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In Case You Missed: It -Silent Sham payoff, voter ID ruling, Iran protests

By Alanna Joyner / January 10, 2020 / Comments Off on In Case You Missed: It -Silent Sham payoff, voter ID ruling, Iran protests

In Case You Missed It is a weekly roundup of the most important news articles, editorials, and op-eds in North Carolina — so you can stay plugged in without having to scour a dozen different news sites each day. Quote of the Week: “This was so last-minute”  –April Shumard on Trump’s rushed deployment of the 82nd…

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Settlement forces Duke Energy to clean up coal ash ponds — but who will pay for it?

By Alanna Joyner / January 9, 2020 /

After years of Duke Energy trying to shirk its responsibility to clean up its coal ash ponds, a new settlement means the energy giant will finally have to clean up these polluted ponds which have leaked countless tons of toxic chemicals into North Carolina waterways. From WRAL: Frank Holleman, senior attorney for the Southern Environmental…

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Trump trying to start a war with Iran to distract from impeachment troubles

By Eleanore Wood / January 8, 2020 / Comments Off on Trump trying to start a war with Iran to distract from impeachment troubles

The Trump administration is hell-bent on starting a war with Iran, and North Carolina military families are caught right in the middle. 3,500 soldiers based at Fort Bragg are being sent to the Middle East — part of the rising tensions with Iran created by Trump’s unilateral assassination of an Iranian official. Some military families…

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NC voter ID law put on hold as more gerrymandering evidence comes to light

By Eleanore Wood / January 7, 2020 / Comments Off on NC voter ID law put on hold as more gerrymandering evidence comes to light

NC voter ID law put on hold as more gerrymandering evidence comes to light  North Carolina’s voter ID law is temporarily on hold after a federal court ruling. This comes as new files have been released showing more details on NC Republicans’ plan to rig elections and undermine the will of voters. Last week’s ruling…

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Tessa Pendley: Why teachers blame the GOP legislature for no pay raise before the holidays

By Eleanore Wood / December 29, 2019 / Comments Off on Tessa Pendley: Why teachers blame the GOP legislature for no pay raise before the holidays

Union Hill Elementary School teacher Tessa Pendley speaks out about the budget and the lack of any compromise from GOP leaders in North Carolina’s legislature. From The Greensboro News & Record North Carolina educators don’t have much to be thankful for this holiday season when it comes to the latest meager “raises” offered up by legislative…

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A math teacher does the math on NC teacher pay

By Eleanore Wood / December 27, 2019 /

Wake County math teacher Celia Rowland sets the record straight on teacher pay in North Carolina. From The News & Observer $66,267. No, that is definitely not my salary as a teacher. It’s the total amount I have “lost” from the state thanks to a decade of pay freezes, the loss of longevity pay, and the step…

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Op-Ed: Legislative leaders ignoring the facts on NC education funding

By Eleanore Wood / December 17, 2019 / Comments Off on Op-Ed: Legislative leaders ignoring the facts on NC education funding

The ongoing exodus of veteran teachers, the abuse of new and future teachers, and the defunding of North Carolina’s public schools is the symptom of a legislature that has forgotten the civil purpose and value of public education.

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WRAL: ‘Silent Sam’ deal cost UNC-CH a $1.5M grant from major foundation donor

By Eleanore Wood / December 16, 2019 / Comments Off on 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.…

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STATEMENT: Leandro report puts a price tag on lawmakers’ long-term neglect of public schools

By Logan Smith / December 11, 2019 / Comments Off on STATEMENT: Leandro report puts a price tag on lawmakers’ long-term neglect of public schools

General Assembly to blame for the strain which $8 billion in “deferred maintenance costs” has put on North Carolina teachers and students RALEIGH — Progress NC Action released the following statement on Wednesday in response to the Leandro report which shows that North Carolina’s current education system fails to meet the  needs of many children, and recommends…

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2020 legislative maps finalized, congressional maps still up in the air

By Logan Smith / November 19, 2019 / Comments Off on 2020 legislative maps finalized, congressional maps still up in the air

Could it be? Is our long statewide nightmare over gerrymandered political maps finally over? Well… not quite yet. The 2020 legislative maps appear to be final after the State Supreme Court declined last week to take up yet another legal challenge. However, we’re still waiting to find out whether the newly-passed congressional maps will pass a court…

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