Opinion Roundup: Voting starts; legislature stalls; DPI contract nixed; Childress leaves NRA board; red flags; hemp; and more

Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2019 -- A round up of opinion, commentary and analysis on: special election voting starts; Cooper reaches out to teachers as legislators stall; immigration and jails; special funeral deal for legislators; voter ID; Childress leaves NRA board; and more.

GINGER LIVINGSTON: Congressional candidates share trade, tax cut philosophies at candidates' forum (Greenville Daily Reflector reports) -- Tax cuts and trade wars were two of the issues discussed by candidates in the special election for the 3rd Congressional District during a forum hosted by the Greenville-Pitt County Chamber of Commerce.

Early in-person voting begins for 2 congressional seats (AP reports) -- Early in-person voting is starting for special congressional elections in N.C.'s Third and Ninth districts.

Dem House candidate joins GOP rival in helping super PACs (AP reports) -- The Democrat in the country's last undecided U.S. House race has decried dark money in politics but is joining his Republican rival by making it easier for outside flows of political spending to help out their campaigns.

HUNTER INGRAM: Cooper talks to Pender teachers amid budget impasse (Wilmington Star-News reports) -- Gov. Roy Cooper traded bills and laws for notebooks and pencils when he stopped into Penderlea School to talk with faculty and staff about issues they know all too well: teacher pay and school resources. The afternoon visit came amid the lingering impasse in Raleigh about the state’s budget, which, a month and a half into the fiscal year, has yet to be passed by legislators deadlocked on a number of issues, which includes teacher pay raises. Cooper said he is advocating for a 8.5-percent average raise in salaries over two years with no plateaus, while his Republican counterparts have remained firm on a 3.8-percent increase through the same period.

Seeking to end NC budget impasse, Cooper talks to educators (AP reports) -- Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper said Republican lawmakers need to meet with him to end a budget stalemate and give public school teachers and staff better raises than what the GOP offered in the spending bill he vetoed.

MATTHEW BURNS & LAURA LESLIE: Bill requiring sheriffs to honor ICE detainers heads to Cooper (WRAL-TV reports) -- Legislation that would require sheriffs to hold inmates wanted by federal immigration officials for possible deportation cleared the General Assembly.

Immigration bill focusing on sheriffs heading to governor (AP reports) -- Republicans gave final legislative approval to a measure directing all sheriffs comply with requests by federal immigration agents to hold inmates they believe are in the country unlawfully.

'Red flag' gun laws needed (Winston-Salem Journal) -- The most telling thing about stalled attempts to pass a “red flag” gun law in North Carolina is Republicans’ mortal fear of even discussing it.

MARK HOLMBERG: Gun violence a terrible problem, but also a symptom (Wilmington Star-News column) -- We have a firearm problem in the U.S. We also have a firearm discussion problem in the U.S. For example, it’s rare that news outlets or our arguing politicians note that two-thirds of U.S. firearm deaths are suicides -- roughly 23,000 a year of the roughly 38,000 deaths typically quoted.

TRAVIS FAIN: Smokable hemp fight continues at General Assembly (WRAL-TV reports) -- Concern over "de-facto" marijuana legalization may threaten N.C.'s hemp industry.

Difference on smokable hemp ban date threatens bill passage (AP reports) -- A one-month difference over when to ban smokable hemp risks scuttling final passage this year of broader legislation designed to regulate the rapidly expanding hemp industry.

Duke Energy push to set NC prices for multiple years stalls (AP reports) -- The country's largest electric company faces a setback as it pushes for the chance to line up profitable infrastructure projects years into the future and bypass lengthy regulatory battles.

TRAVIS FAIN: Duke Energy bill hits hurdle: Key section now a study (WRAL-TV reports) -- Language calling for a change in the way utility rates are set now sets up a study before changes are approved.

COLIN CAMPBELL: Funeral Licenses (The Insider reports) -- A funeral licensing bill is headed to Gov. Roy Cooper despite concerns that it waters down education requirements for funeral directors -- and originated as a licensing exemption for elected officials. House Bill 554 would create provisional funeral director licenses for people who haven't completed education requirements; Rep. Howard Hunter, D-Hertford and a funeral home owner, said he could qualify for the license but did not request the legislation.

RICK SMITH: What if China ‘just never came back?’ Cree CEO warns of trade war, Huawei ban impact (WRAL-TV/TechWire reports) -- Cree execs are on the front lines of the trade war with China. From the impact of tariffs to the ban on China tech giant Huawei which has forced Cree to stop sales to that company worth $15 million a quarter, to the big question: What happens if there is no cease fire and the world’s two largest economies settle into never-ending conflict?

JORDAN WILKIE: Vote security on the line in NC Board of Elections meeting (Carolina Public Press reports) -- Vote on equipment will determine whether state allows systems in which ballots cannot easily be verified and audited, which may be vulnerable to fraud.

NANCY MCLAUGHLIN: North Carolina's voter ID law isn't about 'safeguarding' against fraud (Greensboro News & Record reports) -- The president of the state N.C. chapter of the NAACP says the state's "recycled discriminatory photo ID requirement" against minorities appears to be working. Surrounded by NAACP chapter presidents from around the state, the Rev. T. Anthony Spearman said the civil rights organization has heard from minorities who say they're afraid they won't be able to vote under a retooled voter identification requirement scheduled to go into effect in 2020. Proponents of the new law said it will help eliminate voter fraud.

Report Finds Nearly 70,000 North Carolinians Denied the Right to Vote Even After Incarceration (Southern Coalition for Social Justice report) -- Nearly 70,000 North Carolinians who are completing post-release supervision and felony probation were denied the right to vote in 2017. The report, “The Freedom to Vote: Felony Disenfranchisement in N.C.,” analyzes available data from the state Administrative Office of the Courts and offers insights about the origins and effects of the state’s policy of disqualifying citizens from voting after a felony conviction, even following incarceration.

ROB SCHOFIELD: No half measures on gerrymandering (Winston-Salem Journal column) -- If there is a single brightest and most hopeful bit of news on the North Carolina public policy horizon these days, it has to be that our state could, at very long last, be on the verge of ending partisan gerrymandering.

JOEL BURGESS: Medicare Proclamation (Asheville Citizen-Times reports) -- At the request of a City Council member, Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer is set to sign a "Medicare for All" proclamation supporting a national health insurance system.

BAILEY ALDRIDGE: AR-15 being raffled off by NC police chief to raise money for children’s charity (Charlotte Observer reports) -- The Albermarle police chief is raffling off an AR-15 to raise money for a charity event that will benefit children who have been abused. David Dulin, Albemarle police chief, and his wife Krystyal are hosting the raffle with help from a local gun shop to raise money for the Stanly County Dancing with the Stars event, which is benefiting the Butterfly House, a children's advocacy center, according to a Facebook post on their joint account.

CAROL LEONIG & BETH REINHARD: Childress leaves NRA Board (Washington Post reports) -- NASCAR team owner Richard Childress has stepped down from the National Rifle Association board and all NRA committees he was on. Winston-Salem native Childress, who was an NRA board vice president, is the fifth leader to depart recently. In his letter, Childress cited business reasons for his departure.

Armed on Asile 3 (Greensboro News & Record) -- Responsible gun owners want their Second Amendment rights to be respected. But with public pressure for commonsense background checks and other sensible provisions are reasonable overdue. But they may have to come in spite of, rather than because of President Donald Trump, who is softening his previous calls for stricter gun measures after being lobbied by the NRA. Gun owners hurt their own case by grandstanding — in Walmart or anywhere else.

District Attorney Newman reprimanded by State Bar; Second complaint pending (Hendersonville Times-News reports) -- District Attorney Greg Newman has been reprimanded by the N.C. State Bar after a grievance committee found that he dismissed charges to which a former client had pleaded guilty to. The State Bar’s grievance committee reprimanded Newman on May 14 after a grievance was filed against him by the State Bar

KELLY HINCHCLIFFE: NC 'must halt its implementation' of contract with new K-3 reading company (WRAL-TV reports) -- North Carolina's new K-3 reading assessment company, Istation, "must halt its implementation" while the state Department of Information Technology reviews the contract. The company's competitor, Amplify, which was not chosen for the multimillion dollar contract, announced the news Tuesday night.

One year later, a much different scene at former location of Silent Sam (WRAL-TV reports) -- It's been one year since the protests that led to the topping of the Silent Sam statue in Chapel Hill.

ALEX GRANADOS: Will state Superintendent of Public Instruction Mark Johnson run again? (EdNC reports) -- State Superintendent of Public Instruction Mark Johnson hasn’t yet made it known whether he will run again for his position in 2020. But at least one other Republican has said she is interested in the role if he doesn’t pursue it. Catherine Truitt, chancellor of the online Western Governors University-North Carolina, former education advisor to Republican ex-Gov. Pat McCrory, said she is interested in being state superintendent, but not if it means challenging Johnson.

Is UNC launching a program for conservative thinking? It’s kind of a secret (Durham Herald-Sun) -- Is UNC about to launch a program for conservative studies? Some UNC faculty members are concerned. The associate dean in charge of the program in question says it’s not “conservative.” At least some clues suggest otherwise. This much we know: The fact that the answer is unclear is troubling. The Program for Civic Virtue and Civil Discourse is set to begin in Fall of 2021. Chris Clemons, a UNC senior associate dean said the purpose of the program is to support a culture of open, respectful and productive public debate at UNC.

Wake school leaders want to use Census data to help balance student diversity (WRAL-TV reports) -- To help balance student diversity across schools, Wake County Board of Education members said they would like to use county economic health data, including household income, food stamp usage, rent and mortgage rates and poverty levels to help guide their work.

State regulators let big users install solar power (AP reports) -- Big institutions including universities and retail chains can now start moving into getting more of their power from the sun.

NADIA RAMIAGAN: New Shrimp-Trawling Proposal Aims to Protect NC’s Juvenile Fish (Public News Service reports) -- The state Marine Fisheries Commission is expected to vote on a proposal to place conditions on shrimp trawling to reduce the by-catch of juvenile fish such as spot, Atlantic croaker and grey trout. The new rules would regulate the times when shrimp could be harvested, manage the coastal areas open to shrimping, and limit the size of shrimp nets. The destructive fishing practices have harmed the health of the state's fish populations.