By: Holly Hodges
According to reports from The Appalachian, SGA presidential elections are set to start a runoff election this week between the Brown/Barreto campaign and the Martino/Martin campaign. Runoff elections occur when no candidate receives a high enough percentage of the vote total. The Ranes/Negin campaign conceded this election. According to an email from Negin, the decision to concede was made to prevent the election from being drawn out longer. The new voting period began today at noon and will end this Thursday at noon. Votes will not roll over. Students will need to vote again regardless of their previous voting status.
In North Carolina news, Governor Roy Cooper encouraged schools and local governments to end their mask mandates in a February 17 press conference. According to reports from the Watauga Democrat, the statewide mask mandate ended last Spring and School boards, local governments and public health officials have made their own decisions in regards to COVID precautions. While Cooper is encouraging schools to remove their mask mandates, he said that there will still be places where masks are required such as on public transportation. Cooper urged for North Carolinians to continue to get vaccinated and boosted because it is the strongest defense against COVID. Changes in school guidance are expected to take place beginning mid-March.
In world news, hundreds of police in riot gear ended the siege in Canadas’ capital, Ottawa, after three weeks of protests regarding COVID-19 restrictions. According to reports from the Associated Press, protesters retreated from the streets of Ottawa. According to Ottawa’s interim police chief, police were brought in from around the country to help with clearing the protestors, adding that 170 people were arrested Friday and Saturday. Canadian authorities have signed emergency powers which have seized 76 bank accounts of protesters which totaled around two-point-five million U.S. dollars. Canadians have largely been accepting of COVID restrictions with the vast majority being vaccinated, including 90 percent of truckers.
Today’s weather is brought to you by Ray’s Weather Center at BooneWeather.com. You can expect to see clouds this afternoon and unfortunately there could be possible rain showers later this evening. Today’s high is 55 degrees and the low is 43.
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