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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This information is not for publication or broadcast, and these coverage plans are subject to change.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.
SOUTH CAROLINA
SENTENCE REDUCED-SOUTH CAROLINA
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A lawyer for a man sent back to prison in South Carolina after a deal reducing his sentence was canceled is asking for the agreement to be restored. Todd Rutherford says he and his client Jeroid Price did nothing wrong. The state Supreme Court sent Price back to jail in April. In a full explanation of its 3-2 ruling issued Wednesday, the court said the prosecutor and judge in the case didn’t hold the required public hearing before reaching the deal. The dissenting justices say the court shouldn’t have rescued the state from its own mistakes. By Jeffrey Collins. SENT: 460 words, photo.
SCOUT MOTORS-SOUTH CAROLINA
BLYTHEWOOD, S.C. — Construction work has been temporarily stopped on a $2 billion new electric vehicle plant in South Carolina being built by a Volkswagen Group-backed group trying to revive a brand that was a 1960s forerunner to today’s SUVs. State and local officials say they need more time to obtain wetland permits to continue clearing land at the Blythewood site for Scout Motors. But they said the pause shouldn’t delay the planned opening of the plant in 2026. Scout Motors still plans presentations with a 3D model of the plant in Blythewood and to answer questions from the public the weekend of Sept. 17-18 in Blythewood.SENT: 250 words.
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MARYLAND/DELAWARE
MARYLAND-PARKING-DISPUTE-SHOOTING
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Lawyers have agreed to a May trial date for a Maryland man facing hate crime charges after authorities said he fatally shot three Latino men and wounded three other people during a parking dispute earlier this year in Annapolis. Charles Robert Smith, who remains in custody, appeared in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court on Thursday. He told an administrative judge that he understood his decision to waive his right to trial in 180 days. The shooting happened on the evening of June 11 during a birthday party when a dispute broke out over a parking issue on a residential street. Attorneys agreed to begin jury selection on May 31, with the trial expected to run until June 17. By Brian Witte. SENT: 280 words.
BALTIMORE MAYOR RACE
BALTIMORE — Former Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon is again running for office after her previous mayoral tenure ended in a criminal conviction. She announced her candidacy Thursday in an op-ed published in The Baltimore Sun. Dixon resigned from office in 2010 after a jury convicted her of embezzling donated gift cards that were intended to be distributed to poor Baltimoreans. This marks her third bid for mayor following two unsuccessful attempts since then. She said her campaign will focus on public safety, city schools and government accountability. Dixon will go up against current Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott in the city’s Democratic primary. Scott is running for a second term. SENT: 460 words, photo.
PRISONER-ESCAPE-PENNSYLVANIA
WEST CHESTER, Pa. — A murderer who made a brazen escape from a suburban Philadelphia jail yard last week remains on the lam. But some schools closed due to the extensive manhunt planned to reopen Thursday, along with a popular tourist attraction that was shuttered when the escapee was spotted on its property. Danelo Souza Cavalcante fled from the Chester County prison on Aug. 31 when he scaled a wall, climbed over razor wire and jumped from a roof in a breakout that wasn’t detected by guards for a full hour. He has since been spotted at least six times, and authorities continue to move and expand their search area, a vast area filled with forests and thick brush. SENT: 450 words, photos, video.
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LOCALIZATION
SPORTS BETTING-LOCALIZE IT: The AP provides a roadmap for localizing our coverage of state spending on problem gambling as the NFL season kicks off Thursday and Kentucky becomes the latest state to legalize sports betting. Find the latest Localize It guides.
DISBANDING POLICE DEPARTMENTS-LOCALIZE IT: The Associated Press has found that at least 12 small towns across the U.S. have disbanded their police departments since 2021. America is in the midst of a severe shortage of police officers due to increasing retirements and resignations, and fewer young people entering police work. While larger departments can get by with fewer officers, many small towns — unable to match the pay and incentives offered by bigger places — can’t find qualified candidates for job openings. As a result, towns are increasingly disbanding their departments and turning over policing to their county sheriff, a neighboring town or state police. We list out the towns by state and offer tips and resources for localizing the story. Find the latest Localize It guides.
SENIORS AT THE TABLE-LOCALIZE IT: Seniors looking for a remedy to the isolation they felt during the height of the pandemic are forming friendships over lunch as they participate in restaurant programs that offer a healthy meal selection in exchange for a small donation. We offer a sampling of programs in about 20 states, resources on how to find other partnerships near you and other tips for localizing the story. Find the latest Localize It guides.
BOOK BANS-LIBRARY ASSOCIATION-LOCALIZE IT: A growing wave of libraries are cutting ties with the American Library Association as the professional group stands up for books some conservatives argued children shouldn’t have access to because of their content. A county library in a deeply conservative part of Wyoming led the way and state libraries in Montana, Missouri, Texas and the local library in Midland, Texas, have since followed suit, with possibly more to come. Right-wing lawmakers in at least nine other states — Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota and Wyoming — are demanding their state libraries cut ties with the ALA. The association has long provided guidance to libraries around the country. We offer tips and resources for localizing the story. Find the latest Localize It guides.
ALTERNATIVE POLICING-MENTAL HEALTH-LOCALIZE IT: The Associated Press has found that 14 of the 20 most populous U.S. cities are experimenting with removing police from certain, non-violent 911 calls and sending behavioral health clinicians. Most programs were launched or expanded in the last few years, riding a groundswell of anger over police killings and nationwide call for reforms. Initiatives in major cities including New York, Los Angeles, Columbus, Ohio, and Houston had combined annual budgets topping $123 million as of June. There’s no aggregate, comprehensive data yet on the programs’ effects, and their scope and public reception vary considerably. We list out the 14 cities with links to some of the programs along with resources and ideas for localizing the story. Find the latest Localize It guides.
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AUDIO
Hundreds of military promotions are on hold as Republican senator demands end to abortion policy
Presidential centers from Hoover to Bush and Obama unite to warn of fragile state of US democracy
The Burning Man party is over. Now a massive cleanup begins
Lainey Wilson leads the 2023 Country Music Award nominations for a second year in a row
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TOP STORIES
DEMOCRACY-PRESIDENTIAL CENTERS — Concern for U.S. democracy has prompted the entities supporting 13 presidential libraries dating back to Herbert Hoover to call for a recommitment to the country’s bedrock principles, including the rule of law and respecting diverse beliefs. Thursday’s bipartisan statement from presidential centers, foundations and institutes marks the first time the libraries have joined to make such a public declaration. SENT: 1,040 words, photos.
SEPT. 11-GROUND ZERO ARTS CENTER — Behind translucent marble walls, workers are putting the final touches on the World Trade Center’s newest component, a theatrical complex envisioned two decades ago as way to bring vibrancy and people to a place that had become synonymous with devastation and mourning. The cultural center is finally arriving at a very different ground zero. It is ringed by new skyscrapers, ensconced in a neighborhood with more residents than it had before the attacks and visited by millions of people a year. SENT: 1,070 words, photos.
SEXUAL MISCONDUCT-DANNY MASTERSON — “That ’70s Show” star Danny Masterson could get 30 years to life in prison at his sentencing for the rapes of two women two decades ago. A Los Angeles judge is set to sentence the 47-year-old actor Thursday. The sentencing will happen after the judge rules on a defense motion for a new trial that she’s likely to reject, and after hearing statements from the victims. SENT: 550 words, photos. Developing.
MIGRANTS-BACK TO SCHOOL — Damien, age 5, was giddy with excitement as he left a Manhattan homeless shelter, sometimes running and skipping along the sidewalk accompanied by his wistful mother, a migrant from Ecuador. “What I want for him is a future,” Kimberly Carchipulla said in Spanish. That is what school officials want, too, as New York City’s classrooms work to accommodate nearly 20,000 migrant children newly arrived in the U.S. — a number that could swell as record numbers of families cross the border from Mexico in hopes of gaining asylum.SENT: 990 words, photos.
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