Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez will be performing at the swearing-in for US President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on January 20, the Presid
By Mark Starling
Vaccines For Older Americans Begin
(Buncombe County, NC) COVID-19 vaccines for residents 75 and older are being administered in Buncombe County. The next phase of vaccination rollout started yesterday. Nearly three-thousand appointments have already been made for the rest of the month. Buncombe County s public health director says no one from out-of-town will be turned down.
Asheville Schools Virtual Until Mid-March
(Asheville, NC) Remote learning is being extended for Asheville City Schools. The system said Monday that virtual instruction will continue through March 16th before a gradual transition to classroom learning. Around 85-percent of staff members recently said in a survey that it wouldn t be safe for students to return at this time. The announcement cited the state was in a dangerous place with COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.
bkibler@altoonamirror.com
At a City Council meeting Monday, the president of the city firefighters’ union questioned the city’s decision not to apply for Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act money from Blair County given that Logan Township applied for the funding and received $622,000.
The city didn’t apply because it’s getting reimbursed for its direct COVID-19 expenses from the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and because it wished to defer to AMED and the Central Blair Recreation and Park Commission, which have been damaged financially more than the city by COVID-19, said City Manager Ken Decker.
DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) Durham Fire Chief Robert Zoldos responded Tuesday to reports that more than 30 Durham firefighters across five stations were out for possible COVID-19 exposure. First and foremost, this department has continued to fulfill its mission of keeping Durham residents safe throughout this global pandemic, Zoldos said.
The International Association of Firefighters local 668 said Fire Station 1 was affected and said that recently there have been upward of 65 people out at a time.
In total 35 firefighters have tested positive for the virus since March, according to Chapter President Jimie Wright.
IAFF 668 said Monday that 35 firefighters are currently out from three different shifts across five stations.