After dark

The fight against Climate Change is weakening

Possibly a vestige of Donald Trump's irresponsible behavior:

New climate targets submitted by countries to the United Nations would reduce emissions by less than 1 percent, according to the latest tally, made public Friday by the world body.

The head of the United Nations climate agency, Patricia Espinosa, said the figures compiled by her office showed that “current levels of climate ambition are very far from putting us on a pathway that will meet our Paris Agreement goals.”

I do not envy Joe Biden at all. His plate is so full food is spilling over the sides. Not only does he need to get back to fighting Climate Change with a vengeance, he's got to drag these countries with him:

Friday News: Serve and protect whom?

POLICE "WHISTLEBLOWER" BILL GETS MIXED REVIEWS: A group that represents police officers, the North Carolina Police Benevolent Association, is pushing the bill with backing from GOP lawmakers. They say it will help stop people in power from retaliating against cops — or any other city government workers — who try to shine a light on corruption or abuse inside government. Democrats and a group that represents city governments, the League of Municipalities, oppose the bill, House Bill 7. They say it’s secretly intended to prevent bad cops or other government workers from ever being fired or even disciplined, since they could just claim to be whistleblowers. “My concern is that bad apples are going to be protected by this bill,” said Leo John, a lobbyist for the League of Municipalities.
https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article249493250.html

Friday fracking video

Opposition grows over Darrell Allison's appointment at FSU

The UNC BOG has stepped in it again:

“The majority consensus is we need to fight this,” he said. Frink said that he had heard that Allison might be a candidate for the FSU position shortly after Allison resigned from the Board of Governors. Frink said he saw that Allison had little experience that would qualify him to be chancellor. “I never thought he’d have a serious look,” Frink said. “It just caught a lot of people by surprise.”

Allison was a member of the Board of Governors until September when he stepped down to pursue the position at FSU. The Board of Governors, which oversees 17 institutions in the UNC system, approved Allison’s appointment as chancellor of FSU on Feb. 18. The job comes with a $285,000-a-year salary and the use of a car and residence.

Allison has been a major proponent of the privatization of NC schools, so it's more than a little ironic the state is now giving him a car, a house, and over a quarter of a million yearly salary. It appears this battle has just begun:

Thursday News: Happy hour?

NC BARS CAN NOW SERVE PATRONS INDOORS, AT 30% CAPACITY: For the first time since the beginning of the pandemic nearly one year ago, bars will be able to serve drinks indoors. Starting Friday, Feb. 26, bars can open up inside at 30% capacity. Patrons will still need to stay socially distanced, remaining seated at a table or counter, and will need to wear a mask when not actively eating or drinking. Technically, bars have been open since October 2020, but that only allowed outdoor service and limited capacity to 30%, which in some cases meant only one or two tables. With those limits, many bars remained closed through winter. Bar owners have lobbied for months to reopen and even filed multiple lawsuits against the state, each one unsuccessful. The new alcohol curfew is 11 p.m., pushed back from 9 p.m., where it’s been since December.
https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article249485640.html

Coal Ash Wednesday: Greenway or Brownway?

Bolin Creek in Chapel Hill has a coal ash problem:

The Town is awaiting further direction from the NC Department of Environmental Quality on its recommendations for next steps for this site. This was the site of a coal ash infill that dates from the 1960s and 1970s. When the Town discovered the materials in late 2013, we acted quickly to notify NC DENR, which is the old name for what is now known as NC DEQ. We are committed to following all environmental laws and standards to ensure the health and safety of our community.

I just stumbled across this, so if I get a few things wrong hopefully someone will correct me. The Town may have "discovered" the coal ash in 2013, but seven years later they were still "discovering" how bad the problem was:

BlueNC