The passing of Greg Biffle and former Governor Hunt (12-19-2025--Hour3)

What's going on? Thank you so much for listening to this podcast. It is heard live every day from noon to three on WBT Radio in Charlotte. And if you want exclusive content like invitations to events, the weekly live stream, my daily show prep with all the links, become a patron, go to vpeteclendershow dot com. Make sure you hit the subscribe button. Get every episode for free right to your smartphone or tablet. And again, thank you so much for your support. So the NASCAR world, but also North Carolina in general. Is morning after yesterday's crash of a private jet at the Statesville Regional Airport. We covered this live as it was occurring yesterday on the show. It was very early on identified as a business jet that was owned by NASCAR driver Greg Biffle. GB Aviation Lease Sing I believe, is the name of the company. What appears according to like flight tracker apps that are out there, I think flight aware is one. It appears that the plane was taking off and then may have attempted to turn back. It crashed and nobody survived. Seven people died on that plane. Biffle was one. His wife, Christina Grossu was also on the plane. She perished as did two of their children, Emma and Ryder. Emma Elizabeth she was born in twenty eleven. Emma was the daughter of Greg Biffle and his first wife, Nicole Lunders. Which I think, you know a lot of people may not, you know, have thought about this, but it like there's a mom that lost her her young daughter in this crash yesterday, and our hearts are broken for her and our prayers for comfort go out to her as well as the entire Biffel family, the Lunders family. Obviously rider Jack Biffle, he was just five, He just turned five years old. Also killed in the crash. Dennis Dutton was a pilot. I'm assuming that he was flying the plane, I assume, but I don't know that to be the case, but I assume he was flying. Not only was he killed, but also his son Jack, so Dennis the father. He was an international, a three point thirty captain at Delta, and a retired US Air Force Reserves pilot officer. Jack Dutton recently became an instrument rated private pilot ASEL. According to his LinkedIn profile, he was a flight student at Auburn. He graduated from Huff High in Cornelius, near Davidson, and then the seventh victim, Craig Wadsworth, who was a beloved member of the NASCAR community. According to a statement from NASCAR, uh he drove the motor coach of NASCAR reporter and former driver Kenny Wallace. So this is a pretty common gig for drivers like this, not for the race car drivers, but you know, to go from place to place, they're you know, they're they're bringing their vehicles and they've got motor homes, and so they're they're traveling, you know, in a large you know, maybe a convoy of vehicles or whatever, and so they hire drivers to drive their motor i'ms actually know somebody in my neighborhood who does this, and uh, you know, so they just they drive these different teams around and so and so it's, as you might imagine, it's a kind of a small world, small industry. Everybody kind of knows each other. And this guy was apparently, you know, just a great guy to work with and to be around. And so again, as I said yesterday, if you are of the praying sort, please say a prayer for all of these families that lost their loved ones in this you know, horrific plane crash. It's just awful and made, you know, compounded by the fact that it's a week before Christmas, and so it's as I was talking about it this morning with a when I was on a radio show up in Raleigh in Greensboro, and you know, it's a it's it's a good reminder to, you know, cherish the moments that we have now with the people that we love, because this life is fleeting. You know, you never know, this could be the last Christmas that you are with your family, so you know, be grateful for that. And I will tell you that, like, this is something that I've been trying to focus on myself for a while now, which is to to recognize the things as they are happening and be grateful for the things as they are happening. To have that gratitude. And I will tell you that I feel like I'm a happier person because I'm identifying these things, right, I recognize that I have gratitude for this and I and I consciously think of it, and becomes easier the more you do it, the more you kind of train yourself to say, you know, it's not and it's it's not this thing like, oh well, at least blah blah blah. You know, it's not like you're trying to always see the bright side of everything. Lord knows, if you listen to this show, you know that I don't always see the bright side of everything, but I do try to to reckon nice things that I'm grateful for, like being here, being on the radio, being healthy, right, having healthy family members. These are things that I am grateful for. I'm grateful for you. The fact that anybody is willing to turn on a radio station and listen to me. I don't know why, so I'm supremely grateful for that. I'm grateful for the people that have allowed me to do this because I enjoy doing it. I love doing it, and I'm grateful for for you being there and listening to the show. I'm grateful for my co workers, and I'm grateful for the advertisers that's that that support the station. They keep us employed as well. So I think if you, if you try to to fill your heart and mind with the things that you are grateful for, I think you're going to be happier. And I'm just speaking from my own experience. I feel happier now than I used to in the past. And I really do think that finding the things to be grateful for, I think that that acts as an antidote for a lot of the stuff going on that's driving a lot of our animosity in the public discourse, right because a lot of that stuff is rooted in envy. I feel like, and it's hard to be envious when you're grateful for the stuff that you have, for the people you know and have in your life. You know, like, when you're identifying the things that you're grateful for, you become happier and you become more satisfied than constantly looking outward and saying, oh, look at that person, they got this stuff, and that envy kind of just it's corrosive, you know, and it just eats away at you. Also, our our prayers are with the Hunt family. Former governor of North Carolina Jim Hunt. This is the write up on his passing. He was eighty eight. He passed away in WRAL reported that Jim Hunt, who redefined the office of governor in North Carolina, championed public education and helped focus the state's economy on high tech industries. Former Governor Jim Hunt was the only four term governor in North Carolina history. He helped push through amendments to the state constitution that allowed governors to serve consecutive terms because when he first got elected, there was only you could only do one term four years. So we changed that and so that allowed him to run for reelection and then after that he ran for US Senate, lost to Jesse Helms. Then he comes back runs for governor again as another two terms, so he's a four term governor. Nobody has done it since. He also pushed for the adoption of a constitutional amendment to give the governor's veto power, but not for redistricting maps. They didn't give him that one. He never did use the veto himself. But he was also a big champion of education and making North Carolina a tech hub as well. We'll get into more of Jim Hunt's legacy in a bit and get to some other details here about Greg Biffle in a moment. You know. Stories are powerful. They help us make sense of things, to understand experiences. Stories connect us to the people of our past while transcending generations. 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Mary says, yes, pe cherish, cherish the time that you have with your family. I know sometimes some of your family members can make it difficult. I know that Don and Kelly, thank you. We're grateful for you. I'm grateful for you as well. You and Kelly and Shannon says, cherish every moment we are so blessed. Enjoy your vacation and Merry Christmas to you and yours. Thank you, Shannon, appreciate it. I am off next week. I'll be back the week after, so that's December twenty ninth through New Year. We are off on New Year's Day, but like I'm gonna be working that week, so I may very well be just like cutting up a podcast or something and pushing it out, so be on the lookout for that. I did get a message here from Jim regarding Greg Biffel. The number of NASCAR aviation related deaths is significant. I was at the Martinsville race when Ricky Hendrick crashed and root don't leave out Curtis Turner, an iconic driver. He died in nineteen seventy and a plane crash on the way to the Charlotte five hundred mile race. I'm old enough to remember the kerfuffle with he and his business partners over CMS Charlotte Motorspeedway in the sixties. I was living in South Charlotte then as a bully, and my father would take me to CMS for qualifying. Why is Turner significant? Turner conceptualized, secured financing for, and built Charlotte Motor Speedway in nineteen sixty before being forced out by his business partners. That's interesting, I did not know that. Yeah, And somebody else was asking when I was chatting with Casey O. Day this morning on his program, and we talked a little bit about this, like why are there so many of these famous people that die in these types of you know, horrific plane crashes or helicopter crashes. And I think the answer is that they have the means to fly in them more often, and so those are generally going to be the people that are probably more well known, you know. Regarding the passing of former Governor Jim Hunt eighty eight years old, wrl's story. Following in the footsteps of progressive Democrats like former Governors KERR. Scott and Terry Sandford, Hunt pushed an agenda heavy on improving education, cleaning up government, and expanding the state's economy. As his first act in office, he ordered high level appointees to sign a code of ethics that required disclosure of financial interests. He also purged Republicans from the upper ranks of state agencies, clearing the way to appoint supporters who could carry out his proposals. So what wil is talking about there is what has been referred to as the Christmas Massacre. He fired a bunch of Republicans out of state government so he could put his own people in charge if you want. By the way, if you want to learn about North Carolina's politics, there's a book by Rob Christensen. And Rob used to be a columnist at the Raleigh News and Observer. Some people refer to him as Rob real who Christensen because despite the fact that he was, you know, a super connected columnist at the News and Observer in Raleigh, he somehow never could figure out how John Edwards or whether he was, you know, cheating on his wife having the affair and then had the daughter with his mistress, Reel Hunter at the time while he was running for president and vice president. Right. It was only after Edwards lost all of those races that then it came out. I think the National Inquirer broke the story, which was pretty embarrassing for all of the North Carolina political press corps that never could suss this out, despite the fact that Reel Hunter was at all of these campaign events and stuff. So anyway, but the book that he wrote is called The Paradox of tarheel politics and Rob's politics leaned to the left, and you can see some of that in the book, but it is a it is a very thorough historical rundown of the politicians and the machines that ran North Carolina for the better part of two hundred years. And in chapter seven it's called Jim Hunt and the Democratic Revival. The Democrats survived by becoming ideological centrists and artful coalition builders. This was because Republican Governor Jim Martin had won and he was a Republican, and so you saw other southern states that started that started to go for Republicans, and so Democrats shifted to win the backing of African Americans, teachers groups, and party liberals. The Democratic candidates pushed education improvements and supported black initiatives. To hold the support of moderates of both parties, the Democrats allied themselves with business and they pushed economic development and stressed law and order issues such as support for the death penalty. This has prompted people to wonder if Jim Hunt were to run for office today, what would he run as? And I don't find like I understand it's an interesting thought experiment, but he was of a different time, and so I have no idea. Nobody could know he would be a different He would be a product of a different environment, right. And when he came up, the political power was in the Democrat Party, and he built a machine that was very effective in keeping Democrats in power. So yeah, I mean parties adopt and discard various planks from their platform over decades and such, So I don't know what he would be now, but he was a lifelong Democrat. They largely avoided devisive cultural issues and attempted to put distance between themselves and the national Party. And maybe there is some advice there that the current Democrat Party could use. Here's a great idea. How about making an escape to a really special and secluded getaway in western North Carolina. Just a quick drive up the mountain and Cabins of Asheville is your connection. Whether you're celebrating an anniversary, a honeymoon, maybe you want to plan a memorable proposal, or get family and friends together for a big old reunion. Cabins of Asheville has the ideal spot for you where you can reconnect with your loved ones and the things that truly matter nestled within the breath taking fourteen thousand acres of the Pisga National Forest. Their cabins offer a serene escape in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Centrally located between Ashville and the entrance of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. It's the perfect balance of seclusion and proximity to all the local attractions with hot tubs, fireplaces, air conditioning, smart TVs, Wi Fi grills, outdoor tables and your own private covered porch. Choose from thirteen cabins, six cottages, two villas and a great lodge with eleven king sized bedrooms. Cabins of Ashville has the ideal spot for you for any occasion, and they have pet friendly accommodations. Call or text eight two eight, three six seven seventy sixty eight or check out all there is to offer at Cabins offashville dot com and make memories that'll last a lifetime. So more on former uh Yeah. Former Governor Jim Hunt passed away. He was eighty eight years old. After he had secured the constitutional amendment allowing a second term, he ran again, becoming the first two term governor. He won that in a landslide against State Senator I Beverly Lake Junior. After focusing on the electronics industry during his first term because he got the micro Electronics Center of North Carolina now known as MCNC in Research Triangle Park, which then acted as a catalyst for area universities and such private private investment and the like. Then in his second term, he turned his attention to growing the life sciences industry. After that term was up, then he uh ran for US Senate to challenge US Senator Jesse Helms, who was seeking a third term in Congress. He did not win that race. He thought he could because he had won so you know, resoundingly in his runs for governor. This is why even today when people don't understand, how is it that we have two Republican senators and a Democrat governor like well, this has been the pattern in North Carolina for decades, like fifty years. So then he runs again for governor. His third term focused on education reforms. He defeated Lieutenant Governor Jim Gardner. The public private partnership sends state funds to local nonprofits. This was part of his Smart Start initiative, still in use today. It sent state funds to local nonprofits to support pre K classes, childcare, access to healthcare, and parenting initiatives. Again this WRIL story. Although audits revealed financial mismanagement at some of those organizations, no Hunt said community ownership of the program was important to its overall success. So this model of taking taxpayer funds and pushing them into essentially NGOs, non government organizations, right, this model has been around for quite a while. With support from House Republicans and Senate Democrats, he finally got through the goobernatorial veto. Hunt also took on crime and environmental issues in his third term. Lawmakers increased penalties on serious crimes and created alternative schools for troubled youth and other prevention programs during a special legislative session, and the state placed a moratorium on new hog farms and began annual inspections of existing ones after a big hog waste lagoon spill. When it came time to run for a fourth term, his focus returned to education, and he easily defeated State Representative Robin Hayes, who went on to run for Congress. Right and then Hunt. He was governed when Hurricane Floyd hit, and that's actually when I started working in the WBT newsroom. Hurricane Floyd flooded literally half the state down east, catastrophic flood. My sister and her fiance, they lost everything. They lost their their cars, their apartment, her job because it got flooded out at a hotel in Wilmington, and that forced them they moved back up north and they've been up there ever since. And then he left office in two thousand and one. So Governor Jim Hunt passed away age eighty eight, and again our prayers to him and his family. One of the things, real quick before I'm going to take a break here because we always bring in Britt Winnable for the pregaming segment for the final one of the year. Actually, real quick. Earlier I was talking about gratitude, so let me express more gratitude to every body that helped with the Alzheimer's Association Walk to End Alzheimer's. We raised three point three million dollars in our state, predominantly from Charlotte eight hundred and fifty seven thousand, Gaston, Cleveland and Lincoln one oh two, Rohanne Caberis ninety two thousand, and Iredell and Lake Norman seventy thousand, dollars, so half of the state total came from our area. And as one who has been doing this for a while and I've been begging for money for this for the cause and walking with listeners and supporters, thank you very very much. By the way, donations can be received until the end of the year, so if you want to make a donation, go to alz dot org. Thanks again. All right, if you're listening to this show, you know I try to keep up with all sorts of current events, and I know you do too, And you've probably heard me say get your news from multiple sources. Why well, because it's how you detect media bias, which is why I I've been so impressed with ground News. It's an app and it's a website and it combines news from around the world in one place so you can compare coverage and verify information. You can check it out at check dot ground dot news slash pete. I put the link in the podcast description too. I started using ground News a few months ago and more recently chose to work with them as an affiliate because it lets me see clearly how stories get covered and by whom. The blind spot feature shows you which stories get ignored by the left and the right. See for yourself. Check dot Ground, dot news slash pete. Subscribe through that link and you'll get fifteen percent off any subscription. I use the Vantage plan to get unlimited access to every feature. Your subscription then not only helps my podcast, but it also supports Ground News as they make the media landscape more transparent and what we always do Friday final segment of the program is we Chat with Brett Winterble. You can listen to his show on the podcasts at WBT dot com, but also three to six every single day live here on WBT bread winnable. Little segment we call pregaming. How are you start? I'm well, how are you? Hang on a second? I'm well, hang on a second. Oh, there we go. What Oh he doesn't know his numb he's still learning. Nick is still learning. Okay, that's all right, all right, no problem. So you were just telling me before we started you got whammed. Yeah, like two or three days ago. Two three days ago. Tell me how it happened. I was walking into a store. Actually actually actually look, Luke came back and so he wanted to get a haircut. Luca is your son? My son and I we sat. I sat down lovingly as a father, of course, and then the song started. That's a brutal and. So he got He got hammered too. He was collateral damagem. Wham damage dammit. Yeah. Yeah, So but you know what I feel like, we're free. Yeah, that is the I will say. Because I got whammed over the weekend last weekend or so. Yeah, I did self report as you require, that's correct, and I self reported. I heard the song. Christy had a playlist going and I was in my office doing something. I walked into the kitchen and wham, there it is. Yeah. I actually started singing it to myself and then I went, oh what am I doing? Does that count? What if I sing this song to myself, does that count as getting whammed? Yeah, I'm going to set up a whole new set of rules for now. I think you need some you need some guideline. And we're gonna we're gonna have, we're gonna have, we're gonna have treats. Yeah with it as well. Okay, yeah, well, I mean it's like it's like the rule of law. You got to write it down, you got it, you gotta write right. Yeah, So speaking of the laws. What do you think about this? From the UK Independent. A lawyer and her golden retriever are suing the i r S. They want to get pets classified as legal dependents so they get the tax benefits. K nine tax benefits. Is that is that a no like. The like dependent like credit tax credits like earned income tax credit, child tax credit. Like. You get the tax credits if you have dependence. Now it's a four legged creature. M okay, okay, hang on. Here's their argument. No good. They say that the the eight year old Golden Retriever named Finnegan, has no independent income, resides exclusively with her, and has annual expenses exceeding five thousand dollars, which are all the requirements for a legal human dependent under IRS rules. Well, okay, try to take that to the to the court. They did they they have? Did they prevail? Well? So the magistrate Judge J. M. Wis oh, and it's got two names like that. That's James Wix. It's James M. Wicks is overseeing the case. He has granted a motion to pause the discovery process because the i r S is going to file emotion to dismiss the case. Wow. So they are it is going it's going to get a hearing of some kind. Yep. This actually this prompted a question in my mind, go ahead rather than a dependent Are you the owner here Mary Reynolds? Is she actually guilty of false imprisonment? I could I could go for that, right, or kidnapping or something right, because like kid napping or dog napping dog guess whatever, the equivalent of the kidnapping is unless it's a goat, that it would be kid would be kidnapped. Right, Absolutely, that's a perfect sure because like think about it, like you have the thing restrained. On a leash, right, you don't want it to get hit by like a train or a car or or an illegal. So you're doing it for their own good, right. But if I were to do that with another human being, people would say that's not allowed. San Francisco, a lot of people go around there with the. Well just in the one castro disc the whole setup, so okay, but they have no ability to roam free. They can't just run out and look if you let them go, if you let them out, and like, they can survive on their own. Dogs have survived on their own. Cats do survive on there, and like, these animals are able to survive on their own. So by you capturing this animal, keeping it in your home, yes, and then putting it on a restraint in order to let it go out and do its business, and then taking it back inside its captivity. Like if we're going to treat these things as like, if you're going to make an argument that it's at an equal level as a child, then could it not also be at an equal level for the kidnapping purpose? Is there a way where you could consent? Can the dog consent? Can there be a I think so that's a good point. I think so now that I'm thinking about it, because I have seen quite a few videos of dogs that rush back into their former captor's arms right when they've been separated, the dog got lost, and then they reunite them and the dog seems happy. True, you know what it is, Stockholm syndrome. Who's a good boy, who's a good boy? Treats treats food tight? But I mean, yeah, so. I think that's this is very fascinating. I'm rethinking my my objection. Your initial objection, right, I know, this is what I'm saying, Like, because well, it's going to depend on what the code says. Yes, right now, I don't know how you file with a social Security number, right am I gonna have to get a social Security number from my cat? You exist? Right? So you don't need a social Security number because they don't pay tax already exist. Yeah. So if I get the birth certificate basically from the vet or the breeder whatever, like, they'll have a song. That's that's elite, right Yeah, well sure, you know. I mean what about a munt, Well, I would get it from the pound. They would give me like a doctor birth certificate. What are they charged by the pound? Like what people selling cats and dogs outside the pound? Yeah, I don't know. I've never bought one of those outside the pound. That would be by the pound. It's well done. Wordplay, buddy, wordplay all about. It, indeed, bred Wenna. Well, thank you sir, it's my pleasure all right. That'll do it for this episode. Thank you so much for listening. I could not do the show without your support and the support of the businesses that advertise on the podcast, So if you'd like, please support them too and tell them you heard it here. You can also become a patron at my Patreon page or go to thepetecleanershow dot com. Again, thank you so much for listening, and don't break anything while I'm gone.