Today is Memorial Day. Today we honor the sacrifice of those who have lost their lives in striving to safeguard our country. I took part this evening in the memorial observation sponsored by the Triad Vietnam Veterans Association. The event is held every year at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem, where a plaza of monuments honors each Forsyth County resident who lost his or her life in the armed service of our country, beginning with the First World War. The centerpiece of the Memorial Day event each year is the reading of each name aloud. There were new names this year. Read More »

When the federal government refuses to meet its responsibilities, sometimes it's up to the states and cities to step in. That's what is taking place around our nation now on the pressing issue of global warming. Read More »

Last Wednesday, I participated in the "Green Tie Dinner" in Raleigh, sponsored by the Conservation Council of N.C. Read More »

This Saturday, I will head east to Wayne County for the Third Congressional District Democratic Convention. The Third District includes much of my old home of Craven County, where I lived for a decade while working as a Legal Services attorney for poor families in ten coastal counties. I learned a great deal about the concerns and needs of the people of eastern North Carolina during my years of work there. Read More »

When you travel around the state giving talks, you learn quickly which topics draw the most immediate and personal responses. Health care is one of those—both access and cost. Nearly everyone recognizes that we have a serious problem, and very few people are confident even that their own coverage will remain certain and affordable. Read More »

May is National Law Enforcement Month. Around the nation, events are held in appreciation of the men and women who work to keep our communities safe. Special attention goes to honoring the memory of law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty. Last week, I took part as a city official in the Forsyth County opening ceremony and officers memorial service. I try to participate each year in this important opportunity to help show our communities' appreciation to those who risk their lives to "protect and serve" the rest of us. It was especially important to be there this year, expressing our appreciation and sympathies to the families of those officers. Several North Carolina officers have lost their lives in the line of duty this year.

Saturday was another of those days on the run, as 12 of North Carolina's 13 Congressional districts held their Democratic District Conventions. I've focused most of my campaign time for the past couple of months in the western half of the state, so this time I headed east. I spent most of the day speaking with Democrats at the 4th District meeting in Raleigh, and the 2nd District meeting in Sanford. Jobs, health care, education, and environment were all among the hot topics of interest. While I was in Raleigh, I took the opportunity to thank Rep. David Price for his help in getting a provision inserted in the Defense Appropriations Act to bar the Navy from building an OLF (Outlying Landing Field) at the site adjacent to the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. Read More »

As a member of our state's Climate Action Plan Advisory Group (CAPAG), I spent last Tuesday in Raleigh helping to finalize our recommendations on effective strategies for dealing with global warming and climate change. (CAPAG was created by the N.C. Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources to help it advise the legislature on climate change issues. We have representatives from local government, industry, utilities, engineers, scientists, agriculture, forestry, and conservationists. We've been reviewing options and preparing strategies for more than a year now.) Read More »

Once again, Democrats in the N.C. House of Representatives have taken the lead in approving creation of a health insurance pool for "high-risk" North Carolinians... Read More »

Last Sunday, I had the chance to visit with members of the Eno River Association in their annual spring gathering on the banks of the Eno in Durham. I enjoyed discussing my experiences in working with citizen conservation leaders on clean water issues, including the founders of the Eno association in their long (and successful) fight to save the Eno as a clean, free-flowing river.