PM News Break 9/24/21

By: Devin Stewart

In local news, the Watauga Democrat reports Watauga Arts Council will host the Art Instrumental Silent Auction alongside Buskers Fest. The event will take place Oct. 1 from 8 p.m. to 5 p.m. along King Street. The arts council has scheduled a variety of performers for the event but welcomes any interested artists to participate. The arts council encourages visitors to stop by Appalachian Theatre on King Street for a musical performance by Damn Tall Building. A portion of the proceeds from the silent auction will be used to start a Public Arts Fund. Money from this fund will be used to support the creation of more public arts within Watauga County.

In state news, WRAL reports nearly 400 workers at Novant Health face being fired for refusing to take a COVID-19 vaccine. Novant announced its mandatory vaccination policy on July 22. Novant considers workers compliant with the policy if they have received the first dose Johnson and Johnson vaccine or the first dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine. Employees with just the first dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine have until Oct. 15 to receive the second dose.

In national news, US News reports the number of Americans filing for unemployment for the first time rose above expectations to 351,000 last week. This comes as the delta variant of the coronavirus continues to cause businesses to impose social distancing and mask requirements. The job market has recovered significantly from the coronavirus pandemic of 2020, but the surge in delta cases has disrupted the job market over the last two months. In August, employers added 235,000, which fell below expectations.

This afternoon’s weather report is brought to you by Boone Weather dot com. Fall has arrived right on cue here in the high country. Expect sunny skies for your Friday afternoon with a high of 66 degrees and a low of 42 degrees.