Opinion Roundup: Abortion limit formally struck down, beer industry adds $9B to NC economy, federal disaster aid delayed and more

Saturday, May 24, 2019 -- A round up of opinion, commentary and analysis on: N.C. 20-week abortion limit formally struck down, fix for struggling water systems in the works, beer industry says it adds $9B to NC economy each year, federal disaster aid for NC delayed after Republican blocks speedy passage, dogs get training at Air Force base and more.

EMERY DALESIO: Online video of GOP House 9th District candidate may seek coordination with super PACs (AP reports) -- In a sign that rich flows of untraceable money are expected to influence the election for the 9thCongressional District seat left vacant after earlier allegations of ballot fraud, a cleanly produced video of Republican candidate Dan Bishop has been posted online for use by supportive outside groups.

ALANNA VAGIANOS: N.C. Dems Say GOP Is Exploiting Lawmaker’s Breast Cancer To Push Anti-Abortion Bill (Huffington Post reports) -- Democrats in N.C. say their GOP colleagues are trying to capitalize on a lawmaker’s breast cancer diagnosis to push through an extreme anti-abortion bill. State Reps. Sydney Batch, Ashton Clemmons and Darren Jackson said some of their colleagues across the aisle are trying to force through the “Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act” by repeatedly delaying a veto override vote in the state House. They say Moore keeps pulling the vote in hopes that enough Democrats will eventually be absent so that GOP members can successfully override Cooper’s veto. Batch underwent a mastectomy in early May after being diagnosed with breast cancer last year. She had planned to take at least three weeks off to recover, but was forced to come back to work early after she and other Democrats realized their GOP colleagues were trying to capitalize on her absence in order to pass this bill.

N.C. 20-week abortion limit formally struck down (AP reports) -- A federal judge has formally issued his decision striking down N.C.'s ban on abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy, except in a medical emergency.

TRAVIS FAIN: Source says Senate budget includes bigger raises for state employees, less for teachers (WRAL-TV reports) -- The Senate budget proposal set for release early next week will have higher raises for state employees than its House counterpart or Gov. Roy Cooper's budget, but less for teachers, according to a source familiar with the plan.

KIRK ROSS: Fix for struggling water systems in the works, but paying for it problematic (Carolina Public Press reports) -- With hundreds of struggling local water and sewer systems across NC, the General Assembly could pass legislation with a carrot-and-stick approach designed to encourage mergers and takeovers. But that plan remains uncertain while budget writers look at alternative ways to pay for it.

ALEX ISENSTADT & JAMES ARKIN: Return of the Republican civil war? (Politico reports) -- A prominent conservative group is trying to lure a staunch ally of President Donald Trump into a primary race against Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, threatening to inflame intra-party tensions in a state crucial to the party’s 2020 strategy. The Club for Growth is attempting to nudge Rep. Mark Walker, a third-term evangelical pastor, into the 2020 Senate race. This week, it completed a poll suggesting that Tillis would be vulnerable to a challenge from the right — particularly against Walker.

JIM MORRILL: Some Republicans fear a ‘circle of death’ primary could hurt their Senate chances (Charlotte Observer reports) -- An escalating intra-party feud has some Republicans worried about holding Thom Tillis’s U.S. Senate seat next year — even before Democrats find a top-tier candidate to oppose him. Tillis continues to fend off challenges in his bid for a second term. Republican Garland Tucker already is airing TV ads. And the conservative Club for Growth is pushing GOP Rep. Mark Walker to run after commissioning a poll that called Tillis “a weak incumbent” vulnerable in a primary.

MAXIM TAMAROV: Boozman, Burr, Tillis tour damages on Camp Lejeune (Jacksonville Daily News reports) -- U.S. Sens. Thom Tillis and Richard Burr were joined by Sen. John Boozman (R-AR) for a tour of damages caused by Hurricane Florence on Camp Lejeune. The three senators stopped by a damaged hangar at New River Air Station, Atlantic Marine Corps Community housing in various states of repair and the barracks in the Hadnot Point area. The goal was for Boozman, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, to see the need for his committee’s funds.

NATALIE MATTHEWS: State prepares to move transgender inmate to women's prison (WRAL-TV reports) -- The N.C. Department of Public Safety announced Friday that it plans to transfer a transgender inmate to a women's prison by Aug. 22.

N.C. transgender inmate to transfer to women's prison (AP reports) -- Prison officials in NC are honoring the wishes of a transgender inmate and transferring her to a women's prison. The state's Department of Public Safety on Friday told lawyers for the ACLU of NC that they plan to transfer Kanautica Zayre-Brown to a women's facility by Aug. 22.

RANDAL RUSCH: Ex-New Hanover magistrate -- how bail is supposed to work (Wilmington Star-News column) -- For 23 years I was a defense attorney and then a magistrate in New Hanover County. As a magistrate I set the amount of bail for the defendant’s release, and as an attorney I attempted to have the bail reduced for my client. The amount of bail set is dependent on two factors.

LAURA LESLIE: Beer industry says it adds $9B to NC economy each year (WRAL-TV reports) – N.C.'s beer industry is booming and bringing some big bucks into the state's economy.

MATTHEW BURNS: Trooper cleared of shooting driver who pulled BB gun during traffic stop (WRAL-TV reports) -- Johnston County District Attorney Susan Doyle said no charges will be filed against a State Highway Patrol trooper who shot a driver last month during a traffic stop in Princeton.

The speech Charlotte’s mayor should give to the Republican National Convention (Charlotte Observer) -- Vice President Mike Pence came to Charlotte this week for a 2020 Republican National Convention kickoff event. The visit was a reminder of the discomfort many feel in this progressive city about the 2020 RNC — an uneasiness so deep that Mayor Vi Lyles said last summer she wouldn’t give the traditional welcoming speech the host mayor gives to the convention. We think she should. Here’s what she could say:

RATANA SWAMINATHAN: Future female scientists and engineers sample STEM at Duke University (WRAL-TV/TechWire reports) -- Over 140 middle and high school girls from across N.C. recently converged at the Fitzpatrick Center in Duke University’s Pratt School of Engineering. They got the chance to explore robotics and artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and chemistry through hands-on workshops led by TriWiSTEM mentors and volunteers representing 43 companies and institutions from across the Triangle region. At the end of the day, students and parents were brought together for a fun competitive game focused on financial literacy, “So You Want To Be A Millionaire,” facilitated by volunteers from Fidelity, Credit Suisse and Coastal Credit Union.

GINGER LIVINGSTON: Judge issues temporary order Vidant complaint (Greenville Daily Reflector reports) -- Orange County Judge Allen Baddour granted a 10-day restraining order the prevents Vidant Medical Center and Pitt County from implementing a new governing agreement at the hospital. The University of North Carolina and East Carolina University requested the order on Monday after the Pitt County Board of Commissioners and Vidant Health officials amended an agreement dictating how new members are appointed to the medical center Board of Trustees.

Slain UNC-Charlotte student gets Purple Heart, Bronze Star (AP reports) -- A UNC-Charlotte student who was killed when he tackled a gunman who opened fire inside a classroom has been posthumously awarded military honors.

RAE NELSON: Go to college ... just not yet (Winston-Salem Journal column) -- This spring, high school seniors across the state are learning whether they have been accepted (or not) to colleges and universities of their choice. In the fall, a small but growing number of students will take a path less travelled … and opt for a gap year before entering a next chapter of higher education. A gap year — taking time “on,” generally between high school and college, to pursue a structured series of activities that can include volunteering, traveling, interning and studying with the goal of entering college at the end — is not for everybody. Those who do choose this option, however, describe the experience as transformational.

Federal disaster aid for SC, NC delayed after Republican blocks speedy passage (Durham-Herald Sun reports) -- North and South Carolinians will have to wait a little while longer for federal dollars to help them recover from major hurricanes last fall. Congress was expected to send a $19.1 billion disaster relief package for President Donald Trump to sign and enact into law — a breakthrough after months of stalled negotiations on Capitol Hill. The U.S. Senate passed a compromise bill, 85-8, with Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott of South Carolina and Richard Burr and Thom Tillis of North Carolina all supporting the measure.

EDDIE FITZGERALD: Dogs get training at Air Force base in N.C. (Goldsboro News-Argus/AP reports) -- Tessa sat at attention in the grass on Seymour Johnson Air Force Base intently watching Staff Sgt. Jacob Cokkinias, who was wearing a thick, dark protective coat and staring right at her.

JEFF HAMPTON: 4,800-ton Hatteras lighthouse moved 20 years ago over more than a half mile of sand (Norfolk Virginian-Pilot reports) -- Many locals worried over how a structure made of more than a million bricks standing nearly 200 feet tall could travel over a barrier island known for strong winds and shifting sand.