Opinion Roundup: Cooper's veto; Juneteenth; reopening risks; who got PPP; campaign cash; and more

Tuesday, July 7, 2020 -- A round up of opinion, commentary and analysis on: Cooper SB 168 veto; Juneteenth; Trump attacks NASCAR; Asheville major criticized; reopening risks; who got PPP bucks; Cunningham's campaign cash; fate of McClatchy papers; Charlie Daniels; and more.

Cooper vetoes bill with death investigation records change (AP reports) -- Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed a broad health measure late Monday because it contains a provision that addresses the confidentiality of death investigation records. Opposition to the item has served as a rallying cry for demonstrators for racial justice outside the Executive Mansion for days.

Cooper vetoes SB 168, which would have restricted death investigation records (N.C. McClatchy reports) -- Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed SB 168 Monday, the same day legislators introduced a bill to repeal the controversial death records provision in the bill.

Cooper vetoes controversial bill with death records language (WRAL-TV reports) -- Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed legislation Monday the General Assembly passed overwhelmingly and that his own administration requested just weeks ago, targeting it over a short section that had protesters camping out in front of the governor's mansion. "Senate Bill 168 includes a provision to change the handling of public records by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, which could have the unintended consequence of limiting transparency in death investigations, While I believe neither the Department of Health and Human Services, which proposed it, nor the General Assembly, which unanimously passed it, had any ill intent, the concerns that have since been raised make it clear this provision should not become law," said Cooper's veto statement.

Mask Mandate (N.C. Insider reports) -- House members worked to establish new guidelines for mask wearing. Rep. John Szoka, R-Cumberland, put forward an amendment that would clarify that a business owner cannot face civil or criminal liabilities because of the COVID-19 outbreak — if the business owner has proper signage stating that Gov. Roy Cooper ordered masks to be worn in public.

Bill altering N.C. transportation board becomes law (AP reports) -- A bill that gives North Carolina legislative leaders more involvement in overseeing the Department of Transportation has become law without Gov. Roy Cooper's signature.

In Fayetteville, George Floyd killing divides black elected officials and protesters of color (Washington Post reports) -- Fayetteville is the birthplace of George Floyd, whose May 25 death in the custody of Minneapolis police ignited national protests over police abuse and long-standing racial inequities. It is adjacent to Fort Bragg, whose naming in honor of a Confederate general is now spurring conflict in Washington. And as protests have grown here, the city has also become home to a clash between the urgent demands of younger activists pushing for swift change and the careful pragmatism of their elders, conditioned by decades spent deliberately nudging Fayetteville and its residents to transform. It is a generational and cultural division more than a racial one, seen elsewhere in recent weeks in places such as Atlanta, where African American Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms tore into young protesters and they responded by ignoring her pleas to stand down.

Wake commissioners declare Juneteenth county holiday, declare racism a public health crisis (WRAL-TV reports) -- Juneteeth could become an official Wake County holiday on Monday, when the Wake County Board of Commissioners is expected to support a resolution to adopt the holiday. Juneteenth recognizes the day in history when the last slaves were freed.

SCOTT FOWLER: President Trump told 2 lies in 279 characters, and NASCAR let him off the hook (Charlotte Observer column) -- NASCAR saw its credibility — and the credibility of the only Black driver in its top series — strongly attacked by President Donald Trump on Twitter on Monday morning. And what did the sport do in response? Not nearly enough. The organization let almost seven hours go by and then issued a wishy-washy statement, one that let Trump off the hook for the two lies in his 279-character tweet.

Judge: Graham leaders, Alamance sheriff can't prohibit protests (WRAL-TV reports) -- A federal judge on Monday ruled that city officials in Graham, in Alamance County, can't put a limit on protests.

'Fame' Confederate monument taken down (AP reports) -- A Confederate monument that has stood for over 100 years old was removed from Salisbury after officials said the statute had become a public safety hazard.

'Keep this area upscale' warns letter to interracial Raleigh family (WRAL-TV reports) -- Residents of a north Raleigh neighborhood expressed outrage Monday after learning that a family received an unsigned letter last week warning them against posting any Black Lives Matter signs in their yard.

Judge got threats after she limited CMPD force against protesters. She blames the cops. (Charlotte Observer reports) -- One person wrote: ‘Let’s riot in front of the judge’s home. See if she has the same thought then.’

Wake sheriff: Use of tear gas 'absolutely necessary' during May riots in downtown Raleigh (WRAL-TV reports) -- Wake County Sheriff Gerald Baker on Monday discussed recent protests, his deputies' use of tear gas and his efforts to combat racial injustice with members of the Wake County Board of Commissioners.

Sign, garbage left at mayor's house in wake of protests, medic tent destruction (Asheville Citizen-Times reports) -- A sign calling for Mayor Esther Manheimer's resignation and garbage from a medic station were among items left by protesters at the mayor's home on July 4. The newspaper received pictures from people who said they held Manheimer responsible for the destruction of a medic station by the Asheville Police Department, as well as its handling of the protest in which rubber bullets and tear gas were fired at peaceful protesters.  he sign at Manheimer's home read, "Esther, you made this mess now resign!"

Reopening amid COVID-19 hinges on a ‘healthy dose of risk-taking’: UNC prof (WRAL-TV/TechWire reports) -- Reopening amid COVID-19 shouldn’t have to mean making a choice between lives and livelihoods, says UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School Professor Christian Lundblad. “[It’s] is a distraction of language and it’s overly political,. The situation is far better characterized as ‘lives vs. lives,’ and we should think about it that way.” Tomorrow, a panel of experts from the North Carolina CEO Forum, convened by UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School and its affiliated Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise, will be offering a briefing via webinar to introduce a new framework aggregating real-time, non-standard economic and public health data. The aim: to guide critical policy decisions on economic openness.

ANNE BLYTHE: In this coastal county, a large party brings COVID spread and recalcitrance toward tracers (N.C. Health News reports) --Dare County health director has been cussed at, told she was lying and hung up on.

LIORA ENGEL-SMITH: North Carolina’s coronavirus surge, explained in three charts (N.C. Health NEws reports) -- With more numbers than ever, it can be hard to understand the magnitude of the pandemic in North Carolina. We’ve gathered three charts to help you make sense of coronavirus in the state.

More than 3,300 PPP loans of $150K and up distributed across the Triangle (WRAL-TV/TechWire) -- The U.S. Small Business Administration, in consultation with the Treasury Department, today released detailed loan-level data regarding the loans made under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). This disclosure covers each of the 4.9 million PPP loans that have been made. NC businesses received somewhere between $9.5 billion and $17.8 billion in PPP loans. About $3.7 billion came from loans less than $150,000 and between $5.8 billion and $14.1 billion from loans more than $150,000. Around 100 companies were recipients of the top-tier of PPP loans ($5-$10 million). Meanwhile, records show that more than 3,300 loans of $150K and up have been distributed across the Triangle. Statewide, there were 16,324 loans of that size. That translates to a total of nearly 497,000 “protected” jobs.

PPP loan data gives glimpse at spread of COVID-19 economic damage in North Carolina (N.C. McClatchy reports) - -More than $12 billion has been approved for North Carolina companies through the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program.

All inmates at Correctional Institution for Women to be tested for coronavirus (WRAL-TV reports) -- After an outbreak in a single housing unit of the N.C. Correctional Institution for Women (NCCIW) in Raleigh found 45 people who tested positive for COVID-19, the institution plans to test all inmates over the next week.

Cunningham campaign breaks NC fundraising record for Senate race in run vs. Tillis (N.C. McClatchy reports) -- Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Cal Cunningham will report raising $7.4 million in the second quarter of 2020, a figure that appears to be a record for Senate candidates from North Carolina in any quarter. The second-quarter fundraising period ended June 30. Campaigns must report their totals to the Federal Election Commission by July 15. Cunningham is challenging incumbent Republican Sen. Thom Tillis in one of the most closely watched races in the country. Republicans hold 53 seats in the chamber, and any realistic path to a Democratic majority in the Senate includes winning North Carolina.

Fact check: Trump wrong about testing causing rise in cases (PolitiFact/WRAL-TV) -- Trump said that the coronavirus case count is "up only because of our big number testing." Testing has increased nationally, but epidemiologists say that if this were the only reason that new cases were rising, the percentage of positive tests should be dropping or at least remaining about the same. But that didn't happen in June.

Fourth Circuit Upholds N.C. March 3 Petition Deadline for Independent Candidates (Election Law Blog) -- On July 6, the Fourth Circuit issued an opinion in Buscemi v Bell, 19-2355, a North Carolina ballot access case. The Fourth Circuit said the March 3 petition deadline for independent candidates, even presidential candidates, is constitutional. This completely contradicts the U.S. Supreme Court opinion Anderson v Celebrezze, 460 U.S. 780, which struck down Ohio’s independent presidential petition deadline of March 20. Furthermore in the Ohio case, only 5,000 signatures were required; but in North Carolina in 2020, independent candidates need 70,666 signatures.

GARY PEARCE: Elect the president by popular vote? (Wilson Times column) -- From police to portraits, from statues to school buildings, Americans are taking a new look at our racial — and racist — past. One legacy of that past is the Electoral College.

When bigoted and boneheaded meet: Trump’s awful new policy on foreign college students (N.C. McClatchy) -- It’s hardly breaking news that Donald Trump’s immigration policies are laced with bigotry. From putting children in cages to justifying it by saying their families “infest our country,” it’s no secret the president considers immigrants as something lesser. But new guidelines announced Monday by Immigration and Customs Enforcement illustrate just how short-sighted the administration has become in trying to make America as Caucasian as possible.

It turns out they’re essential (Winston-Salem Journal) -- There’s something very wrong when people who have to keep showing up at their jobs despite the dangers of a deadly pandemic are earning less money than those who lost jobs and stayed home. In its rush to shore up the economy and help the many people thrown out of work when things shut down, Congress forgot to include those who are considered essential and couldn’t choose to stay home.

Ohio governor's company that owns Asheville baseball team among recipients of virus relief loans (Washington Post reports) -- Governors who ordered shutdowns as their states responded to the coronavirus pandemic were among millions of beneficiaries of the loan program created to help small businesses weather COVID-19’s effect on the economy, data released Monday show. A minor league baseball team part-owned by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine received a loan. He is a part-owner of DeWine Seeds-Silver Dollar Baseball, which received a loan listed between $150,000 and $350,000. The company owns the Asheville Tourists, a minor league baseball team in North Carolina, which was purchased by the governor’s family in 2010. DeWine’s son, Brian DeWine, serves as president of the team.

Council of State meets to discuss oversight powers of governor's ability to issue or extend COVID-19 restrictions (Winston-Salem Journal reports) -- The contentious partisan debate over whether Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper should have to get Council of State approval before issuing and extending emergency executive orders is expected to erupt today. The Council, which is comprised of six Republicans and four Democrats, is scheduled to hold its monthly meeting. Republican State Treasurer Dale Folwell has invited the members to meet in his office, rather than remotely. Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, a Democrat, is expected to attend remotely.

Back-to-school: With social distancing, bus capacity could be 11 students (WRAL-TV reports) -- If schools follow social distancing standards of 6 feet, school bus capacity could be cut to only 11 students per trip. This could lead to more trips for bus drivers, increased overtime costs and an overall strain on the school system. WRAL Investigates the changes parents and students can expect to see when the new school year begins.

Proceed with care in opening schools (Greensboro News & Record) -- Even in the middle of summer — and the middle of a pandemic — we’ve got to plan for reopening schools in the fall. But as eager as North Carolinians are to return to some semblance of normality, care must be taken to get it right. It’s also important for the plans to be flexible, in case conditions on the ground change.

Teachers fear they may not be ready for school this fall (WRAL-TV reports) -- Starting in August, students in Wake County public schools may be alternating between in-class and remote learning, but that doesn't necessarily mean double the work for teachers.

Federal lawsuit alleges racial discrimination at UNCW, points to broader issues (Port City Daily reports) -- The University of North Carolina Wilmington is one of the least diverse schools in the state, with a lower percentage of both Black students and faculty than the general population and other Universities and colleges. According to one long-time employee, who is filing a discrimination suit in federal court, that’s not an accident — nor is it due to a lack of qualified people. The primary complaint in LaTasha Jones’ lawsuit is racial discrimination: despite working for UNCW for nearly 14 years, earning an advanced degree related to her job, receiving high marks on her evaluations, and serving on multiple UNCW committees, Jones has been repeatedly denied promotions. During the same time period, other employees — notably white women — have been advanced.

ACP was a pipeline to the past. Now we can focus on a renewable energy future. (N.C. McClatchy) -- Generating electricity from wind, solar and other renewable sources is not only good for the planet, it’s good for ratepayers and utilities. Renewable energy is on a path to be cheaper than energy from fossil fuels and it offers a stronger foundation for utilities’ business model in the 21st century. The six-year effort to build the Atlantic Coast Pipeline won’t be all folly if it forces Dominion and Duke to embrace a future in which generating electricity and protecting the planet are one and the same.

The 1585 Circumnavigation of Pamlico Sound (Coastal Review reports) -- Historian Kevin Duffus writes in the first part of his Crossing The Threshold of History series about the 1585 circumnavigation of Pamlico Sound by the English to create a map of the estuary and a visual record of those who lived there.

McClatchy, a Family Newspaper Business, Heads Toward Hedge-Fund Ownership (New York Times reports) -- The McClatchy family has been in journalism since 1857, when its flagship publication, The Daily Bee, chronicled the latest for residents of Sacramento in the wake of the gold rush. Now, in keeping with a trend that has placed hundreds of American news outlets in the hands of the finance industry, the McClatchy Company and its 30 newspapers are likely to end up the property of a hedge fund. The publisher of The Miami Herald, The Charlotte Observer and The Kansas City Star filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in February, after more than a decade of layoffs and plummeting revenue. Bids for McClatchy were due last week, with an auction supervised by U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan to start on Wednesday. McClatchy, one of the country’s largest newspaper chains and a consistent winner of prestigious journalism awards, will be owned by a New Jersey hedge fund, Chatham Asset Management. Under the deal, McClatchy, a publicly traded company, would go private.

Charlie Daniels -- Wilmington native and country music legend -- dies at age 83 (Wilmington Star-News reports) -- The Grand Ole Opry member remembered his time in the Port City fondly as a “Dry Pond Boy.”

New lottery game’s first $4 million winning ticket was sold at Charlotte gas station (Charlotte Observer reports) -- A woman from Iredell County bought a $20 lottery ticket at a Charlotte gas station. Now she’s a millionaire. Cynthia Cutting of Statesville won the first $4 million prize playing the new scratch-off game “Millionaire Bucks,” officials with the N.C. Education Lottery announced.