Matt Ballance

One of the secret joys of parenting: pretending like you’re aggravated when your kids don’t eat all of their food a Chic-Fil-A, when in reality you are internally jumping up and down because you’re pi get bonus fries and nuggets.

@MargoinWNC @newsradio570 Ha! Won’t be shocked in the slightest, look forward to seeing you!

@MattBallance @newsradio570 I'm going to. Don't be shocked

A Democrat, a Republican, two Doctors of Political Science, and a radio host walk into a bar… Start of a bad joke? Possibly. But also the makings of a fun night! Looking forward to being part of @newsradio570’s WWNC’s “Politics and Pints” event next month! #NCPol

Come out and join @Starling570wwnc, @chriscooperwcu, @andyinrok, Michele Woodhouse and myself as we sit around and talk all things local, state, and national politics. Don’t come expecting Thunder Dome; this will be a night of humor and civility. Hope to see you there! #NCPol

On the air with @Starling570wwnc in about 10 minutes or so to talk about #NCPol primaries, and watching the clock waiting for 8:30 and results to start trickling in!

Make that around 8:30 Your thumbs can stand down until then #ncpol

@LJenkins199 @MargoinWNC Come on dude. It’s all good, just own it! I mean, I’d post the messages between you and I where you apologized and claimed that your little threatening list at the time must have been made by someone else…but you deleted that account. As you’ve done several times over the years.

More NC11 Dem Party insanity. Sounds like a Phil Berger friend. 🤔 Someone asked if the online sports betting companies FanDuel and DraftKings were donating to NC 11 candidates through PACs. According to FEC filings, the only Democratic candidate who has taken PAC money is the Democratic Party’s handpicked primary candidate Jamie Ager. I don’t see any PAC donations he’s accepted that appear to be related to online gambling (it looks like they mostly give to Republicans). Ager has taken money from a number of PACs, but one stood out — Welcome PAC — which is the single biggest donor to his campaign with 10 donations totaling $36,500. So who is bankrolling the PAC that’s bankrolling Ager? The second biggest donor to Welcome PAC is billionaire Reid Hoffman who co-founded LinkedIn. The photo below is from a recent article in the Wall Street Journal and it shows Reid Hoffman hanging out with Jeffrey Epstein on Epstein Island. Hoffman offered to help Epstein handle the bad publicity he was getting for his sexual exploitation of women and girls. Another big donor to Welcome PAC is Mark Heising, co-founder of Medley Partners. While Heising isn’t mentioned by name in the Epstein files, his company shows up a couple of times. In addition to supporting Welcome PAC, Heising is also a direct donor to Ager having given him the maximum allowed, $7,000. It was noted earlier that another Ager donor, Jonathan Soros, son of billionaire George Soros, shows up by name in the Epstein files a couple of times. No doubt those in the Epstein class are investing in Jamie Ager because of their deep and abiding love for the Blue Ridge Mountains and the people who live here.

::tap tap:: Is this thing on? Been away for a while, but nothing like a shameless plug to bring you back to this platform. I’ll be joining my friend @Starling570wwnc tomorrow night around 8 PM to talk #NCPol primaries. It’s shaping up to be an interesting night!

DC friends (or those there quite a bit): Heading up for a couple days next week for a conference, looking for recommendations for must-have meals/restaurants. What you got?

Drone footage of a low-angle rescue fire crews performed this morning after a car went over an embankment into the French Broad River off Lyman Street.

Ring camera: Security device. Also a way for your spouse to show off her new plants when you’re at work.

Happy birthday to my good friend @NewFrameInc! Hope you’re on the links or on the water today buddy!

That dang Glen Campbell said it best. “…and I need you more than want you, and I want you for all time” Happy anniversary, Blondie. Thank you for being mine. I love you madly. ❤️

August 4th of the hottest summer I remember around here in years…and we’re doing grilled ham and cheese and tomato soup because it’s turned into October in the last 48 hours. It’s fine. Everything’s fine.

My former NC11 counterpart Michele Woodhouse and I rarely agree politically, but we do in this @gzeromedia story: @ChairmanWhatley has an uphill battle, @RoyCooperNC is the best candidate for NC Dems, and this is going to be obscenely expensive. #NCPol gzeromedia.com/news/analysis/…

My name is Jamie Ager. I'm a father, husband, farmer, and proud son of Western NC. And I figured, if I'm gonna run for Congress, I should introduce myself and tell you why I'm running. #ncpol #wnc #nc11

Ashamed to say that I’m about a year behind on reading my friend @chriscooperwcu’s latest book. Wasn’t expecting to see my name in the acknowledgments. It’s an honor to be included with so many who are MUCH more intelligent & insightful than I could ever dream to be. #NCPol