By Jenna Guzman & Ryan Hendrix
In local news, a new wing in the Watauga Medical Center will be opening soon. According to the Watauga Democrat, the Appalachian Regional Healthcare System predicts staff to move into the new wing in April. The wing is still awaiting a final inspection from the North Carolina Division of Health Services Regulation before moving in and opening the new 48-bed building.
In state news, North Carolina House Republicans voted to end pistol permits. According to the Associated Press, the decision came after a 67-48 party-line vote Wednesday, however, four Republicans and one Democrat were absent. Before this decision, people in the state of North Carolina were required to obtain a permit from their county’s sheriff in order to buy a handgun, but with the new bill, sheriffs will no longer be required to do evaluations of an applicant. The bill is now set to head to the Senate.
In national news, a new proposed bill in Florida will enact multiple animal safety protections and guidelines. According to NPR, the proposed bill will prohibit the following: cat declawing, animal testing for cosmetics, the sales of rabbits in places such as flea markets or on the streets or during the months of March and April, and dogs hanging their heads out of windows in cars. Regarding motor vehicles, the law will prohibit dogs from sticking any part of their bodies out of windows, sitting on a drivers lap, or riding on motorcycles. For pickup trucks, dogs will still be allowed to be in the beds, however, they must be inside of a dog crate that is secured to the truck. The proposed bill will also establish a registry for people convicted of animal abuse.
Now onto sports.
In App state sports news, the mountaineer women’s basketball team stays at home to take on the visiting Warhawks of Louisiana Monroe. The Lady Mountaineers will look to break their losing streak that extends 4 games to their last victory on February 9th vs Georgia State.
The Carolina Hurricanes are in action tonight at 7 PM when they take on the Ottawa Senators. Martin Necas leads the way for the canes with 51 points on 22 Goals and 29 Assists this season. The XFL is in action this weekend with 3 big games. These games include the DC defenders vs the Vegas Vipers, the Arlington Renegades vs the Houston Roughnecks and the San Antonio Brahmas vs the Orlando Guardians.
Finally, with the regular season winding down in college basketball, many marquee matchups will decide seeding in conference tournaments. Some matchups include #8 Texas vs #9 Baylor, #2 Alabama taking on Arkansas and #6 Virginia traveling to Chapel Hill to do battle with the struggling Tar Heels.
Today’s weather is courtesy of Booneweather.com. Today is a clear day with a high if 56 degrees and a low of 36.