According to a recently released study, researchers have concluded that the race of a victim is a determining factor in death sentencing. Yet, it is unclear how these findings will impact sentencing in North Carolina. Under the Racial Justice Act, signed into law last August, a defendant may use statistical evidence of discrimination to avoid the [...]
- 1May07
Dominion Power Contributes to State-Funded Pier
The $25-million fishing pier in Nags Head has received $500,000 in funding for once scrapped “green” amenities. Announced jointly by the N.C. Aquarium Society and Dominion North Carolina Power, this contribution to the N.C. Aquarium Society will cover the cost of three 90-foot monopole wind turbines as well as solar panels and a hydrogen fuel [...]
- Apr30
“Police killing trial delayed”
A headline from today’s Charlotte Observer says it all. Thanks to the Racial Justice Act (passed last summer), the families of murder victims, including Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Officers Sean Clark and Jeff Shelton, must continue to wait for justice. Yet, what makes this case even more interesting is the accusation by Sen. Malcolm Graham (D – [...]
- Apr01
State Funded Pier Creates Jobs As Promised… April Fool’s!
A few weeks ago we first brought you the news of “job” creation at the $25 million state-funded pier in Nags Head. Since then, original estimates have been scaled back, leaving even fewer jobs to be created than promised. Currently, just 8 permanent state positions are proposed: 1) Pier Manager, 2) Assistant Pier Manager/Public Relations Coordinator, 3) [...]
- Mar30
State Pier Revenue to Benefit Non-Profit, Not Taxpayers
The saga with the $25 million taxpayer funded fishing pier at Nags Head continues to drag on… Not only have we seen overblown job creation numbers, the secret plans for additional taxpayer-funded piers, and a company owned by Sen. Marc Basnight (D-Dare) receiving a state contract to build a portion of the pier. Now we [...]
- Feb26
Next “$25 Million-Dollar Pier” Earns Legislator Support
With one $25 million-dollar pier currently under construction in Nags Head, Dare County and Aquarium officials have shifted focus to the next of the three proposed piers. Partnered with the Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores, the next “$25 million-dollar pier” will be located in Emerald Isle on land donated by the town. At a meeting [...]
- Feb08
$25 Million Pier Creates “Jobs”
We first brought you news of the hiring of a “Part-Time Pier Construction Observer” over the summer. This temporary employee has an 11-month contract (July 23, 2009 – June 23, 2010), working 20 hours per week at an hourly rate of $44.03 (roughly $38,000 total). Main duties of this State-funded position include giving guided tours for elected [...]
- Jan29
Watch Your Tax Dollars At Work… Literally.
A webcam streaming live from Basnight’s $25 million fishing pier in Nags Head is now up and running. Check it out here, hosted by the Division of N.C. Aquariums. For just $3,000, the web camera, cabling and software was purchased by the Aquarium Society and linked to the existing state-funded N.C. Aquariums web site. Be [...]
- Nov16
Funding Who Bites Us Back
According to the Capital Trail Motions Index posted online by the North Carolina Court System, defendants seeking to make a motion under the new Racial Justice Act should consult hire “CDPL’s Trial Assistance Unit” prior to filing. The Center for Death Penalty Litigation, a North Carolina based non-profit, receives nearly all of its funding through [...]
- Oct28
Southwest Airlines Introduces “Green” Plane
Southwest Airlines has introduced a “green” plane concept. By taking a standard Boeing 737-700 and replacing much of the cabin with “green” features, the plane itself ends up weighing about 472 pounds less. This saved weight translates into lower fuel costs over time. Should all of Southwest’s planes go “green”, it would result in up [...]
- Oct28
Climate change march in Raleigh. Yeah, we missed it too.
This past Saturday 150 activists skipped the fair and instead marched in downtown Raleigh. Their goal? Asking Governor Perdue to halt construction of Duke Energy’s Cliffside coal-fired power plant in Rutherford County. Opponents argue that if Governor Perdue would enforce the Clean Air Act it would prevent the facility from qualifying for a permit renewal [...]
- Oct22
Missing the Point on “Green”… Again.
Governor Perdue has been doing some blogging during her trip abroad, most recently on the subject of green energy, arguing: “The bottom line is this. Energy – how we make, how we store it, and how we use it – will be the next frontier for business, for governments and for innovators.” Uh, last I [...]
- 2Oct16
Even More “Pier Pressure”
This latest case of “pier pressure” shows just how far our elected officials will go with little to no further planning. While there is currently no plan for design or construction (much less funding plans), Town officials in Carolina Beach have proposed a property tax increase of 1.5 cents per $100 in value to pay [...]
- Oct11
“Green” Lessons to Be Learned
Today’s Washington Post profiles Governor Granholm (D) the first female governor of Michigan (elected in 2002) and her priority of bringing “green” jobs to her state. In 2006, Granholm used traditional techniques, you know, $37 million in tax breaks and Super Bowl tickets for executives, to bring a solar panel manufacturer into a town that [...]
- 2Sep25
Offshore Wind Energy… Is It Too Good To Be True?
An article posted on WRAL.com today discussed the highlights of a public meeting held in Buxton (an Outer Banks community) on the possibility of an offshore wind farm in the area. According to researchers: “If all the usable waters are fully developed, offshore wind farms could supply 130 percent of all the power used by [...]
- 1Sep25
More “Pier Pressure” on the N.C. Coast
If you thought just one $25 million “pier to nowhere” was a bad idea, just wait until you hear about the latest case of “pier pressure” on the North Carolina coast. In late 2007 the Town of Emerald offered the state a “free” 4.2. acre parcel for the site of the North Carolina Aquarium’s Pier [...]
- Sep14
Aquarium Directors Jumping Ship
Directors of two of North Carolina’s three aquariums have announced their upcoming retirements (here and here) in recent weeks. Jay Barnes, Director of the N.C. Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores announced in July just as another aquarium controversy began to heat up. While Joe Malat, Director of the N.C. Aquarium at Roanoke Island (home of [...]
- Aug18
Free Market: 1, Chicken Poop Power: 0
Just as predicted (and ridiculed) it seems North Carolina’s electricity providers will be unable to meet the first deadline set by the General Assembly in Senate Bill 3 mandating the use of swine and poultry waste. An article from today’s N&O has the full details. Progress Energy spokesman Mike Hughes states, “Lawmakers passed the 2007 [...]
- Aug04
Stimulus to Fund Wind Turbines on N.C. Coast
The State Energy Office will be allocating $300,000 of their share of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds to the University of North Carolina in a continuation of their coastal wind study to: “contract with a third party by October 1, 2009, to design, permit, procure, construct, establish, operate, and reclaim as appropriate at [...]
- Jul29
N.C. Taxpayers Create Jobs in V.A.
Please don’t get the wrong idea, I am not against interstate commerce, however, when a bill is passed by our General Assembly and signed by our Governor to create jobs in North Carolina, one cannot help but be a bit surprised to find out that almost as many employees currently on-site in Nags Head, N.C. [...]