Opinion Roundup: Results of gerrymandering, campaign spending, 'Silent Sam' deadline pushed back and more
Saturday, Nov. 10, 2018 -- A round up of opinion, commentary and analysis on: Campaign spending, Wake county 'blue wave,' the story of the next mass shooting, Cary woman invents smart watch to protect women, fear of school shootings affecting students' brains, tracking sex offenders and more.
CAMPAIGN 2018
CHRISTOPHER INGRAHAM: One state fixed its gerrymandered districts, the other didn't. Here's how the election played out in both (Washington Post reports) -- Divergent outcomes in Pennsylvania and N.C. vividly illustrate what happens when gerrymanders are overturned.
JIM MORRILL: Absentee ballots give Democrat Hunt lead over GOP’s Brawley in close legislative race (Charlotte Observer reports) — Absentee ballots put Democrat Rachel Hunt ahead of Republican Rep. Bill Brawley on Friday night in one of the state’s closest legislative races. Final votes will be called next week when the county counts provisional ballots.
LAURA LESLIE: ’Blue wave' could stick around in Wake County (WRAL-TV reports) — Almost every Republican candidate in Wake County was defeated this week in what party leaders called a "brutal" election. Several factors indicate that the county's "blue wave" could be the beginning of a long-term trend.
CRAIG JARVIS & COLIN CAMPBELL: Five things we learned about last-minute campaign spending (Charlotte Observer reports) — Filings from just before and just after Election Day provide a glimpse of the issues that are important to people and who is backing them financially. Here are some things you probably didn’t know before you voted.
North Carolinians made some smart choices for state (Wilmington Star-News) — Lately, “compromise” has become a dirty word, redolent of Neville Chamberlain backing down against Hitler. Well, when the Hitler metaphors come out, most of us should calm down, count to 10, and think about what they’re saying. Democrats and Republicans, liberals, conservatives and moderates are not inherently evil, worthy of destruction. They’re American citizens with different ideas.
MYRON PITTS: Midterms had good news and warnings for both Democrats and Republicans (Fayetteville Observer column) — The 2018 midterms are mostly behind us. Ballot-counting continues in some races, with a few recounts scheduled in some close contests. So, who came out better — Democrats or Republicans? Depends on how you view the results. But the most-honest interpretation is that both parties have reason to celebrate and reason to be concerned.
A full-time state legislature? Sure, with these caveats (Wilson Times) — If you’re relieved that the bruising campaign for Wilson County’s state House seat is finally over, here’s a dark cloud for your silver lining: In less than two years, we’ll get to do this all over again.
Openly gay judge makes history with N.C. victory (AP reports) -- An appeals court seat winner this week set a milestone as the first openly gay person elected to a statewide office in N.C.
POLICY & POLITICS
TAYLOR BATTEN: The story of the next mass shooting (Charlotte Observer column) — Given that mass shootings are becoming an almost daily occurrence in the United States, we have created a news story template you can use to facilitate writing stories on these common events. Please begin using this, starting with tomorrow’s mass shooting and continuing with each one in the coming weeks and months:
MICHAEL GRYNBAUM: Trump Threatens to Retaliate Against Reporters Who Don’t Show ‘Respect’ (New York Times reports) -- President Donald Trump said he might revoke the credentials of additional White House reporters if they do not “treat the White House with respect,” lobbing another threat at the news media two days after his administration effectively blacklisted CNN correspondent Jim Acosta.
MARGARET SULLIVAN: CNN should sue Trump for revoking press pass (Washington Post column) -- CNN White House correspondent Jim Acosta is a smart, tough reporter. He can also be a grandstander who seems to thrive on conflict with President Donald Trump, and doesn’t always know when to stop his aggressive questioning.
JOE PALAZZOLO, NICOLE HONG, MICHAEL ROTHFELD, REBECCA O’BRIAN & REBECCA BALLHAUS: Trump Played Central Role In Payoffs to Stormy Daniels, Karen McDougal (Wall Street Journal reports) -- Federal prosecutors have gathered evidence of the president’s participation in deals to buy the silence of a former adult-film actress and an ex-Playboy model. The deals have led the president’s former lawyer to plead guilty to violating campaign-finance laws.
EMERY DALESIO: NC high court weighs if tracking sex offenders reasonable (AP reports) — NC's Supreme Court is re-evaluating whether forcing sex offenders to be perpetually tracked by GPS-linked devices, sometimes for the rest of their lives, is justified or a Constitution-violating unreasonable search.
565 Pitt County workers lose jobs as tobacco merchant restructures (AP reports) -- A Pitt County company that buys, processes and sells leaf tobacco to cigarette companies is cutting almost 600 jobs as it reorganizes. Pyxus International Inc. filed a required report with state officials this week disclosing plans to lay off 565 workers at its plant in Farmville by Jan. 7.
U.S. Republican McHenry to Seek Senior Party Post on House Finance Panel (Reuters reports) -- U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., said he’s seeking the top Republican position on the House finance panel, and received the backing of a fellow Republican who had been considered the top contender for the role.
Inmate who shot neighbor killed in N.C. prison stabbing (AP reports) -- A N.C. inmate at the Columbus Correctional Institution who shot his 15-year-old neighbor is dead after being stabbed in the neck.
AMANDA LAMB: Cary woman invents smart watch to protect women (WRAL reports) — Technology can keep us safer - that's the message from a Cary woman who invented a smart watch that can call for help if a woman is in danger. The watch, called The Guardian Band, has a button that enables streaming video, audio and a person's GPS location to be sent to a network of "guardians" the wearer selects to alert them of possible danger.
EDUCATION
SARAH KRUEGER: Deadline for 'Silent Sam' plan pushed back (WRAL reports) — UNC-Chapel Hill officials asked Friday for an extension, and the Board of Governors agreed. No new deadline date was announced, but officials said it would be before the next Board of Governors meeting on Dec. 14.
ADAM OWENS: Psychologist: Fear of school shootings affecting students' brains (WRAL reports) — Las Vegas, Parkland, Fla., Pittsburgh, Thousand Oaks, Calif. – there are enough mass shootings now that they are simply referred to by where they happened. The constant threat of violence has an impact on people, especially children and teens, according to a Raleigh psychologist.
NANCY ROSE: Results: How did students vote in the 2018 midterm elections? (EdNC reports) — Sixty-five schools in 34 counties participated in the First Vote NC simulation election platform on Tuesday or during the early voting period. Students cast more than 13,700 votes.
ALFRED CHARLES: Faulty water heater at Pender high school prompts panic amid fear of active shooter (WRAL-TV reports) -- Law enforcement authorities in Pender County were called to Topsail High School on a report of an active shooter on campus but authorities say now that noise from a malfunctioning water heater was mistaken for gunfire.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
Pathways to Parks aims to diversify national park visitors (Asheville Citizen-Times reports) – There were some sketchy moments as Tanya Cummings thought her self-described "short, little legs," wouldn't get her up and over the boulders way taller than her 4-foot-11, well-coiffed and manicured frame, or out of the deep woods in the Plott Balsam Mountains.
MARK DARROUGH: Pender County commissioners block plan to remove debris on private, unpaved roads (Port City Daily reports) -- At a Pender County Board of Commissioners meeting Monday night, a motion to begin picking up debris failed to get support from the board, although FEMA recently approved such debris removal projects, stating they were eligible for reimbursement.
AND MORE…
THEODEN JANES: 4 brothers, all WWII veterans, all in their 90s: ‘We’re defying the odds, aren’t we?’ (Charlotte Observer reports) — Perhaps the quickest way to start an argument with the Dalton brothers is to suggest that — because they all served in the U.S. military during World War II — they might be heroes. It also might be the quickest way to bring them together.
