Opinion Roundup: UNC's experimental virus drug effective; inside N.C.'s prisons; colleges reopen Fall 2020; a laugh is a call away; and more.

Thursday, Apr. 30, 2020 -- A round up of opinion, commentary and analysis on: Restaurant owners prefer status quo to reopen plan; COVID-19 testing and tracing time frame may be off; push to reopen state puts vulnerable residents at risk; virus leads to more cases of domestic violence; lawmakers discuss drinks to go; open business early - get arrested; deputies salute county's doctors and nurses; and more.

Gaston County’s comical, cowardly ‘defiance’ of the state’s stay at home order (NC McClatchy editorial) -- Gaston commissioner Tracy Philbeck got the big headlines he surely was going for when he told reporters Wednesday morning that his county would be open for business, in defiance of N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper’s COVID-19 stay at home order. But within hours, the commissioner’s bold declaration was exposed for what it actually was — an ill-conceived, comically executed and ultimately spineless political stunt.

Gaston Cities, Towns Push Back Against County Plan To Defy Cooper (WFAE-FM reports) -- The mayors of Gaston County's 12 cities and towns pushed back Wednesday night against county statements earlier in the day that businesses could open, despite Gov. Roy Cooper's extension of a stay-at-home order until May 8.

N.C. Health Chief: Moves To Reopen Could Endanger Vulnerable Residents (WFAE-FM reports) -- Gaston County officials announced they would allow businesses to open up as long as they follow social distancing guidelines. But the state’s top health official says the move could endanger many vulnerable North Carolinians.

In letter, restaurant owners prefer takeout, delivery status quo to partial reopen plan (WRAL-TV reports) -- In a letter to Gov. Roy Cooper, N.C.'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."

One of ReOpenNC's leaders splits with group, accuses others of 'nearly inciting a riot' (WRAL-TV reports) -- A woman who has been an administrator of the ReOpenNC Facebook group posted to the platform Wednesday that she was leaving. "This movement has taken a turn," Kristen Elizabeth wrote, citing the arrest of another group leader, Ashley Smith at Tuesday's rally in downtown Raleigh.

TAYLOR KNOPF: Wonder what prison is like during COVID-19? These prisoners take us inside. (N.C. Health News reports) -- One woman was released early, but could not get tested in prison. Now she’s so sick with the virus that she’s been hospitalized.

Detention officer died of COVID-19 (WRAL-TV reports) -- Durham detention officer, Alexander Pettiway, died over the weekend. He was 55 years old, and passed away at WakeMed on Saturday. Pettiway's funeral is scheduled for Friday in Smithfield.

Police association calls on Hendersonville to issue hazard pay (Hendersonville Times-News reports) -- The N.C. Police Benevolent Association is calling on the city of Hendersonville to issue hazard pay or additional compensation to first responders and essential employees during the COVID-19 pandemic.

These N.C. companies notified the state of mass layoffs during the coronavirus pandemic (NC McClatchy reports) -- More than 13,000 workers have lost their jobs since the novel coronavirus hit N.C. in early March, an Observer analysis of data from the N.C. Department of Commerce found. Businesses have filed more than 180 notifications of closures or mass layoffs, according to Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification records. But the WARN Notices do not include all layoffs in the state, and are likely just a fraction of the total.

Apex man arrested for opening up his tattoo parlor during stay-at-home order (WRAL-TV reports) -- A tattoo parlor owner in Apex was arrested for opening up his shop and defying Gov. Roy Cooper's say-at-home order. Matthew Meyers, 38, owner of the small business Apex Tattoo Factory on 500 East Williams Street, was arrested Wednesday afternoon. Amber Meyes, the owner's wife, told WRAL that he expected to be arrested today after opening his shop.

Owner of Roxboro hair salon says she will open shop on Friday (WRAL-TV reports) -- A Roxboro hair stylist says she will be open for business this Friday. Jessica Wesley plans to open The Room ahead of Gov. Roy Cooper’s executive order. Wesley says she knows how to keep her salon clean. As far as social distancing, Wesley said she will also wear a mask if her clients request it.

N.C. virtual sewing, donation project delivers 30K masks to frontline workers (WRAL-TV reports) -- Natasha Donnelly was working as a nurse in Wake County and noticed the lack of protective equipment nurses and doctors had when fighting the coronavirus. She decided to do something about it.

More businesses can open, friends can gather when Wake order ends tonight (WRAL-TV reports) -- More Wake County businesses will be allowed to open their doors on Friday after the county's stay-at-home order during the coronavirus pandemic expires.

Wake County deputies salute to nurses, doctors during virus outbreak (WRAL-TV reports) -- In case you are wondering what that parade of blue lights in Wake County was Wednesday morning, it was not an emergency but an in-person thank you card.

AMBER REVELS-STOCKS: Vet, 90, gets surprise birthday parade (Wake Weekly reports) -- Dan Macon didn’t expect much for his 90th birthday. With COVID-19 causing restrictions on gatherings, Macon thought his family and friends would call him or maybe drop off a cake. Instead, more than 40 people spent their Sunday afternoon showing Macon how much he is loved with a car parade that lasted around 30 minutes.

NY based actor returns home to escape virus (The Dispatch reports) -- When former Lexington Youth Theatre star Gracie Phillips left her home in Brooklyn, she had no idea it would be more than two months before she could return. “I actually left the city in early March for a contract at N.C. Theatre in Raleigh,” Phillips said. “We rehearsed Memphis at NCT [N.C. Theatre] for one week, and were suddenly shut down due to the mass gathering laws that were quickly passed due to COVID. It was absolutely devastating for not only my cast, but for so many of my actor friends with exciting contracts that were suddenly canceled or postponed.” The homebound actor has been sheltering in place at the home of her parents Dr. Mike and Debbie Phillips. Like many displaced during what the Big Apple folks call “audition season,” she now auditions online. Phillips says she is lucky to have family support during these challenging economic times. “My life has mainly been impacted by an incredible loss of work — both with theater contracts and other jobs in the city,” Phillips explained. “I had two upcoming theater contracts canceled. This was pretty devastating because jobs in the theater world are very competitive and hard to come by.”

Will coronavirus create urgency to expand Medicaid? N.C. legislative debate has new life (NC McClatchy reports) -- As coronavirus adds another medical concern for many people with underlying health conditions — and as widespread job losses cause many to lose their health insurance — there’s a renewed debate in state government about expanding Medicaid. “We can no longer sit here and allow $4 billion of your tax dollars to sit in Washington,” said Rep. Sydney Batch, a Holly Springs Democrat, on Wednesday. “We need to bring that money back to our state.”

A key part of N.C.’s coronavirus testing and tracing plans might take longer than you think (NC McClatchy editorial) A key component of N.C.’s COVID-19 testing initiative may take months to begin providing meaningful coronavirus data to state officials. On a conference call last Friday with N.C. Republican leaders, at least one researcher revealed that testing conducted by three hospitals — UNC, Duke and ECU — could take three months before yielding meaningful results, the Editorial Board learned. That testing could help inform N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper and state health officials about COVID-19’s spread and prevalence in suburban and rural N.C. counties. Republican Senate leader Phil Berger was dismayed to learn about the timeframe, which he worries could slow decisions the governor might make to reopen N.C.’s economy. Testing has been a point of conflict between Cooper and Berger, who pushed early for widespread testing of asymptomatic populations. Cooper and Department of Health and Human Services didn’t fully embrace such testing at first — state epidemiologist Zack Moore expressed a preference last month for tracking COVID-19 by using a network of emergency department and hospital admissions data. Berger spokesperson Pat Ryan told the Editorial Board that initial public data from the Wake Forest testing could be available as early as next week. Why is the UNC/Duke/ECU testing apparently taking longer to provide information? How does the testing at UNC and Duke differ from the Wake Forest study? Those answers are surprisingly hard to come by. …Make no mistake, testing is fast becoming a political issue in N.C. Republicans believe widespread testing will help hasten the reopening of N.C.’s economy, but they also know it’s one of the few places where the governor has shown COVID-19 vulnerability. Neither Cooper nor anyone is helped by researchers being tight-lipped about their testing program.

N.C. Senate OKs $1.4B coronavirus relief package (WRAL-TV reports) -- The state Senate gave unanimous approval Wednesday night to a measure directing some $1.4 billion in federal aid to N.C. schools, businesses and others hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.

N.C. Senate OKs COVID-19 recovery bill to allocate federal funds (N.C. McClatchy reports) -- The N.C. Senate has passed its version of the COVID-19 Recovery Act, a package that will offer relief for various sectors of the state struggling during the coronavirus pandemic. The package includes funding for everything from medical supplies and Personal Protective Equipment to food banks, public schools and universities and small business loans. State lawmakers have been back in Raleigh to work on the coronavirus relief package, deciding how to spend the $3.5 billion the federal government sent to N.C. The work comes roughly a month after Congress passed its federal relief package.

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.

Moore: House, Senate virus relief packages more similar than different (WRAL-TV reports) -- House Speaker Tim Moore said the coronavirus relief packages proposed by the House and the Senate have some differences but are more aligned, and a compromise plan should come quickly. "We know where the needs are," he said.

Even with consensus talk, gap remains for N.C. virus aid bills (AP reports) -- Differences between House and Senate funding priorities became clearer and immediate election-related spending looked unlikely as N.C. legislators on Wednesday advanced competing COVID-19 emergency packages.

Pandemic relief legislation may take longer to pass than first thought (WRAL-TV reports) -- State House and Senate leaders are still far apart on how much federal relief money to spend in their first coronavirus response bills. But the differences in the measures go well beyond dollar figures.

Legislature advances education spending plans in House and Senate (EdNC reports) -- House and Senate committees took up COVID-19 spending bills today that include funds and provisions related to education.

Local Government Aid (The Insider reports) -- State government is looking to help county and municipal governments as they face major budget challenges related to coronavirus. An amendment to the Senate’s coronavirus bill added Wednesday would create a $150 million Local Coronavirus Relief Reserve.

Lawmakers consider take-out mixed drink sales during pandemic (WRAL-TV reports) --Signs of support for two-drink maximum with takeout, delivery meals.

N.C. lawmakers propose to delay DMV deadlines for licenses, registrations during pandemic (NC McClatchy reports) -- N.C. drivers and vehicle owners could get more time to renew their licenses and registrations under coronavirus relief bills filed in the House and Senate this week. The bills would allow the DMV to add six months to the expiration date of any license, permit, registration or other credential and would waive any fees, fines or penalties for not complying with the old date. Motor vehicle tax payments would also be delayed to match the new expiration dates. The bills differ in one key way: The House version, in House Bill 1043, would apply retroactively to licenses and registrations that expired March 10, while the Senate version, in Senate Bill 704, would go back to March 1. Both would apply to credentials set to expire before Aug. 1.

BRANDON DAVIS: Kinston’s license plate agency opens with new guidelines (Kinston Free Press reports) -- Kinston’s license plate agency opens its doors this morning with new guidelines during the coronavirus pandemic. The NCDMV License Plate Agency, located in the Kinston Plaza Shopping Center, closed temporarily on March 31 to protect employees and customers but opened today allowing one customer per desk inside the office at one time.

Returning N.C. Lawmakers Face ‘Overwhelming’ Coronavirus Challenge. Here’s What They’re Considering. (Cardinal & Pine reports) -- Billions of dollars at stake as lawmakers and Gov. Cooper consider education, healthcare, unemployment relief.

ELIZABETH HEATH: Why you might be dreading the end of lockdown (Washington Post column) -- “It’s not just the fear of breaking out of the cocoon and facing what’s out there,” says Barbara Fredrickson, director of the Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology Laboratory at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “The slowing down of being at home allows us to feel different kinds of positive emotions that we typically race past, like the coziness of connections, the deep-in-your-bones gratitude at being healthy, of being able to access decent food.” We may have been healthy, loved, and well fed before lockdown but man, do we appreciate it a lot more now.

WRAL poll: Despite pandemic's shutdowns and layoffs, majority in N.C. optimistic about economy, family finances (WRAL-TV reports) -- Even with thousands of businesses shuttered statewide and record numbers of workers applying for jobless benefits because of the coronavirus pandemic, the majority of North Carolinians remain optimistic about the future of the economy and their family finances, according to a WRAL News poll released Wednesday.

Gov. Cooper’s Support Is Surging During The Pandemic — Even With Trump Voters (Cardinal & Pine reports) -- New pandemic times poll shows 67% of North Carolinians, and even 46% of Trump voters, supporting the Democratic governor.

States Made It Harder to Get Jobless Benefits. Now That’s Hard to Undo. (New York Times reports) -- Systems that were devised to treat each case as potentially fraudulent are now rushing to deal with millions of newly unemployed people.

States Struggle With Surge in Coronavirus Jobless Claims (Wall Street Journal reports) -- The coronavirus pandemic has overwhelmed states whose systems for processing benefits are hamstrung by archaic technology. As a result, hundreds of thousands of Americans are still waiting to receive payments

As unemployment claims mount, so do frustrations with claims (WRAL-TV reports) -- Many who are unemployed say they're having trouble connecting with agents who could help provide financial assistance. People have expressed frustration on social media, and even reached out to media organizations like WRAL for help.

COVID-19 crisis spawns another dangerous epidemic in N.C.: A spike in domestic violence (N.C. Policy Watch reports) -- Over the last month, Policy Watch spoke to multiple women who have experienced domestic violence during the COVID-19 pandemic. They shared their stories of surviving a frightening phenomenon experts say has only gotten worse due to the isolation, anxiety and economic pressure brought on by the coronavirus. Policy Watch agreed to withhold their real names and certain details of their stories in order to protect them from reprisal from abusive partners.

N.C. appeals court online arguments is a first (WRAL-TV reports) -- The COVID-19 outbreak means N.C.'s intermediate-level appeals court will make history by hearing oral arguments in a case using online video.

Prayers at Wake Forest church at odds with county limit on public gatherings (WRAL-TV reports) -- One Catholic church in Wake Forest opened its doors briefly for parishioners to pray on Wednesday, a step Wake County leaders say is in violation of the Wake County stay-at-home order. Through today, Wake County limits gatherings only to immediate family, a stricter limit than the state order, which prohibits groups larger than 10.

Expert: Meat supply depends on shopping habits (WRAL-TV reports) -- President Trump has taken steps to prevent a nationwide shortage, as processing plants across the country and here in N.C., deal with coronavirus outbreaks. WRAL's Joe Fisher found out the meat supply all depends on our shopping habits in the coming days.

Stay-at-home rules ripping hole in Wake budget (WRAL-TV reports) -- Wake County has enacted a hiring freeze and is cutting its budget across the board to make up for lower tax revenue from stay-at-home orders during the coronavirus pandemic.

'Staying at home is not easy:' Downtown Fayetteville businesses look to the future with viral video (WRAL-TV reports) -- The Cool Spring Downtown District commissioned a short video to help residents stay strong throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, reminding them about the creativity and resilience of downtown Fayetteville.

Easy fix for stimulus check glitch (5OnYourSide/WRAL-TV reports) -- 5 On Your Side says the key to unlocking the answer could be using all CAPS.

Remembering Riley Howell: 'I Miss Him, I Love Him, I'm Proud Of What He Did' (WFAE-FM reports) -- Thursday marks one year since a gunman opened fire on a UNC Charlotte building during the last day of spring semester classes. Two students died that day — Riley Howell and Reed Parlier — and four others were injured. We heard from the Parlier family Wednesday. Now, we turn to the Howells as they continue to grieve 21-year-old Riley, who is credited with tackling the gunman a year ago.

UNC System doesn’t plan on raising tuition next year in light of coronavirus pandemic (NC McClatchy reports) -- College students and their parents likely won’t be paying more money to cover tuition and fees at UNC System universities next year in light of the coronavirus pandemic. The UNC System Board of Governors Committee on Budget and Finance voted Wednesday not to raise tuition and fees for the 2020-21 academic year. That proposal will be voted on by the full board at its May meeting. Tuition for undergraduates who live in N.C. has been frozen for the past two years.

UNCA student sues college to reimburse tuition (Asheville Citizen-Times reports) -- The lawsuit was filed on behalf of thousands of students across the UNC System who have had their semesters altered by the coronavirus.

Return-to-campus plans include option for some from Duke to start the school year in China (WRAL-TV reports) -- On Wednesday, Interim UNC System President Dr. Bill Roper said he expects all 17 UNC campuses will reopen this fall. Duke has yet to finalize a decision, but one option would give international students the chance to start their year in China.

N.C. public universities aim for fall 2020 restart (AP reports) -- The leader of N.C.'s public university system — a former top government health official — said Wednesday that he plans to reopen campuses in the fall with precautions against COVID-19.

How will schools keep students safe once they reopen? (WRAL-TV reports) -- School leaders are beginning to look at how to safely reopen schools in the fall, considering questions like: Will students wear masks? How will they maintain social distancing in classrooms and sports? Will taking temperatures be too invasive?

Was it a ‘bait and switch’? N.C. lawmaker speaks out on NCAA’s new athlete initiative (NC McClatchy reports) -- Rep. Mark Walker, who has pushed the NCAA harder than just about anyone in Congress to take the financial shackles off athletes, doesn’t want to downplay what the NCAA announced Wednesday morning. Philosophically, the NCAA’s willingness to potentially let athletes make a buck or two on endorsements or social-media marketing is the kind of huge rhetorical shift that even critics have to acknowledge. “I don’t want to beat them over the head too much, because this is monumental progress,” the N.C. Republican said.

NCAA Wants to Allow Athletes to Cash In...to a Point (Wall Street Journal reports) -- The NCAA on Wednesday rolled out its first concrete proposals on how it plans to allow college athletes to cash in on marketing opportunities generated by their collegiate sports prowess.

JUSTIN PARMENTER: I’m A Teacher. I Say Lawmakers Are ‘Out of Touch’ With Remote Education Plan, And I’m Not Alone (Cardinal & Pine column) -- A state Senate provision requiring school districts develop remote instruction plan by June 30 is going over like a lead balloon with educators.

N.C. Works to Improve How Teachers Assess Kids in Kindergarten (Public News Service reports) -- This fall, N.C. is expanding how teachers gauge children's development during their first few months of school.

Changes to dorms, classrooms, athletics to mark reopening of UNC campuses (WRAL-TV reports) -- Dr. Bill Roper, interim president of the UNC system, says the 17 campuses will reopen in the fall with an eye toward safety and protecting older faculty members and vulnerable students from the coronavirus.

Experimental drug that originated at UNC proves effective against coronavirus (WRAL-TV reports) -- An experimental drug has proved effective against the new coronavirus in a major study, shortening the time it takes for patients to recover by four days on average, U.S. government and company officials announced.

New weapon discovered at UNC in fight against coronavirus (WRAL-TV reports) -- WRAL's Kirsten Gutierrez has more on an experimental drug discovered at UNC that could aid dramatically in the fight against COVID-19.

Here are N.C. nursing homes and care centers with confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths (NC McClatchy reports) -- NCDHHS released data about confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths at congregate living facilities. This release of information was in response to pressure by advocacy groups and news organizations, including The Charlotte Observer, The News & Observer and others across N.C. seeking access to this public data.

CELESTE GRACIA: Rowan Nursing Home Sued After COVID-19 Outbreak (WUNC-FM reports) -- Lawyers representing residents of a nursing home in Rowan County have filed suit against the facility, which has the largest documented outbreak of COVID-19 of any nursing home in the state. The lawsuit accuses the Citadel Salisbury of severely mishandling the situation inside the facility. The complaint paints an alarming picture of neglect, with nurses not required to wear masks and failure to isolate isolating COVID-19 positive patients.

Groups Challenge Clean Water Act Revision (Coastal Review reports) -- More than a dozen environmental groups have filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s recent rewrite of the rule defining waters subject to protection under the federal Clean Water Act.

As economy sinks, McClatchy’s plan for quick sale hits roadblock in bankruptcy court (NC McClatchy reports) -- McClatchy Co.’s attempt to quickly exit bankruptcy by finding a buyer hit a snag Wednesday when a federal judge ordered all parties to reach an agreement on the sales process even as the nation’s economic uncertainty deepened. The local media company had asked bankruptcy Judge Michael E. Wiles to sign off on modifications to some terms of its bankruptcy financing. Also in the motion was the first official notice that the company has been speaking to potential buyers, prompting objections from a committee of less protected creditors as well as the trustee serving as an independent watchdog in the case. Wiles must approve the sale of the bankrupt company, so pursuing buyers before obtaining the court’s input on the process puts any potential deal at risk, the judge said.

Need a pick-me-up? Call the Raleigh Parks Laugh Line (WRAL-TV reports) -- It might be hard to find a reason to laugh these days what with a pandemic that's causing incredible sickness, unemployment and a myriad of other troubles.