McCrory v. Cooper

Ken AshfordElection 2016, Local InterestLeave a Comment

While the nation mourns the win of Donald Trump, here in North Carolina, we have our own little Bush v. Gore drama going on.  Except…. not really, because it isn’t as close as Bush v. Gore was.  We actually have a governor who is willing to cheat the results in order to win.  On election day, the results has Cooper … Read More

Matthew Update

Ken AshfordBreaking News, Disasters, Local Interest, WeatherLeave a Comment

As of this writing (10/7/2016) at 11:45 a.m., Hurricane Matthew, now a Category 3, has shown a little mercy by veering slightly northernly and westernly than expected.  Right now, the western eyewall is brushing the Florida coast — the hurricane is located 75 miles southeast of Jacksonville. The winds along the Florida coast are rough, but it doesn’t seem to … Read More

What Happened In Charlotte Last Night

Ken AshfordLocal Interest, Racial HomicidesLeave a Comment

The Guardian’s Ijeoma Oluo wrote about the events of the night (you need to click through to see the photo described below): A line of police officers stand in the dark on a Charlotte, North Carolina, highway. They look like an occupying force with their helmets and face shields and various weaponry strapped all over their armored clothing. A large … Read More

Trump and Clinton Neck and Neck in NC

Ken AshfordElection 2016, Local Interest, Polls, Sex/Morality/Family ValuesLeave a Comment

Yeah, it is exciting to be in a semi-big swing state.  The candidates keep coming through.  It’s like the New Hampshire primaries in the old days. A new PPP poll on North Carolina came out this morning. Bottom line: Donald Trump 45, Hillary Clinton 43, Gary Johnson 6. Clinton/Trump head to head is tied at 47: That’s okay news since Trump … Read More

Winston-Salem Clown Mystery Solved

Ken AshfordCrime, Local InterestLeave a Comment

Hoaxer: Claims of “Killer Clown” sightings in Winston-Salem have made national headlines and made Winston-Salem one of the locations for a rash of recent claims from Greenville, South Carolina to one outrageous claim of a man who claims to have pursued one of the these clowns with a machete. These sightings are similar to other incidents that seem to run in … Read More

North Carolina On Center Stage Of Voter Suppression Issues

Ken AshfordLocal Interest, Voter Suppression & Voter SecurityLeave a Comment

BACKSTORY:  About a month ago, on July 29, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals struck down North Carolina’s anti-voter law.  The appeals court noted that the 2013 law suppressed African-American voter turnout “with almost surgical precision” and invalidated most of it.  The court’s scathing opinion said that “because of race, the legislature enacted one of the largest restrictions of the franchise in modern … Read More

Creepy Clowns Come To Winston-Salem

Ken AshfordLocal InterestLeave a Comment

Last week, there were reports in South Carolina of clowns — yes, clowns — trying to lure children into the woods: This tale sounds like a mishmash of newspaper clippings and pages ripped from Stephen King novels, but these are actually details taken from a report filed by the sheriff’s office in Greenville County, S.C., last week, after several residents … Read More

North Carolina GOP Hoping To Set Voting Rules To Favor Republicans

Ken AshfordElection 2016, Local InterestLeave a Comment

On the heels of appeals court ruling that restored a week’s worth of early voting in North Carolina, the executive director of the state’s Republican Party emailed a memo to members of local elections boards urging them to push for “party line changes” that cut back on early voting hours, The News and Observer reported. The memo, sent by NCGOP … Read More

PPP Puts Clinton Up In NC…. Barely

Ken AshfordElection 2016, Local Interest, PollsLeave a Comment

While Hillary Clinton is enjoying a 8-10 lead in Georgia, her lead locally has always been in question.  A new PPP poll just released shows it still very close in North Carolina: PPP’s newest North Carolina poll finds Hillary Clinton leading in the state, albeit by a narrow margin, for the first time since March. She’s at 43% to 41% … Read More

Breaking: 4th Circuit Overturns Lower Court; Finds That GOP “Intentionally” Passed “Discriminatory” Voting Rights Law

Ken AshfordBreaking News, Constitution, Courts/Law, Local Interest, Race, Supreme CourtLeave a Comment

The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit invalidated North Carolina’s stringent new voting restrictions, holding that the law violates both the United States Constitution and the Voting Rights Act. The North Carolina measure, the Fourth Circuit held, has a discriminatory impact on black voters, impermissibly burdening their voting rights under the VRA. More boldly, the court also … Read More

A Bunch Of Funny Side Stories From This Week

Ken AshfordElection 2016, Local Interest, Republicans, Right Wing and Inept Media, Right Wing Punditry/IdiocyLeave a Comment

(1)  NC GOP CAN’T DO ANYTHING RIGHT, INCLUDING MOCKING DEMS When Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Tim Kaine addressed the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia Wednesday night, the North Carolina GOP thought it quickly spotted something wrong. When Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Tim Kaine addressed the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia Wednesday night, the North Carolina GOP thought it … Read More

Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner?

Ken AshfordElection 2016, Local InterestLeave a Comment

Winston-Salem Journal: Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump will be campaigning in Winston-Salem on Monday, the Winston-Salem Police Department confirmed to WGHP/FOX8’s Michael Hennessey on Wednesday afternoon. The Trump campaign contacted the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds on Wednesday about a potential event on Monday, City Manager Lee Garrity said on Wednesday evening. Staff at the fairgrounds sent the Trump campaign a proposal, but … Read More

NC State Senate Moves $500K From Disaster Relief Fund To Defend Anti-LGBT Hate Bill

Ken AshfordLocal Interest, Sex/Morality/Family ValuesLeave a Comment

The Associated Press reports: North Carolina lawmakers took steps Thursday to set aside a half-million dollars for the legal defense of a law limiting protections for LGBT people as a judge sought to streamline a cluster of lawsuits it has inspired. Republican lawmakers were mapping out the end of the session, including possible changes to the law known as House … Read More