Opinion Roundup: Durham workers march for fair wages, Amazon HQ2 problems, Appalachian Trail fire and more

Wednesday, May 2, 2018 -- A round up of opinion, commentary and analysis on: Durham workers march for fair wages, panel of builders don’t want second Amazon headquarters, political advisor hired to lead NC community college system, officials close part of Appalachian Trail because of fire, Greensboro joins lawsuit against drug manufacturers over opioid epidemic and more.

JIM MORRILL: 'Classic dirty politics': This deep-pocketed group is trying to sway an NC election (Charlotte Observer reports) -- NC Citizens for Clear Action is spending heavily in the primary race for NC Senator David Curtis, a Lincoln County Republican . Curtis co-sponsored a bill to allow optometrists to perform certain procedures now reserved for eye doctors.

CATHERINE KOZAK: Steinburg, Twiddy face off in Intriguing GOP primary (Outer Banks Sentinel) -- The GOP primary contest between Bob Steinburg and Clark Twiddy for the N.C. Senate’s District 1 seat may be one of the more intriguing matchups of the early 2018 election season.

Under New N.C. Maps, Two Republicans Jockey For State Senate Seat (WUNC-FM reports) -- If history is any indicator, turnout for the North Carolina primary on May 8th may be low, especially with no glitzy federal or statewide candidates on the ballot—fewer than 8 percent of voters cast a ballot in 2016. But this year may be different. The races highlight one of the biggest political stories of 2017: our state’s election maps.

DAVID SINCLAIR: Three Democrats Vie in Congress Primary (Southern Pines Pilot reports) -- Each of the three Democrats seeking to be the party’s candidate for the 8th Congressional District believes he is the one who can defeat Republican U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson in November.

Clean Energy Sector Swings Republican With U.S. Campaign Donations (Reuters reports) - U.S. solar and wind energy companies have donated far more money to Republicans than Democrats in congressional races this election cycle, according to a Reuters analysis of campaign finance data, an unprecedented tilt to the right for an industry long associated with the environmental left. "Clean energy works every time and it doesn’t alienate the base," said Jay Faison, Chief Executive of ClearPath, an N.C.-based group that aims to help elect Republicans supporting clean power. Independent-minded voters view support for alternative energy as a signal that a candidate is "not an errand boy for the party leadership," he added.

EMERY DALESIO: Libel case over double-voting accusations to continue (AP reports) -- Four N.C. voters can pursue their libel lawsuit against allies of former Gov. Pat McCrory and a Virginia law firm that tried to help the GOP politician's unsuccessful effort to disqualify votes and win re-election in 2016. Superior Court Judge Allen Baddour notified attorneys he's decided to allow the four plaintiffs to continue their claims. The McCrory allies helped mount a last-ditch effort to sway a close election for governor by accusing voters in 52 counties of double voting and other misdeeds.

Police officer can sue over firing for political beliefs (AP reports) -- A North Carolina appeals court is giving a former police officer a new shot at suing local officials over his firing weeks after running for Jackson County sheriff.

IAN SHAPIRA: White supremacist found guilty in beating of black man in Charlottesville parking garage (Washington Post reports) -- A jury found Jacob Scott Goodwin, who wore a military helmet and brandished a shield, guilty of malicious wounding in the beating of DeAndre Harris during last August's “Unite the Right” rally.

CANDACE SWEAT: Durham workers march for fair wages, better conditions (WRAL-TV reports) -- A few dozen people marched for workers' rights in Durham Tuesday evening as part of International Workers Day, also known as May Day.

SHAYNDI RAICE & LAURA STEVENS: ‘Hi, It’s Amazon Calling. Here’s What We Don’t Like in Your City’ (Wall Street Journal reports) -- Amazon held postmortem phone calls with almost all of the cities it rejected for its second headquarters shortlist, to explain why they didn’t make the cut. Now, some are trying to address those weak spots.

Panel of builders, developers don’t want Amazon (Triangle Business Journal reports) -- Despite enthusiasm throughout the Triangle about making Amazon's shortlist for its second headquarters, some developers and builders who would potentially benefit from such a project say they don't think it would be good for the Triangle.

More trains between Charlotte and Raleigh to begin in June (AP reports) -- Train travel between North Carolina's capital and its largest city will have more options beginning next month.

Some N.C. workers getting raises from retooling (AP reports) -- A few thousand North Carolina state employees could soon receive pay raises stemming from a years-long project to merge two job classification systems into one.

A rude dismissal for the chaplain (Winston-Salem Journal) -- The unexpected ouster of U.S. House chaplain Patrick Conroy by U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan — the first such dismissal in history — presents a test case in complexity for proponents — and foes — of church/state separation.

TRAVIS FAIN: Incoming UNC Board chair pitched apartment deal at ECU (WRAL-TV reports) -- The likely next chairman of the UNC Board of Governors, already accused in a lawsuit of pushing N.C. Central University officials toward a deal with business partners, spent months in 2016 exploring a housing deal near East Carolina University that hinged on a university policy change to help fill apartments.

KELLEY HINCHCLIFFE: Mass teacher rally to greet lawmakers (WRAL-TV reports) -- When lawmakers return to Raleigh in two weeks for the start of the 2018 legislative session, thousands of teachers will be there to press an education agenda.

VAKERUE STRAUSS: Could N.C.’s teachers be next to strike? Here’s the mess they’re in. (Washington Post column) -- Conditions have been deteriorating for educators in the state for years -- and they are tired of it.

GARY ROBERTSON: Education, GOP political adviser Hans new community college head (AP reports) -- North Carolina's community college board hired a prominent public education and political adviser praised for consensus-building as the system's president.

LISA PHILIP: Political Advisor Hired To Lead NC Community College System (WUNC-FM reports) -- A Raleigh-based government relations expert has been chosen to lead North Carolina’s community college system. The last president resigned after a little more than a year on the job. Peter Hans was elected Tuesday by the state community college board, a board on which he served a six-year term starting in 1997.

KELLY HINCHCLIFFE: NC superintendent wants lawmakers to delay $5.1M cut to education agency (WRAL-TV reports) -- North Carolina's superintendent of public schools is asking lawmakers to delay a planned $5.1 million cut to the state education agency's operating budget for the 2018-19 school year, saying his agency needs the money to be more efficient and effective.

Washington Post reporter shares journalism life with Craven students (New Bern Sun Journal reports) -- Washington Post reporter Jenna Johnson spent a couple of hours with Craven County high school students, encouraging any journalistic-minded youth.

ERICA HELLERSTEIN & JEFFREY BILLMAN: Will a Raleigh Jury’s $50 Million Verdict Against Murphy-Brown LLC Force Big Pork to Clean Up Its Act? (Independent Weekly) -- Thanks to a North Carolina law designed to protect big corporations, maybe not

MICHAEL DERBY: Climate Change May Deeply Wound Long-Term U.S. Growth, Richmond Fed Paper Finds (Wall Street Journal reports) -- Projected increases in average U.S. temperatures “could reduce U.S. economic growth by up to one-third over the next century,” according to a Richmond Fed paper.

Officials close part of Appalachian Trail because of fire (AP reports) -- Forest officials have closed a portion of the Appalachian Trail in North Carolina because of a fire.

CATHERINE KOZAK: Prospects Dim for Endangered Red Wolves (Coastal Review reports) -- Conditions in northeastern North Carolina are unfavorable for sustaining the dwindling population of red wolves, according to an assessment released last week, but wildlife officials say they’re not giving up on recovery.

Event to Focus on Cape Fear River Plan (Coastal Review Reports) -- An open house on the Lower Cape Fear River Blueprint, a collaborative effort to protect, manage and restore the river and its natural resources, is set for May 22.

THOMAS GOLDSMITH: Stroke Survivors, Therapists Both Progress at Duke Camp (N.C. Health News) -- Giving a post-stroke patient concentrated stints of therapy from familiar practitioners can make a world of difference in what’s achieved. That’s one of the theories behind the Durham Stroke Camp.

MARGARET MOFFETT: Greensboro joins lawsuit against drug manufacturers over opioid epidemic (Greensboro News & Record reports) -- Greensboro will join a nationwide lawsuit against manufacturers and distributors of addictive painkillers for their roles in creating the opioid epidemic. The City Council agreed by consensus to join the suit “to respond to the serious public health and safety crisis involving opioid abuse, addiction, morbidity, and mortality within Greensboro,” according to a resolution on the matter.

TYLER WHETSTONE: U.S. Secretary of the Interior gets hands dirty, helps jump-start Kodak woman's car (Asheville Citizen-Times reports) -- Belinda Drew’s car was in the repair shop needing a new alternator, so Sunday morning she had to take her daughter’s car to get to work at the Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort in Gatlinburg. Except, as she quickly learned, her daughter’s white Buick was nearly out of gas. So, Drew, a Kodak resident, pulled off Highway 66 into a Pilot Travel Center just past the Smoky Mountain Knife Works. Before she left the gas station, what began as a typical ride to work ended with a quick meeting with the man who stands eighth in the line of succession to become the President of the United States.

SARAH KRUEGER: Durham rabbi resigns amid ethics complaint of sexual nature (WRAL-TV reports) -- A Durham rabbi resigned late last month after his congregation learned he had been censured by a national rabbis organization for ethical violations that are sexual in nature.

KATIE ROGERS & LAWRENCE K. ALTMAN: Trump’s Ex-Doctor Says He Was Raided by Trump Aides (New York Times reports) -- President Trump’s longtime physician said that he was cut out of the Trump orbit last year and that two aides seized Mr. Trump’s medical records without authorization.