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    HURRICANE FLORENCE 
 

Special report: Florence brought relentless rain, epic flooding and an uncertain future to NC
N&O // Martha Quillin // September 28, 2018

Summary: Hurricane Florence was just a giant gray tumbleweed on the weather radar screen for two weeks, menacing to the Carolinas but somewhat abstract, until midday on Thursday, Sept. 13. That’s when the storm’s outer bands arrived in New Hanover County, beginning four days of tropical wind and rain, two weeks of flooding and years of rebuilding from what will be known as one of worst storms to ever hit the East Coast, and one of the deadliest for both states since records have been kept.

Recovery Issues 

Matt Dobra: An old law magnifies Florence’s pain
Fayetteville Observer // Matt Dobra // September 30, 2018
Summary: As North and South Carolina embark on the long path of recovery from the devastation of Hurricane Florence, I would like to draw people’s attention to a relatively unknown federal law that is currently impeding the recovery efforts: The Jones Act. The Jones Act has been around for nearly a century, having been passed in 1920 in the aftermath of World War I. The Jones Act is protectionist legislation that has primarily served to insulate the American shipbuilding and shipping industries from foreign competition. The specific element of the Jones Act that is relevant here is the requirement that any ship engaged in commerce between two American ports be built in the United States, owned by an American, fly a United States flag, and be crewed by Americans. Today, the total number of oceangoing vessels that are compliant with the Jones act is right around 100, which represents a little roughly 0.2 percent of the world’s ships. As a result, very little inter-American trade happens by ship (as opposed to rail, plane, or truck). Typically, the Jones Act has very little impact on the day-to-day life of the most Americans. Unless, of course, you live in a U.S. owned area outside of the continental United States. Goods delivered to Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico from other U.S. ports can only be legally delivered by one of this tiny fleet of ships. The end result of this restriction is a significantly higher cost of delivering goods to these locations, which ultimately translates into a higher cost of living in these areas. For example, a 2010 study estimated the cost of the Jones Act to the Puerto Rico economy at over half a billion dollars per year.


Flooding

Black River devastates homes, families in Pender County ... again
StarNews // Ashley Morris // Septemebr 29, 2018
Summary: Christina Tanner had been back in her home destroyed by Hurricane Matthew floodwaters for 11 days when there was a knock at the door. It was county officials warning her to evacuate as the water was going to rise within hours. It took two years to get back into her home after Tanner, who goes by Nickie, lost everything to the tea-stained water of the Black River that runs behind her home on Heading Bluff Road in Currie. “You hear that water is about to come up and you don’t know if it will come up an inch or 30 feet -- but you automatically panic,” Tanner said. Rural Pender County saw some of the greatest damage in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence in the state. As the storm system brought 30 or more inches of rain in one weekend on the Cape Fear region, officials immediately began evacuating parts of rural Pender in Burgaw, Currie, Canetuck, White Stocking and other homes along the river with a promise that waters would be higher than Hurricane Matthew in 2016.


Economic Impact

Trenton farmers struggle after Hurricane Florence
New Bern Sun Journal // Bill Hand // September 30, 2018
Summary: Jordan O’Neill loves cows. She farms a spread near Trenton with her father, Robert Cox, who is a fifth- or sixth generation farmer. They grow crops, oversee 600 sows, and – before Hurricane Florence came through – had 60 head of cattle. Now they have three. O’Neill wants to focus on cattle – she is, in fact, currently studying for a PhD in beef nutrition. “We were fixing to start calving,” her father said. But much of the farm wound up under three to eight feet of water from flooding and 60 cattle – valued at about $1,000 each, not counting the value of the calves they could have borne – drowned. Of those only about 30 have been found. The farm also lost 10 pigs and virtually all of its crops. Cox pointed to 100 circular bales of hay – though they’d been harvested and wrapped in plastic to cure, flood waters had gotten to them and any crop that was flooded is considered destroyed. O’Neill said their lagoon was also overwashed – “We’re very careful to follow all the rules, and keep it at a level where it won’t overflow,” she said. But the river’s overflow spilled into it and carried hog waste away. “You can’t control nature,” she said.

Environmental Impact 
 
Witnessing the environmental horrors of Hurricane Florence
Facing South // Sue Sturgis // September 28, 2018

Summary: As Hurricane Florence's floodwaters began receding, environmental watchdogs affiliated with the Waterkeeper Alliance took to airplanes and boats to document the pollution released as a result of storm. What they found is disturbing. The widespread, prolonged flooding brought by Florence — the second 500-year storm to hit the Carolinas in the past two years— took a heavy toll on southeastern North Carolina's industrial infrastructure and led to the release of massive quantities of pollution. NASA satellite imagery showed the state's discolored rivers pouring organic matter and pollution into the Atlantic. The disaster-stricken region is a center of North Carolina's hog and poultry industries. The state currently permits hog farmers to store the animals' waste in massive, open-air cesspools known as "lagoons." The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality reports that at least 32 hog waste lagoons were inundated and another five experienced structural damage in the storm, sending waste into the floodwaters.
 


Arsenic at toxic levels in Neuse, environmentalists say; Duke Energy disputes findings
Charlotte Observer // John Murawski // September 28, 2018

Summary: Coal ash releases in the Neuse River have caused arsenic levels to be nearly 18 times higher than the state safety standard for drinking water, two environmental organizations said Friday. The Upper Neuse Riverkeeper and the Waterkeeper Alliance said a coal ash spill at Duke Energy’s retired H.F. Lee Plant in Goldsboro is the source of the arsenic contamination in the river. The organizations said they also found elevated levels of lead and other heavy metals in lab analysis conducted by Pace Analytical in Raleigh. Duke Energy strongly disputed the activists’ findings, saying its own lab tests show the Neuse River is not contaminated by flooding from Hurricane Florence. Duke further said the riverkeeper activists are fomenting fear to increase public pressure to haul away all coal ash, even from locations where the waste is not posting a public health risk. “The riverkeeper’s data is irrelevant to drinking water safety, and their continued attempts to misinform are most unfortunate given the devastation many in this community are facing from the hurricane,” Duke Energy spokeswoman Erin Culbert said in an email.

Environmental groups: Arsenic in Neuse floodwater is 18 times the state standard Insurance
WRAL // Travis Fain // September 28, 2018

Summary: Tests taken from floodwater standing atop coal ash basins at Duke Energy's retired H.F. Lee Plant showed arsenic levels nearly 18 times higher than state standards for drinking water and fish consumption, environmental groups said Friday. These buried coal ash pits outside the retired plant east of Goldsboro were inundated and eroded by the Neuse River during and after Hurricane Florence. The release produced a gray plume, putting not only arsenic, but also lead and other heavy metals into the river, the Neuse Riverkeeper and the Waterkeeper Alliance said. The groups released laboratory test results Friday from Pace Analytical of Asheville. Samples were taken Sept. 19 by Neuse Riverkeeper Matthew Starr, from a boat floating above the buried coal ash deposits near the river.

Many NC homeowners find insurance won't cover Matthew, Florence 'double hit'
WRAL // Cullen Browder // September 29, 2018

Summary: Two so-called "500-year storms" have hit North Carolina in less than two years, and Hurricane Matthew and Hurricane Florence have created unprecedented complications for homeowners. Homeowner's insurance and flood insurance often aren't nearly enough to cover the damage from the two storms. Matthew caused substantial flood damage to Staris Morgan's Goldsboro home in 2016. Her homeowner's insurance didn't cover the water damage, and her flood insurance paid just enough for a contractor to gut the home and a replace a tiny portion of her ruined contents. There wasn't enough money to replace flooring, walls or belongings or to elevate the home as required by the city. "I lost everything," Morgan said Friday. "It tore my nerves up, I couldn't stay here." She moved to an apartment – while continuing to pay her mortgage – but then Florence delivered another punch, sending even more flooding through her John Street home.

Mike Causey: Surprisingly few in NC have flood insurance
Fayetteville Observer // Mike Causey // September 29, 2018
Summary: I’ve seen the effects of Hurricane Florence on southeastern North Carolina. It’s devastating. Those who have insurance have some hope that they will financially be made whole and will be able to get back on their feet in a reasonable amount of time. However, those who don’t have insurance, or don’t have the right kind of insurance, may be hearing the devastating words, “You’re not covered.” Despite the fact that all homeowners’ policies include a disclaimer about damage from floods, many are surprised to learn that standard homeowner’s insurance does NOT cover damage from floods. The number of homeowners in North Carolina who have flood insurance is staggeringly low. Only about 134,000 homeowners have flood insurance in a state with more than 10 million people. There are a lot of myths out there about flood insurance. One is that if your mortgage company doesn’t require it, you don’t need it. I’ve even heard some say that you can’t buy flood insurance if you don’t live in a flood plain. Neither statement can be further from the truth.

Price Gouging 

Attorney general files price gouging suit against company that worked in Wilmington
WECT // Brad Myers // September 28, 2018

Summary: A lawsuit has been filed against a tree-removal company doing business in the area after Hurricane Florence. Friday, North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein announced his office is taking action against Alva Wilson Lewis, doing business Big Al & Sons Tree Service, A1 Tree & Storm Relief, and A1 Tree and Storm Damage Relief, which are all based out of Lexington. Stein says the company is listed by the Better Business Bureau of Central North Carolina as one of the “Dirty Dozen” businesses because of the number of complaints against the company. “They went to a Wilmington resident and quoted a price of $4,000 to remove three trees, which, that’s all well and good,” Stein said. “But in a typical bait-and-switch move they said, ‘No, no , no. It’s going to be $7,000.' Then when they submitted the invoice, it was for $12,000.” Stein says his office filed a lawsuit in Raleigh to stop the company’s business practices.

Veterans and Military Families 

VA secretary visits Fayetteville and Wilmington post-Florence
WRAL // Claudia Rupcich // October 1, 2018

Summary: ecretary Robert Wilkie from the Department of Veterans Affairs will be in Fayetteville Monday to assess Hurricane Florence's impact. Secretary Wilkie will meet with local leaders at the VA center on S. Raeford Street, one of many sites that provides healthcare and benefits to veterans. There, he'll be briefed on storm relief and how Florence impacted multiple VA facilities in the state.

Political Impact 

After Florence, North Carolina political unity to be tested
Winston-Salem Journal // AP // September 30, 2018

Summary: As Hurricane Florence was thrashing North Carolina earlier this month, Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s leadership amid the devastation won widespread praise, including some from Republican politicians. “When (Cooper) was here, he was perfect,” Rep. Frank Iler, a Brunswick County Republican, said. “The governor and our leadership have got the right spirit.” But that was then. The first significant test of partisan unity comes this week when lawmakers reconvene a special session Cooper called to address initial needs from Florence. The session resumes five weeks before an Election Day in which all 170 legislative seats are on the ballot. Cooper, who doesn’t face re-election until 2020, and Democratic allies have invested millions to end the GOP’s veto-proof majorities and giving the governor more leverage. House Majority Leader John Bell of Wayne County said he’s been too busy responding to needs of constituents and family since Florence to think about election-year politics. Bell praised Cooper for his actions during the storm but added “now we’re starting the recovery, and that’s a whole ’nother ball game.” He’s hopeful that the legislature and Cooper don’t get “into a battle of dollars,” with the Cooper administration over recovery funds. For now, Republicans and Cooper sound committed to focusing on recovery.

Florence Silenced North Carolina’s Political Rancor. But for How Long?
NY Times // Alan Blinder // September 29, 2018

Summary: Hurricane Florence’s floodwaters were still in the streets of North Carolina when the dueling branches of the state government started bickering about the aftermath. Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, sought an Oct. 9 start for a special session about storm recovery. The General Assembly’s Republican leaders wanted to return to Raleigh more than a week earlier, on Sept. 28. They agreed to split the difference and open the session on Tuesday. But few people are betting that the deal-making momentum will last long. Instead, the partisan rancor that has come to define the state’s politics in recent years is expected to play a role in North Carolina’s long-term response to the storm, which left at least 37 people dead in North Carolina and unleashed a panoply of troubles. And hard on the heels of the special legislative session will come a storm-shadowed election that will determine whether Republicans retain veto-proof supermajorities in the legislature.

 
    MIDTERMS 
 
Gerrymandering

As gerrymandering fight continues, ruling expected soon on Wake County political maps
N&O // Will Doran // September 28, 2018

Summary: After Republican legislators were given a court order to redraw two racially gerrymandered districts in Southeast Raleigh, they made the necessary changes last year. But they also took the opportunity to redraw the lines for four other Wake County districts — which violated the state constitution, according to a lawsuit heard Friday. The four districts being challenged are for seats in the N.C. House of Representatives covering Fuquay-Varina, Holly Springs, Apex, Cary, Morrisville and parts of North Raleigh. They are represented by Republican Reps. Nelson Dollar and John Adcock (who was appointed to replaced Linda Hunt Williams), as well as by Democratic Reps. Gayle Adcock and Joe John. None of the four districts were challenged as racial gerrymanders or border the two districts that were struck down.

Constitutional Amendments 

NC leaders oppose amendments to cut the governor’s power: ‘Nothing but a power play'
N&O // Jim Morrill, Gavin Off // October 1, 2018

Summary: Five former North Carolina governors and six former chief justices apparently still have some clout.They’ve all publicly opposed two of the six proposed constitutional amendments on November’s ballot. And a new survey shows many influential North Carolinians agree. In fact, the survey for The Influencer Series shows opposition to all six of the amendments, much of it along party lines. Sixty N.C. leaders in education, politics, business, and advocacy were asked about the amendments as part of a series for The Charlotte Observer, The News & Observer and The Herald-Sun. Thirty-six responded.

Campaign Notes: Voter ID debate on Wednesday
Reflector // Staff // September 29, 2018

Summary: The North Carolina Institute of Political Leadership on Wednesday is co-hosting a debate on the proposed voter ID amendment at the historic Turnage Theatre in Washington, N.C. The hour-long debate will begin promptly at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast in full on the Spectrum News website. An abbreviated version will be broadcast statewide on Spectrum News on 11:30 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Oct. 7. The event is free and open to the public. The theater is at 150 W Main St. near the waterfront downtown. Loretta Boniti from Spectrum News will be the moderator. Speaking for the voter-ID amendment will be Rep. David Lewis, R-Harnett, and Civitas Institute president Donald Bryson. Speaking against the amendment will be Sen. Erica Smith, D-Northampton, and Kareem Crayton, executive director of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice.

Stop Deceptive Amendments campaign visits Pack Square Park on Sept. 28
Mountain Xpress // Bulletin // September 28, 2018

Summary: In a phone conversation with Xpress, a Stop Deceptive Amendments representative declined to disclose any of the donors supplying funds for the campaign’s $2 million advertising buy. The spokesperson said that donor information would be released later as required by election finance law. According to Politifact North Carolina, a non-partisan fact-checking website operated in partnership with The News & Observer in Raleigh, the Stop Deceptive Amendments advertisement claims that “Every former North Carolina governor opposes ‘constitutional amendments Raleigh lawmakers put on the ballot this fall.'” The website classifies this claim as false.

Judges come out against two proposed NC amendments
WRAL // Laura Leslie // September 27, 2018

Summary: Some local judges have joined the fight against two proposed constitutional amendments on the ballot in November. Lawmakers have put six amendments before voters this fall, but two have generated intense opposition. They would take the power to name members of the State Board of Elections and Ethics Enforcement and to fill judicial vacancies from the governor and give those powers to the legislature.

HD-24

State’s first lady rallies support for Farmer-Butterfield
Wilson Times // Corey Friedman // September 30, 2018

Summary: Re-electing state Rep. Jean Farmer-Butterfield will help Democrats churn a blue wave that will break the Republican legislative majority and strengthen Gov. Roy Cooper’s hand, first lady Kristin Cooper told supporters Sunday. She said North Carolina could have a pivotal role in the Democratic Party’s efforts to rebuff the presiden’ts by taking control of Congress and state legislatures in November’s midterm. “I think that we have a chance right now to be the shot heard ’round the world with this election,” Cooper said. “This is going to tell not just people in North Carolina, but everybody everywhere that it stops here, that we are a democracy, that we do value everyone’s voice and that is important to who we are as Americans and as North Carolinians.” Seeking her ninth term, Farmer-Butterfield is working to fend off a challenge from conservative independent
Ken Fontenot.

HD-116

Marilyn Brown, Brian Turner debate in N.C. House race
Tribune Papers // Pete Zamplas // September 27, 2018

Summary: Conservative challenger Marilyn Allen Brown and State Rep. Brian Mills Turner debated last Thursday over state spending, Medicaid insurance, Republican legislative policies and other issues. The two Biltmore Forest residents in the N.C. House District 116 race in southwest Asheville were in a forum, along with State Rep. John Ager and GOP challenger Amy Evans in the 115 district’s race. Typically, the four took turns answering the same questions. The two Democrats are two-term incumbents. Turner unseated Tim Moffitt by 3.8 percent in 2014. Republicans had the seat for three prior terms, with Charles Thomas then Moffitt.

NC-13

Where will Rep. Budd fall on relief now?
Greensboro N&R // LTE // September 30, 2018

Summary: Last September, Ted Budd voted against providing relief to Hurricane Harvey, Irma and Maria victims. By denying emergency assistance to residents of his own state, he made a short-term decision to pander to his masters at the expense of North Carolina’s citizens. Our own representative tried to deprive the citizens of North Carolina, Texas and Puerto Rico of money they needed to survive and rebuild. Does anyone think he will vote any differently this year? The people of North Carolina can’t afford to have people in Congress who vote against us. In the run-up to the midterms, Ted Budd is continually tweeting disputable claims about how something he voted for was returning happiness and unicorns for his constituents. Unfortunately, Budd is guilty of supporting short-term, short-sighted governing, as in minimal tax cuts that expire after five years, repealing water-quality regulations and rejecting climate science. We’re lucky our district dodged the bullet this year, but we’ve still got Ted Budd hanging around our neck, looking for opportunities to serve his donors, even if it means swindling us.
    GENERAL ASSEMBLY NEWS 
 
Our View: New storm reality requires new protections
Fayetteville Observer // Opinion // September 30, 2018

Summary: It will be months before we know the full scale of Hurricane Florence’s environmental damage. But we know enough now to start talking about preventing the same problems or worse the next time a Florence-scale disaster strikes. And yes, there will be a next time. Most of us thought of Hurricane Floyd’s dramatic flooding as the once-a-millennium event it appeared to be. But 16 years later, Hurricane Matthew forced us to consider the possibility that a new trend was developing. Two years later, and the evidence is persuasive: Tropical weather patterns really have changed and coastal communities — especially across the South — need to confront a new reality. Hurricanes and tropical storms are moving slower and dropping more water on us. Vast floods are likely to be regular visitors. We’re not prepared. There are long lists of actions we need to take, but we believe the most urgent are measures that prevent floodwaters from distributing poison across our communities. We need to look at three threats:
 
  GOV. COOPER NEWS 
 
Florence will raise Roy Cooper’s profile, but that can be a double-edged sword
N&O // Rob Christensen // September 29, 2018

Summary: The move seems right out of the gubernatorial playbook. When the winds begin to blow, governors ditch their coats and ties for an emergency management shirt, giving them a quasi-military/police look. So it was with North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, who has been appearing more regularly on TV than meteorologist Greg Fishel. In September, you could hardly turn on the TV without seeing Cooper, as he dealt with the unfolding tragedy of Hurricane Florence. He warned residents to evacuate threatened areas and reported on the loss of life, rescues, and the widespread damage. And he urged the legislature to return for a special session to deal with the crisis. This is his moment.

HURRICANE FLORENCE: Governor says housing remains top priority
Star News // Tim Buckland // September 28, 2018
Summary: During a visit Friday meant to highlight that downtown Wilmington businesses were open two weeks after Hurricane Florence hit the region, Gov. Roy Cooper said finding housing for people affected by the storm remains his administration’s highest priority. “We’ve got to find places for people to live,” Cooper said. “There are some people who right now can’t even get back to their homes or even know what kind of damage they have. “So I hear that message.” Cooper and Albie Lewis, federal coordinating officer for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), said they were aware that people left homeless through storm damage don’t have a lot of options. Wilmington’s apartment stock was already nearly at full capacity before the storm and nearly every hotel room in the area is occupied, leaving few options even for those with aid from FEMA.
 

 

 OTHER 

1 Year Anniversary of Las Vegas Mass Shooting

'Tragedy of grand scale': Vegas shooting victims remembered
WRAL // Ken Ritter // October 1, 2018

Summary: It has been a year since the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, and a woman set to talk at a sunrise ceremony commemorating the lives lost says that although hearts are still healing, she hopes people can move forward from the enormous tragedy with "love and light." Among survivors, victims' family members, first-responders and elected officials offering prayers, songs and speeches on Monday, Mynda Smith will remember her sister. Nyesa Davis Tonks was killed by a gunman in a high-rise hotel raining gunfire into a crowd of 22,000 at an outdoor country music concert on the Las Vegas Strip. Nyesa pronounced her name "Neesha." She was a 46-year-old single mother originally from the Salt Lake City area who was raising three boys in Las Vegas. Smith said she was energetic, adventurous, a fan of all kinds of music. "I want to bring the message about living life to the fullest," Smith told The Associated Press. "About how grateful we are for our community, the love and support that we got, and being 'Vegas Strong.'" Smith started a scholarship fund for victims' children and says she reached loved ones of almost all the dead. Thirty-three were from California, six others from Nevada, four from Canada and 12 from other U.S. states.

SCOTUS Nominee

Fight over Kavanaugh intensifies amid confusion over limits of FBI sexual assault investigation
Mike Debonis, Josh Dawsey // September 30, 2018

Summary: The FBI investigation meant to defuse the explosive conflict over Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sparked a new round of partisan combat Sunday, as the White House appeared to retain sharp limits on the probe even as President Donald Trump and Republican officials publicly suggested otherwise. Two Trump administration officials said Sunday that White House had not placed any limits on the FBI investigation into claims of sexual assault leveled against Kavanaugh but was also opposed to a “fishing expedition” that could take a broader look at Kavanaugh’s credibility and behavior. The statements, made by press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway in television interviews, followed reports that federal investigators are pursuing allegations made by two women but not a third, Julie Swetnick, who signed a sworn affidavit accusing Kavanaugh of sexually aggressive behavior and being present at parties where gang rapes occurred. Trump himself tweeted late Saturday that he wanted FBI agents “to interview whoever they deem appropriate, at their discretion.”

Kavanaugh accuser is a ‘criminal’ and should ‘go to prison,’ NC GOP leader says
N&O // Abbie Bennett // September 30, 2018

Summary:  The leader of North Carolina’s Republican Party says that one of the women who has publicly accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct is a “criminal.” “This woman is a criminal,” N.C. Republican Party executive director Dallas Woodhouse tweeted on Sunday, referring to Julie Swetnick, the third woman to accuse Kavanaugh of inappropriate behavior. “One way or another,” he wrote. “She either was a part of some massive criminal conspiracy to facilitate child rape, as an adult. Or more likely, she lied to Congress and her attorney knew it. She should go to prison, period.” Swetnick submitted a sworn statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee last week that said she saw Kavanaugh “consistently engage in excessive drinking and inappropriate contact of a sexual nature with women in the early 1980s.”

Kavanaugh was ‘heavy drinker,’ ‘often belligerent’ at Yale, NC State professor says
N&O // Abbie Bennett // September 30, 2018

Summary: Charles ‘Chad’ Ludington and Brett Kavanaugh were classmates at Yale. They socialized together, Ludington says. Now Kavanaugh is a nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court, under fire over accusations of sexual misconduct, including sexual assault allegations. The FBI is investigating, after dramatic testimony by Kavanaugh and accuser Christine Blasey Ford before a U.S. Senate committee led to demands that more be done to dig into the claims. At the Senate hearing, Kavanaugh denied ever having had so much to drink that he blacked out. Ludington is an associate professor of history at N.C. State University. On Sunday, he issued a statement about Kavanaugh in which he referred to the judge as “a frequent drinker, and a heavy drinker,” in college. He said he felt it was his “civic duty” to tell people about his experience drinking with Kavanaugh.

GUEST EDITORIAL: Why Kavanaugh wasn't believable and why Blasey Ford was
WRAL // CBC Opinion // September 28, 2018

Summary: What a study in contrasts: Where Christine Blasey Ford was calm and dignified, Brett Kavanaugh was volatile and belligerent; where she was eager to respond fully to every questioner, and kept worrying whether she was being “helpful” enough, he was openly contemptuous of several senators; most important, where she was credible and unshakable at every point in her testimony, he was at some points evasive, and some of his answers strained credulity.

After Ford’s testimony, sexual assault victims come forward
N&O // Rasaan Ayesh // September 28, 2018

Summary: An increase in calls to national and local sexual assault centers is being attributed to the testimony of professor Christine Blasey Ford, who detailed her allegations of sexual assault against Brett Kavanaugh in a televised Senate confirmation hearing for the Supreme Court nominee. InterAct of Wake County, a group that helps victims of sexual assault, said the organization has seen a 19 percent increase in calls to its sexual assault hotline compared to this time last year. RAINN, the group that operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline, said late Thursday on Twitter that the hotline saw a 147 percent increase that day from its normal volume. Counselors said that Ford’s testimony, immediately followed by Kavanaugh’s statements that refuted Ford’s allegations, has prompted women around the country to share their own stories of sexual assault and to seek help.

NC Education 

Our View: More reasons to worry about public education’s future in NC
Fayetteville Observer // Opinion // September 30, 2018
Summary: Why, we wonder sometimes, would anyone want to become a teacher? It’s hard to imagine a more demanding job that rewards trained professionals less. Our teachers need at least a college degree and most are encouraged to have a master’s as well. There are strict licensing requirements. And since the recession, resources and pay for teachers in North Carolina have diminished to the point that most of them would be better off in just about any other state. That was the depressing conclusion reached by analysts at the number-crunching website WalletHub. In a study released last week, WalletHub’s education experts scored the 50 states and the District of Columbia on average teacher salaries (adjusted for cost of living), quality of school systems, student-teacher ratios, public school spending per student, teachers’ income growth potential, the 10-year change in teacher salaries and teacher safety. Their conclusion: It doesn’t get much worse for teachers than North Carolina. The state ranked 49th in the country, ahead of only Arizona and Hawaii. You’re better off as a teacher in every other state — and yes, that includes such education luminary states as Mississippi (46th) and Arkansas (37th). A teacher only needs to drive north to Virginia to work in a state that ranks 12th in the nation for teachers’ quality of life and work — the study’s top-ranked state in the South.

Outspoken charter school leader is named chief of staff overseeing NC public schools
Charlotte Observer //  T. Keungh Hui // September 28, 2018
Summary: State Schools Superintendent Mark Johnson has hired an outspoken charter school leader and advocate to be chief of staff of the agency that oversees North Carolina’s public schools. Johnson announced Friday that Joseph Maimone will be the new chief of staff at the state Department of Public Instruction. Maimone recently resigned as headmaster of Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy, a charter school he founded and led in Rutherford County for nearly 20 years. Maimone has also served since 2013 on the N.C. Charter Schools Advisory Board, which makes recommendations on which charter schools to approve and close. He was inducted into the N.C. Alliance of Charter Schools Hall of Fame in 2011. “Joe has the management expertise and the background in K-12 education to help us continue the process of making this department function best,” Johnson said in a written statement. “I am happy to have him join the team of professionals who make up the Department of Public Instruction.”

Not diverse enough? One of NC’s oldest charter schools wants more low-income students.
N&O // T. Keung Hui // September 28, 2018

Summary: The Exploris School is one of North Carolina’s oldest and most popular charter schools, yet leaders of the downtown Raleigh school say they have a problem. They are concerned that their largely white and affluent student population lacks racial and socioeconomic diversity, especially when compared to traditional public schools in Wake County. So now school leaders want to become one of a handful of charter schools in the state to give admissions priority to applicants from economically disadvantaged families. The State Board of Education will discuss Exploris’ request next week at a time when there’s an ongoing statewide and national debate about whether charter schools have a negative impact on diversity in the nation’s public schools. “Research demonstrates that charter schools can contribute to school segregation if they do not take active steps to address diversity and reduce barriers to access for students of all backgrounds,” Ellie Schollmeyer, executive director of Exploris, and Tom MIller, chairman of the school’s board of directors, wrote in a letter to the state board requesting approval of the change.

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