Our take
Everyday the government makes decisions that affect our lives; from the water we drink, the food our kids eat and how much money we bring home. Being informed is one of the first steps in building our power and creating change in our communities.
The Sanford Herald: Teacher By Day / EMT By Night: Politicians put health of schools at risk
From The Sanford Herald: Like countless N.C. educators, I’m forced to work a second job to make ends meet. Unlike most of my colleagues, my second job isn’t retail, it’s saving lives.Every Friday after I finish grading coursework, I head to my weekend job as an EMT/firefighter in Harnett County and pull 12-hour shifts.Working as…
Winston-Salem Journal: Duke Energy is seeking rate hike costing the average residential customer $97 per year. Here’s how you can weigh in
Duke Energy is asking the N.C. Utilities Commission to raise electricity rates on its customers by an average of $8 / month for residents or almost $100 / year to pay for coal ash clean-up. The N.C. The Utilities Commission will hold public hearings in Alamance County on Wednesday and Charlotte on Thursday to take…
Transylvania Times: Shortchanging Public Education
From Transylvania Times: Two recent reports state North Carolina is not spending enough money on public education. Late last year, independent consultant WestEd released a nearly 300-page report entitled “Sound Basic Education for All: An Action Plan for North Carolina.” In that report, the consultants call for an additional $8 billion to be spent over…
Daily Reflector: State putting the squeeze on teachers
From The Daily Reflector: It’s certainly not unusual for teachers to stay in their classrooms long after school ends to grade papers and plan for upcoming lessons. It’s part of the job I expected when I became a teacher. But something I didn’t expect was having to work a second job to make ends meet…
King’s words ring true today
In the days leading up to Martin Luther King Day – the Raleigh News & Observer republished this editorial which was one of the newspaper’s most shared pieces in 2018 and again in 2019. It’s a reminder that the civil rights icon was not as appreciated during his lifetime as he should have been or as he is today.…
WRAL: ‘Silent Sam’ deal cost UNC-CH a $1.5M grant from major foundation donor
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is one of the largest charitable foundations in the world and they are in the final stages of withdrawing their grant after finding out the UNC Board of Governors agreed to a settlement giving the Sons of Confederate Veterans the monument and $2.5 million to maintain it. The Andrew W.…
Pressure from citizens in coal ash communities credited for winning cleanup settlement
For years, communities across North Carolina stood up to Duke Energy (as well as the energy giant’s enablers in the McCrory administration and the General Assembly) and fought to get coal ash pollution cleaned up in their neighborhoods. The tenacity of those communities reflects the true spirit of democracy and resilience, now that Duke Energy…
Fox 46: Teachers protest decision not to increase their pay
From Fox 46 Charlotte: NC teachers protest for pay raises North Carolina teachers are protesting because they are not getting a pay raise per lawmakers in Raleigh. Teachers in Charlotte protested Wednesday because they’re not getting pay raises from the state of North Carolina. Lawmakers failed to override Governor Roy Cooper’s veto of pay raises.
The News & Observer 01/14 Letters: Deployment to Middle East will hurt NC towns, families, the economy
The idea that wars are always good for the economy is simply not true. It is likely that the emotional and economic impact of a war with Iran would be a heavy one, not unlike North Carolina’s experience during previous wars in the middle east. Our state simply can not afford another endless war. From…
Lawmakers return to talk teacher pay as another red state expands Medicaid
The North Carolina General Assembly convenes on Tuesday for a so-called “mini-session” amidst the budget standoff waged by legislative Republicans since last summer. From North Carolina Health News: “We have not set a date and honestly we’re waiting like everyone else to see what the legislature” does this week, said Dave Richard, the N.C. Department of Health…