All in Politics

As students return to school, North Carolina to remain paused in Phase 2

Governor Roy Cooper today announced that North Carolina will remain paused in Safer At Home Phase 2 for another 5 weeks as students and staff return to schools, colleges and universities and the state doubles down on efforts to decrease COVID-19 numbers.

โ€œOther states that lifted restrictions quickly have had to go backward as their hospital capacity ran dangerously low and their cases jumped higher. We will not make that mistake in North Carolina,โ€ said Governor Cooper.

Gov. Cooper files motion to dismiss Town of La Grange lawsuit

On May 8 the Town of La Grange filed a lawsuit against Gov. Cooper in Superior Court requesting a declaratory judgment that one of his Executive Orders violated N.C.G.S. 159B-22. The Town asserts the order unlawfully interferes with the ability of utility service providers to exercise their own discretion and judgment in collecting charges for utility services provided to their customers. Governor Roy Cooper submitted a brief in opposition to the Townโ€™s motion for a preliminary injunction and in support of his motion to dismiss the amended complaint.

Governor Cooper vetoes 2nd Amendment Protection Act

Raleigh, N.C. โ€“ Most North Carolina churches can choose to allow handguns on their private property today. Due to a loophole in the law, churches who also operate private schools get lumped into the definition of a โ€œschoolโ€ even on weekends, and they lose that right. House Bill 652 applied to non public schools only and provided a technical correction clarifying that a church caught in this situation could allow handguns on their property during non school hours, if they chose to do so. Governor Cooper vetoed this legislation on July 2nd.

Enforcing Governor Cooper's Executive Order mandating face coverings

In an executive order announced on Wednesday, Gov. Roy Cooper extended Phase 2 of reopening North Carolina until July 17 and made face coverings mandatory in public. The mask requirements take effect Friday, June 26 at 5 p.m. In a recent Facebook post, Jones County Sheriff Danny Heath stated, โ€œNO, I will not be enforcing the wearing of face masks! Be careful and responsible and make your own decision.โ€

NC News: Lt. Gov. Forest to sue Gov. Cooper over the Emergency Management Act

Lt. Gov. Dan Forest (R), also a candidate for Governor, issued a letter to Gov. Roy Cooper (D) and a statement today notifying him that โ€œas a member of the Council of State, I will be suing his administration for violating the Emergency Management Act.โ€ In his letter, he references several Executive Orders enacted by the governor without consent of a majority of the Council of State. โ€œThe North Carolina Constitution does not create a unitary executive, but rather disburses executive power throughout the Council of State.โ€

Commissioners unanimously approve Confederate monument removal from Visitor's Center to Wil King Memorial Site

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 Cooper extends Phase 2 and requires face coverings

Under Governor Cooperโ€™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.

Senate passes "No Patient Left Alone Act"

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.