Bigger Buffers Better

Bigger Buffers Better

… It is well known that erosion, sedimentation and pollution from industrial and agricultural activities or sewage is reduced by “maintaining forests in riparian zones along watercourses” (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations).…

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What the Constitution Means to Me by Heidi Schreck Champions Truly Equal, Inclusive, and Just Governance

What the Constitution Means to Me by Heidi Schreck Champions Truly Equal, Inclusive, and Just Governance

…From the legal definition of "penumbra" to positive verses negative rights to the Town of Castle Rock versus Gonzalez and other frightening Supreme Court decisions, every American should experience the lessons contained in What the Constitution Means to Me.

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Homeowners Hung Out to Dry

Homeowners Hung Out to Dry

… The legalities surrounding stormwater issues are gray at best. Apparently, the state owns the water, the city owns the pipes and streams (though even that is debatable), and the property owners own the land. So who is accountable when stormwater redirected by private developers damages property downstream?…

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Lessons from Down Under

Lessons from Down Under

… Last month we returned to Melbourne with our kids. I couldn’t help comparing Melbourne and Durham, and in the process Australia and America, and noting things that would improve our county and country. I have a two-page list but have space here for only two of the most far-reaching comparisons …

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Will the East Coast Learn Anything from Hurricane Florence?

Will the East Coast Learn Anything from Hurricane Florence?

In the wake of Hurricane Florence, one question plagues me (again): Are we going to spend hundreds of millions of dollars in FEMA and other public emergency funds to rebuild homes along the hurricane-battered coast, only so we can do it all over again when the next hurricane/tornado hits? Or will we finally adopt the common-sense, economically sustainable long-term solution: Don't Build/Rebuild Along the East Coast?

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To Walk the Sky: How Iroquois Steelworkers Helped Build Towering Cities

To Walk the Sky: How Iroquois Steelworkers Helped Build Towering Cities

“…details the history of the Mohawk men from eastern Canada’s Caughnawaga reserve who supported their families by constructing some of the longest and tallest bridges and buildings in Canada and America.”

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Better Stormwater Solutions

Better Stormwater Solutions

… Instead of hiring more consultants, Durham should establish a Watersheds Improvement Committee similar to the Joint City-County Planning Committee. The mission of this committee would be to eliminate redundancies and develop long-term, holistic approaches to storm-water management.…

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Job-Creation No Free Pass

Job-Creation No Free Pass

… I’m so sick of the ‘jobs argument.’ Yes, this fertilizer plant (or bio-lab, off-shore oil site, fracking, etc.) may potentially be toxic (omission: potentially = inevitably), but we will take every security and environmental measure (omission: ‘that we know of’) to ensure there will never be a malfunction. Besides, think of the hundreds of jobs that will not be generated if this plant is not constructed…

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This Book Is Banned: A Hilarious Picture Book about Censorship and Free Speech

This Book Is Banned: A Hilarious Picture Book about Censorship and Free Speech

“Let’s face it. Without their caretakers' insistent input, most children do not know that books are being made unavailable to them at their schools. It’s debatable whether adult caretakers who oppose book bans even want them to. But the adult-child combination who reads This Book Is Banned together will have fun discussing the issue of “banning” in the hypothetical, thanks to the busy and engaging illustrations and text that await them.”

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The American Way?

The American Way?

Sunday morning at the RDU Airport Observation deck, as my kids climbed the giant sandbox spider, I talked with a small business owner from Raleigh, a self-proclaimed conservative Republican and Marine Corps retiree, who was waiting with his young son for his wife’s plane to take off…

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