Opinion Roundup: Voter ID bill, alcohol sales, Agent Orange exposure and more

Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2018 -- A round up of opinion, commentary and analysis on: Lawmakers propose allowing range of voter IDs, Alamance sheriff dubs county 'drug hub' of Southeast, number of NC IT job postings hits yearly high, app makes it easier to apply for college financial aid, feds to close civil rights investigation after Wake schools reduce student suspensions, derelict boats remain a local issue and more.

TRAVIS FAIN: Republicans roll out voter ID bill (WRAL-TV reports) — General Assembly Republicans rolled out their voter ID bill Tuesday. It allows for free IDs and a wide range of photo IDs that would be accepted at the polls, including University of NC system IDs. These college IDs weren't allowed under previous voter ID rules that were found unconstitutional by the federal courts.

JEFF TIBERII: NC lawmakers propose allowing range of voter IDs (WUNC-FM reports) -- Legislators are providing several options to vote under a proposed bill that would require photo identification at the polls. Earlier this month voters gave lawmakers approval to amend the state constitution to mandate ID at the ballot box. The 13-page draft proposal was released in advance of a committee meeting and convening of lawmakers for a lame duck session.

Lawmakers propose allowing range of voter IDs (AP reports) — NC Republican legislators implementing a new change to the state constitution are thinking about allowing a relatively broad range of photo identification to validate voters who cast in-person ballots in future elections

TIM BUCKLAND: You’ve lost an election. Now what? (Wilmington Star-News reports) — A vacation. A renewed commitment to work. Possibly running again. A candidate on the wrong side of an election has a lot of options in front of them that, when they fall short, do not include holding office.

Alamance sheriff dubs county 'drug hub' of Southeast (AP reports) – Alamance County’s sheriff targeted in a lawsuit seeking to block him from applying to help enforce immigration laws said he wants more officers to stop drug traffic he says is fueled by Mexican cartels.

Public Records: HB2 caused 'heartburn' with Amazon (Triangle Business Journal reports) -- Newly released public records show concerns and collaborations in North Carolina's bid for Amazon's HQ2.

JIM MORRILL: Recount gives Democrat Rachel Hunt 68-vote win in last contested NC legislative race (Charlotte Observer reports) -- Tuesday’s recount gave Democrat Rachel Hunt a win over GOP Rep. Bill Brawley, ending NC’s last contested legislative race and maybe the political career of one of the county’s most influential lawmakers.

Duke University president calls for change to Durham-Orange light rail proposal (WRAL-TV reports) -- Duke University President Vincent E. Price said that the school cannot support the Durham-Orange Light Rail Transit project unless changes are made.

Duke can’t support Durham-Orange light rail without changes, president says in letter (Durham Herald-Sun reports) -- Duke University President Vincent Price outlined several concerns about the Durham-Orange light rail project in a letter to Durham officials. GoTriangle responded to the letter, and Durham leaders remain hopeful.

Words do matter (Greensboro News & Record) -- Amid debates about winners and losers in the recent election, one thing is clear: President Donald Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric has deepened divisions between Americans and further coarsened the political debate.

ALLAN MAURER: Number of NC IT job postings hits yearly high (WRAL-TV/TechWire reports) -- The number of IT job postings in N.C. hit a 2018 high in October at 25,697 jobs, up 25 percent from the same period last year, according to the monthly NC Technology Association Tech Talent Trends Alert.

Cooper visits new call center (Rocky Mount Telegram reports) -- The State Employees’ Credit Union is bringing 160 jobs to Rocky Mount with its Member Services Support Center. Gov. Roy Cooper, speaking at the call center's grand opening, said it was great to be home in Nash County.

DREW WILSON: Cooper pitches in at church’s Thanksgiving food distribution (Wilson Times reports) -- Gov. Roy Cooper took a large frozen turkey off the pallet and placed it in Ruby Howell’s laundry basket. Howell instantly wrapped her arms around Cooper’s neck to offer a tight hug. “That was fantastic,” said Howell, of Stantonsburg. Howell said the turkey, along with potatoes, apples, collards, pumpkin pie and a whole box of other fixings would feed Howell’s family this week for Thanksgiving. “We appreciate all that he does for us,” Howell said. “We are grateful that he got here today.” Cooper joined an army of volunteers at Tabernacle-God Community Church in handing out turkey and boxes of food to more than 200 people on Tuesday.

LAURA LESLIE: E-scooters to stay in Raleigh - for now (WRAL-TV reports) — After months of debate over the pros and cons of electric scooters, Raleigh's city council signed off Tuesday on a new ordinance governing their use. But city officials say there's a long way to go before their safety concerns are satisfied.

ELY PORTILLO: Charlotte City Council might ask voters to double members’ terms. Would they say yes? (Charlotte Observer reports) — Three years ago, when the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners asked voters to approve switching from two- to four-year terms, voters made their answer clear: A resounding “no.” The 2015 referendum lost by nearly a 2-1 margin, with 66 percent of voters opposed.

COLIN CAMPBELL: A college town and 5 other NC communities are less dry after voting on alcohol sales (Charlotte Observer reports) — While the number of dry and partially dry towns and counties continues to drop, rural parts of the state continue to have a patchwork of regulations: Some places allow beer and wine sales but no liquor, while about 20 counties don’t allow alcohol sales in unincorporated areas.

JOHN HINTON: Protesters call for ICE to release local undocumented man whom agents took into custody Monday (Winston-Salem Journal reports) — A group of 20 protesters demanded Tuesday that the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement release a Winston-Salem man from the Forsyth County Jail after its agents accused the man of being an undocumented immigrant and detained him.

MONICA LALIBERTE: App makes it easier to apply for college financial aid (WRAL-TV reports) -- With nearly 150 colleges and universities in N.C., there are a lot of students in need of financial aid, and the process of applying for aid just got easier.

JANINE BOWEN: Department of Education to close discrimination case against WCPSS if district implements change (WRAL-TV reports) -- An agreement between the Wake County Board of Education and U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights has resolved a complaint alleging the district discriminates against black students in disciplinary matters.

T. KEUNG HUI: Feds to close civil rights investigation after Wake schools reduce student suspensions (Durham-Herald Sun reports) — The federal government has agreed to close its long-running investigation into how the Wake County school system handles school discipline, following changes that have reduced how many students are suspended.

JASON DEBRUYN: Duke U Ready To Settle Whistleblower Case On Research Fraud (WUNC-FM reports) -- Duke University has reached a settlement in a whistleblower lawsuit alleging it knew about fraudulent research in its labs and actively concealed the fraud from federal agencies responsible for doling out research funding.

GINGER LIVINGSTON: SROs have important roll in preventing school violence, public says (Greenville Daily Reflector) -- Speakers at a forum about school shootings said North Carolina leaders should provide school systems with more money to fund security improvements and better training for school resources officers.

YASMIN BENDAAS: Insight from the ‘president of presidents’: A conversation with David Shockley of Surry Community College (EdNC reports) — Last August, I visited five different community colleges, and Surry Community College in Dobson was my third stop. In the middle of a jam-packed tour of all things unique to Surry, I sat down with President David Shockley to hear his perspective at the top. Shockley happens to not only be the president of Surry Community College, but he’s also the president of the NC Association of Community College Presidents — effectively, the ‘president of the presidents.’

ANN DOSS HELMS: CMS: No mistreatment of students by three administrators suspended from Carmel Middle (Charlotte Observer reports) — The principal, assistant principal and dean of students at Carmel Middle School have been placed on administrative leave, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools announced Tuesday. The initial statement from CMS administrator Tara Lynn Sullivan sent to parents said only that “details of the situation are a personnel matter and cannot be shared.”

CULLEN BROWDER: Vietnam veteran sailors want medical benefits for Agent Orange exposure (WRAL-TV reports) -- Veterans Affairs says a decision to revoke medical care for thousands of veterans possibly exposed to a more toxic version of the defoliant Agent Orange was based on a lack of scientific evidence. The government failed to test off-shore sailors during and after the war, leading to little evidence.

Avoiding vaccines can be a deadly choice (Fayetteville Observer) — This week, it’s an apparent chickenpox epidemic at a school in Asheville where some of the parents who may buy into faddish pseudoscience have chosen not to give their children what have become the standard childhood disease immunizations. While many of us have have endured the itch and pain of chickenpox, there has been an effective vaccine for it for about 20 years.

JON HAWLEY: Pasquotank imposes solar farm restrictions (Elizabeth City Daily Advance reports) -- Solar farms may not be built near U.S. Highway 17 and the future Interstate 87 in Pasquotank County, a divided Board of Commissioners decided on a 5-2 vote. Commissioners amended the county's solar ordinance to forbid solar farms from being built within half a mile of U.S. 17, as well as Halstead Boulevard Extended. The restriction covers the main U.S. 17 corridor all the way from the Perquimans County line to the Camden County line. The new restriction may halt two new solar projects in the county, based on comments from one developer and another developer's attorney. Commissioners voted 4-3 against imposing two other restrictions on solar farms. One would have imposed a 250-acre cap on solar farms; the other would have required a one-mile separation between solar farms.

STEVE REED: Michael Jordan returns home, meets with hurricane victims (AP reports) — Stephanie Parker isn't quite sure how her family of six would have managed the last two months without the help of Michael Jordan and the American Red Cross following Hurricane Florence. So when Parker met Jordan she couldn't hold back giving the owner of the NBA's Charlotte Hornets a big hug and a thank you.

Michael Jordan visits to help Wilmington rebound from Florence (Wilmington Star-News reports) -- Basketball legend hands out Thanksgiving meals and apparel in two Port City stops

JOHN MURAWSKI: Is pig poop the next fracking? Smithfield Foods about to put energy goals to the test (Durham Herald-Sun reports) -- A pledge by Smithfield Foods, the world's largest pork producer, to transform hog manure into a clean natural gas aims to mint hundreds of pig farms in North Carolina into renewable energy gold mines. The scale envisioned by Smithfield aspires to go far beyond the roughly 40 hog farms in the United States that currently convert swine waste to energy.

MICHELLE WAGNER: Unresolved blackout business, PCL and Dare County haggle over lost tax revenue (Outer Banks Sentinel reports) -- Sixteen months after a week-long power outage plunged Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands into darkness during the heart of tourist season, Dare County and PCL Construction are still sparring over an unresolved claim.

THEODORE DECKER: Hurricanes deliver devastating blows to NC communities hollowed out by disasters (Wilmington Star-News reports) — Can a hurricane kill a community? It’s a question the residents of Mexico Beach, Florida, were asking after Hurricane Michael roared ashore in October, obliterating a city just a little larger than several in NC that endured the same from Hurricane Florence a few weeks earlier.

JENNIFER ALLEN: Derelict Boats Remain A Local Issue In NC (Coastal Review Online reports) — The N.C. General Assembly has granted certain local governments authority to manage and remove derelict or abandoned vessels in public waters, but there’s no law addressing the problem statewide.

DEBORAH STRANGE: Gingerbread villages, clock, dragon take over Asheville inn (WRAL-TV reports) -- Gingerbread artists gathered in Asheville to show off their holiday creations for the National Gingerbread House Competition.

Thankful for Clyde Fitzgerald (Winston-Salem Journal) — It was sad and surprising to read about the passing on Sunday of Clyde Fitzgerald, a former chief executive officer of Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC and a man who spent much of his life working passionately to feed the hungry. Especially on the day before we feast, it would honor Fitzgerald’s memory to remember his mission and take an extra step for those who struggle to get by.

'A Day of Public Thanksgiving' (Southern Pines Pilot) — President George Washington issued this proclamation Oct. 3, 1789: Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favour; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint committee, requested me “to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness”: