ROBIN HAYES SET TO THROW CO-CONSPIRATORS UNDER THE BUS: Under a deal with federal prosecutors, North Carolina’s former state Republican chairman could testify against other defendants in the state’s largest-ever case of political bribery. Robin Hayes would plead guilty to a single felony count of lying to the FBI under the deal. He’s scheduled to formally enter his guilty plea in federal court Wednesday. The plea agreement calls for Hayes to cooperate with prosecutors. That includes testifying against his co-defendants. Hayes, a former member of Congress, was one of four men indicted last March on multiple charges of conspiracy and bribery. Also indicted were Durham businessman Greg Lindberg — one of the GOP’s biggest campaign contributors — and two associates, John Gray and John Palermo. All four pleaded not guilty at the time.
https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article235624037.html

It's long past time for the state to step in:

The Quorum Health hospital announced in a press release earlier this month that it was discontinuing labor and delivery services effective Oct. 21 “to better meet the community’s long-term needs.” With birth centers at three Vidant facilities in a 35-mile radius — in Washington, Tarboro and Greenville — the hospital said, pregnant women in the region still have options.

An EMT by training, Bullock said it wasn’t that simple. Every minute matters in labor, she said, and longer trips to a hospital could pose risks to mothers and their babies. “Anything can happen in 35 minutes,” she added. “I mean, anything can happen in five minutes. It’s just like a blink of an eye and you can lose both lives.”

To say this is unsettling would be an understatement. There are already huge geographic gaps in maternity care in Rural NC, and economics has played a major role in that deterioration. There are 100 counties in our state, with only 80 maternity wards to serve them. And 50 of those wards are located in urban centers (mostly I-40/85 Corridor):

Over half of NC's counties are drying up as I type:

Klaus Albertin is chairman of the N.C. Drought Management Advisory Council . He said in a news release issued by the Department of Environmental Quality on Thursday that water supplies, agriculture, fire threat and streamflows statewide are beginning to reflect the lack of precipitation.

Forty-five counties in the western and central parts of the state are in moderate drought stage, the least detrimental of four categories used in federal drought maps. Twenty-two counties are experiencing abnormally dry conditions, which means a drought could emerge without adequate rainfall. Albertin says while Hurricane Dorian left heavy rainfall along the coast, almost none fell west of Interstate 95. He says conditions could worsen before they improve.

As I was trying to go to sleep last night, I tried to remember the last time it had rained where I live. It's been long enough that I couldn't remember not just the exact date, but how many weeks it's been. That is not good. For several reasons, but the fact we're still in the hurricane season window is a big one. When the ground gets baked dry, rainfall doesn't infiltrate the soil very well, or quickly enough. So it runs off, and flash flooding is much more likely. And as our Western counties continue to dry out, wildfires can be expected. Plainly put, we need some rain, folks. Start dancing.

When hate is the only language you speak:

A national Islamic group is calling on North Carolina Lt. Gov. Dan Forest to cancel his appearance next week at a Charlotte event the group says features “Islamophobic” speakers. Forest, a Republican, is scheduled to appear at the event sponsored by the American Renewal Project on Oct. 3 and 4. The event is billed as “a complimentary private gathering of NC church and ministry leaders.”

In addition to Forest, speakers include William Federer and E.W. Jackson. The Southern Poverty Law Center calls Federer an “anti-Muslim activist.” Last year The Hill newspaper said Jackson spoke about the arrival of new Muslim members of Congress. “The floor of Congress is now going to look like an Islamic republic,” he said. “We are a Judeo-Christian country.”

This is just one (of countless) reasons why Dan Forest is not fit to be Governor of the State of North Carolina. These guys aren't just run-of-the-mill bigots; they're way out on the extreme fringe, evoking fear of Sharia law and whatever else they can think of to go after folks in Muslim communities. (Author's note: The Q'uran incorporates both Hebrew and Christian tenets into its fabric--Ibrahim is Abraham.) But while Federer is almost exclusively anti-Muslim, E.W. Jackson is fiercely anti-LGBTQ, and has claimed Pete Buttigieg wants to turn America into a "Homocracy," whatever the hell that means:

Technology in the hands of an unscrupulous man quickly becomes dangerous:

Thomas Hofeller's impact on #ncpol is well-known. But his influence reached beyond North Carolina. https://t.co/XjmgqRB4lq

— Barry Yeoman (@Barry_Yeoman) September 24, 2019

Every map in which he was involved needs to be taken to court, pronto.