Durham

Attention Durham Democrats in Precinct 39!

Our annual precinct meeting will be held on Tueday, March 12, at 7:00 p.m., at our polling place, St. Stephens. Due to the unavailability of our current precinct chair (he's traveling abroad), the county party chair has graciously granted us an extra week to get ourselves organized in advance of our annual meeting.

For details, please visit our new website, http://www.durhamdems39.org/, which has details about the upcoming meeting and will be updated throughout the coming week.

We look forward to seeing you at St. Stephens next Tuesday, March 12, at 7:00 p.m. Come be a part of the future of our precinct!

After a successful primary season that saw all three of our endorsed candidates successful, the Grassroots Farm Team PAC is back with a fresh round of endorsements, highlighting great young candidates from across North Carolina.

First we want to congratulate D. Cole Phelps on his primary win for Washington County Commissioner. He doesn't face a general election opponent and we're excited about seeing Commissioner Phelps next year!

In addition to continuing to support Drew Reisinger and Bill Luton, who were both endorsed in the spring and face Republican opposition in November, the Farm Team has chosen to endorse Phil Feagan, Jenifer Bubenik and Danielle Adams.

Thank you so much for the your wonderful support and comments on my story about trying to stop the runaway fracking train in North Carolina. The need for clear evidence-based comments is urgent because the east coast Triassic Basins could be the most dangerous shale-gas plays in the America. These shallow ancient lakebed shale gas deposits, located near several North Carolina's most important rivers for water supply, are riddled with near vertical faults and basaltic (diabase) dikes. These vertical geologic structures and the shallow depth make the potential for accidental vertical transport of gas and drilling fluids much higher in these basins than for deep shale deposits like the Marcellus shale in Pennsylvania and New York.

This occurred last week but we've got a new video of Mayor Bill Bell's statement about the Amendment. I'm so proud of my town.

On Thursday, March 8, in a 6-0 vote, the city of Durham’s councilmembers encouraged voters to cast their upcoming ballots against an amendment to the state constitution that would strip the local government of the ability to provide domestic partner benefits such as health care to its public employees and their children, among other harms.

Following is an interview with April, a Durham sex worker. This is her story.
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When I was growing up Mom nodded off all the time [on opiate pills] and in the morning I’d find her lying on the floor or wherever she’d passed out high the night before… My father was drunk all the time, my mother high on pills, so my brother and I raised ourselves. I learned to cook for myself when I was three and got myself up to get ready for school at age five. [My brother and I] were abused mentally a lot, and my Dad abused us physically too. We terrorized the neighborhood. We played with knives and ripped the shingles off houses.

The exploits of North Carolina’s Insurance Commissioner as crime fighter have been well-documented on this site and in other places, including countless news accounts and the official website of the Department of Insurance.

The statewide Pride event is happening all this weekend. There is a full schedule of events from Thursday through Sunday across the state, but of course the big event is the rally and parade in Durham.

11: 55am National Anthem for Opening Ceremony
NOON "Pride Rally with Speakers and Dignitaries, Parade Marshall and special performances"
12:45- 2:15pm PARADE LINE UP TO MARCH with Bagpipes
1pm Parade Begins (Official Reviewing Stand at Madhatter's Cafe at the corner of Main and Broad St.
1pm - 4pm Viewing Party

Elaine Marshall has won two HUGE victories in the battle for the Durham vote today.

Durham Mayor Bill Bell and the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People announced they were both supporting Elaine's campaign today for U.S. Senate. Both candidates in the runoff election have focused heavily on Durham -- Elaine placed second in the primary behind Ken Lewis, who is now her Campaign Chairman, and these latest endorsements highlight the momentum our campaign has.

It is time for us to unite behind Elaine Marshall. In my opinion Marshall's better suited to beat Burr, and she's proven that she's ready to stand up and fight for the people of North Carolina. -- Mayor Bell

Sign up to make calls this week and help Elaine Marshall win the June 22nd runoff!

More below.

There are times when I feel a great deal of pride in my humble hometown of Durham, North Carolina. In the past, that pride has stemmed from the city's institutions, from the wide availability of fantastic Mexican food to our leading recycled object-based amusement centers, and even our renowned hospitals and medical research. Today I once again feel a surge of pride, this time because the city of Medicine is now in the vanguard of campaign finance reform. Yesterday, the Durham city council passed a resolution calling for the North Carolina legislature and Governor's office to pass legislation allowing larger towns like Durham to institute voter-owned election programs.