Pete Kaliner is the host of a daily talk show on Asheville’s WWNC (570-AM) that airs from 3 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. This column features posts from his daily blog.

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The following was posted on May 19:

North Carolina House Republicans are proving, once again, that there are plenty of progressive big government folks on their team, too. And they wonder why they get targeted in primaries?

The North Carolina House wants to spend $1.1 billion more on state government next year under a draft budget proposal released Monday, which seeks to raise teacher and state employee salaries while setting aside more money for reserves and economic incentives.

The two-year plan written by House Republicans would spend almost $22.2 billion in the fiscal year starting July 1, which compares to the $21.1 billion in the current year’s plan finalized last summer by the General Assembly.

The first of three committees reviewing the budget approved key sections of the proposal — but barely — Monday evening after many Republicans voted against the finance package within it. Some were unhappy with several tax breaks and extended incentives for particular industries.

Take a look at this excerpt from a list of “Pork and Crony Handouts” compiled by Brian Balfour at Civitas:

• $200,000 for a youth baseball tournament in House Speaker Tim Moore’s district

• $5 million expansion in funds for the NC Biotech Center (former Civitas Waste of the Week)

• $50,000 for a museum dedicated to the history of the town of Stanley located in Rep. Kelly Hastings’ district

• $300,000 increase in funds for grassroots science museums, another Civitas Waste of the Week

• $858,000 for the NC Arboretum in Asheville

• $800,000 grant to the wasteful Research Triangle Institute for clean energy research

• $2.5 million expansion of funds for The Support Center (formerly The Minority Support Center, a previous partner in Moral Monday protests)

• $500,000 increase in funding for the Grassroots Art Grants program

• $130,000 increase in funding for the NC Museum of Art

• $50,000 increase in funding for the Tryon Palace, another former Waste of the Week feature

Read the rest of the list here, including $146 million in subsidies and tax credits.

Even the legislative press corps sees what’s happening:

“While $200 million each would go into state reserves for emergencies and for repairing government buildings, House GOP leaders are going on a bit of a post-Great Recession spending spree.”

And still... it’s not enough for Democrats:

“Rep. Paul Luebke, D-Durham, said the bill didn’t go far enough to address education funding. Democrats have complained about recent GOP tax cuts. “Revenue is needed in order to fund our public schools adequately,” Luebke said.”

On the bright side, we see the charade that is the “Main Street Democrats” group.

A small group of centrist Democrats who have been working under the banner of Main Street Democrats helped buoy the bill, setting up the intriguing possibility that the measure could pass later this week even if it loses a large chunk of conservative members on the floor.

The North Carolina GOP House leadership is (once again) a pretty big disappointment. Hopefully, the Senate plan will be more in line with what conservatives expected they were getting when they voted for Republicans.

The following was posted on May 19:

Duke ditching coal in Asheville 

Duke Energy says it’s shutting down it’s Asheville coal-fired power plant within four to five years. I’m not sure what this means for environmentalists who have made a living protesting the Lake Julian plant.

The plan’s major components include retiring the 376-megawatt Asheville coal power plant, investing approximately $750 million to build a 650-megawatt natural gas-fired power plant, and installing solar generation at the site – one of the first combinations of its kind.

The plan includes investing approximately $320 million to build a transmission  substation near Campobello, S.C., and connect it to the Asheville power plant with a new approximately 40-mile, 230-kiloVolt (kV) transmission line. It also includes upgrading and rebuilding additional electrical infrastructure such as transmission lines and distribution substations.

Electricity demand in Duke Energy Progress’ Asheville service area has doubled over the last four decades. The region currently must import about 400 megawatts of power during peak demand periods to ensure system reliability. The region’s power demand is also forecast to grow by about 15 percent over the next decade.

According to the project details, Duke could be running transmission lines through Buncombe, Henderson, and Polk Counties. So, I guess folks will be able to focus their attention to protesting these infrastructure projects.

The following was posted on May 19:

Police chief pool too white? 

And speaking of protesting, the Rev. Keith Ogden is mad that there are no minorities  in the running for Asheville Police Chief. The four finalists are all white. One is a woman. From WLOS-TV:

A community leader has pulled out of the committee to help select Asheville’s next police chief, citing he must speak about how none of the four finalists are minorities.

Reverend Keith Ogden with Hill Street Baptist Church withdrew from the now 15-member APD Chief selection committee on Monday.

He said he was flattered to have been asked to serve, but said he couldn’t agree to sign a confidentiality agreement that panel members were asked to sign.

“I do not want that process to constrict me in any way because of the role that I serve in this community as a pastor and a leader,” Ogden said, who serves on the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance.

Ogden said he was asked to serve on the committee two weeks ago, but he’s compelled now to point out that the finalists are all white.

“No Asian, no Latino, no Hispanic, no African-American,” Ogden says. “Considering what’s going on across the nation, Baltimore, Ferguson and even in Asheville with what happened to our former Chief William Anderson.”

The four finalists made presentations last night at UNCA.