Opinion Roundup: troop deployment; gas prices; minimum wage; flying taxis; and more

Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020 -- A round up of opinion, commentary and analysis on: More troops deploy; gas prices increase; flu restrictions; flying taxis; and more

2,500 Marines from Camp Lejeune redirected to Middle East (WITN reports) -- Around 2,500 Camp Lejeune marines are being redirected to the Mediterranean Sea, according to the Marine Corps Times.

KASEY CUNNINGHAM: Fayetteville community reacts to more Fort Bragg deployments (WRAL-TV reports) -- The Fayetteville community is concerned about the thousands of Fort Bragg soldiers who have deployed to the Middle East. Local businesses have already stepped up to show their support.

GILBERT BAEZ: Retired general: All Americans should appreciate preparation, sacrifice of troops in Middle East (WRAL-TV reports) -- Tense relations between Iran and the United States are nothing new to four-star Gen. Dan McNeill. He retired after 40 years, having commanded the 82nd Airborne and Fort Bragg's 18th Airborne Corps. He has taken his troops into combat in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and he recognizes the current threat that faces those deployed in the region and those who will soon join them.

Local gas prices rise amid tensions in Iran (WRAL-TV reports) -- Gas prices in N.C. could increase as a result of tensions with Iran. The average price for gas in the state is $2.47 a gallon. Experts with AAA say gas prices have slowly been increasing.

FRANCES TILNEY BURKE: Easing the Burden for Military Families (New York Times column) -- Legislation to help the children of service members is stalled in committee.

Murphy, Butterfield weigh in on Iran developments (Greenville Daily Reflector reports) -- Eastern N.C.'s congressmen have had opposing reactions to the U.S. killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani on Jan. 3, which led to Tuesday's missile attacks on military bases that house U.S. forces in Iraq.

Commuter rail in Wake and Durham counties would cost up to $1.8 billion, study says​ (Durham Herald-Sun reports) -- A commuter rail system running 40 trains each weekday between Garner and Durham would cost $1.4 billion to $1.8 billion to build and carry 7,500 to 10,000 passengers a day, according to preliminary estimates from the regional transit agency GoTriangle. The 37-mile commuter rail line would connect the Triangle's biggest cities of Raleigh, Cary and Durham as well as Research Triangle Park by following the existing rail corridor owned by the N.C. Railroad, a state-owned private company.

Cooper to witness first air taxi demonstration in North America (TECHWIRE/WRAL-TV reports) -- The N.C. Dept. of Transportation hosted the first demonstration in North America of an autonomous aerial vehicle, also known as an air taxi, which can be used for passenger transport and logistics.

First in flight again: Pilotless air taxi makes public demonstration flight in Raleigh (Durham Herald-Sun reports) -- More than 100 people, including Gov. Roy Cooper, state lawmakers and leaders of the N.C. Department of Transportation, gathered at the State Highway Patrol's test track south of Raleigh to witness a bit of aviation history. They were there to see what was billed as North America's first public demonstration flight of a pilotless air taxi.

DAVID BORAKS; In Charlotte, U.S. Housing Chief Unveils Plan To Roll Back Fair Housing Rule (WFAE-FM reports) -- Federal housing secretary Ben Carson unveiled plans Tuesday in Charlotte to roll back an Obama-era rule aimed at preventing racial segregation in housing. Carson announced a new rule that he says would increase housing choices for families.

Ben Carson touts relaxed fair housing rule in Charlotte. Critics call it ‘dangerous’ (Charlotte Observer reports) -- The Department of Housing and Urban Development plans to reduce Obama-era fair housing regulations intended to decrease segregation, Secretary Ben Carson announced in Charlotte. The proposal would relax municipalities’ requirements to document its obstacles to fair housing, which Carson called costly and burdensome.

Former Person DA appeals conviction in wife-hiring scheme (WRAL-TV reports) -- Former Person County District Attorney Wallace Bradsher's fraud conviction for hiring a colleague's wife for a no-show job should be overturned because of errors in his trial, his attorney argued.

GIOVANNI AMADO: I’m a DACA recipient — and I’m fighting to protect your money (Fayetteville Observer column) -- Next time a Nigerian “prince” sends you a misspelled email promising you a multimillion-dollar fortune, think of me. I’m a financial crimes detection specialist with one of N.C.’s biggest banks, and from our operations center in Wilson, I help prevent hundreds of these advance-fee scams every single week.

Wake leaders approve $1.4M deal for Microsoft jobs, investment (WRAL-TV reports) -- Microsoft stands to collect more than $1.4 million from Wake County if the tech giant delivers on its plans to hire 500 new software developers at a new Morrisville facility over the next several years. The jobs at the new location for software engineering and development will pay $125,000 – twice the county's average salary.

Over 200 businesses in Orange County may raise minimum wage to $14.90 (WRAL-TV reports) -- A nonprofit announced that hundreds of businesses in Orange County may increase their minimum wage to $14.90 in 2020.

Nash board, sheriff discuss jail fixes (The Wilson Times reports) -- Significant progress appears to have been made in correcting deficiencies at the Nash County Detention Center, based on lengthy reports given to county commissioners, but tensions remain county officials, the sheriff and his supporters over the jail’s future. In December, the N.C. Division of Health Service Regulation ordered Sheriff Keith Stone to “depopulate” the aging county jail from 219 inmates to only 56 after a biannual inspection uncovered a long list of health and safety violations attributed to facility maintenance and jail operation.

Lease redo reduces money needed for N Carolina Freedom Park (AP reports) -- N.C.'s top elected statewide leaders have agreed to rework lease terms on some state property that a group will turn into a park honoring the contributions of African Americans to the state.

Conservative group threatens lawsuit over NC voter registrations (Carolina Public Press reports) -- Judicial Watch says it will sue if alleged problems with voters registrations Mecklenburg ad Guilford counties aren’t corrected. Officials dispute organization’s claims.

COLIN CAMPBELL: Legislator Comebacks (The Insider reports) -- Ten former legislators are looking to make a political comeback this year and return to the General Assembly. Four of them are challenging the opponents who defeated them in 2018, while others have been out of the legislature for many years. Only one of the 10 former lawmakers on 2020 ballots is a Democrat, and he says more favorable lines from redistricting helped prompt his return. Redistricting was also a factor in two Republican legislators who were defeated in 2018 deciding not to seek a rematch.

A big fundraising quarter for Democrat who wants to take on Tillis in NC Senate race (McClatchy D.C. reports) -- Democratic Senate candidate Cal Cunningham will report raising $1.6 million in the final three months of 2019, far outpacing what N.C.'s last two Senate challengers raised in the same time period of their races. Cunningham, a former state senator and Army veteran, has raised $3.1 million since entering the race in June. Cunningham is one of five Democrats vying to win the nomination for the seat held by incumbent Republican Thom Tillis. In Tillis' successful 2014 bid against incumbent Democrat Kay Hagan, he raised $714,000 in the final quarter of 2013. In Democrat Deborah Ross's unsuccessful 2016 challenge against incumbent Republican Richard Burr, she raised about $586,000 in the final quarter of 2015.

State board rules against D’Abrosca’s appeal to oppose Rouzer in NC7 GOP primary (WECT-TV reports) -- The State Board of Elections voted unanimously  to deny an appeal by Pete D'Abrosca to get back on the ballot to oppose Congressman David Rouzer in the GOP primary for the Seventh Congressional District seat.

NC Senate hopeful can’t run in Steele Creek, election board says. Now he’s appealing (Charlotte Observer reports) -- A state Senate hopeful didn't provide enough evidence at an elections hearing to prove that he lives in Steele Creek and is eligible to run for the open District 39 seat. In a 3-2 decision, the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections upheld a candidacy challenge to remove Darrell Bonapart, a Democrat and longtime east Charlotte resident, from the ballot. The decision, if upheld, leaves Democrat DeAndrea Salvador and Republican Jushua Niday on the ballot for the seat.

Smokable hemp and pot are too hard to tell apart ⁠— so ban it all, NC cops say (Durham Herald-Sun reports) -- Top law enforcement officials and prosecutors want the General Assembly to ban "smokable hemp," a plant very similar to marijuana but with almost none of the chemical that causes users to feel high. In a joint letter, the state associations of sheriffs, police chiefs and district attorneys, and the State Bureau of Investigation, asked lawmakers to pass provisions in the N.C. Farm Act that would make it illegal to have smokable hemp unless you're a licensed farmer producing the plant for CBD products.

TRAVIS FAIN: McKissick leaves Senate for Utilities Commission (WRAL-TV reports) -- Durham should have a new state senator when the General Assembly goes back into session next week. Sen. Floyd McKissick, D-Durham, whom Gov. Roy Cooper appointed to the N.C. Utilities Commission last year, formally resigned his Senate seat. Local Democratic Party officials plan to meet Sunday and pick a replacement to finish his term, and Cooper is expected to quickly appoint that nominee to the seat.

Sen. McKissick resigns to take NC Utilities Commission post (AP reports) -- A veteran N.C. legislator has resigned from the state Senate more than two months after the General Assembly confirmed his appointment to the Utilities Commission.

‘Go see what’s really going on in the world.’ Truist CEO lashes peers over inequality (Charlotte Observer reports) -- Kelly King, the CEO of Truist -- America's sixth-largest bank -- issued an exhortation to the economic elite of N.C. and the country: We are blind to the difficult lives of many in the U.S. and must work to resolve the country's educational and economic divides, or risk the consequences.

NC GOP promotes ‘incredible strides’ in education. Report says things have worsened (Durham Herald-Sun reports) -- While state GOP lawmakers say they have transformed the state's education system in the past decade a a recently released state court-ordered independent report paints a gloomier picture of the state of public schools. The report from WestEd, a non-profit research group, contends that insufficient state funding has contributed to an education system where student achievement is lagging, teacher quality is dropping and many students are being left behind. The report, which was publicly released in December, criticizes several of the education changes that the General Assembly has made since Republicans gained the majority in 2011.

How will NC schools test student reading skills? Judge’s decision offers no clarity (Durham Herald-Sun reports) -- Elementary schools are left uncertain how to test their students to comply with the Read To Achieve law, just as they're supposed to begin the tests this month. Superior Court Judge Mary Ann Tally said she would not lift the state Department of Information Technology's stay that blocks Istation from getting the new three-year, $8.3 million Read To Achieve testing contract. Her decision is leaving state and local education officials scrambling to find a way to meet the state requirements to test students.

NC schools' reading test dispute left unresolved by superior court decision; full hearing next week (WRAL-TV reports) -- N.C.'s K-3 students are without a reading diagnostic tool after a judge decided to leave the legal battle on who will assess those readers with the state's Dept. of Information Technology (DIT).

UNC will pay $4.5M after years of accounting errors led to extra federal grant money​​​​​​​ (Durham Herald-Sun reports) -- UNC-Chapel Hill will pay the federal government $4.5 million after the university admitted it made accounting errors for its grant funding for six years. UNC was overpaid in grant money as a result of the errors, which UNC self-reported and attempted to fix. The university "inadvertently retained excess funds, charged salary costs to awards after the award term had ended, and retained excess cash," the U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday. UNC's two problems stemmed from grant closeout procedures from 2007 to 2011 and its new financial software system from 2014 to 2017.

UNC System awarded $25.7 million GEAR UP grant to support low income students (N.C. Policy Watch reports) -- The UNC System has been awarded a $25.7 million federal grant for a program to help low-income students prepare for college and succeed once there. The  seven-year grant is part of the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs initiative from the U.S. Department of Education. The UNC system has been awarded four statewide GEAR UP grants since 2000.

Former Wake substitute teacher accused of offensive comments defends herself at school board meeting (WRAL-TV reports) -- Almost one year after a former substitute teacher was accused of making offensive comments to students at Rand Road Elementary School, she got the chance to defend herself at the Wake County Board of Education meeting.​​​​​​​

County approves Bible college site (The Wilson Times reports) -- County commissioners approved a request to rezone more than 17 acres for the future site of a Bible college Monday after they delayed the decision in December.

School system considers policy for food delivery drivers (AP reports) -- A large school system in N.C. is considering guidelines for people who deliver food to students through apps like Grubhub and DoorDash.

ANNE BLYTHE: NC dentists join AG Josh Stein in effort to fight opioid epidemic (N.C. Health News reports) -- After pulling your wisdom teeth, your dentist might not prescribe opioids as the first line of attack against the surgical pain.

North Carolina health system restricts visitation due to flu (AP reports) --Vidant Health says it is imposing visitor restrictions at its hospitals in North Carolina in response to a high number of flu cases.​​​​​​​

CULLEN BROWDER: Inspector finds 'extremely dangerous' carbon monoxide levels at occupied McDougald Terrace apartment (INVESTIGATES/WRAL-TV reports) -- A small army of contractors hired by the Durham Housing Authority began inspecting dozens of apartments in the McDougald Terrace housing complex for potential carbon monoxide problems. Meanwhile, WRAL Investigates got a certified home inspector to perform an independent check on an apartment where Angela Steward is still living with her 16-year-old son.​​​​​​​

Here to help: McDougald Terrace residents forced out of homes because of carbon monoxide (WRAL-TV reports) -- Tanya Kelly was raising her two grandchildren in Durham's McDougald Terrace until dangerous levels of carbon monoxide forced the family out. Here are ways to help residents like her.​​​​​​​

State fire marshal urges carbon monoxide awareness (Watauga Democrat reports) -- In light of the recent infant deaths in North Carolina as a possible result of carbon monoxide poisoning, Insurance Commissioner and State Fire Marshal Mike Causey is issuing a statewide warning: Beware of the silent killer, check your carbon monoxide alarm.

Lawsuit filed against Raleigh Radiology office (WRAL-TV reports) -- A lawsuit was filed against Raleigh Radiology LLC just a couple of weeks after services there were suspended after a review of their technical quality. The lawsuit contends, in part, that the business didn't do what it was stated to do and that the Blue Ridge Road office is not accredited the American College of Radiology. The lawsuit also states "The ACR found substandard and deficient mammogram images during its review and denied accreditation to the Blue Ridge Road office."

​​​​​​​Dare officials concerned about FEMA flood maps (Outer Banks Voice reports) -- Sweeping changes to the FEMA’s revised 2020 flood maps will mean a 41 percent decrease in the number of unincorporated Dare County properties included in the flood zone. And the widespread re-classifications, county officials worry, could tempt some property owners to prematurely drop their flood insurance policies when the new maps go into effect on June 19.

Coastal Research: One Town’s Septic Risk (Coastal Review reports) -- UNC researchers recently presented findings from a study of how climate change and failing septic systems combine to affect Nags Head's water quality and how the town is addressing problems.

Court Tosses Permit For Atlantic Coast Pipeline Station (AP reports) --  permit needed to build a natural gas compressor station for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline in Virginia was thrown out by a federal court that found the state failed to adequately consider the potential health effects on a historic African American community.

Federal court revokes gas project permit in win for historic African American community in Va. (Washington Post reports) -- A panel of federal judges has thrown out the permit for a natural gas pumping station in the historic African American community of Union Hill in Buckingham County, saying state regulators failed to consider whether the facility would disproportionately affect a vulnerable population. The ruling is another setback for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, a controversial 600-mile, $7.5 billion project being led by Dominion Energy.

When White Supremacists Overthrew an Elected Government (New York Times book review) -- "Many believe the United States is, and must always be, a white nation. But moments of storm and stress also occasion the telling of different stories. We have seen this with The New York Times’s 1619 Project. Now we have David Zucchino's brilliant new book."

Hillsborough man gets lucky twice with 2 jackpot wins (WRAL-TV reports) -- Richard Moreau first won the N.C. Education Lottery's Cash 5 jackpot in 2017 with a ticket worth $70,500. His latest ticket was worth $233,400. He took home $165,000 after taxes.

MIKAYA THURMOND: Melisse Shaban's Colorkick hair products honored among greatest innovations of 2019​​​​​​​ (WRAL-TV reports) -- Aside from seeing her brand on the red carpet at the Golden Globes, Raleigh's own Melisse Shaban, the founder of Virtue Labs, was also honored for creating one of Popular Science's 100 greatest innovations of 2019.