Opinion Roundup: House hearing on White Nationalism, planned educators rally, student IDs and more

Wednesday, April 10, 2019 -- A round up of opinion, commentary and analysis on: Historic strikes and protests by teachers across country aren’t over, potential wind power ban near N Carolina coast, abortion debate returning to legislature, Wilmington-area gators show high levels of contaminants and more.

BRIAN MURPHY & DAN KANE: Before GOP donor’s indictment, NC congressman spent $50,000 on lawyers (McClatchy D.C. reports) -- The campaign spending reports of U.S. Rep. Mark Walker show a $50,000 payment to a Washington, D.C., law firm that specializes in white-collar defense and congressional investigations. The payment came less than four months before last week's indictment of campaign donor Greg Lindberg, a Durham businessman who donated more than $200,000 to Walker and groups supporting him.

Voting starts today in special primary (Greenville Daily Reflector reports) -- Early voting begins today in a special primary election to fill the 3rd Congressional District seat left vacant by the death of Walter Jones.

JIM MORRILL: First 9th District Republican goes on air, mocking Democrats, backing Trump (Charlotte Observer reports) -- With Election Day just five weeks away, one 9th District Republican has gone on TV to ridicule Democrats and cast himself as a solid ally of President Donald Trump. State Sen. Dan Bishop has become the first of 10 GOP candidates on TV in the district that stretches from Charlotte to Fayetteville. He may be the only candidate on the air, at least for a while.

EMERY DALESIO: McCready raised $1.6M in 9th District race (AP reports) -- Democratic congressional candidate Dan McCready says he has raised more than $1.6 million in campaign funds for a special election that was forced after last year's race was voided by a ballot-collection scandal. McCready's campaign said he ended the year's first quarter with $1.46 million in cash on hand.

McCready Says He's Raised Over $1.6 Million In 9th District Special Election (WUNC-FM reports) -- Democrat Dan McCready said he's raised over $1.6 million for his 9th Congressional District-- McCready is the only Democratic candidate running in the special election for the seat in a district that spans from south Charlotte to Lumberton.

RUSS YARROW: Know the path better before you take it (Wilmington Star-News column) -- A good friend likes to remind me that most major crises share a root cause: corruption of the culture. Whether it’s safety lapses at Boeing or Pacific Gas & Electric, election fraud in North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District, or customer manipulation at Wells Fargo, all share a common cause: the culture had broken.

VALERIE STRAUSS: Historic strikes and protests by teachers across country aren’t over (Washington Post reports) -- They aren't over. The unprecedented stretch of strikes and protests by teachers that started last year is continuing. This year, West Virginia teachers went out again, and there have been strikes in Los Angeles, Denver and Oakland. North Carolina’s teachers are planning a one-day job action May 1.

MICHAEL BRAGG No school for students on May 1 (Winston-Salem Journal reports) -- Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools will be closed for students on May 1, the day of a planned educators’ rally in Raleigh.

JUSTIN PARMENTER: NC educators gearing up to win big for schools on May 1 (EdNC reports) -- Last May 16 saw unprecedented action by thousands of NC educators. Energized by the boldness of our colleagues in states like West Virginia and Arizona, we marched through the streets of Raleigh to the state legislature to let lawmakers know that we’d had enough of their indefensible lack of support for public education.

Potential wind power ban near N Carolina coast gets airing (AP reports) – Legislation to ban Wind Farms that claims to pit jobs at N.C.'s military bases against wind energy gets its first airing at the state legislature.

GARY ROBERTSON: In new environment, Republicans pitch Medicaid expansion (AP reports) -- Several state House Republicans who want to expand Medicaid renewed their pitch, now that the state legislature's changing political balance gives the proposal more leverage.

ROSE HOBAN: Lawmakers look for ways to cover more low-income uninsured (N.C. Health News reports) -- A group of Republicans in the state House of Representatives takes a gambit to get about a half million people access to care.

RUSTY JACOBS: NC GOP Proposes Alternative To Medicaid Expansion (WUNC-FM reports) -- A Republican-backed bill in the state House aims to close North Carolina's coverage gap, but at no cost to the state. The bill provides a distinct alternative to Medicaid expansion, which Democrats have made a legislative priority. Unlike Medicaid, under Rep. Donny Lambeth's measure, program participants must work and pay premiums.

LAURA LESLIE: Don't call it ‘Medicaid’ expansion as House GOP offers low-income health plan (WRAL-TV reports) -- Some House Republicans are again pitching their idea to expand health coverage to hundreds of thousands of uninsured people, but it likely faces an uphill battle in the legislature.

BILL MILLETT & VICE ADMIRAL JOHN MORGAN: Child care proposal is a smart move (Winston-Salem Journal column) -- If you’re a working parent who’s struggled to find affordable child care for your infant or toddler, there’s a proposal underway in our state capital that could make both you and your employer a lot happier. Known as HB 124, it’s a bipartisan bill that significantly expands funding for Smart Start, a public-private partnership that helps families pay for child care, improves the quality of child care and provides services that prepare moms and dads throughout North Carolina to be responsible parents. It’s a strong complement to Gov. Roy Cooper’s proposed budget, which increases funding subsidies and provides greater funding for our state’s preschool program.

Abortion debate returning to legislature (AP reports) -- The legislature is entering again the contentious debate over abortion. A Senate committee scheduled discussion over a measure focused on what happens should an abortion procedure result in a live birth. The bill co-sponsored by nearly 20 Republicans says the newborn is a "legal person" subject to the same protections of the law and care from health providers as any other newborn. The measure says failure to do so could result in a felony and even murder charges for anyone whose overt action kills a child born alive.

EMMY VICTOR: Advocates to speak out against bill to arm teachers, give them arresting power (WRAL-TV reports) -- Hundreds of people are planning to confront state lawmakers about arming teachers in the classroom and other school security concerns.

GARY ROBERTSON: Bill gives school IDs another chance for 2020 election (AP reports) -- Bipartisan legislation would ease some standards that identification cards for state colleges, universities and other institutions had to meet before they could be used as photo voter ID in next year's elections.

TRAVIS FAIN: Fix proposed so student IDs can be used for voting (WRAL-TV reports) -- Rules dictating that universities take the student ID photos and that campus officials sign off on ID requirements would be dropped under the bill.

Sports gambling, horse wagering at casinos OK'd by Senate (AP reports) -- Sports and horse wagering may soon be available for visitors to the two Eastern Band of Cherokee Indian casinos.

Optional motorcycle helmet bill doesn't advance in committee (AP reports) -- A biennial effort among some House members to make motorcycle helmets optional for people 21 and over has been stopped.

LAURA LESLIE: Motorcycle helmet repeal stalls out in committee (WRAL-TV reports) -- The fifth time wasn't the charm for lawmakers seeking to repeal the state's helmet law.

Are drug dealers really responsible for fatal overdoses? (Wilson Times) -- Imposing stiff penalties for drug dealers whose customers suffer overdose deaths might sound like justice, but addiction treatment advocates warn that such laws carry unintended consequences.

TAYLOR KNOPF: Lawmakers consider ‘Death by distribution’ law (N.C. Health News reports) -- Advocates worry the proposed legislation could deter people from calling 911 in the event of an overdose if they fear a second-degree murder charge.

JEFF TIBERII: Not Everyone Wants Murder Charges For Drug Dealers (WUNC-FM reports) -- State lawmakers have introduced a bill that would implement stiffer penalties for people who distribute drugs that result in another person's death.

TRAVIS FAIN: Victims' families push back on 'death by distribution' crime for drug dealers (WRAL-TV reports) -- Bill would boost penalties for drug dealers when someone overdoses.

RICHARD CRAVER: CBD oil bill heads to Senate floor, would allow for treatment of autism, MS (Winston-Salem Journal reports) -- A bill that would expand the use of medicinal CBD oil is headed to the Senate floor. Senate Bill 168 received recommendation Tuesday from the Senate Rules and Operations Committee. State law passed in 2015 allows the use of CBD oil to be given to children with epilepsy. The oil is made from cannabidiol, a compound found in marijuana plants low in THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, the major intoxicant in marijuana.

Compensation -- A matter of justice (Winston-Salem Journal) -- A bipartisan bill before the state legislature that would allow four urban counties to compensate people involuntarily sterilized by the order of county authorities deserves public and legislative support. But it would only be the first of many steps toward seeing victims of sterilization at county officials’ hands compensated. County authorities then would have to follow through.

ELY PORTILLO: Protections against cutting down trees could be limited under new NC bill (Charlotte Observer reports) -- Legislators in Raleigh are considering a bill that could block cities and towns from passing laws to protect trees from development. Cities like Charlotte, Durham and Raleigh that already have tree ordinances that were specifically sanctioned by the legislature wouldn’t see them thrown out. Davidson, Chapel Hill and three dozen other municipalities would also see their tree ordinances remain in effect.

LIZ BELL: Strollers descend on Raleigh to push for policies supporting infants and toddlers (EdNC reports) -- Carey Rudell, a mother of three in Cary, spends more than $2,000 a month on child care for her two children. While she was out of work on unpaid leave after the birth of one of her children, she missed a promotion.

ALEX GRANADOS: Community college, K-12 bills make their way through House committees (EdNC reports) -- The House K-12 education committee gave favorable votes to a number of bills today, including one that would create a permanent charter school transportation grant program. There was a charter school transportation grant pilot program that ran during the 2017-18 school year, but it was not renewed after that. One of the criticisms of charter schools is that they don’t serve some of the most needy populations.

N.C. legislature puts unecessary twist on ‘supply-side’ economics (Wilmington Star-News) It’s a well-known fact that teachers spend a lot of money out of pocket -- their not-very-deep pockets -- to buy school supplies for pupils who can’t afford any. The National Center of Education Statistics crunched some numbers last year and put the figure at an average of $479 in purchases per teacher per year. Something ought to be done about that. And last week, state school superintendent Mark Johnson and some fellow Republicans from the state Senate looked, for a brief, shining moment as if they were.

Ex-GOP congressman partnered with KGB agent in Russian bank (AP reports) -- A former N.C. congressman says he had begun selling shares in a Russian bank before it lost its license. Last week, Russia's central bank accused Commercial Bank of Ivanovo of breaching anti-money laundering rules by providing incomplete or unreliable transaction information. Central bank records on Friday showed Rep. Charles Taylor owned more than 80 percent of the bank, which the Republican bought with a former KGB agent as his business partner.

Cooper talks recovery during Camp Lejeune visit (Jacksonville Daily News reports) – Gov. Roy Cooper visited Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, touring facilities damaged by Hurricane Florence and meeting with the staff of Marine Corps Installations East and II Marine Expeditionary Force. Integral to the visit was bringing attention to the money Camp Lejeune is waiting on from the federal government.

NC Attorney General tours ENC crisis center (Jacksonville Daily News reports) -- Diverting those with addiction and mental health issues away from jails and hospitals and ending a pattern of recidivism and death remains the ultimate goal of the Dix Crisis Intervention Center. Onslow, Carteret, and Craven County leaders agree there is still work to be done.

KIP TABB: For Plymouth, River Is Route to Revitalization (Coastal Review reports) -- Plymouth has been a strategic port and thriving mill town at different times in its history, and now folks here say the Roanoke River and its diverse wildlife could bring a resurgence.

High Point furniture market head says industry hit by tariffs (AP reports) -- The international furniture expo wrapping up is showing that tariffs in the trade war between the U.S. and China can cost consumers.

MARTHA WAGGONER: Confession failed to free NC man, who has died as a prisoner (AP reports) -- Lee Wayne Hunt died a prisoner, officially deemed guilty of a double murder — even though a co-defendant absolved him in a conversation with a lawyer that remained secret for decades.

HANNAH ALLAM: House Hearing On White Nationalism Deteriorated Into Partisan Bickering (NPR reports) -- Tuesday's House Judiciary Committee hearing on hate crimes and the growth of white nationalism was overtaken by partisan discord over what and who is responsible.

BRIAN SHRADER: Father of Muslims killed in Chapel Hill speaks out in Washington DC (WRAL reports) -- A Congressional committee on Tuesday heard testimony from a Chapel Hill man about the slayings in 2015 of his two daughters and son-in-law as U.S. lawmakers heard updates about hate crimes and the rise of white nationalism.

SIMONE JASPER: ‘Bigotry and hate’ responsible for his Muslim daughters’ deaths, NC dad tells Congress (Durham-Herald Sun reports) -- For a NC Muslim father, the pain of losing his two daughters and son-in-law is “just as sharp now” as it was on the day they were fatally shot four years ago. “Three beautiful young Americans were brutally murdered, and there is no question in our minds that this tragedy was born of bigotry and hate,” Dr. Mohammad Abu-Salha told a U.S. Congressional committee Tuesday, according to a live video feed

ELIZABETH FRIEND: Study: Better Systems Needed To Connect Volunteers, Donations With Hurricane Victims (WUNC reports) -- More than 75,000 North Carolinians volunteered to help with the aftermath of Hurricane Florence and the months of rebuilding that have followed.

DANIEL VICTOR: Devin Nunes Sues McClatchy Newspaper Chain, Alleging ‘Character Assassination’ (New York Times reports) -- Less than a month after suing Twitter for allowing its users to insult him, Representative Devin Nunes, a Republican from California, said he was suing the McClatchy Company, a newspaper chain, over what he called “character assassination.” The defamation lawsuit seeks $150 million and the deletion of an article in The Fresno Bee, a McClatchy newspaper, about Alpha Omega Winery, a company that Nunes partly owns.

CSX set to begin work on new rail terminal (Rocky Mount Telegram reports) -- A groundbreaking for CSX’s proposed intermodal rail facility is going to be in a couple of weeks. The ceremony is set for 12:30 p.m. April 24 at the Gateway Technology Center at N.C. Wesleyan College, to the elation and relief of state Board of Transportation member Gus Tulloss.

SLOANE HEFFERNAN: Wake students plan walkout to protest new math curriculum (WRAL-TV reports) -- Students at Green Hope High School in Cary plan to walk out of school to protest a math program they say is failing Wake County students.

KELLY HINCHCLIFFE: NBA player, former Gov. Perdue, ex-state Supreme Court Justice Orr among those being honored as 'Champions for Children' (WRAL-TV reports) -- An NBA player, former N.C. Gov. Perdue and retired state Supreme Court Justice Robert Orr are among those who will be honored at the "Champions for Children Gala" hosted by the N.C. Foundation for Public School Children.

ADAM WAGNER: Wilmington-area gators, fish show high levels of contaminants (Wilmington Star-News reports) -- Alligators and striped bass in the Wilmington area have levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl Substances many times higher than their counterparts elsewhere in the state, a finding that surprised the N.C. State University team conducting the research.