Ask me if I mind getting up an hour earlier so I can drive to work in twenty minutes instead of forty. The good news is, we have forestalled widening on I-26. Eventually, the waits will get so obnoxious, some folks will actually start walking the seven miles to town. So this is good.

On another subject obstructed by activism, Duke is now threatening not to give its coal-fired plant a proposed upgrade to cleaner-burning natural gas if environmental activists don’t get off their case.

After a hearing disrupted several times by protests, the chair of the state Utilities Commission said he expects to meet a legislative deadline for a decision on Duke Energy-Progress’ conversion of its Asheville facility.

Meanwhile, Duke warned that it may not phase out its coal-fired units at the site if its petition is denied.

The story quotes somebody as worrying about “the reality of climate change.” If it is so real, why don’t people save their breath and refer to it as “climate change.” The children would have more credibility if they simply said some models predict climate change, but regardless, we must be good stewards of the environment and try not to cause irreparable damage to mysterious lifelines we don’t know how to replace just yet. It’s like, why do people always call me “the all-wise and beautiful Leslee Kulba” instead of just “Leslee Kulba”?