VOLUME 5 ISSUE 24
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WWW.NSJONLINE.COM |
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 2020
the Wednesday
NEWS BRIEFING
105,093 COVID-19 patients presumed to be recovered Raleigh The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services said that over 105,000 COVID-19 patients are presumed to have recovered from the virus as of Aug. 3. NCDHHS estimates a median time to recovery of 14 days for non-fatal COVID-19 cases who were not hospitalized and 28 days for hospitalized cases. Estimates are used since patient-specific data on the actual recovery time to resolution of symptoms are not available for all COVID-19 cases. NSJ STAFF
Gov. Cooper announces N.C. Dept. of Information Technology acting secretary Raleigh Gov. Roy Cooper announced that Thomas Parrish IV will be named acting secretary of the N.C. Department of Information Technology. Parrish will fill the role held by Tracy Doaks, who left to lead a nonprofit dedicated to broadband expansion in rural areas. “Parrish’s experience as an IT leader and educator prepares him to lead NCDIT as the agency supports our state work force in all 100 counties, both in the office and remote,” Cooper said. “His work as chief deputy has earned the trust of state government, and he will do work hard to protect our state from cyber threats.” NSJ STAFF
Poll: Forest, Cooper in statistical tie in governor race Raleigh Cardinal Point Analytics, an opinion research firm based in Raleigh, released a poll showing Lt. Gov. Dan Forest and Gov. Roy Cooper in a dead heat to become the state’s chief executive in November. According to the poll, Forest pulls in 46.4% to Cooper’s 46.1%, with 6% undecided. The poll surveyed 735 likely voters with a 3.6% margin of error. The results show a much tighter race than an NBC News/ Marist poll released at the end of July, which showed Cooper ahead by a 20-point margin. NSJ STAFF
Annual Sturgis rally expecting 250K, stirring virus concerns Sioux Falls, S.D. Sturgis is on. The message has been broadcast across social media as South Dakota braces to host hundreds of thousands of bikers for the 80th edition of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. More than 250,000 people are expected to rumble through western South Dakota, seeking the freedom of cruising the boundless landscapes in a state that has skipped lockdowns. Rallygoers have spent about $800 million in past years, according to the state Department of Tourism. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
US will extend support for Venezuela’s Guaidó Caracas, Venezuela The State Department’s top official on Venezuela said the Trump administration will continue recognizing lawmaker Juan Guaidó as the nation’s interim president even if Nicolás Maduro’s government ousts the opposition from control of congress. “He will not change the legal status for many countries around the world — and especially for us,” special representative Elliott Abrams told the U.S. Senate’s Committee on Foreign Relations in a hearing Tuesday. An estimated 5 million Venezuelans have fled shortages of gasoline, food and a broken healthcare system. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ROBERT CLARK | NORTH STATE JOURNAL
Hurricane Isaias causes damage through eastern NC A tree fell at a house at Pamlico Beach in Beaufort County due to winds, rain from Hurricane Isaias. After the storm moved through, over 300,000 North Carolinians were without power Tuesday morning.
NORTH
STATE
JOURNaL ELEVATE THE CONVERSATION
Schools opening remotely are leaving special needs behind Rural families lack internet access; IEP’s not translating well in remote instruction
alike, and many require multiple services and interventions. The process is often frustrating and can sometimes take years to get the right combination of services in place. By A.P. Dillon Sam and his family moved to North State Journal North Carolina last year and says RALEIGH — With Gov. Roy his 10-year-old daughter, who Cooper’s school reopening an- was diagnosed to be on the Aunouncement allowing districts tism spectrum, has in the past reto reopen under Plan C, full re- ceived services for math, reading, mote learning, parents who have speech assistance, as well as physical and occupational children with special therapy. He said they needs say they are bewere supposed to meet ing left behind. with school officials in Two families agreed Brunswick County in to speak to North “These kids March regarding her State Journal about are already at IEP, but then came the the negative impact regovernor’s order that mote learning is hav- a deficit, and all schools be closed. ing on their children now, with this Sam said has not and their Individualheard from the district ized Education Plans pandemic, about his daughter’s (IEPs). The names of you’ve got IEP since. the parents have been these schools “Everything is a changed to protect the waiting list for these identities of their chil- that are not dren. communicating children. It’s a waiting list to get evaluAn IEP is exactly what it sounds like: anything to the ated, a waiting list to see the specialist to a written plan specif- parents who get diagnosed propic to each eligible puberly, you know?” Sam lic-school child who have children said. “These kids are qualifies for special with special already at a deficit, education intervenneeds.” and now, with this tions. Those intervenpandemic, you’ve got tions can include, but these schools that are are not limited to, ser- Sam, a parent of not communicating vices such as audiol- a special-needs anything to the parogy, counseling, ocents who have children cupational therapy, daughter with special needs.” orientation and moAccessibility to bility services, physical therapy, psychological services teachers when there is a proband speech-language pathology lem and the “lackadaisical communication” from school officials services. To be eligible under the Individ- are two big problems facing Sam’s uals with Disabilities Education family with remote learning. Though his daughter is “high Act (IDEA), a team of subject experts, teachers, parents and oth- functioning,” Sam says that they ers first have to determine if the have to be strict with his daughstudent has a disability and then ter during remote learning. He if that disability will need special says they are a one-income houseeducation and associated services. hold and that he drives a truck for While the definition may sound straightforward, no two IEPs are See SPECIAL NEEDS page A2
Pence and DeVos visit NC school to encourage safe reopening nationwide By David Larson North State Journal APEX — July 29, Vice President Mike Pence and U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos visited Thales Academy, a year-round private school with eight campuses in North Carolina, to highlight the school’s in-person reopening and to encourage other schools to do the same. Pence and DeVos began the visit by sitting in teacher Allison Combs’ 4th grade class and speaking with the students. Pence told the students that his wife, who is an elementary teacher, said hello, and so did the president. He asked Combs how it was for her class so far being back in the classroom. She said they were getting used to the new safety practices, including what she called “zombie hands,” where the stu-
dents would stretch their arms out to make sure nobody was within an arms’ length of them. Combs said before Pence had arrived, she got a huge cheer from the class when she asked if they were excited to be back. So Pence asked them to raise their hands if they were excited to return to school, at which their hands shot up. “Well, we’re excited to see you back in school,” Pence said. “In fact, we’re working with schools all across the country, aren’t we Secretary DeVos, to help states just like North Carolina to have the resources and the guidance to be able to open up schools safely again.” Secretary DeVos then asked the students what it was like to be back in the classroom. “It feels super good, because we can actually see our friends and we See PENCE page A2
Deployed judicial candidate returns to campaign amid pandemic Judge Jefferson Griffin is a Court of Appeals candidate who has been deployed with the North Carolina Army National Guard By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — How do you run a campaign without a candidate? Ask Judge Jefferson Griffin, a Court of Appeals candidate who has been deployed with the North Carolina Army National Guard. “I had to completely remove myself from the campaign, actually,” Griffin said told NSJ in a sitdown interview. “We pre-planned as much as possible before I went on active duty. And once that happened, I had no direct or indirect contact with the campaign.” Griffin earned his law degree from North Carolina Central School of Law, graduating in 2008. He practiced civil and criminal defense litigation in the Kinston area before joining the Wake County District Attorney’s Office in 2010. Five years later, former Gov. Pat McCrory appointed Griffin as a District Court judge in Wake County. He then ran for the seat in 2016, was elected to a fouryear term and now has his sights set on the Court of Appeals. Born and raised on a farm in Red Oak, in Nash County, Griffin went on to graduate from Northern Nash High School where he was captain of the football team. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2003. Following graduation, he earned his United States Coast Guard captain’s license. For some time, he worked as a charter fisherman. See GRIFFIN page A2