Budget Talks Won't Budge
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Teacher supply store Read about Chapel Hill- Carborro City Schools’ 13th Annual Teacher Supply Store on page 4. 126 YEARS OF SERVING UNC STUDENTS AND THE UNIVERSITY WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2019 VOLUME 127, ISSUE 29 BUDGET TALKS WON’T BUDGE By Michael Taffe Carolinians), save at least some of our Assistant City & State Editor rural hospitals, create 43,000 new jobs over a period of years and bring July 1, the first day of the 2019-20 $4 billion of our own tax dollars per Fiscal Year, came and went with no year into the state,” Insko said. new state budget. She said behind-the-scenes Gov. Roy Cooper announced negotiations have circled around his veto of the Republican budget the ability of Republican leaders to proposal on June 28, stating his desire garner votes for a veto override. to “negotiate a true compromise.” “The speaker is telling (President But after Republicans in the state Pro Tempore) Phil Berger that he can legislature lost their supermajority in get enough Democrats to vote for 2018, Democrats in the state House the override, but so far he has been and Senate would need to join them unsuccessful,” Insko said. to override a veto from Cooper. While Insko said she’s optimistic But with the backdrop of an over about their chances if House $800 million revenue surplus and Democrats sustain the veto for competing ideas in how best to use another few weeks, many on the other it, negotiations have stalled. side of the aisle oppose expansion. Joe Coletti, senior fellow at the John Medicaid Expansion Locke Foundation, said the financial costs to the state would outweigh Cooper has staked out Medicaid potential health benefits. expansion as one of the key aspects “There are many better ways to of his budget proposal. increase access and lower cost of “Making sure our state’s residents medical care, reduce the cost of have access to quality health care insurance, and improve the health and a strong educational system is of people in rural areas or with low vital, and this proposal moves North incomes,” Coletti said. SOURCE: NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL ASSEMBLY DTH/AUDREY BURKE Carolina in the right direction,” experience- and credential-based the Democratic budget plans balance taxes as they’re able to buy things.” Cooper said in a statement. Teacher Pay But Jeff Hauser, communications teacher salary schedule.” investments that pay off in the long Bryson said he believes the director for the N.C. Republican Terry Stoops, vice president But many Democrats believe term,” she said. proposed tax cuts would be an Party, blames Cooper for the delay. for research and director of Republican proposals don’t go far economic boon to the state. “Taxpayers should know that education studies at the John Locke enough to increase teacher pay. Corporate Tax Cuts “We do think it will create an this entire impasse could be ended Foundation, pointed out the need for Sen. Valerie Foushee, a Democrat additional 43,000 jobs over 10 years if Cooper simply signed the budget merit-based pay increases for public representing Orange and Chatham Donald Bryson, president and CEO if we were to reduce the corporate and dropped his Medicaid expansion school teachers. counties, emphasized the importance of the Civitas Institute, voiced support income tax,” Bryson said. “There will ultimatum,” he said. “This budget does not change the of across-the-board teacher raises in for the proposed cuts to corporate be wage growth, so overall salaries in N.C. Rep. Verla Insko, way we pay teachers,” Stoops said Cooper’s proposal. She said the state taxes in Republican proposals. North Carolina will increase by about D-District-56, who represents in a statement. “While Republican needs to attract quality educators, and “Overall revenue, we think, will $11 billion.” Chapel Hill, sides with Cooper. lawmakers should be lauded for his plan does more to achieve that. actually increase,” Bryson said. But Democrats like Insko support “It would provide health care funding performance bonuses, our “Rather than cut corporate “And that’s due to wage growth and the governor’s opposition to cutting for 600,000 uninsured (North state continues to rely on a defective taxes further, or pay for school having more employed people paying construction from the general fund, income taxes, and also paying sales SEE BUDGET, PAGE 7 ‘The answer is, get started’: Duke Energy coal ash cleanup conflict continues By David Saff chosen the most extreme, costly and “It was raining coal ashes on Senior Writer time-consuming closure method for the lowest-risk basins. those homes, and the coal In an ongoing legal battle over “Why in heaven’s name would you ash was eating the paint off coal ash basin cleanup between Duke want to subject a community to an our cars and our homes.” Energy and the N.C. Department of industrial construction type project Environmental Quality, parts of the of scooping every bit of ash out of David Hairston energy company’s appeals have been an ash basin and moving it to a new Walnut Cove resident rejected, shifting focus on how the location?” Sheehan said. “Why would sites will be handled. you want to do that for 35 years when to submit reports documenting On Aug. 2, the judge presiding you can get the same environmental structural problems, contamination over the energy company’s appeal of outcome, which is you’re protecting and leaks for the past five years on the DEQ’s coal ash closure decisions people and the environment, the coal ash sites. issued an order in favor of the DEQ. specifically groundwater, by capping Torrey said the SELC approves The new ruling reaffirmed the DEQ’s it in a handful of years?” of the state’s decision that the authority to select the proper closure But Duke Energy faces opposition remaining coal ash sites in North methods for nine of the 31 coal ash from communities close to these Carolina be cleaned up, but now the basins. The case will now focus on sites. Environmental groups like case will shift to how that cleanup whether excavation is the proper the Southern Environmental Law should happen. closure method for the basins. Center represent communities trying David Hairston grew up and State and federal law points to to protect the water around the sites. currently lives in Walnut Cove, a capping in place and excavating to Nick Torrey, an attorney with the town in Stokes County outside of a lined landfill as the two primary SELC, said Duke Energy has had Winston Salem, in the shadow of methods to close a coal ash basin. problems with coal ash, including Duke Energy’s Belews Creek Steam PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHN D. SIMMONS Citing the Coal Ash Management dam failures and spills like the 2014 Station. He said residents are An underground storm water pipe developed a break allowing water Act, which was designed to close the Dan River spill. He said these spills fighting for future generations. containing coal ash leaked into the Dan River at Eden, N.C.. coal ash basins in a timely fashion, highlight the importance of recycling “Our home was approximately the DEQ ordered Duke Energy to or quickly moving coal ash into lined three-and-a-half miles from the Hairston said he got tired of “I put two and two together that close the remaining nine coal ash landfill storage. steam station,” Hairston said. “It was seeing his friends and family live the only thing that was common basins by excavation in April. Torrey said the Dan River spill raining coal ashes on those homes, off of bottled water for years, but about the classmates that I was Paige Sheehan, a spokesperson for sparked new coal ash legislation and the coal ash was eating the paint the truly painful part was losing his Duke Energy, argued the state has that would require Duke Energy off our cars and our homes.” loved ones to cancer. SEE COAL ASH, PAGE 7 Oh God, my mind is going a mile an hour. MICHAEL SCOTT 2 Wednesday, August 21, 2019 News The Daily Tar Heel The Daily Tar Heel Established 1893 K.J. Smith placed on scholarship 125 years of editorial freedom Ryan Wilcox “I just feel like I’m a younger MADDY ARROWOOD Sports Editor version of him, almost,” Smith – or EDITOR-IN-CHIEF “Baby Jet,” as his teammates call him [email protected] Redshirt junior K.J. Smith, a guard – told the DTH in February. MARCO QUIROZ-GUTIERREZ for the North Carolina men’s basketball As a redshirt sophomore, the MANAGING EDITOR team, was put on scholarship for the younger Smith appeared in 22 [email protected] 2019-20 season, the team announced games in Carolina Blue, averaging EMILY SIEGMUND Tuesday via Twitter. 1.8 minutes per game. He figures to ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR The video features head coach Roy be the only upperclassman who can [email protected] Williams awarding the scholarship play a true point guard role for the MYAH WARD to Smith followed by raucous cheers Tar Heels this season. DIRECTOR OF ENTERPRISE from Smith’s teammates. Smith then Guards Anthony Harris and Cole [email protected] FaceTimed his father, UNC graduate Anthony are incoming first-years. and NBA champion Kenny Smith, Sophomore guard Leaky Black had MAEVE SHEEHEY telling him the news. a promising rookie season derailed UNIVERSITY EDITOR “Imma keep it real,” the older Smith by injury. While Anthony will most [email protected] said. “It was earned, it wasn’t given.” likely assume a starting role, Smith ANNA POGARCIC Smith played one season at Pacific could see early limited minutes as a CITY, STATE & NATIONAL EDITOR University in 2016-17, starting three backup ball handler.