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This information is not for publication or broadcast, and these coverage plans are subject to change.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.
NORTH CAROLINA
ELECTION 2024-NORTH CAROLINA-McHENRY
RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina Rep. Patrick McHenry, who presided temporarily over the U.S. House for three intense weeks while Republicans struggled to elect a permanent speaker after Kevin McCarthy’s ouster, announced on Tuesday that he won’t seek reelection to his seat next year. McHenry, who was first elected to the House in 2004 at age 29, unveiled his surprise decision as candidate filing started this week in North Carolina. By Gary Robertson. SENT: 440 words. UPCOMING: 700 words by 3 p.m.
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SOUTH CAROLINA
OFFICER ARRESTED-SOUTH CAROLINA
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Body camera video of a deputy who was fired and arrested in South Carolina shows him punching a man several times in the head after a car chase. The man is knocked briefly unconscious and the officer asks after handcuffing him if he enjoyed his nap. Charleston County deputy James “Hank” Carter III is charged with misdemeanor assault and battery and misconduct in office. The body camera shows the officer chased the man in his cruiser for nearly 10 minutes at high speed. The chase continues on foot until the man trips. He’s seen kneeling with his hands at his side when Carter reaches him and punches him. By Jeffrey Collins. SENT: 630 words.
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VIRGINIA
HOUSE EXPLOSION VIRGINIA
ARLINGTON, Va. — Officials are investigating the circumstances surrounding a massive explosion that destroyed a duplex and shook a Virginia suburb of Washington, D.C. Police said early Tuesday that a suspect in the home fired a flare gun 30 to 40 times into the neighborhood on Monday afternoon, drawing a large police response. Arlington County, Virginia, police say they obtained a search warrant and tried to contact the suspect, but he remained inside his home. When police attempted to execute a warrant, the suspect fired several rounds inside the home and the house subsequently exploded. Police say all officers escaped serious injury, but it was unclear what happened to the suspect. By Matthew Barakat. SENT: 520 words, photos, video, audio.
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MARYLAND/DELAWARE
TRANSPORTATION FUNDING-MARYLAND
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s administration is proposing about $3.3 billion in spending reductions in the state’s six-year transportation budget plan that will affect highway construction, transit service and hike airport parking costs to help address a deficit, the state’s transportation secretary said Tuesday. By Brian Witte.
FBI SURVEILLANCE
WASHINGTON — FBI Director Christopher Wray is making a fresh pitch for the reauthorization of a U.S. government surveillance tool set to expire at the end of the year. He warned lawmakers at a Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday that there would be “devastating” consequences for public safety if the program is allowed to lapse. At issue is Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which allows the U.S. government to collect without a warrant the communications of targeted foreigners outside the United States. The program was created in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and is due to expire at the end of this month unless Congress votes to reauthorize it. By Eric Tucker. SENT: 610 words, photo.
EDUCATION-EMERGENCY PETITIONS
SALISBURY, Md. — Three times a week, on average, a police car pulls up to a school in Wicomico County on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. A student is brought out, handcuffed and placed inside for transport to a hospital emergency room for a psychiatric evaluation. The state law that allows for these removals, known as emergency petitions, is meant to be limited to people with severe mental illness, those who are endangering their own lives or safety or someone else’s. But advocates say schools across the country are sending children to the emergency room for psychiatric evaluations in response to behaviors like bullying or frustration over assignments. By Annie Ma of The Associated Press and Meredith Kolodner of The Hechinger Report. SENT: 2,190 words, photos.
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LOCALIZATION
US-EDUCATION-VIRTUAL COUNSELING-LOCALIZE IT: As schools across the U.S. grapple with the student mental health crisis, the use of telehealth therapy for K-12 students has skyrocketed. Video counseling at school was never an option before the pandemic but is now so prevalent it exists in 16 of the 20 largest U.S. school districts. The rapid rise reflects the pressure schools face to address the crisis amid a shortage of counselors at a time of unprecedented federal education spending on mental health. We offer suggestions for reporting this story in your own district. Find the latest Localize It guides.
US-FEDERAL FUNDING-FERRIES-LOCALIZE IT: The Biden administration announced Thursday it will issue $220 million in grants to modernize the country’s ferry systems and replace some aging vessels with electric boats. Twelve ferry operators across nine states and territories will receive grants. We link to the grant details and offer localization tips. Find the latest Localize It guides.
US–INVASIVE-CARP-LOCALIZE IT: State and federal agencies have spent millions of dollars to stop the spread of invasive carp still threatening the health of waters in the upper Midwest, including a recent data-backed effort using transmitters to track individual fish and net large numbers of them. We offer resources and suggestions for pursuing this story locally. Find the latest Localize It guides.
US-EPA-LEAD-AND-COPPER-LOCALIZE IT: Most U.S. cities will have to replace all of their lead water pipes within 10 years under a new Biden administration plan. It’s the most significant strengthening of lead regulations in more than three decades — since the original comprehensive lead rules were enacted in 1991. We offer additional context, reporting tips and details on some of the funding available. Find the latest Localize It guides.
HOMELESSNESS-ENCAMPMENT SWEEPS-LOCALIZE IT: More cities across the U.S. are cracking down on homeless tent encampments that have grown more visible and become unsafe. Homeless people and their advocates say encampment sweeps are cruel and costly, but government officials say it’s unacceptable to let encampments fester. We offer tips for localizing the story including how to request data on the number of sweeps. Find the latest Localize It guides.
COP28–EXTREME HEAT-LOCALIZE IT: Cities across the United States and around the world are grappling with ways to protect people from extreme heat as global warming pushes temperatures higher each year. In the shadow of the United Nations COP28 climate change conference happening now in Dubai, much work is already being done in attempts to ease extreme heat at the ground level in U.S. communities. We describe some of these efforts, offer suggestions for local reporting and link to AP coverage plans. Find the latest Localize It guides.
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AUDIO
Zelenskyy to address US senators by video as White House pushes Congress to support aid for Ukraine
An explosion leveled a home in Arlington, Virginia, as officers tried serve a search warrant
To phase out or phase down fossil fuels? That is the question at COP28 climate talks
Detroit on track to record fewest homicides since 1966, officials say
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TOP STORIES
ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS – Israel says its troops have entered Gaza’s second-largest city as intensified bombardment sends streams of ambulances and cars racing to hospitals with wounded and dead Palestinians. The military says its forces are “in the heart” of Khan Younis, which has emerged as the first target in the expanded ground offensive into southern Gaza. Israel says it aims is to destroy Hamas. Military officials describe the fighting as the most intense since the ground offensive began more than five weeks ago. Heavy firefights are also taking place in northern Gaza. By Wafaa Shurafa, Jack Jeffery and Samy Magdy. SENT: 1,280 words, photos, video, audio. WITH: ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS-LIVE UPDATES.
ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS-NIR OZ – The recent release of dozens of Israeli hostages is bringing new focus on the Hamas rampage through the kibbutz of Nir Oz. In Nir Oz, Palestinian fighters roamed unopposed for hours. By the time Israeli soldiers arrived, the militants were gone and they’d taken some 80 residents hostage — about a fifth of the community’s population. By Lori Hinnant and Sam McNeil. SENT: 2,400 words, photos. An abridged version is also available. See MORE ON ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS below.
COP28-CLIMATE-SUMMIT – After days of shaving off the edges of key warming issues, climate negotiators Tuesday are zeroing in on the tough job of dealing with the main cause of what’s overheating the planet: fossil fuels. As scientists, activists and United Nations officials repeatedly detailed how the world needs to phase-out the use of coal, oil and natural gas, the United Arab Emirates-hosted conference opened “energy transition day” with a session headlined by top officials of two oil companies. By Seth Borenstein and Sibi Arasu. SENT: 1,060 words, photos. See MORE ON COP28 CLIMATE SUMMIT below.
ELECTION 2024-BIDEN – President Joe Biden has arrived in Boston to schmooze with donors at three events as he spends most of this week fundraising for his reelection campaign. One of the Boston events features a concert by singer-songwriter James Taylor. On Friday, Biden will hit Los Angeles for his first fundraisers there since actors and screenwriters ended their strikes. The Democratic president also has fundraisers in Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia. The burst of fundraising comes as the holiday season sets in and as candidates make their final pushes to raise money before the fundraising quarter ends. By Darlene Superville. SENT: 650 words, photo, audio. Developing.
EDUCATION-EMERGENCY PETITIONS – Last year, children were handcuffed and sent to a hospital emergency room for a psychiatric evaluation at least 117 times from schools in Wicomico County, on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The state law that allows for these removals is meant to be limited to people with severe mental illness, who are endangering their own lives or safety or someone else’s. But advocates say schools nationwide are using the practice in response to behaviors prompted by bullying or frustration over assignments. By Annie Ma and Meredith Kolodner. SENT: 2,190 words, photos.
SUPREME COURT-WEALTH TAX – The Supreme Court is taking up a case over a Washington couple’s $15,000 tax bill that is widely seen as a test of a never-enacted tax on wealth. Arguments are being heard Tuesday. A decision in favor of Charles and Kathleen Moore of Redmond, Washington, could strike down a provision of the 2017 tax bill that is expected to bring in $340 billion, threaten other provisions of the tax code and rule out a wealth tax that is favored by some Democrats who argue that the wealthiest Americans don’t pay their fair share of taxes. By Mark Sherman. SENT: 470 words, photo. Developing.
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