Opinion Roundup: Legislature adjourns, equine therapy, ruling threatens to disband Board of Elections and more

Friday, Dec. 28, 2018 -- A round up of opinion, commentary and analysis on: Lawmakers override veto of elections bill, ruling threatens to disband board amid congressional probe, Dare County could change law to make it easier to confiscate chained dogs that are left alone, Cary synagogue vandalized weeks after facing threat, curtailing vaping and more.

Ruling threatens to disband board amid congressional probe (AP Reports) -- The state board investigating allegations of ballot fraud in a still-unresolved congressional race could be disbanded Friday under a state court ruling in a protracted legal battle about how the panel operates. A three-judge state court panel ruled Thursday to allow the state Board of Elections to dissolve at noon today, ahead of a scheduled Jan. 11 evidentiary hearing into the 9th district congressional race. It’s not clear when a new election board could be put in place if the ruling stands.

LAURA LESLIE & MATTHEW BURNS: Lawmakers adjourn after overriding two more vetoes (WRAL-TV reports) -- The General Assembly's 2018 "short session" finally came to a close, but not before the GOP dominated legislature overrode two more of Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper's vetoes. The state House overrode the veto of the election’s rewrite on a vote of 68-40, followed by the Senate overriding on a vote of 28-12. It was the 23rd veto that the legislature has overridden against Cooper, who has vetoed 28 bills in his first two-years in office.

EMERY DALESIO: Lawmakers override veto of elections bill (AP reports) -- With Republicans' veto-proof majority ending in days, the legislature oerrode the Democratic governor's veto of legislation that would keep campaign finance investigations confidential and allow the GOP to possibly dump their nominee in a still-undecided U.S. House race marred with ballot fraud allegations.

JEFF TIBERII: Several Prominent Lawmakers Departing General Assembly (WUNC-FM reports) -- This marks the final week at the State Legislature for several notable incumbents. Although change in government is constant, the number of influential lawmakers departing this month is unusual. Twelve Republican incumbents were defeated during the midterm – seven from the House, five in the Senate. House conservatives were all eliminated in Wake and Mecklenburg Counties, while Republicans lost one senator each from Wake, Mecklenburg, Guilford, Cumberland and New Hanover.

MARK BARRETT: Meadows called 2013 shutdown effort unsuccessful; Now he's making another try (Asheville Citizen-Times reports) -- U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows helped engineer a federal government shutdown in 2013 in hopes of stopping the Affordable Care Act, only to admit later the tactic didn't work. Will he be successful this time? Meadows, a Transylvania County Republican who represents most of Western North Carolina, has played an important role in bringing about the current partial shutdown over a border wall with Mexico. While his involvement this time is not as central as it was in 2013, Meadows encouraged President Donald Trump not to accept a bill to fund much of the government without $5 billion in wall money and rallied others on the right to do the same.

JEFF HAMPTON: Dare County could change law to make it easier to confiscate chained dogs that are left alone (Norfolk Virginian-Pilot reports) -- Animal control officers could seize distressed dogs immediately without having to get a warrant.

JANINE BOWEN: Cary synagogue vandalized weeks after facing threat (WRAL reports) — A Cary synagogue that received threats last month was vandalized Thursday night, authorities said. Rabbi Seth Klayman, who was out of town, said in a phone call to WRAL News that the synagogue’s windows had been broken and profanity was spray painted on the side of the building.

LISA PHILIP: NC Teens To Learn About Artificial Intelligence (WUNC-FM reports) -- For students at the North Carolina School of Science and Math, the future is now. An alum has given $2 million to start an artificial intelligence and machine learning program at the public boarding school in Durham. The school’s chancellor, Todd Roberts, says students will be taught about the field through various lenses, from engineering to social science to agriculture.

CATHERINE KOZAK: Retired Outer Banks Historian Tells His Story (Coastal Review reports) -- Doug Stover, who recently retired from his position as cultural historian with Cape Hatteras National Seashore, is now a consultant for the United Nations reviewing protection of world heritage sites.

Worthy civics lesson plays out in Wilson schools’ boardroom (Wilson Times) — The Wilson County Board of Education’s transformation from an unwitting First Amendment scofflaw to an unwieldy bureaucracy to, finally, a responsive representative body, serves as an object lesson for students and parents contemplating the prospect of positive change on the local government level.

TAYLOR KNOPF: Hope Reins uses rescued horses to help children in crisis (NC Health News reports) — Kathleen Evans credits her son’s emotional transformation to his time spent on a therapeutic 33-acre horse ranch located between Raleigh and Durham. He was struggling with obsessive-compulsive disorder and had recently left a seven-month stay at the Wright School, a residential mental health program for children with emotional and behavioral disorders.

It's time to curtail vaping (Winston-Salem Journal) -- A recent announcement from the U.S. surgeon general about the dangers of young people using e-cigarettes needs to be taken seriously. It’s time to marshall our forces to beat this problem.

WALTER UNKS: State parks host First Day Hikes on Jan. 1. A look at one of the best (Winston-Salem Journal reports) -- N.C. State Parks from the mountains to the coast will be celebrating New Year’s Day with their annual First Day Hikes. All 41 units of the state park system will host at least one hike on Jan. 1. Among the hikes will be Hanging Rock State Park’s dedication of the redesigned Ruben Mountain Trail.

Enjoy New Year's Day in the Great Outdoors (N.C. Parks news release) -- On January 1, North Carolina State Parks will be hosting First Day Hikes to start the year off right. Many parks will be hosting guided hikes at varying levels, or you can explore your favorite park on your own. We resolve to have a year full of fun, history and nature!

ANTIONETTE KERR: Groups Ask to Extend Public-Comment Periods Due to Shutdown (Public News Service reports) — Conservation groups are keeping a watchful eye on federal agency websites during the government shutdown and say some pages have been taken down, at agencies that include the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service Planning and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

MICHAEL RUANE: German sub sank 76 years ago near N.C. coast. Now its story is being revealed (Washington Post reports) -- A laser scan shows the sunken U-boat off the coast of the Outer Banks resting in 700 feet of water. Entombed are dozens of German sailors. The survey stems from an expedition two summers ago, in which technicians and maritime archaeologists from NOAA and other agencies descended to the bottom in submersibles to study the wreck about 35 miles off Ocracoke, N.C.

Man says $252K in cash seized from luggage was for nonprofit (Charlotte Observer reports) -- A Michigan man who had about $252,000 seized from his carry-on bag at Charlotte’s airport says the money was for humanitarian purposes.