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.
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NORTH CAROLINA
XGR–SPORTS GAMBLING
RALEIGH, N.C. — A measure legalizing and regulating sports wagering in North Carolina will be sent to Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper if the House votes one more time on Wednesday for changes made to the bill by the Senate. The House already gave tentative final approval to the sports and horse-race gambling authorization on Tuesday. By Gary Robertson. UPCOMING: 500 words by 4 p.m.
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SOUTH CAROLINA
XGR SOUTH CAROLINA LEGISLATURE
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina General Assembly’s special session rolled on Wednesday without an end in sight as the House spent about an hour dealing with a few bills and vetoes while waiting for a budget and bond reform bill everyone agrees is important, but can’t agree on what’s in them. They wanted to be finished by June 1, but now face a looming July 1 deadline to get the spending plan in place. By Jeffrey Collins. UPCOMING: 550 words, photos by 4 p.m.
VOTING RIGHTS ACT-VOICES
One lost a brother, murdered in Mississippi trying to register Black residents to vote. Another walked with Martin Luther King Jr. until his assassination. A woman who was then a teenager in Alabama felt the force of a police club and heard the fatal gunshot that led to Selma’s Bloody Sunday march. They are among the last witnesses to an era driven by tragedies and violence that led – eventually – to the passage of the Voting Rights Act. Now they and others reflect on the slow weakening of a law that had promised equality for all. By Gary Fields. SENT : 400 words, photo, video.
— With: VOTING RIGHTS ACT-VOICES-STEPHEN SCHWERNER, VOTING RIGHTS ACT-VOICES-ANDREW YOUNG, VOTING RIGHTS ACT-VOICES-LUCI JOHNSON, VOTING RIGHTS ACT-VOICES-NORMAN HILL, VOTING RIGHTS ACT-VOICES-JOEL FINKELSTEIN, VOTING RIGHTS ACT-VOICES-DELLA MAYNOR
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VIRGINIA
RICHMOND SHOOTING
RICHMOND, Va. — Police say a gunman who opened fire minutes after a high school graduation in Richmond, Virginia, targeted an 18-year-old graduate he had a long-running dispute with. Eighteen-year-old Shawn Jackson and his father, Lorenzo Smith, were both killed Tuesday in the shooting. The gunfire sent hundreds fleeing in panic outside the state capital’s city-owned Altria Theater after the graduation ceremony for Huguenot High School. Five other people were wounded. Richmond Interim Police Chief Rick Edwards says the shooting suspect, 19-year-old Amari Pollard, knew Jackson. He said the two had been embroiled in a dispute for more than a year. Edwards said the nature of the dispute is still being investigated. By Sarah Rankin and Denise Lavoie. SENT: 590 words, photos, video, audio.
VIRGINIA-CARBON PLAN
RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia regulators are expected to take a final vote on whether to advance Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s plan to withdraw from a multistate carbon cap-and-trade program. The state Air Pollution Control Board meets Wednesday to discuss the matter. The body is dominated by Youngkin appointees and backed withdrawal in a previous vote. Virginia spent years under Democratic administrations moving toward participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which environmental advocates say is proven to help reduce pollution and address climate change. But that has been thrown into reverse since Youngkin took office in January 2022. The governor says the program has functioned as a regressive tax on electricity users. By Sarah Rankin. SENT: 710 words, photo.
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MARYLAND/DELAWARE
ABORTION PILL-MARYLAND
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — A Maryland board has approved an emergency procurement of more than $1 million to pay for a stockpile of a widely used abortion pill due to legal challenges against the drug’s use. The Board of Public Works approved the funds on Wednesday to pay for 35,000 doses that would last several years, if necessary. The stockpile, acquired in April, includes 30,000 doses of mifepristone and 5,000 doses of misoprostol. The board is comprised of Gov. Wes Moore, Comptroller Brooke Lierman and Treasurer Dereck Davis. Moore, a Democrat, noted before the vote that the drug has fallen under “a very unique and distinct attack.” By Brian Witte. SENT: 350 words, photo.
THEATER-THE WIZ
Two men who stepped into 6-inch heels for “Kinky Boots” on Broadway will play the title character behind the curtain when “The Wiz” tours the U.S. starting this fall and lands on Broadway in 2024 — Wayne Brady and Alan Mingo Jr. Brady will star as the Wiz in San Francisco from Jan. 16-Feb. 11 at the Golden Gate Theatre, and in Los Angeles from Feb. 13–March 3, before hitting Broadway in spring 2024. Mingo will star in the role of the Wiz in the remaining cities of the national tour. The two actors were last on Broadway in “Kinky Boots” playing Lola. Brady handed the role to Mingo and “now I’ll go on the road and then hand him the baton,” says Mingo. By Mark Kennedy. SENT: 670 words, photo.
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SPORTS
BBO–ORIOLES-BREWERS
Baltimore plays Milwaukee at American Family Field. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos.
BBO–CELEBRATIONS
In Seattle, home run hitters break out a trident. In Baltimore, a human waterfall, well, kind of. In Pittsburgh, they don a custom made jacket, grab a sword and channel their inner Jack Sparrow. Home run props are seemingly everywhere in Major League Baseball these days, adding some needed levity to a game that can take itself a little too seriously at times. By Will Graves. UPCOMING: 1,350 words, photos.
BBN–DIAMONDBACKS-NATIONALS
Arizona plays Washington at Nationals Park. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos. By Patrick Stevens.
CAR–NASCAR-KOBAYASHI DEBUT
LE MANS, France — One of the top sports car racers in the world will make his NASCAR debut when Kamui Kobayashi drives for Toyota on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course in August. Kobayashi will drive for 23XI Racing. The team is owned by Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan. By Auto Racing Writer Jenna Fryer. SENT: 850 words, photos.
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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
Young borrowers weigh budgets as student loans loom
Protesters want answers after neighbor shoots Fla. mom
Nation’s capital clouded by Canadian wildfire smoke
Pence launches 2024 White House campaign in video
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AUDIO
Canada wildfires are leading to air-quality alerts in US. Here’s how to stay safe
Rishi Sunak goes to Washington with Ukraine, economy and AI on agenda for Biden meeting
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum launches long-shot bid for 2024 GOP presidential nomination
Florida grand jury involved in Trump documents probe by Justice Dept., AP source says
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U.S. STORIES
VOTING RIGHTS ACT-VOICES — People at the epicenter of the fight for voting rights six decades ago are reflecting on the times and their struggles. As the U.S. awaits a Supreme Court decision on whether the Voting Rights Act will be reinforced or further eroded, they say they’re certain their struggles were worth it. Their stories from the front lines of history recount tragedies, racism, oppression and ultimately hope. Ten years ago, the Supreme Court halted the Justice Department’s ability to enforce the Voting Rights Act in states and counties with a history of voter suppression. The justices will decide how strongly to protect minority groups when they challenge political boundaries drawn through redistricting. SENT: 770 words, photos, video.
RICHMOND SHOOTING — Police say a gunman who opened fire minutes after a high school graduation in Richmond, Virginia, targeted an 18-year-old graduate he had a long-running dispute with. Eighteen-year-old Shawn Jackson and his father, Lorenzo Smith, were both killed Tuesday in the shooting. The gunfire sent hundreds fleeing in panic outside the state capital’s city-owned Altria Theater after the graduation ceremony for Huguenot High School. Five other people were wounded. Richmond Interim Police Chief Rick Edwards says the shooting suspect, 19-year-old Amari Pollard, knew Jackson. He said the two had been embroiled in a dispute for more than a year. Edwards said the nature of the dispute is still being investigated. SENT: 530 words, photos, video, audio.
NEIGHBOR SHOOTING-FLORIDA — The Marion County Sheriff’s Office says a white Florida woman accused of fatally shooting her Black neighbor last week has been arrested. It was a violent culmination of what the sheriff described as a 2½-year feud. Fifty-eight-year-old Susan Louise Lorincz was arrested Tuesday on charges of manslaughter, assault and more in the death of Ajike Owens. Authorities came under pressure Tuesday to arrest and charge the white woman who fired through her front door and killed a Black neighbor in a case that has put Florida’s divisive stand your ground law back into the spotlight. Jail records did not list a lawyer who could speak on Lorincz’s behalf. SENT: 1,090 words, photos, audio.
CONGRESS-HOUSE REPUBLICANS — Eleven House conservatives have staged a mini-revolt as part of the fallout from last week’s vote to lift the debt ceiling. They tanked GOP leadership’s efforts to proceed Tuesday on a mix of legislative priorities. The passage of the debt ceiling bill was hailed by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and other members of GOP leadership, but dozens of GOP lawmakers voted against the measure, saying it didn’t do enough to restrict spending. Their dissatisfaction about the process spilled over into votes Tuesday on a measure establishing the rules for debate on various GOP priorities, which are now stuck until the impasse is resolved. SENT: 980 words, photo.
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