By: Zachary Masters
In campus news, The Appalachian reports that the candidates for App State’s Student president and vice president met for a live debate in Anne Belk Hall Thursday afternoon. The Brown and Barreto campaign hope to lower student parking and dining hall prices, as well as get students more involved in campus policy. The Martino and Martin campaign aim to build relations between campus organizations and make course evaluations public. Finally, the Reigns and Negin campaign is running on the goals of raising the student minimum wage, adding optional mental health days and making parking permits more accessible.
In local news, as of February 10th, Watauga Medical Center reported that there are currently 26 patients who are confirmed to have Covid-19, with 15 of them being unvaccinated. The Watauga Democrat reports that the remaining either have some kind of vaccination or have been boosted. While this is still lower than the pandemic record high of 32 patients at WMC, the continuing presence and effects of Covid still weighs heavily on health care workers.
In world news, President Joe Biden spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about an imminent Russian invasion. As Russian troops and equipment continue to collect along the border of the two neighboring countries, an attack could launch as soon as this week. NPR reports that any form of Russian aggression will be met “swiftly and decisively” by President Biden.
Thank you to Ray’s Weather Center for providing today's forecast. Expect a high of 39 degrees and a low of 21 degrees with stray flurries and occasional clouds. Winds are expected to range from 10 to 10 miles per hour.