Opinion Roundup: National parks reopen, Hurricane Florence recovery, gerrymandering reform and more

Monday, Jan. 28, 2019 -- A round up of opinion, commentary and analysis on: N.C. parks resume normal operations, absentee ballot security an urgent challenge, Supreme Court casts long shadow over talks on gerrymandering reform, Rep. Walter Jones enters hospice, Charlotte’s third women’s march, deadline approaches for post-hurricane repair assistance and more.

Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation Funding Reopening Of Visitor Center (Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation) -- The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation is paying for National Park Service staff members to reopen the Visitor Center in Asheville, at milepost 384 on the Parkway for three weekends. The nonprofit is also requesting donations and recruiting volunteers to assist with the recovery work that will be required after the partial government shutdown ends.

N.C. coastal parks resume normal operations (AP reports) -- Several iconic attractions on North Carolina's coast are resuming regular operations now that the government shutdown has ended.

JEFF HAMPTON: Wright Brothers Memorial and other park services reopen at end of government shutdown (Norfolk Virginian-Pilot reports) -- Some visitors parked along U.S. 158 and walked into the Wright Brothers site to see outdoor exhibits

Weathering shutdown, Coasties thankful for support (Elizabeth City Daily Advance reports) -- A deal reached Friday to reopen the government couldn’t have come at a better time for local Coasties concerned about having to go without another paycheck.

Federal workers get free groceries at Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard (Wilmington Star-News reports) -- Wilmington nonprofits teamed up Sunday to support local members of the U.S. Coast Guard affected by the recent government shutdown.

CLAUDIA RUPCICH: RDU travelers grateful for TSA agents who worked without pay during shutdown (WRAL-TV reports) — Air traffic controllers and TSA agents at the Raleigh-Durham International Airport are among some of the 800,000 federal workers who went without pay during the 35-day shutdown, the longest in U.S. history. The government reopens Monday, and RDU employees and other federal workers affected by the shutdown should be getting back pay this week.

ERSKINE BOWLES, HENRY PAULSON & MELISSA KEARNEY: Americans are being left behind. Here’s how we fix it (Washington Post column) -- Concrete economic policy solutions are urgently needed. But the hollowing out of America’s middle class has coincided with the disintegration of our political center and the weakening of the very political institutions that sustain our democratic policymaking process. No issue underscores this breakdown more than the historically long government shutdown our country just suffered.

Absentee ballot security is an urgent challenge (Fayetteville Observer) -- It should be universally accepted that it’s time to get serious about preventing election fraud. Yes, that’s sort of been at the top of the agenda since Republicans took over the General Assembly in 2010, but those efforts — voter ID, in particular — were often more aimed at helping the GOP keep control of the legislature. The biggest opportunity for cheating has largely been ignored. For reference, see the investigation that has left the 9th Congressional District without an elected representative.

Harris in a hurry (Greensboro News & Record/Winston-Salem Journal) -- A judge rightly said no last week to Mark Harris being declared the winner in North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District. The nerve of Harris even to ask.

Don’t let politicians mislead you about the NC9 election fraud investigation (Durham Herald-Sun reports) -- This week, Republicans and Democrats released statements about the status of the NC elections board investigation into alleged fraud in the race between Mark Harris and Dan McCready. Here are the facts.

TYLER DUKES: Supreme Court casts long shadow over talks on gerrymandering reform (WRAL-TV reports) -- Around 300 experts, activists and academics gathered at Duke University for a conference on redistricting reform. And they say the time is right to change how political maps are drawn in North Carolina.

Legislator announces US Senate bid; Goodwin re-elected chair (AP reports) – State Sen. Erica Smith, D-Northampton, is running for the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican incumbent Thom Tillis.

GOP offers 2 new picks for North Carolina election board (AP reports) – N.C.'s Republican Party has offered two replacement nominees -- David Black of Concord and Kenneth Raymond of Winston-Salem -- for the state's reconstituted elections board that is expected to examine a still-unresolved congressional race.

‘We’re not going to get walked over.’ With divided power, can they agree on anything? (Durham Herald-Sun reports) -- NC GOP lawmakers, diminished in number, face new challenges traversing a new political landscape alongside Democrats. Gov. Roy Cooper and Senate leader Phil Berger say compromises are on the horizon.

DEREK LACEY: NC legislative session, budget discussions begin Wednesday (Hendersonville Times-News reports) -- The General Assembly will reconvene this week for its upcoming session, and Rep. Chuck McGrady is gearing up for budget planning, working on reforming alcoholic beverage laws, addressing local sewer district concerns and preparing to work on initiatives coming down from leadership.

RICHARD CRAVER: Local school boards could veto use of schools for voting (Winston-Salem Journal reports) -- A bill scheduled to be introduced early in the 2019 legislative session would make it more difficult to use public schools for voting locations by give local school boards veto power over which public schools would be available to be used as election polling places. The proposed N.C. House bill, titled “Ensure Student Safety at School Voting Sites,” would be co-sponsored by Forsyth County Republican state Reps. Debra Conrad, Donny Lambeth and Lee Zachary.

DEBORAH STRANGE: Rep. Walter Jones enters hospice (WRAL-TV reports) -- Congressman Walter Jones has entered hospice, the N.C. Republican Party said.

Walter Jones in hospice care (Durham Herald-Sun reports) -- Longtime Republican U.S. Rep. Walter Jones, who hasn’t voted in Congress since September, is in hospice care. In a statement, the office said Jones’ health has declined since he broke his hip last week. Jones was sworn in for his 13th term this month by Rep. G.K. Butterfield, a Wilson Democrat, at Jones’ home in Farmville.f

Rep. Jones enters hospice care (Greenville Daily Reflector reports) -- U.S. Rep Walter B. Jones Jr. has entered hospice care, according to multiple news sources. Jones, 75, has been battling an undisclosed illness since last fall. He was granted a leave of absence that has kept him from casting votes in the U.S. House since September. Adding to his health woes, Jones suffered a fall and broke his hip earlier this month. He underwent surgery at Vidant Medical Center on Jan. 15, according to his office. The Farmville Republican missed taking the oaths of office with other members of the 116th Congress on Jan. 3, his staff reported. He was sworn in by Rep. G.K. Butterfield during a private ceremony in Jones’ home on Jan. 4. Speaking on Friday, Butterfield described Jones as “a very good friend and has been a friend for more than 20 years.”

Jones in hospice (Walter Jones News Release) -- Congressman Walter B. Jones’ (NC-3) health has declined after sustaining a broken hip last week. He is now in hospice care. The family asks for your prayers, and for their privacy to be respected during this difficult time.

JOHN HINTON: Winston-Salem's Confederate statue: A symbol of white supremacy or a memorial to Confederate sacrifice? (Winston-Salem Journal reports) -- For nearly 114 years, the Confederate statue has stood on its pedestal outside the old county courthouse on Fourth Street in downtown Winston-Salem.

JON HYLAND: Where do Confederate monuments belong? (Winston-Salem Journal column) -- When I moved to Winston-Salem 12 years ago, I only knew some of my family history here. I took pride in my Moravian heritage because I loved the sugar cake and illuminated paper stars. I knew there were Confederate soldiers too, but that seemed like the distant past.

CELIA RIVENBARK: Time to tidy up The Swamp (Wilmington Star-News column) -- The nation is gripped by “tidy” fever. Again. Didn’t we already go through this five years ago when diminutive domestic diva Marie Kondo’s “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” sold nearly 10 million copies?

House GOP reinstituting 'floaters' to advance bills (AP reports) – State House Republicans are reinstituting a tactic giving them extra votes on committees if needed to push through controversial legislation or make up for GOP absences. A news release from House Speaker Tim Moore announcing most committee assignments also mentioned four top Republican lieutenants who can now vote on any committee. four top Republican lieutenants -- Speaker Pro Tempore Sarah Stevens, R-Surry; Rep. David Lewis, R-Harnett; House Majority Leader Rep. John Bell, R-Wayne; and House Deputy Majority Leader Rep. Brenden Jones, R-Columbus -- who can now vote on any committee.

LAUREN HORSCH: Legislative Phone Room (The Insider reports) -- Starting today, lawmakers, lobbyists, staff and building visitors will have a new food option in the General Assembly. The phone room on the first floor of the Legislative Building -- which was recently closed for renovations -- has been converted to a vending and lounge space where anyone can go in and purchase sandwiches, snacks, sodas and other grab-and-go options. Eventually, the space will also be outfitted with charging stations similar to ones found in airports, as well as larger coat racks for visitors to utilize.

RICHARD CRAVER: Delays in NC tax refunds expected as tax filing season starts (Winston-Salem Journal reports) -- Because of the N.C. Revenue Department’s enhanced identity theft protection measures, it said some state refunds may take longer than normal, which is typically eight weeks for electronically filed returns and 12 weeks for paper returns. Filing returns early also reduces the risk of tax refund fraud.

DEBORAH STRANGE: 'United for justice,' hundreds of people attend Raleigh Women's March (WRAL-TV reports) -- Hundreds of people turned out at the state Capitol to participate in the Raleigh Women's March.

ANN DOSS HELMS & JOE MARUSAK: Challenge and celebration as thousands mark Charlotte’s third women’s march (Charlotte Observer reports) — An evolving women’s movement held its third annual pep rally in uptown Charlotte Saturday as thousands gathered for the 2019 Women United March. The event, an offspring of the worldwide women’s march that emerged the day after Donald Trump’s inauguration in 2017, included speakers who celebrated gains and others who challenged participants to do more.

DANIEL STEVENS: NC House Speaker Moore’s private deals need review (Durham-Herald Sun column) — Tim Moore, speaker of the NCHouse of Representatives, has made no bones about his admiration for President Trump. It seems the speaker also may share Trump’s drive to use his post for his personal financial benefit.

County finds ways to combat human trafficking (Fayetteville Observer) — It’s shocking to learn that nearly 40 percent of the arrests for human-trafficking offenses in NClast year were in Cumberland Couinty. Shocking and worrisome. It helps, a little, to learn that the volume of arrests is strongly connected with law enforcement’s aggressive efforts to shut down the practice in which mostly women (although some boys and young men are trafficked too), many of them young and some in their teens, are placed in involuntary sexual servitude.

DAVID A. GREEN: UNC System's presidential transition will put students first (Greensboro News & Record column) -- As the UNC System transitions from one president to another, the system’s Faculty Assembly, along with the Board of Governors, is committed to putting students first, so our students will be prepared to contribute to a stronger N.C. The primary purpose of faculty, staff and administration on the campuses of the UNC System is to support our students by providing the best possible education so they will give back to N.C. through industry, education, health and human services and as citizens. We can accomplish this through collaborative relationships with the leadership of the UNC system and the legislature.

Duke University suspends fraternities pending hazing investigation (Durham Herald-Sun reports) -- Duke University has suspended fraternities Delta Tau Delta and Pi Kappa Phi and suspended all new member activities of Sigma Phi Epsilon to investigate alleged hazing, student newspaper The Chronicle reported.

ELIZABETH REDDEN: Telling Students Not to Speak Chinese (Inside Higher Ed reports) -- Duke University asked professor Megan Neely to step down from her administrative role after she sent an email to students advising them not to speak Chinese in the medical school building and suggesting that failure to speak in English in non-classroom settings could make it harder for them to get jobs and internships and secure research opportunities with faculty.

NATALIE MATTHEWS & MIKAYA THURMOND: Duke adviser steps down over email sent to Chinese-speaking students (WRAL-TV reports) -- An adviser to graduate students at Duke University has stepped down from the role due to an email she sent to students.

Duke medical school apologizes over complaint about Chinese (AP reports) -- Duke University's medical school has issued an apology and launched a review after an administrator admonished students over speaking Chinese in a school building.

LISA FINALDI: To help early education, support parents at work (Durham-Herald Sun column) — Across North Carolina, schools, policymakers, and community and business leadersare recognizing the importance of investments in young children. And the majority of NCvoters across the political spectrum want the state to double its investment in early childhood development.

TAYLOR KNOPF: Switzerland fights heroin with heroin (NC Health News reports) — This is the second in our series exploring how France and Switzerland have dealt with opioid addiction in different — and sometimes controversial — ways cutting overdose deaths and related infections.

FRANK TAYLOR: Meaning of ‘closure’ debated as DEQ hosts sessions on NC coal ash (Carolina Public Press reports) -- The practice of storing coal ash in surface water impoundments appears headed for the ashbin of history at multiple sites across North Carolina, with the Department of Environmental Quality wrapping up a series of preliminary public information sessions to prepare for the closures. However, how well the sessions have gone and what the public ought to expect depend on whom you ask.

Pipeline politics? Maybe so, but NC still needs answers (Charlotte Observer) -- Gov. Roy Cooper won’t let state employees meet with investigators about the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. A transparent open committee meeting might be next.

ANTIONETTE KERR: Deadline Approaches for Post-Hurricane Repair Assistance (Public News Service reports) -- The state Department of Public Safety is encouraging homeowners with damage from Hurricane Florence to return request forms for the Sheltering and Temporary Essential Power program by the deadline of February 1.

ADAM WAGNER: What does a “just recovery” from Hurricane Florence look like? (Wilmington Star-News reports) -- Coalition tries to answer that question, provide resources at Saturday event

Help the victims of Lejeune water contamination (Fayetteville Observer) -- For at least 35 years, people who lived and worked on Camp Lejeune were drinking dangerously contaminated water. As many as 900,000 service members who served on the sprawling eastern North Carolina base drank water from wells contaminated by more than 70 dangerous compounds, including volatile organic compounds like perchloroethylene (PCE), a dry cleaning solvent, and trichloroethylene (TCE).

LAURA DOUGLASS: County Flummoxed By Changing Recyclables Market, Higher Costs (Southern Pines Pilot reports) -- Call it “wishful recycling,” but a whole lot of what has been going into curbside bins is not actually recyclable — and Moore County is getting nabbed.

SUZANNE MULLINS: Currituck should support clean energy, and here's why (Elizabeth City Daily Advance column) -- While the state of North Carolina as a whole helps pave the way for a sustainable, more positive future, Currituck — given its current ban and continued tabling of the discussion on solar — continues to fall behind. Of course, I understand why some may be concerned — nobody wants to risk degrading the area’s natural beauty, harming our wildlife, or damaging property and land-use values. Most of these worries, however, are unwarranted.

STEVE DEVANE: Florence scams included triple costs for gasoline, water (Fayetteville Observer reports) — Diesel fuel for $10 a gallon. Cases of water at three times their usual cost. Gas jugs for $50. The high prices were among complaints that state officials received about possible scams during the state of emergency before and after Hurricane Florence last year, as well as the during the remnants of Hurricane Michael.

MARK HIBBS: Trail Supporters Set to Converge on Surf City (Coastal Review Online reports) — The nonprofit Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail is accepting registrations for its annual gathering, to be held for the first time on the N.C. coast in March.

AMANDA ROBERTSON: Duke Energy should boost its solar rebates (Durham-Herald Sun column) — Last May my husband and I had a solar power system installed on our home. But I have some strong thoughts on the Duke Energy Rebate Program. Don’t get me wrong; we appreciated receiving a $6,000 rebate check from Duke Energy last summer. Who wouldn’t? But the truth is, the funds that Duke Energy set aside for their Solar Rebate Program to support residential solar ran out within the first two weeks last year.

AARON BEARD: ‘Wow’: North Carolina Upsets Top-Ranked Notre Dame (AP reports) -- Paris Kea and North Carolina gave Coach Sylvia Hatchell the “wow” moment she had asked for: an upset of top-ranked Notre Dame. Kea had season highs of 30 points and 10 assists as she helped the Tar Heels stun the Fighting Irish, 78-73, on Sunday, earning the program’s first win against a No. 1-ranked team in nearly 13 years.

JEFF HAMPTON: Before the Bonner Bridge, 25 cents and a 2-car ferry would get you across the Oregon Inlet (Virginian-Pilot reports) — Before there was a bridge over Oregon Inlet carrying millions of travelers to Hatteras Island, there was Toby Tillett's ferry, carrying two cars at a time. Jennings Bryan "Toby" Tillett started out in 1924, navigating the treacherous Oregon Inlet in a fishing boat with a barge towed behind. He charged 25 cents per vehicle.

EMLYN KOSTER: We need a new ‘giant leap for mankind’ (Durham-Herald Sun column) — It is astounding to consider ― particularly for those who were glued to television sets with Walter Cronkite in the summer of 1969 ― that next July 20 will mark a half century since astronaut Neil Armstrong proclaimed a giant leap for mankind from the Moon. Today’s troubled relationship between humanity and the natural world would be well served by rekindling the we-are-all-in-this-together spirit that surged with the enthralling Apollo missions.