Opinion Roundup:COVID-19 spread; law enforcement and justice; speedway rebellion; will schools reopen; and more.

Tuesday, June 9, 2020 -- A round up of opinion, commentary and analysis on: police and justice; COVID-19 spreads; prison health needs action; speedway rebellion;  schools reopening guide; Confederacy revisited;  will legislators include strip clubs in bar bill?; and more.

Gov. Cooper to announce an executive action on criminal justice and racial equity (WRAL-TV reports) -- On Tuesday, Gov. Roy Cooper plans to address the issue of police accountability by announcing an executive action on criminal justice and racial equity.

Activists Call Voting Key to Police Reform (Public News Service reports) -- Knowing where local elected leaders stand on police use of force and using the power of your vote are key to implementing genuine police reform - that's what local activists in Fayetteville have learned from their experiences forming a local task force to push for changes to its police department. Retired combat veteran Kathy Greggs is co-founder and president of the Fayetteville Police Accountability Community Task Force. She said most people aren't aware that elected officials, such as district attorneys, hold serious sway in how police departments operate.

City mulls moving $1M from police to anti-poverty efforts (Winston-Salem Journal reports) -- Winston-Salem will consider moving $1 million from the city police budget to pay for more anti-poverty efforts, as governments here and elsewhere are starting to face demands for “defunding” police departments in favor of social spending.

GARY PEARCE: What Would Terry Sanford Do? (Wilson Times column) -- North Carolina has been through tense, racially troubled times before. What happened 60 years ago should give us hope. Racism is bad now. It was even more pervasive then. But North Carolina had a governor, Terry Sanford, who stood up against racial discrimination when other Southern governors were standing in schoolhouse doors to keep out black students.

NC judge rules in favor of state prisoners who claim incarceration during pandemic is unconstitutional (WRAL-TV reports) -- A North Carolina Superior Court judge ruled that a coalition of civil rights groups are likely to win their claim that the incarceration of state prisoners during the COVID-19 pandemic is unconstitutional.

NC prisons must devise a plan to test all inmates for COVID-19 (N.C. McClacthy reports) -- Siding with advocates who contend the state has failed to protect inmates from the spread of COVID-19, a North Carolina judge ruled Monday that the state prisons must come up with a plan for testing every inmate. In addition, Wake County Superior Court Judge Vinston Rozier ruled that the prison system must sharply limit the transfers of inmates from prison to prison. The judge’s ruling comes in response to a lawsuit filed by the ACLU of North Carolina, the NAACP and other civil rights groups, who argue that the actions of prison leaders have left inmates vulnerable to contracting COVID-19.

Inmates set fire after learning of first case of COVID-19 at Harnett Correctional Institution (WRAL-TV reports) -- A prisoner at Harnett Correctional Institution tested positive over the weekend for the novel coronavirus, and other inmates set a small fire after learning of the result, a Department of Public Safety spokesman said.

Cooper warns of action on Ace Speedway; sheriff won’t cite race track (Burlington Times-News reports) -- North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper put Ace Speedway on the clock Monday, warning that the state is days away from taking action if Alamance County government officials don’t step in and stop the crowds at the race track.

Sheriff won't cite N.C. speedway for crowd despite order (AP reports) -- A North Carolina sheriff said Monday he won't cite a local stock car speedway for violating the state's prohibition against mass gatherings due to COVID-19 after another large crowd gathered there for races.

Alamance Racetrack (N.C. McClatchy reports) -- Gov. Roy Cooper had strong words Monday for Alamance County officials who have not enforced the state’s mass-gathering order at Ace Speedway, a racetrack that has allowed thousands of spectators to sit close together and mostly unmasked in stands for three straight weekends. The state is ready to take action if Alamance County officials don’t, Cooper said at a press briefing. Last week, Cooper told Alamance officials they should enforce the order that limits outdoor gatherings to 25 people as part of the state’s efforts to combat the coronavirus. Sheriff Terry Johnson did not agree with the order but said his officers would be there to enforce it.

As cases climb, Cooper warns of consequences of virus spread (AP reports) -- With North Carolina's COVID-19 numbers reaching new highs, Gov. Roy Cooper warned the public Monday that public school building openings set for August could be delayed unless health precautions are taken seriously by everyone.

Gov. Cooper issues health guidelines for NC schools, says it won’t be a ‘reckless decision’ (N.C. McClatchy reports) -- ven as North Carolina’s rising numbers of COVID-19 cases and people hospitalized by the virus are concerning to state officials, Gov. Roy Cooper said the state has finalized health guidelines needed to reopen the state’s public schools later this year. The guidance, released during a Monday news conference, would require North Carolina public schools to increase cleanings and do daily temperature check on all people entering school buildings and school buses. Daily temperature checks will be challenging at larger schools which have 2,000 or more students.

Gov. Cooper to get tested for COVID-19 Tuesday (WRAL-TV reports) -- "Gov. Cooper went out and talked with protesters briefly, and he is encouraging anyone who has been in a crowd to be tested," said Cooper's press secretary Dory MacMillan.

GREG BARNES: If the coronavirus rebounds, Cary could be the first to know (N.C. Health News reports) -- Cary, Raleigh and other areas of the Triangle are working with N.C. State on a research project that aims to detect the virus in human feces, potentially alerting health officials to new outbreaks.

NC strip clubs lose legal bid to re-open in pandemic (WRAL-TV reports) -- Adult entertainment venue owners had sued to get around Gov. Roy Cooper's executive order closing them, but a judge denies preliminary injunction.

COVID-19 is still a threat (Winston-Salem Journal) -- Considering everything happening in the world right now — not to mention our short-attention-span society — we might be forgiven for losing the thread. But COVID-19 is still very much a threat to our health and our lives — and it’s one that’s not going away. In fact, in some areas of the country, including North Carolina, the number of infected is on the rise.

NC’s coronavirus numbers are getting worse. What can the governor do about it? (N.C. McClatchy) -- It’s too early to draw firm conclusions about how Phases 1 and 2 of reopening have contributed to our COVID-19 regression, but common sense and the timing of the rise give strong reason to believe that our freedom to shop, dine and congregate has contributed. What’s clear is that we’re moving in the wrong direction, and we’re still days and weeks away from learning whether packed George Floyd protests throughout the state might make things worse. What can Gov. Roy Cooper do about it? Realistically, not much at the moment.

Bill to reopen North Carolina gyms adds bars, outdoor dining (WRAL-TV reports) -- On Monday, Senate leaders announced they'll try to reopen bars again despite the governor's veto, adding temporary outdoor service for bars and restaurants to a bill that would allow indoor gyms to reopen.

Signs of life for NC's long-lingering expunction bill (WRAL-TV reports) -- The Second Chance Act, sitting in the NC House without action since August despite a unanimous Senate vote, will get a committee hearing Tuesday.

Mini-Budgets (N.C. Insider reports) -- Four more mini-budget bills passed the Senate unanimously Monday night and are heading to the House.

Housing Report (The Insider reports) -- A federally and state-funded affordable housing program isn’t active enough in several rural counties and spent too much on gift cards, meals and perks for staff, according to a new report from the legislature’s Program Evaluation Division.

GOP lawmakers push bill to keep Trump, RNC in North Carolina (AP reports) -- Republican lawmakers in North Carolina are planning to vote this week on a measure that would allow President Donald Trump to speak in front of a packed Republican National Convention without some of the restrictions officials have required elsewhere to stop the coronavirus.

Republicans tour Savannah as possible GOP convention site (AP reports) -- Organizers of the Republican National Convention are giving Georgia's oldest city a close look as a possible replacement venue for the August convention after President Donald Trump dumped Charlotte, North Carolina, as the site where he'll accept the GOP nomination.

Tear Gas (The Insider reports) -- The N.C. Democratic Party passed a resolution over the weekend calling for ending the use of tear gas, pepper balls and other chemical agents during peaceful protests.

Rocky Mount city council votes to remove and store Confederate monument (WRAL-TV reports) -- The Rocky Mount city council voted to remove and store the Confederate monument at Battle Park by a 7-1 vote on Monday.

Debate over Confederate monuments heats up with continued protests (WRAL-TV reports) -- Confederate monuments in North Carolina have served as backdrops for protests before and again in recent days. Those speaking out against police brutality and racism are gathering at the foot of monuments to the Confederacy, looking for change.

Signs of Confederacy, white supremacy more than just statues on NC Capitol grounds (N.C. McClatchy reports) -- A proposed memorial to North Carolina lynching victims and a garden to mark African-Americans’ continuing contributions to the state are on hold for at least a year due to a state budget dispute.

N.C. justices back sheriffs involved in immigration program (AP reports) -- The North Carolina Supreme Court has ruled state judges don’t have authority to release immigrants held by a county sheriff working on behalf of the U.S. government with documents directing them to be detained.

Lottery ticket sales increase after NC reopens (WRAL-TV reports) -- Now, lottery officials say tickets sales have bounced back strongly since the state began its Phase 2 recovery.

UNC faculty petition to protect health, privacy in return to campus after pandemic (WRAL-TV reports) -- Hundreds of faculty and staff from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have signed on to a petition to help set the standard for a post-pandemic return to campus.

TIMOTHY CLARK: Value Fisheries, Communities Who Provide (Coastal Review column) -- To promote sustainable seafood, coastal North Carolina needs to promote local purveyors and that the social consequences of fishery decline are drastic.

Three Years Of GenX, PFAS And Chemours (WUNC-FM reports) -- Three years ago this weekend that the story broke...there are chemical contaminants in the Cape Fear that are also in our drinking water. WHQR’s Vince Winkel has been following the story from the beginning. He looks back over what’s happened...and where we are today.