Did you know a North Carolina Democrat is now a Republican? Catch up on the week here.
I'm sure you all know this, but just in case: Paste BN is part of a massive network of media properties all over the country.
That means we also have opinion writers spread across the country, covering the news that matters to those communities and writing about news that often has a national impact.
It's with that in mind that we offer a roundup of columns from across the Paste BN Network from the happenings of this week.
Opinions in your inbox: Get exclusive access to our columnists and the best of our columns
Tennessee in the spotlight for the wrong reasons
The Tennessee House of Representatives on Thursday conducted one of the longest, most robust and passionate debates in recent memory on the state Constitution, decorum and the role of a legislator.
The problem is that lawmakers did not discuss or do anything of importance to better the lives of the community.
Instead, Republican lawmakers made national celebrities of the three Democratic lawmakers they sought to expel.
People from all over the world were watching hours of video on the House live stream or media outlets, and letters poured into The Tennessean from people nationwide decrying the proceeding as an affront to democracy. Read the full column.
North Carolina lawmakers switches from Democrat to Republican
This week, State Rep. Tricia Cotham, a Mecklenburg legislator, switched her party affiliation from Democrat to Republican, giving the GOP a veto-proof majority in the state legislature.
Democratic Party leaders are livid. Some are calling for her resignation. Cotham said she was considered a traitor.
In her defense, she alleges Democrats bullied her, calling her names and coming after her family and children. She said the tipping point came when she was criticized for using the American flag and praying hands emoji on social media, and displays on her vehicles. Read the full column.
Failed governor candidate Kari Lake could become Baroness of Arizona
Kari Lake is angry (or is it jealous?) that former President Donald Trump has been indicted, especially, I’d guess, given the tremendous amount of publicity this has given him and the $7 million or so in campaign donations he’s pocketed in just about a week.
Lake expressed her undying support for Trump in a tweet, saying in part, “I didn’t think I could possibly support him more … .”
Nice try, but I can’t imagine it’ll do much for her coffers.
These are tough days for Lake.
However, when Lake’s last-ditch effort to become governor fails, and then her attempt to become a U.S. senator fails, all is not lost. Read the full column.
If you figure out these references then you're getting old
I stopped by a younger co-worker’s office the other day and noted her desk tidiness.
“My office looks like Fred Sanford’s backyard,” I said.
“Huh?” she looked at me blankly. “Sanford?”
Just a week earlier I was meeting with someone who called to say she was running about 20 minutes late and she promised she’d be there any second.
“Yeah, and the Skipper said it was only going to be a three-hour tour.”
“Skipper? Three-hour tour?”
What’s a maturing sarcastic to do when staples of popology grow cobwebs? Where exactly is my generation’s line of demarcation when it comes to wit? What happens when pop culture references no longer get a Fonzie thumbs-up? Read the full column.