The complex rules of dealing with wind turbine noise limits

Rep. Mike Yantachka

Although the legislature is not in session, many legislators serve on special committees that meet between sessions. The Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules (LCAR) is one such committee, and it’s been keeping me busy this summer. LCAR consists of four Senators and four Representatives and is responsible for reviewing rules proposed by agencies of the executive branch of state government. Rules spell out the process by which an agency administers laws. Examples include the health standards of hotel accommodations, licensing of professionals, and standards for fuel oil tanks in our homes. It is LCAR’s job to review the rules to ensure that

Veterans Day celebration—A slightly different take

Veterans Day celebration—A slightly different take

Edd Merritt

Veterans Day, eh? I should be honored to take part in it, but, frankly, the Navy and I parted company on Treasure Island, California, in late summer of 1968 and have lived in blissful ignorance of each other ever since. I put my medals in a drawer and responded to a letter from the government asking me to become an active reserve with a “Thanks, but no thanks.” The country must have had a large enough supply of people (mostly men in those days) to keep their tanks full and did not feel the need to press too hard on those of us who said no.

Letters: More in the Mt. Philo viewshed

Letters: More in the Mt. Philo viewshed

Ed Amidon, Charlotte

I read with interest Rep. Mike Yantachka’s commentary (9/20) criticizing the Public Utility Commission’s decision to reject an application for construction of a large-scale commercial solar array in the iconic Mt. Philo viewshed. My reaction to the decision was quite different from Mike’s: Finally the PUC “build everywhere” policy seems to have been modified to consider land-use planning in reviewing large-scale commercial solar and wind applications.

Out Take

Out Take

Edd Merritt, Contributing Editor

I admit that I watched all the sessions of Ken Burns and Lynn Novick’s Vietnam history. A young adult of the 1960s, I was there during the war and played a small a part in “Rolling Thunder” on an aircraft carrier bombing the north. But that was not the reason I found the series fascinating.

Alexa, a voice in a can

Alexa, a voice in a can

Edd Merritt, Contributing Editor

So, what does Alexa have to do with the future of humanity? An article in the September 10 New York Times says, “These Are Not the Robots We Were Promised.” Those expected were more mechanical than intellectual. These, on the other hand, bring brains, not brawn, to the world. According to Nicholas Carr, author of the article, Alexa’s cones will soon be scattered around our houses, and we will be able to converse with “solicitous A.I. assistants wherever and whenever we like.”

Outtakes: A fascination with slightly off center

Outtakes: A fascination with slightly off center

Edd Merritt, Contributing Editor

My secessionist writer and friend, Thomas Naylor, was a resident of Charlotte until his death five years ago. He led the charge for our state and whoever wanted to join us, to pull out of the union and form our own nation-state that focused on community, local control, local resources and the needs of a smaller group of people than the current U.S. population.