News, Indy Week

Parents and environmental activists concerned about sewage sludge fields near schools

Billy Ball — Wed, 22 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Sewage sludge, a byproduct of the wastewater treatment process, is used as agricultural fertilizer across North Carolina. Activists say exposure causes headaches, nausea, respiratory problems, lesions and more. by Billy Ball The first thing you notice is the stench. "It's not going to smell like your husband's farts," says Myra Dotson.…

A healthy dose of transparency in the price of health care

Elizabeth Van Brocklin — Wed, 22 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

The Obama administration has taken a step in making hospital costs publicly available by creating a database of previously undisclosed charges and Medicare payments. by Elizabeth Van Brocklin Sometimes the price of health care seems to lack all rhyme or reason. This month, the Obama administration took a step to remedy the confusion by making hospital costs publicly available.…

This week in disappointment: the budget, fracking again

Lisa Sorg — Wed, 22 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

The Senate's proposed budget cuts would close the 24-bed Wright School, cut funding for tobacco prevention programs, close three alcohol and drug abuse inpatient treatment centers, and defund the N.C. Rural Economic Development Center. Plus, Senate Bill 76 would fuel our sprint toward fracking. by Lisa Sorg While public schools advocates are rightfully gnashing their teeth over the Senate's proposed budget cuts—we're awaiting the House's version of financial wisdom—there is an urgent educational issue that few people are discussing. The Senate plan would close the 24-bed Wright School, a last resort for children ages 6–12 with severe emotional, mental, neurological and developmental disabilities who can't attend regular school.…

Crowd size and arrest totals increase at latest Moral Monday protest

Will Huntsberry — Wed, 22 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Roughly 600 people gathered outside the Legislative Building in Raleigh on Monday. The Moral Monday protests have now led to 153 arrests over four weeks. by Will Huntsberry Roughly 600 people gathered outside the Legislative Building in Raleigh on Monday as part of a growing wave of protests called Moral Mondays, which have now led to 153 arrests over four weeks. The protests are a backlash against a wave of policies by the Republican-controlled North Carolina Legislature that have been among the most staunchly conservative in the country.…

Liberty Warehouse's historic landmark designation removed; building to be sold and redeveloped

Raia Mihaylova — Wed, 22 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Durham's last standing tobacco auction warehouse is to be sold and redeveloped into a mixed-use site with commercial and residential space. by Raia Mihaylova Much like The Scrap Exchange that used to be there, the Liberty Warehouse will also be recycled, reused and remade. On Monday night, Durham City Council voted unanimously to remove the building's historic landmark designation, allowing local company Greenfire Development to avoid penalties for failing to rehab the ailing building.…

In clash over mental health care, anti-immigrant policy draws feds' scrutiny

Billy Ball — Wed, 15 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

The Office for Civil Rights is investigating whether Cardinal Innovations violated the law by denying undocumented immigrants mental health care. by Billy Ball Martha Olaya-Crowley said this was coming. The chairwoman of the board of directors for El Futuro, a nonprofit mental health care provider, warned in March that a policy that imperils affordable mental health care for Orange County's poorest undocumented immigrants would attract federal scrutiny.…

This week in disappointment: rolling back the environment, reproductive rights and more

Billy Ball — Wed, 15 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

But there is one good bill, which would allow consumers to compare hospital prices for medical procedures. by Billy Ball, Will Huntsberry and Elizabeth Van Brocklin HB 693: BIRTH CONTROL The same Republicans who want to ban abortion also want to make it harder for teens to get birth control.…

Raleigh City Manager Russell Allen is out. What's next?

Will Huntsberry — Wed, 15 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Without providing a clear reason, City Councilors fired the man who ushered Raleigh through a downtown renaissance and period of relative prosperity over the last 12 years. What is the future of Raleigh development? by Will Huntsberry On April 17, Raleigh city councilors fired city manager Russell Allen without providing a clear reason. The decision was unexpected, given that Allen had led the city through a downtown renaissance with the reopening of Fayetteville Street and, despite the great recession, a period of relative prosperity over the last 12 years.…

Some facts about worker safety in North Carolina

Elizabeth Van Brocklin — Wed, 15 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Nearly 150 people died on the job in North Carolina in 2011. A recent AFL-CIO report says lax health and safety standards contribute to workplace deaths. by Elizabeth Van Brocklin The safety and health of American workers is the subject of "Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect," an extensive report released last week by the AFL-CIO. In 2011, there were 148 workplace fatalities in North Carolina.…

Support group Straight Talk helps families of prisoners

Elizabeth Van Brocklin — Wed, 08 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Straight Talk provides allies, comfort and resources to families of prisoners while helping them understand the prison and criminal justice systems. by Elizabeth Van Brocklin Some mothers spend Sunday morning at church. Bessie Elmore spends Sunday morning in prison.…

The Greater Carolina Swap Meet

Wed, 08 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Since we're still bickering about the border between North and South Carolina, INDY Week proposes exchanging these 20 people, places and things from the Old North State with the Palmetto State. Given that we're apparently still bickering about the border between North Carolina and South Carolina, INDY Week proposes the following list of 20 people, places and things from the Old North State to exchange with our neighbors to the south: 1.…

Bringing bees to their knees

Wed, 08 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Recent reports from the USDA and Pesticide Action Network Since 2006, U.S. beekeepers have reported losing at least a third of their hives each year due to Colony Collapse Disorder. The USDA recently released a study on honeybee health, while a Pesticide Action Network report analyzes the role of chemicals in the die-offs.…

A 278-year-old error over the N.C.–S.C. border is riling residents

Billy Ball — Wed, 08 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Unceremoniously marked 278 years ago with a stone here or a notch on a tree there, King George's boundaries leave a portion of Fred Berlinger's Polk County home in South Carolina. by Billy Ball Fred Berlinger has a message for King George II, the long-dead English monarch whose 18th-century vision for the border between North Carolina and South Carolina is wreaking havoc on Berlinger's Polk County home. "Have you ever heard of the Revolutionary War?" says Berlinger, who lives in southwestern North Carolina—or did.…

This week in disappointment: guns, housing and energy

Lisa Sorg — Wed, 01 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

House Bills 405, 716, 773 and 298: concealed carry for judges; sex-selective abortions; earning the real estate money; keeping power dirty by Lisa Sorg Loaded lawmakers: An email came over the transom from the office of Rep. Tim Moffitt, R-Buncombe, announcing he and and Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, are hosting a Concealed Carry course for interested legislators and staff later this month. The hoedown was supposed to be held in the Legislative Building, but that didn't, uh, work out, so note the location change: Pharoah's, a cafe across the street at the N.C. Museum of History.…

Some facts about offshore tax dodgers

Wed, 01 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

The Internal Revenue Services' Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program offers incentives for taxpayers to disclose their secret foreign bank accounts. The Internal Revenue Services' Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program (OVDP) offers incentives for taxpayers to disclose their secret foreign bank accounts. This allows them to pay overdue taxes, interest and reduced penalties to avoid criminal prosecution that would otherwise be pursued by the IRS in an audit.…

N.C. State finds buyer for 80,000-acre Hofmann Forest

Will Huntsberry — Wed, 01 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

In mid-April the board of directors, which no longer includes any foresters, voted unanimously in a closed-door meeting to approve the sale of the forest to an as-of-yet undisclosed buyer. by Will Huntsberry When Barny Bernard joined the Hofmann Forest board in 1999, a fellow forester warned him: "The college has wanted to get control of this forest for a long time. But just like Doc Hofmann said, 'Don't ever let the university get control of it.'"…

Gospel singer and pastor Shirley Caesar reflects on her life

Jane Porter — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0400

To hear her tell it, the reigning Queen of Gospel has never experienced adversity: from getting a whipping to being hungry and penniless in a strange town, it's been "a blessing in disguise." by Jane Porter On a Sunday morning in Raleigh, a small woman with a big voice leads dozens of people praying and swaying in a service that is half-spoken, half-sung and goes on well into the afternoon. Pastor Shirley Caesar, the reigning Queen of Gospel, is preaching the Word.…

Clean and green North Carolina

Lisa Sorg — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0400

A new report shows that clean energy programs contributed $1.7 billion to the state's economy from 2007 to 2012. by Lisa Sorg House Bill 298—to be heard in the public utilities and energy committee Wednesday, April 24, at noon—would dismantle the state's Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard and tax credits for clean energy. Yet a new report shows that from 2007 to 2012, those and similar programs contributed $1.7 billion to North Carolina's economy.…

Taser death raises questions about mental health and police training

Will Huntsberry — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0400

The events that unfolded that Wednesday morning highlight a lack of mental health training for police officers, as well as a need for safer Taser policies, according to some mental health and legal advocates. by Will Huntsberry On April 10, Heather Jones received a voicemail at 2 a.m.: "I'm just calling to tell you I love you. You don't need to call me back.…

Affordable housing takes a hit in Chapel Hill

Billy Ball — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Eleven years ago, Chapel Hill tried a new solution for an old problem. Today, the Rosemary Village experiment seems doomed. by Billy Ball Eleven years ago, Chapel Hill tried a new solution for an old problem. Town leaders, seeking to assuage concerns that housing in the college town was becoming increasingly unaffordable, negotiated an unusual special-use permit for the sleek, urbanized Rosemary Village at 400 W. Rosemary St.…

The GOP's free-market reforms are aimed at public education

Will Huntsberry — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Republicans hope to expose public schools to a large dose of free-market principles—principles which, when applied to public education, can mean some children win and others lose. by Will Huntsberry It's Monday morning in the cafeteria at Maureen Joy Charter School, and the teachers stand in a circle at their morning meeting. Janice Smith hands out strips of school portraits that look like they were printed from a photo booth.…

Welcome to peak tree pollen season

Elizabeth Van Brocklin — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0400

That fluorescent yellow dust caking your windshield is pine tree pollen, but the culprit of your allergies may be pollen from oak, hickory and other hardwood trees. by Elizabeth Van Brocklin Flowers are blooming, animals are mating, humans are sneezing ... Welcome to April, the peak month of tree pollen season in North Carolina.…

Lawmakers consider cap on nonprofit salaries

Billy Ball — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0400

"For some reason, the nonprofits seem to be well paid. I want to find out why," says Rep. Rick Catlin, a sponsor of House Bill 893. by Billy Ball House Bill 893 arrived with little fanfare last week. The legislation, filed Thursday by three N.C. House freshmen—Rep. Rick Catlin, R-New Hanover; Rep. Dana Bumgardner, R-Gaston; and Rep. Chris Millis, R-Onslow, Pender—has been largely overshadowed by GOP education reforms.…

Triangle loses major spay/neuter service POP-NC

Elizabeth Van Brocklin — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0400

A low-cost spay/neuter clinic on wheels, Pet Overpopulation Patrol performed nearly 30,000 spay/neuter surgeries over the past nine years. The loss of its service threatens to unleash trouble. by Elizabeth Van Brocklin A popular animal clinic in the Triangle is closing—a loss that threatens to unleash trouble. Over the past nine years, Pet Overpopulation Patrol (POP-NC) performed nearly 30,000 spay/neuter surgeries.…

Duke removes four anti-immigration groups from Fred Stanback Internship Program

Lisa Sorg — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Philanthropist and environmentalist Fred Stanback's internship program at Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment was placing interns not just in environmental programs but also at some of the country's leading anti-immigration organizations. by Lisa Sorg More than a mile high at its peak, Grandfather Mountain presents one of the most breathtaking vistas east of the Mississippi. Known worldwide for its ecological diversity, it is the centerpiece of the state's park system and a destination for 250,000 tourists each year.…