With the takeover of state government complete, Gov. Pat McCrory and the GOP must now govern in way that doesn’t alienate voters.
Cut Teachers a Break: Restore NCCAT Funding
Let’s hope the N.C. House of Representative budget writers don’t sell our educators short. They should restore funds for the N.C. Center for the Advancement of Teaching.
Hoop Pole Creek Preserve
The “central park” of Atlantic Beach, the 31-acre preserve and nature trail was once threatened by development and is now about all that’s left of the town’s natural environment.
Coastal Legislators Made Bad Bill Better
Two state representatives pushed for significant improvements to a bill that remakes the state’s regulatory commissions.
Why the Federation Is Opposed to Drilling Off N.C.
Producing and refining oil and natural gas is a dirty, smelly business that pollutes the water and air, mars the landscape and, when an accident occurs, can have life-changing effects. And all for what? A few months supply of gasoline?
McCrory Should Step Lightly
A new poll found that a sizable majority of voters thinks it’s prudent for Gov. Pat McCrory to balance economic development with environmental protection.
Political Commissars Coming?
Thanks to a change in state law, Gov.-elect Pat McCrory now has lots more discretion to make state government a highly political place to work.
FEMA to the Beach Rescue… Again
After Hurricane Sandy passes, beach communities will again ask for federal money to rebuild their beaches, but it’s not clear that’s what Congress intended.
A Different Kind of Commute
Todd Miller’s commute to work can include flocks of cormorants blackening the sky and pound nets as “highway” markers.
Mega-Port: Time to Fix Costly Error
The land that the state bought for a proposed mega-port near Southport isn’t worth anything near what the state paid for it six years ago. It’s time for the state to do right by its taxpayers.
Sea Level and the Naysayers
The longer climate-change naysayers prevent meaningful collective action against global warming the more severe its economic consequences will be for all of us.
Groin Study Is Beyond Saving
A complete permit application for a terminal groin at Figure Eight Island has never been submitted. So we ask: Why is an EIS being prepared?
30 Years and Counting
The idea took shape while Todd Miller was clamming with his father. Here, he reflects on 30 years of advocating for the N.C. coast.
Time for a Face-to-Face Meeting
The legislative debate over sea-level rise revealed a disturbing antipathy toward science among some legislator. Here’s one thing we can do.
A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats? (and Eventually Houses)
A new scientific report by the U.S. Geological Survey that tells us that the East Coast of the U.S. from Cape Hatteras north is a “hotspot” for rising seas is stunning. It should instill a new sense of urgency in our state’s leadership to plan for significant changes in our coastline in coming years.
Now the Rest of the Story
Opponents of the state’s policy on sea-level rise are fond of quoting a study of tides to prove the seas won’t rise as high a scientists expect. But the author says that’s not his study’s intent.
