Opinion Roundup: Sept. 6, 2016 -- Carolina's comeback? Cost of lawsuits, medicine, campaign on state government walls and more

COOPER: We need a comeback that works for everyone (Greenville Daily Reflector column) -- Gov. Pat McCrory talks a lot about a “Carolina Comeback,” but most of us are left asking: what comeback? Unfortunately, many working families in North Carolina have yet to feel a recovery and rural communities like the one I grew up in here in eastern North Carolina are being left behind. Instead of declaring victory and ignoring the challenges that remain, it’s time to put politics aside and fight to create good jobs and help middle-class paychecks grow. That’s why I’m running for governor.

EpiPens need to be easier to obtain (Winston-Salem Journal) -- It’s somewhat comforting to know that EpiPens are available at all Winston-Salem/Forsyth County schools. It’s somewhat less so to know that some schools have only one double-dose of EpiPen Jr. and adult EpiPen on hand for the year.

Now playing at a state building near you ...(Wilmington Star-News) -- It will probably be a little while yet --maybe a year or two, after the election's over -- before they start carving Pat McCrory's grinning visage, aviator glasses and all, on the side of Grandfather Mountain. In the meantime, our fearless leader is leaving his mark elsewhere on the Tar Heel State -- notably, the Department of Administration building in Raleigh.

Trade ideas in debate, don’t swap stickers (Wilson Times) - A lapse in judgment by a state lawmaker’s husband led to a sticky situation for his wife when Dr. Lewis Martin peeled a Charlie Pat Farris for N.C. House sticker off Brewmasters’ front door this week.

GENE SMITH: Just say 'no' to the land-grabbers (Fayetteville Observer column) -- This year we celebrate the first century of America's national parks system. You're going to have to fight to ensure that there's a second.

State's pension plan flirting with disaster (Wilmington Star-News) -- There are major concerns about the future of the N.C. State retirement program for the state’s teachers and government employees. And there are profound implications for every taxpayer as well. The pension board voted to use an assumed annual return of 7.25 percent to estimate the rate at which its $90 billion in assets will grow, which drives the amount of money available to fund public employees’ retirements in the future. I was one of two board members who voted against this proposal because the assumed return has zero chance of being achieved over the 30-year projection period.

High court should let Tillett case play out (Elizabeth City Daily Advance) -- The issue: The N.C. Supreme Court is weighing arguments on whether the N.C. Bar Association should be allowed to conduct a hearing and potentially discipline Judge Jerry Tillett as a result of his actions in a personal matter in Kill Devil Hills a few years ago. Our Position: The court should allow the Bar hearing and any disciplinary actions to proceed.

FSU, Special Ops collaborate on economy-building (Fayetteville Observer) -- It appears that Fayetteville State University is going to get involved in some economic-development plans that go a fair distance beyond the city boundaries - like halfway around the world.

The big gay sway (New York Times column) -- The outcomes of two of the most competitive gubernatorial contests — in Indiana and North Carolina — could be affected by voters’ feelings about how the candidates have handled L.G.B.T. rights. That’s especially true in North Carolina, where Gov. Pat McCrory is being hammered for a shockingly regressive measure that he signed into law last March.

Loony legal fights are choking state, taxpayers (Winston-Salem Journal) -- The GOP leadership doesn’t seem to know when to quit. Fighting lost causes hurts taxpayers. And it makes the state look bad to the global business world we should be fighting to attract.

D.G. MARTIN: N.C. eateries for politicians — and for us (Wilson Times column) -- Just in time for the election season, this new book can guide this fall’s political candidates to the North Carolina eateries where locals gather to eat and exchange information and viewpoints about public affairs.

The wind debate (Greensboro News & Record) -- The debate about wind turbines in eastern North Carolina is healthy.