Archives for May 2014

Maya Angelou tributes take a cue from the poet herself

Of course, President Obama, in his tribute on the passing of Maya Angelou, “one of the brightest lights of our time,” would quote Angelou, calling her “a truly phenomenal woman.”

The remembrances of Angelou, who died Wednesday at age  86 in her Winston-Salem, N.C., home, are filled with her own words – her distinctive voice that touched and inspired so many, from presidents to just folks.

Mayor Clodfelter Reflects On His Vision For Charlotte


CHARLOTTE, N.C.- The Charlotte City Council is expected to take a straw vote on the 2015 budget adjustments Wednesday.

Our political contributor Mary C. Curtis also sat down with Mayor Clodfelter. She joined Rising to offer thoughts about the Mayor’s plan for the city.

 

VA problems a political issue in military-rich North Carolina

Very few issues can bring contentious Democrats and Republicans in the North Carolina general assembly together. But this week, marking national military appreciation month, a joint resolution expressing gratitude and appreciation for “the men and women of the United States armed forces” won unanimous support.

Those men and women and their families are important constituents and the military ranks as a major economic driver in a state with, as the resolution mentioned, six major military bases, nearly 800,000 veterans, and the third largest military force in the country, with close to 120,000 active duty personnel and another 12,000 members of the North Carolina National Guard.

So the current investigation of allegations of slow wait times and false record-keeping at the VA that is being closely watched all over is of special interest in North Carolina. In the midst of a tight U.S. Senate race, it’s inevitable politics as well as concern would be part of the reaction.

Moral Monday Protests and How November Elections Could Be Affected


CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Moral Monday marches are back and protesters are re-energized in their efforts after new rules limiting them were put in place.

WCCB News Rising Political Contributor, Mary Curtis, is here with a look at how these protests could potentially impact November elections.

Women change communities, one ‘giving circle’ at a time

CHARLOTTE – Two women interested in new ways to give back to their community found inspiration in a magazine story about a Seattle giving circle. That was in 2003. Since then, the Charlotte-based Women’s Impact Fund has grown to nearly 400 community leaders awarding 49 grants totaling more than $3.7 million – and it has become one of the largest women’s collective giving groups in the country.

Same-sex marriage an issue in North Carolina elections? Maybe

Just when you thought there were plenty of contentious issues that put North Carolina’s Senate candidates at odds, same-sex marriage is added to the list. With a state constitution amendment – Amendment One — bolstering an existing law against it, there was little reason same-sex marriage would merit major consideration as North Carolina House Speaker Thom Tillis, the Republican, battles Democratic U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan. But a federal court case in neighboring Virginia, plus a host of lawsuits – including one with a religious twist well suited to the Bible belt – have put the issue in the headlines and on the table.

Jill Abramson leaves the New York Times – and the chatter begins

When Jill Abramson was hired as executive editor of the New York Times in 2011, the first woman in one of the most important, most visible jobs in journalism, it was big news. Now that she has been dismissed as executive editor of the Times and is being replaced by Dean Baquet, the managing editor, it promises to be even bigger news.

The inside workings of the Times have always been a topic of speculation, sometimes more intense than a Page One feature – although usually that was mostly confined to the East Coast media corridor. It was that way when I worked there (and left before Abramson arrived) and played the game of counting the truths and fictions in each exposé. I expect a flood of exhaustive narratives that will contain only bits of “what really happened.”

The news, however, will surely resonate even outside the media world this time because the appointment meant so much to so many women in the industry and because Abramson’s tenure has always been scrutinized.

Social Movements’ Influence on US and Nigerian Politicians

CHARLOTTE, N.C. —  Political Contributor, Mary C. Curtis, talks about how social movement is influencing both the US and Nigerian Politicians to take action.
This comes after a plea from a mother of one of the hundreds of kidnapped Nigerian school girls. The plea is encouraging people around the world to rally for their safe return.

In North Carolina, Rand Paul touts tea party diversity

CHARLOTTE — Earlier this week, Rand Paul was showing the flag in North Carolina, the one that says “Don’t Tread on Me.”

The Republican senator from Kentucky could not boost his guy in the North Carolina Republican Senate primary  into a runoff. But was his appearance at a Greg Brannon rally on the plaza outside the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Monday more about 2016?

Paul brushed aside questions suggesting any such thing, saying: “I think that’s probably too complicated” and “I don’t know if you can read too much into the tea leaves.” But he certainly made the case for a broader tea party base that coincidentally would help any presidential aspirations he might harbor.

Insight in the Race Between Hagan and Tillis


 

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — WCCB’s political contributor, Mary C. Curtis, has been watching the race develop between Senator Kay Hagan and State House Speaker Thom Tills.

The Republican effort to unseat Senator Hagan will kick into overdrive leading up to the November election.

Tillis is the man the party hopes can make it happen. Curtis gives us some insight on the race.