GEORGE FLOYD-MEMORIALS

Floyd memorials will retrace life, push for justice in death

HOUSTON (AP) — Memorial services to honor George Floyd are taking place in three cities over six days. Mourners in the communities where he was born, grew up, and died will each have a chance to pay their respects. The organizers want to acknowledge the meaning Floyd had in life to his large family and the broader meaning he has assumed in death, after a Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee onto his neck for several minutes even after he stopped moving and pleading for air. The first service is Thursday afternoon in Minneapolis. Other services will be held in Raeford, North Carolina, and Houston.

AMERICA PROTESTS-MEDICAL STATION-POLICE

Police officers destroy medical station near protest

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Police officers in North Carolina stomped on water bottles and destroyed medical supplies at a station set up to aid demonstrators protesting the death of George Floyd. The Asheville Citizen Times reports video shows Asheville police officers in riot gear and holding shields forming a protective circle around other officers who are stomping on water bottles and stabbing bottles with a knife. Other officers destroyed medical supplies such as bandages and saline solution. Mayor Esther Manheimer acknowledged the incident and said the City Council was seeking an explanation. She called the incident “a disappointing moment.”

AMERICA PROTESTS-POLICE TACTICS

Police chief requests video release of alleged chemical use

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The police chief in North Carolina’s largest city says he’ll ask the state’s courts to release video of an encounter in which police officers appeared to use chemical agents on demonstrators who were boxed in while protesting the death of George Floyd. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said Wednesday that Chief Kerr Putney was set to immediately petition the courts for the videos’ release. The clash was recorded Tuesday by a witness who said officers fired tear gas and flash-bangs from in front of and behind the trapped protesters. Officials said the State Bureau of Investigation was reviewing the situation.

ELECTION 2020-HOUSE-PRIMARY RUNOFF

In-person voting begins for N.C. Congress nomination runoff

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Western North Carolina voters casting ballots in person for a congressional primary runoff during the COVID-19 pandemic will be met by poll workers wearing face masks and be offered plenty of hand sanitizer. Early in-person voting for the June 23 runoff starts on Thursday within the 11th Congressional District. Voters are choosing between Lynda Bennett and Madison Cawthorn for the Republican nomination. Workers at early-voting sites and election day precincts are being told to wear personal protective equipment, but voters without masks won’t be turned away. Election officials began four weeks ago mailing traditional absentee ballots to voters requesting them.

HOUSE-GALLERY

Public can watch N.C. House floor debate again in person

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The seats above the floor in the North Carolina House chamber are reopen to the public again. The House voted this week to amend its operating rules, which keeps in place most of the adjustments it approved in April to protect the health of members and the public during the COVID-19 pandemic. The seats in the House gallery had been limited to members, reporters and sergeants-at-arms, but now the public can sit there again to watch daily floor debate. The Senate already had reopened its seating gallery when it returned to normal operations in mid-May.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-REPUBLICAN CONVENTION

Trump won’t be in Charlotte, but RNC may still hold events

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — President Donald Trump is no longer planning to speak at the Republican convention in Charlotte, but the Republican National Committee says it plans to hold some business activities in North Carolina if Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper and other officials “allow more than 10 people in a room.” Trump and the RNC had demanded that the convention be allowed to move forward with a full crowd and without participants having to wear face coverings. Trump vowed Tuesday night on Twitter to deliver his speech outside North Carolina.

AMERICA PROTESTS-TROOPS DEPART

Army: Esper reverses plan to send active-duty troops home

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Army says Defense Secretary Mark Esper has overturned an earlier decision to send a couple hundred active-duty soldiers home from the Washington, D.C., region. The decision Wednesday comes amid growing tensions between the White House and the Pentagon over the military response to the protests. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy tells The Associated Press that he heard of the decision after Esper attended a meeting at the White House, and after other internal Pentagon discussions. He says he believes the change was based on ensuring there is enough military support in the region to respond to any protest problems if needed.

GEORGE FLOYD-FUNERALS

Floyd memorial will retrace life, push for justice in death

HOUSTON (AP) — The memorial services to honor George Floyd are extraordinary, but so are the circumstances. The services will take place in three cities over six days. Mourners in the communities where he was born, grew up, and died will each have a chance to pay their respects. The organizers want to acknowledge the meaning Floyd had in life to his large family and the broader meaning he has assumed in death, after a Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee onto his neck for several minutes even after he stopped moving and pleading for air. The first service is Thursday afternoon in Minneapolis, followed by services in Raeford, North Carolina, and Houston.

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