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News Story
Weekend reads: Gearing up for voter ID, Truitt on learning loss, and Medicaid expansion eyes Oct. 1
NC General Assembly (Photo: Clayton Henkel)
1. NC lurches toward elections with voter photo ID
Voter education groups gearing up to make sure voters know the rules and their rights
Pamela Pearson knows that getting a photo ID for some people isn’t as easy as heading to the DMV.
Pearson is the North Carolina coordinator for VoteRiders, an organization with a mission to help eligible citizens get IDs they need to vote.
Getting an ID can be tough if you can’t take time off to get to the DMV, don’t have a way to get there, or can’t afford the fee to get a copy of a birth certificate, said Pearson.
“There are a lot of challenges facing people,” she said. [Read more…]
2. Republican from the extreme right wing joins race for NC House Speaker
Rep. Keith Kidwell announced on Facebook that he is running for NC House Speaker. Kidwell, a Beaufort County Republican, is serving his third term in the House. He is a leader of the House Freedom Caucus, a group that often takes positions more conservative than other Republican legislators. The position of House Speaker is one of the most powerful in the state. [Read more…]
3. U.S. Supreme Court lifts stays on Mountain Valley Pipeline
Work on the Mountain Valley Pipeline project will be allowed to continue after U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts on Thursday lifted two stays, or pauses, imposed by a lower court in response to challenges from environmental groups. The lifting of the stays was issued while the Richmond, Virginia-based U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals [Read more…]
Bonus reads: Gov. Cooper asks FERC to deny MVP Southgate request for more time to build its gas pipeline
4. Trees and casinos: imaginary solutions to real and serious problems (commentary)
Plant a trillion trees. U.S. House Republicans offered that idea last week as their plan for addressing the global climate emergency.
And it’s hard to know whether to laugh or cry in response.
Yes, planting more trees is always a fine idea, as deforestation is a big and deeply worrisome contributing factor to the world’s environmental woes. [Read more…]
5. A tentative Oct. 1 launch date for Medicaid expansion in NC depends on legislative action
North Carolina could launch Medicaid expansion on Oct.1 if the legislature acts by Sept. 1, the Department of Health and Human Services said Wednesday. The state legislature approved Medicaid expansion in March, but tied it to passage of the state budget. The new state budget year started July 1, but Republican House and Senate budget negotiators have not agreed on a final spending plan. [Read more…]
6. State Superintendent Catherine Truitt discusses learning loss before congressional committee
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt on Wednesday told a U.S. House committee that North Carolina’s school districts have $1.5 million remaining in federal money to help school children recovering from learning loss incurred because of the global pandemic.
Truitt shared that information with the House Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education, which is examining the impact of the pandemic on student learning. [Read more…]
7. New UNC-Chapel Hill policy all but bans asking applicants about racial experiences
The UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees passed changes to the university’s non-discrimination policy Thursday that some members warned go well beyond last month’s U.S. Supreme Court decision against considering race in admissions.
The high court’s ruling found using race as a criterion in admissions decisions to be a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment’s equal protection clause. [Read more…]
Bonus read: UNC-Chapel Hill grapples with non-discrimination policies, will set tone for university system
8. In a summer marked by extreme heat, is it time for a national cooling standard?
Duke University experts say policies, institutions must change to address dangerous heat exposure
Heat, humidity and the quest for air conditioning are a part of every summer. But Ashley Ward believes this summer is a wake-up call for many Americans.
Ward directs the Heat Policy Innovation Hub at Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability. Her work focuses on the health impacts of climate extremes and community resilience. [Read more…]
Three North Carolinians have died from Vibrio infections so far this year, according to state health officials, representing a third of those who have been infected.
Vibrio are naturally occurring bacteria that live in warm seawater or brackish water (mixed salt and fresh water, as is found in an estuary or salt marsh) and can be found worldwide. [Read more…]
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