EDITORIAL: Voters get extra time; mosquito war gets extra ammo

Oct. 06--Merit: For the General Assembly's decision to extend voter registration in the 28 counties most affected by Hurricane Florence to 5 p.m. on Oct. 15. The deadline remains 5 p.m. on Oct. 12 for the rest of the state.

The extended deadline includes all counties in this region. The State Board of Elections & Ethics Enforcement has a special website to help voters who were affected by the hurricane and severe flooding. Please check it out at https://www.ncsbe.gov/florence

The state board's executive director, Kim Westbrook Strach, said in a release that, "We do not want this devastating storm to keep people from voting. Voters may cast ballots by mail or in person during the early voting period or on Election Day. We hope voters take advantage of the option that works best for them at this difficult time."

Even if you miss the new deadline for registration, you can still register and vote during the early voting period, which runs from Oct. 17 through Nov. 3. Election Day is Nov. 6, but you can't register and vote on that day. You also have until Oct. 30 to contact your local board of elections to request an absentee ballot, so you can vote by mail.

While this isn't a presidential election year and neither of our members of the U.S. Senate are up for re-election, our ballots are filled with important races for Congress, the General Assembly, judgeships at every level and many county races. There are also six ballot questions for amendments to the state constitution -- several of them quite controversial. Your vote is important. Don't miss the opportunity.

Merit: For Cumberland County's decision to order a second round of spraying to combat the unusual onslaught of mosquitoes that hatched as a result of Hurricane Florence flooding. The nasty bugs include the big, nasty "gallinipper" mosquitoes, which are easily double the size of our usual mosquitoes. Their sting packs a wallop. In addition to the annoyance, some mosquito species also carry some viruses that can lead to serious illness. The spraying is expected to continue through this weekend and into early next week.

The spraying trucks are using a botanical insecticide, EcoVia, which has little toxicity for people or warm-blooded animals, although it's recommended that people and their pets stay clear of the spraying, which is occurring after dark. The efforts are especially targeting areas where there is still standing water.

The mosquito control efforts are being financed in part by a $4 million state fund allocated for ground and aerial mosquito spraying. The Federal Emergency Management Agency also will reimburse up to 75 percent of mosquito control costs after flooding disasters.

Meanwhile, watch out for the gallinippers and their allies. Use a repellent. DEET is most effective. Long sleeves and pants are in order if you need to go outside. And if you can, stay inside until this stinging mess is cleared up.

Merit: For First Daughter Ivanka Trump, who dropped in to see relief efforts in Lumberton Wednesday and give the volunteers and flooding victims a real lift. "I'm so excited. I just about fainted," said one flood victim who had dropped by Hyde Park Baptist Church, where volunteers were distributing meals. The church is serving as a relief site where N.C. Baptists on Mission, the Red Cross and other groups are helping flood victims.

Trump handed out meals, chatted with volunteers, posed for photos and gave out more than a few hugs. It was a brief visit -- about 40 minutes in all -- but it put a lot of smiles on a lot of weary faces. Sometimes that's enough to make a difficult job bearable.

Merit: For the sound of music ringing out on downtown Fayetteville street corners. The buskers are here.

The Sweet Tea Shakespeare theater group has partnered with the Cool Spring Downtown District to put local musicians on street corners every Thursday through Saturday from 6 to 10 p.m. and from 11:30 a.m. to noon on weekends. Ten spots downtown are designated for performances.

The district's marketing director, Melissa Purvines, says, "We want to showcase a vast array of local artists. But we also want to enhance the experience of visitors to the downtown district." A Durham musician kicked off the program last weekend, Purvines said, and was amazed by how many people stopped to listen. ""He made tips and said it was really successful."

The program will end up including more than just music. Sweet Tea artistic director Jeremy Fiebig says, "We're particularly interested in expanding what busking means, to include a diverse range of artistic and creative endeavors."

We can't wait to see what that leads to. Former Mayor Tony Chavonne, who is president of the district organization, helped implement the program and has some ideas in mind. "A lot of entertainment will be rotated and move through downtown. You might be seeing a performance artist on one corner, a musician on the next, and a mime on another corner."

Want to be a performer? Go to sweetteashakespeare.com/buskers

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