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
ELECTION 2024-GOVERNOR
RALEIGH, N.C. — Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson’s campaign says it raised $2.2 million during the first half of the year in his 2024 bid for governor. But he’s behind Democratic candidate and current Attorney General Josh Stein in the early search for electoral dollars. Campaign finance reports are due July 28 to state elections officials, but announced candidates have provided fundraising previews. Stein’s campaign said this week that it would report raising almost $6 million. Robinson’s chief Republican primary rivals so far are U.S. Rep. Mark Walker and State Treasurer Dale Folwell. Walker got in the race in May. His campaign said it raised $550,000. Folwell didn’t immediately have a fundraising total. SENT: 300 words.
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SOUTH CAROLINA
ELECTION 2024-DESANTIS-SOUTH CAROLINA
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis plans to file his 2024 candidacy for South Carolina’s Republican presidential primary when he visits the first-in-the-South voting state next week. He’ll become the first GOP hopeful to file in the state. DeSantis’ campaign told The Associated Press that he will sign his paperwork at the state GOP headquarters in Columbia on Tuesday. DeSantis will make his candidacy official during his third campaign swing through South Carolina, where Republican hopefuls have been stumping for more than a year already. After he signs his candidacy paperwork, DeSantis plans to make a policy rollout in Columbia. By Meg Kinnard. SENT: 320 words, photo.
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MARYLAND/DELAWARE
BLADENSBURG-MARYLAND-SHOOTING
BLADENSBURG, Md. — Police are investigating a shooting in a Maryland suburb of the nation’s capital that shut down area roads Friday afternoon. SENT: 120 words. Will be updated.
BIDEN-CLEAN ENERGY
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is making available $20 billion from a federal “green bank” for clean energy projects such as residential heat pumps, electric vehicle charging stations and community cooling centers. Two programs, worth $14 billion and $6 billion, respectively, will offer competitive grants to nonprofits and other groups to invest in clean energy projects, with a focus on disadvantaged communities. Vice President Kamala Harris, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan and other officials will announce the grant competitions Friday at a historically black university in Baltimore. Congress created the green bank, formally known as the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, in last year’s climate law. By Matthew Daly. SENT: 750 words, photos.
BRITAIN SPACEY
LONDON — Kevin Spacey has denied that grabbing men by the crotch was his “trademark” pickup move. The Hollywood star got increasingly testy under questioning on Friday by the prosecutor who accused him of sexually assaulting four men. The 63-year-old Oscar winner has pleaded not guilty to charges, including sexual and indecent assault. Spacey’s stellar film, television and stage career went into a spiral in 2017 as the #MeToo movement gained momentum and a fellow actor accused him of sexually inappropriate behavior. Spacey says he never sexually assaulted three men, saying two of them had shared consensual encounters with him. He said crotch-grabbing allegations by a fourth was just a “clumsy pass.” By Brian Melley. SENT: 800 words, photos, audio.
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SPORTS
BBO–MARLINS-ORIOLES
BALTIMORE — The Marlins and Orioles — two of the season’s big success stories so far — return from the All-Star break with a three-game series at Camden Yards. By Baseball Writer Noah Trister. UPCOMING: 600 words, photos. Game starts at 7:05 p.m. ET.
BBN–NATIONALS-CARDINALS
Washington plays St. Louis at Busch Stadium. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos.
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LOCALIZATION
MASS KILLINGS DATABASE-LOCALIZE IT: An analysis by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University involved tracking all mass killings in the country since 2006 and compiling the results into a database, which is available for your reporting use. Find the latest Localize It guides.
SUPREME COURT-ETHICS-LOCALIZE IT: Records obtained by The Associated Press show that Supreme Court justices attended publicly funded events at colleges and universities that allowed the schools to put the justices in the room with influential donors, including some whose industries have had interests before the court. The AP’s investigation also found that justices lent the prestige of their position to partisan activity and advanced personal interests such as book sales. The court says ethical guidelines were followed. We provide a list of institutions included in AP’s published reporting and tips for pursuing reporting and record requests for visits by justices in your area. Find the latest Localize It guides.
With:
Audio Localize It guide PART ONE
Audio Localize It guide PART TWO
WORLD CUP-LOCALIZE IT: America’s star-studded women’s World Cup team has community ties from coast to coast. We list them for you and include players with U.S. ties from some other teams as well. We also point you to local club resources for potential watch parties and other events and link to AP’s planned coverage. Find the latest Localize It guides.
LOCALIZE IT-LEFT BEHIND LEAD: Many cities have been excavating and revealing lead pipes as they do work on water mains, then reburying them, an investigation by the Associated Press has found. The practice has been common. But the city of Detroit, which went through bankruptcy, shows that cities didn’t have to make a choice that risks lead poisoning for another generation of young children. Detroit decided to dig up all of its lead pipes. Some cities say there are financial or social obstacles to removing all lead pipes, and that some homeowners don’t want city workers on their property. But people who study lead poisoning, which can deprive children of cognitive abilities, call the practice of leaving them in the ground immoral. We offer details on lead pipes per state and tips for finding out the status of lead pipe removal in your community. Find the latest Localize It guides.
DISUNITED METHODISTS-LOCALIZE IT: More than 6,000 United Methodist congregations — a fifth of the U.S. total — have received permission to leave the denomination, according to the latest tally in a long-running schism over theology and the role of LGBTQ persons. Most of those departures, which began with a trickle in 2019, occurred this year during a just-completed round of meetings of the denomination’s regional governing bodies. Many of the departing congregations are joining the new, more conservative Global Methodist Church. We offer details on congregations that are leaving and tips for localizing the story. Find the latest Localize It guides.
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VIDEO
AP Source: Architect ID’d as suspect in NY killings
Blistering heat wave spreads to California
Jefferies slams ‘irresponsible’ GOP defense bill
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AUDIO
One-third of Americans under heat alerts as blistering weather spreads from Southwest to California
Suspect taken into custody in Long Island serial killings, AP source says
Kevin Spacey denies that crotch-grabbing was his ‘trademark’ pickup move
Online, ‘unalive’ means death or suicide. Experts say it might help kids discuss those things
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U.S. STORIES
MASS KILLINGS-SIX MONTHS — Unrelenting bloodshed across the U.S. this year has led to the grimmest of milestones: The deadliest six months of mass killings recorded since at least 2006. From Jan. 1 to June 30, the nation endured 28 mass killings, all but one of which involved guns. The death toll rose just about every week, a constant cycle of violence and grief. A mass killing is defined as an occurrence when four or more people are slain, not including the assailant, within a 24-hour period. SENT: 1,010 words, photos, audio.
LONG ISLAND SERIAL KILLINGS — A suspect has been taken into custody on New York’s Long Island in connection with a long-unsolved string of killings known as the Gilgo Beach murders. A law enforcement source has identified him as Rex Heuermann, an architect who lives across the bay from where some of the bodies were found. The deaths of 11 people whose remains were found in 2010 and 2011 along a New York Beach Highway have long stumped investigators. SENT: 750 words, photos. Developing.
ENT-HOLLYWOOD STRIKES — Some of the nation’s top movie stars could be on the picket lines as striking screen actors protest alongside writers on the first full day of a walkout that has become Hollywood’s biggest labor fight in decades. SENT: 550 words, video, photos. Developing.
THE RISE OF UNALIVE — The word “unalive” to refer to death by suicide or homicide was coined by social media users to fool algorithms on sites and apps that censor posts containing violent content. Language has always evolved, and new words have always popped up. In this case, words were created within a digital setting to evade rules and are now permeating spoken language, especially among young people. That raises questions about how kids can safely discuss and understand serious matters like suicide and rape while using a vocabulary that science and the adults around them might see as too casual or naive. SENT: 950 words, photos.
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