Opinion Roundup: Bolton talks working under Trump; Boy Scouts file for bankruptcy; 2nd ECU trustee resigns; effects of climate change; and more.

Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2020 -- A round up of opinion, commentary and analysis on: John Bolton speaks; some legislators think photo i.d. legislation too lenient; preparing for future storms; N.C. breaking news Facebook page isn't accurate; and more.

RUSTY JACOBS: At Start Of Early Voting In NC, More Ballots Cast In Democratic Races (WUNC-FM reports) -- After three days of one-stop, early voting, which started on Thursday, the number of accepted ballots cast in Democratic primaries is 44,189, over 13,000 more than the 30,539 Republican primary ballots.

John Bolton breaks silence, talks national security challenges at Duke (WRAL-TV reports) -- Breaking his silence, former national security advisor John Bolton visited Duke University to speak about national security challenges.

AARON SÁNCHEZ-GUERRA: John Bolton speaks at Duke about working under Trump, but dodges many specifics (Durham Herald-Sun reports) --John Bolton, the former national security adviser to President Donald Trump, sat for a public interview at Duke University on Monday night but dodged some questions about his time in the job before being ousted last year.

MOSTLY FALSE: Is N.C.'s voter I.D. law is too lenient (PolitiFact/WRAL-TV reports) -- Early voting has already started in N.C.'s primaries. You won't need a photo ID to vote, because a law passed by state lawmakers is tied up in the courts. The delay has upset some Republicans, who claim the law would be lenient.

Eric Trump stopped in Charlotte to rev up crowd for RNC, 2020 election – and shoot guns (Charlotte Observer reports) -- President Donald Trump’s son stopped at a Charlotte gun shop Monday afternoon to speak to a crowd of more than 100 and fire guns at its indoor range.

Boy Scouts: 10 men allege sex abuse as boys in NC (Asheville Citizen-Times reports) -- They were 7-16 years old, according to lawyers, when abused in NC — including in tents in Pisgah National Forest.

Boy Scouts file for bankruptcy due to sex-abuse lawsuits (AP reports) -- Barraged by hundreds of sex-abuse lawsuits, the Boy Scouts of America filed for bankruptcy protection Tuesday in hopes of working out a potentially mammoth victim compensation plan that will allow the 110-year-old organization to carry on.

700+ prisoners returned to Neuse Correctional after being evacuated due to flooding (WCNC-TV reports) -- The Division of Prisons returned around 750 prisoners to Neuse Correctional Institute Monday night after they were evacuated last week due to Neuse River flooding in Goldsboro.

N.C. Facebook page is 'disinformation campaign,' experts say (PolitiFact/WRAL-TV) -- A Facebook page purporting to share breaking news is actually a hub for misinformation, according to media experts. The page has a simple and unassuming name: N.C. Breaking News.

HAYLEY FOWLER: ‘Truth is not the goal.’ Facebook ‘news’ site admits to misleading 50,000 NC followers (Charlotte Observer reports) -- A Facebook page called North Carolina Breaking News describes itself as “satire/parody” that wants to help President Donald Trump win re-election this fall.

MACKENZIE WALKER: N.C. corruption investigation puts new focus on popular equestrian center (Ashevile Citizen-Times reports) -- Attorneys for former Buncombe Commissioner Ellen Frost are asking county officials to turn over emails related to the Tryon International Equestrian Center and corrupt ex-County Manager Wanda Greene as part of their defense in the federal court case against her.

AMANDA LAMB: 10 years free, Greg Taylor makes a life of family, travel and working for others wrongfully accused (WRAL-TV reports) -- The moment a panel of judges declared Greg Taylor innocent after nearly 17 years in prison was a raw display of emotion. In the 10 years since that day, he's had the chance to rebuild a life, reconnect with family and work for others wrongfully convicted of crimes.

A president, his N.C. confidant, and the civil rights movement (Durham Herald-Sun Opinion) -- Widely recognized as one of North Carolina’s most influential writers, he also corresponded regularly with President John F. Kennedy.

Immigrants and city leaders speak out against ICE arrests, family separations (WRAL-TV reports) -- City leaders from Raleigh and Durham joined several immigrant families to speak out against recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, actions in N.C.

LINDELL J. KAY: Wilson County residents continue push for 2nd Amendment sanctuary (The Wilson Times reports) -- A small but growing number of Wilson residents continue to call for the county to become a Second Amendment sanctuary.

Ministries bring hope to felons: ‘Some of us do deserve a second chance’ (The Wilson Times reports) -- On two tables set up in front of the Wilson County Courthouse, Gregory Boseman had free T-shirts to give away — each one had a message — “More Than Just A Felon.” Under the leadership of evangelist Tim Davis of the Wilson-based Crossroad Street Ministry, Boseman started Church Over Streets, an advocacy group to encourage people convicted of a felony that the conviction doesn’t have to define who they are.

GINGER LIVINGSTON: Second ECU trustee resigns; House leader seeks investigation (Daily Reflector reports) -- An ECU trustee censured by the UNC Board of Governors earlier this month because of interactions with a potential student government candidate has resigned.

JOE KILLIAN: Second ECU trustee resigns in wake of scandal (NC Policy Watch reports) -- Robert Moore, the East Carolina University Board of Trustees member censured as part of an SGA election scandal earlier this month, has resigned from the school

Public school forum: Top issue is sound, basic education for all (WRAL-TV reports) -- At its annual "Eggs & Issues Breakfast," the Public School Forum of N.C. announced a focus on basic education for the coming year.

REGGIE PONDER: Elizabeth City State students led protest at downtown lunch counter (The Daily Advance reports) -- Elizabeth City was one of the first cities in North Carolina with desegregated lunch counters — due largely to community activism that began with demonstrations by university students at what was then Elizabeth City State Teachers College.

Former Charlotte Mayor Harvey Gantt has made history more than once (WCNC-TV reports) -- In addition to being Charlotte' first African American mayor, he was the first African American student to attend Clemson University.

Simulator mimics drunk driving (WRAL-TV reports) --Ken Smith visited with Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood to demo a drunk driving simulator.

Preparing for future storms, NC is working around one bad source of data: FEMA flood maps (Durham Herald-Sun reports) -- According to the N.C. Office of Recovery and Resiliency, the floodplains drawn on FEMA maps when Hurricane Matthew hit missed 86% of the homes where flood damage was reported.

MARIN WOLF: Climate change presents new challenges, long-term threats for N.C. farmers (The Daily Tarheel reports) -- For farmers in the Piedmont region of the state, extreme and unpredictable weather patterns are the new reality. Farmers who depend on the climate, are the first to experience the effects of these significant changes. There is no shortage of anecdotal evidence that climate change has affected the stalls of farmers' markets in Carrboro, Chapel Hill and Durham.

UNC Clean Tech Summit spotlights trends shaping clean energy economy (TechWire/WRAL-TV reports) -- This week, UNC-Chapel Hill’s seventh annual Clean Tech Summit will convene hundreds of students, faculty and staff members, professionals, executives and government representatives—all passionate about the future of the clean energy industry. The summit focuses on circular economy, regenerative agriculture, smart cities, transportation, energy management, future of energy, coastal resiliency and blue tech.

Denny Hamlin wins 3rd Daytona 500; Ryan Newman hospitalized (AP/WRALSportsFan reports) -- Ryan Newman flipped across the finish line, his Ford planted upside down and on fire, a grim reminder of a sport steeped in danger that has stretched nearly two decades without a fatality. At the finish line, Denny Hamlin made history with a second straight Daytona 500 victory in an overtime photo finish over Ryan Blaney, a celebration that quickly became muted as drivers awaited an update on Newman's condition.

HOA-run license plate readers raise new privacy questions (WRAL-TV reports) -- Triangle neighborhoods are installing private license plate readers to track visitors. And in Durham, they're sharing that data with police.

Raleigh's American Ninja Warrior Junior star redefines sport stereotypes (WRAL-TV reports) -- Hunter Rowland, 12, is redefining sport stereotypes by competing on American Ninja Warrior Junior.

Belk restructures corporate office, cuts 80 positions (AP reports) -- Business restructuring has eliminated 80 positions at a department store's corporate office in N.C.