Opinion Roundup: Virus testing for everyone; pandemic spotlights inequality issues; unemployed still waiting; there's a bear under there; empty school hall video makes connection; and more.

Monday, Apr. 27, 2020 -- A round up of opinion, commentary and analysis on: Even under stay-at-home orders, N.C. residents are getting out more; return to normal will be a new experience; rising support for mail-in ballots; no budget veto override in state Senate; no more school this year — so what about prom and graduation for 2020 graduates?; several state high school athletes picked in NFL draft; and more.

THOMAS GOLDSMITH: N.C. health officials want testing of all residents, staff of nursing homes with COVID-19 (N.C. Health News reports) -- If some nursing home residents or staff have COVID-19, but don’t show it, they can still transmit the virus to others in their facility. That’s one reason N.C. health officials are encouraging facilities to have all residents and staff tested when COVID-19 appears.

Stress of working on pandemic front line could haunt health care providers later (WRAL-TV reports) -- Doctors and nurses at WakeMed and other hospitals are used to providing care, but now is a time many of them need both mental and physical care.

LIORA ENGEL-SMITH: ‘‘Our lives on the line’: Service industry workers contend with coronavirus (N.C. Health News reports) -- From layoffs to working in jobs where they can’t self-isolate, the coronavirus pandemic poses unique challenges for many workers in the service industry.

How many COVID-19 cases are in your ZIP code? Durham County shares new information (N.C. McClatchy reports) -- New information released by Durham County show how many people in each ZIP code have tested positive for COVID-19. The information shows that the 27705 ZIP code, which is a western central section of Durham County and includes two of the county’s three nursing home outbreaks, had the most cases, followed by ZIP code 27704.

Older Americans not only ones vulnerable to COVID-19 (Fayetteville Observer) -- Millions of Americans have the kinds of chronic conditions that can make COVID-19 worse, another reason states need to be thoughtful and deliberate in resuming more-normal activity.

‘This is a very serious pandemic:' Families, neighbors grieve over those who died at nursing home (WRAL-TV reports) -- Three more residents of Louisburg Nursing Center have died of coronavirus-related complications, bringing the total at the facility to 14. Nine other residents remain hospitalized

111 COVID-19 cases at Durham nursing home (WRAL-TV reports) -- Kimberly Palmer's nephew is one of 111 residents or workers at the Durham Nursing and Rehabilitation center to have tested positive for COVID-19.

Reopening the economy won’t mean a return to normalcy for businesses in N.C. (N.C. McClatchy reports) -- From concert venues and gyms to architects and tech companies, businesses are facing existential questions about how they will continue to operate in a post-COVID-19 environment and what problems they will need to solve to make employees and customers feel safe. “We are not opening back up to the way things were before,” Dr. Mark McClellan, director of the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy, told reporters on Friday. Instead, the former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said, there will have to be an intense focus on ensuring distancing, additional cleaning and disinfection.

When N.C. businesses reopen, customers may be asked to sign waivers (WRAL-TV reports) - Many small businesses in the Triangle are hoping to reopen soon but, with a shortage of cleaning supplies, are worried they won't be ready to safely serve customers.

Tired of social distancing? N.C. residents are leaving home more, cellphone data shows (N.C. McClatchy reports) --There are signs that N.C. residents are growing weary of staying at home even as the state’s coronavirus cases and deaths continue to climb. Now there are numbers to back it up. People in N.C. left their homes more, left their counties more and traveled longer distances in recent days than in previous weeks, according to data compiled by the Univ. of Maryland. The numbers, however, are much different and indicate much more social distancing than pre-coronavirus data in February. The state registered a 45 on the study’s social distancing index from April 17 to April 23, its lowest score on the index in four weeks. A 0 means no social distancing is being observed, while a 100 indicates all residents are staying at home and no visitors are entering.

New Facebook group counters calls to quickly reopen N.C. during virus outbreak (WRAL-TV reports) -- While watching an April 14 protest in downtown Raleigh calling on state leaders ease restrictions on N.C. businesses during the coronavirus pandemic, Brian Mullins said he felt a call to action. Mullins decided there needed to be a counterpoint to ReOpenNC, which started as a Facebook group, with his own Facebook group: #KeepNCSafe.

TRAVIS FAIN: New coalition presses inequality issues during pandemic, beyond (WRAL-TV reports) -- A new coalition came together over the last month and a half, and it's pushing state leaders to address economic inequality as government responds to COVID-19 and longer term. The group, NC United for Survival & Beyond, lists some 200 organizations as members.

She tends to the needs of medically fragile children during a coronavirus pandemic (N.C. McClatchy reports) -- Many in the healthcare field are on the frontlines of treating coronavirus patients. Others are managing the equipment that allows those patients to be treated safely. These workers are putting their own health and the health of their families at risk every day so they can help others. Here are stories of these “Healthcare Heroes.” Lisa Ginger Vanderberry is like many healthcare professionals in the Triangle. Each day, even with all the unknowns of the coronavirus pandemic, she puts on her nursing scrubs and mask and cares for those with severe medical needs. She’s often emotionally torn, knowing many are not allowed to see their families.

Employee with Smithfield Foods still fighting coronavirus after outbreak at facility (WRAL-TV reports) -- An employee at the Smithfield Foods plant in Bladen County said he's still battling the COVID-19 virus after an outbreak at the massive plant.

Mount Airy armored vehicle firm unveils booth to protect COVID-19 test givers (WRAL-TV/TechWire reports) -- Granite Tactical Vehicles is moving beyond protecting personnel from hostile fire to also offering portable booths designed to protect people administering COVID-19 tests.

GREG BARNES: Poultry companies selling chicken cheap out of the back of trucks (N.C. Health News reports) -- Companies say the sales are a way to be good corporate citizens during the pandemic, but there are also other forces at play.

Food banks in the Triangle see record high numbers during COVID-19 pandemic (WRAL-TV reports) -- Food banks across the triangle remain open and are seeing unprecedented numbers of people during the pandemic.

Military chaplains pivot to serve soldiers in virus outbreak (AP reports) -- Maj. Brian Minietta's eyes are locked down the barrel of a camera lens. He sways gently back and forth in silence, then his gruff voice belts out, in singsong: "A little patience ... yeah, yeah!" A chaplain’s ministry — no matter the religion — has always been about in-person connections. How does that continue when the flock is forced apart? Minietta and others are figuring it out on the fly, with the help of technology, all while tensions are high for soldiers.

BRIE HANDGRAAF: Wilson tourism takes hard hit in COVID-19 pandemic (Wilson Times reports) -- The coronavirus has wreaked havoc on nearly every aspect of daily life, including local tourism, with widespread event cancellations and corporate travel bans. A study of the hotels near I-95 and U.S. 264A indicates a 57% decline in occupancy in the four-week period leading up to April 18 which equates to the loss of more than $650,000 in hotel revenues over a 60-day period. “The Whirligig Park has estimated losing approximately $17,000 in revenue for spring and summer seasons with their canceled events,” said Wilson Visitors Center Executive Director Sandra Homes.

CARL WILSON: Angel of Greensboro: Woman delivers kits of in-demand items (Greensboro News & Record/WRAL-TV reports) -- Could anyone have ever imagined a time when toilet paper would be so scarce that for someone to get their hands on a single roll would seem like divine intervention?

Durham APS: Walk for the Animals fundraiser is still on with social distancing in mind (WRAL-TV reports) -- APS od Durham asks participants to walk their animals in a safe location of their choice while maintaining social distancing.

Raleigh spa offers free service for social distancing pledge (WRAL-TV reports) -- Blue Water Spa is also offering people a chance to purchase a spa treatment for a healthcare worker.

Rival slams N.C. congressman for ‘reckless and dangerous’ behavior at reopen rally (N.C. McClatchy reports) -- Republican U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop’s Democratic opponent has blasted his participation in this week’s “Reopen NC” protest, the latest sign of how politics is coloring the COVID-19 response. Bishop joined an estimated 1,000 protesters in Raleigh on Tuesday urging Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper to lift the stay-at-home order that has closed many businesses. On Thursday, Cooper extended the order through May 8. And on Friday, Cooper announced public schools across N.C. will remain closed until at least August. “Congressman Bishop’s participation in the march is reckless and dangerous,” Democrat Cynthia Wallace said in a release. “He should know better and be doing everything in his power to keep the citizens in our district safe.”

AP-NORC Poll: Rising Support for Mail Voting Amid Pandemic (AP reports) -- Americans’ support for mail-in voting has jumped amid concerns about the safety of polling places, but a wide partisan divide suggests Pres. Donald Trump’s public campaign against vote by mail may be resonating with his Republican backers.

Nervous Republicans See Trump Sinking, and Taking Senate With Him (New York Times reports) -- The election is still six months away, but a rash of ominous new polls and the president’s erratic briefings have the G.O.P. worried about a Democratic takeover.

Right Court on stay-at-home (Greensboro News & Record/ Winston-Salem Journal) -- Many will be disappointed — especially Republican legislators — but Gov. Roy Cooper’s plan is in accordance with White House guidelines. If we reopen too soon, we risk a serious backlash that could be worse than the initial crisis. So the news won’t be pleasing to everyone. The review wasn’t glowing, but perhaps quietly encouraging. We’re handling this the right way. That should provide us with a sense of relief and hope.

The legislature needs think big on how to respond to COVID-19 (N.C. McClatchy) -- Republican state lawmakers have urged Democratic Gov. Cooper to be more transparent about data on COVID-19 cases and his plans to reopen the state’s economy. That’s fine. We all want to know more about those subjects. But what about transparency from those who are asking for it? Specifically, what does the Republican-led G.A. ultimately plan to do in response to a public health crisis and economic disaster that is profoundly affecting North Carolinians and clouding the state’s future? … The time when Republicans lawmakers could stick to their narrow script – cut taxes, hold down spending and stash billions into reserve funds – is over. Now is a time for legislative courage and imagination. We’ll see if the leadership can demonstrate those qualities. If they don’t, the state’s economic pain will grow deeper and wider.

CHARLES EVANS: Now is not the time end COVID-19 restrictions (Fayetteville Observer column) -- I believe it is important that, as elected officials, we all understand that the health and welfare of our citizens is a primary responsibility. I would like to unequivocally state that now is not the time to ease the Gov. Roy Cooper’s “stay-at-home” orders.

MICHELLE HUGHES & SUSAN SHUMAKER: N.C. needs courageous leadership from its legislators on COVID-19 (Greensboro News & Record column) -- COVID-19 is unlike any health crisis our state and country have experienced before. North Carolinians from all walks of life are demonstrating selfless courage and compassion to care for their community. Many are risking their own lives to provide child care for essential workers or to care for COVID-19 patients, despite shortages of protective equipment. In this time of unprecedented hardship and danger, we need our legislative leaders to bring the very same level of extraordinary compassion and courage to the decisions they must face in the weeks ahead. For N.C. to weather this storm, and build the foundation for recovery, nothing we do can be “business as usual.”

MICHELLE HUGHES: A call for bold, compassionate leadership (N.C. Child column) -- This unprecedented time of hardship in N.C. calls each of us to speak up for the children and families we serve. NC Child and 75 child advocacy partner organizations across N.C. submitted this letter to the N.C. House Select Committee on COVID-19. We are urging our state’s elected leaders to act swiftly to enact policies that will ensure the well-being of our state’s children and their families, and help us all to recover as quickly as possible once the crisis is over.

Healthcare advocates say more needs to be done to ramp up funding for hospitals (WRAL-TV reports) -- Advocates for healthcare in N.C. are asking Gov. Roy Cooper to ramp up funding for area hospitals. Currently, $75 million would go towards efforts like more testing, more research and more personal protective equipment. Advocates from the NC Healthcare Association claim the governor’s relief package doesn’t provide enough money to keep state hospitals functioning during a pandemic.

Berger, Cooper back differing approaches to random coronavirus tests (N.C. McClatchy reports) --Two branches of state government have embarked on separate studies to determine how common coronavirus is across the state’s population — each partnering with different universities. The existence of two initiatives stems in part from a disagreement between Gov. Roy Cooper and Senate leader Phil Berger, who’s been advocating for the “random sample testing” for a month.

N.C. House Speaker on economic recovery, more relief for businesses: 'You have to strike that balance' (Charlotte Business Journal) -- Charlotte Business Journal, recently spoke with House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland) about repairing the state’s economy, the plan to reopen the state introduced by Gov. Roy Cooper, and government responses to struggling small businesses and soaring unemployment. What are you thinking on how the upcoming session will look and be run? We are not going to require members to be on the floor for a lot of the business. Members are going to be able to vote by proxy, allowing the majority leader and the minority leader to cast their vote.

N.C. now has 7 coronavirus benchmarks for reopening the state. So how are we doing? (N.C. McClatchy reports) -- N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper and his administration say they are looking at seven pieces of data on a path toward re-opening the state’s economy during the coronavirus pandemic. Cooper and DHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen outlined the information on April 23. The data are divided into two categories: four trends and three capacity considerations.

Bill would give N.C hospitals, doctors, nursing homes legal immunity during pandemic (N.C. M.cClatchy reports) -- Should N.C. doctors, hospitals and nursing homes be shielded from criminal prosecution and lawsuits over treatment decisions they make concerning COVID-19? That’s a debate that could play out when the N.C. legislature gets back to work against the backdrop of a still unfolding pandemic. A working version of policy recommendations on how the state can best deal with the crisis would offer healthcare providers immunity from civil or criminal prosecution for actions “in response to or as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Lawmakers make big plans to get N.C. past coronavirus recession (Fayetteville Observer reports) -- Legislation includes research, relaxed school requirements, loans for small businesses, and government health care for low-income coronavirus patients.

NAACP calls for equity in state virus response (WRAL-TV reports) -- The state NAACP and other civil rights groups are calling on state lawmakers and Governor Roy Cooper to address health and economic disparities as they work on pandemic relief proposals.

Black Chamber Of Commerce Chair: Lack Of Safety Net Exposed By COVID-19 (WFAE-FM reports) -- Cooper's decision to extend his stay-at-home order is tough to accept for many small business owners, even if they understand the reasoning behind it. Shante Williams represents many small business owners as chair of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Black Chamber of Commerce.

Unemployment from the pandemic has more consequences for minorities, experts say (WRAL-TV reports) -- With millions of people out of work, countless businesses are experiencing financial uncertainty. Research is showing that this uncertainty is even more acute for minorities.

Senate Schedule (N.C. Insider reports) -- While the N.C. Senate is scheduled to return to session on Tuesday, floor votes aren’t expected until Wednesday at the earliest. According to Senate leader Phil Berger’s office, the plan is to hold the first round of virtual committee meetings on Wednesday morning, with the possibility of floor votes in the afternoon. Floor votes could also be held Thursday and Friday “if needed,” according to an email from Berger spokeswoman Lauren Horsch. “Because of the nature of the legislature, this is all subject to change,” Horsch said

Workers’ Compensation (The Insider reports) -- House Democratic Leader Darren Jackson says he’ll file a bill this week to ensure that “front line workers” — from firefighters to nurses to grocery store cashiers — will have access to workers’ compensation if they get coronavirus. Jackson’s proposal comes after a request from the Professional Fire Fighters and Paramedics Association of N.C., which said firefighters need to be guaranteed worker’s comp benefits if they get sick — regardless of whether the illness can easily be connected to their work. Since it’s difficult to determine with absolute certainty where one might have been exposed to coronavirus, the firefighters and others are worried that their claims might be denied.

Constitutional Amendment (The Insider reports) -- An N.C. House Republican has proposed a constitutional amendment that would require legislative approval for a long-term state of emergency declaration. Rep. Keith Kidwell, R-Beaufort, announced last week that he’ll file legislation for a November referendum on curbing the governor’s emergency powers. Kidwell said in a news release that he wants to “make sure that the Representatives of the people have a voice in when and how emergency powers are enacted.”

Hello, is anyone there? Unemployment phone lines overwhelmed, N.C. extends hours (N.C. McClatchy reports) -- As unemployment skyrocketed during the Great Recession, N.C. officials were fielding 100,000 phone calls a week from people seeking help with unemployment benefits. Now, nearly that many phone calls are coming in every single day. That’s an impossible number of calls for the current staff of the state unemployment office to deal with. And it has led to numerous complaints from frustrated North Carolinians who call and are put on hold for hours — or who are just automatically hung up on, without even getting a chance to wait on hold. The Division of Employment Security has responded by extending its phone hours — including new Saturday and Sunday availability starting this weekend — and more than tripling its staff. Its leader says it’s open to doing even more despite the added costs.

ALLEN JOHNSON: President Trump to the governors: Let his people go (Greensboro News & Record column) -- Fox News contributor Mike Huckabee, an ordained minister and former governor of Arkansas, last week was extolling the virtues of “Reopen America” protests across the nation — including N.C. — by repeating the myth that the protesters were following social-distancing rules so as not to spread or catch COVID-19. Could he get an “Amen”?

Should you take your mask off during a traffic stop? N.C. debates changing 1953 mask ban (N.C. McClatchy reports) -- State lawmakers are looking to update a 67-year-old state law that bans masks in public, but they could put some restrictions on when to take off the face mask. Face mask restrictions, unclaimed dead bodies and Department of Transportation cash reserve requirements were among the topics Thursday as a House committee approved a wide-ranging 37-page draft bill to help state government handle the coronavirus crisis.

Cooper: State parks to reopen in phase 1. Rangers: It’s ‘weird’ without people around. (N.C. McClatchy reports) -- Gov. Roy Cooper says if all goes well in the fight against coronavirus, N.C. state parks can reopen May 9, meaning people would be able once again to visit the stone tower atop Mount Mitchell or hike the Company Mill Trail in Umstead State Park. Until then, most state parks will remain off limits to the public. The superintendents at both Umstead and Mount Mitchell struggle to find the words to describe the atmosphere in their parks without people, before settling on the same single one: Weird.

Where We Live: Exploring The Housing Crisis in N.C. (WUNC-FM reports) -- As the longest economic expansion in modern history heads into a new decade, some North Carolinians have seen their fortunes grow while others have been left out.

WAYNE GOODWIN: Trump should reopen federal health insurance markets for those who have lost jobs (N.C. McClatchy column) -- In moments of crisis, we look to our leaders to put pettiness and politics aside; to step up and put the interests of the public above all else. The clock is ticking on whether the Trump administration will rise to the challenge.

N.C. Republican leader: We won't seek budget veto override (AP reports) -- N.C. Senate Republicans won't try any more to override Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper's budget veto from last summer, the chamber's leader said, citing state government's precarious fiscal situation due to COVID-19.

Pinehurst CC Facing ADA Complaint (Southern Pines Pilot reports) -- A group calling itself the Pinehurst No. 4 Action Committee has filed a formal complaint against Pinehurst Country Club alleging its cart policy at its No. 4 course violates the American with Disabilities Act.

NOT REAL NEWS: What didn't happen this week – Va. Governor wasn’t in N.C. (AP reports) -- CLAIM: Va. Gov. Ralph Northam violated his stay-at-home order to travel to his vacation home in N.C. THE FACTS: Social media users began sharing posts Tuesday night before Va.’s General Assembly reconvened on Wednesday, claiming the the governor had snuck off with his family to their N.C. vacation home. Northam’s office says he has not left the state since the order went into place in March.

260,000 Words, Full of Self-Praise, From Trump on the Virus (New York Times reports) -- The New York Times analyzed every word Mr. Trump spoke at his White House briefings and other presidential remarks on the virus — more than 260,000 words — from March 9, when the outbreak began leading to widespread disruptions in daily life, through mid-April. The transcripts show striking patterns and repetitions in the messages he has conveyed, revealing a display of presidential hubris and self-pity unlike anything historians say they have seen before.

13 hours of Trump: The president fills briefings with attacks and boasts, but little empathy (Washington Post reports) -- President Trump strode to the lectern in the White House briefing room Thursday and, for just over an hour, attacked his rivals, dismissing Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden as a “sleepy guy in a basement of a house” and lambasting the media as “fake news” and “lamestream.” He showered praise on himself and his team, repeatedly touting the “great job” they were doing as he spoke of the “tremendous progress” being made toward a vaccine and how “phenomenally” the nation was faring in terms of mortality. What he did not do was offer any sympathy for the 2,081 Americans who were reported dead from the coronavirus on that day alone — among the now more than 54,000 Americans who have perished since the pandemic began. Over the past three weeks, the tally comes to more than 13 hours of Trump — including two hours spent on attacks and 45 minutes praising himself and his administration, but just 4½ minutes expressing condolences for coronavirus victims.

Loving and adapting amid coronavirus, N.C. LGBTQ church gives back to community (UNC MEDIA HUB- N.C. McClatchy reports) --St. John’s Metropolitan Community Church in Raleigh is like many other Christian churches in the country. There are services on Sunday, choir robes and communion. There is community and the sense of family among church attendees and a desire to put others first. There is a commitment to the teachings of Jesus Christ. One thing sets St. John’s apart from many other churches, though: they are openly affirming of LGBTQ people. Five days a week, St. John’s serves hot meals to people experiencing homelessness and keeps its building open as a day shelter, in partnership with Love Wins Community Engagement Center. Like many other churches in the country, St. John’s has moved to virtual services and gatherings as people stay at home to combat the spread of the coronavirus.

DAVID BENHAM: Arrests at Charlotte abortion clinic violated our rights (N.C. McClatchy column) -- Under the current shutdown rules in Charlotte, you can—with virtually no restrictions on crowd size—enjoy a family picnic in the park…swing by the liquor store…play golf or go jogging…join the weekend shoppers at Home Depot…or kill the baby in a woman’s womb. But you can’t pray outdoors, in public, if you’re praying with more than nine others—or if local officials choose to pretend you are. That’s an exceedingly selective application of government power and an extraordinarily brazen violation of our First Amendment rights.

Burn it ‘to the ground.’ Rumors over COVID-19 spur threats against church in rural N.C. (N.C. McClatchy reports) -- Rumors that a secretive and highly controversial Foothills church is harboring an outbreak of COVID-19 has unleashed a series of violent social media threats against the congregation. One person on Facebook called for an “old timey lynching” if it can be proven that Word of Faith Fellowship in Spindale is fueling Rutherford County’s high rate of confirmed cases. The county, about 70 miles west of Charlotte, has a population of less than 70,000 but more than 100 cases as of Sunday. That gives it N.C.’s ninth highest COVID-19 rate.

As Number of Missing Native Women Grows, Who is Keeping Track? (Public News Service reports) -- Research indicates native women are more than three times more likely to be a victim of violent crimes, and in N.C., roughly 90 cases of missing or murdered indigenous women and children -- some cases dating back to the early 1990s -- remain unsolved.

MARK DARROUGH: Pender slow to announce Covid-19 outbreak in prison near downtown Burgaw (Port City Daily reports) -- Pender County waited to announce a small Covid-19 outbreak at the Pender Correctional Institution (PCI), located about a half-mile from Burgaw’s downtown courthouse, 11 days after identifying its first positive test and four days after identifying a second — which, according to the state’s top health official, constitutes an outbreak at that point in a congregate setting.

MATT HINSON: Area leaders respond to Cooper’s extension of stay-at-home order (Kinston Free Press reports) -- N.C. Governor Roy Cooper announced the extension of the stay-at-home order until May 8th. “After a thorough analysis ... it’s clear that we are flattening the curve, but our state is not ready to life restrictions yet,” Cooper said. “We need more time to slow the spread of the virus before we can begin easing those restrictions.” Area leaders Kinston Mayor Donatrio Hardy, State Senator Jim Perry and State House Representative Chris Humphrey responded to Cooper’s decision.

'One is the loneliest number:' N.C. principal walks empty school halls in viral video (WRAL-TV reports) -- Terry Sanford High School's principal Tom Hatch has found a creative way of connecting with his students while they learn from home: Recording a funny YouTube video about how lonely the school is without them.

So N.C. Schools Are Closed For The Year. What About Graduation? (WFAE-FM reports) -- Cooper's announcement that N.C.'s public schools will remain closed this school year because of the coronavirus leaves 101,000 seniors and their families with a painful question: Does this mean no in-person graduation?

Nash-Rocky Mount school board member dies (Rocky Mount Telegram reports) -- Nash-Rocky Mount Board of Education member Ann Edge died late Saturday night.

N.C. public schools closed for rest of school year (AP reports) -- N.C.’s public school buildings, already shuttered for the past month due to COVID-19, won’t reopen this school year, Gov. Roy Cooper announced.

N.C. State graduates design website for people to pledge stimulus checks (WRAL-TV reports) -- Craig Prince, Kevin Miller and friends designed the website PledgeMyCheck.org where people can pledge part of or all of their check to families or organizations helping people in need.

Make this appointment: Keep up on childhood immunizations even as pandemic plays out (WRAL-TV reports) -- While routine medical visits can be put on hold or held virtually, pediatricians say there is one appointment parents must keep. Childhood vaccinations, especially for babies, are important even during the coronavirus pandemic.

New Hanover County to begin expanded Covid-19 testing (Port City Daily reports) -- Officials announced a plan on Sunday to ramp up county testing for Covid-19 with a goal of screening over 2,000 people over the next four weeks. Starting today and running through mid-May, the county aims to test 2,400 people. The county’s goal is to ensure that at lest 1% of county residents are tested.

Poe Center takes its parent-child puberty education programs virtual (WRAL-TV reports) -- Poe Center for Health Education's Girl Talk and Guy Talk workshops are popular sessions for families in the region. The in-person workshops open up those sometimes tough conversations about puberty and provide some education and opportunities to have some meaningful discussions.

Battered By Matthew And Florence, N.C. Must Brace For More Intense Storms (WFAE-FM reports) -- Across the low-lying coastal plains of N.C., it's not uncommon to see abandoned homes ruined by the floodwaters of Hurricane Florence two years ago in September.

As extreme weather spurs billions in utility resilience spending, regulators struggle to value investments (Utility Dive reports) -- Hurricane flooding in the East and South and wildfires in the West have taught electric utilities they must invest billions in resilience, but it is still not clear which investments are the best use of ratepayers' money. Utility proposals to regulators for resilience spending are growing, though their precise value and how they differ from traditional reliability investments is unclear. To settle the debates, national lab researchers are working on a "value of resilience" metric some say is urgently needed and others say is premature. "Resilience is mentioned more and more in utilities' grid modernization proposals, but it often gets conflated with reliability," Autumn Proudlove, senior manager of policy research for the N.C. Clean Energy Technology Center (NCCETC), told Utility Dive.

Large, rusting fishing boat remains grounded on Outer Banks beach as stay-at-home orders delay salvage (Norfolk Virginian-Pilot reports) -- The Ocean Pursuit is a 72-foot long vessel. It ran aground during a March 1 storm.

ELIZABETH ANNE BROWN: Bear hibernates under Asheville house, charms neighbors (Asheville Citizen-Times/WRAL-TV reports) -- At first, Haw Creek resident Ann McNamara thought she had a raccoon in her crawl space. There was a persistent scratching sound from beneath the floorboards, and every once in a while her dog would stand stock-still and then tremble.

LISA SORG: Waiting to exhale: Controversial wood pellet plant would burden Lumberton with more pollution (N.C. Policy Watch reports) -- The 150-acre site is the home of Active Energy Renewable Power. A subsidiary of Active Energy Group, it is a publicly traded British company with a spotty project history. Aided by a half-million dollars in state taxpayer money, it is the latest entrant into the state’s wood pellet business. To make its pellets, Active Energy would use a commercially untested technology called CoalSwitch. While these pellets burn cleaner than coal in power plants, air emissions from their manufacturing process are only estimates, their true amounts yet unknown.

SAMI YASSA: Virginia and N.C. Show Biomass The Exits (NRDC Expert Blog) -- Over the past 6 months, two southeastern states, Va and N.C., have taken landmark actions to ensure that dirty, destructive forest biomass for electricity has no place in the clean energy future of the region.  In March, the Va. legislature passed its landmark Clean Economy Act, which was signed into law by Gov. Northam. Prior to that, N.C. issued its final Clean Energy Plan under Gov. Cooper’s Executive Order 80.  In both cases, bold state action rejected biomass for electricity as a clean energy source and articulated compelling rationales to limit and restrict any future growth of the industry.

Famed Chincoteague ponies have died because of swamp cancer outbreak. A new vaccine may be helping. (Washington Post reports) -- Facing a threat to the herd of about 160 ponies and foals, the fire department, which owns the animals, last year turned to an experimental three-phase vaccine to inoculate the animals. And while it is too early to declare victory, officials say the treatment may have paid off. During the recent annual spring pony roundup for health checks on April 18, all 148 ponies and 12 foals showed no sign of the disease, said Charles Cameron, the veterinarian who treated the ponies for 30 years and still helps during the checkups.

ROBERT MICHELSON: Striped Bass Complex, Misunderstood Fish (Coastal Review column) - NC’s large population of striped bass are anadromous fish, but the behavior of their cousins in other waters varies in numerous ways.

Michigan lawmaker apologizes for wearing face mask that looks like Confederate flag (NBC News reports) -- A Michigan state senator has apologized for showing up to the state Capitol wearing a face mask that appeared to depict the Confederate flag. "I’m sorry for my choice of pattern on the face mask I wore yesterday on the Senate floor. I did not intend to offend anyone; however, I realize that I did, and for that I am sorry," Republican Sen. Dale Zorn tweeted Saturday morning, adding that he doesn't support "the things this pattern represents."

This couple died days apart of COVID-19. But the ending was happier than expected (N.C. McClatchy reports) -- Margaret Powe lay in a bed in a negative-pressure room at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., on April 12, two days away from having her life snuffed out by COVID-19. Meanwhile, in a room right next door, her husband of 58 years — Charles “Ed” Powe Jr., who had spent decades practicing medicine in Charlotte — was being ravaged by the same virus, and would himself be gone just four days later. It was, to the casual observer, perhaps one of the most painfully tragic scenes imaginable.

Durham high school senior's art symbolizes loss for the Class of 2020 (WRAL-TV reports) -- A student from Jordan High School created a pencil drawing to symbolize the sadness high school seniors feel losing their graduation experience to COVID-19.

These N.C. high school players were drafted or picked up as free agents by NFL teams this year (HighSchoolOT/WRAL-TV reports) -- The NFL Draft, held virtual Thursday through Saturday due to the coronavirus pandemic, featured several former N.C. high school football players as prospects. In all, seven former N.C. high school football players were drafted, but others continue to be picked up as undrafted free agents or priority free agents now that the draft has concluded.