NC SPIN Podcasts

Question to Cash Michaels and Donna Martinez – We produce large amounts of garbage. I’ve heard it is more than 2,000 pounds per person each year. In order to keep from filling up our landfills many local governments began recycling programs, selling items like paper, plastics and carboard to private firms, who then sold them to China. The market has dried up and instead of local governments getting paid to handle recyclable matter they are now having to pay. Should we discontinue recycle programs? If so, what do we do with the increase dumping in our landfills? What’s your solution?

NC SPIN episode #1097 Air Date 11/22/2019

Topics:

Congressional filing on hold

Pipeline problems

Under cover of darkness another statue falls

Tell us something we don’t know

Panelists:

Chris Fitzsimon, Director, The Newsroom

Cash Michaels, Journalist and Filmmaker

Donna Martinez, WPTF Radio and John Locke Foundation

John Hood, Syndicated columnist and author

Tom Campbell, Moderator

Tom Campbell gives us “An Ode to Thanksgiving”

Question to John and Chris – North Carolina’s new Commissioner of Prisons recently reported to the legislature that have about a 30 percent shortage of corrections officers and have had to close three minimum security prisons. They are losing staff almost as fast as they hire them because of poor pay, safety issues and bad working conditions. Our leaders have known about this for years. Why haven’t we addressed and resolved these problems?

Question to Howard and Joe – A recent Associated Press study showed our state has more high-hazard dams in poor to unsatisfactory condition than any state in the union except Georgia. We’ve known for years that we have too many unsafe water systems, sewer systems ready to fail and dams ready to breach. Why haven’t we done more to improve our public infrastructure?

NC SPIN episode #1096 Air Date 11/15/2019

Topics:

The Veto Governor

Who’s map to choose?

Looking Back

Tell us something we don’t know

Panelists:

Howard Lee, former State Senator

John Hood, Syndicated columnist and author

Chris Fitzsimon, Director The Newsroom

Joe Mavretic, former House Speaker

Tom Campbell, Moderator

Tom Campbell discusses public education.

Question to John Hood and Chris Fitzsimon – This week Governor Cooper vetoed a bill that would require courts to notify boards of elections of potential jurors who were disqualified because they aren’t citizens. The bill says these persons should be removed from voter registration rolls. At the same time he signed into law a bill that would increase punishments for absentee ballot rule violaters and also restores last Saturday early voting before elections. Give us your reaction to these, starting with the removal of persons who aren’t citizens from voter rolls.

Question to Rufus Edmisten and Donna Martinez – Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger’s political campaign is buying him a home in Raleigh. The State Board of Elections told him that’s allowed under our campaign finance laws but Bob Hall, longtime government watchdog has filed a formal complaint, saying this is illgegal because he used campaign funds to buy an appreciating asset. Hall says this kind of trickery and manipulation of the law for personal gain must be stopped, adding it makes a legislators campaign into a personal piggy bank. What’s your reaction to this story?

NC SPIN episode #1095 Air Date 11/8/19

Topics:

Municipal elections

Drawing new maps

More university turmoil

Looking back

Tell us something we don’t know

Panelists:

Rufus Edmisten, former Secretary of State and Attorney General

Chris Fitzsimon, Director, The Newsroom

John Hood, syndicated columnist and author

Donna Martinez, WPTF Radio and The John Locke Foundation

Tom Campbell, Moderator