The fight over the proposed bioterror lab in Granville County has turned ugly, with a member of the key opposition group slamming lab advocates at the N.C. Biotechnology Center for saying area residents are telling them the lab would be good for the area. From the Herald-Sun:

“Well, it does lead one to wonder whether the N.C. Biotech officials are deaf, blind or just dumb,” said Kathryn Spann, a member of the opposition Granville Non-Violent Action Team steering committee.

The proposed facility has been a subject of intense controversy for the last several months, with GNAT leaders citing numerous potential environmental and health hazards.

This temper tantrum comes in the wake of N.C. Sen. Doug Berger’s opposition to the lab. Berger, who represents the area, now wants the NC Biotech Center to return the $262,000 grant it received from the Golden Leaf Foundation for a so-called information campaign about the lab. I’m with Berger on the issue of returning the funds. The grant is public money, and it’s inappropriate.