VOLUME 5 ISSUE 44
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WWW.NSJONLINE.COM
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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2020
Merry Christmas from NSJ III
AP PHOTOS
Left, police stand by as a garbage can burns in Raleigh, on Sunday, May 31, 2020. Right, in this April 21, 2020, photo, Rep. Dan Bishop, R-N.C., right, has a photo taken with a youngster during a ReopenNC demonstration in Raleigh, urging Gov. Roy Cooper to allow businesses to reopen during the coronavirus outbreak.
the Wednesday
NEWS BRIEFING
Ongoing study indicates 9.3% of participants have COVID antibodies WINSTON-SALEM — The latest update from the Community Research Partnership at Wake Forest Baptist Health shows nearly 10% of those enrolled possess antibodies from the virus. There are more than 20,000 participants enrolled in the study, and 8,006 of them have taken at least one antibody test. Of those, about 742, approximately 9.3%, have had at least one positive antibody test. For the purposes of the study, a positive antibody test means that a person has previously been infected with COVID-19 and has developed an immune response to the virus. The hospital system says “Antibody testing along with daily symptom tracking are both critical to monitoring the impact that COVID-19 and the new vaccines are having on the pandemic.” NSJ STAFF
NC stores OK’d to deliver alcohol, sell curbside RALEIGH — Gov. Roy Cooper signed an executive order making it easier for businesses to sell alcohol without customers having to show up in person for their purchase. The order, in effect through the end of January, lets restaurants, hotels, clubs, bars and some distilleries holding certain permits from the Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission, sell alcoholic products for delivery or curbside pickup. “This order will help people avoid settings that can contribute to increased viral spread while giving restaurants and bars a financial boost that they need right now,” Cooper said. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
World court to intervene in Guyana-Venezuela border dispute THE HAGUE — The United Nations’ highest court will intervene to settle a decades-old border dispute between South American neighbors Guyana and Venezuela. The territorial dispute dates back to 1899 when an international tribunal drew the border between the two nations largely to favor Guyana, which was then a British colony. The Tunisia-sized swath of jungle west of the Essequibo river is rich in gold, diamonds, timber and other natural resources. ExxonMobil’s discovery of massive amounts of oil in offshore fields tied to Venezuela’s claim is expected to boost production by 750,000 barrels per day by 2025 and quickly transform Guyana into a major oil power. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NORTH
STATE
JOURNaL ELEVATE THE CONVERSATION
Churches across NC require reservations to attend Christmas services By David Larson North State Journal RALEIGH — On the first Christmas, the Holy Family was turned away from the inn for not having reservations, and it looks like in 2020, many North Carolinians without reservations this Christmas will likewise find themselves out in the cold as churches try to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and comply with government mandates. There are thousands of churches across North Carolina, and each of them is confronting unknown territory this year — gathering their congregations for the most-attended service of the year while also keeping them socially distant during a pandemic. For many churches, both big and small, this has meant going completely virtual by streaming cantatas, pageants, midnight masses and all other Christmas activities, with only a masked skeleton crew physically present. Some churches have decided to have in-person services, though, and have introduced a strategy more familiar in dinner parties than church — the RSVP. Churches are largely making the seats available on a first-come-first-serve basis online, but for others who feel that set-up doesn’t quite fit the holiday spirit, they are instead opting for a lottery system, with the “winners” getting to attend Christmas services. Elevation Church, based in the Charlotte area and one of the 10 largest churches in the country, will have services in multiple campuses across the state. On their uptown Charlotte location page, you’re met with a box saying, “Reserve your spot. Joining us for Christmas? Let us know and we’ll save you a spot.” Their COVID-19 page says they are “limiting our capacity to ensure social distancing in our auditorium and overflow areas” by only using every other row of seats. This strategy for social distancing eliminates much of the usual seating and amplifies the need for using the reservations. In south Charlotte, the na-
tion’s largest Catholic parish, St. Matthew, is also requiring reservations. Most years they have 20,000 people attend their Christmas services. “At the 4 p.m. Christmas Eve Mass alone, we have 4,000 present during normal times. However, these are not normal times,” a church representative says in a video on their website. Instead, this year they will only be using their Ballantyne campus, and the sanctuary will be filled to 25% of its capacity. St. Patrick, the Charlotte Catholic Diocese’s cathedral a few miles from St. Matthew, is adding multiple services, each with reduced capacity. They ask those wishing to attend “to be flexible as to the Masses we choose and open to being assigned a second or even third choice.” Across the state, in North Carolina’s other Catholic cathedral, Holy Name of Jesus in the Raleigh Catholic Diocese, they also used a lottery system. The cathedral made the announcement, saying, “The Faithful may enter a lottery for up to six tickets to attendance at one of the masses. Tickets will be general admission, and attendees over the age of 2 must have a ticket to enter the Cathedral.” The lottery was completed on Dec. 18, and after a few cancellations, they made additional tickets available through Eventbrite on a first-come-first-serve basis. Summit Church, a large evangelical church with campuses around the Triangle area, whose pastor, J.D. Greear, is the president of the influential Southern Baptist Convention, also required RSVPs, which “will be confirmed at the door.” They held services early, on Dec. 17 and 20. Instructions on the Summit site asked anyone with symptoms of illness to stay home and to be aware that, “You are saving seats for a modified worship service with enhanced safety protocols where you’ll be asked to wear face masks, social distance, and follow specific entry/ See SERVICES, page A7
In year of protests, treatment depended on political leanings ReOpenNC tells NSJ they plan on rebranding, will refocus on ‘draining swamp’ in Raleigh By A.P. Dillon North State Journal RALEIGH — 2020 was a year defined by the coronavirus pandemic, but the year was also marked by steady “ReOpen” protests over pandemic executive orders. Overlapping with ReOpen protests were Black Lives Matter demonstrations over the death of George Floyd, many of which turned violent and
destructive when night fell. Following a statewide lockdown order by Gov. Roy Cooper in March, citizens concerned about restrictions being extended formed a Facebook group called “ReOpenNC.” What started with a few dozen members rose to around 87,000 members in the organization’s Facebook group by December. ReOpenNC co-founder Ashley Smith says the governor’s actions have been a factor in the increase in membership. “Interestingly, every time Roy Cooper does an executive order, we get around 1,500 membership reSee REOPEN NC, page A2
Greensboro’s record 60 homicides in 2020 leave city scrambling for solutions Amid national calls to ‘defund,’ city officials largely agree on more funding, officers By David Larson North State Journal GREENSBORO — With the Dec. 12 killing of 18-year-old Christina Jones, Greensboro has reached 60 homicides and counting for the year, smashing the city record of 45 set in 2019. City officials are now searching for ways to halt the violence, largely agreeing more officers and police resources are necessary. The deadly year began with a grizzly triple homicide on New Year’s Day, and after seven shootings in the first seven days of July, Greensboro Police Chief Brian James pleaded with the public for help bringing a stop to the violence. In November, the city was then shocked by a brazen shootout, with multiple gunmen exchanging fire outside the downtown courthouse and Greensboro Police Department Headquarters, leaving one dead and others injured. James addressed the City Council in its Dec. 7 meeting, giving a detailed presentation on the record violence and asking for more funding for his department. In his presentation, James compared Greensboro to similarly sized cities like Durham and Winston-Salem. All three cities have between 250,000 and 300,000 residents, but he said Greensboro’s 56 homicides (which has since grown to 60) dwarfed Durham’s 32 or Winston-Salem’s 28. In response to a councilperson’s question, James said there are cities of a similar size outside North Carolina that have more homicides — such as Cincinnati, which
has 88 for the year — but that Greensboro shouldn’t allow that to make them complacent. “So you’ll find places that are having more violent crime than we are, but this is just not what we’re accustomed to,” James said. “We’ve seen this trend up over the last few years, and we’d really like to just get a handle on it because I See HOMICIDES, page A3