Opinion Roundup: Additional Hurricane Florence aid, freed N.C. pastor returns home, cutting back on prescription opioids and more

Monday, Oct. 15, 2018 -- A round up of opinion, commentary and analysis on: State lawmakers will allocate $794 million in additional Hurricane Florence relief, debris piles present mounting challenges, freed pastor's mother 'overwhelmed with joy,' Oak Island mayor's son held on $2 million bond relating to child pornography charges, more than 1,000 N.C. doctors say they've stopped prescribing opioids and more.

Lawmakers Committing $794 Million More for Hurricane Florence Recovery (News Release) -- State lawmakers announced they will allocate $794 million in additional Hurricane Florence relief funding in response to the preliminary needs assessment released earlier this week, bringing the legislature’s total commitment to disaster recovery since the storm to $850 million. As part of the continuing collaboration among state leaders to respond to the historic storm, officials from the Office of State Budget and Management, including State Budget Director Charles Perusse, briefed key appropriations leaders and fiscal staff in the legislature.

GOP lawmakers say they're ready to OK $800M in Florence aid (AP reports) -- North Carolina's top Republican legislative leaders say they're prepared to approve nearly $800 million for Hurricane Florence recovery when the General Assembly reconvenes.

ALEX GRANADOS: The state’s leaders walking hand-in-hand for a little bit longer (EdNC column) -- Not only are N.C. lawmakers cooperating with Gov. roy Cooper, they are mostly trusting his judgment on the needs of the state and its communities.

JENNIFER FERNANDEZ: Greensboro mayor asks 'Where are you Duke Energy? We need help.' (Greensboro News & Record reports) -- Mayor Nancy Vaughan took to Twitter Saturday morning to share her frustration at the slow recovery of power after Tropical Storm Michael. "This morning I drove @greensborocity for two hours looking for utility crews. I saw city workers and contractors working hard to remove trees and haul away storm debris. I only saw 2 areas where actual utility work was being done," Vaughan tweeted. "@DukeEnergy where are you? We need help."

Debris Piles Present Mounting Challenges (Coastal Review reports) -- Coastal residents, local governments and state legislators are asking for help in dealing with the massive amount of debris, natural and man-made, that resulted from Hurricane Florence.

CLAUDIA RUPCICH: FEMA at the fair: Experts offer free hurricane relief advice at NC State Fair (WRAL-TV reports) -- In addition to its usual appeals like food, agriculture displays, showcases and rides, the North Carolina State Fair is focused on something new this year -- hurricane relief.

JOHN HENDERSON: 39 million gallons of sewage: What Florence left in the Cape Fear (Fayetteville Observer reports) -- The splintered trees and other debris that choked the flood-swollen Cape Fear River after Hurricane Florence was clear evidence of the storm’s historic destruction, but what you couldn’t see in the muddy water should be the biggest cause for alarm, experts say.

AARON MOODY: Free driver’s licenses, IDs and other breaks for NC residents hit worst by Florence (Charlotte Observer reports) — Drivers who live in nearly one-third of NC counties can get free duplicate licenses, IDs and registration cards through the end of the year. Those are among several breaks included in an executive order signed by Gov. Cooper on Thursday, intended to help residents of disaster areas in southeastern NC after Hurricane Florence

TIM BUCKLAND: Blooming beauty after a storm (Wilmington Star-News reports) — Anni Parra said she was stunned when she looked outside her Wilmington home a couple weeks after Hurricane Florence roared through to see flowers blooming on the four Bradford pear trees around the front of her house.

MARTHA WAGGONER: Hurricane-walloped NC votes again after Big 1 (AP reports) — For a Southern state regularly exposed to hurricanes, call it an election Florence-style. Unlike the vote in 2016, this fall there's no presidential race at the top of the ticket. The top statewide posts include elections for 120 House members and 50 senators, along with six constitutional amendments.

AMY GARDNER: Crackdowns on potential voter fraud fuel worries about ballot access in November (Washington Post reports) -- Numerous studies have found no evidence of large-scale voter fraud in the United States, but Republican officials across the country are going after what they describe as threats to voting integrity — moves that critics see as attempts to keep some Americans from casting ballots in November’s elections.

DAVID ERDMAN: Mecklenburg judges’ districts are absurdly gerrymandered (Charlotte Observer column) -- The legislature created new judicial districts in Mecklenburg County this year. The districts are gerrymandered and designed to politicize the judiciary.

Representative democracy fails when citizens don’t participate (Wilmington Star-News) -- The people, not the politicians, are the intended governors. The people govern by electing representatives to manage our civic affairs. When the people do not vote or when the impact of voting is weakened, our system breaks down.

TIM BUCKLAND: Rouzer, citing workload, moves to Wilmington (Wilmington Star-News reports) -- The Port City has its own congressman for the first time in 45 years. U.S. Rep. David Rouzer, R-N.C., permanently moved to Autumn Hall off Eastwood Road earlier this year and has sold his home in Johnston County. “I’ve spent a lot of time here over the last five years. For practical reasons, I made my home here in the summer,” Rouzer said. “It’s a reflection of where I spend the vast majority of my time.” The last time Wilmington had a resident congressman was when Rep. Alton Lennon served from 1953 until retiring in January 1973. His successors and Rouzer’s predecessors, Rep. Charlie Rose and Rep. Mike McIntyre, respectively lived in Fayetteville and Lumberton.

CELIA RIVENBARK: An ever-so-slow ride to the polls (Wilmington Star-News column) -- As we speed through the pumpkin latte swirl that is October, it seems as if everyone is talking about the midterm elections. Everywhere I go, I hear this cheery mantra: “I don’t care how you vote, just make sure you vote in the midterm elections because voting is a sacred privilege that every American should exercise.” Wow.

HILKE SHELLMANN: Deepfake Videos: Why Seeing Isn’t Believing (Wall Street Journal reports) -- Computer-generated videos are getting more realistic and even harder to detect thanks to deep learning and artificial intelligence. These so-called deepfakes can be playful, but can also have real, damaging consequences for people’s lives, and our democracy.

SARAH NEWELL: Experienced Democrat faces newcomer in N.C. House 71 race (Winston-Salem Journal reports) — Two years ago, Evelyn Terry ran for the N.C. House seat representing District 71 unopposed. This year, she faces a challenger in her attempt to represent the district for a fourth time.

DREW WILSON: Holding faces congressional challengers Coleman, Matemu (Wilson Times reports) — U.S. Rep. George Holding, a Republican incumbent in NC’s 2nd Congressional District, faces challenges from Democrat Linda Coleman and Libertarian Jeff Matemu in the Nov. 6 election.

Candidate endorsements (Winston-Salem Journal) — This year the Journal will offer opinions on only two important issues: the city bonds and the constitutional amendments. As far as the candidates go, the Journal will be focusing its resources on providing more information.

ADAM OWENS: Freed pastor's mother 'overwhelmed with joy’ (WRAL-TV reports) — There is a sign outside Pamela and Ron Brunson's home in Black Mountain NC: “HE IS COMING HOME.”

DARLENE SUPERVILLE & ZEKE MILLER: N.C. pastor freed from Turkey prays with Trump in Oval Office (AP reports) -- Freed North Carolina pastor Andrew fell to one knee in the Oval Office and placed his hand on President Donald Trump's shoulder in prayer before asking God to provide Trump "supernatural wisdom to accomplish all the plans you have for this country and for him." Trump welcomed Brunson to the White House on Saturday to celebrate Brunson's release from nearly two years of confinement in Turkey, which had sparked a diplomatic row with a key ally and outcry from U.S. evangelical groups.

PETER BAKER & CARLOTTA GALL: Trump Welcomes Home Pastor, but Denies Link to Saudi Case (New York Times reports) -- President Trump hosted Andrew Brunson, the North Carolina pastor freed by Turkey, but he denied any connection to the dispute between Turkey and Saudi Arabia over the missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

PETER NICHOLAS & VIVIAN SALAMA: N.C. Pastor Arrives Back in U.S. After Two Years Detained in Turkey (Wall Street Journal reports) -- President Trump met in the White House with a newly freed evangelical pastor who had been held in Turkey for two years on terrorism charges, bringing to a close a diplomatic standoff with Ankara that had jeopardized relations between the North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies.

JOE MARUSAK & BRIAN MURPHY: ‘You really fought for us,’ freed NC pastor tells President Trump (Charlotte Observer reports) — In a meeting in the Oval Office, NC pastor Andrew Brunson on Saturday thanked President Trump for securing his release from a prison in Turkey. “You really fought for us,” the Black Mountain preacher told Trump, a day after Turkey released Brunson after more than two years of confinement. “From the time you took office, I know you’ve been engaged.”

A food desert returns (Fayetteville Observer) -- It’s looking like a painful step back for the Murchison Road corridor. The WalMart Neighborhood Market there will close next month, removing the area’s only source of fresh fruit, vegetables, meat and other grocery items that are essential to a nutritious diet. Murchison Road is about to become a “food desert” again. That’s a blow for one of the city’s poorest neighborhoods, one with many residents who lack their own transportation.

Oak Island Mayor’s son held on $2 million bond relating to child pornography charges (Port City Daily) -- It appears to be the second arrest of Justin Brochure in several months related to child pornography, this time involving numerous counts.

Higher officer pay still key to safer prisons (Elizabeth City Daily Advance) — The brutal murders of the four PCI staff members on Oct. 12, 2017, coming on the heels of the vicious murder of a correctional sergeant by an inmate at Bertie Correctional Institute six months before, exposed the dangers of our state’s prison system — both for prison staff and inmates. It also has spurred some much-needed reforms of the prison system in the year that has passed.

WILLIAM WEST: Jobless rate falls to 18-year low, but 3 counties still above state rate (Elizabeth City Daily Advance reports) — Unemployment fell slightly across the Albemarle in August, but the jobless rate in three area counties still remained well above the state average.

County, city need to ponder big picture for tax plan (Fayetteville Observer) — The never-ending struggle is back. Fayetteville and Cumberland County leaders are once again trying to come up with a formula for the distribution of sales tax revenue. By law, it’s the county’s job to parcel out the proceeds of sales tax collections. Some goes to county government and some goes to the individual municipalities within the county.

MELISSA KORN & NICOLE HONG: Harvard Trial Will Open With Admissions Dean in Hot Seat (Wall Street Journal reports) -- The top gatekeeper for Harvard University’s undergraduate program will take the stand in Boston federal court for the first day of a high-profile trialin which Harvard will defend its use of race as a factor in admissions decisions.

EMILY ANTOSZYK: Mapping the 2017-18 school report cards (EdNC reports) -- EdNC releases our latest map on school grades across North Carolina, developed by Emily Antosyk of the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation.

EMMY VICTOR: Woman who tossed blood, paint on Silent Sam returns to court (WRAL-TV reports) -- The woman who tossed blood and paint on the Silent Sam statue at UNC is scheduled to go on trial Monday.

ANDREW MUNDHENK: School resource deputies a struggle to find for Henderson County schools (Hendersonville Times-News reports) -- The Henderson County Sheriff’s Office is struggling to find and hire qualified school resource deputies for each school within its jurisdiction.

TAYLOR KNOPF: More Than 1,000 N.C. Doctors Say They’ve Stopped Prescribing Opioids (NC Health News reports) — Amidst the opioid crisis, calls have been pouring in to the NC Medical Board from chronic pain patients who say their doctors have stopped prescribing their pain medication.

NC must take climate change seriously (Winston-Salem Journal) — When people in NC, especially legislators and government officials, wrestle with issues such as how to handle hog waste and coal ash, how much development to allow on beaches and in other vulnerable areas and whether to promote the use of cleaner energy, the debates aren’t just abstract discussions about politics, money or being business friendly. They can also be about life and death and whether our way of doing things is sustainable.

We can't ignore this call to act on climate changes (Norfolk Virginian-Pilot) – Without radical, determined and unified global action to reduce greenhouse emissions and curb the effects of climate change, Earth as we know it is pretty well cooked.

Greensboro has come clean about its water supply (Greensboro News & Record) — Faced with a troubling chemical contaminant that has seeped into the Greensboro’s water supply, city staff not only have searched hard for the source of pollution, which contains fire-fighting foams, they also set out to find a remedy.

STEPHANIE CARSON: NC Communities Benefit from Historic Conservation Legislation (Public News Service reports) -- Outdoor recreation generates $28 billion dollars annually in N.C., according to the Outdoor Recreation Association, and the state's thousands of miles of waterways are a large part of that. One example is the Wilson Creek watershed in Caldwell and Avery counties, one of five areas in the state that was created as a result of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, celebrating its 50th anniversary this month.

What happens when resilience is missing (Fayetteville Observer) — We don’t know how closely Michael’s deadly power was linked to climate change, but we do know that some elements of a warmer climate contributed. The hurricane caught many forecasters by surprise. It developed unusually fast in the Caribbean and then rocketed across the Gulf. It didn’t lose strength, as many storms do, as it approached land. It came ashore at nearly Category 5, pushing a storm surge of almost 15 feet onto a low-lying, flat landscape.

MONICA HOLLAND: At Prancing Horse Farm, ‘I’ve seen so many miracles’ (Fayetteville Observer reports) -- Stewart is a one-eyed Haflinger, smallish and chestnut coated with a smooth gait and easy temperament. Patient and poised, he’s not bothered by a squirmy young rider, an occasional yelp, or a volunteer walker on either flank nudging his muscled, graceful build. “He has a need of his own but that doesn’t stop him from doing his job and serving others,” Claire Pollard says. Pollard is the program director for the Prancing Horse Center for Therapeutic Horsemanship. Heading into its 35th year, Prancing Horse is a premier-accredited member of PATH, the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship. The charitable organization assists special needs individuals and military veterans through riding lessons.