North Carolina News – July 6

North Carolina News – July 6

AP-US-ELECTION-2020-LATINOS

1 ad, 3 accents: How Democrats aim to win Latino votes

WASHINGTON (AP) — To win Florida and other pivotal swing states in November, Joe Biden is not only hoping to run up the score against President Donald Trump with Latino voters but also to push the community’s turnout to levels far higher than when Hillary Clinton lost in 2016. A key to doing that is a deeper understanding of Latino voters’ backgrounds thanks to new advancements in “micro-targeting.” That means using data modeling of voter populations to produce ads and customize political outreach efforts aimed at individual ethnic groups within the larger Latino community. The Republican Party has also tailored messages to Latinos from different backgrounds.

AP-NC-CONFEDERATE FLAG-INTERSTATE

Group raises Confederate flag near interstate in N.C.

HILDEBRAN, N.C. (AP) — A group called the Sons of Confederate Veterans has raised a 20-foot-by-30-foot Confederate flag on an 80-foot pole near an interstate in North Carolina. WSOC-TV reports that the flag was raised near Interstate 40 in Burke County on Friday. The area is between Asheville and Winston-Salem. The flag has gone up as Confederate statues are being taken down across the southern U.S. and in other parts of the country. Many Americans have been protesting police brutality and racism following the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died in Minneapolis police custody. The large Confederate flag in North Carolina is on private property.

BC-NC-BOATER KILLED-FALLING TREE

Police: Boater who fled storm is killed by falling tree

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A boater who sought shelter from a storm in North Carolina has been killed after being struck by a fallen tree. The Charlotte Observer reports that the incident occurred Sunday on Mountain Island Lake near Charlotte. Gaston County Police said that two people had fled the lake to avoid getting struck by lightning and went to an uninhabited island. A large tree uprooted and landed on one of the two people. Several people were on the island at the time. Some tried to provide lifesaving care. The victim died at the scene.

RACIAL INJUSTICE-JUNETEENTH VOTE

North Carolina county to vote on Juneteenth holiday

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina county’s board of commissioners will vote Monday to make Juneteenth a county holiday. Wake County Board of Commissioners Chairman Greg Ford said on Twitter Saturday that all commissioner on the board will vote for the resolution. Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when the last enslaved African Americans learned they were free. If the resolution passes, June 19 would be a paid holiday for county employees. In a response to Ford’s announcement, Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin said on Twitter her city would be “doing the same.”

AP-US-ATLANTIC-COAST-PIPELINE

Developers cancel long-delayed, $8B Atlantic Coast Pipeline

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The developers of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline have announced they are canceling the multi-state natural gas project due to delays and “increasing cost uncertainty.” Despite a recent victory before the U.S. Supreme Court over a critical permit, Dominion Energy and Duke Energy said in a statement Sunday that “recent developments have created an unacceptable layer of uncertainty” for the $8 billion, 600-mile project designed to cross parts of West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina. The project has drawn fierce opposition from a coalition of landowners, activists and environmental advocates.

FATAL SHOOTING-FOURTH OF JULY

Police: Woman killed by Fourth of July ‘celebratory gunfire’

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Police say a 74-year-old North Carolina woman was fatally shot by “celebratory gunfire” on the Fourth of July. Durham Police Chief C.J. Davis said in a statement that “reckless behavior” led to the shooting death of Paulette Thorpe late Saturday. Davis said some people “carelessly” fired guns into the air during the holiday celebration. Police say Thorpe died at a hospital.

ELECTION 2020-CHANGING SOUTH

Democrats, Biden look to accelerate Southern political shift

ATLANTA (AP) — From Mississippi retiring its state flag to local governments removing Confederate statues, a bipartisan push across the South is chipping away at reminders of the Civil War and segregation. And with today’s national reckoning on racism, Democratic leaders are hoping for a fundamental shift at the ballot box. Many Southern electorates are getting younger, less white and more urban, and are less likely to embrace President Donald Trump’s white identity politics. Southern Democrats are assembling a diverse group of candidates for state and congressional offices to join presumptive presidential nominee Joe Biden on the ticket. They believe Biden can appeal to perhaps the nation’s most culturally conservative region.

FATAL CRASH-NORTH CAROLINA

Relative: Parents, 2 children among 5 killed in car crashes

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina couple and their two daughters were among five people killed in a chain of car crashes started by a speeding driver. State Highway Patrol Trooper Ray Pierce told The Charlotte Observer that police would release victims’ names after troopers complete their investigation of Friday night’s deadly crashes on Interstate 485 in north Charlotte. However, the newspaper said a relative of the four family members killed in one of the collisions identified them as Matthew and Andrea Obester and their daughters, 7-year-old Violet and 12-year-old Elizabeth. Matthew Obester’s mother said the Belmont family was heading to pick up a new custom wedding band for Andrea.

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

Share

Events