Hello! Here’s a look at how AP’s general news coverage is shaping up in the Mid-Atlantic, covering North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. 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. AP-Mid-Atlantic News Editor Steve McMillan can be reached at 804-643-6646 or smcmillan@ap.org.
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All times are Eastern.
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TODAY’S TOP STORIES
NORTH CAROLINA
NORTH CAROLINA DEPUTY-SHOOTING
ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. — A North Carolina deputy shot and killed a Black man while serving a search warrant Wednesday, authorities said, spurring an outcry from community members who demanded law enforcement accountability and the immediate release of body camera footage. Authorities wouldn’t provide details of the shooting but an eyewitness said that Andrew Brown Jr. was shot while trying to drive away, and that deputies fired at him multiple times. The car skidded out of Brown’s yard and eventually hit a tree, said Demetria Williams, who lives on the same street. By Gary D. Robertson and Denise Lavoie. SENT: 960 words, AP Photos. Will be updated.
EXCESSIVE FORCE LAWSUIT-LIBRARIAN
RALEIGH, N.C. — A federal lawsuit filed by a Georgia woman claims officers from North Carolina used excessive force during a traffic stop in 2019 when they pulled her from the car by her hair and tore her rotator cuff. The lawsuit filed Wednesday by Stephanie Bottom of Atlanta claims she posed no threat to officers from the Salisbury Police Department and the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office when she was pulled over in May 2019. But they approached her vehicle with guns drawn and later violated her rights by using excessive force, the lawsuit said. SENT: 420 words.
GEORGE FLOYD-OFFICER TRIAL-OTHER DEATHS
UNDATED — Just as the guilty verdict was about to be read in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, police in Ohio shot and killed a Black teenager in broad daylight during a confrontation. The shooting of Ma’Khia Bryant, 16, who was swinging a knife during a fight with another person in Columbus, is in some ways more representative of how Black and other people of color are killed during police encounters than the death of George Floyd, pinned to the ground by Chauvin and captured on video for all the world to see. By Lindsay Whitehurst and Alanna Durkin Richer. SENT: 1,240 words, AP Photos.
IN BRIEF:
— ANIMAL CRUELTY-MAN CHARGED — A North Carolina man faces a variety of charges after animal control officers found three dead dogs in his home and other dogs who authorities say were on the verge of death, a sheriff’s office said.
— QUARANTINED FARMWORKERS-FARMER REIMBURSEMENT — North Carolina has set aside money to reimburse farmers who bore the financial toll of quarantining their workers during the COVID-19 outbreak last year, a state agency said.
— CHILD FATALLY SHOT — A 7-year-old boy was fatally shot while riding in a car with his mother, authorities in North Carolina said.
— BRUSH FIRE-DAMAGE — Wind-driven wildfire damages structures in South Carolina, near the North Carolina line.
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VIRGINIA
LEGISLATURES-DEATH PENALTY
CARSON CITY, Nev. — Since 2019, Democratic-majority legislatures in Colorado, New Hampshire and Virginia have done away with the death penalty. Yet Nevada’s repeal effort faces significant hurdles. Advocates on both sides say the contrast among the states underscores how the death penalty continues to jumble partisan divides. By Sam Metz. SENT: 800 words.
DC STATEHOOD
WASHINGTON — A decades-long movement to reshape the American political map took a further step Thursday as the House of Representatives approved a bill to make the nation’s capital the 51st state. Voting along party lines with minority Republicans in opposition, the House approved the bill 216-208. That’s likely the easy part, though. The proposal faces a far tougher fight in the Senate, where simple Democratic control of the chamber won’t be enough. By Ashraf Khalil. SENT: 940 words, AP Photos.
IN BRIEF:
— AMAZON JOBS — Amazon is planning to build a new distribution center in suburban Richmond that state officials expect will create 1,000 new jobs.
— VIRUS OUTBREAK-VIRGINIA — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has rolled back restrictions on bar seating that have been in place since the start of the pandemic.
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MARYLAND/DELAWARE
NEWSPAPER SHOOTING
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — A pretrial hearing is scheduled in the case of a man who has pleaded guilty but not criminally responsible by reason of insanity to killing five people at the Capital Gazette newspaper. UPCOMING.
GEORGE FLOYD-OFFICER TRIAL-POLICE
UNDATED — Not long after a jury convicted former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin of killing George Floyd, police chiefs across the U.S. started speaking up. And it wasn’t to defend the police. New Orleans Police Superintendent Shaun Ferguson said convicting Chauvin on Tuesday showed “police officers are not above the law.” Charmaine McGuffey, the sheriff in Cincinnati, said it was a “necessary step” in healing a nation torn apart by police violence. Miami Police Chief Art Acevedo encouraged Americans to breathe “a collective sigh of relief.” By Michael R. Sisak and Jake Bleiberg. SENT: 1,080 words, AP Photos.
IN BRIEF:
— AIR POLLUTION-CHICKENS — Maryland is appealing a court decision that said the state must start regulating ammonia air pollution from chickenhouses.
— FIREFIGHTER-CHILD PORN — A former Delaware firefighter is facing up to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to possessing child pornography.
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SPORTS
BKN--HORNETS-BULLS
CHICAGO -- Terry Rozier and the Charlotte Hornets meet Nikola Vucevic and the Chicago Bulls. By Andrew Seligman. UPCOMING: 600 words, AP Photos. Game starts at 9 p.m. ET.
HKN--HURRICANES-PANTHERS
SUNRISE, Fla. — The Carolina Hurricanes continue their Florida swing when they begin a two-game series at the Panthers on Thursday with the teams tied atop the Central Division. By Paul Gereffi. UPCOMING: 500 words, AP Photos. Game starts at 7 p.m. ET.
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