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Senators take another lap

North Carolina's U.S. senators have teamed up again, and we hope they don't hit the wall this time.

They are co-sponsors of the Motorsports Fairness and Permanency Act, a high-octane description of a bill that would extend a tax break for stock-car racing facilities.

The last time the Republican Burr and Democrat Hagan joined forces, the wheels fell off their effort to forestall stricter federal tobacco regulation.

Again, they're making a pitch on behalf of an industry that has a big economic impact in North Carolina: more than $5 billion a year and 24,000 jobs, Hagan said. And racing doesn't cause cancer.

The bill grants tracks the same tax status as some other entertainment facilities and claims bipartisan support. Burr and Hagan may see a checkered flag on this one.

Protecting younger workers

North Carolina has the unenviable reputation of having some of the nation's weakest child-labor laws. However, a bill passed by the General Assembly will make it more costly for employers who cut corners by having underage workers do prohibited tasks. The fine for first-time violations doubles to $500 and subsequent ones to $1,000.

A UNC-CH study showed that more than 80 percent of 16- and 17-year-old construction workers did work that was clearly banned.

The death two years ago of 17-year-old Greensboro resident Nery Castenada played a role in the debate. He lost his life in an accident involving a large pallet shredder.

Nationwide, there's been a downward trend in investigations of alleged child-labor violations. Yet, the government estimates on any day more than 400 juvenile workers are injured on the job.

Boosting fines in our state may at least prompt employers to think twice before assigning jobs to workers too young to do them.

A crowded field

As the filings for City Council candidates wound down last week, there was uncharacteristic drama.

Longtime community activist Nettie Coad filed in District 2 and gang leader Jorge Cornell, "Inca" of the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation, will run for an at-large seat.

Cornell has said both that he stands for peace among the city's various gangs and that the Greensboro Police Department's gang unit has harassed him and other Latin Kings. What he'll say on the campaign trail is anyone's guess, but he definitely will add a different voice.

Meanwhile, Ryan Shell, who originally filed in District 2, shifted to the at-large field.

Once all was said and done, no fewer than 33 candidates had signed up, 11 for at-large seats, and every race was contested, from the mayor on down. The high interest continues a trend from 2007, in which 31 hopefuls stepped up.

And, from where we sit, few seem to be running on impulse, or as a lark. That portends a spirited campaign and a robust discussion about Greensboro's future.

A final word about clotheslines

Far be it from us to tell our neighbors how to dry their tidy whities, but Pricey Harrison's clothesline bill should have gotten a more serious hearing.

In short (definitely no pun intended), the Greensboro Democrat's bill would have empowered residents to choose whether they want to use clotheslines instead of dryers. After all, dryers consume huge amounts of power and clotheslines can save energy and money.

Plus, if many of the lawmakers who poked fun at Harrison's bill were honest, most remember well a day when clotheslines were more the rule than the exception.

According to the N.C. Center for Public Policy Research, one-third of the state's lawmakers are 65 or older. Yup. They remember.