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This information is not for publication or broadcast, and these coverage plans are subject to change.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
ABORTION
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Supreme Court has decided that the state’s abortion ban doesn’t violate Indiana’s constitution. The court’s Friday decision removes a major hurdle to enforcing the abortion ban Republicans approved last summer. A county judge had blocked enforcement in September, saying the state constitution’s liberty rights include deciding whether or not to have children. Indiana was the first state to enact tighter abortion restrictions, taking action in August after the U.S. Supreme Court eliminated federal protections by overturning Roe v. Wade. Indiana’s ban still faces a separate challenge over claims it violates the state’s 2015 religious freedom law. By Tom Davies. SENT: 760 words, photos.
____
SOUTH CAROLINA
SUPREME COURT-COLLEGE CASES-RACE
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court has struck down both student loan forgiveness and affirmative action in college admissions. Activists say that could send an ominous signal to millions of people of color — that conservative critics have succeeded in erecting more roadblocks to racial equality in America. To many observers, the efforts to roll back two policies that disproportionately help Black students and other students of color reflect a backlash to racial progress in higher education. The rulings could also have political consequences among young voters of color who took President Joe Biden at his word when he promised to cancel debt. By Annie Ma and Aaron Morrison. SENT: 1,150 words, photos, video.
____
VIRGINIA
RACIAL INJUSTICE-SCHOOLS
FALLS CHURCH, Va. — A federal appeals court’s ruling last month about the admissions policy at an elite public high school in Virginia may provide the ideal vehicle for the U.S. Supreme Court to flesh out the intended scope of its ruling Thursday banning affirmative action in college admissions. By Matthew Barakat. UPCOMING: 700 words by 3 p.m.
GENDER DYSPHORIA-DISABILITY LAW
RiCHMOND, Va. — The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday said it will not review a first-of-its-kind ruling from a federal appeals court that found people with gender dysphoria are entitled to the protections of the Americans With Disabilities Act. Advocates for transgender people hailed the decision to leave the ruling in place, but in a scathing dissent, Justice Samuel Alito said the decision “will raise a host of important and sensitive questions” on participation in women’s and girls’ sports, the use of traditional pronouns, and sex-reassignment therapy by physicians who object to such treatment on religious or moral grounds. By AP Legal Affairs Writer Denise Lavoie.
____
MARYLAND/DELAWARE
IN BRIEF: — OFFICERS SHOOT MAN — Baltimore police say officers fatally shot a man who fired on officers pursuing him.
SPORTS
BBA–TWINS-ORIOLES
BALTIMORE — Dean Kremer takes the mound for the Orioles against Minnesota’s Pablo Lopez. By Baseball Writer Noah Trister. UPCOMING: 600 words, photos. Game starts at 7:05 p.m. ET.
BBN–NATIONALS-PHILLIES
Washington plays Philadelphia at Citizens Bank Park. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos.
____
LOCALIZATION:
SUPREME COURT-AFFIRMATIVE ACTION-LOCALIZE IT: The conservative Supreme Court has struck down affirmative action in college admissions and appears poised to overturn Biden’s student loan forgiveness. What does that say to students of color, who have been saddled with outsize student loans and who face more difficult paths to college enrollment? We offer tips for localizing the story. Find the latest Localize It guides.
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.
VIDEO
No charges against rapper in Houston concert crush
Wildfire smoke drives Penn. summer camp indoors
Plans for world’s tallest flag divide Maine town
AUDIO
The Supreme Court rules for a designer who doesn’t want to make wedding websites for gay couples
The Supreme Court rejects Biden’s plan to wipe away $400 billion in student loans
Was your flight canceled due to bad weather? What you need to know about rebooking, refunds and more
Elián González two decades on: From focus of international tug-of-war to member of Cuba’s congress
U.S. STORIES
SUPREME COURT-STUDENT LOANS — A sharply divided Supreme Court has ruled that the Biden administration overstepped its authority in trying to cancel or reduce student loan debts for millions of Americans. Conservative justices were in the majority in Friday’s 6-3 decision that effectively killed the $400 billion plan that President Joe Biden announced last year. Borrowers are on the hook for repayments that are supposed to resume in the fall. SENT: 940 words, photos.
SUPREME COURT-GAY RIGHTS — The Supreme Court’s conservative majority has ruled a Christian graphic artist who wants to design wedding websites can refuse to work with same-sex couples. The decision is a defeat for gay rights. SENT: 790 words, photos, audio.
AMERICA DIVIDED-THE FLAGPOLE TOWN — In the United States, many people view bigger as better. But some residents of a tiny community in Maine are balking at measuring patriotism by the size of a flagpole. Situated at the nation’s eastern tip, Maine’s Down East region is the place where the sunlight first kisses U.S. soil each day. It’s where the vast wilderness and ocean meet. It’s also the place where a patriotic family has proposed the world’s tallest flagpole — one that’d be taller than the Empire State Building, with a huge American flag on top. The proposal was supposed to unite people around the flag and create jobs. Instead, it’s laying bare community and cultural flashpoints. SENT: 1,750 words, video, photos, audio, 980-word abridged version.
SUMMER-EXTREME WEATHER — The nation’s midsection is heading into the July Fourth weekend and instead of enjoying the start of summer people are facing smoky haze, high temperatures and powerful derecho winds that knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of residents. SENT: 640 words, photos.
NEW TO STORYSHARE: SOLUTIONS JOURNALISM NETWORK
Looking for more state news and photos? Sign up to participate in AP StoryShare, an online platform where news organizations from a growing list of states share content.
Besides state and regional news, StoryShare offers distinctive reporting around broad topics such as climate, education and Indigenous affairs. The platform now also has a network devoted to solutions-focused journalism.
Access to StoryShare is free for AP members. For account information, contact Jennifer Lehman at jlehman@ap.org or our team at storyshare@ap.org.
____________________
If you have photos of regional or statewide interest, please send them to the AP state photo center in New York, 888-273-6867. For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact AP Customer Support at apcustomersupport@ap.org or 877-836-9477.
_____________________
Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
