Opinion Roundup: Governor warns of 'new normal'; testing thousands of N.C. patients; as shopping habits change, so do state's farmers; surplus chicken sales draw hundreds; and more.

Thursday, Apr. 15, 2020 -- A round up of opinion, commentary and analysis on: Cooper sets criteria for restarting state's economy; thousands of state businesses win appeal to stay open; storms and virus deal hard hand to N.C.'s remaining drive-in's; strawberry farms make u-pick/pre-pick options safe; collectible seashells pile up on OBX; and more.

Opponents of Stay-at-Home Orders Organize Protests at State Capitols (New York Times reports) -- In states like N.C., Michigan and Kentucky, people protested against rules aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus. More demonstrations were planned.

Can coronavirus antibody testing help reopen the U.S.? Here's what we know. (PolitiFact/WRAL-TV) -- In N.C., Wake Forest Baptist Health will mail coronavirus antibody tests to 1,000 North Carolinians, Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger announced. PolitiFact interviewed several experts about the promise and potential pitfalls of antibody testing. The good news is that many of the tests are not overly complicated, often requiring blood from a self-administered finger prick. Some have a turnaround time as rapid as 10 to 15 minutes. That’s the bad news: The tests so far have not been especially accurate. … It’s important to note that antibody tests are just one part of what’s needed to restart the economy. Experts say it will also require a system of widely available diagnostic tests to determine if someone has an active coronavirus infection, along with "contact tracing," a method of identifying people who were in close proximity to other people who were infected, so that they can be tested and, if necessary, quarantined.

ROSE HOBAN: General Assembly leaders supported a study on COVID with $100,000. What will it tell us going forward? (N.C. Health News reports) -- A Wake Forest Baptist study aims to track who’s infected or not, but is only part of the broader picture as N.C. takes next steps.

Coronavirus could cost N.C.’s struggling rural hospitals $145 million per month (N.C. McClatchy reports) --Rural hospitals are set to lose more than $145 million per month as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread across the state.

Atrium, Novant: Field hospital not needed for now, but ‘trend could reverse quickly’ (N.C. McClatchy reports) -- Novant Health and Atrium Health are dropping a request — for now — for a 600-bed field hospital intended to help manage a surge of coronavirus cases in Mecklenburg County. Hospital leaders told County Manager Dena Diorio in a letter Wednesday they believe the two systems have enough capacity to manage future needs, based on the recent pace of new cases.

Cooper lays out benchmarks to reopen N.C.'s economy, get to 'new normal' (WRAL-TV reports) -- Gov. Roy Cooper outlined some of the things the state along with local governments would need to do to get the economy restarted and to help everyone return to a "new normal."

Cooper sets route to ease restrictions, warns of new normal (AP reports) -- N.C. will need more widespread COVID-19 testing, extensive efforts to track down people in contact with the sick and slowed case and hospital rates before movement and commerce restrictions can ease, Gov. Roy Cooper said

When will we get back to normal? President Trump and Gov. Cooper offer guidelines (WRAL-TV reports) -- On Thursday evening, President Donald Trump will lay out his plans for reopening the economy, offering guidance to governors, who have the ultimate say.

Nurse: UNC Health not supporting workers on pandemic's front lines (WRAL-TV reports) -- UNC Health is making decisions to conserve protective gear for health care workers during the coronavirus pandemic, not necessarily to safeguard the health of the workers themselves, a nurse charged.

Debunked COVID-19 conspiracy theory weaves a UNC medical researcher into the tale (N.C. McClatchy reports) --The messages started coming a little more than a month ago, first on social media and eventually by email. By March, Kari Debbink, a professor at Bowie State University who holds a doctorate from UNC-Chapel Hill, had received her first death threat. The reason: She was being accused of helping create the novel coronavirus, which has caused the COVID-19 pandemic that has shut down much of the world, in a lab in N.C. … One unfounded theory that many internet users have latched onto and that has been amplified by right wing news channels has placed its sights on North Carolina. It claims — falsely — that COVID-19 was created at UNC-Chapel Hill, specifically in the lab of Ralph Baric, where Debbink once worked.

How N.C. strawberry farms are making U-pick, pre-picked options safe amid coronavirus (N.C. McClatchy reports) --Like many other Triangle pick-your-own farms, Eno River is asking customers to wash their hands or use hand sanitizer before picking berries, use brand-new buckets to collect the berries, and wait for a turn to limit the number of people in the rows and leave 6 to 10 feet between them. Masks are encouraged, but not required, although many farm workers will be wearing them. Many farm workers are also wearing disposable gloves, and at Eno River Farm, customers can wear gloves, Czesak said. They’re encouraging debit or credit card payments to further limit contact, although they will take cash, he said. Other options being offered around the Triangle include call-ahead and online ordering, home delivery and curbside pickup.

Thousands of N.C. businesses win appeal to stay open (WRAL-TV reports) -- Non-essential business in N.C. were ordered to shut down March 30 in the effort to stop the spread of coronavirus. After the governor's executive order, thousands of businesses across the state appealed to the N.C. DOR in an effort to stay open.

Hospital researchers roll out plan to test thousands of N.C. patients for COVID symptoms, immunity (WRAL-TV reports) -- Hundreds of thousands of N.C. patients could soon help researchers at two hospital networks track COVID-19 cases in real-time in an effort partly funded by state legislative leaders.

Without NASCAR races, Charlotte Motor Speedway and 7 other tracks shed 15% of jobs (N.C. McClatchy reports) --Layoffs are in effect at Charlotte Motor Speedway and seven other NASCAR tracks after parent company Speedway Motorsports, LLC announced Wednesday that it has laid off 180 employees across its facilities and furloughed another 100 employees due to the coronavirus pandemic. Approximately 15 percent of Speedway Motorsports’ overall staff were affected by the job cuts.

NEIL COTIEUX: Storms, pandemic deal double whammy to N.C. drive-in theaters (Carolina Public Press reports) -- In the aftermath of the violent storms that swept through the Kings Mountain area of Cleveland County early Monday, Preston Brown knew there would be damage, but not this kind of damage. There on the grounds of Hound’s Drive-in Theater lay a new movie screen in shambles. “It just snapped it off at its base,” Brown said of the storm that destroyed the 68-foot-tall, 100-foot-wide screen. With a picture size of 50-by-100 feet, “They are the largest screens that I know of in the nation.” The storm “blew away a year’s worth of construction to Screen 3, which we had planned to open once the stay-at-home order is lifted,” Brown said, referring to the statewide lockdown designed to slow the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. For Brown and the other owners of N.C.’s four surviving drive-ins, the 2020 season has gotten off to a rough start. Built on the grounds of an abandoned mill, Hound’s Drive-in Theater had been beating the odds before the pandemic and this week’s storm, a rural anachronism in a world of megaplexes and streaming videos.

Restaurants, volunteers help Durham Public Schools feed families in need (WRAL-TV reports) -- Families in Durham will be able to get free meals again.

CHRIS MILLER: No sports, no problem for people who fish (Kinston Free Press) -- What’s an avid sportsperson to do when social distancing has shut down all sorts of sports to help prevent further spread of COVID-19? You can always go to work with a worm and a cane pole,” New Bern resident Jerry Ashley said. In other words, people can still get their sports fix in by fishing. Taking the bait and tackle to the water for some relaxing reel time is a “great option” for sports fans, said Matt Littleton of Casper’s Marina in Swansboro. He added that while people still should practice social distancing amongst strangers, fishing is a good way for family to spend time with each other instead of being bogged down inside their homes.

Wake County man talks about losing mother to COVID-19 at senior living facility (WRAL-TV reports) -- Ryan Benson is grieving the loss of his 72-year-old mother to the coronavirus. She died while at a senior living facility in Knightdale.

Coronavirus outbreaks not slowing in area nursing homes (WRAL-TV reports) -- More deaths from coronavirus were reported in area nursing homes.

Raleigh Police Department waited week before telling officers of colleague's positive coronavirus test (WRAL-TV reports) -- A Raleigh police officer has tested positive for the coronavirus, and other officers are upset that the department waited a week to inform them.

Raleigh PD calls protesting "non-essential activity" (WRAL-TV reports) -- Possibility of arrest for exercising the right to protest touches off 1st Amendment worries.

Lawsuit cites virus to stop touch-screen voting (AP reports) -- The threat of hand-to-hand contamination from the new coronavirus while voting entered arguments in a lawsuit seeking to stop the use of touch-screen ballot-marking machines in N.C.

GOP convention plans are moving ahead, but what would an alternative look like? (N.C. McClatchy reports) --Nobody knows exactly what the nation’s health situation will look like in late August. Nobody knows when people will feel comfortable gathering in crowds or when N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, will relax restrictions that limit gatherings to no more than 10 people. And nobody knows if the convention center might be in use as an emergency, 600-bed field hospital, as county leaders proposed Tuesday. Convention officials said they’re working with state and local leaders as well as the federal Cen

RNC says its convention in Charlotte still on for August (WRAL-TV reports) -- WRAL's Mandy Mitchell has the latest on the Republican National Convention in Charlotte, still scheduled for August despite the coronavirus outbreak.

GOP Says RNC Delegates Could Wear Masks, Practice Social Distancing (WFAE-FM reports) -- The leaders of the 2020 Republican National Convention in Charlotte said Wednesday that the August convention is still moving forward "full speed ahead" but they said the convention could look very different if the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

Legislative complex bans public for session (AP reports) -- N.C.'s legislative complex will be off limits to the general public for three weeks while lawmakers attempt to conduct business as the annual session begins later this month during the COVID-19 pandemic.

N.C. legislators to convene in April but limit public access (WRAL-TV reports) -- The leader of N.C.'s state Senate plans to call legislators back to work later this month. But when the legislature is in session, access to the legislative building in downtown Raleigh will be limited due to concerns about the coronavirus.

Tillis declines to say whether Burr should step down as Senate Intelligence chairman because of stock trade investigation (Washington Post reports) - Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) declined to say Wednesday whether his North Carolina colleague, Sen. Richard Burr (R), should stay on as chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, saying only that the decision is up to GOP leadership. Tillis, who is up for reelection in November, made the remark in an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, who also writes an opinion column for The Washington Post.

SCOTT SEXTON: Burr's real estate deal further tarnishes his reputation (Winston-Salem Journal column) -- Inside trader, pandemic profiteer and King of the Good Ol’ Boys are but a few of the kinder appellations affixed to Burr’s name following the news — which really isn’t all that shocking — that in February he privately dumped between $628,000 and $1.72 million in stocks while assuring the rest of us saps that all was well with the coronavirus. Predictably, the FBI and the Securities and Exchange Commission started asking questions and a lawsuit alleging that Burr “has acted as a scofflaw in a time of national crisis” was filed within days.

RICHARD CRAVER: Tillis says Burr should explain townhouse sale (Winston-Salem Journal reports) -- Another political controversy involving Richard Burr has spilled over onto Thom Tillis, his U.S. Senate junior colleague from North Carolina.

As small businesses await federal money, N.C. House looks to fund short-term loans (N.C. McClatchy reports) -- N.C. House legislators unveiled a draft bill Tuesday that would add $25 million to a “bridge loan” program to help small businesses stay afloat until more federal aid arrives. The Golden LEAF Foundation is administering the program with an initial $15 million, addressing concerns from businesses that they won’t have enough cash to pay their bills and their employees until they receive federal funds from initiatives like the Paycheck Protection Program, which has been slow to launch and is at risk of running out of money. Golden LEAF has been working with the N.C. Rural Center and lending partners to issue the loans.

It’s too soon to reopen the economy (N.C. McClatchy) -- As states across the country approach the back half of stay-at-home orders - and as many report better-than-expected case counts and death totals - there’s new momentum for Americans to return to work. The president has formed a task force designed to reopen parts of the economy as early as May 1. Some of his advisers don’t even want to wait that long, and “reopen” movements are popping up across the country, including in N.C., where a group with more than 22,000 supporters wants Gov. Roy Cooper to let people go back to work at the end of April. It’s a bad idea. Let’s make plain what will happen if the nation’s governors - who despite Donald Trump’s assertions get to make this call - were to follow that advice:

A 2018 constitutional amendment may haunt NC as it tries to recover from COVID-19 (N.C. McClatchy) --In what now seems like the distant past of 2018, Republican state lawmakers moved to lock in their tax cuts by offering a constitutional amendment lowering the state’s income tax cap from 10 percent to 7 percent. Opponents said the lower limit would restrict the legislature’s ability to respond in an economic crisis, but voters, as they are wont to do when offered a promise of limited taxes, approved the lower cap with 57 percent of the vote.

N.C. airports to get $283 million in COVID-19 aid (AP reports) -- More than 70 N.C. airports will receive nearly $284 million in federal aid to help with their response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Convenience store workers ask N.C. Governor to suspend lottery, scratch-off tickets sales (WSOC-TV reports) -- Convenience stores are open across the state, but some workers are asking N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper to suspend lottery and scratched off ticket sales. Some store clerks said even with layoffs, some people are still taking their chances and coming to the stores just to buy tickets. “We’re concerned that we have to come in every day because we are essential and we’re OK with it and we’ve taken every precaution we can. If the lottery was shutdown, it would alleviate the number of people coming in and out of the stores,” said Charlie Pendleton, a store manager in Burke County.

Smithfield Tar Heel, Clinton plants remain operational (Fayetteville Observer reports) -- The Smithfield Foods pork processing plants in Tar Heel and Clinton remain operational, but company officials would not say if the closure of a facility in South Dakota could have an impact here.

Stimulus checks arrive, but many have questions: Q&A on federal stimulus checks (WRAL-TV reports) -- Along with the arrival of the stimulus money comes a string of questions and confusion surrounding how to access the stimulus money.

UNC - Charlotte to hold online remembrance of fatal shooting (AP reports) -- The anniversary of the shooting deaths of two N.C. university students will be observed with an online service because of the coronavirus mandate to stay at home.

UNC grad hopeful for possible vaccine for coronavirus (WRAL-TV reports) - One of the scientists leading the way in the search for a vaccine for the coronavirus is a UNC graduate and National Institutes of Health Research Fellow, Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett.

Not built for a crisis: Why medical supply chains faltered under COVID-19 (Triangle Business Journal reports) -- A shortage of medical equipment has made headlines across the nation as health providers and state officials scurry to procure equipment that is becoming increasingly rare. And experts say the lesson learned is that systems are running too lean to survive in times of crisis.

Blue Ridge Parkway is closed in most of Western N.C. (Asheville Citizen-Times reports) -- Much of the Blue Ridge Parkway in Western N.C. is closed, according to a press release from the National Park Service. In the April 15 announcement, the Park Service said the closure to vehicular traffic is part of "a continuing effort to support federal, state, and local efforts to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus."

N.C. farming changes as coronavirus alters food spending (WRAL-TV reports) -- N.C. farmers are adapting to a change in food shopping habits across the country.

Low Sales Lead Dairy Farmers To Dump Milk (WUNC-FM reports) -- Dairy farms in N.C. are dumping excess milk because of a lack of demand during the coronavirus pandemic. About half of dairy sales come from food services, including schools, restaurants and hotels. Those are essentially gone because of stay-at-home orders. Milk sales at grocery stores have gone up, but not enough to offset the losses. Elizabeth Moretz of The Dairy Alliance says farmers were hopeful at the beginning of 2020 that profits would go up because of increased milk prices. Moretz says the industry is looking at ways to increase sales, including asking restaurants that are open to use more dairy products, such as adding extra cheese to pizzas

MARK PRICE: Highly collectible seashells piling up on Outer Banks during coronavirus tourism ban (Charlotte Observer reports) -- Banning tourists from the Outer Banks during the coronavirus pandemic has resulted in treasured seashells piling up on the beaches, a National Park Service video shows. Cape Lookout National Seashore posted the “postcard from the beach” video on Facebook, and it reveals wind and waves have spread shells thick across the beaches like gravel. Such treasures are normally snapped up by families on spring break, but N.C.’s coastal counties have banned non-residents from the barrier islands, using road blocks and license checks in Dare County.

Multitudes of uncollected seashells in N.C. amid tourist ban (AP reports) -- The ban on tourists in N.C.’s Outer Banks has created large piles of uncollected seashells during the coronavirus pandemic.

Rhiannon Giddens responds to coronavirus pandemic with online performance, artist resource directory (Greensboro News & Record reports) - Like every other performing artist, Rhiannon Giddens has faced the postponement or cancellation of performances because of the coronavirus pandemic. Her tour in Japan. The Spoleto Festival USA in May in Charleston, S.C., with Francesco Turrisi. The Fes Festival in Morocco. All canceled. “We will get through this together, and we will be back on the road again just as soon as we can,” Giddens said in Japanese in a Facebook video announcing her tour there as canceled.

Surplus chicken sales continue drawing hundreds of people (WRAL-TV reports) -- A line of 100 cars spilled onto N.C. Highway 42 from the parking lot of the Cleveland Draft House even before House of Raeford Farms started selling 40-pound boxes of bulk meat.