Opinion Roundup: Lawmakers' money; Trump and Tillis; Bishop's blabber; GOP candidates chatter; and more

Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2019 -- A round up of opinion, commentary and analysis on: Legislators' money challenges; Tillis Trumped; Bishop blabbers; GOP candidates chatter; UNC warned; healing on Ocracoke; and more.

NC House leader David Lewis, businesses owe $1.5 million, says complaint (WRAL-TV reports) -- An agricultural supply company sued Rep. David Lewis, R-Hernett, his farming company and its partners for more than $1.5 million last week, saying in a Harnett County court filing that it's tried without success to collect a debt. The filing names Lewis, his brother-in-law Jeffery Strickland and their companies.

Berger's use of campaign funds unethical (Greenville Daily Reflector) -- Talk about playing with house money. Whether it is legal or not, it is wrong for the most powerful politician in the state to use campaign funds to buy a home. Instead, staffers for Phil Berger say no laws were broken, so what’s the big deal? Simply put, Berger’s campaign allegedly is paying a company owned by Berger to rent the town house owned by Berger and his wife — enough to cover the monthly mortgage payments. And that is illegal, contends Bob Hall, the retired executive director of Democracy NC. "Politicians will continue to profit handsomely by funneling campaign contributions to themselves, directly or indirectly, to pay for inflated expenses and subsidized assets.,”

Limits could rein in runaway legislative sessions (WRAL-TV reports) -- As the dust settles on the second-longest legislation session in state history, some say it's time for the state to consider session limits.

NC DOT, disaster relief bills signed by Cooper (AP reports) -- Gov. Roy Cooper has signed bills designed to help his cash-strapped state DOT and the continued recovery from hurricanes Florence, Matthew and Dorian. Cooper signed the measures, which were the last pieces of legislation on his desk from the General Assembly session that ended Friday. The legislature reconvenes in mid-January.

Trump's new best friend in N.C. (Politico) -- Sen. Thom Tillis began the Trump era by negotiating with Democrats on immigration and co-authoring legislation to protect special counsel Robert Mueller. He even briefly opposed President Donald Trump’s national emergency to build a border wall. But now, the N.C. Republican's independent streak is fading. He’s deploying the president as a shield against a conservative primary challenger and he’s hugging Trump tightly. “He probably has more of a challenge in a primary than he does in a general,” said Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), a close ally of the president who has not endorsed Tillis. ... “This is Carter Wrenn’s retirement fund. That’s the only reason he’s got Garland (Tucker) running,” Sen. Richard Burr said of the race.

SCOTT SEXTON: Dems would need a strong candidate for Congress under new map. You don't have to look far for one (Winston-Salem Journal column) -- A lot of ink got spilled over the weekend as people — voters, donors, potential candidates and paid professionals who send them invoices — tried to make sense of the latest Congressional district maps spit out by the General Assembly. Map splits Winston-Salem, Forsyth …. Remap splitting Forsyth gets OK … New map, new politics: Navigating N.C.’s new congressional waters may mean revised tack

Dan Bishop ... and others ... blame the messengers (Greensboro News & Record) -- Invoking a Harry Potter villain, U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop, who narrowly won the special election in the 9th district just last month, apparently has become the first member of Congress to divulge the purported name of the whistleblower whose complaint has led to impeachment hearings on Capitol Hill. “I refuse to cower before the authoritarian intimidation campaign. He’s not Voldemort,” Bishop tweeted on Nov. 11 in a fit of self-righteousness. “And he’s not a bona fide whistleblower. Even if he were, he wouldn’t be entitled to secrecy.”

Eric Holder’s Gerrymander Doctrine (Wall Street Journal) -- Watch North Carolina to see how Democrats define ‘fair’ districts.

Agency reports detail deadly Durham explosion, response (AP reports) -- Authorities in N.C. have analyzed their response to a natural gas explosion in Durham that killed two people, injured two dozen others, leveled one building and damaged others, some of which have been condemned.

NC averages 4.4 new startups per 1,000 residents; urban counties dominate (WRAL-TV/TechWire reports) -- It tends to be concentrated in the six urban counties – Mecklenburg, Wake, Forsyth, Orange, Durham, Guilford.

EMILY WEAVER: Lack of sustainable jobs drives hunger in southeastern NC (Carolina Public Press reports) -- Hits from hurricanes have worsened poverty and hunger, driven by the seasonal coastal job market of Brunswick and Columbus counties.

AVI KURTZ: We can’t have another Holocaust (Winston-Salem Journal column) -- “Mommy, who is going to hide us if there is another Holocaust?” the 7-year-old me asked. There was a moment of silence, and hastily, Mom assured me that there was no way a Holocaust would happen again. “We are very fortunate to live in America during this time and we should always be grateful for the freedoms we have.” I put aside my doubts. When I was 10, my family and I went to Israel, and my fears and questions resurfaced.

ANDY WARFIELD: Dan Forest on what N.C. must do to compete for business recruitment (Triad Business Journal reports) -- As lieutenant governor, Republican Dan Forest serves a unique role as a nexus between education and economic development. At a time when the state is evolving from legacy manufacturing industries to advanced manufacturing and technology, Forest recently spoke with the Triad Business Journal about business recruiting and retention, marketing the state's megasites, and enabling economic mobility over the next decade.

AMELIA HARPER: GOP candidates woo voters at forum (Rocky Mount Telegram reports) -- Seven of nine Republican candidates for lieutenant governor spoke at a forum designed to introduce the candidates to voters in Nash County. “I will be in that role (state Superintendent of Public Instruction) for the next year so I still have time to make some changes,” Mark Johnson said. “I am aware that I am entering a very challenging primary to step up into the role of lieutenant governor. I have just done so much heavy lifting in the Department of Public Instruction — we have got it in the right track. But we have got to do that in more of state government. That is what I want to do as lieutenant governor. I feel that with my relationship with the General Assembly and having been in the trenches already, I think I can do that.”

NANCY MCLAUGHLIN & JOHN NEWSOM: 'Rabid hate group' Westboro Baptist came to Greensboro. So did the counterprotesters, in much greater numbers (Greensboro News & Record reports) -- Retired professors, clergy of various faiths and even a life-sized Care Bear holding a "free hugs" sign joined together Monday to build a buffer between Guilford College students and a group the Southern Poverty Law Center calls "arguably the most obnoxious and rabid hate group in America." So when the three sign-toting members of Westboro Baptist Church, a Topeka, Kan., congregation that publicly taunts gay people and shows up for celebrity funerals, arrived at Friendly Avenue and Guilford College Road, they were met with a wall of about 200 backs.

Feds: UNC-CH didn't warn students of campus crime, underreported annual numbers (WRAL-TV reports) -- Federal investigators have determined UNC-Chapel Hill violated the law for years by inaccurately reporting the amount of crime on campus, including not warning students early on about potential safety threats.

T. KEUNG HUI: As legal fight over Istation continues, some NC schools will start using it anyway (Durham Herald-Sun reports) -- Some statew elementary schools will test students soon using a new computer-based program, even though the legal fight continues over whether the multi-million-dollar state contract for the program was properly awarded. The state Dept. of Information Technology is deciding whether state education officials were correct in awarding a three-year, $8.3 million contract for Istation to be used to assess K-3 students in the Read To Achieve program. Some school districts say they can't wait for a decision because they're required under Read To Achieve to test their students. The testing will begin in December at year-round elementary schools, with traditional-calendar elementary schools using Istation in January.

After years of academic struggles, Durham schools celebrate new success (WRAL-TV reports) -- Principal James Hopkins could feel his heart thumping in his chest as he stared nervously at a folder on the table in front of him. Nearby, other Durham Public Schools' principals sat staring at their own folders. Inside were results showing how each school performed academically last year.

Facing $10M shortfall, Johnston schools turning to county for help (WRAL-TV reports) -- Johnston County Schools could run out of money by April its current rate of spending and is banking on getting money from the county in the coming weeks to help erase a $10 million budget deficit.

JUSTIN PARMENTER: Next state superintendent should be a teacher (Durham Herald-Sun column) -- As a classroom teacher who has been in North Carolina schools for nearly two decades, I can tell you that our state’s educators would most like to be led by someone who understands firsthand what they are going through — a teacher.

JENNIFER ALLEN: Submerged Vegetation Mirrors Coast’s Health (Coastal Review reports) -- The Albemarle-Pamlico estuary is one of the largest and most productive estuaries on the Atlantic Coast, with the second largest submerged aquatic vegetation, or SAV, resource in the continental U.S., said Jud Kenworthy, a research biologist who is currently adjunct faculty in the UNC-Wilmington’s department of biology and marine biology. Researchers have recently begun tracking SAV trends on the state’s coast and stress that it’s best to maintain and preserve SAV, which are home to hundreds of thousands of fish and invertebrates, rather than try to replant and restore SAV once it’s gone. This two-part series will examine the effort and its role in monitoring the health of the coast.

Ocracoke tries to heal and reopen after Dorian (WRAL-TV reports) -- Hyde County leaders plan to re-open Ocracoke island to visitors Friday if repairs are done along N.C. Highway 12.

GREG BARNES: DEQ records show repeated releases of probable carcinogen into Haw River (N.C. Health News reports) -- DEQ cites Greensboro and Reidsville for failing to report recent releases of 1,4 dioxane, a probable carcinogen, but newly released data show multiple discharges for almost two years.

Seeking safety, welcome, Durham couple creates 1-of-a-kind cohousing community (WRAL-TV reports) -- Pat McAulay and her wife, Margaret Roesch, wanted to grow old in a community where they felt safe and welcome. So they founded Village Hearth Cohousing, a community for LGBT people and allies, ages 55 and older.