Opinion Roundup: N.C. election board chair resigns, Silent Sam deadline, state health plans and more

Monday, Dec. 3, 2018 -- A round up of opinion, commentary and analysis on: N.C. elections board chair resigns amid controversy, raising hemp a lucrative but risky business endeavor, UNC leaders expected to decide Silent Sam's fate as deadline nears, Julian Carr’s name will be removed from Duke University building, battle brewing over state health plan and more.

ADAM OWENS: Protecting Bush family stays with former Secret Service agent (WRAL-TV reports) -- While Clayton resident Denny Schlindwein was a Secret Service agent, members of the Bush family trusted him with their lives.

ALFRED CHARLES: Former President George H.W. Bush dies: N.C. officials react (WRAL-TV reports) -- Several North Carolina dignitaries are weighing in on the death of the 41st U.S. president.

PAUL WOOLVERTON: Former President Bush had connections with Fayetteville (Fayetteville Observer reports) -- In politics, in war and with the Golden Knights parachute team, George H.W. Bush had friends in the Fayetteville-Fort Bragg region.

Scott is right: Vote suppressor shouldn't be on bench (Elizabeth City Daily Advance) -- Republicans who support Thomas Farr’s confirmation, Sen. Thom Tillis, say he’s being treated unfairly. But we think he’s already gotten more consideration than he deserves. There are plenty of other conservative lawyers or judges President Trump can pick and get confirmed to this important judgeship. That will be particularly true once the new Senate is sworn in in January and Republicans increase their currently narrow two-seat majority to six seats. While it might be tempting for Senate Republicans to simply wait for the larger majority to arrive, we’d hope that Scott’s principled stand against Farr’s confirmation would convince Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to inform President Trump that he needs to choose someone else. The Eastern District of North Carolina deserves a judge who believes encouraging all citizens to vote strengthens our democracy, not one whose past actions suggest he believes otherwise.

AMY GARDNER: N.C. elections board chair resigns, doesn’t want his partisan views to hurt fraud investigation (Washington Post reports) -- The Democratic chairman of the state elections board resigned Saturday, saying he did not want his partisan views to undermine a widening investigation into alleged election fraud in the 9th Congressional District race.

DOUG BOCK CLARK: Allegations of GOP election fraud shake 9th District (New Yorker Magazine reports) -- In October, during the final stretch of the congressional election in N.C.’s Ninth District—one of the most tightly contested House races in the nation—Datesha Montgomery opened her door, in Bladen County, to find a young woman who explained that she was collecting absentee ballots. “I filled out two names on the ballot—Hakeem Brown for Sheriff and Vince Rozier for board of education,” Montgomery wrote in an affidavit. Under state law, only voters themselves are allowed to handle or turn in their ballots, but the woman at Montgomery’s door “stated the [other races] were not important.” Montgomery added, “I gave her the ballot and she said she would finish it herself. I signed the ballot and she left. It was not sealed up at any time.”

TRAVIS FAIN & KASEY CUNNINGHAM: State Board of Elections chair resigns (WRAL-TV reports) -- Gov. Roy Cooper's pick to head board leaves with investigation into 9th Congressional District election irregularities unfinished.

State elections chairman resigns amid controversy (AP reports) -- The chairman of the state elections board resigned following complaints about comments he's made online criticizing President Donald Trump.

In 9th District, put integrity before politics (Fayetteville Observer) -- For all the claims of voter fraud we’ve heard over the past few years, we’ve seen little to substantiate them. The allegations, with rare, small exceptions, have been found wanting — sometimes a desperate attempt by a losing politician to salvage a victory, or worse, to undermine public confidence in the results. We saw some of that in the wake of former Gov. Pat McCrory’s 2016 loss, when supporters filed a raft of what turned out to be fantasy claims of fraud. But this time it may be real. The allegations aren’t coming from politicians but rather complaints from voters and from members of the state’s elections board. The problem is where we’ve long expected to find it, the one place where lawmakers have done little to guard against fraud — absentee ballots.

American immigration policy is an irrational disaster (Fayetteville Observer) — Do we really need to wait for more evidence before agreeing that our nation’s immigration system is hopelessly broken? Is there anyone, anywhere, who can look at the evidence we’ve seen in just the past few days and conclude that the system is even slightly functional?

DAVE HENDRICKSON: Trial starting in 'Presumption of Fear' wrongful death lawsuit (WRAL reports) — Jury selection is expected to begin in Harnett County Superior Court Monday in the case of Griggs v. Chisenhall, a wrongful death lawsuit that was the subject of the WRAL multimedia investigative series “Presumption of Fear.”

Incentives, it appears, really do work (Fayetteville Observer) — We’re still relieved that this state doesn’t have to pay out the reported $2 billion in incentives that were promised to Amazon if it brought its second headquarters to the Triangle. But then, we have to acknowledge the power of incentives, despite our distaste for them. Last week, the General Assembly sweetened the pot for companies that move their headquarters to North Carolina and almost instantly, two showed up.

RICHARD BARRON & DANIELLE BATTAGILIA: Barnes reflects on more than two decades of service as Guilford County's sheriff (Greensboro News & Record reports) -- BJ Barnes sat at his dark wooden desk, a cardboard box leaning against the side, knowing that over the next week he would have to remove from his walls and shelves 24 years of memories collected in his six terms as Guilford County sheriff. A framed photo of Barnes with a smiling, soon-to-be President Donald Trump.

LAUREN OHNESORGE: Could pushback over politics hinder NC's effort to lure tech giants? (Triangle Business Journal reports) -- Sources have said Apple is watching what's happening on Jones Street.

MARGARET HIGH: Hemp and CBD: Renaming Tobacco Road (UNC/WRAL-TV reports) -- A new industry is taking root in in North Carolina as farmers begin realizing the money offered by harvesting a rather controversial crop -- hemp.

DREW WILSON: Raising hemp a lucrative but risky business endeavor (Wilson Times reports) -- Growers and entrepreneurs interested in joining the expanding industrial hemp industry in North Carolina were told to start slowly and beware of the risks at Friday’s agriculture summit at Wilson

Crowd addresses Governor’s Crime Commission on school shootings (Burlington Times-News reports) — For almost two hours, the Governor’s Crime Commission Special Committee gathered comments from the public regarding school shootings. The Special Committee was put together in April after the Parkland shooting in Florida, and they held several meetings until October.

JEFF HAMPTON: New ferries to Ocracoke are bigger and could boost visitors to the N.C. barrier island (Norfolk Virginian-Pilot reports) -- The new fleet is the most ever completed or announced by the North Carolina Ferry Division at one time since the early 1990s. Before that, the newest one arrived four years ago. Most of the vessels are 20 years old or more.

EMMY VICTOR: UNC leaders expected to decide Silent Sam's fate as deadline nears (WRAL reports) — We could find out Monday what's next for Silent Sam, the Confederate statue toppled at UNC. Many people are waiting to hear what will happen to the controversial statue, which was toppled by protestors in August who claimed it promotes racist history.

PAUL SPECHT: Where will Silent Sam go? UNC trustees expected to announce decision (Durham-Herald Sun reports) — UNC’s Board of Trustees are expected Monday to recommend a new home for Silent Sam. The trustees have called a special meeting at 8 a.m. Monday at the Carolina Inn, according to a meeting notice.

TIM WHITE: Empathy should guide UNC decision on ‘Silent Sam’ (Fayetteville Observer column) — We’re may see a demonstration of empathy this week. Or we may get a lesson on what happens when it’s missing. And if we do see empathy, I’m not sure who’s going to be the beneficiary. It’s all about Silent Sam.

ALEX GRANADOS: Can the Innovative School District stand the resistance? (EdNC reports) — The Innovative School District (ISD) has been controversial since it was first passed by the General Assembly in 2016. The core feature that has bothered critics is the plan to have the District take over five of the state’s lowest performing schools and turn them over, potentially, to for-profit charter or education management organizations

ALFRED CHARLES: Duke trustees vote to change name of Carr building, named after white supremacist (WRAL-TV reports) -- The Board of Trustees at Duke University has voted to change the name of the Carr Building, which was named for Julian Carr, a white supremacist who fought for the confederacy and gave a fiery speech in 1913 at the Silent Sam statue dedication. The move occurred during the trustees quarterly meeting held this weekend.

JOE JOHNSON: Julian Carr’s name will be removed from Duke University building (Durham Herald-Sun reports) -- Duke University trustees decided Saturday to remove the name of Julian Carr from one of its buildings and rename it the Classroom Building, the name originally given to the East Campus building.

DREW BROOKS: Retired soldier educating South about Islam (Fayetteville Observer reports) -- When Jason Criss Howk’s Army career came to an end in 2015, he thought he’d spend his days teaching and fishing. But a wake-up call at a Pinehurst library changed those plans. And while Howk does teach, he’s found a new mission, too: Explaining the Middle East, Islam and Muslim culture.

Fallout From Exposé About Transcript Fraud (Inside Higher Ed reports) -- After report on abuse at a Louisiana school famous for sending low-income black students to top colleges, admissions officials engage in soul-searching.

JENNY WHITE: NCC educator trains African teachers (Rocky Mount Telegram reports) -- Nash Community College Director of Early Childhood Education Sarah Prezioso recently visited Zambia, Africa, to share her expertise with five African teachers who will be working at a new school with ties to Rocky Mount.

JEFF HAMPTON: American Indian program starts at ECSU with goal of helping indigenous students (Virginian-Pilot reports) — Elizabeth City State University, a historically black college, is starting a program for indigenous people. The new American Indian office would help students and faculty with a variety of issues, including school work, social interaction, genealogy, finding research grants and identifying indigenous students.

ADAM RHEW: Preventing the next tragedy: North Carolina’s complex search for school safety solutions (EdNC reports) — Nearly three weeks after the fatal shooting of a student at Butler High School in Matthews, Superintendent Clayton Wilcox somberly stepped up to a bank of microphones — shoulder-to-shoulder with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney.

LAURA GERALD: In North Carolina, Affordable Care Act gains threatened by funding cuts (Charlotte Observer column) — grew up in Lumberton, where I have many positive memories of family, church and the community. But I was also acutely aware of the historical divides and significant gaps in opportunity, particularly health care. As an African American child, that is not lost on you.

BOBBY BURNS: Battle brewing over state health plan (Greenville Daily Reflector reports) -- An escalating conflict between North Carolina’s treasurer and the state’s health care networks is pitting the thin financial margin on which many providers operate against a floundering state health plan, officials said, and exposing a bitter disagreement over the path forward.

Life expectancy drops must be reversed (Winston-Salem Journal) -- It’s a sobering topic to consider, but an important one: American mortality rates are rising, along with overdose and suicide rates, according to three new government studies from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

ANDREW HUTSON: Let wind ban expire — wind, military, birds can coexist (Elizabeth City Daily Advance column) -- As executive director of Audubon North Carolina — a state office of the National Audubon Society — people are sometimes perplexed when I tell them our organization supports responsible wind energy projects.

CATHERINE KOZAK: Wind Moratorium’s Economic Toll In Focus (Coastal Review reports) -- As the expiration date for the state’s 18-month moratorium on wind energy development draws near, its economic costs to northeastern N.C. counties are becoming clearer.

Group protests natural gas pipeline (Rocky Mount Telegram reports) -- A group of about 15 people got together on an overcast Saturday to continue their ongoing protest against the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. The day was slated to be a wide range of local, regional and statewide groups that all oppose the natural gas pipeline coming to Nash County.

CELIA RIVENBARK: Sure those are raindrops falling on your head? (Wilmington Star-News columnist) -- I don’t know why you hipster whiners are crying in your cruelty-free IPAs after hearing the latest report warning of the devastating impact of climate change expected in the next 80 years. The report involved 13 federal agencies and more than 300 leading scientists from the government and private sector.

Federal flood insurance program needs rethinking (Fayetteville Observer) -- As we continue to recover from the epic flooding of hurricanes Matthew and Florence, thousands of homeowners are counting their blessings as they are able to rebuild. For many, the blessings include federal flood insurance, which is covering the costs of repairing flood damage and helping homeowners resume a normal life.

Chemours deal leaves Wilmington area out in the rain (Wilmington Star-News) — State environmental regulators want to sign off on a deal that effectively provides cover for Chemours and leaves the Wilmington area out in the rain. Our local and state officials, residents who care about the safety of our water supply, and utility customers who think they shouldn’t have to pick up the tab for damage caused by a Fortune 500 company need to make their voices heard.

A generous people (Winston-Salem Journal) — In what we think of as the season of giving, it’s good to know that North Carolinians donated more than $45 million to charitable causes in 2017-18, up from nearly $40 million in the previous year. And most charities and nonprofits receiving those donations used them effectively.

BRUCE HENDERSON: Charlotte is turning 250. In its past: orange barrels, AC and prohibition (Charlotte Observer reports) — The names Charlotte and Mecklenburg honored the wife of England’s King George III and her German birthplace, while the Indian trade route along which the hamlet was founded became Tryon Street.