Opinion Roundup: Handicapping the Legislative race; honoring Dr. King; leaders want expanded Medicaid; and more.

Friday, Jan. 17, 2020 -- A round up of opinion, commentary and analysis on: Stumping in N.C.; honoring Dr. Martin Luther King; call to expand Medicaid grows; more grads in 5; get your boots; and more.

Handicapping the 2020 State Legislature Races; N.C. most competitive (Cook Political Report) -- America’s increasingly polarized political culture has ironed out many partisan outliers in the state legislatures. These days, reliably blue states at the presidential level tend to have reliably Democratic legislatures, and strongly red states tend to have strongly Republican legislatures. This has left roughly a dozen states — mostly battlegrounds in the presidential race — that will play host to competitive fights over legislative control in one or both chambers. The chambers we came close to rating as competitive — but have held off for now – are the North Carolina House and the Wisconsin Senate. Both are held by the GOP and currently rate as likely Republican. But depending on how the political winds develop, they could shift later to lean Republican.

Democrats are targeting this Republican-held congressional district in NC (Charlotte Observer reports) -- National Democrats have added N.C.’s 8th Congressional District long held by Republicans to their list of 2020 targets. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee announced it has added the district to its "offensive battlefield" in an effort to expand its House majority.

Steyer campaigns in N Carolina for second straight weekend (AP reports) -- Democratic presidential candidate Tom Steyer is coming to N.C. for the second weekend in a row.

KEVIN GRIFFIN: State superintendent candidate: N.C. school system 'out of sync' with modern economy (Hickory Daily Reocrd reports) -- Catherine Truitt is one of two Republican candidates running to succeed Superintendent of Public Instruction Mark Jackson, a Republican who is running for lieutenant governor. Truitt, a 49-year-old Cary resident, currently heads the nonprofit Western Governors University of North Carolina, which she describes as an online university intended to expand access to higher education.

BRIAN MURPHY: Senate candidate took hard line on trade. Now he says Trump’s policies are hurting NC. (Charlotte Oberver reports) -- (During his unsuccessful 2010 bid for U.S. Senate, Democrat Cal Cunningham was as hawkish on trade as President Donald Trump is now. He called for renegotiating unfair trade agreements and threatening tariffs on China, central tenets of Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and key policies during his administration. Now running again for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, Cunningham has criticized Trump for the way he has carried out some of those same policies — calling his trade war with China and use of tariffs “reckless” and “harmful.”

Bladen County elections leader changes mind on meetings pledge (AP reports) -- The chairwoman of the Bladen County elections board says the Pledge of Allegiance will be added to future meetings after all, following backlash when a majority on the board opposed it earlier this week.

LINDELL J. KAY: Restraining order filed against state Senate hopeful (WILSON DAILY TIMES reports) -- A state Senate candidate says a restraining order his estranged wife filed against him means he’s just another unjustly accused male victim of the #MeToo movement. Retired Air Force Col. Dennis Nielsen is running in the Republican primary for N.C. Senate District 11, which includes all of Nash County and a portion of Johnston County.

Efforts to stop Silent Sam deal with Confederate group continue in multiple court cases (Durham Herald-Sun reports) -- Nearly two months after the UNC System and the N.C. Sons of Confederate Veterans struck a deal over the Silent Sam Confederate monument, two groups of UNC-Chapel Hill students and faculty are fighting it in court. A national civil rights group and The Daily Tar Heel, UNC’s student newspaper, both took legal action to stop the $2.5 million payment from UNC to a trust for the SCV to preserve and display the Silent Sam Confederate monument that the group now owns.

Virginia Governor Declares State Of Emergency For Gun Rights Rally, Citing Threat Of Civil Unrest (NPR/WUNC-FM reports) -- Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam declared a state of emergency and instituted a temporary ban on firearms from being carried on Capitol grounds, as the state prepares to deal with an influx of gun rights supporters attending a protest rally in Richmond next week.

Fort Bragg families of deployed soldiers troubled by 'menacing' messages on social media - WRAL-TV reports) --The 82nd Airborne Division is briefing family members of deployed paratroopers to double-check their social media settings and report any strange messages they may receive after some malevolent ones were reported to the command.

MATTHEW BURNS & KEN SMITH: Activists compare Raleigh police to gang following man's rough treatment during arrest (WRAL-TV) -- Community activists renewed calls for an oversight board to review use-of-force cases involving the Raleigh Police Department. The demand comes in the wake of a cellphone video that shows two Raleigh officers kneeing a man several times during an arrest.

Ex-Attorney General Lynch speaking at NC King Day service (AP reports) -- Former U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch and N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper top the list of notables attending the annual observance by state employees of the life and legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

State's chief justice celebrates progress in King's name (Greenville Daily Reflector reports) -- The first black woman to lead the state Supreme Court told a crowd at Pitt Community College that N.C. is stronger because of Martin Luther King Jr. and is continuing on the path he envisioned.

ROSE HOBAN: Legislative mini-session produces little movement on health care issues, despite new call for Medicaid expansion (N.C. Health News reports) -- An unlikely coalition of business people, law enforcement and local officials - all conservative - came together Wednesday to criticize the legislature for missing the opportunity to act on Medicaid.

Growing number of conservative local leaders want Medicaid expanded in NC (WRAL-TV reports) -- Medicaid expansion is a hyper-partisan political issue in the General Assembly, where it's the major sticking point in the continuing budget standoff between Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper and Republican legislative leaders. But that's not the case across much of N.C., including a growing number of conservative counties.

Fact check: Did Republican NC Senate leader show 'disdain' for budget vote on 9/11? (PolitiFact/WRAL-TV) -- N.C. leaders never agreed on a state budget. Rep. Deb Butler, D-New Hanover, recently called on Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger to negotiate with Gov. Roy Cooper. But her tweet about Berger is misleading.

DAVID GOLDMAN & KATE BRUMGACK: In tiny town, immigration detainees outnumber residents (AP reports) -- Maria Campos sits in the backseat of a car with her grandchildren, her eyes welling with tears as the immigration center comes into view. The seven-hour drive from N.C. to the Stewart Detention Center in a remote corner of southwest Georgia has become all too familiar. One of her sons was held here before being deported back to Mexico last year, leaving behind his wife and children, who accompany Campos now. Campos fears her other son will meet the same fate after being detained when police were called on his friend.

Court filing contains allegations against former judge, district attorney (The McDowell News) -- A court document alleges that District 29A Attorney Ted Bell and Assistant District Attorney Corey MacKinnon "engaged in wrongful actions" to keep the conduct of former Chief District Judge Randy Pool from becoming publicly known. The document also provides details regarding Pool's relationship with a Marion woman. Pool abruptly retired on Nov. 8, 2019, from his position as chief District Court judge in McDowell and Rutherford counties, effective that same day. It happened after he was named as the alleged victim in a felony extortion case involving Jennifer Tierce of Marion

Senate candidate took money from corporate interests. Now she says she’s ‘unbought’ (Durham Herald-Sun reports) -- Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Erica Smith has vowed not to take money from corporate political action committees during her campaign, often railing against what she calls the corrupting influence of money in politics. But in the time between her 2016 election and her entering the U.S. Senate race in late January 2019, Smith accepted money from a variety of committees connected to corporate entities, including CSX Corporation, AT&T, Merck, Charter Communications, Dominion and Duke Energy, according to records filed with the North Carolina State Board of Elections. She accepted $13,000 from corporate PACs in that period. She raised about $50,000 for her 2018 state Senate bid. In a December interview, Smith acknowledged some of the money.

VIRGINIA BRIDGES & TRENT BROWN: Durham housing CEO given raise, $15,000 bonus days before McDougald Terrace evacuation (DURHAM HERALD SUN reports) -- The head of the Durham Housing Authority received a nearly $3,000 raise and a $15,000 bonus in December despite concerns about the agency’s public housing conditions and operations.

Crisis at a Durham public housing complex reflects neglect and calls for change (Durham Herald-Sun) -- In the end, this crisis isn’t just about McDougald Terrace. It’s about public accountability, standards and values. And how it’s resolved will be about Durham. Wendy Jacobs, chair of the Durham County Board of Commissioners, described the stakes at a news conference: “I want to first acknowledge that this is a terrible crisis in our community. There are many, many reasons that we have come to this moment. It involves decisions that were made locally, at the state level, the federal level. It is a very complex situation. This is a defining moment for us as a community.”

Half of 2019 Charlotte murder suspects had prior gun charges dismissed (Charlotte Observer reports) -- Jamarkus Crawford is one of more than 75 people who were charged with murder in Charlotte in 2019 — and one of about 40 murder suspects that year who had prior weapons charges dismissed.

AMANDA ZHOU: Mecklenburg County transforms existing detention center into one just for juveniles (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER REPORTS) -- A new juvenile detention center in Mecklenburg County opened this week was established to accommodate the increased number of minors who will be tried in juvenile court. Under the state’s “Raise the Age” law, which went into effect in December, most 16- and 17-year-olds charged with crimes will not automatically be sent to adult court. North Carolina was the last state in the country to adopt such a change and has been preparing to adjust to the law for two years.

BRIE HANDGRAAF: $33K spent on Wilson mayor’s race (WILSON DAILY TIMES reports) -- Mayor Carlton Stevens beat incumbent Bruce Rose at the polls and at the bank, according to the campaign finance reports.

FERREL GUILLORY: Wrong time in history to cut back on history (EdNC column) -- With history-laden news breaking out all over, N.C. authorities have picked an inauspicious moment to reduce American history courses.

Here's how UNC is helping make RTP region a startup boom region (WRAL-TV/TechWire reports) -- Forbes highlights UNC-Chapel Hill as one of the universities helping to make the Research Triangle Park region a startup boomtown. Here are the details and background.

More UNC System students are graduating within 5 years than ever before (DURHAM HERALD-SUN reports) -- More students are graduating from UNC System universities within five years than ever before, and the upward progress is expected to continue. The 5-year graduation rate across the UNC System hit 71% in 2018 after a steady increase over the past five years, according to new data presented at the UNC Board of Governors meeting. By hitting that number, the system exceeded the goal it set for 2022 in its strategic plan.

UNC System Board of Governors releases job description for system president (WRAL-TV reports) -- Talk about a daunting job description. The UNC System Board of Governors released a document describing what its looking for in the ideal system president. It's eight pages long, six of them describe what the Board of Governors learned from 8,000 surveys and listening sessions held at each of the 17 campuses.

Business leaders seeing talent gap want to fund more computer science teachers in NC (Durham Herald-Sun reports) -- Last year, more than 140,000 information and technology jobs were posted across N.C., a 27% jump from the year prior, according to figures from the N.C. Technology Association. And that growth isn’t expected to stop. But business leaders worry that N.C. could hit a wall when it comes to supplying talent for these jobs, becoming too dependent on importing labor from other states, and excluding kids born here, especially in rural areas, from the economic prosperity they bring.

Federal grants should push NC to increase pre-K funding (Durham Herald-Sun) It’s welcome news that two new federal grants will give North Carolina $56 million over the next seven years to help early childhood programs, but the extra money comes within a disappointing context: The state isn’t spending nearly enough to provide more children a better start in life. Gov. Roy Cooper announced the grants last week: a $40.2 million Preschool Development Grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and a $16 million grant from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

11 more die in NC from flu (WRAL-TV reports) -- The flu season appears to be ramping up in N.C., with another 11 deaths associated with the virus reported statewide last week.

ALLEN KIM: Your Fitbit could help health officials predict flu outbreaks in real-time (CNN reports) -- That Fitbit you've been wearing could be doing a lot more than tracking your trips to the store. It may help health officials stop the flu from spreading, too.

YEN DUONG: Perinatal depression affects one in seven women, including me (N.C. Health News reports) -- Less well-known than postpartum depression, perinatal depression caused by hormone and life changes affects many pregnant women. I should know: I’m one of them.

NC least costly state for smokers — but lifelong habit comes with big bill, study says (Durham Herald-Sun reports) -- N.C. is the least expensive state for smoking — but costs can still set you back big time, a new study finds. Tobacco smokers in the Tar Heel State on average lose out on $24,088 a year for their habits, according to findings from the personal finance website WalletHub. Over a lifetime, the bill can top $1.2 million, results show. Those totals were calculated in a state where the median household income is $52,413, according to 2019 estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.

CULLEN BROWDER: When residents can return to McDougald Terrace remains unanswered (WRAL-TV reports) -- Even though all of the apartments at McDougald Terrace have been checked for possible carbon monoxide problems, officials said Thursday it's unclear when residents will be allowed to return to the Durham housing complex.

SARAH LINDENFELD HALL: More care for kids: Inpatient pediatric care returns to UNC Rex Hospital this month (MOM/WRAL-TV reports) -- A new 10-bed inpatient pediatric wing, along with a special clinic for pediatric patients, opens in Raleigh this month. When it opens Jan. 21, the new 10-bed inpatient unit will be located on the seventh floor of UNC REX and serve pediatric patients who might have typically been transferred to UNC Medical Center in Chapel Hill or another hospital, such as WakeMed in Raleigh.

Duke Energy Renewables Adds to its Solar Portfolio in Georgia (Solar Industry News reports) -- Duke Energy Renewables, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, has completed the acquisition in Georgia of the final project in a portfolio developed with Inman Solar Inc., totaling 20 MW AC. The projects are in construction or have begun commercial operations across central Georgia under Georgia Power’s Renewable Energy Development Initiative (REDI). These projects bring Duke Energy Renewables, operating through its REC Solar business unit, to 47.4 MW AC of distributed solar projects in Georgia.

A 100-mile trail is planned for Western N.C. Get your boots and paddle boards (Charlotte Observer reports) -- Another series of long-distance trails are now in the works by the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation. The Wilderness Gateway State Trail would be about 100 miles when completed, and connect Chimney Rock State Park in Rutherford County with South Mountains State Park in Burke County, to the towns of Hickory and Valdese. It would contain a paddle trail across two waterways — Henry Fork and Jacob Fork rivers – in a linear trail with access points for people to hop on and off, or to hike continuously for days. The state parks department has just completed a Wilderness Gateway State Trail feasibility study and will host three public meetings this month in Western North Carolina.

Gamers spend $680M in Epic Games Store, showing there’s much more to Cary firm than Fortnite (TECHWIRE/WRAL-TV reports) -- In the past year, gamers spent a whopping $680 million in the Epic Games Store with $215 million of it going towards third-party PC games. Yes, this shows there is much more to Epic than billion-dollar-success Fortnite.