• State House Speaker (and U.S. Senate) candidate Thom Tillis, R-Mecklenburg, holds out hope that the two chambers of the General Assembly can agree on legislation to handle clean up of Duke Energy’s coal ash ponds, perhaps by the end of August. A coal ash spill in the Dan River has become a lightning rod for environmental groups, as reflected in the parody from this month’s print edition of Carolina Journal.
• While Tillis is getting significant campaign support from members of the coal industry, Democratic incumbent Kay Hagan is pocketing campaign contributions from Duke Energy officials and employees.
• 6th Congressional District Democratic nominee Laura Fjeld, along with several Triad-area African-American elected officials, have latched onto a 2013 Facebook post by GOP nominee Mark Walker making disparaging remarks about families who are on public assistance. Walker says the post was not meant to target any specific ethnic group, though he continues to oppose “a culture of dependency” caused by welfare programs.
• Immigration policy dominated a Wednesday town hall meeting in Maiden sponsored by Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-10th District, who expressed frustration at the slow pace of action from the Obama administration.
