By: Devin Stewart
In local news, The Watauga Democrat reports construction is set to start this week on N.C. 105 Bridge over Watauga River. Traffic delays could impact your commute in both directions on N.C. 105 and Broadstone Road. Lane closures will be allowed from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday through Thursday. The existing bridge is 66-years-old and requires replacement. This is part of a three year project to improve the mobility and safety for drivers in the region.
In state news, investigation continues after three children were injured after a SUV crashed into a playground at a Chapel Hill elementary school. WRAL reports Fiona Evans was charged with a safe-movement violation. Evans was parking her SUV when she hit the gas pedal instead of the brake pedal causing the vehicle to crash through a fence. Twenty children were on the playground at the time of the incident. Evans and two children who were hit were taken to the hospital for treatment. One child remains hospitalized as of Wednesday.
In national news, NPR reports free N-95 masks are arriving at pharmacies and grocery stores across the country. This comes after the Biden administration announced it will deploy 400 million free N-95 masks. The White House launched this effort following the latest guidance from the CDC. The CDC now says cloth masks are no longer as effective at preventing the spread of the omicron variant of the coronavirus. Walgreens and CVS Pharmacy locations will be providing free N-95 masks in the coming weeks while supplies last.
This afternoon’s weather report is brought to you by Boone Weather dot com. Enjoy one more day of relatively calm weather. After a very cold start to your day, temperatures are expected to top out around 41 degrees with scattered afternoon clouds. Temperatures will fall to 26 degrees overnight.