interview Friday, Brand would not discuss details of why he is resigning from a job that pays him $162,236 a year. He said the resignation has nothing to do with the college’s Veterans’ Center.

Reinforcing the 'A' in N.C. A&T (Greensboro News & Record) — The ceremonial groundbreaking last week for a significant new addition to N.C. A&T took place beside a big tent in the middle of rolling pastures.

ALLEN MASK: ERs, community care coordinate to treat substance abuse issues (WRAL reports) — The substance abuse crisis and demand for mental health care has overwhelmed hospitals across the country. It has led to overcrowded emergency departments and affects care for other patients. A new, three-county network of community providers, led by WakeMed's emergency department, is helping to streamline that pipeline of care. In 2017 alone, the WakeMed network of emergency care centers saw 38,000 patients with those issues.

TIM BUCKLAND: Rouzer to host symposium on heroin, opioid epidemic (Wilmington Star News reports) — A symposium aimed at finding better ways to combat the region’s heroin epidemic will be held later this month in Wilmington. The idea was to broaden approaches taken to prevent access to heroin and opioids and learn better ways to treat those addicted to substances, said U.S. Rep. David Rouzer, R-N.C., who is hosting the event.

FRANK TAYLOR: Emails reveal dealings between county officials and behavioral health agency lobbyists (Carolina Public Press reports) — Emails and other records obtained from Rutherford County by Carolina Public Press raise new questions about county officials’ efforts to switch who manages mental and behavioral health services, a move than can affect some 3,000 county residents. Rutherford County commissioners have declared their intent to petition the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services to let them switch from the Local Management Entity-Managed Care Organization region overseen by Asheville-based Vaya Health to one handled by Gastonia-based Partners Behavioral Health. The move could also affect the funding and services puzzle for every county served by either agency, which would include most counties west of Charlotte.

TYLER DUKES: Environmental groups sue to stop GenX emissions (WRAL-TV reports) — Environmental groups have turned to a New Hanover County court to force state regulators to completely shut down the emissions of GenX and other unregulated compounds from the Chemours plant south of Fayetteville.

TAFT WIREBACK: Triad customers could see lower power bills soon after Duke Energy accepts revenue cut ordered by N.C. panel (Winston-Salem Journal reports) — Duke Energy Carolinas has filed paperwork with state and federal officials accepting a recent decision by the N.C. Utilities Commission that sharply trimmed the power company’s request for a rate increase. The decision means that many Duke Energy customers in the Triad should start seeing a reduction in their monthly power bills later this summer.

ADAM WAGNER: As temps and utility bills rise, burden grows for Southeast NC’s poor (Wilmington Star News reports) — As summer temperatures rise, so, unavoidably do the bills for electric air conditioning. When utility bills begin to take up a disproportionate amount of a household’s income, the household suffers from a phenomenon known as ‘energy poverty.’ While low-income homes in North Carolina’s Southeastern corner spend slightly less on energy than elsewhere in the state, the totals are still high enough to reach the status of high energy burdens.

LAURA LESLIE: Look out below: Get a peek at life mile deep off Outer Banks (WRAL reports) — A deep-sea research expedition is letting scientists see the ocean bottom off the N.C. coast for the first time. The Okeanos, a remote-controlled underwater research vessel, explores different parts of the ocean each year for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This year's expedition, which wrapped up last week, was off the Southeast coast.

TRAVIS FAIN: Army makes it official: Raleigh misses out on Army Futures Command (WRAL-TV reports) — The Army's effort to modernize its forces will headquarter in Austin, Texas, top military officials announced Friday. Raleigh was one of five finalists for the Army Futures Command, which will have about 500 people attached to it, be led by a top general and focus on the branch's largest modernization effort since the 1970sr to submit our strongest proposal possible."

GILBERT BAEZ: Fort Bragg soldier raises awareness about suicides through 22-mile walk (WRAL reports) — A Special Forces soldier from Fort Bragg is trying to raise awareness about military veterans who commit suicide in a unique way: He's walking 22 miles over a two-day span while carrying 200 pounds of weight. The numbers hold special meaning because statistics show that 20 to 22 active-duty service members or military vets take their own lives in the U.S. every day. That's why a group called 22 Until None has decided to focus on the issue in an effort to call attention to the problem.

Greensboro native John Isner gave an ace of an effort (Greensboro News & Record) — John Isner probably doesn’t feel very good this morning, but, boy, the rest of us sure do. He spent six hours, 35 minutes slamming that fuzzy little ball and chasing it down and slamming it again. That was John Isner’s Friday afternoon, his day of pain. Kevin Anderson won the match, but Isner won our hearts. Because echoing all over Greensboro and Guilford County, across courts throughout the city and probably around the campus of Page High School, there was this emergence of a fan base, a rallying behind Isner, our native son, and unabashed cheering for him

MAGGIE BROWN: Another baby rhino born Friday at NC Zoo (WRAL-TV reports) -- Friday the 13th was a lucky day for the NC Asheboro Zoo. Early in the morning, Kit gave birth to the zoo's second southern white rhino in the Watani Grassland habitat.

WRAL-TV bids farewell to GM Steve Hammel (WRAL-TV reports) -- After a decade leading the direction for WRAL-TV, Steve Hammel is retiring as vice president and general manager.