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
ABORTION-NORTH CAROLINA
GREENSBORO, N.C. — A federal judge will consider Wednesday a request by Planned Parenthood and a physician to block enforcement of portions of a new abortion law that take effect this weekend, including a ban on most abortions after 12 weeks. But legislative leaders who helped pass the law say a bill on Gov. Roy Cooper’s desk that revises provisions cited in the litigation makes a temporary restraining order unnecessary. By Gary Robertson. UPCOMING: 500 words by 2 p.m.
SUPREME COURT-NC SKIRT CASE
One of the mothers who successfully sued a North Carolina charter school over its requirement that girls wear skirts says she always knew she’d prevail. Bonnie Peltier told The Associated Press the skirts requirement was obviously “a ridiculous thing to ask a girl to do.” On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court denied a request by Charter Day School to review its skirt requirement. That left in place a lower court ruling that had struck down the dress code on equal protection grounds. The Supreme Court’s denial was a significant win for those who’ve long held that charter schools are public institutions. But experts say the debate over whether privately run charter schools can forgo constitutional protections is far from settled. By Ben Finley. SENT: 860 words, photo.
DELTA FLIGHT-ROUGH LANDING
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Officials say a Delta flight landed roughly but safely at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport on Wednesday without part of its landing gear extended. The airport says in a tweet that the runway was closed following a mechanical issue with Delta Air Lines. No injuries were reported and all passengers were taken to the terminal. The airport says it was working to remove the aircraft and reopen the runway. Delta says the flight left from Atlanta with 96 passengers, two pilots and three flight attendants and was on its way to Charlotte. Delta says in a statement that safety is a priority and crews train extensively to safely manage through many scenarios and the flight landed safely. By Erik Verduzco and Rebecca Reynolds. SENT: 510 words, photos.
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MARYLAND/DELAWARE
NEWSPAPER SHOOTING-MEMORIAL
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Family members, staff of the Capital Gazette and victims of gun violence hold a wreath-laying ceremony to mark the five-year anniversary of the attack at the newspaper that killed five people. By Brian Witte.
ASBESTOS TOWN
MISSOULA, Mont. — A major railroad company is trying to convince a federal jury that a Montana clinic submitted hundreds of asbestos claims for people who weren’t sick and bilked taxpayer funds. BNSF Railway was earlier found liable for spreading hazardous asbestos that officials say killed hundreds of people in the Montana community of Libby. The new case focuses on the Center For Asbestos Related Disease. The clinic has certified more than 3,400 people with asbestos-related diseases since 2003. BNSF alleges more than half the certifications were based on false medical submissions. The railway shipped asbestos-tainted vermiculite through Libby from a nearby mine for decades. By Matthew Brown and Amy Beth Hanson. SENT: 640 words.
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SPORTS
BBO–REDS-ORIOLES
BALTIMORE — Kyle Gibson of the Orioles takes on Cincinnati’s Luke Weaver in the finale of this three-game series. UPCOMING: 500 words, photos.
BBO–NATIONALS-MARINERS
SEATTLE — After pulling out a victory in the 11th inning, the Washington Nationals can win a second straight series with a victory over the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday afternoon. By Tim Booth. UPCOMING: Game at 1:10 p.m. PT. 600 words.
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LOCALIZATION:
LEFT BEHIND BARS-PELL GRANTS: Thousands more inmates will graduate with college degrees as the federal government increases Pell Grants for those behind bars. At California’s Folsom Prison, the programs are lifechanging for those who get the degrees. We share a report with state enrollment numbers and demographic data and offer tips for localizing the story. Find the latest Localize It guides.
BROADBAND-STATES-LOCALIZE IT: The Biden distribution’s plan for sending $42.5 billion in federal grant money to the states in the push to bring broadband connectivity to every household in the U.S. includes accountability measures and gives the states a six-month window to submit plans to distribute the money. We point you to broadband and funding maps and offer suggestions for localizing the story. Find the latest Localize It guides.
DISPOSABLE E-CIGARETTES: The number of different electronic cigarette devices sold in the U.S. has nearly tripled to over 9,000 since 2020, driven almost entirely by a wave of unauthorized disposable vapes from China, according to tightly controlled sales data obtained by The Associated Press. We provide resources and tips for localizing the story. Find the latest Localize It guides.
RAIL SAFETY-STATES-LOCALIZE IT: Spurred on by train derailments, some states crisscrossed by busy freight railroads aren’t waiting for federal action to improve safety and are pursuing their own remedies amid industry opposition and questions about whether states even have that authority. Legislatures in at least a dozen states have advanced measures in recent weeks, including some in states that have witnessed disruptive derailments. We provide details on legislative action in individual states and resources for localizing the story. Find the latest Localize It guides.
WILDFIRES-COMMUNITIES-LOCALIZE IT: As the Biden administration tries to turn the tide on worsening wildfires in the U.S. West through a multi-billion dollar cleanup of forests choked with dead trees and undergrowth, federal land managers already have fallen behind on several of their priority forests for thinning — underscoring the challenge of reversing decades of lax forest management and aggressive fire suppression. We provide a list of the priority landscapes and which states they’re located in, along with resources for localizing the story. Find the latest Localize It guides.
SMALL BUSINESS-FARMERS MARKETS-LOCALIZE IT: During the pandemic, farmers markets were a haven for customers and vendors. The markets are now building on that goodwill. We offer tips for localizing the story. Find the latest Localize It guides.
CENSUS-ESTIMATES-RACE-LOCALIZE IT: Without immigration, the white population in the U.S. would have declined last year. Immigration also propelled the expansion of the Asian population, which was the fastest-growing race or ethnic group in the U.S. Births outpacing deaths helped propel growth in Hispanic, Black, tribal and Hawaiian populations. Population estimates released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau show what drove changes in different race, ethnic and age groups last year. We provide tips for localizing this story to your community. Find the latest Localize It guides.
ABORTION-LOCALIZE IT: A year after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, abortion policy has changed in most states. Bans on abortion throughout pregnancy — with some exceptions — are now in place in 14 states. Deep restrictions have been adopted in others, while most Democrat-controlled states have taken steps to protect access. We provide tips for covering the anniversary of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization in your states and communities. Find the latest Localize It guides.
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VIDEO
Daniel Penny pleads not guilty in chokehold death
Grants help prisoners get college degrees
Arizona Native American site at risk from mining
Unauthorized vapes continue to enter US despite FDA rules
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AUDIO
Airline delays and cancellations are bad. Ahead of the holiday weekend, they’re getting worse
Former Marine Daniel Penny to be arraigned in NYC subway chokehold death of Jordan Neely
Hate crimes rose 20.2% in California in 2022
Stock market today: Wall Street pulls back from its rally a day before
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U.S. STORIES
CANADA WILDFIRES-AIR QUALITY-GREAT LAKES — The Detroit area has some of the worst air quality in the United States as smoke from Canada’s wildfires spreads southward. More than half of Canada’s wildfires are burning out of control. Haze has settled over most of the Great Lakes region while unhealthy air has moved as far south as Kentucky and Missouri. The Environmental Protection Agency’s AirNow.gov site showed Detroit in the “hazardous” range Wednesday and warned that “everyone should stay indoors and reduce activity levels.” National Weather Service meteorologist Byran Jackson says the smoke will spread eastward Wednesday into West Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York. SENT: 740 words, photos, video, audio.
250th ANNIVERSARY — The United States is about to start the countdown to its 250th anniversary. The buildup begins this July 4 at a Major League Baseball game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Chicago Cubs at American Family Field in Milwaukee, where the organization created by Congress to oversee the party will kick off the planning process. It comes as the nation remains riven by partisan political fighting, with the shadow of the 2024 presidential election between it and its 2026 anniversary party. But the nation’s bicentennial celebrations in 1976 also took place during a tumultuous time and were widely considered a unifying force. SENT: 400 words, photo.
SUBWAY CHOKEHOLD DEATH — A U.S. Marine veteran has pleaded not guilty to second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide in the fatal chokehold of a man who was behaving erratically on a New York City subway train. Daniel Penny was initially charged with second-degree manslaughter in the May 1 death of Jordan Neely. Neely was shouting and begging for money when Penny pinned him to the floor with the help of two other passengers and held him in a chokehold. Neely lost consciousness during the struggle and was pronounced dead at a hospital. Penny has said he acted to protect himself and others from Neely, who he says was threatening passengers. He was arraigned Wednesday on a grand jury indictment on updated charges. SENT: 440 words, photos, audio.
SCI-EXTREME RAIN — A new study says climate change is turning major snowfalls into more extreme rain over mountains, somehow worsening both dangerous flooding like the type that devastated Pakistan last year and long-term water shortages. Using rain and snow measurements since 1950 and computer simulations for future climate, U.S. government scientists calculate that for every degree Fahrenheit the world warms, extreme rainfall at higher elevation increases by 8%. That’s because more of the heavy precipitation that in previous years would have fallen as snow is now coming down as rain. It’s likely to be a big problem for long-term water storage in the American West. SENT: 790 words, photos.
SUPREME COURT ELECTIONS — The U.S. Supreme Court has shot down a legal theory that could’ve changed the way elections are run across the country. But the court has left the door open to more limited challenges that could increase its role in deciding voting disputes during the 2024 presidential election. The court’s 6-3 ruling Tuesday drove a stake through the most extreme version of the so-called independent state legislature theory, which holds that legislatures have absolute power in setting the rules of federal elections. But the court didn’t settle the question of when state courts need to stay out of federal elections. The issue may only get resolved in a last-minute challenge during the presidential election. SENT: 1,030 words, photos.
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