Enviro community responds to cheap shot attacks over Bonner Bridge

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December 9, 2013 at 10:09 amCategory:Uncategorized

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As noted in this space last week, conservative state officials have been acting more like loud-mouthed radio squawkers than public leaders in recent days when it comes to the controversy over the decaying Bonner Bridge on the Outer Banks.

This morning’s N.C. League of Conservation Voters newsletter has a response worth reading:

“What do you do when you’re stalled in the courts on a major transportation project? If you’re Governor Pat McCrory, you launch a personal attack against the citizen conservation group that’s challenging you. Read More…

Last call for tomorrow’s breakfast discussion of the Affordable Care Act

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December 9, 2013 at 8:26 amCategory:Uncategorized

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It’s going to be a full house, but we have a few seats remaining for tomorrow morning’s Crucial Conversation breakfast — “The Truth about the Affordable Care Act: What it really means for American health care consumers” with Lynn Quincy of Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports magazine. Here are the vitals:

When: Tuesday, December 10 at 8:00 a.m. — Coffee and breakfast will be available at 7:45 a.m.

Where: Center for Community Leadership Training Room at the Junior League of Raleigh Building, 711 Hillsborough St. (At the corner of Hillsborough and St. Mary’s streets)

Space is limited – pre-registration required.

Click here for parking info.

Click here to register

Questions?? Contact Rob Schofield at 919-861-2065 or rob@ncpolicywatch.com

More evidence of discrimination by Alamance County sheriff

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December 6, 2013 at 2:17 pmCategory:Uncategorized

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The Associated Press reported yesterday that there is more more evidence of discrimination against Latinos by the long-troubled Alamance County sheriff’s office:

“Two university professors hired by the U.S. Department of Justice to analyze traffic stops by the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office say statistical data conclusively shows deputies there are racially profiling Latino drivers….

John Lamberth, retired chair of the Department of Psychology at Temple University, concluded that Johnson’s deputies cited Latinos for violations at a rate more than six times higher than for whites. He said the statistical odds were far less than one in a million that such a sizable racial disparity could occur by chance.

‘The observed disparities in … traffic enforcement are larger than any I have previously observed at a law enforcement agency in the United States,’ wrote Lamberth, who has testified as an expert in numerous court cases.”

Let’s hope that a settlement can be reached in the case in the near future and that Alamance can start enforcing laws fairly like the vast majority of law enforcement agencies.

You can read the entire story by clicking here.

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Charlotte Observer columnist sheds more light on high teacher turnover

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December 6, 2013 at 8:14 amCategory:Uncategorized

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Charlotte Observer columnist Fannie Flono adds some important details to the discussion of North Carolina’s soaring teacher turnover rate in this new column. After citing an article in The Atlantic magazine, Flono says this:

“The Atlantic article, though, put the issue of teacher retention into the broader perspective it needs. Quoting Richard Ingersoll, a former high school teacher who is now a University of Pennsylvania professor whose research focuses on teacher turnover, the article pinpoints workplace issues as the crux of the problem. Quite a few of those workplace issues are often the result of lawmakers’ policies.

Ingersoll said one big reason teachers quit the profession is the ‘lack of respect’ the job engenders – and he wasn’t talking about lack of respect from students. ‘Teachers in schools do not call the shots. They have very little say. They’re told what to do; it’s a very disempowered line of work,’ Ingersoll said. Read More…

Panel considers question of judicial diversity in Charlotte this afternoon/evening

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December 5, 2013 at 3:18 pmCategory:Uncategorized

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The national advocacy/watchdog group, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is hosting a panel discussion on Judicial Diversity this afternoon/evening from 4pm – 6:30pm in downtown Charlotte at the Gantt Center. This event is free, and refreshments will be served.

The panel will feature five diverse state and federal judges serving in North Carolina who will share their experiences with students, professionals, and advisors, as well as persons who may be curious about careers on the bench.  Panelists will discuss their own career backgrounds and paths to the bench.  After the panel discussion, the judges will lead break-out sessions where they will engage one-on-one with audience members potentially interested in becoming future judges.

Barbara Arnwine, President and Executive Director of the Lawyers’ Committee, will be giving opening remarks.

Panelists will include: Yvonne Mims Evans, Resident Superior Court Judge, Judicial District 26; Calvin E. Murphy, Special Superior Court Judge For Complex Business Cases; Regan A. Miller, Chief District Court Judge, Mecklenburg County; Rickeye McKoy-Mitchell, District Court Judge, Mecklenburg County; and Theresa Holmes-Simmons, Judge, United States Immigration Court.

Questions? Please contact the Lawyers’ Committee folks at judicialdiversity@lawyerscommittee.org