Cooper Taking Advantage Of New Jobless Aid Plan
(Raleigh, NC) -- Governor Roy Cooper is showing signs that he's taking advantage of President Trump's new unemployment relief plan. FEMA disaster relief money would be funneled into unemployment benefits, which would result in a 400-dollar weekly payment. The governor said yesterday he's started applying for federal money, but would still like to see it raised back up to 600-dollars with more in state benefits as well. Nearly seven-billion-dollars has gone out to unemployed North Carolinians since March.
NC High School Football Delayed To February
(Raleigh, NC) -- North Carolina's high school football players won't be suiting up this fall. The state's High School Athletic Association announced yesterday the football season is being postponed to February. Cross country and volleyball is now tentatively set to begin in November. One association commissioner said they presented a calendar that they believe will allow student athletes to play again.
Mission Health Relocates Rural Cancer Services
(Asheville, NC) -- Mission Health is moving some of its regional cancer services into Asheville. The health system announced yesterday its chemotherapy resources in Brevard, Franklin, Marion and Spruce Pine will be centralized to its Asheville clinic beginning September 3rd. The statement revealed a group of physicians was already planning to operate an independent cancer center before the HCA Healthcare transition was complete. Mission Health cites there's not as much need for services at some of its locations since the center opened.
Lab Errors Lead To Overestimate Of Complete COVID-19 Tests
(Raleigh, NC) -- The number of COVID-19 tests administered in North Carolina is less than initially thought. The Department of Health and Human Services revealed Wednesday that lab errors over the past few months led to an over-estimate of around 200-thousand tests. Health Secretary Mandy Cohen ensured the errors didn't affect numbers on positivity rates and new cases. She added that new metrics show the viral spread is slowing.
French Broad River Water Quality Below EPA Standard
(Asheville, NC) -- An environmental non-profit is reporting some alarming water quality data from the French Broad River. Close to 70-percent of sites tested this year are below the EPA's E. coli standard. The Hominy Creek Greenway in Asheville tested at 300 times the standard. French Broad riverkeeper Hartwell Carson told WLOS-TV this week the city needs to do more to protect water quality and establish a Stormwater Task Force, which has been done in Hendersonville.
Asheville Receiving Grant To Improve Bus Transit
(Asheville, NC) -- Improvements are coming to Asheville's transit system thanks to a federal grant. The Federal Transit Administration is awarding Asheville with one-million-dollars, which will be used to build bus stop shelters, add enhancements to provide real-time information and more. The administration's director says access and mobility must be ensured for the riders who depend on our nation's bus systems. Nearly two-billion-dollars is going out to bus programs nationwide.
Toddler Seriously Injured In Charlotte Shooting
(Charlotte, NC) -- The CMPD is investigating the shooting of a toddler in west Charlotte. The two-year-old was rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries last night after emergency crews came out to a home on Camp Greene Street. There are few details about the shooting, but investigators say they aren't looking for suspects. An employee of a nearby business told NBC Charlotte she's tired of seeing the violence, but the area has improved recently with more police presence.
Charlotte Health Numbers Moving In Right Direction
(Charlotte, NC) -- Health numbers are continuing to improve around Charlotte. Mecklenburg County's health director said yesterday the positivity rate for COVID-19 tests is around seven-and-a-half-percent, which is down from above ten-percent in recent weeks. County manager Deana Diorio credits the small improvements with proactive education, which will continue with new marketing campaigns thanks to CARES Act funding.
Police May Step In To Remove Homeless Tent Encampment
(Charlotte, NC) -- Local police may be stepping in to help remove a homeless tent site from private property in Uptown. WB Moore Company has already advised some people they must move by the end of this week so they can prepare for upcoming demolition at 12th and Poplar streets. The CMPD tells WSOC-TV they have an obligation to help property owners remove trespassers. The local men's shelter, Roof Above, is stepping in to assist the remaining homeless on the property.
Man Dies After Charlotte Fire
(Charlotte, NC) -- Charlotte investigators are trying to find the cause of a deadly house fire. Flames erupted inside a home on Edison Street just north of Uptown early Wednesday morning. Firefighters were able to pull one man from the home, but he died at the hospital. A crew of nearly two-dozen knocked down the blaze in about 20 minutes.
New UNC Charlotte Chancellor Speaks On Student Safety
(Charlotte, NC) -- UNC Charlotte's first woman chancellor is rolling into a new academic year with health challenges. Sharon Gaber spoke on campus yesterday to talk about the school's focus on student safety. It's part of a university pledge called Niner Nation Cares, which outlines residence hall protocols, testing and other safety guidelines across campus. Classes are roughly split half in-person and half online right now.
Man Killed In Barrage Of Gunfire At Fayetteville BP Wednesday Night
(Fayetteville, NC) -- An investigation continues today into the fatal shooting of a man at a BP gas station Wednesday night in Fayetteville. It happened at the Family Fare BP on Gillespie Street. Officers responded to a call of shots fired around 8:30 p.m. When they arrived, they discovered the body of a male victim lying in the parking lot suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators say they are treating the fatal shooting as a homicide.
New Coronavirus Cases In North Carolina Appear To Be On Steady Decline
(Raleigh, NC) -- COVID-19 figures released by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services have been showing a downward trend in recent days. On Wednesday, there were 11-hundred-66 new lab confirmed cases. Up by 115 from the day before but significantly lower than two weeks ago. The Department also reported the number of patients being treated as hospitals had also dropped to just one-thousand-62. Since the pandemic first began, 22-hundred-49 people have died from the disease.
Cooper To Submit Ap For 400-Dollars In Weekly Unemployment Benefits Offered By Trump
(Raleigh, NC) -- Governor Roy Cooper says he plans to accept President Trump's 400-dollar a week extension of unemployment benefits, even though the state will have to contribute 100-dollars in weekly matching funds. House and Senate leaders say the state is in a position to pay the matching funds because it still has nearly three-billion in a cash reserve account. Cooper has to submit an application for the unemployment benefits through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Cooper Extends Period For Child Immunization Forms To Be Submitted
(Raleigh, NC) -- Governor Cooper also signed an executive order Wednesday giving parents more time to submit immunization forms to school districts for their children. The medical forms are records that prove students have received the required vaccinations against most common childhood diseases. The 30-day grace period is set to begin on October 1st.
Wilkes Co. Nursing Home Reports COVID-19 Outbreak
(Wilkesboro, NC) - A Wilkes County nursing home is experiencing a major coronavirus outbreak. At least 93 cases of COVID-19 are reported at the Westwood Hills Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Wilkesboro. Thirty-four cases are staff members, and the rest are residents. According to the local health department, five people have died of the virus at that particular facility.
COVID-19 Cluster At Tyson Foods Inc. In Wilkesboro Closed
(Wilkesboro, NC) - The coronavirus cluster at the Tyson Foods Inc. chicken processing plant in Wilkesboro is officially closed. That means there have been no new COVID-19 cases in two 14-day incubation periods, or 28 days. There have been 612 lab-confirmed cases of the virus at the plant since April.
Teen Killed In Winston-Salem Shooting
(Winston-Salem, NC) - A teen is dead after a shooting in Winston-Salem. It happened yesterday afternoon on Northeast 26th Street and Cleveland Avenue. A 15-year-old boy was rushed to a local hospital where he died. Circumstances surrounding the shooting are under investigation.
Guilford Co. Schools Worker Tests Positive For COVID-19
(Guilford Co., NC) - A Guilford County Schools employee is recovering from coronavirus. District officials confirmed the positive case yesterday. They did not say which campus the employee worked at but assured parents it was deep cleaned. The district said a "handful" of other employees may have been exposed to the virus and are being contacted by the health department.