Opinion Roundup: All-white gerrymander; teacher pay quid-pro-quo; immigration politics; and more

Thursday, Oct. 31, 2019 -- A round up of opinion, commentary and analysis on: an all-white congressional delegation; teacher pay quid-pro-quo; Duke Energy's rate hikes and coal ash; jail suicides; GOP election plans; immigration politics; and more.

DAVID DALEY: To fix racial gerrymander, N.C. GOP considered a map that would elect an all-white slate (The Intercept reports) -- The draft maps, obtained by The Intercept, illustrate how Republican mapmakers can secretly calibrate maps to have a deep partisan bias, even when they follow the rules. GOP strategists did prove that it was possible to draw a map with 11 or 12 Republican congressional seats — in one case, a partisan gerrymander that could have feasibly elected an all-white slate.

Republicans offer Democrats a quid-pro-quo teacher pay proposal (EdNC reports) -- GOP Lawmakers rolled out a pay plan that includes more than the average 3.9% pay raise than was in the original budget bill vetoed by Gov. Roy Cooper. BUT, the extra money only happens if the veto is overridden, meaning enough Democrats must side with Republicans in the Senate to reject Cooper’s veto.

GOP plans extra teacher raises — ONLY if Dems help override Cooper’s budget veto (Durham Herald-Sun reports) -- Republicans are offering Democrats a deal that would mean additional raises to teachers and other state employees if Gov. Roy Cooper’s state budget veto is overridden.

GARY ROBERTSON: GOP offers educator pay 'carrots' for veto override (AP reports) -- Republican legislators offered "fresh carrots" for Democrats to join them in ending a four-month budget stalemate through even higher raises for public educators and staff if they vote to override  Gov. Roy Cooper's budget bill veto.

Republicans pitch new teacher raises, but with a catch in budget fight (WRAL-TV reports) -- "If Gov. Cooper vetoes the bills, then teachers will receive no raise," GOP leaders threaten.

House leadership undoes vaping tax proposal, resurrects business tax cut (WRAL-TV reports) -- A pair of tax cut bills went off the rails early, but they were back on track later.

House passes $280M disaster recovery bill (WRAL-TV reports) -- Roughly $280 million is in the bill for hurricane repairs and preparations.

House advances $257M hurricane aid bill (AP reports) -- Legislators are aiming to locate more funds to help with the recovery from recent hurricanes, with an emphasis on lessening damages in future storms.

Multiyear rate option sought by Duke Energy in NC scuttled (AP reports) -- Legislative allies of the nation's largest electricity company have given up this year on a proposal to let Duke Energy and other utilities seek multiyear rates from state regulators.

COLIN CAMPBELL: IT budget and BIG PORK (The Insider reports) -- A "mini-budget" for Department of Information Technology projects is headed to Gov. Roy Cooper -- and possibly a veto -- after Senate Republicans blocked efforts to change a controversial cybersecurity grant for Montreat College. Democrats objected to a $20 million grant to Montreat -- an amount that exceeds the entire budget for the school -- for its Cybersecurity Regional Training Center. Why the state would direct so much money to a small private religious college in Black Mountain, when public colleges and universities like UNC-Charlotte and N.C. A&T University also have cybersecurity initiatives?

MAKENZIE WICKER: Asheville's US attorney blasts sheriff's decision to release inmate despite ICE detainer (Asheville Citizen-Times reports) -- The Buncombe County Sheriff's Office released a man from jail despite a request from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that he be held for additional time. Marvin Torres was arrested on May 4, 2017, and charged with multiple counts of statutory sex offense with a child. He was convicted of indecent liberties with a minor Oct. 28, sentenced to time served by Judge Alan Thornburg and released from the Buncombe County jail on Oct. 29. Aaron Sarver, a spokesman for the Buncombe County Sheriff's Office, said Torres had been in custody for more than two years with the full knowledge of ICE. "During that time ICE sent a detainer request, but failed to secure an arrest warrant and therefore Mr. Torres met the conditions of his release set forth by the judicial system."

GEORGE GOEHL: If Progressives Don’t Try to Win Over Rural Areas, Guess Who Will (New York Times column) -- This summer I visited a bunch of small towns across the country, and I saw signs that white nationalists are becoming more active. Just drive by the town square in Pittsboro, N.C., at 5 p.m. on any given Saturday and you are likely to see white nationalists rallying to protect a Confederate monument. ... While Congress advances an impeachment inquiry into possible high crimes by the president, I believe his most destructive acts are his fanning the flames of racism and emboldening white nationalism.

TAYLOR KNOPF: NC jail suicide and overdose deaths on the rise (N.C. Health News reports) -- Advocates want to update old jail rules to help keep inmates safe, but sheriffs’ objections are slowing down the process.

FRANCESCA CHAMBERS & BRIAN MURPHY: ‘A must-win’: Trump loves talking about NC victories. Can he get one more in 2020? (McClatchy D.C. reports) -- Republican National Committee Communications Director Rick Gorka said the national party, working hand in hand with the president’s campaign, has held 130 Trump Victory Leadership Initiative trainings that have produced more than 1,400 Fellows in N.C. this election cycle. “The volunteer army we continue to build and the permanent ground game that extends from cycle to cycle is what made us successful in North Carolina in 2016, in 2018, and is what will help set us apart from a fractured Democrat Party with minimal infrastructure in 2020,” Gorka said. Trump Victory now uses a smartphone app to conduct tutorials in non-traditional locations like homes, businesses, coffee shops and neighborhood parks — in addition to an undisclosed number of campaign offices the GOP says it’s opening in North Carolina.

NC prison officer charged with smuggling drugs to inmate (AP reports) -- Prosecutors say a N.C. corrections officer has been charged with smuggling a narcotic substance into a state prison for an inmate who bribed him.

Durham city leaders seek solutions after bloody, violent 24 hours (WRAL-TV reports) -- Durham city leaders spoke out about a spate of violence that left at least two people dead and several others injured in a series of shootings within a 24-hours.

MARTHA WAGGONER: Freedom Park to honor African Americans closer to reality (AP reports) -- A gleaming abstract sculpture that's lit from within will be the centerpiece of a new state park in Raleigh honoring the contributions of African Americans to N.C. that's been in the planning stages for more than a decade. The state Historical Commission approved the new design for Freedom Park,   located on a 1-acre site between the state legislature and the Executive Mansion.

Audit: State-owned cars continue to be mismanaged (WRAL-TV reports) -- The agency tasked with handling the state's motor fleet continues to mismanage hundreds of state-owned vehicles, according to an audit.

The NCAA scores ... Sen. Burr fumbles (Greensboro News & Record) -- U.S. Sen. Richard Burr inserted a cleated foot into his mouth Tuesday on Twitter. Burr, a former football player at Wake Forest, fumbled the tweet after the NCAA voted to consider new rules that would allow players to profit from at least a slice of the gazillion-dollar college sports revenue pie. Specifically, the NCAA Board of Governors unanimously supported permitting athletes to “benefit from the use of their name, image and likeness.”

DAVID BORAKS: Duke Energy Asks For Rate Increase In Eastern NC, Asheville (WFAE-FM reports) -- Duke Energy has asked state regulators to approve an average 12.3% rate increase for its division serving eastern North Carolina and the Asheville area.

TAFT WIREBACK: Judge upholds order requiring Duke Energy to excavate coal ash at Belews Creek Steam Station, 5other NC sites (Greensboro News & Record reports) -- An administrative judge has rejected another part of Duke Energy’s appeal seeking to overturn an order by environmental regulators requiring the excavation of coal ash stored at six “low risk” sites, including the Belews Creek Steam Station in Stokes County. Administrative Law Judge Selina Malherbe ruled for a second time in the case that the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality did not abuse its authority in ordering the Charlotte-based utility to excavate coal ash basins at the coal-burning plant northwest of Greensboro and five, other North Carolina plants.

Lurking Invaders Threaten US, Experts Warn (Coastal Review reports) -- Thousands of nonnative creepers and critters could wreak havoc here, according to members of the recently deactivated panel that had long advised the Interior Department on invasive species.

Henderson County lands high-tech greenhouse project, new jobs, $21M investment (WRAL-TV/TechWire reports) -- A new high-tech greenhouse is coming to Henderson County along with “green-collar” jobs and a $21 million investment.

DANNYE ROMINE POWELL: Henry Hirschmann dies at 99, taking his horrific memories of the Holocaust with him (Charlotte Observer reports) -- When Henry Hirschmann was growing up in Grosse-Auheim, Germany, the birthplace of the Brothers Grimm, he was known for his prowess at running and swimming. One day in 1935, when Henry was 15, he finished his homework and headed for the local swim club. He got the shock of his life: A sign on the fence read: No Jews or Dogs Allowed. That was only the beginning. Unspeakable horrors awaited the Jews under Adolf Hitler’s rule. Henry Hirschmann, who spent decades in Charlotte talking to school children about what happened under Hitler, died in his sleep at his Charlotte home on Oct. 17. He was 99.

Fort Bragg soldier given Medal of Honor by President Trump (WRAL-TV reports) -- President Donald Trump awarded the Medal of Honor to Master Sergeant Matthew O. Williams from Fort Bragg.