Opinion Roundup: Mask or not to mask? prayer and politics; summer camping doubts; and more

Monday, May 18, 2020 -- A round up of opinion, commentary and analysis on: prayer politics; will GOP dump Charlotte; COVID-19's burden; summer camps decisions; legislators mask or no-mask; unemployment benefit delays; lottery winners; and more.

Minorities and poor bear brunt of COVID-19. NC advocates say that’s everybody’s concern. (N.C. McClatchy reports) -- The shapeshifting coronavirus that causes COVID-19 is a dumb molecule that can’t differentiate the skin tone or economic status of a potential host. It doesn’t need to. Advocates for those marginalized populations say the virus is thriving among people of color in the U.S. and North Carolina because poverty and systemic discrimination make them more likely than their white counterparts to get sick from the virus, and less likely to receive public aid to recover from its financial effects.

'We can't stay home': Undocumented meat packers sacrifice safety for paycheck (WRAL-TV reports) -- COVID-19 is spreading rapidly though meat processing plants in North Carolina as state health and agriculture officials work to keep production lines running.

Will NC residents stop social distancing after coronavirus? Survey finds a consensus (N.C. McClatchy reports) -- Most North Carolinians say they will continue social distancing after the coronavirus pandemic, but they may not be as likely to wear masks, a survey finds. Nearly 71% of state residents report plans to practice social distancing when the outbreak has ended, according to survey results gathered in April from marketing firm Chernoff Newman. By comparison, about 32% say they will wear masks in public in the post-pandemic era, results show.

State officials release new guidelines for who can be tested for coronavirus (WRAL-TV reports) -- State officials want to test more people for coronavirus and are advising a list of people who should be tested to do so.

The labor-intensive process behind processing COVID-19 tests in Henderson County (Hendersonville Times-News reports) -- An intensive, detailed and often misunderstood process happens behind the scenes to track Henderson County’s COVID-19 case count and related information.

Summer camp canceled: Several WNC overnight camps make hard decision not to open (Hendersonville Times-News reports) -- Summer camp officials in the Western North Carolina mountains are making “difficult” and “heartbreaking” decisions to cancel all or some of the 2020 summer season. Many camp staff and loyal campers have become like family, spending each year growing bonds and having adventures in the mountain lakes and forests, ending the day around the campfire. But the continuing spread of COVID-19, state guidelines for reopening and advice of health care officials have led many boards and directors to the decision that canceling is needed to keep those camp families safe.

Legislative reopening (N.C. Insider reports) -- As the legislature takes a big step today toward resuming business as usual, some Democrats are worried that more precautions should be taken to avoid spreading coronavirus. After a one-week coronavirus relief session and a two-week break, the short session will resume this week to address a wide variety of issues. And lobbyists and the general public will be allowed back inside the legislative complex, although the buildings will be restricted to 50% of their typical occupancy limits. Security guards will use forehead thermometers at the doors to keep out anyone with a fever.

Legislative annual session resumes after break (AP reports) -- The North Carolina legislature is resuming its annual session, two weeks after meeting to approve a $1.6 billion package that distributed COVID-19 funds from Washington.

State budget, lower tax revenue headline resumption of 2020 legislative session (Winston-Salem Journal reports) -- The more traditional business of the state legislature begins this afternoon for the 2020 session after the unanimous approval of the COVID-19 relief packages. The main focus will be the arduous and likely divisive task of tweaking the 2018-19 state budget that’s still in effect, along with the 2019 mini-budget bills signed into law, given the realities of the drastic reduction in state tax revenues. House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, has said the revenue shortfall could reach $4 billion.

Our votes still count (Winston-Salem Journal) -- Predictably, Phil Berger, the Republican state Senate leader, decried the requests as attempts at voter fraud. The legislature did not act on any proposed election changes in its recent session. The state board of elections has also called for other changes, including making Election Day a state holiday, as Virginia has done. North Carolina should lose no more time in preparing for November by making needed changes and finding the money to pay for them. Our democracy is stronger if all citizens can vote, so that the government truly is representative. People should not have to fear that they are putting their lives on the line to cast their votes.

CLAYTON HENKEL: Legislators return to Jones Street. Will your representative be wearing a mask? (N.C. Policy Watch analysis) -- Members of the NC House and Senate will be back in the legislative building this week, and unlike the April session the public will also be allowed inside. Temperature checks can be expected for those entering the building. But it’s unclear just how many elected officials will be wearing masks.

Armed demonstrators rally in downtown Raleigh during pandemic (WRAL-TV reports) -- Armed demonstrators rallied in downtown Raleigh on Saturday to protest their second amendment rights during the coronavirus pandemic. This group wrote on Facebook that the demonstration was "an opportunity for first and second amendment supporters to get together, meet people with commonalities, and get some exercise while we're all wasting away at home." Like the group that was in downtown Raleigh last week, these demonstrators were going to get lunch, but were also armed.

Marchers with guns return to downtown Raleigh streets, draw counter-protests (N.C. McClatchy reports) -- Armed men in military garb marched around downtown Raleigh for a third week Saturday, drawing sharp confrontation from counter-protesters and scrutiny from police. The group has organized under the name Blue Igloo, likely a play on the word “Boogaloo,” which the Anti-Defamation League describes as a slang term for a coming civil war. Several marchers wore Hawaiian shirts, which Boogaloo groups often sport to symbolize the “big luau.,” They’ve also embraced the name “Meal Team Six” after making national news last week for an armed march that included a stop at Subway for sandwiches.

Charlotte faith leaders on reopening: ‘Just because we can doesn’t mean we should.’ (N.C. McClatchy reports) -- More than 75 have joined together to deliver a message regarding worshiping in large groups again: Not so fast.

With A Judge’s Clearance To Open, North Carolina Churches Weigh Their Options (WFAE-FM reports) -- A federal judge has allowed churches in North Carolina to temporarily open. The ruling made Saturday came just days after a lawsuit was filed by a religious group claiming the governor’s stay-at-home order violated their right to worship freely.

Churches meet after pandemic restrictions are blocked (N.C. McClatchy reports) -- New Life Baptist Church on Sunday held its first indoor worship service in weeks, the day after a federal judge blocked state restrictions on religious services in the pandemic. Much of the debate in the last week over Gov. Roy Cooper’s stay-at-home order centered on religious gatherings. His office sought to clarify the order limiting indoor services to 10 people, but Republican state senators objected, some county sheriffs said they would not enforce the rule, churchgoers rallied in protest, and a federal lawsuit was filed.  Cooper’s office said Saturday it would not appeal the ruling. Though the executive order on indoor church attendance is blocked, congregations continued to meet outdoors, as the executive order encourages.

JAMES GALLIARD: Why church buildings should not reopen — yet (Wilson Times column) -- More than 500 years ago, Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the castle church in Wittenburg, igniting what we know as the Protestant Reformation.

Judge blocks governor's virus-related orders on churches (AP reports) -- A federal judge sided with conservative Christian leaders and blocked the enforcement of restrictions that Gov. Roy Cooper ordered affecting indoor religious services during the coronavirus pandemic.

Federal judge blocks NC governor’s restrictions on religious services (N.C. McClatchy reports) -- A federal judge’s order allows state religious leaders to open their doors to their congregations, in spite of the governor’s warning that they risk spreading coronavirus. Gov. Roy Cooper said he wouldn’t appeal the ruling blocking his restrictions on indoor religious services. Saturday’s order pointed out that while only up to 10 people are allowed inside for religious services under Cooper’s stay-at-home order, that same standard doesn’t apply to other entities, such as businesses that are limited to 50% capacity, and funeral services, which allow up to 50 people.

Federal judge allows NC churches to meet inside (WRAL-TV reports) -- Church leaders that sued Gov. Roy Cooper, stating his orders restricted their constitutional rights to gather for worship, have been granted a temporary restraining order, allowing them to gather.

Sheriffs of larger counties not standing down on virus-related restrictions on churches, but don't expect to enforce them either (WRAL-TV reports) -- While a number of rural North Carolina sheriffs have said their deputies won't stand in the way of churches holding large, indoor services on Sunday in violation of the statewide stay-at-home order, sheriffs in Wake, Durham and Orange counties said Friday that they prefer a more nuanced approach to the situation.

Filed for unemployment? The NC Senate wants to hear about your experience (WRAL-TV reports) -- Senate committee will discuss North Carolina's unemployment system, seeks public input.

Why is it taking 2 months for some in NC to get unemployment benefits? (N.C. McClatchy reports) --Why did it take two months for some North Carolinians to get unemployment benefits? Here are some of their stories.

Hospitality loans (The insider reports) -- Two Senate Democrats want to create a $125 million loan fund for struggling restaurants and hotels, while reimbursing ABC permit fees from the period of the restaurant and bar shutdown. Sens. Jay Chaudhuri, D-Wake, and Harper Peterson, D-New Hanover, filed Senate Bill 788, the Save Our Authentic Restaurant (SOAR) and Hotel Stabilization Act. It calls for $50 million in restaurant loans that are “forgivable if the restaurant spends the loan on produce, dairy, meat, or seafood from a small North Carolina farm,” according to a news release. Another $75 million in loans would go to hotels and would be “forgivable if the hotel uses the loans for property and income taxes owed by the hotel.”

Nursing homes call for more tests, help keeping residents happy (N.C. McClatchy reports) – Marc Maready, CEO of Ridge Care retirement and assisted living communities, spoke about how COVID-19 has affected their assisted living facilities on Thursday during the state House Select Committee on COVID-19’s health care working group. Nursing home leaders want more flexibility in regulations and greater access to testing. Maready said one-size-fits-all policies from Raleigh have prevented resident care facilities from making the best decisions about keeping their residents safe. Maready said group meals and activities have ended even in counties with few cases of COVID-19. Maready said his facilities have spent more than $160,000 on COVID-19-related supplies like PPE, thermometers and hand sanitizer. They also needed to raise payroll because of increased demand, he said.

N.C. Republicans express concern about Forest’s gubernatorial prospects (National Journal reports) -- The pandemic has boosted Gov. Roy Cooper's popularity while stripping Republicans of the means to make a dent.

‘Never Trumpers’ plan to hold their own GOP convention in Charlotte in August (N.C. McClatchy reports) -- Bob Orr and Charles Jeter plan to join other Republicans at a convention in Charlotte this August — but not the one that will renominate President Donald Trump. Instead they’ll join a group called “Republicans for a New President.” Organized by Evan McMullin, a former CIA officer who ran an independent campaign for president in 2016, the gathering is expected to bring together groups disaffected by the president, including Republicans for the Rule of Law and The Lincoln Project.

Republican convention, 100 days out, looms as a lifeline to Charlotte businesses (N.C. McClatchy reports) -- Organizers of the Republican National Convention, on Saturday just 100 days away, are pressing ahead with plans even in the face of a public health crisis that could still produce a very different kind of convention. And for Charlotte-area businesses, an event once seen as an economic boost could now become a lifeline.

JOEY MILLER & JULIA TIPTON: June runoff election in western NC previews voting problems the state will face in November (N.C. McClatchy column) -- We write as Republican and Democrat election officials in western North Carolina to sound the alarm about the urgent need to prepare for the fall election. We are eyewitnesses to the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic because mail-in voting has now begun for the Congressional District 11 runoff in our region.

Lieutenant governor tells NC pastors: COVID-19 limits part of culture war against Christianity (WRAL-TV reports) -- Lt. Gov. Dan Forest told Christian pastors in a video conference Thursday that the political left is using COVID-19 restrictions to hurt the church, and that the last chance to fight back is rapidly approaching.

Burr's stock, townhouse sales prompt complaint from political watchdog group (Winston-Salem Journal reports) -- The controversy over the rash of corporate stock sales in February by U.S. Sen. Richard Burr fits right into the wheelhouse of an influential Washington watchdog organization. However, the seizing of Burr’s cellphone by Federal Bureau of Investigation agents takes the case to a disturbing new level, said Noah Bookbinder, CREW’s executive director.

Why Senators Shouldn’t Pick Stocks (Wall Street Journal) -- None of this looks good, but trying to treat Senators like insiders raises a few difficulties. Sen. Richard Burr sold Wyndham Hotels. Does anybody think he had secret information about Wyndham’s business? If Congress’s virus briefings merely reinforced public speculation about a generalized threat, can it be proved that Mr. Burr relied on nonpublic information?

Self-serving undermines trust (Hendersonville Times-News) -- Whatever the FBI uncovers in its probe of Sen. Richard Burr’s stock sales, the fact that a U.S. senator cashed in as the nation plunged into a pandemic-fueled recession damages public trust.

She sought freedom from prison. Nothing but the coronavirus could get her out. (N.C. McClatchy reports) – Faye Brown always admitted walking into a Martin County bank in 1975, carrying a loaded pistol and stuffing money into her purse. But she always resented the murder charge. As the robbers fled, Brown’s accomplice Joseph Seaborn hid in the back seat of their getaway car, and when a state trooper pulled them over, he fired a sawed-off shotgun through the window, killing Trooper Tom Davis. “She always said she didn’t want to die here,” said Pamela Humphrey, her friend at N.C. Correctional Institution for Women. “She’d say ‘Pam, we ain’t going to die here.’ She never gave up hope.“ She came close in 2009, but was stopped by the N.C. Supreme Court the next year. On May 8, however, Brown kept her promise, technically. She died in a Raleigh hospital from COVID-19 complications — the first casualty at the Raleigh prison, which has reported 91 coronavirus cases as of Friday morning, according to the N.C. Department of Public Safety. Last week, 20 former inmates gathered outside the Southeast Raleigh prison decrying her death and protesting crowded conditions. Inside, Humphrey and others waved to them, making heart shapes with their hands.

Don’t hang up: Unknown phone numbers might be COVID-19 contact tracers, officials say (N.C. McClatchy reports) -- An army of contact tracers is at work across the country — and they really need people to answer their phones. State and local health officials from North Carolina to Washington state are telling residents to stop associating unknown phone numbers with telemarketers and pick up. It could be a contact tracer hired by a health department to help track down people exposed to the coronavirus, officials say.

Correctional facility to test all juveniles for COVID-19 (AP reports) -- The state Department of Public Safety announced that all juveniles held at the Stonewall Jackson Youth Development Center will be tested for COVID-19 after a staff member reported testing positive for the coronavirus a day earlier.

Boaters see long lines, wait times, social distancing orders in return to the water again (WRAL-TV reports) -- On warm weekends like Saturday, it was easy to see lots of boaters making a run to the water. Many had long waits and had to practice social distancing, too.

MOSTLY FALSE: N.C. Rep. Dan Bishop says 50% of U.S. workforce been 'idled' by coronavirus? (PolitiFact/WRAL-TV) -- In an interview with former White House press secretary Sean Spicer, U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop said "half the workforce in the country may have just been idled." PolitiFact takes a look at unemployment numbers and GDP projections.

CELIA RIVENBARK: Perplexed by the “anti-maskers” (column) -- I made a rare trip to the grocery store last week. In preparation, I popped on a homemade mask (thank you crafty friends!) before heading straight to the produce department. And that is where I got my first official eyeroll from “Unmasked guy.” He could barely contain his contempt. At first, I thought he was just super exasperated at the price of pole beans but then I realized he was unhappy with my mask. Honestly, he couldn’t have looked more irritated if I had been out front handing shoppers “Save the Murder Hornets!” pamphlets.

Award for NC historian's book about Mississippi city (AP reports) -- A Los Angeles cultural and publishing nonprofit led by the rock band Nirvana's former bassist is giving its 10th annual book award to William Sturkey, a UNC historian’s account of civil rights in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

Librarians, historians keep knowledge alive at safe distance (AP reports) -- Jimi Rider walked in the New Hanover County Library’s downtown branch for the first time in weeks and breathed a sigh of relief.

Charlotte restaurant installs thermal imaging camera to screen customers (WRAL-TV reports) -- A Charlotte restaurant owner wants to install a thermal imaging camera and screen at the hostess stand.

ROSE HOBAN: Shuttered hospital could get new life courtesy of COVID (N.C. Health News reports) -- Rural Sandhills facility repurposed for non-coronavirus patients in the event of a surge.

JACK IGELMAN: Anti-Duke Energy coalition of advocacy groups calls for range of reforms (Carolina Public Press reports) -- This is a critical year for energy advocates to make their voices heard regarding the future of clean energy and the future price of power in North Carolina, according to Rory McIlmoil of Appalachian Voices. The regional environmental organization based in Boone is one of several watchdog, social justice, public interest and environmental organizations that recently announced the formation of the Duke Energy Accountability Coalition. The coalition announced its creation in time for Duke Energy’s annual shareholder meeting on May 7. Duke Energy, which operates across the Southeast and Midwest, has energy-producing assets throughout North America. In all, the investor-owned utility serves about 7.7 million electrical power customers in six states, in addition to another 1.6 million natural gas customers.

MICHAEL COOPER: Our immersion in virtual work may bridge NC’s urban-rural divide (N&O/N.C. McClatchy column) --If we can work from home, why not work out in the country?

Property Owners Score Win in Bridge Dispute (Coastal Review reports) -- A judge has granted a judicial review to property owners near the site of a planned bridge to Harkers Island, including the Coastal Resources Commission’s vice chair, who are challenging permits for the project.

Park Service: Outer Banks tourists tried to capture foal (AP reports) -- The National Park Service is looking for three tourists who allegedly tried to capture a month-old wild foal in the Outer Banks in an attempt to take some selfies.

Outer Banks tourists taking selfies chase young wild horse away from mother, park say (N.C. McClatchy reports) -- Three Outer Banks tourists are being sought for questioning after witnesses say they tried to capture a month-old wild foal in an attempt to get selfies, according to the National Park Service. The incident, which was caught on camera, took place around 4:30 p.m. Friday on the Shackleford Banks, which is part of Cape Lookout National Seashore.

Shipwreck’s astonishing descent into the beach starts speeding up on Outer Banks (N.C. McClatchy reports) --The hull has vanished, leaving only the cabin and rigging above ground.

Truist says it spent $125 million on its new name, defends brand in trademark fight (N.C. McClatchy reports) -- Truist, formed from the merged BB&T and SunTrust, said it spent $7 million just to create its new name and brand.

Social media star from Charlotte hits lottery jackpot. Mom thought it was a prank. (N.C. McClatchy reports) -- Hadleigh Painter, a 21-year-old college student, actress, model and social media star from Charlotte, just added another credential to her name: lottery jackpot winner. Painter won $25,000 a year for life in the March 26 Lucky for Life drawing, North Carolina Education Lottery officials said this week. She beat odds of 1 in 1.8 million. Painter forgot she’d plunked down the $2 to play the online game, and her mom thought she made the whole thing up.

NC iron worker wins $10 million lottery prize. ‘I’ll still be the same old me.’ (N.C. McClatchy reports) -- A man vows to be “the same old me” after winning a $10 million lottery prize — the largest scratch-off payout available in the state. That’s what Wade Harmon of Johnston County told N.C. Education Lottery officials after claiming his prize at lottery headquarters in Raleigh Friday. Harmon is an iron worker who lives in Kenly.

Planes, trains, graves: NC lakes with history hidden beneath their waves (WRAL-TV reports) -- Thousands of people swim, fish and boat across the surface of North Carolina's large recreational lakes each year. However, many have no idea that just beneath the surface rests remnants of lost history, forgotten by time.