Hello! The Carolinas News Editor is Tim Rogers. The breaking news supervisor is Skip Foreman.

A reminder this information is not for publication or broadcast, and these coverage plans are subject to change. Expected stories may not develop or late-breaking and more newsworthy events may take precedence. Advisories and digests will keep you up to date.

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TOP STORIES:

VOTER ID LAWSUITS

RICHMOND, Va. — Members of a federal appeals court expressed skepticism Tuesday that North Carolina’s 2013 major rewrite to voting laws, requiring photo identification to cast in-person ballots, doesn’t discriminate against minorities. The three-judge panel met Tuesday to hear arguments over whether to overturn an April trial court ruling upholding the law. By Alan Suderman and Gary D. Robertson. SENT: 570 words.

With:

— VOTER ID LAWSUITS-THE LATEST.

WATAUGA-EARLY VOTING

RALEIGH — A North Carolina appeals court says there’s no need to keep litigating a trial court order that an early-voting site be kept on the Appalachian State University campus for the 2014 election. But a dissenting opinion by one of the three judges on Tuesday’s ruling means the state Supreme Court will review the decision if requested. The other two judges agreed the matter was moot because the election is over. By Gary D. Robertson. SENT: 120 words. UPCOMING: 400 words by 4 p.m.

KIDNAP VICTIM RESCUED-TRIAL

RALEIGH — A federal jury in North Carolina has convicted a prisoner of directing a botched kidnapping attempt from his prison cell, in an incident where the kidnappers mistakenly grabbed the father of a prosecutor. A release from the U.S. Department of Justice said 51-year-old Kelvin Melton was found guilty Tuesday of multiple charges, including kidnapping and aiding and abetting and conspiracy to commit kidnapping. SENT: 130 words. UPCOMING: 250 words by 3 p.m.

CHARLOTTE AIRPORT

CHARLOTTE — The Federal Aviation Administration has signaled that it won’t intervene in a dispute over control of Charlotte-Douglas International Airport. According to The Charlotte Observer (http://bit.ly/28L0eGT), the FAA this month updated its policy on disputed management changes at public airports. The move means Charlotte will remain in control of the airport. SENT: 240 words.

LOCAL NEWS STARTUPS

NEW YORK — A handful of new startups are tackling a thorny problem that AOL couldn’t solve with zillions of dollars: How to cover local news in different cities without going broke. Some see a news hole left behind by the shrinking newsrooms of traditional city newspapers and alt-weeklies. Others want to woo smartphone-addicted millennial readers. They’re using newsletters and social media like Instagram to build an audience for their sites. By Technology Writer Tali Arbel. SENT: 900 words, AP Photos CODZ201, CODZ202.

APARTMENT FIRE DEATH

CHARLOTTE — A sheriff in Nevada says a North Carolina man has confessed to killing a bride-to-be who was pulled from her burning apartment in Charlotte last weekend. A statement from Nye County, Nevada, Sheriff Sharon Wehrly said that Matthew Thomas Benner, 28, confessed when he was arrested Monday near Las Vegas. SENT: 410 words.

With:

— APARTMENT FIRE DEATH-THE LATEST.

IN BRIEF:

— XGR–SEX OFFENDER BAN, from RALEIGH — North Carolina lawmakers are moving forward with a bill prohibiting some sex offenders from being near children while a similar state law from 2009 remains under federal review. SENT: 130 words.

— OUT-OF-STATE LENDER-LAWSUIT, from RALEIGH — North Carolina residents who obtained very high-interest loans with some out-of-state lenders will share about $9 million in refunds. SENT: 120 words.

— POLICE SHOOTING-CHARLOTTE, from CHARLOTTE — Police in North Carolina say they have shot and wounded an armed robbery suspect who pulled a gun as a SWAT team tried to arrest him. SENT: 130 words.

— RYDER LAYOFFS-CHARLOTTE, from CHARLOTTE — A transportation company is closing its Charlotte facility and will lay off 124 workers. SENT: 60 words.

— CONCORD SHOOTING DEATHS, from MOUNT PLEASANT — Cabarrus County sheriff’s deputies are investigating the shooting deaths of a couple in Mount Pleasant. SENT: 130 words.

— BREAK-IN SHOOTING, from FAYETTEVILLE — Police in Fayetteville are investigating a break-in at a home where a man was found suffering from a gunshot wound. SENT: 130 words.

— CHEROKEE-FIRE, from ASHEVILLE — A man has pleaded not guilty to charges that he set a fire five years ago that burned 142 acres of land belonging to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. SENT: 130 words.

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The AP, Raleigh