By Stephen Leverton
In local news, The Appalachian reports that on Wednesday, March 24th, App State will be sending direct payments to students thanks to the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, or HEERF. Students will receive $525 if they’re receiving the Pell Grant and $400 if they’re not. Those who will be receiving the direct payments are students who are U.S. citizens and are enrolled at App State for Spring 2021. Eligible students will receive the money either through the mail or through direct deposit. This payment does not need to be paid back and is designed to help students who may be struggling to make ends meet.
In state news, The Appalachian reports that all adults will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine starting April 7th. Group 5 is the last vaccine distribution phase North Carolina has. 16 and 17 year olds will be able to only receive the Pfizer vaccine, since the other doses have not been approved for minors. 19.1% of North Carolinians have been fully vaccinated. Governor Cooper stated that the return to normalcy can happen only if everyone gets vaccinated.
In national news, The New York Times reported that President Joe Biden hosted his first press conference as president on Thursday, March 25th. During this press conference, Biden discussed the need for a voting rights act, his intent to run for re-election in 2024, withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, and North Korea’s ballistic missile launch. He also called for a new COVID vaccine goal: reach 200 million vaccinations before his 100th day in office.
Your Boone weather is brought to you by booneweather.com. Friday’s weather is warm as temperatures reach a high of 68 today. Some cloud coverage throughout the day with a low of 42.