Opinion Roundup: Gerrymander jive; Medicaid admin. delay; Stein's stern voice mail; and more.

Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019 -- A round up of opinion, commentary and analysis on: Gerrymandering jibber-jabber; Lewis' half-truth; Medicaid privatization slowed; Stein's stern voice mail; and more.

Republican senator just blurted out why judges should reject NC’s new Congressional maps (Durham Herald-Sun/Charlotte Observer) -- NC’s proposed Congressional maps may be an improvement for Democrats, but a Republican acknowledged the huge flaw they still have.

GOP state senator reveals the real strategy behind redistricting (Fayetteville Observer) -- They say the definition of a political gaffe is when a politician is caught telling the truth. Well, Republican Sen. Jerry Tillman on Friday told the truth about his party’s motives in drawing new maps for seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. Tillman claimed to rest his logic on the state constitution as he lectured his Democratic colleagues.

New Map Splits Moore County Into Two Congressional Districts (Southern Pines Pilot reports) -- Moore County would be split for 2020 congressional elections between the 8th and 9th districts under a new map approved last week by the Republican-controlled N.C. General Assembly.

We’re One Moore No More in Map (Southern Pines Pilot) -- U.S. House Rep. George Holding was rather sanguine last week when he found out his solid Republican district now favored Democrats.

Urban City Precincts Would Come Together In New 6th District (WFDD-FM reports) -- State lawmakers have approved a replacement map for N.C.’s congressional districts that will significantly shift Triad politics. Democratic strongholds in the Triad cities are currently all represented by Republicans in Congress. But that could change. Republicans created maps that put two of their own congressmen in new districts that favor Democrats. One of them is Mark Walker of the 6th District, which runs across the northeastern part of Guilford and into most of the surrounding counties. The new 6th District is drastically different. It contains all of Guilford and the southeastern part of Forsyth County together. That would put all of Greensboro and most of High Point’s voters as well as Winston-Salem's urban core in the same district.

Fact check: Republican leader tells half the story about Cooper's teacher pay vetoes (WRAL-TV/PolitiFact) -- Rep. David Lewis, R-Harnett County, recently tweeted about Gov. Roy Cooper's history of vetoing teacher pay proposals passed by the legislature. ... The statement is partially accurate but leaves out important details that might give the public a different impression of the situation. We rate this claim Half True.

Report on pipeline side deal with governor to be released (AP reports) -- Republican legislators are ready to unveil what their private investigators found when they scrutinized an agreement between Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s office and utilities seeking to build a natural-gas pipeline.

COLIN CAMPBELL: Stein downloadable voicemail will help ward off telemarketing scammers (The Insider reports) -- Sometimes a joke on Twitter can lead to a useful weapon against the scourge of modern phones: Telemarketing scammers. That's what happened when I responded to a tweet from N.C. Attorney General Josh Stein. He'd posted a video in which he answered an audience member's phone while giving a speech. The caller on the line was a scammer, Stein said, and he told them they were breaking the law in North Carolina. I joked in response that "I need a feature on my cell phone where instead of sending the spam call to voicemail, I can send it to a recording of the attorney general telling them off." Stein offered to make me such a recording, but he was immediately deluged by others who wanted one too. Stein posted a downloadable voice note that anyone can use as a deterrent to telemarketers. "Hi, you've reached the voicemail of a North Carolinian," Stein says on the recording. "I'm Attorney General Josh Stein. If you are a scammer or illegal robocaller, you are breaking the law and you must cease calling this number. If not, please leave a message."

ZACHERY EANES: Gov. Cooper cautions against divisive politics if state wants to attract entrepreneurs (Durham Herald-Sun reports) -- Gov. Roy Cooper told a conference of entrepreneurs and economic developers that his veto can keep the state's economy safe from unnecessary pitfalls. Citing the effects that House Bill 2, the "bathroom bill," had on the state's economy, Cooper said the state needs to avoid "divisive social issues" that turn away talented workers and potential businesses. The Associated Press estimated that the backlash against HB2, which included boycotts from across the country, cost the state nearly $4 billion. The law prohibited local governments from enacting anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people and required people in government facilities to use bathrooms matching the gender on their birth certificates.

Crews removing Confederate monument in downtown Pittsboro (WRAL-TV reports) -- Crews worked to remove the Confederate monument at the Chatham County courthouse in downtown Pittsboro.

Secretary of State releases report detailing charitable giving (WRAL-TV reports) -- The percentage of donations to North Carolina charities rose to a record level last year, according to a report issued by the Secretary of State's office.

ANN DOSS HELMS: Brief Order To Block WBTV Story Had Big First Amendment Implications (WFAE-FM reports) -- Last week a Charlotte judge issued an order temporarily blocking WBTV from airing a story. It was dissolved less than 24 hours later, with little real-life impact. But the constitutional principle at stake was huge.

Healthcare IT firm Well Dot picks Chapel Hill for its $3.1M headquarters, adding 400 jobs (WRAL-TV/TechWire reports) -- Well is a start-up that works with patients one on one to help them get healthier. Although wages will vary depending on position, the average salary for all the positions will reach $63,020. The Orange County average wage is $46,112. The state will provide nearly $3.9 million in incentives, with the town of Chapel Hill and Orange County adding $981,000.

COLIN CAMPBELL: McCrory featherbedding challenged (The Insider reports) -- Gov. Roy Cooper's administration was within its rights to dismiss a state agency spokesman hired under former Gov. Pat McCrory, the N.C. Court of Appeals ruled. David Prickett worked as communications director for the Office of State Human Resources until shortly after Cooper took office in 2017, and he challenged his dismissal. Prickett also argued that he did not receive a required 10-day notice of his job's switch back to a political position under Cooper. A key issue in the case was whether McCrory had the proper authority to change Prickett's job from exempt (a political appointment) to non-exempt in the final days of his administration. The court overturned a previous decision by an administrative law judge. Court of Appeals Judge John Arrowood wrote that McCrory "had no authority to designate petitioner's position as exempt ... or reverse such designation."

COLIN CAMPBELL: Reporter Ochsner's records lawsuit rejected (The Insider reports) -- The N.C. Court of Appeals on Tuesday rejected a lawsuit from a Charlotte TV news reporter who says the N.C. Department of Revenue didn't fully comply with his public records request. Nick Ochsner, an investigative reporter at WBTV, sought detailed information from his own taxpayer file as well as communications between the revenue department and legislators, legislative staffers and staffers in the office of Gov. Pat McCrory. Ochsner wrote that in the months after reporting stories about legislators and McCrory, he received a notice from DOR that he owed back taxes from 2011. His records request appears to seek information that would determine whether political officials had any involvement in the agency's review of Ochsner's taxes. The matter ultimately resulted in a mediated settlement, and the agency provided more than 13,000 pages of documents to Ochsner. He continued to sue, seeking more detailed records including internal computer and database records related to his taxpayer account. The Court of Appeals sided with a lower court and determined that Ochsner "has not identified anything from those documents which might lead to a 'reasonable inference' that other responsive documents exist." The court said the state's public records law does not require government agencies to create records that don't already exist. Ochsner was represented by his mother, Ann Ochsner, in the case. Court of Appeals Judge Donna Stroud authored the ruling.

NC’s historic marker program slows down to address repair backlog (Wilmington Star-News reports) -- More than 30 markers across the state need to be repaired or replaced, including Thalian Hall, meaning new pieces could be on hold until 2021

Educators to continue protests outside 6 Wake County schools (WRAL-TV reports) -- Teachers from all over the state have been asking for raises for counselors, librarians and restoring advance degree pay. Educators at six Wake County schools will protest Wednesday.

Flooding keeps Hatteras Schools closed (Outer Banks Voice reports) -- The Dare County Schools have announced that because of flooding in Avon, Cape Hatteras Elementary and Secondary Schools will be closed again in Tuesday Nov. 19.

ANNE BLYTHE: NC’s Medicaid transformation suspended indefinitely (N.C. Health News reports) -- With N.C. Republican legislators and Gov. Roy Cooper at a budget impasse, North Carolina’s secretary of health suspends a long awaited move to Medicaid managed care.

BILLY BALL: How NC’s broken politics made a disaster of Medicaid again (N.C. Policy Watch column) -- The inevitable announcement of a delay in N.C.’s Medicaid transformation is an unqualified disaster. We will labor over who to blame. Republicans will castigate Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, who vetoed the “mini-budget” funding transformation in August. And Cooper will lambast the Republican state legislature, because of its dogmatic and, frankly, dimwitted refusal to accept a mostly federally-funded expansion of the government healthcare program. DHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen, a Cooper appointee, acknowledged the drawbacks of indefinitely postponing the transformation to a managed care system, in which the state pays per-person costs rather than the current fee-for-service model. If the delay impacts patients is unclear. It certainly affects patients far less than the legislature’s refusal to expand Medicaid. But it will, without question, derail the state’s ability to complete a long-expected overhaul by its targeted Feb. 1 start date.

As expected, Medicaid pivatized managed care won’t begin on time (AP reports) -- North Carolina’s Medicaid program won’t shift to managed-care benefits as scheduled early next year, the largest casualty to date of the monthslong budget stalemate between Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper and Republican lawmakers.

Legislature's massive Medicaid privatization delayed over budget fight (WRAL-TV reports) -- With funding vetoed, the Cooper administration will push back a Feb. 1 go-live date for one of the biggest changes in N.C. health care in decades.

ANNE BLYTHE: Gov. Cooper signs Storm Recovery Act despite concerns (N.C. Health News reports) -- Nearly $180 million in help is on the way for North Carolina recovery and resiliency projects related to hurricanes Dorian, Florence, Matthew and Michael.

Tidal flooding closes Battleship North Carolina early (AP reports) -- High tidal flooding forced the Battleship North Carolina to close early this week, and officials are warning visitors to check the website before planning a trip.

JENNIFER ALLEN: Biologist Says Seagrass A ‘Canary In Coal Mine’ (Coastal Review reports) -- “Seagrasses are like ‘Canaries in the coal mine,’” Jud Kenworthy, a research biologist, said. “The status of seagrasses can warn us about the health of our coastal ecosystem.” The Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Partnership and its partners are working to better understand the status of the submerged aquatic vegetation or SAV along the coast of North Carolina and have been mapping the extent and density of SAV, which Kenworthy said will “help tell the story in space and time” of the seagrasses