Opinion Roundup: Marching against gun violence, booming suburbs, investigating Facebook, charter schools and more

Tuesday, March 27, 2018 -- A round up of opinion, commentary and analysis on: Thousands of N.C. residents turn out to protest gun violence, an explosion of growth in suburbs, U.S. government opens probe into Facebook, how charter schools can succeed, opioid epidemic and more.

Don't just march for your lives, young people. Vote for them, too (Charlotte Observer) -- Students and other led marches across the country, including in Washington, DC. But young people will be dismissed by officeholders unless they do more.

SLOANE HEFFERNAN: 'People are turning to the streets:' UNC professor says protests are on the rise nationwide (WRAL-TV analysis) -- The Department of Sociology at UNC-Chapel Hill has been tracking the wave of protests following the Parkland, Fla. shooting and throughout the past year, and what they have found is extraordinary, according to the department chairman.

Marching against gun violence (Winston-Salem Journal) -- There were signs. There were speeches. There were snow flurries and rain — and still the marchers came through downtown Winston-Salem into Corpening Plaza, protesting gun violence in America, on Saturday. More than 1,500 people attended the March for Our Lives rally in Winston-Salem and hundreds of thousands gathered in more than 800 cities around the world, including Washington, D.C. “I’m afraid of going to school every day,” Reagan High School freshman Cassie Daukas said at the rally. “I should be going to school to learn, not to worry if it’s my last day alive or if I told my mom I loved her before I left for school. Is my classroom a graveyard or a learning space? We will keep fighting until we feel safe.”

KARI LYDERSEN & MICHAEL SCHERER: Suburban voters angry with Trump threaten GOP’s grip on House (Washington Post analysis) -- Many of the most competitive seats in this year's midterms are in bedroom communities near Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Washington and other Democratic cities. The balancing act for GOP incumbents is appealing to moderate voters while holding on to the party base.

N.C. Green Party likely to field candidates this fall (AP reports) -- North Carolina voters should have additional candidates to choose from beginning this fall thanks to a new law that makes it easier for third parties to get on ballots.

WESLEY YOUNG: North Carolina's 'burbs are booming, Triad and Triangle come together (Greensboro News & Record analysis) -- In a reversal of a trend, U.S. Census Bureau estimates show that growth in the core urban counties of North Carolina is getting outpaced by some of their suburban counties. And some North Carolina counties are seeing higher growth that reflects the area’s popularity among retirees.

Judge says release video of Asheville police beating of jaywalker (AP reports) -- A North Carolina judge has ruled all video in the case of a white police officer accused of using excessive force against a black man accused of jaywalking should be released.

BEN GRAHAM: What NC economic developers might be underselling (Triangle Business Journal analysis) -- Despite all of the financial incentives and jet-setting handshakes North Carolina leaders have taken to court companies interested in moving here, the state might actually be underselling itself when it comes to one of its perceived weaknesses.

CANDACE SWEAT: State prisons announce new action on shackling pregnant inmates (WRAL-TV reports) - -The North Carolina Director of Prisons signed new policies to clarify that female inmates should not be restrained while delivering a child.

MICHAEL GEBLEIN: Mapping Mecklenburg evictions reveals neighborhood trends (Carolina Public Press analysis) -- Charlotte and Mecklenburg County residents in neighborhoods with households receiving public nutrition assistance and with higher populations of children are more likely to be evicted from their homes, according to a newly released study. Conducted by researchers with the UNC-Charlotte Urban Institute and Mecklenburg County Community Support Services, the study maps evictions in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County for the first time.

MATTHEW BURNS: Scratch-offs with dad land Chapel Hill man $1M lottery prize (WRAL-TV reports) -- An outing with his father led a Chapel Hill man to winning a $1 million lottery prize.

FTC confirms Facebook probe; NC attorney general, 36 others demand answers about user privacy (WRAL-TV/TechWire) -- The U.S. government is investigating Facebook, and chief law enforcement officers for North Carolina (Josh Stein) and 36 other U.S. states and territories, are demanding answers from Facebook about user data.

VA care improves, but bureaucracy doesn’t (Fayetteville Observer) -- The congressmen came to Fayetteville last week to see how well the Department of Veterans Affairs is caring for the men and women who served their country in war and peace. And even in the town were the VA has arguably improved more than anywhere, they found a work very much in progress.

GARY ROBERTSON: Report says school boards, counties should stay out of court (AP reports) -- School districts across North Carolina will present next year's funding requests in the coming weeks to local county commissioners, with the potential for costly and lengthy litigation if they can't see eye-to-eye on spending.

RHONDA DILLINGHAM: NC public charter schools stymied by funding (Durham Herald-Sun column) -- A recent report from policy analyst Kris Nordstrom at the N.C. Justice Center claims that charter schools are contributing to increasing racial segregation. Public charter schools are free public schools that are open to all students, and only make up 6 percent of all public schools nationwide. Charter schools should not be labeled as a major contributor to an ongoing problem of segregation.

These NC charter schools show how to succeed with low-income students (Charlotte Observer column) -- Three principles are helping these NC schools and their economically disadvantaged students succeed in testing and college placement

JEREMY BAUER-WOLF: Can the NCAA Basketball Commission Accomplish Anything? (Inside Higher Ed analysis) -- The NCAA does have a big problem. And the question of its impotence once again arose with the scandal that rocked the world of college basketball last year, with coaches of four top-tier teams being charged with accepting cash payments in exchange for steering recruits to certain institutions. The NCAA officials said they had no idea -- and news reports have suggested the corruption is not limited to these programs. The commission, led by former U.S. secretary of state and Stanford University provost Condoleezza Rice, has remained quiet about its work, though it’s due to deliver recommendations to the NCAA's governing body, the Board of Directors, late next month. Rice has never publicly discussed progress among its members and her only -- bland -- statement on the NCAA website is from October.

CFCC board is undermining public’s trust, support (Wilmington Star-News) -- The people of New Hanover County have been very generous to Cape Fear Community College. On average, North Carolina’s community colleges get 57 percent of their funding from the state and 13 percent from counties. On top of that, New Hanover County has invested $164 million in CFCC from bond issues in recent years

TAYLOR KNOPF: Rates of opioid-related ED visits continues to rise in NC (N.C. Health News) -- The rising rate of opioid overdose emergency department visits indicate the current drug epidemic is not slowing down anytime soon.

MIKE CAUSEY: Save the SHIIP and keep funding for seniors' health program (Wilson Times column) -- An effort is underway in Congress to eliminate $47 million that goes to programs like North Carolina's Seniors Health Insurance Information Program. Such an effort fits the old adage of being penny-wise and pound-foolish.

ADAM WAGNER: Eastern N.C. opioid experts support medication-assisted treatment (Wilmington Star-News analysis) -- The Trump Administration’s HHS recently moved to support the use of medication to treat opioid disorder.

TRISTA TALTON: Water Transfer Part of Pender’s Growth Plan (Coastal Review analysis) -- Environmental groups support Pender County’s request to transfer up to 14.5 million gallons of drinking water per day from the Cape Fear to three smaller river basins to meet increasing demand.

RUSTY JACOBS: Tree Cutting Is Underway For The Atlantic Coast Pipeline, But Opposition In NC Is Staunch (WUNC-FM analysis) -- Crews are already cutting trees in Northampton and Robeson counties to make way for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline , the 600-mile-long delivery system that will carry natural gas from West Virginia, across Virginia, and through North Carolina. The pipeline will cut an eight-county, 200-mile-long path across the Tar Heel State with supporters and opponents all along the route.