Opinion Roundup: 9th District hearing, state employee health plan, EPA vows action on PFAS and more

Monday, Feb. 18, 2019 -- A round up of opinion, commentary and analysis on: Moment of truth In 9th Congressional District saga, state employee health plan changes face legislative scrutiny, Sen. Burr’s all clear on Russia collusion raises doubts, NC communities talk heart health for women, EPA vows action on PFAS and more.

DAVE HENDRICKSON & TRAVIS FAIN: What's at stake in state investigation into alleged fraud in 9th Congressional District election (WRAL-TV reports) -- At 10 a.m. the State Board of Elections will hold an evidentiary hearing into possible ballot irregularities in the 9th Congressional District election last November. Because of those irregularities, the board has yet to certify results from November, leaving the 9th District without a representative in the U.S. House. Here are answers to some common questions about the hearing:.

ALAN BLINDER: Election Fraud in N.C.? State Board Will Hear Evidence This Week. (New York Times reports) -- More than three months after an election that might have been tainted by fraud — and more than six weeks after the new Congress convened without a representative from North Carolina’s Ninth Congressional District — state regulators are scheduled to meet on Monday to consider evidence of possible misconduct. The hearing, which could prompt the State Board of Elections to order a new vote in the district, may last until Wednesday and could include dozens of witnesses. Congress, which has the constitutional authority to determine its membership, will be watching closely.

EMERY DALESIO: Hearing into unresolved US House race could find winner (AP reports) -- Evidence collected over months and being unveiled Monday could reveal whether the nation's last undecided congressional election was either tainted by so much ballot-tampering that a winner cannot be declared - or that the actual winner was unfairly denied the seat.

RUSTY JACOBS: Moment Of Truth In 9th Congressional District Saga (WUNC-FM reports) -- A moment of reckoning has arrived for the newly appointed state elections board. The five-member panel begins an evidentiary hearing into alleged vote tampering in the 9th congressional district.

MARK TOSCZAK: State employee health plan changes face legislative scrutiny (N.C. Health News reports) -- A war of words between supporters and critics of proposed changes to SHP reimbursements highlights the increasing pressures on providers and payor to control health care costs.

‘Casino Night’ fundraiser at NC Museum of History canceled after legal questions (Durham Herald-Sun reports) -- Republicans renewed their criticism of Gov. Roy Cooper’s 2017 veto of a bill allowing nonprofit “game night” fundraisers featuring casino-style games and alcohol — and it prompted a fundraiser to get canceled.

OLIVIA NEELEY: Legislator shares focus, hears concerns (Wilson Times reports) -- Dozens gathered Saturday to share ideas, make their voices heard and discuss ways to create a better Wilson County for all during a legislative information exchange session

Broadband service needs higher priority for region (Elizabeth City Daily Advance) - Two of the area's key legislative voices — state Sen. Bob Steinburg and state Rep. Ed Goodwin — agreed that broadband internet service access should be available to the area. With that admission, we urge both to put the matter before their fellow lawmakers. The internet and the services it now offers has made it, on so many levels, another component of public infrastructure — like electricity, water and phone service. But as long as this duality of service exists — low speed or high speed — the people and regions of North Carolina will continue to be separated into the haves and have nots.

North Carolina’s elections board was ruled unconstitutional. Its new one might be too (Charlotte Observer) -- Unaffiliated voters are the fastest-growing group of voters and will soon be the biggest voter group in North Carolina. But state law bans them from serving on the NC Board of Elections. Is that unconstitutional?

GINGER LIVINGSTON: Successor should follow Jones' legacy, constituents say (Greenville Daily Reflector reports) -- Tributes to the late U.S. Rep. Walter B. Jones Jr. focused on the attention he received nationally when he renounced his vote on the war in Iraq or sparred with Republicans over the budget. However, people in eastern North Carolina this week talked about the personal connections he built, whether it was with a member of Congress or a teenager pursuing public service.

Steph’s homecoming (Greensboro News & Record) -- When North Carolina lawmakers took a wrong turn in 2016 down a misbegotten road called House Bill 2, one of the many casualties was the 2017 NBA All-Star Game.

ALLEN JOHNSON: What a UNC yearbook from 1979 tells us 40 years later (Greensboro News & Record column) -- What is it with white people and blackface? I only wish I knew.

Protecting predators (Winston-Salem Journal) -- Turning its name into a cruel joke, the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is planning to pull back important regulations on lenders who prey on people who struggle to make it from one paycheck to the next.

ASHTON CLEMMONS & JON HARDISTER: Helping diabetes patients with prescription access (Greensboro News & Record column) -- We routinely hear from our constituents about how hard it is to afford their prescription drugs and still pay their other bills. Staying healthy can be expensive, but many diseases such as diabetes can turn into killers if you have one and can’t pay for your medication.

DEREK LACEY: Library social worker proposed to help residents in need (Hendersonville Times-News reports) -- When county departments presented their budget needs to commissioners, Library Director Trina Rushing asked for a position one may not associate with a library. It’s a position, however, that would help county residents in need connect to services that could make a difference

RICK ARMSTRONG & GERALD OWNES: DOT officials: This rural road is one of N.C.'s most dangerous (WRAL-TV reports) -- According to the state Department of Transportation, one of the highest risk country corridors is within the greater Triangle area.

Jaki Shelton Green to be inducted as NC poet laureate (AP reports) – N.C.'s first African-American poet laureate will be inducted at a ceremony led by Gov. Roy Cooper.

Congress, courts must derail Trump’s ‘emergency’ wall ploy (Fayetteville Observer) -- That “constitutional crisis” that’s been the topic of so many news reports and opinion columns during the Trump administration may finally be here. It has nothing at all to do with Russia or Robert Mueller’s investigations, the president’s taxes or any of the other controversies we’ve watched unfold. But it has plenty to do with important work in our own backyard. It’s about President Trump’s border wall and how he plans to pay for it.

MANDY MITCHELL: UNC professor warns declining role of men in society is a problem (WRAL reports) — When UNC-Chapel Hill business school professor James Johnson travels the country making speeches, he focuses on what he sees as a major problem. He wonders what is happening to men in American society. ”The disability rate has doubled, their wages have declined. Most importantly the sex ratio and balance at the higher education level has been 60/40 for a decade," said Johnson.

PEDER ZANE: The complexity of blackface (Durham-Herald Sun column) — The images of white people in blackface that have received almost all the attention are disturbing but also ambiguous. It’s almost impossible to tell whether these were acts of racial cruelty intended to mock blacks, or just the grossly insensitive behavior of young white men and women who thought they were being funny.

NED BARTNETT: Burr’s all clear on Russia collusion raises doubts (Durham-Herald Sun reports) — North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr was expected to be centerstage as Congress investigated possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. But the Republican chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee has instead spurned the spotlight and now is saying that his committee’s cloaked review has found no evidence of collusion.

CELIA RIVENBARK: Confessions of a white-faced Southerner (Wilmington Star-News column) — The national pundits are acting like all Southerners spent decades runnin’ around posing in blackface long after such a thing was correctly condemned as racist. I pored over my yearbooks and saw no such foolishness. Does this mean I’m some aberration, not truly a Southerner?

TIM WHITE: What the president’s missing about having a dog (Fayetteville Observer column) — While he was enduring the pressures, chaos and scary challenges that were part of his job as president of France, Charles de Gaulle observed that, “The better I get to know men, the more I find myself loving dogs.” Presidents of many countries have arrived at the same conclusion — often. So have I.

KELLY HINCHCLIFFE: Wake school board member joins growing list of candidates for state superintendent (WRAL-TV reports) -- A Wake County school board member is running for state superintendent of public instruction. Board Vice Chair Keith Sutton joins a growing list of candidates running for the elected position, which oversees 115 school systems, 1.5 million students and 180,000 full-time public school employees.

NATHAN HATCH: First steps toward unity (Winston-Salem Journal column) -- Ten years from now, I hope Winston-Salem will look back on events that occurred earlier this month as a catalyzing moment in the life of our city. A collaboration of community members, churches, artists, local businesses and educational institutions focused on discussing difficult issues that affect our citizens during this year’s gathering of the Forum on Faith and Culture on Feb. 8 and 9.

ANALISA SORRELLS: ‘Just feed the kids.’ — No Kid Hungry NC highlights importance of school meals (EdNC reports) — “My students’ days start at 4:00, 4:30. My children get on the bus, they ride 90 minutes to school … then they study with societal expectations on them, teacher expectations on them, principal expectations on them … then lord help if you play an athletic sport or you’re in theater because, now you have to go to practice … now it’s 5:00 and they have 90 minutes to get home … then they get up and do it all over again.” “Now imagine doing that hungry.”

STEVE LAWLER: NC Treasurer’s Health Plan statements are offensive (Charlotte Observer column) -- In his campaign to change the payment system for the NC Health Plan, our elected State Treasurer has opted to spread misinformation, create uncertainty for state employees and retirees, and sow doubt about the dedication of healthcare providers in our state instead of exploring sustainable solutions to solve the complex challenges facing the plan.

CHRISTOF DIASIO: Vaccines Play Strong Role in Protecting Our Public Health (Southern Pines Pilot column) -- Pertussis is a contagious disease caused by a bacteria that causes waves of uncontrollable coughing that can make it hard to breathe. The coughing fits will cause the person to suddenly inhale, creating the classic “whoop” of whooping cough.

TERRY ATKIN: Why not better care and lower costs for teachers and troopers? (Greensboro News & Record column) -- As a taxpayer and leader of our region’s largest health system, I agree with our state treasurer about one thing. We both want the N.C. State Health Plan to provide value to state employees by covering their health care needs and staying on solid financial footing.

ANTIONETTE KERR: NC Communities Talk Heart Health for Women (Public News Service reports) — Heart disease is the number one killer of women, according to the American Heart Association. Through its Go Red for Women campaign for American Heart Month, the group is spreading the word that up to 80 percent of cardiac events can be prevented with healthier diets and more exercise.

RICHARD STRADLING: Hurricane Florence killed millions of chickens and turkeys. Now farmers are putting them to use. (Durham Herald-Sun reports) -- Hurricane Florence killed an estimated 4.2 million chickens and turkeys in southeastern North Carolina last fall. Farmers mixed most of those dead birds with wood chips and sawdust and composted.

EPA vows action on PFAS, but not soon (Fayetteville Observer) -- The Environmental Protection Agency last week unveiled what we hope will be a serious effort to deal with the widespread contamination caused by a family of chemicals called perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. We know those chemicals well around here — too well. Some have long been produced at the Chemours Fayetteville Works plant on the Cape Fear River near the Bladen-Cumberland county line.

JENNIFER ALLEN: Oyster Summit to Spotlight Mariculture (Coastal Review Online reports) -- The N.C. Coastal Federation is taking the next steps toward realizing its vision to make the state “the Napa Valley of Oysters” with its 2019 North Carolina Oyster Summit in March. The summit focusing on the future of oysters in the state is March 12 at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences.

Conservation bill is a positive step (Winston-Salem Journal) -- The news of a sweeping public lands conservation bill passed by the U.S. Senate last week sounds good on its surface — and it is. But it’s only one part of a larger environmental picture that needs more attention.

Black History Month: State recognizes impact African Americans have had on N.C. music (Greensboro News & Record reports) — As part of its Come Hear NC campaign, the state is recognizing for Black History Month African Americans who have impacted music in North Carolina. Three on their list have Triad ties and we added a few more that should be noted, although this is not a complete list:

NOAH FEIT: Girlfriend let him have sex with another woman, but he lost his pants and $10K (Charlotte Observer reports) -- An NC man in an open relationship was with his girlfriend when he went to have sex with another woman, but after stripping naked he was attacked and robbed of his pants and $10,000 in the pocket, police said.