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Sunday Round-up
posted at 2008-05-25 12:49 | Last modified 2008-05-27 09:06
NC papers
The N&O's Dan Kane says no one’s complaining much about Gov Easley’s budget cuts because, well, most of them aren’t really cuts.
Former DENR official Boyce Hudson is set to plead guilty to federal corruption charges Tuesday. (I wrote about it here.) The N&O’s Ben Niolet reports DENR folks say Hudson didn’t have the clout to get the permits he’s charged with selling.
W-SJ’s James Romoser explains a proposed moratorium on involuntary annexations.
Asheville’s Jordan Schrader says 15 statewide candidates have signed up for public financing for November’s elections.
W-SJ’s Paul O’Connor looks at how political strategists pace their game.
Speaking of game, the AP says gubernatorial candidate Pat McCrory’s looking to raise his in eastern NC. He’s hired former Carteret COP Chair Bob Pruett to lead a “grassroots effort” in 39 counties.
Back to the future
In a banner week for cultural nostalgia, some local officials seem to be doing their best to set the state back about 50 years.
The N&O’s Kristin Collins reports Beaufort County Commissioner Hood Richardson is working to make his county less hospitable to “wetbacks.” Yes, that's the term he used - and it apparently includes anyone with a Hispanic name.
In some cases where the law won’t allow the county to refuse to serve illegal immigrants, Richardson wants to get rid of those services completely:
"…He wants to scrap some programs that receive federal and state money, including health clinics and prenatal care for the poor. He said he would continue vaccinations because they are important to public health.
"When you're a pregnant lady sitting there, that's a personal problem," Richardson said. "That's not a public problem."
(Wonder whether the 96% or so of county residents who are there legally see it that way.)
The N&O's Matt Eisley reports two Raleigh men were charged with “crimes against nature” (aka sodomy) after one man called police when a private encounter allegedly turned abusive. For the record, the US Supreme Court pronounced that unconstitutional about 5 years ago. But who’s counting?
W-SJ’s Sherry Youngblood says Jonesville’s town council wants to remove dozens of grapevines planted outside its visitors center. Council members okayed the display two weeks ago as a promotion for the local wine industry, but now they’re worried it might offend visitors who don’t approve of alcohol. (Which raises the question: just how many non-wine tourists does Jonesville get?)
Just for fun
- The N&O’s Josh Shaffer takes a lighthearted look at what folks are doing with their “stimulus” checks.
- NPR's Fresh Air host Terry Gross gave a great commencement speech at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
- Couldn’t have happened to a nicer dog: A Missouri search-and-rescue canine gets a pacemaker.
- My favorite: In Saskatchewan Monday, 64-year-old Michel Fournier will try the ultimate base jump. He’ll parachute from a balloon 25 miles up - so high there’s no gravity and you can see space. The NYT’s Matt Higgins says Fournier will freefall for almost 8 minutes at speeds exceeding 1000 mph. Okay, yeah, it’s nuts, but it’s still very, very cool. Here’s hoping he survives to tell us what it was like.
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