Opinion Roundup: Trump tweets threats; reopen protests; back to the beach; and more

Tuesday, May 26, 2020 -- A round up of opinion, commentary and analysis on: Trump tweet threats at N.C.; Memorial Day observance; COVID-19 hospitalizations rise; reopening and reopenNC protests; graduations; and more.

Pandemic doesn't halt Memorial Day observances in Fayetteville (WRAL-TV reports) -- Although no scheduled Memorial Day observance was held Monday because of the coronavirus pandemic, that didn't stop people from gathering for an impromptu service.

Carolina Beach reports 45 water rescues over Memorial Day weekend (WRAL-TV reports) -- Thousands of people visited North Carolina beaches over Memorial Day Weekend, and WECT reports Carolina Beach had 45 water rescues.

Hospitalizations for coronavirus at a new high in NC (N.C. McClatchy reports) -- North Carolina has 23,964 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the state reported Monday, representing a day-over-day increase of 742. The number of patients reported hospitalized with COVID-19 reached a new high since the state Department of Health and Human Services started releasing that data, with 627 people receiving in-patient care, and 81% of hospitals reporting.

COVID-19 outbreak at Fayetteville veterans nursing home (WRAL-TV reports) -- Dozens of COVID-19 cases and two deaths are being reported at the NC State Veterans Nursing Home in Fayetteville. Cumberland County health officials have confirmed 36 cases at the facility, which is up from 19 cases just this past Thursday.

Franklin County to test all nursing-home, assisted-living residents and staff for COVID-19 (N.C. McClatchy reports) -- Franklin County will test all residents and employees of nursing homes and assisted-living centers for the coronavirus starting next week, the county said Monday in a news release. Congregate-care facilities have become hot zones for coronavirus infections. A Franklin County nursing home has one of the state’s deadliest outbreaks. According to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, there had been 2,948 confirmed coronavirus cases in nursing homes as of Monday morning, or 12.3% of North Carolina’s 23,964 total confirmed cases.

Phase 2 has begun (Winston-Salem Journal/Greensboro News & Record) -- We’ve had a long weekend to get some idea of how Phase 2 of Gov. Roy Cooper’s reopening plan will work. But with so many moving parts, and so many individual businesses involved, we won’t know anything for sure — including whether the return of commercial activity increases the transmission of COVID-19 — for weeks. The bottom line: Businesses need our support. They are our friends and neighbors and an important part of our social and cultural fabric. They provide jobs and pay taxes. They perform valued services. But this has to be a measured process.

As Meatpacking Plants Reopen, Data About Worker Illness Remains Elusive (New York Times reports) -- Emails show local officials received conflicting signals from state leaders and meatpacking companies about how much information to release about outbreaks in plants.

Operating at half-capacity doesn't work for some restaurants (WRAL-TV reports) -- Many North Carolina restaurants welcomed diners back over the weekend as coronavirus-related restrictions that had limited them to drive-thru, takeout or delivery service for almost two months were eased. But for some restaurant owners, reopening at 50 percent capacity doesn't yet make sense from a safety or an economic perspective.

Memorial Day draws crowds to beaches, heats up debates about social distancing (WRAL-TV reports) -- Concerns about COVID-19 didn't stop big crowds from gathering at Carolina Beach on Sunday afternoon, enjoying the warm sun and May weather. Photos of crowded beaches and lakes heated up debates on whether or not visiting the beach was safe during this time.

Coronavirus has cut traffic and electricity use, but won’t cure climate change (N.C. McClatchy reports) -- The coronavirus pandemic has caused unprecedented changes to people’s lives as social distancing policies, the best protection against a disease with no vaccine and no widely available treatment, went into effect. These policies have led to a second, unintentional experiment of sorts: What happens when most Americans aren’t going to work or traveling? The transportation analytics company INRIX reports that nationwide traffic was down 30% by the end of March. In Raleigh, traffic is down 43% compared to life before coronavirus closures. For the last month, the number of passengers the Transportation Security Administration has screened at airports is less than 10% of last year’s numbers. If you’ve felt that the air is cleaner when taking a socially distanced walk outside in a world without traffic, you’re not alone. Drew Shindell, a professor of Earth science at Duke University, said that while hospitals are dealing with COVID-19 cases, there has been a noticeable drop in patients admitted for other respiratory problems that are usually caused by air pollution.

Love in the time of coronavirus: Big weddings OK, but receptions must be kept small (WRAL-TV reports) -- This pandemic has brought on many changes: the way we work, the way we live and the way we celebrate with loved ones. At The Parlour at Mann's Chapel, couples are still getting married. The only difference is they're pushing the reception back until it's expected to be safe.

Renters are becoming buyers during the pandemic (WRAL-TV reports) -- Cramped quarters, a need for a home office and maybe even a desire to take advantage of low interest rates are reasons many renters are trying to enter the real estate market right now.

As North Carolina reopens, ReopenNC protesters continue to rail against ‘tyranny’ (N.C. McClatchy reports) -- More than 150 people gathered in a state government parking lot near the Executive Mansion carrying American flags and signs deriding Gov. Roy Cooper and his stay-at-home orders. There they listened to speakers cover a range of topics, some more related to the pandemic than others, including one who told them to use hydroxycloroquine, the malaria and rheumatoid arthritis drug endorsed as a treatment for COVID-19 by President Donald Trump despite the risk of side effects and a lack of evidence that it works. ReopenNC held similar events Monday in Asheville, Charlotte, Greensboro and Wilmington. Demonstrators paraded through south Charlotte in their cars and trucks, many adorned with American flags, Trump memorabilia or messages critical of Cooper and coronavirus-related closures.

ReOpenNC uses Memorial Day as backdrop for fight against virus-related restrictions (WRAL-TV reports) -- On a day dedicated to honoring those who died fighting for freedom, protesters gathered in Raleigh to continue their battle against pandemic-related restrictions they say infringe on their freedoms.

‘Everybody is essential’: Protesters want to reopen NC (Jacksonville Daily News) -- Business owner Nathan Carter sang the National Anthem to kick off a protest event held Monday in Holly Ridge and spoke out against state restrictions he said have infringed on the rights of citizens.

Reopen and shut: At a Greensboro rally, the case was made for a return to normalcy (Greensboro News & Record reports) -- Reopen NC organized five such rallies Monday across North Carolina to remember fallen soldiers — and to bolster support for removing restrictions put in place by Gov. Roy Cooper when coronavirus cases began spreading across the state.

Trump Threatens to Pull Republican National Convention From North Carolina (New York Times reports) -- The president, who has wondered aloud to aides why the convention can’t be held in Florida, said North Carolina’s governor needed to “guarantee” that the event could be held in August.

Trump threatens to pull Republican convention out of North Carolina (Washington Post reports) -- President Trump threatened on Monday to move the Republican National Convention out of North Carolina — while denying that he wants to hold the convention at his namesake resort in Florida even as some state officials started clamoring for the president’s adopted home state to be the venue. Accusing North Carolina’s Democratic governor, Roy Cooper, of being in a “shutdown mood,” Trump — in a string of early-morning Memorial Day tweets — pressured Cooper to guarantee that “we will be allowed full attendance in the Arena” in Charlotte by the late-August convention.

Trump Threatens to Pull Republican Convention From North Carolina (Wall Street Journal reports) -- The president threatened to move the event out of the state if the governor can’t guarantee that it will take place at full capacity.

Trump threatens to pull GOP convention from Charlotte unless ‘full attendance’ allowed (N.C. McClatchy reports) -- President Donald Trump threatened Monday morning to move August’s Republican National Convention from Charlotte if the state is not able to commit to “full attendance” at the convention. Vice President Mike Pence also said Monday morning the convention could be moved due to the pace of the state’s reopening process. In a statement posted to Cooper’s Twitter account at 10:45 a.m., about two and half hours after Trump’s tweets, Cooper’s press secretary, Dory MacMillan, said: “State health officials are working with the RNC and will review its plans as they make decisions about how to hold the convention in Charlotte. North Carolina is relying on data and science to protect our state’s public health and safety.”

Trump threatens to move RNC without assurances from Cooper (AP/WRAL-TV reports) -- President Donald Trump threatened Monday to pull the Republican National Convention out of North Carolina if the state's Democratic governor doesn't immediately sign off on allowing a full-capacity gathering in August despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Which Party Would Benefit Most From Voting by Mail? It’s Complicated (New York Times reports) -- Conventional wisdom has been that Democrats are more likely to benefit from voting by mail. But that’s not what research has shown.

Tillis touts working-class roots in 1st TV ad, as Senate race kicks back into gear (N.C. McClatchy reports) -- U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, facing one of the toughest re-election bids in the country, used his first television ad of the 2020 general election to cast himself as a fighter for those struggling to make it. “My job is fighting for your job,” Tillis said in the 30-second spot which began airing all across the state Tuesday. “We will build this economy back, and I’ll remember who needs it the most.” Unspoken is the devastating economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, which has led to record unemployment across the nation and in North Carolina.

GARY PEARCE: The Check is in the Mail? (Wilson Times column) -- As Washington debates what to do next about the economic crisis, it should think about one thing Washington does well. I know what that is, because I see it every month. The second Wednesday of every month. That’s the day my Social Security is deposited in my checking account. Democrats especially might think about this.

JOEY MILLER & JULIA TIPTON: Plan now for a safe vote during COVID-19 crisis (Fayetteville Observer 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. Conducting a fair, safe and secure election involves dozens of decisions long before the voter enters a polling place or requests an absentee ballot. We’d like to share some lessons from the past several weeks, as well as recommendations for state and county policymakers.

Cumberland schools move graduation ceremonies up to June (Fayetteville Observer reports) -- Cumberland County Schools has moved graduation ceremonies from July to June after receiving feedback from graduating seniors, parents and high school administrators. Graduates will now be able to walk across the stage and receive diplomas between June 12 and June 19 at their high schools, the release said. The previous plan set ceremonies in July at the Crown Coliseum complex. Smaller high schools that do not have auditoriums — including early colleges, A.B. Wilkins, and Cumberland Polytechnic — will have the option to distribute diplomas at the district’s Educational Resource Center.

MELBA NEWSOME: A NC congresswoman tackles maternal health disparities (N.C. Health News reports) -- Congresswoman Alma Adams has made eliminating maternal and infant mortality disparities a cause celebre in the US House of Representatives.

NC’s Turning Point For Climate Science (Coastal Review reports) -- Hurricane Florence in 2018 marked the beginning of a shift in attitudes toward climate science, researchers say, but whether increased acceptance leads to policy change remains uncertain. With the Atlantic hurricane season set to begin June 1, Coastal Review Online is examining how attitudes toward climate science in eastern North Carolina have changed during the past decade. This story is the first in a special series that is part of the Pulitzer Center’s nationwide Connected Coastlines reporting initiative.

Nesting loggerhead turtle found dead, investigation underway (AP reports) -- The National Park Service said Monday it is investigating after a nesting loggerhead sea turtle was found dead on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore beach, with signs that the creature was run over by a vehicle.