Despite Charlotte’s spotty track record with the LYNX light rail line, other cities continue to pursue similar transit options. The Tampa Tribune sought Michael Sanera’s critique of Charlotte’s light rail for a story published during the past week. FreeRepublic.com picked up his comments. Sanera also wrote a rail-related letter published in the News & Observer, and the Mooresville Tribune picked up his recent column on “not-so-high-speed” rail. On a separate topic, two of the N&O‘s regional publications, the Cary News and Southwest Wake News, published a column from Apex Mayor Keith Weatherly that references Sanera. (I compliment [Councilman Bill] Jensen on his wisdom to ask a noted expert on environment issues from the John Locke Foundation to review and comment on his resolution. Dr. Michael Sanera responded to the assertion that North Carolina’s coastline will soon be engulfed because of global warming. Dr. Sanera wrote: “There has been no statistically significant warming for the last 15 years. There is no evidence that the increase in sea level in North Carolina is caused by recent global warming, that is pre-1995 warming. North Carolina’s sea level has been rising at the same rate for well over a century.”) Meanwhile, the Fayetteville Observer published a column from Joseph Coletti, John Locke Foundation Director of Health and Fiscal Policy Studies. Coletti challenged the notion that Blue Cross Blue Shield’s recent announcement of millions of dollars in refunds represents unqualified good news. Daren Bakst, Director of Legal and Regulatory Studies, produced a new report this week that raises concerns about a state prescription drug database. Bakst discussed the report with Tara Servatius on WBT Radio. Bakst also wrote for GlobalWarming.org about the threat of a new national energy tax called the renewable energy standard. The Planetary Ruin website picked up those comments. Meanwhile, the Green Alternative Energy Stuff website promoted a video clip of Bakst questioning wind power’s benefits. In other news, an editorial in the Durham Herald-Sun quoted Terry Stoops, Director of Education Studies, because of his support for measuring the effectiveness of the More At Four academic prekindergarten program. The Richmond County Daily Journal published a column from Stoops on measuring teacher effectiveness.