Wednesday, April 3, 2019 -- A round up of opinion, commentary and analysis on: N.C. GOP chair indicted in campaign finance bribery scheme, nurses to call for improved student health care access, Leland charter school changes dress code after ruling, lawmakers consider requiring that the Holocaust be taught in schools and more.
Other WRAL Top Stories
GOP CAMPAIGN FINANCE SCANDAL
ALAN BLINDER: N.C. GOP Chair Indicted in Corruption Probe (New York Times reports) -- The chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party and one of the state’s leading political donors together sought to use campaign contributions to bribe the state’s insurance commissioner, federal prosecutors said in an indictment that was unsealed. The 23-page indictment — detailed with accounts of clandestine airport meetings and promises of millions of dollars in illicit donations — intensified the political tumult in a state already roiled by partisan warfare and a fraud-tainted congressional election.
LESLIE SCISM & MARK MAREMONT: Insurance Executive Greg Lindberg Indicted in Bribery Investigation (Wall Street Journal reports) -- Insurance executive Greg Lindberg, the subject of a February Wall Street Journal article, was indicted on a charge of alleged federal criminal conspiracy to bribe a public official.
COLBY ITKOWITZ: N.C. GOP chair indicted in campaign finance bribery scheme (Washington Post reports) -- A federal grand jury has indicted the chairman of the Republican Party of North Carolina in an alleged bribery scheme, accusing him of helping a wealthy political donor try to influence a state regulator whose department has oversight of the donor’s company.
TRAVIS FAIN: NC GOP chairman Robin Hayes, major political donor indicted in alleged bribery scheme (WRAL-TV reports) -- After months of federal investigation, multiple indictments in a massive political scandal.
EMERY DALESIO & GARY ROBERTSON: N.C. GOP chair, major donor charged with bribery (AP reports) -- The chairman of North Carolina's Republican Party, an insurance magnate and two of his associates are facing federal charges for a plan to shower the state's top insurance regulator with campaign contributions to ensure special business treatment, a criminal indictment unsealed Tuesday said.
Indictment text (WRAL-TV) – Read the text of the indictment against N.C. GOP chairman Robiin Hayes and a major party donor.
JEFF TIBERII: N.C. GOP Chair And Others Indicted On Corruption Charges (NPR reports) -- The chair of North Carolina's Republican Party, who's also a former congressman, has been indicted on charges including wire fraud, bribery and aiding and abetting. Three other men also were indicted.
STEVE HARRISON: NC GOP Chairman, Durham Businessman And Others Indicted On Fraud, Bribery Charges (WFAE-FM reports) – N.C. GOP Chairman Robin Hayes was one of four people indicted in connection with an investigation involving donations made to the state Republican Party. Hayes, a former five-term North Carolina congressman, surrendered himself to authorities and appeared in Charlotte’s federal court Tuesday, the same day the federal grand jury's indictment was unsealed. Hayes and three others were indicted on charges related to fraud and attempting to bribe North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey.
LAURA LELLICER & DAVE DEWITT: N.C. GOP Chair Robin Hayes Indicted On Bribery Charges (WUNC-FM reports) -- The Chair of the N.C. Republican Party Robin Hayes has been indicted on charges including bribery. Durham businessman and the state’s largest political donor Greg Lindberg, along with two of his associates: John Gray and John Palermo Jr. were also indicted. Lindberg is the chairman of financial services corporation Eli Global and owner of Global Bankers Insurance Group, both headquartered in Durham. Palermo is the former chair of the Chatham County Republican Party.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY 2019
COLIN CAMPBELL: Wind Restrictions (The Insider reports) -- A wind energy industry group says an N.C. Senate proposal to restrict wind installations in Eastern North Carolina is unconstitutional -- an analysis that hints at a potential lawsuit if the bill becomes law. An analysis released this week, the American Wind Energy Association argues the bill violates the U.S. Constitution, noting that Congress has delegated the power to regulate air safety and navigational hazards to the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Defense.
EMMY VICTOR: Nurses to call for improved student health care access (WRAL-TV reports) -- More than 1,000 nurses will be at the General Assembly to fight for changes aimed at improving access to health care, including calling for more nurses in schools to care for sick students.
Bill for alcohol sales at UNC athletic events advances (AP reports) -- All University of NC system schools could sell alcoholic drinks at campus stadiums, arenas and athletic facilities if their trustee boards allow it in state House legislation. The measure approved on Tuesday by the House alcohol control committee would allow beer and wine sales during university sporting events.
T. KEUNG HUI: ‘Never again.’ NC lawmakers consider requiring that the Holocaust be taught in schools (Charlotte Observer reports) -- NC public school students could be required to learn about the Holocaust, when millions of Jews, Roma and other people considered to be undesirable by the Nazis were killed.
Ending LGBTQ discrimination (Winston-Salem Journal reports) -- Three new pieces of legislation presented in the state House last week by Democrats deserve support from all legislators — and from anyone interested in fairness.
WESLEY YOUNG: Lawmakers reject racism charge, but NAACP denounces ward plan as discriminatory (Winston-Salem Journal reports) -- Minorities would in the numerical majority in only two of five wards on the Winston-Salem City Council, if a bill filed last week by two local representatives in the General Assembly becomes law. Blacks and other minorities now make up a majority in four of the city’s existing eight wards.
LIZ BELL: Personal finance graduation requirement, suicide risk referral protocol moved forward by House education committee (EdNC reports) -- The House education committee Tuesday gave favorable reports to bills that would change high school graduation requirements and equip teachers with suicide prevention strategies.House Bill 433 would require high schoolers to pass an economics and personal finance course in order to graduate.
POLICY & POLITICS
MATTHEW BURNS: To shrink wage gap, Cooper bars NC agencies from looking at salary histories when hiring (WRAL-TV reports) -- Gov. Roy Cooper signed an executive order Tuesday prohibiting agencies in his administration from reviewing the salary histories of job applicants.
GARY ROBERTSON: Cherie Berry, the 'elevator lady,' won't seek reelection (AP reports) – N.C.'s "elevator lady" will soon punch the last buttons on her career as state labor commissioner.
TRAVIS FAIN: 'Elevator Queen' Berry on final ride at NC Labor Department (WRAL-TV reports) -- State Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry said she will not seek re-election next year. Known to some as the "Elevator Queen" because her picture appears on elevator inspection forms, Berry has overseen the state Department of Labor since 2001.
Longer sentence for inmate who threw urine on officers (AP reports) -- A N.C. prison inmate has received a longer sentence after he was accused of throwing urine on correctional officers.
KEITH LARSON: Welcome to Char-cago. Is this who we want to be? (Charlotte Observer column) -- The victim was a 27-year-old mother of two driving her car during rush hour on a Thursday afternoon when the shooting started. Police said she was an innocent bystander, caught in the crossfire between three men with several drug, gun, and robbery convictions between them. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
KATE MARTIN: Sheriff accuses fired chief deputy of cellphone misuse (Carolina Public Press reports) -- Cherokee County Sheriff Derrick Palmer said this week that former Chief Deputy Mark Thigpen was escorted from the building and relinquished his firearm after Palmer fired him March 27 for alleged misuse of a county-issued cellphone.
EDUCATION
CAMMIE BELLAMY: Leland charter school changes dress code after ruling (Wilmington Star-News reports) -- Charter Day School will allow girls to wear pants or shorts while at school
N.C. public charter school to allow belted shorts, pants (AP reports) -- A N.C. public charter school that required girls to wear skirts has revised the policy after a federal judge ruled it amounted to unconstitutional sex discrimination.
JANINE BOWEN: WCPSS superintendent requests $48M funding increase to deal with legislative mandates in proposed 2019-2020 budget (WRAL-TV reports) -- The Wake County Public School System superintendent released her proposed $1.7 billion budget for the 2019-2020 school year. “In fact, 40 percent of my proposed request for increased local funding addresses only state requirements, such as money passed directly to charter schools, consequences of new class size legislation and the local share of pay increases, retirement funding and hospitalization costs,” Cathy Moore wrote in a letter.
HEALTH
ZACHERY EANES: Blue Cross NC and Duke Health to create new health insurance company targeting seniors (Durham-Herald Sun reports) -- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of NC and Duke Health are joining together to form a new health insurance company aimed at seniors, the companies said Tuesday. The new company, which will be called Experience Health, has filed an application with federal regulators to offer a Medicare Advantage plan in 2020.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
GREG BARNES: Duke Energy “considering all options” on state order to excavate coal ash pits (N.C. Health News reports) -- State regulators want the energy company to remove all coal ash from pits around the state, Duke may again seek to raise rates to offset those removal costs.
Customers shouldn’t pay for Duke’s new coal ash cleanup (Charlotte Observer) -- If you care about safe water for all, you should be celebrating the NC Department of Environmental Quality’s decision to order Duke Energy to excavate coal ash from its power plant sites in the state. It was the right call for communities that for too long have been vulnerable to the environmental impact and health threat of coal ash contamination.
Public Sentiment Prevails in Fight for NC Coal-Ash Cleanup (Public News Service reports) -- The NC Department of Environmental Quality ruled this week that Duke Energy must excavate its last coal impoundments in the state. Concerns about coal ash and what Duke does with the sludge left over after coal is burned for fuel have been hot topics for years in the Tar Heel State.
BRUCE HENDERSON: NC was once a top source of lithium. Growing demand could lead to a mine near Charlotte (Charlotte Observer reports) -- A region west of Charlotte that was once a mother lode of lithium, the increasingly vital metal that powers cellphones, Teslas and cordless tools, may soon be one again.
Science and safety make good priorities (Fayetteville Observer) -- It looks like a turning point, a sea change, landmark decision that marks a new and more sensible priority for environmental regulation in NC. We’ve seen it coming for a while now, steady change in the way the Department of Environmental Quality does its job. Monday was a bright exclamation point on that trend, the announcement that henceforth, priorities are different.
KIP TABB: Bridge Project Supervisor Shares Experience (Coastal Review Online reports) -- Pablo Hernandez may finally have a chance to sit back and realize how much he has accomplished. He’s the NC Department of Transportation resident engineer for the Manteo office, which means he wears a lot of hats, but mostly it means he was the eyes, ears and supervisor for the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge replacement project.
CATHERINE KOZAK: RISKS FROM OUR RISING SEAS, How other communities face the challenge (Outer Banks Sentinel) -- Despite inconsistent political messages about climate risks at the state level, Miami-Dade County has been working collectedly and cooperatively for 10 years to not only coordinate efforts to address flooding, but to prepare for, mitigate and adapt as much as possible to a future with higher seas. As part of the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact, formed in Jan. 2010, Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe Counties have done extensive flood control engineering such as installation of pumps, wetlands restoration and raising roads. And they’ve worked to de-couple the actual problem from the polarizing political debate about its causes.
…AND MORE
Man recently diagnosed with cancer wins $250K lottery prize (AP reports) -- State officials say a man recently diagnosed with stage 4 liver cancer has won $250,000 in the N.C. Education Lottery.