Greater Mid-Atlantic News Digest 1 p.m.

Here’s a look at how AP’s general news coverage is shaping up for select stories. For up-to-the minute information on AP’s complete coverage of North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and Delaware, and the rest of the world, visit Coverage Plan at newsroom.ap.org

Questions about coverage plans are welcome and should be directed to 919-510-8937, 202-641-9660, 410-837-8315, 804-643-6646 or metro@ap.org. Mid-South Assistant News Director Jonathan Drew can be reached at 919-510-8937 or jdrew@ap.org.

For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact AP Customer Support at apcustomersupport@ap.org or 877-836-9477.

This information is not for publication or broadcast, and these coverage plans are subject to change. Expected stories may not develop, or late-breaking and more newsworthy events may take precedence. Coverage Plan will keep you up to date. All times are Eastern unless specified otherwise.

NORTH CAROLINA

XGR-SPORTS GAMBLING

RALEIGH, N.C. — The North Carolina House plans to debate and vote on whether to accept changes made by the Senate to its sports wagering proposal last week. Two affirmative votes are needed by the House this week to send a final measure to Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper for his expected signature. By Gary D. Robertson. UPCOMING: 550 words by 4 p.m.

XGR—PARTY SWITCH-NORTH CAROLINA

RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina Democratic legislators have filed a bill that responds to state Rep. Tricia Cotham’s switch to the GOP two months ago. The bill filed by Senate Democrats Tuesday is unlikely to get traction in the Republican-controlled Legislature and, if passed, wouldn’t apply to Cotham. The bill would force a special election if a lawmaker switches parties and the person has more than six months remaining in the term. The bill also would force a party-switcher to refund recent campaign donations if requested by a donor. A bill sponsor said there should be consequences when someone changes sides. Cotham’s move helped the GOP pass new abortion restrictions over the governor’s veto. SENT: 340 words, photo.

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SOUTH CAROLINA

VOTING RIGHTS ACT

ATLANTA — A decade ago, the Supreme Court wiped away one of the most powerful tools of the Voting Rights Act that had made it extremely difficult for states with a history of discrimination to pass voting restrictions. A decision expected in the coming weeks could weaken another pillar of the landmark legislation and make it significantly harder to file challenges based on racial gerrymandering. Voting rights activists say the two decisions by conservative-leaning justices would amount to a gutting of a nearly 60-year-old law that had served as a model for voting rights around the globe. By Christina A. Cassidy and Ayanna Alexander. SENT: 2,090 words, photos.

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VIRGINIA

PLANE CRASH-JET SCRAMBLE

Only minutes into a doomed journey, the pilot of a business jet wasn’t responding to air traffic control instructions and federal aviation officials say the situation was soon reported to a network that includes military, security and law enforcement agencies. Despite being out of contact on its ascent Sunday, the jet that took off in Tennessee continued toward Long Island, then turned back toward Virginia, where it slammed into a mountain, killing four people. Family and friends identified two victims as an entrepreneur known in New York real-estate circles and her 2-year-old daughter. The plane’s erratic flight path directly over the nation’s capital prompted the military to scramble fighter jets, causing a sonic boom heard in Washington, Maryland and Virginia. SENT: 1,080 words, photos.

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MARYLAND/DELAWARE

CHESAPEAKE BAY-ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science releases its watershed report card, which includes an integrated environmental justice index for the first time. By Brian Witte.

TESLA-SOLARCITY-SHAREHOLDER SUIT

DOVER, Del. — Delaware’s Supreme Court has upheld a judge’s decision in favor of Tesla CEO Elon Musk in a lawsuit challenging the electric car maker’s $2.4 billion acquisition of a solar panel company founded by two of his cousins. The court on Tuesday rejected arguments from a group of Tesla shareholders that a Chancery Court judge erred in finding that Tesla’s deal to acquire SolarCity in 2016 was “entirely fair.” The judge made that determination even while noting that the process by which Tesla’s board of directors negotiated and recommended the deal to shareholders was “far from perfect.” The Supreme Court agreed that the deal process was not “pitch perfect,” but said that overall the acquisition was fair. By Randall Chase. SENT: 570 words, photo.

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SPORTS

BBO–ORIOLES-BREWERS

MILWAUKEE – One night after falling into second place in the NL Central, the Milwaukee Brewers begin a three-game series with the Baltimore Orioles. Scheduled pitchers are Kyle Gibson for the Orioles and Freddy Peralta for the Brewers. By Tom Kertscher. UPCOMING: 600 words, with photos. The game starts at 6:40 p.m. Central.

BBN–DIAMONDBACKS-NATIONALS

Arizona plays Washington at Nationals Park. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos. By Patrick Stevens.

BBC–NCAA SUPER REGIONALS-THINGS TO KNOW

The NCAA baseball tournament moves to super regionals, the eight best-of-three series that will determine the field for the College World Series. By Eric Olson. 750 words, photos, by 4 p.m.

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LOCALIZATION:

VOTING RIGHTS ACT-LOCALIZE IT: This month marks the 10th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Shelby v. Holder, which dismantled a key provision of the Voting Rights Act requiring certain jurisdictions to submit voting-related changes for federal review. We provide tips and resources for localizing the story, plus an audio Q&A with AP reporter Christina A. Cassidy. Find the latest Localize It guides.

ELIMINATING RAILROAD CROSSINGS-LOCALIZE IT: The Biden administration is handing out more than $570 million in grants to help eliminate railroad crossings in 32 states just as the industry is increasingly relying on longer and longer trains to cut costs. We point you to the list of projects and offer local reporting suggestions. Find the latest Localize It guides.

FLOOD-INSURANCE-LAWSUIT-LOCALIZE IT: Louisiana and nine other states have filed a lawsuit against the federal government over sharp increases in national flood insurance rates slated to be phased in over the coming years. Dozens of local Louisiana governments and flood control districts also are plaintiffs in the lawsuit, which was filed in U.S. district court in New Orleans on Thursday. The Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency are among the defendants. We list the plaintiffs, point you to data on rate changes and offer tips for localizing the story. Find the latest Localize It guides.

GOVERNMENT HONEYBEES-LOCALIZE IT: While judges, lawyers and support staff at the federal courthouse in Concord, New Hampshire keep the American justice system buzzing, thousands of humble honeybees on the building’s roof are playing their part in a much more important task — feeding the world. The Warren B. Rudman courthouse is one of several federal facilities around the country participating in the General Services Administration’s Pollinator Initiative, a government program to assess and promote the health of bees and other pollinators, which are literally critical to life on Earth. We point you to the other federal sites and offer tips for localizing the story. Find the latest Localize It guides.

ABORTION-RELIGIOUS DIVIDE-LOCALIZE IT: In the year since the Supreme Court struck down the nationwide right to abortion, America’s religious leaders and denominations have responded in strikingly diverse ways — some celebrating the sweeping state-level bans that have ensued, others angered that a conservative Christian cause has changed the law of the land in ways they view as oppressive. We offer context, suggested reporting avenues and links to statements on abortion from several major denominations. Find the latest Localize It guides.

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VIDEO

Chris Christie enters 2024 GOP presidential race

House GOP: We have legal right to see FBI documents

Criminal charges recommended over Martha’s Vineyard migrant flights

Virginia plane crash probe finds black box not required

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AUDIO

Mother fatally shot by neighbor after dispute over playing children, sheriff says

Atlanta project decried as ‘Cop City’ gets funding approval from City Council

Astrud Gilberto, singer of ‘The Girl from Ipanema,’ dead at 83

Banks’ growing reliance on chatbots to handle customer service tasks worries consumer watchdog

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U.S. STORIES

POLICE TRAINING CENTER PROTEST — The Atlanta City Council has approved funding for the construction of a proposed police and firefighter training center, rejecting the pleas of hundreds of activists who packed City Hall and spoke for hours in fierce opposition to the project they decry as “Cop City.” The vote early Tuesday is a significant victory for Mayor Andre Dickens, who has made the $90 million project a large part of his first term in office, despite significant pushback. For about 14 hours, residents again and again took to the podium to slam the project, saying it would be a gross misuse of public funds to build the huge facility in a large urban forest in a poor, majority-Black area. Dickens says the center will make Atlanta a national model for police reform. SENT: 910 words, photos.

VOTING RIGHTS ACT — A U.S. Supreme Court decision a decade ago that tossed out the heart of the Voting Rights Act continues to reverberate across the country. Republican-led states continue to pass voting restrictions that, in several cases, would have been subject to federal review had the court left the provision intact. The conservative-leaning court has continued to take other cases challenging elements of the landmark 1965 law. The justices are expected to rule in the coming weeks in a case out of Alabama that could make it much more difficult for minority groups to sue over gerrymandered political maps that dilute their representation. SENT: 2,090 words, photos.

BIDEN INFRASTRUCTURE-MANUFACTURING — The White House on Tuesday is starting a website to map and track tens of thousands of infrastructure projects and private manufacturing investments, an effort by the administration to show the impact of its policies on the U.S. economy. The site documents roughly 32,000 infrastructure projects and more than $470 billion worth of investments in the production of electric vehicles, batteries, computer chips, biotech, clean energy and other sectors. President Joe Biden is seeking reelection in 2024 by trying to show how his policies are reshaping the U.S. economy to address climate change and compete with rivals such as China. But high inflation has voters giving him low marks on economic leadership. SENT: 430 words, photo.

PLANE CRASH-JET SCRAMBLE — Only minutes into a doomed journey, the pilot of a business jet wasn’t responding to air traffic control instructions and federal aviation officials say the situation was soon reported to a network that includes military, security and law enforcement agencies. Despite being out of contact on its ascent Sunday, the jet that took off in Tennessee continued toward Long Island, then turned back toward Virginia, where it slammed into a mountain, killing four people. Family and friends identified two victims as an entrepreneur known in New York real-estate circles and her 2-year-old daughter. The plane’s erratic flight path directly over the nation’s capital prompted the military to scramble fighter jets, causing a sonic boom heard in Washington, Maryland and Virginia. SENT: 740 words, photo, video, audio.

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