VIRUS OUTBREAK-MILITARY DEPLOYMENT

As soldiers deploy amid pandemic, they fight 2 battles

FORT BRAGG, N.C. (AP) — For Fort Bragg soldiers deploying to the Middle East, the usual predeparture fanfare has been replaced with a mandatory two-week quarantine amid the coronavirus pandemic. Married paratroopers assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team are hunkering down at home before boarding a military transport to fly across the globe. Single soldiers, meanwhile, are quarantined in a secluded compound on base. The Department of Defense has been forced to adapt quickly to comply with guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, while still maintaining a constant state of readiness.

BC-NC-CONFEDERATE MONUMENTS-NORTH CAROLINA

Officials vote to remove Confederate monuments in Asheville

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Government officials in North Carolina have voted for a measure that calls for the removal of two Confederate monuments in the city of Asheville. The Citizen Times reports that the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners voted Tuesday to remove a monument to Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee as well as another Confederate monument in front of the county courthouse. The vote follows a separate vote by Asheville city officials to approve a joint resolution calling for the removal of the memorials. The United Daughters of the Confederacy owns the monuments. The resolution gives the private organization 90 days after the resolution’s passage to remove the monuments. If not, the city and county will.

BC-NC-JOSEPHUS DANIELS-SCHOOL RENAMED

Officials rename middle school named after white supremacist

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — School leaders in North Carolina have voted to change of the name of a school that was named after a lifelong white supremacist and newspaper publisher. The Raleigh News & Observer reports that Wake County school leaders voted to remove the name of Josephus Daniels from a Raleigh middle school. The county school board took the vote on the same day that a statue of Daniels was removed from the city. The school will be renamed Oberlin Middle School. The school is on Oberlin Road. The name also honors a community that former slaves founded.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-NORTH CAROLINA

N.C. lawmakers push reopen bills, virus liability protection

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Republican legislators have advanced bills to allow more types of businesses shuttered under Gov. Roy Cooper’s COVID-19 executive order to reopen and to limit lawsuits by some who’ve contracted the virus. The full House voted Tuesday to overturn Cooper’s orders that have kept bowling alleys and skating rinks closed. The Democratic governor already has vetoed a bill allowing bars to reopen, saying such legislation is not the way to address COVID-19 business activity. Another measure clearing the Senate Judiciary Committee would provide limited immunity to any business, government agency or nonprofit that takes reasonable steps to reduce transmission risks.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE

Bill helping more clear crime records heads to N.C. governor

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The North Carolina General Assembly has finalized bipartisan legislation that will allow more people to get their criminal records cleared of lower-level criminal convictions and dismissed charges. The Senate gave unanimous approval  Tuesday to the “Second Chance Act,” which had the backing of groups across the political spectrum. The measure cleared the House last week and now goes to Gov. Roy Cooper. It builds upon recent laws that allow people who committed crimes due to youthful indiscretions to remove obstacles in background checks for employment, housing and other needs. Another drug sentencing reform measure could soon be heading to the governor.

MEDICAID-OVERHAUL

N. Carolina Medicaid bill delays managed care until mid-2021

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina’s Medicaid program wouldn’t shift most of its patients to managed care for another year under a funding measure given tentative approval by the state Senate. The July 2021 start date is contained in a bill that also locates additional expenses during the next fiscal year for Medicaid. The shift from a traditional fee-for-service program to managed care was supposed to begin late last year and early this year, but it got derailed during a legislative showdown between Republican legislators and Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper. The measure given tentative Senate approval on Tuesday also provides a financial disincentive for further managed-care delays.

BC-NC-VIRUS OUTBREAK-HOTEL JOBS CUT

700-plus hotel jobs in Charlotte impacted by virus pandemic

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The jobs of more than 700 people who work at hotels in Charlotte, North Carolina, have been impacted because of the economic devastation wrought by the coronavirus. The Charlotte Observer reported Tuesday that the jobs are at several major hotels that include the Westin, Ritz-Carlton and Renaissance Hotel. Marriott International owns those brands. Spokeswoman Casey Kennett said in a statement that the company has seen a significant drop in consumer demand because of travel and social distancing restrictions. She said that the firm has adjusted operations with measures that include staff reductions, implementing temporary leave and terminating some employees.

PUBLISHER RESIGNS

NC newspaper publisher resigns after apologizing for cartoon

ROXBORO, N.C. (AP) — The editor and publisher of a North Carolina newspaper has resigned after running a syndicated cartoon that has been criticized as racist. The Courier-Times in Roxboro said Tuesday that editor Johnny Whitefield’s resignation is effective immediately and that the cartoon which ran June 11 “does not reflect the views of the Courier-Times.” The cartoon depicts a masked black man grabbing a white woman’s purse. She asks for someone to call 911 but the man says, “Good luck with that lady … we defunded the police.” The same cartoon also prompted resignations at the Washington Missourian, a family-owned newspaper in Missouri.

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