Opinion Roundup: That's a lot of texts; Aldona's new gig; a solution for annoying robocalls; Coronavirus task force formed; and more.

Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2020 -- A round up of opinion, commentary and analysis on: Trump won't be only name on Republican ballot in March; a case of identity confusion in Lt. governor race; half million surveyed on common core; a way to report annoying robocalls; working remotely benefits more than employees; and more.

TRAVIS FAIN: NC schools superintendent texted a half million parents and teachers to get feedback on Common Core (WRAL-TV reports) -- State Superintendent of Public Instruction Mark Johnson used a state database of parent and teacher cellphones to send out a survey on a key issue in his campaign to become lieutenant governor: Common Core standards.

Did you get a text from NC’s schools chief? So did 540,000 other parents and teachers (Durham Herald-Sun reports) -- The text comes as Superintendent Mark Johnson is running to become N.C.’s next lieutenant governor.

Students grill state superintendent candidates (Rocky Mount Telegram reports) -- Some Edgecombe County students had the opportunity Tuesday to participate in a first-of-its-kind town hall meeting that allowed them to meet with candidates for state superintendent of public instruction and discuss issues relevant to public education.

NICHOLAS STEPHANOPOULOS & CHRISTOPHER WARSHAW: Impact of Partisan Gerrymandering on Political Parties (Election Law Blog) -- The relationship between votes and seats in the legislature lies at the heart of democratic governance. However, there has been little previous work on the downstream effects of partisan gerrymandering on the health of political parties. We examine of the impact of partisan advantage in the districting process on an array of downstream outcomes. We find that districting bias impedes numerous party functions at both the congressional and state house levels. Candidates are less likely to contest districts when their party is disadvantaged by a districting plan. Candidates that do choose to run are more likely to have weak resumes. Donors are less willing to contribute money. And ordinary voters are less apt to support the targeted party. Gerrymandering has long‐term effects on the health of the democratic process beyond simply costing or gaining parties seats in the legislature.

Democratic Senate candidates denounce ‘meddling’ by group they say is tied to GOP (Durham Herald-Sun reports) -- Two Democratic U.S. Senate candidates Tuesday blasted a super PAC that appears linked to the GOP that’s spending $2.4 million on behalf of one of their Democratic primary opponents. “This is an unprecedented meddling in the Democratic primary,” Cal Cunningham told a Charlotte audience. “This is a GOP group . . . coordinating with (Senate Majority Leader) Mitch McConnell. Democratic candidate Trevor Fuller called on the Faith and Power PAC to “take those ads down.” The PAC is running ads that tout state Sen. Erica Smith, one of five Democrats running for the nomination March 3. Tillis, the Republican incumbent, faces three GOP opponents. Smith could not be reached Tuesday. She did not attend what was billed as a Senate forum at Charlotte’s Tuesday Morning Breakfast Forum. In a statement last week, Smith said she “disavows and disassociates” herself from “the interference of Republicans in the Democratic Senate primary.”

Chicken wanders into Elizabeth Warren office in Asheville — and lays an egg (Durham Herald-Sun reports) -- A chicken walked into an Asheville office for Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Democratic hopeful for the presidential election and laid some eggs. The campaign asked the owner to pick it up, sparking puns on Twitter.

GOP race for NC insurance commissioner comes against backdrop of bribery trial (Durham Herald-Sun reports) -- Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey expects to spend the closing days of his Republican primary not on the campaign trail but in a federal courtroom. Causey is likely to be a star witness in the bribery trial of Durham businessman Greg Lindberg and two associates. It was Causey’s cooperation with federal authorities that led to the 2019 indictments in what prosecutors call N.C.’s biggest political bribery case. Causey, 69, faces a rematch with Charlotte contractor Ronald Pierce, 62, in the March 3 primary for state insurance commissioner. The winner will go on to face Wayne Goodwin, the former commissioner and current chair of the state Democratic Party. Causey’s 2016 election was his fifth try for the post since 1992.

These are the three Democrats vying for the NC state treasurer’s office in 2020 (Durham Herald-Sun reports) -- Three Democrats are running in the March 3 primary for the chance to challenge state Treasurer Dale Folwell in November. Folwell, 61, is unopposed in the Republican primary. The three Democrats, all first-time candidates, are: Dimple Ajmera of Charlotte, Matt Leatherman of Raleigh and Aaron “Ronnie” Chatterji of Durham. Ajmera or Chatterji would be the first Asian-American elected to statewide office.

Fact check: Did South Bend's black poverty rate fall when Buttigieg was mayor? (PolitiFact/WRAL-TV reports) -- Pete Buttigieg has been the mayor of South Bend since 2012 and is now seeking the Democratic nomination for president. South Bend's population this decade has been around 100,000 people, and people identifying as black or African American alone have accounted for approximately a quarter of the city's residents.

SONIA RAO: Why Trump won't be the only Republican presidential candidate in the N.C. primaries (The Daily Tarheel reports) -- President Donald Trump will not be the only name on the Republican Presidential ballot in the upcoming North Carolina primaries on March 3. Against the wishes of the N.C. GOP, the N.C. State Board of Elections voted unanimously in December 2019 to add Bill Weld to the ballot for the Republican presidential primary after a request was made by his campaign.

Lt. governor candidate isn’t Wilson’s Allen Thomas (The Wilson Times reports) -- Wilsonians are noticing a familiar name on campaign signs dotting city roadsides, but it’s a case of mistaken identity.

Meet The UNC-CH Black Pioneers Fighting The Silent Sam Settlement (WUNC-FM reports) -- The legal battle over the UNC System’s $2.5 million settlement with the Sons of Confederate Veterans heads back to court today.

Virginia cities will be allowed to move Confederate monuments under new law (Norfolk Virginian-Pilot reports) -- The issue came to the forefront in 2017 after violent protests in Charlottesville

Trump picks former NC DHHS secretary Aldona Wos to be ambassador to Canada (Durham Herald-Sun reports) -- President Donald Trump has nominated the former head of N.C.’s Department of Health and Human Services to be the country’s new ambassador to Canada. Aldona Wos 30-month tenure as secretary was marked by controversy. She served as ambassador to Estonia during the George W. Bush administration and has most recently been vice chair of the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships, a group responsible for recommending individuals to the president for appointments. In the 2018 election cycle, Wos gave more than $760,000 to Republican candidates and causes.

AARON THOMAS: Inmates being moved from correctional facility cause for concern for some residents (WRAL-TV reports) -- Nearly 30 buses were lined up to take 500 inmates to the eastern part of the state because of flooding concerns in Wayne County near the Neuse Correctional Institution which didn't make residents happy.

US Attorney says ‘Sanctuary’ policies endanger Mecklenburg and Buncombe (Carolina Public Press reports) -- U.S. Attorney’s statement against NC sheriffs comes as US Department of Justice sues jurisdictions in other states over related policies.

Ocracoke passenger ferry still isn’t done, so NCDOT will rent one again this year (Durham Herald-Sun reports) -- For the second summer in a row, the state will lease a passenger ferry to run between Hatteras and Ocracoke islands, while the boat it has on order remains unfinished in a shipyard near Swansboro.

Study: Politics blamed for loss of sleep, depression, relationship issues (WRAL-TV reports) -- A recent study published in PLOS ONE looked at the costs of politics on friends, relatives, sanity and physical health.

GENE NICHOLS: Trump message at the National Prayer Breakfast: Bash your enemies (Durham Herald-Sun column) -- Americans typically think of the “wall of separation” between church and state as a needed barrier to protect civil government from undue intrusion by forces of organized religion. The Jeffersonian notion of secularized government, though, was not the wall’s only driver.

Ex-state NAACP leader denies harassment allegations in suit (AP reports) -- A former N.C. NAACP leader accused of sexually harassing an employee has issued a statement denying the allegations, saying a lawsuit brought by the woman is “"baseless."

New Vontier deal promising 8,400 jobs in Raleigh expected to close by year-end (WRAL-TV/TechWire reports) -- Fortive, the Everett, Washington-based company, with some $7 billion in revenue, is planning to employ 8,400 workers as part of the project and and is already hiring. However, specifics about location of the headquarters and staffing was not disclosed. Six positions – all in management – are already listed.

New hotline allows NC residents to report robocalls (WRAL-TV reports) -- People can report suspected scam and robocalls online at www.ncdoj.gov/norobo or via phone to 1-844-8-NO-ROBO (1-844-866-7626).

SBI investigated former NCCU police chief, officer (WRAL-TV reports) -- The N.C. SBI confirmed it conducted a criminal investigation into two former officers with N.C. Central University's police department.

ANN DOSS HELMS: Matthews Is Back In Line For CMS School Construction Money (WFAE-FM reports) -- For the past two years, tension between the town of Matthews and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools has threatened to upend the way new schools are built in Mecklenburg County. Those tensions were laid to rest this week with back-to-back votes in Matthews and Charlotte.

Johnston County Public Schools swears in new interim superintendent (WRAL-TV reports) -- Dr. Ben Williams was sworn in as Johnston County Public Schools interim superintendent.

Task force formed to monitor new coronavirus for N C. (AP reports) -- Gov. Roy Cooper says a new state panel monitoring a new virus that has killed over 1,000 people in China will help keep N.C. residents safe and informed about the disease.

ANNE BLYTHE: Duke-UNC basketball rivalry has lessons for Medicaid transformation (N.C. Health News reports) -- NC lawmakers get a bit of locker room talk with their latest Medicaid transformation update.

Medicaid Transformation (The Insider reports) -- A major change in the state's Medicaid program could prove difficult to restart if the budget stalemate continues to drag on, Medicaid officials told legislators. Medicaid Transformation will shift the program to a managed-care system, in which the state pays a per-person rate to insurance companies rather than paying for each medical service a recipient needs. The change was put on hold in November because the Department of Health and Human Services needs funding in the vetoed state budget to complete the project -- even though enrollment was already under way.

BRYAN MIMS: Technology, kindness of stranger gives Sanford man gift of sight (WRAL-TV reports) -- "I want others who live in the world I live in to feel what I feel when I wear these glasses," said Sanford's Ambrose Green.

KEN SMITH: McDougald Terrace residents complain of damage left by repair crews, break-ins during evacuation (WRAL-TV reports) -- After more than a month of living out of hotel rooms, many McDougald Terrace residents are eagerly awaiting their return home as early as this weekend, but some aren't looking forward to what they will find when they get back.

SARAH KRUEGER: Tuberculosis reported at Durham, Lumberton schools (WRAL-TV reports) -- Active cases of tuberculosis have been confirmed at Northern High School in Durham and Lumberton Junior High School,.

LISA SORG: NC Oil and Gas Commission: Pointless, obsolete and often surreal (N.C. Policy Watch reports) -- The state Oil and Gas Commission failed to have a quorum of at least five people, and thus could take no formal action. Members can call in, but too few of them did. Instead, like the two main characters in the absurdist play Waiting for Godot, Lister and Salmon were the only commissioners in the room, waiting for an answer to arrive. The commission has been dysfunctional since the legislature revived it in 2014. The fracking boom that the McCrory administration predicted was a pipe dream, much to the relief of residents of and Chatham and Lee counties who lived in the bulls-eye, their drinking water, health and property values at risk.

Spring Leaves Appearing Earlier Than Normal (Coastal Review reports) -- The earliest leaves of spring in much of North Carolina and along the coast are coming out nearly a month earlier the long-term average this year, researchers say.

RYAN COOPER: America needs to stop its natural gas pipeline mania (The Week/Opinion) -- The Atlantic Coast Pipeline, a 600-mile-long, 42-inch-wide natural gas pipline under development stretches from West Virginia to the Virginia coast, began construction in late 2017 but has since stalled. It's being pushed by a coalition of companies led by Virginia's Dominion Energy and another main partner, N.C.'s Duke Energy. But the ACP is a risky project both financially and in its direct effect on the landscapes and communities through which it will run.

SAVANNAH LEVINS: 'The gig is up' - Erin Brockovich to investigate cancer clusters in N.C. (WCNC-TV reports) -- Environmental activist Erin Brockovich responded to a WCNC Charlotte Defenders investigation into reported cancer clusters in Huntersville and Mooresville, and concerns that Duke Energy's unlined coal ash basin at Marshall Steam Station could be the cause. Duke Energy maintains the science doesn't back up those concerns. But Brockovich told WCNC Charlotte Defender Savannah Levins more testing needs to be done.

Siba the Standard Poodle Wins Westminster Dog Show​​​​​​​ (New York Times reports) -- Siba, a black standard poodle with a meticulously groomed coat and a taste for chicken, won best in show at the 144th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, defeating a final group of contenders that included a wildly popular golden retriever and two repeat best in show contestants. The best in show judge, Robert H. Slay of Cary N.C., tuning out the cheers of a crowd chanting the name of Daniel the golden retriever as he contemplated his decision. “She knows she’s special,” Siba’s handler, Chrystal Murray, said and best-in-show judge, Slay, agreed.​​​​​​​

DON KIRKMAN: Want to bridge urban-rural divide? Let employees work remotely, says economic developer (TechWire/WRAL-TV Opinion) -- As an economic developer in coastal Carteret County, I see a growing number of remote workers moving to the Crystal Coast. Many are employed by companies in the Research Triangle or Charlotte regions, but their employers allow them to work remotely. Often these new residents work at home, but we are also seeing new co-working venues created to accommodate this new cohort of workers seeking a healthy work-life balance outside of major cities.