UNC BOG STILL BEING COY OVER ECU CHANCELLOR DISMISSAL: In the days before the meeting, Long said that Board Chairman Harry Smith had orchestrated Staton’s departure. Smith denied having anything to do with it, saying Roper had handled the matter. Also at the press conference, a reporter asked about Staton’s resignation. In announcing it on Monday, Staton did not describe events leading to the resignation except to say, “I did not initiate this.” A reporter asked Roper on Friday who did. In response, Roper said, “On behalf of the university system, we thank Chancellor Staton for his service at ECU and wish him the very best in his future endeavors.” The reporter pressed, saying, “That doesn’t answer the question.” Roper said, “I don’t have a legal obligation to answer your question.”
https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article228288279.html

TRUMP-RUSSIA PROBE HAS CONCLUDED WITH NO ADDITIONAL INDICTMENTS: With no details released at this point, it's not known whether Mueller's report answers the core questions of his investigation: Did Trump's campaign collude with the Kremlin to sway the 2016 presidential election in favor of the celebrity businessman? Also, did Trump take steps later, including by firing his FBI director, to obstruct the probe? All told, Mueller charged 34 people, including the president's former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, his first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, and three Russian companies. Twenty-five Russians were indicted on charges related to election interference, accused either of hacking Democratic email accounts during the campaign or of orchestrating a social media campaign that spread disinformation on the internet. Five Trump aides pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with Mueller and a sixth, longtime confidant Roger Stone, is awaiting trial on charges that he lied to Congress and engaged in witness tampering.
https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/national-politics/article228303174.html

TILLIS BLAMES DEMOCRATS FOR HIS FLIP BEFORE HE FLOPPED: On March 14, Tillis voted to support President Donald Trump’s national emergency declaration to circumvent Congress and fund a wall on the southern border. Tillis’ vote received attention across the country, because it came less than a month after he wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post that criticized Trump’s decision. On Feb. 25, the Post published Tillis’ letter: “I support Trump’s vision on border security. But I would vote against the emergency.” A Washington Post reporter called Tillis’ vote a “remarkable flip-flop.” WRAL’s editorial staff referred to it as a “flip-flop for the ages.” The Fayetteville Observer’s editorial writers said it was an “Olympic gold flip-flop.” In a fundraising email, the North Carolina Democratic Party said Tillis “says one thing, then does another.”
https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article228170414.html

TRUMP-LOVING REPUBLICAN CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE SPORTS SHOTGUN IN CAMPAIGN AD: One of 17 candidates vying for the Republican nomination in North Carolina’s 3rd Congressional District special election will begin airing television ads in the Greenville market Tuesday. In the ad, Eric Rouse, a Lenoir County commissioner, is seen skeet shooting — hitting clays with Democratic priorities like the Green New Deal written on them in the 30-second ad. It closes with Rouse cocking a gun and vowing to have President Donald Trump’s back if elected. Rouse is among 26 candidates running to replace Republican Rep. Walter Jones, who died on Feb. 10. Jones, who represented the district since 1995, voted with Trump just 49.3 percent of the time, the lowest of any Republican representative, according to FiveThirtyEight.com. The primary is April 30 in the district that includes parts or all of 17 counties in Eastern North Carolina.
https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/election/article228096429.html

COOPER'S BUDGET PUTS PUBLIC EDUCATION ON RIGHT TRACK: Teacher pay isn’t the only, the best or even most significant, marker for support for education. Cuts force teachers to turn to online fundraising or dig into their own pockets for basic classroom supplies. There’s a shortage of school nurses, guidance counselors and psychologists. Classrooms are badly in need of technology upgrades. Too many school buildings desperately need repairs and renovations. In many growing areas there simply aren’t enough classrooms to house students. Responding by providing pay bonuses to teachers who get trained and carry firearms in their classrooms – as proposed by state Sen. Ralph Hise of Mitchell County and backed by key Senate leaders – is a cynical, token and dangerous gesture.
https://www.wral.com/editorial-cooper-s-budget-puts-public-education-on-right-track/18253984/