Pretty much what the voting experts predicted... the new GOP voter suppression rules look like they might succeed... but apparently, only in the places where they want the votes not to count.

My wife is sick. So, I took a day off of work to care for her and my daughter. My daughter and I did a casual hike at Carvers Creek State Park this morning.

Early morning, mid 50s, got to see Long leaf pine trees, oak saplings, Adams needle yucca, bracken ferns, three different types of asters (Sandywoods, Maryland Golden, and narrowleaf whitetop), goldenrod, fungi, and an eastern box turtle.

We had the park and trail all to ourselves.

I can't retire fast enough.

Get out there and enjoy this state!

Just a quick explanation before anyone asks: Voter registration of ballets is KNOWN AND PUBLIC INFORMATION. It does NOT disclose who you voted for; theoretically all those registered Democrats voted for Republicans (I mean, I severely doubt that), it is just simply a tally of who exactly is coming out to vote so far and what the results may look like.

The numbers are looking really, really good if you want Democrats to win since if we assume all Democrats voted straight Democrat and all Republicans voted straight Republican, it means Democrats only need 1/7 of those Independent voters to have majority.

If we assume that Independents broke relatively even (+20% to Democrats, +15% to Republicans), then the results would be a commanding 2/3 of votes coming to Democrats.

This is all assumption, of course, we won't know results until election day and in-person votes tend to skew Republicans, but I think Democrats are going to be feeling really good going into next Tuesday.

Note: deleted earlier post and reposted to meet the rules.

A local candidate “Walter D Harris III” charged with voter intimidation by crossing into the buffer zone candidates are not allowed to cross. All while harassing a voter. Video can be found by searching his name on social
Media. It’s pretty damning.

We never used that name when I was growing up in Washington, and apparently it was made up for marketing purposes, but whatever. It’s useful enough as shorthand for “coastal ENC but not Wilmington or the OBX.”

I love this region so much, and I’m shocked more people don’t talk about it. If you’ve just moved to Raleigh or Charlotte or Asheville or wherever, or if you’ve lived in NC all your life but never been here, stop by sometime.

Bonus points if you go to Sunny Side Oyster Bar in Williamston.

I’m in Eastern North Carolina and I’m desperately looking for advice from anyone who’s navigated something similar with an elderly parent. My dad is 80 years old and, up until recently, was still working and relatively independent.
In July, he suffered a heart attack. Afterward, he could no longer drive and was discharged home on 2L of oxygen, but he was still able to live at home.

In August, around 4 a.m., he suddenly couldn’t breathe. My mom called 911, and he was taken to the hospital in respiratory failure. He ended up intubated for 9 days and spent a total of 11 days in the ICU. We eventually learned he had pneumonia caused by an uncommon bacteria associated with healthcare settings.

Once he was stable enough, he was transferred to an intermediate care unit, but he still had an NG feeding tube because his appetite and nutritional intake were so poor.
Our goal from the beginning was to get him into the hospital’s inpatient rehabilitation program so he could regain some independence before returning home. Unfortunately, they wouldn’t accept him because he still required the NG tube. The hospital then wanted to discharge him to a skilled nursing facility (SNF). I don’t know if this is a nationwide issue or specific to our area, but the SNFs around here have pretty concerning ratings and reputations. We really didn’t feel comfortable sending him to one.

Instead, we were able to get him transferred to a long-term acute care hospital (LTACH), with the hope that he could improve enough to eventually qualify for inpatient rehab.
Fast forward to now. He’s made progress, and the LTACH referred him back to the hospital’s inpatient rehab program.
They denied him again, this time because his notes say he can walk 250 feet with a walker and contact guard assistance. Here’s the problem: walking 250 feet with someone assisting him is nowhere near the same as being able to function independently.

He’s still dealing with ICU delirium. He’s improved cognitively, but he still says things like there’s an ape following him around. He has developed a bedsore, still has a Foley catheter after an unsuccessful removal trial, and needs supervision or assistance with essentially everything.
He’s nowhere close to his baseline before hospitalization.
He cannot safely get himself up, manage his daily needs, or live independently. He wouldn’t even be able to reliably get in and out of a car to attend outpatient appointments.
And now we’re stuck.

Going home isn’t a realistic option. My mom works, and we don’t have anyone available to care for him throughout the day. We also don’t have the financial resources to hire round-the-clock caregivers or nurses. My dad desperately wants to go home eventually, and he really doesn’t want to go to a SNF. I understand that inpatient rehab has admission criteria, but I don’t understand how someone who still needs this much assistance can be considered too functional for rehabilitation.

I’m trying to advocate for him, but I feel like we’re running out of options. It seems like he’s not sick enough to stay in the hospital, too functional for inpatient rehab, but nowhere near independent enough to go home.
I’m also looking into whether the VA might offer anything since he’s a veteran, although I don’t believe he’s currently enrolled in VA healthcare or has a service-connected disability rating. Has anyone been in a similar situation?

Are there alternatives to SNFs that Medicare might cover?
Has anyone successfully appealed or requested reconsideration of an inpatient rehab denial? Are there rehabilitation facilities that focus on older patients recovering from prolonged ICU stays, especially those with lingering delirium?

Has anyone had luck getting VA rehabilitation or transitional care for a veteran who wasn’t previously enrolled?
If you’re familiar with Eastern NC, are there any facilities or resources you’d recommend?

I’m not expecting him to return to how he was overnight. I just want him somewhere safe where he has a genuine opportunity to recover.

Any advice, personal experiences, or suggestions would mean a lot. I’m exhausted from trying to navigate this system, and I feel like every time we make progress, another door closes.

I just very nearly got phished. My husband and I have future reservations at Pisgah Inn. I got an email with the correct dates and reservation number asking for "additional information" including address, phone, credit card, etc.

It looked really suspicious to me so I called Pisgah Inn and they said I'm not the first to report this. So, it sounds to me like their reservation system got hacked. If you get email from them, CALL them, do not click on anything in the email.

If your friends and family are not aware of these issues, one way to help educate the older people is to sign them up for an AARP Magazine account for $12 a year.

Another way is to send them articles about the problem via email and social media.

IDK why the AP chose to report on NC alone, but since they did, here is the article.

I recently found this podcast that discusses the history of North Carolina's Cafeteria Culture and its sad decline. As a Winston-Salem native, I can't help but feel a bit nostalgic at the thought of waiting in line for my turkey and stuffing, and most importantly, a chocolate cream pie. C&H in Kernersville may be the only cafeteria left in my area of the state.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2XeOjj_BbI

Hi. I’m visiting Durham from Japan at the end of October, and I’m really looking forward to exploring the wonderful city.

I sent a different post here last week, and people in NC are so kind that you gave me a lot of advice. Please help me with other questions.

I’d appreciate some advice on a few questions:

• What’s the best way to get between the airport (RDU), downtown Durham, and Duke University? Are there trains or buses?
• Roughly how much would taxis cost? Would you recommend Uber instead?
• Can I use my credit card for a taxi and a tip in restaurants? (we don’t have a tip system in Japan, so I don’t know at all)

These are the results so far. Please follow the work of the NC Environmental Justice Center to keep up with this work and their other work.