VOLUME 5 ISSUE 9
|
WWW.NSJONLINE.COM |
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 2020
the Wednesday
NEWS BRIEFING
Folwell: N.C. has received $2 billion in CARES Act funding Raleigh North Carolina received $2 billion in funds from the federal government as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act according to North Carolina State Treasurer Dale Folwell and the Financial Operations Division of the Department of State Treasurer. The CARES Act contains $150 billion for the Coronavirus Relief Fund which includes direct payments to eligible local governments, states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories. According to a press release by Folwell’s office, the $2 billion is the first disbursement from the federal government of close to $4 billion the state expects to receive. “As keepers of the public purse, we’re responsible for receiving money and putting it in interest bearing accounts,” said Folwell. “We’ll process the withdrawal when directed by the legislative and executive branches.” A.P. DILLON
Rampage leaves 18 dead in Canada’s worst mass shooting Toronto Police fanned out across more than a dozen crime scenes after a rampage by a gunman disguised as a police officer left at least 18 dead and homes in smoldering ruins in rural communities across Nova Scotia — the deadliest mass shooting in Canada’s history. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asked the media to avoid mentioning the name of the assailant or showing his picture. “Do not give this person the gift of infamy,” he said. Authorities said the gunman wore a police uniform and made his car look like a Royal Canadian Mounted Police cruiser. ASSOCIATED PRESS
Tillis leads Cunningham in Senate race fundraising Raleigh Republican Thom Tillis currently has the cash advantage in the closely watched U.S. Senate race, with $6.5 million compared to $3 million on hand for Cunningham. Cunningham’s campaign collected $3 million from midFebruary through the end of March, compared to almost $1.4 million raised by Tillis’ campaign, according to federal reports due last week. Cunningham also spent more than Tillis — spending well over $1.4 million in his heated primary with Democrat Erica Smith. NSJ STAFF
Wrightsville Beach opens to visitors, but with restrictions Wrightsville Beach Wrightsville Beach town manager Tim Owens said the town has opened beach access to the public, with a set of restrictions. According to the town, all access points and beaches will be opened for what’s described as individual, non-stationary exercise activities such as walking, jogging, swimming, and surfing and water sports. People participating in those activities must maintain strict social distancing rules. Also, the town said any exercise groups can’t have more than 10 people. Elsewhere, beaches have been opened to residents and property owners in Carteret County, but are still restricted to tourists. Surf City officials took down barriers to public beach access last Friday, although pubic parking and other facilities remain closed. The accesses had been closed since March 20. ASSOCIATED PRESS
ROBERT CLARK | NORTH STATE JOURNAL
Tuesday’s ReOpen NC protest, hundreds gathered to make their case that North Carolina needs to open back up and voice their frustration at Gov. Roy Cooper. Over 20 states have set targets for ‘reopening’ but Cooper has yet to announce if the stay-at-home order will be extended past April 30.
NORTH
STATE
JOURNaL ELEVATE THE CONVERSATION
State employees still working, want hazard protections By David Larson North State Journal RALEIGH — Much of North Carolina’s workforce is either out of work or working from home, but the state’s public sector workers are largely continuing their jobs as before. Jobs that can be are now being done remotely, but others do not have that option. “You have a huge, the biggest chunk of the state workforce, that cannot work from home. That would be folks working in the prisons and community corrections and the institutions of the health and human services, that’s the biggest chunk of state government right there,” Ardis Watkins, executive director of the State Employees Association of North Carolina, an advocacy group for the state’s public workers, told NSJ. These are the workers she is most concerned about. Watkins is asking that the legislature and Gov. Roy Cooper’s administration do everything they can to move as many of these jobs to remote work environments as they can. And for the ones they cannot, SEANC is asking for hazard pay. “The people for whom we’re asking hazard pay are those who are mandatory employees but cannot perform the functions of their job while observing social distancing,” Watkins said. “So it would force the state to be serious and realistic about who is mandatory and if they’re able to observe social distancing while carrying out their duties. And if there’s something that can be done remotely, there’s no reason not to do that. It’s in the interest of the public and the employees’ safety.” DMV workers are one group who Watkins believes can do their work remotely, and she says the legislature has shown a willingness to move in that direction. But correctional workers are a group of particular concern because the disease has been spreading in N.C. prisons, and many have already tested positive. There are 13 correctional officers who tested positively so far, but Watkins believes this is just a small number of the total. There are still many tests outstanding and the only testing that has been done was at Neuse Correctional Institution in Goldsboro.
“There’s no question in my mind,” Watkins said on whether she thinks the number of infected correctional officers is much larger than those 13 reported. “You can’t have inmates who are ill and work in close quarters in that kind of institution and not have some sick staff members. That’s why we’re saying all of the staff members need to be tested now, so we know what we’re dealing with.” She also said the prisons need to stop transferring prisoners and staff between the facilities so much while this pandemic is ongoing. For example, many officers from Johnston Correctional Institution were moved to Neuse recently. This may make it difficult to identify and address outbreaks in the prison system. “The goal would be to keep the staff and inmates of each prison where they are,” she said. While safety for public employees can improve, according to Watkins, it does seem that virtually all state workers are continuing to receive their paychecks. Watkins said she thinks “everybody is probably still getting paid” and that it is “unfortunate and petty” that some question why all the state’s public sector workers are still employed when so many private sector workers have had their pay, hours or jobs cut. “I would also question, to anyone who said that, would they prefer more North Carolinians be out of work so our economy could suffer a great blow? And finally, I understand the frustration of people who are not deemed essential and are therefore laid off right now, I have tremendous sympathy and empathy for them, but the same people who don’t think state employees are essential one minute would be livid if they weren’t available to them the next.” “Other than hazard pay for those limited number of individuals, we’re not rolling in there asking for anything,” Watkins said of SEANC’s legislative priorities during the upcoming short session. “We’re very keenly aware of the responsibility of public employees to be there for the rest of the public during all times, but particularly during difficult times. So we’re just there to help any way we can.”
ReOpenNC to Gov. Cooper: Stop moving the goalposts By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — Hundreds of protesters who want the state to get back to work on May 1 flocked to Raleigh for the second week in a row. Crowd estimates in the early part of the protest hovered between 150 to 200, but by noon the crowd had grown significantly in size. The parking lot which was the staging area was completely full, forcing latecomers to find parking on the street amongst the throng of police vehicles. Citizens from as far as Boone and Charlotte traveled to Raleigh to participate in the ReOpenNC protest. Bullhorns blared and car horns honked continuously from around 10:30 a.m. until after 1
p.m. Karen Sergent-Rakers came from Snow Hill in Greene County, over an hour away. She’s one of many in attendance who owns a small business shuttered due to the stay-at-home order and essential business restrictions. Sergent-Rakers owns a custom sign company and her stenciled and framed protest sign is ornate compared to the sea of poster board and marker creations around her. She is one of many small business owners who are not eligible for unemployment or the small business loans from the federal government. Like many others at the protest, Sergent-Rakers says she has “fallen through the cracks.” A mothSee REOPENNC page A2
Trump vows to ‘suspend immigration’ to US because of virus By Jill Colvin The Associated Press WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump says he will sign an executive order “to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States” because of the coronavirus. “In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens, I will be signing an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States!” Trump tweeted late Monday. He offered no details about which immigration programs might be affected by the order. Much of the immigration system has already ground to a halt because of the pandemic. Almost all visa processing by the State Department has been suspended for weeks. Travel to the U.S. has been restricted from much of the globe, including China, Europe, Mexico and Canada. And Trump has used the virus to effectively end asylum at U.S. borders, turning away even children who arrive by themselves — something Congress, the courts and international law hadn’t previously allowed. Criticism to his new announcement was swift, especially of the timing during the pandemic. Ali Noorani, president of the National Immigration Forum, noted that thousands of foreign-born health care workers are currently treating people with COVID-19 and working in critical sectors of the economy. Trump’s call “ignores the reality of our situation,” he said. “The fact is that immigrants are standing shoulder-to-shoulder with U.S. citizens on the front lines helping us get through this pandemic.” Andrea Flores of the American Civil Liberties Union said, “Unfortunately, President Trump seems
more interested in fanning anti-immigrant flames than in saving lives.” But Jessica Vaughn, director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies, which favors lower rates of immigration, said that eliminating millions of work permits and visas would “instantaneously create” new jobs for Americans and other legal workers. See IMMIGRATION page A2