Opinion Roundup: Redistricting reform, Charlotte's affordable housing problem, Silent Sam protests, water contaminants and more

Tuesday, May 1, 2018 -- A round up of opinion, commentary and analysis on: Another good reason for redistricting reform, Charlotte's affordable housing problem, Pentagon briefs families of 4 soldiers killed in Niger last October, protesters deface Silent Sam statue, Duke students call for anti-hate policy and more.

RUSTY JACOBS: Three Democrats Vie To Flip NC's 2nd Congressional District (WUNC-FM reports) -- With President Donald Trump’s approval rating low, Democrats nationwide are hoping midterm elections will trigger a blue wave this year that will change the balance of power in Congress. Some political observers believe that wave could wash over some North Carolina districts, including the 2nd, where three Democrats are battling for the chance to replace incumbent Republican George Holding.

NC first-term congressman's fundraising deficit worries GOP (Charlotte Observer reports) -- Incumbent Rep. Ted Budd of North Carolina is being outraised by his potential Democrat opponent Kathy Manning, causing worry among GOP campaign officials.

JEFF TIBERII: An Incumbent Fights For His Political Life In The #metoo Era (WUNC-FM reports) -- Duane Hall stands behind a large wooden desk on the second floor of his law office in downtown Raleigh. The Governor’s Mansion is visible out the window. That’s where Hall used to shoot baskets with his friend, Governor Roy Cooper, and where he proposed to his now fiancé last December. It doesn’t feel so close anymore. These days Representative Hall is, perhaps, the loneliest man in North Carolina politics.

MONICA VENDITUOLI: NC Senate District 19: Donaldson, deViere face off in Democratic primary (Fayetteville Observer reports) -- The two Democrats fighting for a chance to challenge state Sen. Wesley Meredith of Fayetteville in November are trading jabs that accuse each other of supporting President Donald Trump and “colluding” with other Republicans.

MATT BUSH: Five Democrats Crowd Primary For Buncombe County Sheriff (WUNC-FM reports) -- Electing a sheriff – even in one of North Carolina’s largest counties – doesn’t usually draw a lot of attention. But this year’s democratic primary in Buncombe County is different. Voters will select a new sheriff for the first time in 12 years. And law enforcement practices and reforms are center stage in the campaign because of an incident that took place within the county.

Another good reason for redistricting reform (Fayetteville Observer) -- It was only a few years ago that most Republicans in the N.C. General Assembly were pushing hard for reforms that would take redistricting power away from lawmakers and give it to a nonpartisan commission. It’s the only fair way to do it, they said. One of the leaders of that movement was a Republican state senator from Eden, Phil Berger. He sponsored redistricting reform legislation five times.

LAUREN OHNESORGE: Gov. Roy Cooper's message to VCs during San Francisco trip (Triangle Business Journal) -- Gov. Roy Cooper was in San Francisco last week on an economic development trip, meeting face-to-face with venture capitalists.

LAURA LESLIE: Lawmakers unleash torrent of complaints over slow trickle of Matthew recovery funds (WRAL-TV reports) -- North Carolina has received about $400 million in federal community development grants for Hurricane Matthew relief, but only about $40,000 has been passed on to storm survivors. The rest is still tied up in red tape.

ANDREW DUNN: Charlotte on pace to solve affordable housing problem in 1,200 years (Charlotte Agenda column) -- At the rate Charlotte is moving, it would take 1,200 years and $11 billion to meet demand. That’s according to figures that councilman Tariq Bokhari pointed out a recent meeting. He based his math on the latest slate of affordable housing projects the council was asked to approve. Only 7 percent of the new homes would be accessbile to the lowest-income Charlotteans.

Vi Lyles's $50 million housing trust fund? That's not bold enough (Charlotte Observer column) -- Charlotte needs a much bigger fund and much better process for developers to get on board

RICHARD BARRON: Summerfield faces lawsuit, cancels special meeting (Greensboro News & Record reports) -- The Summerfield town manager on Monday abruptly canceled a special meeting of the town council that was called to discuss the lawsuit filed by a former council member. Scott Whitaker declined to say why he canceled the town meeting a little over two hours before it was scheduled. “I don’t want to be evasive about that,” he said. “It’s just something questionable on whether I say that publicly.”

Rep. Mark Walker steps down from chaplain search panel after family comments (Greensboro News & Record reports) -- U.S. Rep. Mark Walker (R-6th District) has stepped down from a special U.S. House of Representatives committee searching for a new chaplain. Walker's decision came after he said he would like the next chaplain to have a family. This would exclude Catholics from applying.

DAVID GREENE: Pentagon Briefs Families Of 4 Soldiers Killed In Niger Last October (NPR reports) -- One of the Americans killed was Staff Sergeant Bryan Black. His family in North Carolina was among those briefed over the weekend. David Greene talks to Hank Black about his son and the investigation.

ELISABETH ALMEKINDER: Virtual Public School enrollment in NC now 2nd-largest in country (Carolina Public Press analysis) -- While the NC Virtual Public School may be unfamiliar to many North Carolina residents and not every school system cooperates with its program, the state has the second-largest virtual public school system in the country, with enrollment climbing from 17,000 at inception in 2007 to 58,000 students across the state today. Only Florida has higher enrollment in its comparable program.

COLLEEN FLAHERTY: Uncovering Koch Role in Faculty Hires (Inside Higher Ed reports) -- George Mason says some of its past donor agreements with Charles Koch Foundation have afforded the organization a say in faculty appointments, in violation of the norms of academic freedom.

BRYAN MIMS & ALFRED CHARLES: Protesters deface Silent Sam statue amid call to honor lynching victims on UNC campus (WRAL-TV reports) -- At least one person was arrested when a small group of people gathered on the campus of UNC-Chapel Hill to protest the controversial Silent Sam statue. The woman taken in custody dumped red paint on the statue, which was erected in 1913 to honor Confederate soldiers who had fought in the Civil War. Maya Little intentionally cut her hand and smeared her blood on the statue's pedestal before dousing the statue with red paint. 38

N.C. community college board ready to choose president (AP reports) -- It looks like the board overseeing North Carolina's 58 community colleges is about to choose its next top executive.

SARAH KRUEGER: Duke students deliver petition calling for anti-hate policy (WRAL-TV reports) -- Duke students marched across campus to deliver a petition to university leaders, calling on them to make one thing clear - students who engage in racist hate speech will be punished.

JAY M. SMITH: How Sports Ate Academic Freedom (Wall Street Journal column) -- Big-money athletics undermine universities’ core commitments: truth, discovery and free inquiry.

Steven Marcus, Columbia Scholar and Literary Critic, Dies at 89 (New York Times obit) -- Steven Marcus, a Columbia College professor who transformed literary criticism into a lens on history and society by revealing a subculture of Victorian pornography and psychoanalyzing characters in Charles Dickens’s novels, died on Wednesday in a Manhattan hospital. He was 89. In addition to teaching and writing, Professor Marcus was a founder of the National Humanities Center, an independent institute operating from North Carolina since 1978 to advance studies in the field.

KIRK ROSS: Utility, UNCW Stand By Contaminant Reports (Coastal Review reports) -- Republicans in the House Committee on N.C. River Quality blasted them as ‘political,’ but UNC Wilmington and Cape Fear Public Utility Authority officials say their study reports on GenX and other contaminants in the water supply are accurate.

Science shackled by Pruitt's moves (Greensboro News & Record) -- Scott Pruitt’s latest attack on environmental regulations is a cynical new rule designed to undermine regulations based on science in the name of protecting science.

STEPHANIE CARSON: NC Land Conservancies Protect Heirloom Plants (Public News Service) -- This week's warm and sunny weather forecast in most parts of the state likely has many digging out their garden gloves and playing in the dirt. But before you head to a big-box store to purchase your seeds and plants, the state's land conservancies and family farms hope you'll consider heirloom varieties.

JANINE BOWEN: Cary man starts week off with $1 million lottery win (WRAL-TV reports) -- A Cary man's Monday blues vanished instantly when he claimed a $1 million lottery prize.

KATHY HANRAHAN: Vivian Howard takes home Daytime Emmy (WRAL-TV reports) -- Kinston chef Vivian Howard is an award winner again. Howard's PBS show "A Chef's Life" won the Daytime Emmy award for best culinary program. Howard was also nominated for best culinary host but lost to Lidia Bastianich of “Lidia’s Kitchen."

D.G. MARTIN: Four more important N.C. books (Winston-Salem Journal column) -- Here are four more North Carolina-related books for your spring reading.