All in Politics
In an Emergency Meeting of the Lenoir County Commissioners held at the Cooperative Extension Office, the Commissioners unanimously approved removing the Confederate monument from the Visitor's Center to the Wil King Memorial Site. The motion was made by Commissioner Eric Rouse and seconded by Commissioner J. Mac Daughety. The board unanimously approved the motion.
Neuse News Correspondent Catherine Hardee will file a report shortly.
Governor Roy Cooper and North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen yesterday announced that North Carolina will remain in Safer at Home Phase 2 for three more weeks. Cooper also announced that face coverings must be worn when people are in public places as officials seek to stabilize concerning trends of increasing viral spread.
The Lenoir County Commissioners will meet Thursday to discuss the Confederate statue at the Kinston-Lenoir County Visitors Center. Commissioners say plans were already in the works to relocate the statue, but public statements by Kinston Mayor Dontario Hardy regarding the statue required them to call the emergency meeting.
Under Governor Cooper’s new Executive Order, which is effective on Friday at 5:00 pm, North Carolina will extend Phase 2 for three more weeks (through July 17) and will require customers of retail businesses to wear face coverings. Citations shall be written only to businesses or organizations that fail to enforce the requirement to wear Face Coverings. Law enforcement personnel are not authorized to criminally enforce the Face Covering requirements of this Executive Order against individual workers, customers, or patrons.
The North Carolina Senate on Friday passed the No Patient Left Alone Act, which allows hospitalized patients to designate one visitor who would be permitted access to their room in accordance with a hospital's visitation rules and limitations. The measure is in response to heartbreaking stories of loved ones being left to die alone in a hospital room as their spouses and family members are denied entry to the building.
The JUSTICE Act was introduced in the Senate by Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) on Wednesday, June 17, 2020. On Thursday, June 18, 2020, Congressman Pete Stauber (MN-08) introduced the Just and Unifying Solutions to Invigorate Communities Everywhere (JUSTICE) Act in the House of Representatives. Congressman Greg Murphy, M.D. (NC-03) is an original co-sponsor of the legislation.
Kinston Mayor Don Hardy issued a mandatory face covering order to include parking lots, grocery stores, pharmacies, sidewalks and more Sunday afternoon. “All persons who are present within the jurisdiction of the City of Kinston are required to wear a clean face covering…The intent of this declaration is to encourage voluntary compliance with the requirements established herein by businesses and persons within the City of Kinston.” The declaration is effective on Tuesday, June 23 at 5:00 p.m. with no definitive end date.
The Kinston City Council approved an operating budget for the next fiscal year that did not include the previously proposed raise. The Council also voted Monday night to allow Lions Water Adventure, Holloway pool, and the Fairfield Park splash pad to open on June 20.
I want to talk mainly today about the effort underway to increase the use of traditional mail-in absentee ballots, but first let's recognize Father's Day, which is on this coming Sunday, June 21. President Johnson became the first president to officially honor fathers in 1966, and six years later, in 1972, President Nixon successfully established Father's Day as a national holiday.
Former and current members of the city council do not support a proposed raise for the Kinston mayor and city council, which will be voted on Monday evening.
The proposed budget for next year anticipates steep drops in revenue. It eliminates capital outlay and calls for positions to remain unfilled while raising the possibility of employee furloughs if revenues drop more than expected. Under the proposed budget, city council members and the mayor would receive a raise.
Governor Roy Cooper signed Executive Order No. 142 to extend the prohibition of utility shut-offs and implement a moratorium on evictions. The Order went into effect on Saturday with the Governor’s signature.
Governor Roy Cooper: “Across the state, we saw a pattern in some of our cities. Protests and demonstrations held earlier in the day remained focused, powerful and nonviolent. Then as the night set in, a different crowd shifted to a more aggressive, more disruptive display…Storefront windows & government buildings were damaged. Retail stores were looted. Small businesses already struggling under COVID-19 were damaged. I communicated with some of them today and people were out there helping them today. Fires burned.”
“African American and Hispanic communities make up a disproportionate number of our state’s lab-confirmed cases and deaths compared with their percentage of the population. And we must focus on how we can identify these disparities, and most importantly, work to fix them.”
Dwayne Patterson will serve as the Deputy Director/Chief Operating Officer for NCPRO. A Kinston native, Patterson most recently served as Director of the Division of State Parks and Recreation.
Today, Governor Roy Cooper and Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services were joined by North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association (NCRLA) President and CEO Lynn Minges to highlight Count on Me NC, a free online training program to help restaurants, hotels and other businesses learn the best ways to protect customers and employees from COVID-19.
I've worked to build a reputation as a reasonable, consensus-seeking legislator. These public thoughts are probably the heaviest I've delivered, but I believe they are warranted.
Local representatives are concerned with the slow pace of reopening. Included are statements from Rep. John Bell, Sen. Jim Perry and Rep. Chris Humphrey.
Governor Roy Cooper’s office released a Frequently Asked Questions 10-page document related to Executive Order 141 on Wednesday afternoon. NCDHHS simultaneously Phase 2 Guidance for restaurants, places of worship, large venue settings, retail businesses, salons, pools, tattoo parlors, day camps, overnight camps and childcare facilities. Find links to both the FAQ’s and the Guidance here.
On Wednesday afternoon, Governor Roy Cooper announced that Phase 2 will begin on Friday at 5:00 pm. Phase 2 impacts retail businesses, restaurants, barbershops and beauty salons, grooming, tatoo parlors, indoor and outdoor pools, childcare facilities, day camps and overnight camps, mass gatherings, parks and more.
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