CONFEDERATE STATUES-RALEIGH
Confederate monument remnants removed at N Carolina Capitol
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Crews in North Carolina removed the largest remnants of a 75-foot-tall Confederate monument that sat near the grounds of the state Capitol for 125 years. News outlets report that the granite pillar that had supported a statue of a Confederate soldier was pulled from its base in Raleigh to cheers from a crowd of onlookers late Tuesday night. WNCN-TV is reporting that after the pedestal was also removed, all that remained Wednesday morning was a low-lying part of the base covered in a tarp. On Friday, protesters pulled down statues of two Confederate soldiers secured on a lower part of the obelisk. Gov. Roy Cooper ordered the rest of the monument to be removed.
CHARLOTTE SHOOTING
Fourth person dies after North Carolina block party shooting
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Police say a fourth person has died after being shot earlier this week during an impromptu celebration in North Carolina. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police department issued a release saying Dairyon Dejean Stevenson died Tuesday while being treated for a gunshot wound received during the shooting early Monday. Police have said five others were wounded and five where hit by vehicles after shots rang out at an impromptu block party in Charlotte that was a continuation of Juneteenth celebrations. Police say about 400 people were gathered on the north side of the city when someone in the crowd was struck by a vehicle that drove away, prompting the arrival of police and medical first responders.
ELECTION 2020-NORTH CAROLINA RUNOFF
Cawthorn, 24, defeats Trump’s pick in N Carolina GOP primary
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A 24-year-old candidate has won the Republican nomination for a western North Carolina congressional primary, beating President Donald Trump’s choice for the seat recently held by his chief of staff. Tuesday’s election results show real estate investment firm CEO Madison Cawthorn handily defeated Lynda Bennett in the 11th Congressional District runoff. Bennett had received Trump’s endorsement earlier this month and had the backing of Mark Meadows, who held the seat for more than seven years but decided not to run again. Meadows resigned from Congress in March as he became chief of staff. Cawthorn will take on Democrat Moe Davis in November.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-NORTH CAROLINA
Amusement parks, July 4 events latest N.C. reopen bills OK’d
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The North Carolina General Assembly has finalized yet another Republican attempt to let more businesses reopen despite Gov. Roy Cooper’s COVID-19 restrictions on commerce. Lawmakers also sent the Democratic governor a measure approved Tuesday that would prevent his executive order limiting outdoor gatherings from blocking July 4 parades or fireworks. Cooper already has vetoed two bills pushed by the GOP-controlled legislature designed to overturn his executive orders that have kept bars and gyms shuttered since March. Amusement parks, wedding reception venues and fairs and carnivals would be the latest entities targeted for reopening in a bill approved Tuesday.
RACIAL INJUSTICE-VIOLENT SUMMER?
Spate of shootings raises fears of a violent summer
CHICAGO (AP) — A spate of shootings around the country has law enforcement worried that this summer could be a violent one. The shootings are happening in a turbulent brew of a pandemic that has left many without jobs, protests against racism, historic surges in gun sales and a rancorous election season. One silver lining: This year is on pace to have half as many mass shootings as the record-breaking 2019. But according to the Gun Violence Archive, other non-suicidal gun deaths are on pace to exceed last year.
UNIVERSITY SYSTEM-LAWSUIT
Former university chancellor sues UNC system over his exit
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — The former chancellor of East Carolina University has sued the University of North Carolina system over his departure. The News & Observer reports a lawsuit filed by former Chancellor Cecil Staton says his exit from his job last year was the result of a vendetta by a school official. Staton says the issue between him and Harry Smith, university system’s former board of governors chairman, resulted from his refusal to accept Smith’s business proposal about off-campus student housing. The lawsuit filed this month also alleges Smith and others disseminated a dossier that hurt Staton’s chances at getting another job. Smith has denied the allegations.
TEEN-SHARK BITE
Shark bite leaves N. Carolina teen with 40 puncture wounds
CAPE HATTERAS, N.C. (AP) — A teenage boy was left with 40 puncture wounds after being bitten by a shark last week on North Carolina’s Outer Banks. WTVD-TV reported Monday that Oak Ridge resident Nick Arthur was bitten on the left leg Thursday just yards off the beach at Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The bite came while the 16-year-old Arthur was jumping over waves on a sandbar. The shark let go of Arthur after his father hit it on the snout. Arthur was taken to a hospital and received several stitches. He had no serious injuries.
AP-US-ELECTION-2020
2 Republicans opposed by Trump win in N. Carolina, Kentucky
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Voters have rebuffed President Donald Trump and nominated two Republicans he opposed to House seats from North Carolina and Kentucky. In western North Carolina, GOP voters picked 24-year-old investor Madison Cawthorn over Trump-backed real estate agent Lynda Bennett. Calls in higher-profile races in Kentucky and New York face days of delay as officials count mail-in ballots. One of Tuesday’s top races involves former Marine combat pilot Amy McGrath’s fight for the Democratic nomination to challenge Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell this November. The other involves House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel of New York. The Democrat is seeking a 17th House term. McGrath and Engel are facing progressive African American challengers.
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