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NC Policy Watch: A federal appeals court judge’s remarkable speech is the latest surprise in NC’s hog nuisance lawsuits

By Alanna Joyner / February 5, 2020 / Comments Off on NC Policy Watch: A federal appeals court judge’s remarkable speech is the latest surprise in NC’s hog nuisance lawsuits

Last Friday, attorneys for a subsidiary of Smithfield Foods, the world’s largest pork producer, went before the Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and asked three judges to overturn a $3.25 million jury award in a lawsuit filed by neighbors of a large North Carolina hog farm. The attorneys were met with surprise as a…

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Rural Hospitals in Greater Jeopardy in Non-Medicaid Expansion States

By Alanna Joyner / February 4, 2020 / Comments Off on Rural Hospitals in Greater Jeopardy in Non-Medicaid Expansion States

According to the Center for Health Services Research at UNC Chapel Hill, over one hundred rural hospitals have closed across the United States since 2010. In a recent report by iVantage Health Analytics, almost 600 rural hospitals are at risk of closing.  In these studies, both closures and at-risk hospitals are in the 14 states…

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News & Observer: ECU trustees accused of offering money for student campaign to gain a voting ally

By Alanna Joyner / February 4, 2020 / Comments Off on News & Observer: ECU trustees accused of offering money for student campaign to gain a voting ally

The UNC Board of Governors is not the only board under scrutiny. Two members of the East Carolina University Board of Trustees are accused of offering money to fund an ECU student’s campaign for student body president in order to gain a vote.  A letter from ECU board chairman Vern Davenport, Vice Chairman Fielding Miller…

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UNC-Chapel Hill faculty petition to end moratorium on renaming university buildings

By Alanna Joyner / February 4, 2020 / Comments Off on UNC-Chapel Hill faculty petition to end moratorium on renaming university buildings

On Monday, a group of prominent UNC-Chapel Hill professors delivered a petition to the new UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz, petitioning to end the moratorium. UNC professors are asking the UNC Board of Trustees to allow the university to rename buildings and historical places on campus — particularly those tied to a racist or white…

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Emotions run high at a public hearing over Duke Energy rate hike request

By Alanna Joyner / February 3, 2020 / Comments Off on Emotions run high at a public hearing over Duke Energy rate hike request

Last Friday marked the first of several public hearings in Alamance County over the potential Duke Energy rate hike request. Numerous residents spoke out against the rate increase — emphasizing the financial hardships that Duke Energy’s rate increase would cause. If Duke has its way, ratepayers’ bills would go up by 6.8 percent — essentially…

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News & Observer: Sens. Burr and Tillis vote against calling witnesses at Trump impeachment trial

By Alanna Joyner / February 3, 2020 /

North Carolina’s U.S. Senators Richard Burr and Thom Tillis chose party over country on Friday evening, voting with their Republican colleagues to block the Senate from calling witnesses in the impeachment trial. The final vote of 51-49 with Republicans Susan Collins of Maine and Mitt Romney of Utah joining 47 Democrats and independents, cleared way…

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As NC Utilities Commission Holds Public Hearing in Charlotte TONIGHT on Duke Energy’s Rate Hike Request, State Lawmakers Must Return to Raleigh to Pass Legislation to Ban “Coal Ash Rate Hikes”

By Eleanore Wood / January 30, 2020 / Comments Off on As NC Utilities Commission Holds Public Hearing in Charlotte TONIGHT on Duke Energy’s Rate Hike Request, State Lawmakers Must Return to Raleigh to Pass Legislation to Ban “Coal Ash Rate Hikes”

So far, the GOP-controlled state legislature has sided with Wall Street shareholders of the Duke Energy power monopoly and utterly failed to protect ratepayers from Duke’s mammoth coal ash clean up costs. CHARLOTTE – As the North Carolina Utilities Commission will tonight hold a hearing at the Mecklenburg Co. Courthouse at 7 pm in Charlotte to…

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As NC Utilities Commission Holds Public Hearing in Triad TONIGHT on Duke Energy Rate Hike Request, State Lawmakers Must Return to Raleigh to Pass Legislation to Ban “Coal Ash Rate Hikes”

By Eleanore Wood / January 29, 2020 / Comments Off on As NC Utilities Commission Holds Public Hearing in Triad TONIGHT on Duke Energy Rate Hike Request, State Lawmakers Must Return to Raleigh to Pass Legislation to Ban “Coal Ash Rate Hikes”

So far, the GOP-controlled state legislature has sided with Wall Street shareholders of the Duke Energy power monopoly and utterly failed to protect ratepayers from Duke’s mammoth coal ash clean up costs. GRAHAM, NC – As the North Carolina Utilities Commission will tonight hold a hearing at the Alamance Co. Historic Courthouse at 7pm in Graham…

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The Sanford Herald: Teacher By Day / EMT By Night: Politicians put health of schools at risk

By Alanna Joyner / January 28, 2020 / Comments Off on 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.…

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Winston-Salem Journal: Duke Energy is seeking rate hike costing the average residential customer $97 per year. Here’s how you can weigh in

By Alanna Joyner / January 27, 2020 / Comments Off on 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 NC 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…

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