By Zachary Masters
On campus, The Student Government Association is attempting to pursue a pass/fail option for students for the Spring 2021 semester. According to the Appalachian, the effort is being done to help students who are still being affected by the pandemic and having difficulty with the ongoing online classes. Bailey Gardin, the SGA director of academic affairs, stated that, “You never know who that’s impacted. For all I know 10 App students could have had family members pass.” The bill will be sent to the SGA senate and academic affairs committee for a vote this month and, if passed, will go on to the Academic Policies and Procedures Committee by the first week in April.
In local news, the third shipment of Johnson and Johnson approved Covid Vaccines will be received by AppHealthCare. With over 2,000 doses going to Watauga County, the cold storage-free vaccinations are expected to help immunize many frontline workers who are categorized within group 3 as set by the CDC. The Appalachian reports that AppHealthCare is unsure of when the shipment will arrive. However, The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is confident they will be arriving in the state by Wednesday.
Nationally, The Wall Street Journal reports that Lawyers involved in the first trail regarding the death of George Floyd are having trouble finding impartial Jurors. By using a nearly 14-page question set, lawyers on both sides of the court room are finding it difficult to find individuals who have not already made up their mind about the case before even setting foot in the courthouse. Melissa Mordell Gomez, a jury consultant and author of the book “Jury Trials Outside In,” raised concerns about potential jurors potentially faking impartiality in an attempt to stay on the case.
This afternoon’s weather comes from BooneWeather.com. Expect to see clear skies with a high of 55 degrees. Winds are expected to reach anywhere from 5-15 miles per hour as temperatures drop to a low of 30 degrees.