By: Zachary Masters
On campus, The Appalachian reports that at least 47% of students and 85% of faculty have received some form of the covid vaccination heading into the second week of in-person classes. While the Chancellor, Sheri Everts, stated that "This is good news, but we must do better." Employees of the University, as well as students, are required to take part in random Covid testing if they have not submitted some form of vaccination verification by the first day of classes. Students and faculty will be notified if they have been selected for random testing via email.
In local news, the AppalCart bus system will be moving to a new application to provide transportation to the Boone area. The Appalachian reports that the AppalCart bus system did not renew its contract with NextBus, another application used for public transportation tracking. Instead, Appalacart has made the decision to partner with a new app called Transloc. In a statement made by AppalCart Director Craig Hughes, “Passengers can expect increased responsiveness and a more user-friendly interface with the new mobile app.”
Nationally, The Wall Street Journal reports a firefight broke out within Kabul’s largest airport following the US’s withdrawal from Afghanistan. The exchange of gunfire resulted in the death of one Afghan soldier, and three more becoming injured. German and American forces were also present during the conflict, however there are no injuries reported from German officials. As the Taliban continues to occupy Afghanistan, the US embassy warns citizens to avoid traveling to the airport due to increased Taliban patrols and checkpoints being set up outside the gates of the airport.
This afternoon’s weather comes from BooneWeather.com. Today, enjoy the fabulous Boone weather with skies being only partly cloudy. Prepare for a high of 82 degrees and a low of 62 degrees with winds reaching anywhere from 5-10 mph.