Welcome. This is a weekly feature of North Carolina Blue. The platform gives readers interested in North Carolina politics a place to share their knowledge, insight and inspiration as we take back our state from some of the most extreme Republicans in the nation. Please stop by each week. You can also join the discussion in four other weekly State Open Threads. If you are interested in starting your own state blog, weekly to occasionally, I will list your work below.
Colorado: Mondays, 7:00 PM Mountain Michigan: Wednesdays, 6:00 PM Eastern North Carolina: Sundays, 1:00 PM Eastern Missouri: Wednesday Evenings Kansas: Monday Evenings
This week features stories and opinion from around the state. They include the Harris surge, Rip currents danger, Biden vs lead pipes, Asheville/Trump, Tribal collaboration and Atty Gen Stein looking into Elon Musk’s Trump PAC.
Thanks for reading and sharing the following stories and links.
A new High Point University/SurveyUSA Poll shows Attorney General Josh Stein, the Democratic nominee for governor, leading Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson by 14 percentage points in North Carolina’s closely watched governor’s race.
The online poll of more than 1,000 North Carolina registered voters found 48% favored Stein and 34% supporting Robinson. Eighteen percent say they remain undecided.
The High Point Poll comes roughly a week after a New York Times/Sienna College poll showed Stein leading Robinson 49-39 percent.
While Harris’ entry into the presidential race has helped bring new excitement to the Democratic ticket — the poll found that she has now pulled slightly ahead of former President Donald Trump among North Carolina voters 46%-45% — Robinson has faced questions in recent weeks about a nonprofit led by his wife that was cited for inaccurate reimbursement claims.
Republicans sued North Carolina’s elections board on Thursday, demanding enforcement of a new law that requires cross-checking jury documents to remove non-citizens from voter rolls.
The Republican National Committee and North Carolina GOP allegethat the North Carolina State Board of Elections has “deliberately declined” to enforce the law.
In a news release, they said the lawsuit was designed to “force the NCSBE to immediately clean the voter rolls and prevent non-citizens from voting in November.”
“The NCSBE has chosen to blatantly ignore the law, undermine basic election safeguards, and neglect a fundamental principle of our election integrity,” RNC Chairman Michael Whatley said. “The RNC and NCGOP defended this law in court, and now we will make sure the NCSBE follows and enforces these critical safeguards in The Old North State.”
A spokesperson for the board of elections said Republican claims that they were refusing to comply with the law were “categorically false.”
Trump, Vance attack Harris on Afghanistan exit, foreign policy at North Carolina event
Racial Justice Act case rests with Superior Court judge after closing arguments
A divided NC Board of Elections allows use of UNC-Chapel Hill digital IDs for voting
NC Housing Finance Agency awarded $8M federal grant to secure housing for people with disabilities
The Harris-Walz campaign is putting up digital billboards around North Carolina starting Friday and running through the weekend.
The billboards, covering 35 percent of all available digital billboards within a 12-mile radius of Greensboro, Charlotte, Durham, and Raleigh, follow Vice President Kamala Harris’ speech during the final night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this week.
Harris characterized herself as a lifelong public servant with the goal of fighting for the American people.
“On behalf of everyone whose story could only be written in the greatest nation on Earth, I accept your nomination for president of the United States of America,” she said Thursday night.
Each billboard features a photo of Harris with “a new way forward,” a reference to her campaign’s agenda for providing economic opportunity and protecting freedoms for Americans.
Highs on Monday will be in the low 90s, but Tuesday through Thursday will feature highs around 96 to 98 in the Triangle.
Enjoy a milder Sunday while you can, because the heat returns this week with highs back in the mid 90s. Sunday will be another nice day with the humidity not noticeably increasing until Monday into Tuesday.
"Sunday looks like another beautiful day," WRAL meteorologist Chris Michaels said. With full-on sunshine, Sunday’s high will reach the upper 80s, making it a warmer day compared to the start of the weekend.
- Sunday: Mostly sunny with tolerable humidity. Highs upper 80s.
- Monday: Mostly sunny. Low 60s in the morning to low 90s in the afternoon.
- Tuesday-Thursday: Highs 96 to 98 degrees. Heat index above 100 degrees.
Freedom Park
Massive trees—check. Seven-acre lake—check. Walking trails—check. Welcome, Charlotte, to your new favorite playground.
Reedy Creek Nature Preserve- Step into the Reedy Creek Nature Preserve and you’ll immediately forget that you are actually still in the city. Ten miles of hiking trails wind through this 727-acre, wooded preserve. Prepare for a veritable feast of fall beauty.
McAlpine Creek Greenway
Time your visit to the McAlpine Creek Greenway correctly and you might be able to catch sight of a migrating bird species or a Great Blue Heron, in addition to some phenomenal fall colors, of course. Three different surfaces comprise the trails in this south Charlotte getaway, including gravel, asphalt, and boardwalk.
U.S. National Whitewater Center
Over 20 miles of trails, some of which line the Catawba River and most of which are ensconced in oaks, elms, and maples are accessible through entry to the U.S. National Whitewater Center. The best news? You’ll be safe from the amoebas, which can’t survive on dry land.
Little Sugar Creek Greenway
Opt for the Little Sugar Creek Greenway and decide just how nature-y you want to get. The Greenway totals 18 miles, 1.2 of which pass through urban areas, so you can get some of the flora without the fauna, except an occasional squirrel.
Marshall Park
Tucked into the corner of South McDowell and East Third, Marshall Park offers Second Ward residents and workers a little nugget of natural beauty. A reflecting pool, a fountain, and an open grassy slope make Marshall Park prime sunset-watching and leaf-gazing territory.
Thanks again for reading and sharing, wishing you a good week.
