AMERICA PROTESTS-NORTH CAROLINA

North Carolina cities impose curfews in protests’ aftermath

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina’s capital city is enacting an 8 p.m. curfew starting Monday night. The move comes after two nights of protests over the death of George Floyd that led to street fires, store break-ins, and fireworks being thrown at police officers. Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin said in a news release Monday that she hopes the curfew will allow the city to recover. The curfew will last each day until 5 a.m. and will remain in place until Baldwin declares it’s over. Baldwin said those caught violating the curfew will face a misdemeanor charge and fine. Certain key professions are exempt.

AP-NC-POLICE TAKE KNEE-FAYETTEVILLE

Police take knee with protesters in North Carolina city

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Police officers in the North Carolina city of Fayetteville took a knee in solidarity with protesters two days after the area had experienced violence and looting. The Fayetteville Observer reports that the incident occurred Monday night following protests against police brutality. Nearly 300 protesters were facing a line of police officers in riot gear when the activists lowered down and chanted, “I can’t breathe.” Police officers followed suit, prompting cheers and applause from the activists. Some shook hands and fist-bumped with law enforcement. One woman approached several officers and hugged them. Protests have sprung up across the country following the death of an unarmed black man in Minneapolis.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-ELECTIONS

N.C. absentee ballot access measure getting Senate debate

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A second North Carolina General Assembly chamber is pushing ahead with legislation designed to help voters access absentee balloting should COVID-19 make in-person voting risky for them. The Senate elections committee scheduled debate on Tuesday for legislation prompted by the expectation of increased demand for mail-in ballots this fall due to the new coronavirus. The House version of the measure approved last week expands options for registered voters to receive absentee ballot request forms. There’s also money for security upgrades, as well as personal protective equipment and pay for poll workers at in-person voting sites that will still be open.

AMERICA PROTESTS-STUDENTS DISCIPLINED

School: Students, staff made racist remarks on protests

CARY, N.C. (AP) — A public school system in North Carolina has suspended a school bus driver for comments about the national protests over the death of George Floyd. A statement by Wake County Public School officials says they also plan to take disciplinary actions against students who made racist statements on social media about the protests over the weekend and on Monday. A school spokeswoman did not provide details about the alleged statements to the The News & Observer citing student confidentiality policies. The bus driver did not respond to a request for comment by the newspaper.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-GREENSBORO COLLEGE

Greensboro College to end fall semester early amid virus

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — The president of Greensboro College in North Carolina said the school will end its fall semester before Thanksgiving in order to reduce the number of trips students make during the coronavirus outbreak. A news release says the school’s fall semester will now end on Nov. 24. Final exams will be held online during the first week of December. Students will have class on Labor Day and fall break will be canceled to make up for the early fall dismissal. The spring schedule will remain as before. The college also announced it has resumed “limited” in-person campus tours for prospective students and families.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-NORTH CAROLINA

Mass testing at N.C. prison reveals 30 more COVID-19 cases

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Mass COVID-19 testing at a second North Carolina state prison has turned up more than 30 additional positive cases. The Department of Public Safety said on Monday the prisoners were among more than 400 offenders at Caswell Correctional Center who were tested last Friday. The Caswell prisoners testing positive are all asymptomatic. The rest tested negative. Mass testing within Neuse Correctional Institution in Goldsboro in April uncovered well over 400 cases. North Carolina health officials reported on Monday more than 29,200 positive cases statewide since the pandemic began, with almost 900 deaths. More than 420,000 tests have been completed.

FIRE-STAGVILLE HISTORIC SITE

Fire damages building at historic N.C. plantation site

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — An early morning fire damaged a building at Stagville, a state historic site that includes remnants of one of the largest plantations in North Carolina. The Durham County Sheriff’s Office said fire rescue personnel were called to the site just before 6:45 a.m. Monday. WRAL-TV reported that the cause of the fire was not immediately clear. The site is part of the former Bennehan-Cameron family plantation. It offers educational programs about the lives and work of the approximately 900 enslaved people who worked the land there.

MEDICAID SYSTEM-FRAUD CHARGES

2 indicted for bilking $13M from North Carolina Medicaid

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Federal authorities in North Carolina say a man and woman from Las Vegas have been arrested and accused of using obituary postings siphon $13 million in fraudulent charges from the North Carolina Medicaid Program. The U.S. Attorney’s Office says in a news release that 44-year-old Latisha Harron and 50-year-old Timothy Harron are accused of stealing identities, billing the government for phony home health services and laundering the proceeds by buying luxury items. Those items include a private jet, jewelry, clothing and properties in Ahoskie and Rich Square. U.S. Attorney Robert Higdon Jr. calls it one of the most brazen and egregious cases of home health Medicaid fraud ever in the area.

Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.