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
I hope you find the following links interesting and relevant.
How North Carolina’s next attorney general could impact voting rights
After the 2020 election, U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop of North Carolina became an outspoken proponent of the lie that Democrats had rigged the results. He accused the rival party of running a national campaign to tie up the courts and disrupt the election’s administration, announcing that he would contest Electoral College votes in four states that were key to Joe Biden’s victory.
“The Democrats’ objectives were to weaken ballot security, undermine positive identification of voters, and provide opportunities for post-election ballot-box stuffing,” Bishop said at the time. “This has been a national, partisan attack on the Constitutional delegation of authority to regulate elections specifically to state legislatures.”
Bishop has expressed skepticism about the outcome of elections in other states but not the ultimate results in North Carolina, which Donald Trump won in 2016 and 2020. But just before Election Day 2020, Bishop criticized North Carolina’s governor, attorney general and “national Democrat operatives” for what he saw as partisan attacks on the integrity of the election.
Now, Bishop is running for state attorney general, an office that would give him immense power in safeguarding North Carolina’s “election integrity” — and in determining its future on voting rights.
North Carolina will receive an additional $76 million for utilities to remove and replace lead service lines that could be contaminating the drinking water, the Biden administration announced today.
The money is part of a $9 billion package for all states and U.S. territories, as well as tribal lands, through 2026, with $3 billion available each year.
Half of this funding will go to disadvantaged communities, said EPA Administrator Michael Regan, “a crucial investment for communities that have been underserved and overburdened by pollution for far too long.” Low-income neighborhoods and communities of color are often at particular risk because governments have historically failed to invest in those areas.
“It’s far past time to get the lead out once and for all. This is a matter of public health, a matter of environmental justice and a matter of basic human rights,” Regan said.
Lead service lines were primarily installed from the late 1800s to the 1940s. However, some communities laid them through the 1980s until they were banned by the federal government in 1986, according to the EPA. In North Carolina, the State Plumbing Code banned the use of lead in these materials in March 1987. Nonetheless, there are still 9 million of these old pipes in use today, sending contaminated drinking water into homes nationwide, according to the EPA. The funding awarded so far will help replace 1.7 million of those lines, including lead-containing goosenecks and connectors.
Critics raise big and legitimate concerns about Duke Energy’s carbon plan
Audio-OPINION, Rob Schofield, NC Newsline May 2, 2024
Five North Carolina firefighters are among more than 200 fallen heroes being honored and remembered this weekend.
This weekend, people from across the nation came together in Maryland to pay tribute to firefighters who have passed away in recent years. Among those being honored during this gathering are five firefighters hailing from North Carolina.
A fallen firefighter memorial in the small town of Emmetsburg Maryland, carries the names of people whose impact can’t be measured.
"Their lives weren't lost in vain. They pursued something greater than themselves," one speaker said.
A new name, etched in gold, Jeremy Klemm, a Durham firefighter.
"He was always happy, always making jokes. Just very pleasant to be around," Brad Allison, Durham Fire Department said.
The crew remembers Klemm vividly, even after his passing in September 2021 from COVID-19 complications.
"If you ever needed anything, you could lean on him," Allison said.
A candlelight service honors Klemm alongside over 200 other firefighters who fell in recent years. Four others hailed from North Carolina.
Nearly 20 Native American Tribes across the country came to Cumberland County to celebrate the fifth annual feather ceremony for graduating high school seniors on Thursday.
This year, students received a hawk’s feather to pin on their tassels that represents strength.
“It's important because not just for cultural awareness for our community, but for an awareness within yourself,” said Candice Revels, the Coordinator for Cumberland County Schools Office of Indian Education.
Nineteen tribes attended the ceremony. Five out of the 19 were state-recognized tribes in North Carolina. Those include the Lumbee, Coharie and Occaneechi tribes.
Every May, more than 190 wineries across North Carolina open their doors for a month of special events, tastings and promotions.
May is North Carolina Wine Month when more than 190 of the state’s wineries come to celebrate with special events and promotions.
North Carolina Wine Month gives wine lovers, along with those who enjoy cider and mead, an opportunity to connect with this growing segment of North Carolina’s craft beverage culture. As the industry has grown, so has the variety and quality of wines produced in the state.
“If you’ve never been to a North Carolina winery or haven’t been recently, N.C. Wine Month is the perfect opportunity to get out and enjoy the quality and overall experience in our growing regions,” says Brianna Burns, executive director of the N.C. Wine & Grape Council. “Over the last two decades, North Carolina has become a farm-to-glass state.
“Our wines, ciders and meads are grown here and made here. It’s an agricultural success story that is gaining recognition nationally and internationally.”
The North Carolina Republican Party on Saturday came under fire for a Star Wars-themed post meant to celebrate the "May the Fourth" internet holiday and promote Donald Trump.
The official account of the North Carolina Republican Party on X, formerly known as Twitter, posted an image showing Trump holding a lightsaber. The text says, "May the Fourth Be With You," which is a play on the Star Wars line, "May the force be with you."
The problem, as social media users were quick to point out, is that the ex-president was shown with a red lightsaber. According to Vox, "Sith usually use red-hued" lightsabers, such as the one Darth Vader wields.
Thanks for visiting NC Open Thread today. Wishing all a good week.
