Afternoon News Update, 4/14/21

By Mickey Hutchings

In campus news, App State and AppHealthCare have heeded calls from the CDC and FDA to halt the administering of Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccines. The Appalachian reports that the school and health care system will suspend the use of J and J at its vaccine clinics while the shot is investigated for potentially causing rare blood clots. The university announced it will administer the Moderna shots at its clinics instead, which is a two-dose vaccine. AppHealthCare said it will also use Moderna vaccines while J and J is under review. The state has administered more than 200,000 Jonson and Johnson vaccines and App State has provided roughly 4,000 J and J shots.

In local news, a new league is bringing summer baseball to Boone. The idea for the Boone Bigfoots came from owner Bob Willson, who saw a need for summer athletic events in Boone during COVID-19 shutdowns last year. The Appalachian reports that team members include college athletes with eligibility left and graduating high school seniors. The Bigfoots are part of the new Textile League, a group of 8 teams across North Carolina and Virginia. The Bigfoots head to the field for their first match on May 28th.

In national news, a new report from inspector general Michael Bolton found that police knew about the risks of an attack before the January 6th insurgence on the U.S. capitol building, but were instructed not to use aggressive tactics to disperse a potential mob. According to the New York Times, which reviewed the document, Bolton criticized the manner that Capitol police prepared for and responded to the attack, saying that leaders failed to prepare adequately despite clear signs of potential violence. The report will be the subject of congressional hearing tomorrow.

And now for your afternoon weather report courtesy of booneweather.com. Expect showers to begin as we move through the day and continue throughout the evening. Today’s high is 69 degrees and the low is 44 degrees.