By: JC Belfi
In the Boone community, according to Marisa Mecke from The Watauga Democrat’s ‘Mountain Times’, this past Saturday Appalachian State’s Plemmons Student Union was full of fiddlers, banjo players, and music enthusiasts. There were 8 string bands also present that played in a competition to judge which was the best string band. The event even had instrument craftspeople selling their refurbished and newly made instruments to those in attendance. Players were in every nook and cranny of the Union, jamming away to some Appalachian favorites.
In local news, according to Asheville’s Buncombe County Government, another seven hundred forty nine thousand will be added to a committed 7 million dollars to fund affordable housing, namely 45 apartments on Haywood Street on a 1 acre lot near numerous jobs and services in Asheville. The county commissioners made the decision February 1st. The project is financed by the American Rescue Plan Act funds re-directed by the federal government. Other projects in Buncombe County financed by ARPA include 120 affordable apartments, eighty-five permanent supportive housing units, 43 homeownership units, and emergency home repair made available for everyone in the county.
In other national news, according to Alice Sun from The Epoch Times, California State University has voiced support for permanent removal of SAT and ACT testing requirements for college admissions at the university. High school students celebrated this support, commenting that it will give students more time to focus on their GPA and extracurricular activities. Collegiate undergraduates of CSU have a different opinion, stating that the tests examine all students fairly, and that retakes are available. Another senior of CSU stated that the tests help universities screen applicants and makes the college application process more competitive. Amid the pandemic, CSU had suspended the testing requirements for admission, so if the proposal goes into effect, the advisory council will have already had experience with this new motion. The proposal will be voted on in March, and if approved CSU campuses will be joining the University of California in removing the testing as a requirement.
For Boone, we can expect a high of 50, and a low of 31 degrees Fahrenheit. The weather today will be mostly sunny with west winds from 5-15 mph. It’s breezy today folks. Wear your windbreaker and sunglasses in style and push on.