Opinion Roundup: July 25, 2016 -- Teacher pay, Medicaid, the campaigns, Sunday voting and more

Teacher pay improving, but still lags behind (Sanford Herald) -- It’s no secret that North Carolina has long resided among the lowest-ranked states in the country as it pertains to teacher salary.

Expanding Medicaid Could Save Babies’ Lives (Charlotte Observer column) -- A young woman brought her baby for a well child check. A family physician who cared for her and her child, I casually asked, “When is your next appointment with me?”

Our open letter: welcome to Winston-Salem, Mr. Trump (Winston-Salem Journal) -- Dear Mr. Trump, We realize some of our readers will castigate us for even welcoming you as you speak in our city today, on this fine Monday. But many others, both those who support you and those who vehemently oppose you, know that welcoming a visitor is only right.

More Grand boasts (Greensboro News & Record) -- The Republican National Convention’s best night was its last. But that was not a high bar. The first three were terrible.

Looming Gop Disaster In N.C. (Charlotte Observer column) -- North Carolina Republicans this year will get to experience what we Democrats went through in so many presidential elections: how to avoid going down with the Titanic. Because the S.S. Trump is going down, and it will be hard to avoid getting sucked into the vortex.

JENNY KELVINGTON: Clean, Reliable Swine Waste-To-Energy Projects Essential (Greenville Daily Reflector column) -- Renewable energy is essential to Gov. Pat McCrory’s all-of-the-above strategy to bring clean, reliable energy to homes and businesses, but swine waste-to-energy projects have lagged behind under lopsided legislative policies. The McCrory administration is urging the N.C. Utilities Commission to move faster in connecting animal waste-to-energy projects to the power grid and encouraging legislators to show the same commitment to swine waste projects as they have to solar energy.

TIM WHITE: And When Did We Stop Being Great? (Fayetteville Observer column) -- If he gave the speech today, FDR would have to expand his famous observation that "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

Courtroom access just got very expensive (Asheville Citizen-Times) -- Is Duke’s plan for the new plant the right path? It may be. It may not be. We do know it should be OK for people, and for groups, to ask questions about the plan, up to and including asking them in court. For this particular plan, though, the law carries a hefty asking fee. One that is essentially barring the courthouse door. It’s a bad law. And a far worse precedent.

New Hanover, Pender Should Keep Sunday Voting (Wilmington Star-News) -- With ballots to be cast in just over three months, counties are wrestling with how to handle early voting. Early voting, also called one-stop absentee voting, runs from Oct. 27 to Nov. 5, allowing voters to cast their ballots for the races from president to school board before Election Day, which is Nov. 8.

Wrong decision on body cameras (Southern Pines Pilot) -- With so many tensions and conflicts hogging the headlines in the past couple of weeks, one legislative decision made in Raleigh didn’t garner quite as much public attention as it deserved.

Don't Seal Records In Suits Against Duke Energy (Fayetteville Observer) -- It's an uncomfortable feeling when you run a faucet in your kitchen, filling a glass or a cooking pot, not knowing for sure that the water is safe.