Opinion Roundup: COVID-19 worries; legislative dealing gears up; NASCAR returns and more

Friday, May 1, 2020 -- A round up of opinion, commentary and analysis on: North Carolinians worries of COVID-19 to come; legislative talks on relief package; protest plans; using campaign funds for house payments; challenges to creation of charter school districts; NASCAR's return and more.

WRAL poll: Majority of NC residents fear worst of pandemic still to come (WRAL-TV reports) -- A majority of North Carolinians fear the worst of the coronavirus pandemic is yet to come, according to a WRAL News poll released Thursday.

Watching NC coronavirus trends, Cooper ‘hopeful’ social restrictions can ease next week (N.C. McClatchy reports) -- Gov. Roy Cooper is “hopeful” the state can ease some of the social restrictions he implemented last month in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Cooper and Dr. Mandy Cohen, the secretary of North Carolina’s Department of Health and Human Services, examined the trends the state is monitoring to determine when to allow some businesses to reopen. Cooper’s stay-at-home order is due to expire on May 8. Signs of improvements could move the state into the first phase of a three-phase gradual relaxing of the restrictions. “We remain hopeful that the trends will be stable enough to move us into phase one next week,” Cooper said during a news conference on Thursday.

LIORA ELGEL-SMITH: Eastern N.C. hospitals cope with the financial realities of coronavirus (N.C. Health News reports) -- The economic pressure of coronavirus has strained one hospital system in eastern North Carolina, while another hospital in that part of the state recently emerged from bankruptcy.

In letter, restaurant owners prefer takeout, delivery status quo to partial reopen plan (WRAL-TV reports) -- In a letter to Gov. Roy Cooper, North Carolina's Congressional delegation and local mayors, a group of 40 restaurant owners challenged the governor's phased reopening plan, saying a partial opening, with limited seats for dining, "could mean the death of independently owned full-service restaurants."

Top Triangle restaurants say reopening only half-full of diners won’t work financially (N.C. McClatchy reports) --“We are eager to reopen as quickly as possible, but we’re not in favor of opening at reduced capacity.”

Dead people are receiving coronavirus stimulus checks (WRAL-TV reports) -- At a time when people are desperate for financial assistance from the government, some of its money is going to dead people. And at this point, WRAL found no IRS guidance on what heirs should do with the money.

Owners of closed businesses, workers off job send out mayday as monthly bills come due (WRAL-TV reports) -- More than 935,000 people in North Carolina - almost a tenth of the state's population - have filed for unemployment benefits in the last six weeks as the coronavirus pandemic has shut down the economy.

GREG BARNES: Smithfield’s largest slaughterhouse struggling to contain virus (N.C. Health News reports) -- No one will say how many workers at Smithfield’s Tar Heel plant have the coronavirus, but the plant has reduced employees’ hours in what they say is an effort to better protect them.

Troxler Backs Trump In Opening Meat Processing Plants (WUNC-FM reports) -- N.C. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler said he fully supports President Trump's decision to declare meat processing facilities essential and mandate them to stay operational.

Special report: Voices from the pandemic, part 2 (N.C. Policy Watch reports) -- The second in a new series of special reports from NC Policy Watch, “Voices from the pandemic.” In these brief vignettes, our journalists share snippets from the lives of typical North Carolinians attempting to cope with and respond to the unprecedented global public health crisis.

Virus outbreak sites shouldn't be a state secret (Wilson Times) -- State officials are withholding vital public health information from Wilson County residents, leaving us in the dark on a COVID-19 outbreak at a Wilson food processing plant.

Child advocates gear up for spike in neglect, abuse (New Bern Sun Journal reports) -- While families are staying in place for COVID-19, the likelihood that children are being abused or neglected is a near certainty. Tracey T. Brenneman, the Guardian ad Litem District administrator for District 3B North Carolina Judicial Branch – Craven, Pamlico and Carteret counties – said that is the statistical conclusion. The uncertainty brought on by the virus can cause anxiety, tension and irritability for children, parents and caregivers.

LabCorp furloughs employees as non-COVID-19 testing business craters (Burlington Times-News) -- Burlington-based LabCorp, which has become a critical source of testing during the COVID-19 pandemic, is furloughing employees as its non-coronavirus testing business fell by half in recent weeks. The company, which employs around 9,000 people in North Carolina and has a large presence in Research Triangle Park, added that it will also freeze hiring, let go of temporary and contract workers, and suspend 401(k) contributions because of the impacts from the coronavirus.

Protests planned against stay-at-home order (WRAL-TV reports) -- Raleigh police and State Capitol Police say they are aware of two planned protests scheduled for downtown Raleigh on Friday.

Coronavirus Negotiations (The Insider reports) -- House and Senate leaders are trying to reach a compromise on coronavirus relief legislation in order to vote on a final measure Saturday. House Speaker Tim Moore had hoped to get an agreement by Thursday afternoon, but by late afternoon, sticking points remained between the House’s $1.7 billion plan and the Senate’s $1.2 billion plan, and House legislators were sent home. Initially lawmakers planned a Friday session, but late Thursday night the timeline was delayed until Saturday. Rep. Chuck McGrady, R-Henderson, tweeted that the two sides reached a deal on spending but still needed to work through individual provisions.

Final talks on virus aid package next after House OKs plan (AP reports) -- North Carolina legislators got down Thursday to negotiating final details of their initial COVID-19 emergency package after the House approved a version more generous with federal funds than the Senate.

House passes $1.7B coronavirus relief bill (WRAL-TV reports) -- Next step: Negotiations with the Senate, which passed its own bill Wednesday.

House And Senate Disagree On COVID-19 Relief Spending (WUNC-FM reports) -- State lawmakers are working out details − and their differences − on legislation to distribute more than $1 billion dollars in coronavirus relief funds.

NC House passes $1.7 billion COVID-19 response bill. Lawmakers expect final votes Friday (N.C. McClatchy reports) -- The North Carolina House passed its $1.7 billion COVID-19 response bill, called the Pandemic Response Act, on Thursday. The state legislature returned to Raleigh this week focused on deciding how to spend the $3.5 billion given to North Carolina by the federal government to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. The package includes millions in funding for education, healthcare, food banks, small business loans and other COVID-19 relief. It also includes money for coronavirus testing, contact tracing and tracking data trends as well as Personal Protective Equipment. The House bill was passed 116-1. Rep. Michael Speciale, R-Craven, was the only “no” vote.

Unusual vote (The Insider reports) -- The N.C. House ultimately didn’t need a full 40 minutes to hold a socially distanced vote Thursday as it passed a coronavirus relief package. The virus threat made for an odd set-up: Legislators could vote by proxy for the first time in legislative history. A total of 23 Democrats and one Republican took that option to avoid a trip to the House floor, and House Democratic Leader Darren Jackson had a large monitor on his desk to collect remote votes from his absent caucus members through a Zoom meeting. Once the proxy votes were counted, all 117 votes were in and the vote was finalized after about 25 minutes. Adherence to the session’s social distancing guidelines was mixed.

​​​​​​​Should NC politicians be banned from paying themselves rent with campaign money? (N.C. McClatchy reports) -- Should politicians be able to use their campaign donors’ money to pay for a home they already own? That’s the question the North Carolina State Board of Elections is now weighing, after leaders there previously signed off on such arrangements. Specifically, the potential rule change would ban politicians from using their campaign funds to pay the rent or mortgage of any residence owned by them or a family member. If state officials do decide to ban such practices, it would appear to be a change aimed one of the most powerful politicians in the state, N.C. Senate leader Phil Berger.

​​​​​​​POLICY & POLITICS

Raleigh police officers guarding police chief’s home 24/7 since shooting protest (N.C. McClatchy reports) -- Officers have been providing around-the-clock security at Raleigh Police Chief Cassandra Deck-Brown’s home since a large group of protesters showed up at her door in March. “It is unsettling to know that there are individuals in the community and across the nation who threaten our police chief,” the Raleigh Police Department said in a statement Thursday evening on its Facebook page.

Raleigh police say they are guarding chief's home after March protest (WRAL-TV reports) -- Raleigh police said they are now guarding Police Chief Cassandra Deck-Brown's home 24 hours a day following an incident at a protest back in March.

COVID Taskforce​​​​​​​ (N.C. Insider reports) -- Chief Justice Cheri Beasley announced formation of a COVID-19 task force for the Judicial Branch on Thursday. The task force will recommend emergency directives and policy changes related to the COVID-19 health emergency.

UNC Charlotte marks solemn anniversary of shooting. ‘It was kind of like our 9/11.’​​​​​​​ (NC McClatchy reports) -- It wasn’t quite what UNC Charlotte had originally envisioned, but the special event designed to mark the one-year anniversary of the mass shooting on its campus went on as planned Thursday. An early-morning wreath-laying ceremony began a somber day Thursday on the UNC Charlotte campus as the school honored the two students who were killed and the four who were wounded April 30, 2019. It continued in the afternoon in pre-recorded fashion, with mourners attending via computers, tablets and cellphones. Early in the day, campus police officers placed two wreaths in front of the Kennedy Building, where the shootings occurred. Chancellor Philip Dubois spoke briefly to about two dozen officers. It was campus police Sgt. Richard Gundacker who entered room 236 of the building after responding to a 911 call.

Should NC 3rd-graders learn why Confederate monuments are ‘valued by a community’? (N.C. McClatchy reports) -- State education officials are backing away from a proposal to begin requiring North Carolina third-grade students to study and highlight monuments such as Confederate statues. The latest draft for new statewide K-12 social studies standards includes a new requirement that third-grade students “summarize how monuments and memorials represent historical events and people that are valued by a community.” Some teachers complain the language about monuments and other changes in the standards are a backdoor effort to inject a conservative focus into the curriculum.

Once again, NC must pick a company to test K-3 reading skills. Can it be done fairly? (N.C. McClatchy reports) -- The way North Carolina will select a program to test the reading skills of the state’s youngest students is starting again, amid questions about whether it can be done fairly. Under the Read To Achieve program, North Carolina elementary schools are required to test K-3 students throughout the year. Last week, the state Department of Public Instruction announced it was canceling the controversial three-year, $8.3 million contract with Istation so that it could rebid a contract before the start of the next school year.

New task force to help decide how to reopen NC schools after coronavirus pandemic (N.C. McClatchy reports) -- State Superintendent Mark Johnson announced the creation Thursday of a task force to help guide the reopening of North Carolina’s public schools amid the coronavirus pandemic. North Carolina’s public schools are closed for in-person instruction for the rest of the school year, with no certainty about when they’ll reopen next school year. Johnson said that the bipartisan Schools Reopening Task Force will work through the challenges of reopening, such as what social distancing guidelines will be needed to allow people to safely return.

ANN DOSS HELMS: Lawsuit Calls Mecklenburg Charter School Bill Unconstitutional Attempt At Segregation (WFAE-FM reports) -- The NAACP and two Huntersville parents are suing North Carolina legislative leaders over a 2018 bill that authorizes four Mecklenburg County towns to create their own charter schools.

Suit challenges power of 4 NC towns to run charter schools (AP reports) -- A state law that allows four Charlotte-area municipalities to operate charter schools was challenged in North Carolina court on Thursday, alleging they would exacerbate racial segregation if allowed to open.

Governor's School is canceled this summer for the first time in its 58-year history (Greensboro News & Record reports) -- An education program that brought together talented high school students from across North Carolina for more than half a century will not take place this summer. The State Board of Education approved the cancellation of this summer's Governor's School. Usually the program takes place in two locations: Governor's School West at High Point University and Governor's School East at Meredith College in Raleigh.

FERREL GUILLORY: N.C.’s own lesson in confronting a disruptive crisis​​​​​​​ (EdNC column) -- “Never let a good crisis go to waste.’’ The Italian Prince Machiavelli reportedly said something like that, and so apparently did Winston Churchill. The old saying holds that a crisis opens up an opportunity, if a society and its leaders will grasp it, to build a stronger future. ... But how? It’s too soon to draw definitive answers with lessons still to be learned as the public health and economic crises continue to play out. And yet, it’s not too soon to recognize that North Carolina has its own experience to draw on in mustering the political will and civic self-confidence to respond to a crisis.

Coronavirus Pushes Colleges to the Breaking Point, Forcing ‘Hard Choices’ About Education (Wall Street Journal reports) -- Forecast declines in enrollment and revenue have triggered spending cuts and salary freezes. “The world order has changed,” said a Northeastern University official.

Human tests at Duke prove promising for coronavirus treatment (WRAL-TV reports) -- The drug being touted as one of the biggest medical breakthroughs so far in the coronavirus pandemic has connections to both major research universities in the Triangle. Remdesivir, an anti-viral drug manufactured by a company called Gilead Sciences, originated in a lab at UNC Hospitals six years ago. It was first studied on Ebola patients.

ECU pediatrician offers tips for keeping kids happy, healthy at home (Greenville Daily Reflector reports) -- With Gov. Roy Cooper’s announcement that North Carolina schools are closed for the rest of the school year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, children and parents have lingering questions about the virus, coping with stay-at-home orders and staying healthy.

EPA won't further limit air pollution despite coronavirus concerns (WRAL-TV reports) -- The Environmental Protection Agency officially announced it will not be tightening regulations, which would limit the amount of small particles in our air. The EPA sets limits for these particles, which come from things like factories and wildfires, every five years.

Plans to Expand Limestone Quarry Stalled (Coastal Review reports) -- Martin Marietta’s plans to expand its limestone quarry in Rocky Point, a move that would affect dozens of acres of wetlands and other waters, are on hold as state regulators await additional information from the corporation.

The remaking of Dix Park (Triangle Business Journal reports) -- Development interest around Dix Park in Raleigh is accelerating. Prices have shot up, with property values multiplying in recent years as investors flock to what many consider to be one of the next hubs of high-end urban development in the city. But officials and developers must find balance between the area's historic nature and new plans as they chart a path forward.

NASCAR To Resume Season May 17 With 7 Races In 10 Days (AP reports) -- NASCAR announced Thursday that it will resume its season without fans starting May 17 at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina with the premier Cup Series racing three more times in a 10-day span.​​​​​​​

How NASCAR is planning to pull off a live race in 16 days while keeping everyone safe​​​​​​​ (N.C. McClatchy reports) -- Thursday’s teleconference between media and NASCAR brass ended after 40 minutes and probably could have lasted 10 times as long. There are endless questions about racing’s return May 17 as NASCAR attempts to pull off a feat other professional sports leagues, including the NBA, MLB, MLS and NHL, have not yet come close to crystallizing: Resuming its season amid a global pandemic that has disrupted life far beyond sports.

NASCAR Makes Move, Announces May 17 Return From Coronavirus (Wall Street Journal reports) -- ​​​​​​​Nascar took the lead among major American sports in the quest to return from the coronavirus pandemic shutdown.