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WTVD: Political battles return over proposed constitutional amendments

By Eleanore Wood / September 28, 2018 / Comments Off on WTVD: Political battles return over proposed constitutional amendments

The six constitutional amendments on the ballot this November were intentionally written by state lawmakers to be vague and misleading. Lawmakers didn’t include enabling legislation for a reason — they want voters to give them a blank check to fill in the details after the election. From WTVD: Thursday as a small group of current…

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The Virginia Pilot: Editorial: Ignoring waste lagoons’ is a lasting risk

By Eleanore Wood / September 27, 2018 / Comments Off on The Virginia Pilot: Editorial: Ignoring waste lagoons’ is a lasting risk

Cutting taxes has consequences. One of those is a lack of staff and funding to keep water clean and prepare for hurricanes. From The Virginia Pilot: The threat of hurricanes is a constant in eastern North Carolina, as much a part of the landscape as the golden fields of tobacco that once dominated the region…

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WTVD: WalletHub ranks North Carolina as one of the worst states for teachers

By Eleanore Wood / September 26, 2018 / Comments Off on WTVD: WalletHub ranks North Carolina as one of the worst states for teachers

Once again, North Carolina is ranked among the worst states for teachers. WalletHub, using 22 key indicators of teacher-friendliness such as teachers’ income-growth potential, pupil-teacher ratio, and teacher safety, ranked North Carolina 49th out of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. In comparison, North Carolina ranked 44th in 2016. The Republican legislature has…

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Salisbury Post: Proposed amendments are a blank check for pols and bad deal for voters

By Eleanore Wood / September 23, 2018 / Comments Off on Salisbury Post: Proposed amendments are a blank check for pols and bad deal for voters

These amendments give state legislative leaders a blank check to rewrite our system of checks and balances and permanently entrench their brand of partisan politics in our state constitution. Anyone who believes in our democratic system of checks and balances should vote no on all six amendments. From The Salisbury Post: Like so many people…

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The New York Times: What Is Coal Ash and Why Is It Dangerous?

By Eleanore Wood / September 21, 2018 / Comments Off on The New York Times: What Is Coal Ash and Why Is It Dangerous?

Another coal ash pit is spilling into our water, this after Trump’s EPA relaxed the regulations on these pits even further. This happened before and caused the drinking water of hundreds of families to be poisoned. NC lawmakers did require that Duke Energy clean up its act, but allowed them to make their customers pay…

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The News & Observer: Raleigh woman makes Time magazine cover about financial challenges of being a teacher

By Eleanore Wood / September 19, 2018 / Comments Off on The News & Observer: Raleigh woman makes Time magazine cover about financial challenges of being a teacher

A Wake County teacher has become one of the faces for what it’s like to be a teacher in America. Highlighting the problems not only with low wages and high costs but also the environment in which teachers must function. In North Carolina, classroom funding has been cut by 55% in the last 10 years…

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The Wall Street Journal: Florence Washes Away Portion of Coal-Ash Landfill in North Carolina

By Eleanore Wood / September 16, 2018 / Comments Off on The Wall Street Journal: Florence Washes Away Portion of Coal-Ash Landfill in North Carolina

Duke Energy is once again responsible for a spill of toxic coal ash into North Carolina’s waterways. Our lawmakers have been soft on Duke and even allowed them to charge their customers to clean up their toxic mess. It’s time the politicians protected the health of the people and hold corporate polluters accountable to clean…

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CNN: Hurricane Florence: Mapping the thousands of animal waste lagoons, nuclear sites threatened

By Eleanore Wood / September 14, 2018 / Comments Off on CNN: Hurricane Florence: Mapping the thousands of animal waste lagoons, nuclear sites threatened

Instead of protecting the people of North Carolina from contaminated water, NC lawmakers are protecting the profits of a multi-billion dollar Chinese corporation. They continue to allow the cheap and unsafe practices of open hog waste lagoons. Why? Because Smithfield Foods donates to their campaigns. The politicians in Raleigh could force the company to put…

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CNN: Hurricane Florence: Mapping the thousands of animal waste lagoons, nuclear sites threatened

By Eleanore Wood / September 14, 2018 / Comments Off on CNN: Hurricane Florence: Mapping the thousands of animal waste lagoons, nuclear sites threatened

Instead of protecting the people of North Carolina from contaminated water, NC lawmakers are protecting the profits of a multi-billion dollar Chinese corporation. They continue to allow the cheap and unsafe practices of open hog waste lagoons. Why? Because Smithfield Foods donates to their campaigns. The politicians in Raleigh could force the company to put…

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The News & Observer: NC banned a study on sea-level rise. Could it mean more Hurricane Florence destruction?

By Eleanore Wood / September 12, 2018 / Comments Off on The News & Observer: NC banned a study on sea-level rise. Could it mean more Hurricane Florence destruction?

Late night host Stephen Colbert said it best when he said: “If your science gives you a result you don’t like, pass a law saying the result is illegal. Problem solved. Bravo North Carolina.” But the problem is far from solved for the people of North Carolina’s coastal communities. NC’s Republican leaders wanted to protect…

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