Opinion Roundup: Worker worries; guns in pews; Cooper's slew of vetoes; protests; and more

Friday, July 3, 2020 -- A round up of opinion, commentary and analysis on: workers facing COVID-19 threat; Cooper's latest vetoes; guns in pews; protests continue; Adams gets $500,000 to retire; and more.

‘Is this the day I’m going to get COVID?’ As NC workers return, who keeps them safe? (Charlotte Observer reports) -- Labor groups are pushing OSHA officials to adopt workplace safety standards that can be enforced, as hundreds of complaints have been filed against NC companies.

Butner inmates withdraw lawsuit that asked for release as pandemic spread (WRAL-TV reports) -- Eleven inmates at the Federal Correctional Complex in Butner who filed a class-action lawsuit against the Federal Bureau of prisons voluntarily withdrew their lawsuit Thursday after failing to prove that the prison violated their rights, according to a press release from the FBI. The inmates accused Butner of failing to control the spread of the coronavirus, and exposing them to a place where they could contract the disease.

NC not doing enough to protect immigrant farmworkers from coronavirus, advocates say (Charlotte Observer reports) -- The number of reported cases among farmworkers in migrant housing camps more than doubled in June.

No juveniles test positive for coronavirus at state operated facilities, NCDPS says (N.C. McClatchy reports) -- The state Department of Public Safety reported Thursday that no juveniles at its detention centers have tested positive for COVID-19, according to a press release. The state operates four youth development centers and seven juvenile detention centers. Only those who agreed to undergo testing were tested. Diana Kees, a spokesperson for NCDPS, said roughly 96 youths were tested in state-operated juvenile detention centers, and about 152 juveniles were tested in the state’s youth development centers. Four staff members at different facilities in North Carolina tested positive in May.

ALEXANDRA SIROTA: Unemployment insurance needs further backing (Triangle Business Journal column) -- It won’t be enough to change the core elements of the existing Unemployment Insurance system; it is time to respond to job loss with a short-time compensation program. This would provide workers who have their hours cut with the wage replacement that keeps their household budgets stable while not losing their jobs and provide employers with the continued connection to their workforce.  Making sure Unemployment Insurance provides wage replacement to jobless workers is a first step to ensuring an inclusive recovery and minimizing the harm of this recession. It is critical that the federal UI program is extended before it begins to expire at the end of July and that lawmakers fix the state UI program to ensure our communities can truly thrive.

Cooper vetoes slew of reopening bills (WRAL-TV reports) -- Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed eight bills that lawmakers passed last week, including four that would have overridden his orders closing various businesses and limiting mass gatherings during the coronavirus pandemic and one that would have undercut his ability to issue such orders.

Cooper vetoes string of North Carolina reopening bills (AP reports) -- Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed a string of bills on Thursday passed in the Republican-controlled legislature to reopen businesses and help reignite parts of the economy most hurt by the coronavirus.

Churches with schools can't OK concealed carry, Cooper says (AP reports) -- Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed a bill on Thursday that would have allowed churchgoers in places with schools on the property to carry their concealed weapons.

Protesters gather for 5th day outside governor's mansion; 20 arrested Thursday during demonstration (WRAL-TV reports) -- Protesters are gathering for a fifth day downtown Raleigh outside the governor's mansion in an effort to put pressure on the governor to veto a bill that would make death investigation records private. The scene is calm downtown Friday morning. People were lying on the ground and playing music in protest, while police blocked the road outside the governor's mansion. But as the morning got busier, the protesters moved to the sidewalk. Raleigh police have arrested at least 20 protesters who were blocking traffic on inbound Capital Boulevard in downtown Raleigh on Thursday.

Trump tweets wrong link for Forest, blasts Cooper (N.C. McClatchy reports) -- President Donald Trump took aim at North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper on Thursday, blaming him for the Republican National Convention being moved to Florida. In the tweet, Trump writes Cooper, a Democrat, “made it absolutely IMPOSSIBLE for the Republican Party to have its Convention” in Charlotte, forcing it to be moved to Jacksonville. As a result, North Carolina will lose out on millions of dollars and jobs, Trump said. The president also took the opportunity to endorse Lt. Gov. Dan Forest for governor, but not before he first tagged the Twitter account of Dan Forrest, an apparent random guy who hasn’t tweeted since 2012. The tweet was later corrected and Lt. Gov. Forest expressed his thanks to Trump for the endorsement, tweeting “looking forward to WINNING together in November.”

Wilmington DA will not charge officers caught on tape making violent, racist remarks (WECT-TV reports) -- In a letter to Wilmington Police Chief Donny Williams on Thursday, New Hanover County District Attorney Ben David said his office would not be filing criminal charges against three former officers who were fired after they were recorded making racist and violent remarks about black people. David has, however, called for a federal investigation into the officers hate-filled speech.

Wilson Hampton Inn faces discrimination lawsuit over family's removal (Wilson Times reports) -- Descendants of a prominent Wilson civil rights pioneer filed a federal lawsuit Thursday accusing the Hampton Inn and Suites I-95 of discrimination after a clerk allegedly called police on the African-American family. 

Protesters gather for 5th day outside governor's mansion; 20 arrested Thursday during demonstration (WRAL-TV reports) -- Protesters are gathering for a fifth day downtown Raleigh outside the governor's mansion in an effort to put pressure on the governor to veto a bill that would make death investigation records private. The scene is calm downtown Friday morning. People were lying on the ground and playing music in protest, while police blocked the road outside the governor's mansion. But as the morning got busier, the protesters moved to the sidewalk. Raleigh police have arrested at least 20 protesters who were blocking traffic on inbound Capital Boulevard in downtown Raleigh on Thursday.

Buttons, horse hair among items found in time capsule of Confederate monument (WRAL-TV reports) -- Archaeologists and conservators from the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources are carefully removing and cataloging items found inside a time capsule that was buried in 1894 beneath the cornerstone of the Confederate Soldiers Monument on Union Square in Raleigh

Activists In Alamance County And Graham Demand Police Reform, Removal Of Confederate Monument (WUNC-FM reports) -- Activists in Alamance County are calling for policy overhauls to prevent police brutality, especially against Black people. And another group of protesters want a Confederate monument removed from downtown Graham, the county seat.

Fewer people in NC are waiting on unemployment benefits, but the relief is temporary (N.C. McClatchy reports) -- For many North Carolinians applying for unemployment benefits during the pandemic, the process has been characterized by painstaking delays, computer glitches and unreturned phone calls. The Division of Employment Security is still struggling to make it through the backlog, with nearly 45,000 claims pending. The recent numbers, though, suggest the backlog of unmet claims for unemployment benefits is shrinking.

Data show racial disparity in NC justice system in black and white (WRAL-TV reports) -- From police brutality and racial profiling to selective prosecution and unfair jury selection, people have complained about racial bias in the justice system for years. Now, the call for racial equality at every level of the justice system is becoming louder and more persistent. "The biggest difference right now is we have a much stronger commitment," said North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Anita Earls, who is co-chairing a racial equity task force Gov. Roy Cooper put together last month.

Hertford police captain investigated after arrest of councilor (Elizabeth City Daily Advance reports) -- Hertford Town Council has launched an investigation into a captain in the town’s police department who recently arrested a member of the council, a source close to Hertford’s town government says.

Pandemic leaving potholes in city budgets (WRAL-TV reports) -- Local governments are in a budget bind because of the coronavirus pandemic.

UNC-W Prof. Mike Adams’ wild ride finally comes to a $500,000 end (N.C. Policy Watch reports) -- The firebrand conservative academic opts for early retirement in light of latest controversies and provocations. Combative, confrontational and litigious, UNC-Wilmington professor Mike Adams has long aggressively courted controversy, seeming to revel in contradictions.

UNCW to pay Mike Adams $504,000 in retirement package (Wilmington Star-News reports) -- Chancellor Jose Sartarelli says university will be able to move past professor’s divisive remarks, even with half-million-dollar agreement

N.C. A&T administrator chosen as first female president of West Virginia State University  (Greensboro News & Record reports) -- A senior administrator at N.C. A&T has been named the first female president of West Virginia State University. Nicole Pride will be the 12th president of the university.