BC-NC-FORT BRAGG-PARATROOPER DEATH

Fort Bragg paratrooper dies in Syria after ATV overturns

FORT BRAGG, N.C. (AP) — A paratrooper based at Fort Bragg in North Carolina has died after his vehicle rolled over in the country of Syria. The Fayetteville Observer reports that Sgt. Bryan Mount died on Tuesday. He was a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division and a cavalry scout in the 2nd Brigade Combat Team’s 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment. The 25-year-old was from St. George, Utah. Military officials said Mount was injured when his mine resistant, all-terrain vehicle rolled over. The Department of Defense said the accident occurred while Mount was conducting reconnaissance operations in eastern Syria. The incident remains under investigation. Maj. Gen. Christopher Donahue, the commander of the 82nd, said Mount was “a true American hero paratrooper.”

VIRUS OUTBREAK-VOTING MACHINES

North Carolina group asks judge to stop touch-screen voting

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The North Carolina NAACP has asked a judge to bar the use of a touch-screen voting machine in several counties due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Charlotte Observer reports the group made the request to a Wake County judge Wednesday. The injunction says the machines create risks to voters because they will be touched by many people. The request comes more than three months after the civil rights organization filed a lawsuit against state and local election officials seeking to stop its use. The Observer reports the state attorney general’s office has asked a judge to dismiss that lawsuit. A state election official says officials have been instructed about cleaning the machines.

BC-NC-ALCOHOL RESTRICTIONS-CHARLOTTE

Charlotte, Mecklenburg County ban late-night alcohol sales

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Officials in Charlotte, Mecklenburg County and a handful of other towns are restricting alcohol sales after 11 p.m. to help fight the spread of the coronavirus. The Charlotte Observer reports that the ban starts Thursday night. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department leaders have said they will enforce the order. Other towns that said they will enact such an order include Davidson, Matthews, Mint Hill and Pineville. Mecklenburg County Manager Dena Diorio said officials are enacting the restrictions after seeing videos of people in restaurants and bars not wearing masks or practicing social distancing.

FOX ATTACK

North Carolina woman attacked by rabid fox while on her bed

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina woman says she was attacked on her bed by a rabid fox who entered her home through a dog door. Julie Loflin told WGHP-TV the fox came into her bedroom in Greensboro Sunday night. She says the animal then jumped on her bed, bit her finger and grabbed her ankle by its mouth. Loflin says she grabbed the animal by its neck for more than 12 minutes as she waited for police to arrive. The news outlet reports authorities pulled the fox away from her after they got to the house. She has injuries on her ankle and finger and has been given a rabies vaccine.

SMOKIES HIKES-RACISM CONVERSATIONS

Smokies offers special hikes to discuss diversity and racism

GATLINBURG, Tenn. (AP) — Great Smoky Mountains National Park Superintendent Cassius Cash has developed a new program that seeks to unite conversations about diversity and racism with the beauty of the mountains. According to the park, the goal of Smokies Hikes for Healing is to provide “a safe space for individuals of all backgrounds and ethnicities to begin difficult conversations that can lead to change.” Eight guided hikes with Cash will be held August through December. A facilitator will lead each group in a thought-provoking discussion around race. Hikers can also coordinate their own groups using Smokies Hikes for Healing materials.

RACIAL INJUSTICE-CONFEDERATE MONUMENTS

Push to remove Confederate statues stalls in rural America

CLINTON, La. (AP) — Dozens of Confederate statues have fallen across the country _ often in more liberal-leaning urban centers — but in many smaller places, the effort to remove markers that many view as racist relics has stalled or has yet to arrive. A tally by The Associated Press shows that more than 60 Confederate statues, monuments or markers have been removed from public land across the country since Floyd’s death on May 25. All but eight have come down in cities or metropolitan areas larger than 50,000 people. Most of the areas lean politically left, with 41 of the monuments removed in counties or equivalent areas that voted Democratic in the 2016 presidential election.

ELECTION 2020-SPORTS VENUES

Panthers, Hornets venues approved as N.C. early-vote sites

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The venues for the NFL’s Carolina Panthers and NBA’s Charlotte Hornets will be used as early in-person voting sites this fall in North Carolina. The Mecklenburg County Board of Elections agreed on Tuesday to a list of 33 early-voting sites that include Bank of America Stadium and Spectrum Center. Mecklenburg election officials expect heavy use of early voting options by county residents before Election Day on Nov. 3, whether they be mail-in absentee ballots or in-person voting. Large facilities with multiple entrances are considered desirable to avoid crowds. Early in-person voting occurs Oct. 15 until Oct. 31.

MLS-CHARLOTTE-NAME

Charlotte FC announced as name for new MLS team

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Charlotte’s new Major League Soccer team is following the sport’s traditional European and South American style of having just the city name and no formal nickname. The team, scheduled to start play in 2022, will be known as Charlotte FC. Other plain old FCs in the league include Cincinnati, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York City and Toronto. The name was selected over options that included Charlotte Athletic FC, Charlotte Sliders FC, Charlotte Town FC, Charlotte Monarchs FC, Charlotte Fortune FC and Carolina Crown FC.

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