Opinion Roundup: Crisis for unemployed looms; COVID-19 milestone hit; high-stakes in legislative elections; and more

Tuesday, July 21, 2020 -- A round up of opinion, commentary and analysis on: crisis for unemployed looms; N.C. COVID-19 positives exceed 100,000; high stakes in legislative elections; gay candidate attacked; support grows for protests; more worries on school openings; jellyfish flags; and more.

Unemployment is up in NC, but bankruptcies are down - so far (WRAL-TV reports) -- The coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc on North Carolina's economy, but personal bankruptcies are down statewide so far.

A crisis looms for NC and the nation as federal relief and eviction bans come to an end. (N.C. McClatchy editorial) -- North Carolina, along with the rest of the nation, is a week away from going over a cliff. Since April, the CARES Act has provided $600 a week in supplemental federal unemployment benefits to workers who lost jobs because of the COVID-19 lockdown. This week, those benefits end.

Are your utility bills past due because of COVID-19? Prepare to pay as NC order expires (N.C. McClatchy reports) -- More than 1.45 million utility accounts in North Carolina have gone unpaid during the coronavirus pandemic, And with a moratorium on shutoffs running out, account holders like Bey could have to begin paying up as soon as August. Under executive orders from Gov. Roy Cooper, utility companies have been prohibited since March 31 from charging late fees or cutting service to people who haven’t paid their bills. But those consumer protections are likely ending at the end of this month, Cooper said. For some, the timing couldn’t be worse.

Housing Advocates, Legal Experts Expect Wave Of NC Evictions When Moratorium Ends (N.C. News Intern Corps reports) -- For the last few months, a statewide eviction moratorium has kept residents safely in their homes. Gov. Roy Cooper created the moratorium by executive order on May 30, but it expired on June 21. “The moratorium was lifted prematurely, and it really should have been reconsidered,” Muktarian said. “We’re still having COVID issues and we are still struggling. It wasn’t given enough consideration and now it has left people in both physical and economic danger.” Despite a federal moratorium that remains in place, legal professionals, housing experts and advocates say a wave of evictions in North Carolina is imminent.

Housing advocates call impending Wilmington evictions a ‘disaster’ (Wilmington Star-News reports) -- Hundreds or possibly thousands of Wilmington-area residents could face eviction when the federal moratorium ends July 24. Many people are still out of work, and those on unemployment are facing the loss of $600 a week provided by the federal government under the CARES act, unless Congress extends it past July 31. “This is going to be a disaster,” said Steve Lee, an independent, pro bono housing advocate in Wilmington. Lee compared the situation to Hurricane Florence in 2018, except with that natural disaster, “We knew the wave was coming. And we responded.”

DMV waiving road tests for more drivers (WRAL-TV reports) -- The state Division of Motor Vehicles will start waiving road tests Wednesday for more people seeking driver's licenses.

A Company Backs a Cause. It Funds a Politician Who Doesn’t. What Gives? (New York Times reports) -- AT&T, which says its policies prohibiting discrimination against employees based on sexual orientation date back to the 1970s, provided funds to the same group, which helped elect Pat McCrory in North Carolina in 2012. Mr. McCrory, the former governor, signed the “bathroom bill,” which required transgender people to use public bathrooms corresponding to the gender listed on their birth certificates (and was later overturned).

Good job news for NC: High-tech openings rebound in June (WRAL-TV/TechWire reports) -- Information technology job openings climbed in June – the first increase since the COVID-19 pandemic struck full force in March – according to a new report from the NC Technology Association.Although well below the openings reported a year ago, job postings climbed by nearly 1,000 from May to 23,715. Leading the way: A year-over-year increase of more than 1% in demand for software developers to 6,779.

Tulloss set to leave state transportation board (Rocky Mount Telegram reports) -- A local insurance agent who has served more than 12 years on the State Board of Transportation is not going to be seeking reappointment, this due to a state legislative re-organization of the panel that, in effect, is going to keep him from continuing to serve.

What decrease? Local gov'ts report sales tax revenue hikes (Elizabeth City Daily Advance reports) -- After being advised to expect sales tax decreases in April because of the COVID-19 pandemic, local officials recently learned the opposite in fact happened. Both Pasquotank County and Elizabeth City saw increases in sales tax revenue in April, a likely result of residents spending their federal coronavirus stimulus checks.

With a decade of mapmaking on the line, Democrats raise millions to flip NC legislature (N.C. McClatchy reports) -- Control over redistricting in North Carolina for the next decade will go to whichever political party emerges with a majority in the state legislature after this November’s elections. The high stakes help explain why some candidates for the 170 seats in the General Assembly are raising big amounts — even more money, in some cases, than campaigns for statewide office. “After spending a decade talking about gerrymandering, donors understand we have to control the state legislature,” said Rep. Graig Meyer, D-Orange, one of the party’s top fundraisers.

Campaigning during pandemic means fewer rallies, absence of presidential candidates (WRAL-TV reports) -- N.C.'s gubernatorial race is supposed to be one of the top contests in the country this fall, but it's barely even started - at least in public - because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Dark money attack ads target Allen Wellons, Lisa Barnes in NC Senate race (Spring Hope Enterprise/Rocky Mount Telegram reports) -- Two mailer ads currently circulating that concentrate on the coronavirus crisis. The ad against Wellons claims he left nursing home residents without power so he could run his tobacco farm with state equipment. Wellons said the ads attacking him are explicit attempts to mislead voters. “This is nearly a two and a half decade-old story that was started by my opponent in 1996 and a former Republican state House member, and debunked in the Smithfield Herald back in September 1996,” Wellons said.

Openly Gay NC House Candidate: I Was Attacked With Homophobic Slurs at a Greensboro Walmart (Cardinal & Pine reports) -- Brandon Gray says he was shopping for clothes for his grandmother when a woman attempted to choke his boyfriend. Brandon Gray is running for House District 62, he says, because he is tired of watching politicians stand idle while the world’s problems go unsolved, unaddressed.

GARY PEARCE: Has Racial Politics Changed for Good? (Wilson Times column) -- If you’ve been around Democratic politics in North Carolina and the South for long, you’re asking today: “Is the backlash coming this time? Or is race-baiting politics finally dead?” You ask because you’ve seen race-baiting and “white backlash” work before.

A leadership void (Greensboro News & Record editorial) -- President Trump continues to do little to show the nation that he’s more interested in the public’s health than in being reelected. Last week’s outrages included his administration’s smear campaign against Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government’s top infectious disease expert. Fauci had been key to the administration’s coronavirus response until, apparently, Trump tired of being contradicted by factual information. He also seemed to be irked by the public’s trust in Fauci, which exceeds its trust in him.

N.C. reaches 100,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus (WRAL-TV reports) -- N.C. surpassed 100,000 positive cases of the novel coronavirus, which has strained health systems and crippled economies worldwide and become a pivotal event for learning, health care and government.

COVID-19 test results delayed across North Carolina, nationwide as demand grows (Charlotte Observer reports) -- If you’ve recently been tested for COVID-19 in North Carolina, it could take your results twice as long to come back as it would have last month. Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, expressed concern this month over “ballooning turnaround times” for commercial testing labs. The average turnaround time was approaching six to seven days, she said—up from two to three days in June.

Doctors: Virus outbreaks bound to happen at day care centers (WRAL-TV reports) -- Doctors say child care facilities are bound to have coronavirus outbreaks. So, as more people return to work and children return to day care, facilities must take more safety precautions than ever.

New NC hospitalization data breaks down COVID-19 spikes by region (WRAL-TV reports) -- About 10 percent of the state's more than 3,000 intensive care beds are filled with COVID-19 patients.

Harrah’s Cherokee Casino hit with a ‘cluster’ of COVID-19 cases, NC officials say (Charlotte Observer reports) -- A cluster of coronavirus cases have been identified at a casino in western North Carolina, according to county health officials. At least five employees at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino who work the table games section tested positive for the virus within two weeks, the Jackson County Department of Public Health said in a news release Monday. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines a cluster as a minimum of five cases in a shared environment — such as a classroom or work area — during the same time period.

COVID-19 halts many NC Muslims’ plans to make once-in-a-lifetime Islamic pilgrimage (N.C. News Intern Corps reports) -- More than 2 million Muslims from dozens of countries were planning on flying to Saudi Arabia this month to take part in the annual Islamic pilgrimage of hajj. But in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Saudi government effectively canceled the pilgrimage — grounding the dreams of dozens of Muslims in North Carolina.

Poll: Support grows for protests, removal of Confederate statues (NBC News reports) -- Amid a moment of national reckoning on racial issues and the mourning of one of the country’s most revered civil rights leaders, new numbers from the NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll show that American voters have become significantly more aware of racial discrimination and more sympathetic to those protesting to end it, even as the country remains deeply divided over the prevalence of bigotry and its root causes. The poll — which was conducted July 9-12, before the death of civil rights leader Rep. John Lewis — found that a majority of voters, 56 percent, say that American society is racist, while 40 percent disagree. That share is almost unchanged since the Associated Press found 55 percent of voters saying American society is racist in a July 1988 survey. One thing that has changed dramatically, though, is voters’ views of race relations. Just 26 percent say that race relations are good, down from more than seven-in-ten who said the same in several surveys throughout former president Barack Obama’s first term. Seven-in-ten now say that race relations are bad, including majorities of Democrats (86 percent), Republicans (58 percent), whites (69 percent), Hispanics (76 percent) and Blacks (80 percent.)

Protests Call for More Support for Black Workers (Wall Street Journal reports) -- Groups of activists and unionized workers across the country participated in a walkout calling for an end to racism and for more corporate and government support of Black workers.

State Sen. Andy Wells to leave General Assembly early (AP reports) -- State Sen. Andy Wells, who finished second in the Republican primary for lieutenant governor in March, announced he's leaving his legislative seat before his term expires.

School districts face concerns from NC teachers over reopening plans (Carolina Public Press reports) -- Teachers fear for their health under some NC school district plans, with other districts moving toward online-only instruction to begin school year.

NCISAA plans to resume sports competition under delayed calendar (WRAL-TV reports) -- The N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association, which governs high school sports for many private schools in North Carolina, plans to resume fall sports activities in August under a delayed schedule.

The best school plan possible (Winston-Salem Journal editorial) -- We appreciate the deliberation that went into the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County school board’s decision to move forward in the fall with remote learning. We’re sure the decision was difficult, but of all the options possible, the board wisely chose the safest option for the health of our children and the community, which must be paramount.

Chapel Hill researchers, Medicaid expansion, PrEP top virtual AIDS conference agenda (N.C. Health News reports) -- Our special correspondent Lee Storrow, from the NC AIDS Action Network, has attended the biennial International AIDS Conference in 2018 and 2016 and sent back dispatches for NC Health News. This year, he attended this year's virtual conference, which featured significant presentations by NC-based researchers.

New flag warns of jellyfish, stingrays on Outer Banks beach (AP reports) -- Lifeguards on a beach in N.C.'s Outer Banks have posted a new purple flag that is adorned with images of a jelly fish and a stringray.

A Changed Season On the Outer Banks (Coastal Review reports) -- With vacation season in apparent full swing on the Outer Banks amid the pandemic, shops, restaurants and tourism sites are busy but business is different.