North Carolina

Many Florida women can't get abortions past 6 weeks. Where else can they go?

Published

2 weeks ago

May 5, 2024

Many Florida women can't get abortions past 6 weeks. Where else can they go?

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — When Florida enacted its six-week abortion ban last week, clinics in several other Southern and mid-Atlantic states sprang into action, knowing women would look to them for services no longer available where they live.

Health care providers in North Carolina, three states to the north, are rushing to expand availability and decrease wait times.

“We are already seeing appointments,” said Katherine Farris, chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood South Atlantic. “We have appointments on the books with patients who were unable to get in, in the last days of April in Florida.”

Their reaction is part of a growing trend in the United States: Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, spurring more than 20 states to adopt laws banning or severely limiting abortions, states with looser restrictions have taken steps to welcome women who want or need to end their pregnancies.

Since the court overturned Roe in June 2022, some Democratic-controlled states have made it easier for out-of-state women to obtain abortions. Several have adopted laws protecting in-state health care workers from being investigated for providing abortion to women from states with bans. Such measures have included allowing providers to prescribe abortion pills, the most common abortion method, via telehealth.

Officials in California, New Mexico, Oregon and other states have used taxpayer money to increase abortion access.

Florida recorded more than 84,000 abortions in 2023, a slight increase from 2022. As of April 1, the state reported approximately 14,700 abortions this year, potentially leaving a substantial number of women to consider going out of state.

“Patients will travel when they’re desperate to get an abortion,” said Mara Buchbinder, a social medicine professor at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “We know that.”

At one point, Florida was a go-to state for women from other Southeastern states with restrictions, including neighboring Georgia and South Carolina, which both ban abortions around six weeks of gestation, before many women even know they are pregnant.

Last year, about 7,700 abortions in Florida were for out-of-state patients, according to state data.

But the state has steadily narrowed access. In anticipation of Roe being reversed, the Legislature passed a 15-week ban in April 2022 that took effect despite a court challenge. In 2023, it passed a six-week abortion ban that would take effect only if the earlier ban held up in court. The state Supreme Court upheld the ban last month, and the new law quickly went into effect.

A referendum in November asking voters to codify abortion rights in Florida’s constitution could reverse the ban. But at least until then, Florida abortion advocacy groups will still need to organize many out-of-state trips.

For women who are more than six weeks pregnant, South Florida is now the farthest from a legal provider of any highly populated area in the U.S. Subsequently, the average cost per abortion is expected to jump from $600 or $700 to as much as $1,800 or more, said Daniela Martins, a board member and caseworker team leader at the Women’s Emergency Network, a nonprofit organization that helps people in the region pay for abortion and other reproductive health care.

Martins said her group anticipates helping women get to Virginia and places even farther north, such as Maryland and Washington, D.C. She said it is committed to not turning away clients in need, though raising enough money to honor that commitment could be challenging.

“We’ve seen a lot of outpouring of support,” she said. “It’s nowhere near what we project we’ll need.”

Another group, The Brigid Alliance, which provides travel and support across the country for women seeking abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, is preparing for more needs in the coming months.

Serra Sippel, the group’s interim executive director, said the alliance is adding six new logistical coordinators, including four who speak Spanish, and is partnering with a clinic in Puerto Rico, an option particularly for Spanish-speaking people.

One of the largest patient influxes is anticipated in North Carolina, where, even before Florida’s ban, 32% of abortions provided at the state’s Planned Parenthood clinics were for out-of-state patients, Farris said.

But while it might be the most convenient place for Florida women given its geographical proximity, North Carolina is not without its own set of hurdles. The state’s 2023 law allows for abortions through 12 weeks of pregnancy, but requires two in-person visits to a provider 72 hours apart.

Those extra steps can turn a single-day procedure into a weeklong affair, said Justine Orlovsky-Schnitzler, engagement director for Carolina Abortion Fund, a nonprofit in North Carolina and South Carolina that operates a helpline to assist callers with abortion care.

Providers in North Carolina also fear the arrival of new patients will lengthen the wait time for an abortion, currently five to 20 days. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, which serves North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia, is trying to avoid that by rolling out seven additional days of abortion services and adjusting providers’ schedules at North Carolina clinics to expand availability, Farris said.

“We are all willing to do the work,” she said. “Operationally, it is incredibly challenging, and I think it’s important to remember that this is a chaotic system.”

Farris, who provides abortions in North Carolina, has to turn away patients who don’t qualify under the state’s law because they are more than 12 weeks along. She initially refers them to Virginia, which allows abortions until 24 weeks. If there are no appointments available, women can travel to Maryland, Washington or places farther north.

Carolina Abortion Fund has six staff members and a volunteer network, but working there could often feel like having two full-time jobs even before Florida’s ban, Orlovsky-Schnitzler said.

Volunteers have sometimes stayed up until midnight to help someone coordinate an emergency abortion, and there have been months in which the organization has received as many as 1,000 calls, she said. After Roe was overturned, calls rose by 400%.

“That’s not an exaggeration,” she said.

The center received 650 calls in April alone, according to data it provided.

The organization often runs out of money, but Orlovsky-Schnitzler said that doesn’t stop workers from answering every call to get people the help they’re seeking.

Staff at A Preferred Women’s Health Center in North Carolina, with clinics in Charlotte and Raleigh, are fielding about 4,000 calls weekly, most from women in Southern states, Executive Director Calla Hales said.

Since Roe was overturned, about 70% of the clinics’ approximately 13,000 abortions each year have been with out-of-state patients, she said.

The center also operates two clinics in Georgia under the state’s six-week ban. The clinics’ operations there may give a preview of what’s to come in Florida, Hales said.

“As soon as they pee on a pregnancy stick, they’re running in,” she said.

___

Associated Press writer Amanda Seitz in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.

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North Carolina

North Carolina Sports Betting Apps | 5 Best NC Sportsbook Apps & Promos to Grab Today

Published

1 min ago

May 18, 2024

Press Room

North Carolina Sports Betting Apps | 5 Best NC Sportsbook Apps & Promos to Grab Today

The sports betting calendar just keeps delivering with golf’s second major, the PGA Championship continuing all weekend, along with the NASCAR All-Star Race on Sunday from North Wilkesboro Speedway and the final days of the conference semifinals in the NBA and NHL. Sign up today with the best North Carolina sports betting apps and you can cash in on thousands of dollars in welcome offers.

You can wager on MMA and UFC, the PGA, soccer, motorsports, the NBA, NHL, MLB and so much more in the palm of your hand with these North Carolina betting apps.

Best North Carolina Sports Betting Apps

North Carolina Betting App	Promo Code	Welcome Offer
📲 BetMGM	🌟 SBWIRE	🎁 $1,500 First-Bet Offer
📲 Caesars Sportsbook	🌟 SBWIRE1000	🎁 $1,000 first Bet on Caesars
📲 FanDuel	🌟 CLICK HERE	🎁 Get $5, Get $200
📲 bet365	🌟 SBWIRENC	🎁 Bet $5, Get $150 or 1st Bet Safety Net up to $1000
📲 Fanatics	🌟 CLICK HERE	🎁 Get Up to $1000 in Bonus Bets
📲 DraftKings	🌟 CLICK HERE	🎁 Get $5, Get $200

Every North Carolina resident and visitor who’s thinking about wagering on needs to grab these North Carolina sports betting apps and bonuses to load up their bankroll.

BetMGM NC Betting App

As we start discussing all the North Carolina sports betting apps, let’s start with the biggest number on the board, available with the BetMGM North Carolina bonus code SBWIRE.

Make your first bet on any sport available on the BetMGM app — one of the best North Carolina betting apps. If it loses, you will receive bonus bets back as a refund. For wagers below $50, you will get one credit for the full amount. For bets of $50 and more (capped at $1,500), you will receive five bonus bets, each equal to 20% of your original bet.

Caesars Sportsbook North Carolina Betting App

The Caesars Sportsbook NC promo code gives new time users a $1,000 First Bet on Caesars. If your opening bet up to $1,000 after registration loses, Caesars will pay you back with a matching bonus bet.

You have 14 days to play the bonus bet credit, which comes with no odds restrictions and carries a 1X playthrough – meaning anything you win while wagering with the bonus bet is yours to keep.

FanDuel North Carolina Sports Betting App

When you sign up for a FanDuel account with the FanDuel North Carolina promo code and play a $5 first bet, $200 in bonus bets are all yours.

You get seven days to play these bonus bets, but here’s where FanDuel is unique. FanDuel allows you to spread around your $200 in bonus bets any way you like. If you want to use it all on one game, that’s cool. If you think it’d be awesome to have something down on 15 games, then go for it. They’re your bonus bets. The minimum bonus bet wager is just $5, meaning you could make 40 bets if you like – including props and parlays. Each time a bonus bet wins, you win cash.

bet365 North Carolina Sports Betting App

Let’s shake it up a little bit, courtesy of bet365 NC. When you register for a bet365 account with the bet365 North Carolina bonus code SBWIRENC, you’re allowed to decide whether you want either $150 in bonus bets for placing a $5 first bet or a First Bet Safety Net up to $1,000.

With the first offer, you simply make a $5 first bet on anything you want and you’ll get $150 in bonus bets immediately. With the First Bet Safety Net, you get to make a first bet anywhere from $10 to $1,000 with the knowledge that bet365 returns the amount of your bet to your account as bonus bets if it loses.

Fanatics Sportsbook North Carolina Betting App

The Fanatics Sportsbook North Carolina promo code delivers the potential for up to $1,000 in bonus bets with one of the more intriguing North Carolina sportsbook apps available.

When you sign up today, you will receive a matching bonus bet equal to your first wager, up to $100. Then for the next nine days, you can select a real-money wager and have it matched as well – up to $100 each day – for a potential $1,000 in total bonus bets.

DraftKings NC Sports Betting App

Let’s close out this embarrassment of potential riches by checking out what DraftKings has to offer. If you start an account with the DraftKings North Carolina promo code, you’ll get to receive $200 in bonus bets the instant you place a $5 first bet.

As soon as you plunk down your $5 first bet, DraftKings whisks you eight $25 bonus bets, and you’ll have seven days to play them on any sport you want. Any bonus bet needs to win just once for you to collect the profit in cash.

Bet on the PGA Championship & More With These North Carolina Betting Apps

The PGA Championship teed off from the Jack Nicklaus-designed Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, KY Thursday morning and the field includes World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who had missed the last few tournaments while awaiting the birth of his first child. Scheffler announced the birth of a baby boy on Monday from Valhalla.

The North Carolina sports betting apps and the sportsbook promos designed for the dawn of this online sports betting era can be utilized on more than 20 sports all over the globe — everything from auto racing to hockey to football to futbol.

There will be plenty of drama. But if you want no drama, then just cash in on $1,700 in bonus bets thanks to all of these spectacular North Carolina betting promos available for new customers. Keep in mind, you can sign up for as many of these as you want!

Gannett may earn revenue from sports betting operators for audience referrals to betting services. Sports betting operators have no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. Terms apply, see operator site for Terms and Conditions. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, help is available. Call the National Council on Problem Gambling 24/7 at 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ, OH), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN). Must be 21 or older to gamble. Sports betting and gambling are not legal in all locations. Be sure to comply with laws applicable where you reside.

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North Carolina

North Carolina woman on way to visit sister killed when hooligan throws rock through windshield

Published

7 hours ago

May 18, 2024

Press Room

North Carolina woman on way to visit sister killed when hooligan throws rock through windshield

A 23-year-old woman was killed Wednesday when a hoodlum hurled a rock through her windshield, causing her to crash into a North Carolina home.

Brittany Elizabeth Ferguson was on her way to meet her sister when the rock flew through her car, fatally striking her in the head, according to the North Carolina Highway Patrol.

Her 2006 Ford Taurus veered off the road and through a yard before smashing into the porch of a neighboring home.

Ferguson was pronounced dead at the scene.

“Bad. It was just horrible,” homeowner Abigail Rumlet told WRAL.

“The house can be replaced or repaired … Just closure. That’s what I want for the family.”

The person responsible for throwing the rock is still on the lam, but investigators are looking for a white Chevrolet S-10 single-cab truck.

Witnesses reported seeing the truck — with a man riding in the bed — driving back and forth through the area after the incident.

State troopers theorize the rock was thrown from a car passing in the opposite direction as Ferguson, or by someone who was standing on the side of the road, ABC News reported.

“I hope that whoever did this act will come forward. And man up to what’s happened here, because it’s just an awful tragedy,” said Rumlet.

The brutal attack comes just days after a Colorado teenager pleaded guilty to committing the same crime that left a 20-year-old dead in 2023.

Zachary Kwak, 19, admitted to killing Alexa Bartell with his two buddies during a multi-day spree spent hurling rocks and other objects at cars.

Bartell was returning from work around 10:45 p.m. when a large landscaping rock sailed through her windshield and hit her, authorities said.

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North Carolina HBCUs cash in as gambling losses hit $100 million

Published

14 hours ago

May 17, 2024

Press Room

North Carolina HBCUs cash in as gambling losses hit $100 million

The introduction of sports gambling in North Carolina has resulted in losses for millions, but it will be a windfall for athletics at several HBCUs as well as other schools within the state.

The state lottery commission reports that more than $105 million was lost in the state on sports betting in the first full month since it became legal. The number was $66 million for March, which only accounted for the final two-thirds of the month. Eighteen percent of that money goes back to the state, coming out to more than $30 million in tax revenue so far.

HBCUs, North Carolina Central — NC Central and WSSU both stand to gain from sports betting in the state, which was greenlighted back in 2023. (Steven J. Gaither/HBCU Gamday photo)

The five public HBCUs stand to benefit from the move. Those HBCUs are Elizabeth City State University, Fayetteville State University, N.C. Agricultural & Technical State University, N.C. Central University, and Winston-Salem State University. Up to $300,000 annually will go to these universities along with Appalachian State University, East Carolina University, University of North Carolina at Asheville, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, University of North Carolina at Pembroke and University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

Millions will also go to the Department of Health and Human Services for gambling addiction education and treatment programs and youth sports iniatives.

Once all the primary money has been distributed, twenty percent of what remains will be distributed evenly among the 13 state universities to support collegiate athletic departments.

North Carolina HBCUs cash in as gambling losses hit $100 million