All in Coronavirus
Dr. Donna Lake joins Neuse News Publisher BJ Murphy to discuss today's issues ahead of the General Election. Dr. Lake is running for the District 7 seat in the NC Senate representing Lenoir and Wayne County. Topics discussed include Voter ID, reopening NC schools, rural broadband internet access, COVID-19's impact on the state budget and more.
Senator Jim Perry joins Neuse News Publisher BJ Murphy to discuss today's issues ahead of the General Election. Sen. Perry is running to retain the District 7 seat in the NC Senate representing Lenoir and Wayne County. Topics discussed include Voter ID, reopening NC schools, rural broadband internet access, COVID-19's impact on the state budget and more.
As these metrics and capacity remain stable, the state will ease some restrictions starting Friday. Executive Order 169 begins Oct. 2 at 5 p.m. and continues for three weeks through October 23
Rep. Chris Humphrey joins Neuse News Publisher BJ Murphy to discuss today's issues. Rep. Humphrey is running to retain his seat in the NC House. Topics discussed include Voter ID, reopening NC schools, rural broadband internet access, COVID-19's impact on the state budget and more.
Indoor visitation will only be permitted in nursing homes with no COVID-19 cases in the last 14 days and in counties with a percent positive testing rate of less than 10%, reflecting guidance from the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services announced today it will provide additional benefits through the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) program to help families purchase food for children whose access to free and reduced-priced meals at school has been impacted by remote learning this fall due to COVID-19.
Lenoir Community College (LCC) partnered with Carteret Community College (CCC) in providing face shields for eight CCC Work-Based Learning students.
Lenoir Community College installed smart technology in their classrooms including interactive white boards, cameras, and microphones that bridge the gap between in-person learning and online learning.
Some North Carolina small businesses that have experienced extraordinary disruption to their operations due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic may benefit from a $40 million relief program to help offset fixed costs like rent, mortgage interests and utility bills, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. Also, effective October 2, large outdoor venues would be permitted to open at 7% capacity with key safety precautions in place.
The Lenoir County Health Department reported two COVID-related deaths today, making it six deaths in seven days for our community. All six had underlying health issues and all but one were over the age of 65.
Governor Cooper announced schools have the option to choose Plan A for Pre-K through 5th grade effective October 5th. Safety protocols, such as daily temperature screenings, social distancing in hallways and common areas, the wearing of masks, and frequent washing of hands/use of hand sanitizer will be required.
The Greene County Board of Education unanimously approved the additional remote learning days in the calendar for both the traditional schools and the Early College.
After discussion among the board, board member Richard Bogan made a motion to amend the July 27 decision and adopt the Plan B model that was presented (see full video in story), while allowing parents to choose the remote learning Plan C option. The motion stated in-person schooling would begin in two weeks on Monday, September 28.
On Sept. 4, Governor Cooper signed Coronavirus Relief Act 3.0. Among its provisions is a new extension of the expiration dates of five DMV credentials. If they have already expired or are about to, their new expiration dates are now 30 days after the governor lifts his state of emergency order related to the COVID Pandemic.
Kinston-Lenoir County Parks and Recreation Director Corey Povar spoke at Tuesday’s City Council meeting to discuss the plans for reopening the Kinston Community Center and other recreational facilities. Governor Cooper announced North Carolina moved into phases 2.5 on Friday, September 4.
In the past two weeks, we’ve had good news on the pandemic front. The second viral wave has continued to come under control, case growth is down significantly from the peak, and the case growth rate has returned to the lows seen in mid-June. Overall, despite the higher case counts, the pandemic is once more again control.
The CSS Neuse Civil War Interpretive Center opened on Saturday while limiting visitors to 50% of occupancy as stipulated by Governor Cooper’s latest executive order. The Center also requires cloth masks to enter as outlined in Executive Order 163.
The Greene County Department of Public Health is reporting the fifth death in the county of a resident who had tested positive for COVID-19. The individual died on Sunday. The individual was younger than 65 and it is not confirmed yet whether the individual had about underlying medical conditions.
To protect the family’s privacy, no information will be released at this time. Greene County Department of Public Health Director Joy Brock said, “I am saddened by this death and so sorry for the family’s loss. My thoughts and prayers are with this individual’s family.”
On Monday, over 200 high school students returned to Parrott Academy classrooms for in-person instruction. This brought a full student body back to the independent school’s campus, as lower and middle school students returned the previous week.
Governor Roy Cooper today announced that after a summer of hard work to slow the spread of COVID-19, North Carolina will take a modest step forward move into Phase 2.5 starting this Friday, September 4th at 5pm. Mask mandates and other prevention methods remain in effect and are even more important to contain the virus, Cooper said.
