Happy Friday, Charlotte! This is Kristen. In case you didn’t catch it this morning, here’s a read you can sit down with this weekend. Meet Jean Spradlin, Dr. Raynard Washington, Anna Fiscus, Bismack Biyombo and Matt Wohlfarth. As we remember the two weeks leading up to a COVID-required shutdown, some of these Charlotteans’ stories may be familiar to you. Some had an idea of how COVID would go, but not many had accepted what would come next. This is the story of what they experienced in the days leading up to lockdown.
Here are today’s top headlines:
1. It’s official — we have the best beer bar in the country
Let’s kick it off with a fun one for your Friday afternoon. USA Today selected the top 20 beer bars and 20 best beer gardens in the country, and readers were asked to vote. Today, Charlotte triumphs as our very own Salud Beer Shop wins best beer bar in the country.
“We are humbled by the love of our guests and community,” Salud co-owner Jason Glunt told CharlotteFive on Friday afternoon. “Can’t wait until normal times return so we can properly celebrate.” Same here, Jason!
2. Today’s COVID news in the Charlotte area
How is the Charlotte area faring when it comes to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic? Catch up with Observer reporters Alison Kuznitz, Hannah Smoot and Joe Marusak.
All adults will be eligible for COVID vaccine soon. Here’s where to get a shot in Meck
-
Here’s what we know now about getting vaccinated in the Charlotte area. This information will be updated periodically as eligibility and locations change. This story was last updated today, March 26.
Vaccinations rising — but so are some Charlotte COVID trends after weeks of progress
Mecklenburg warns that vaccine appointments will remain scarce as NC opens eligibility
-
Everyone 16 and older in North Carolina will be eligible to get vaccinated starting April 7. “That’s great news,” county Public Health Director Gibbie Harris said. “I just want to caution people that we will need to continue to ask for patience. We are getting larger amounts of vaccines into the community, but there’s not going to be enough that very first week that you’re eligible for everybody to get the vaccine.”
CMS student test scores plummet, district points to ‘seeing the impacts’ of COVID
-
“We’re seeing the impacts of the COVID instructional conditions,” Frank Barnes, CMS chief equity and accountability officer, told the Board of Education this week after releasing the test results. For example, half of all CMS students who took a biology end-of-course test were deemed “not proficient,” compared with 39% in late 2019.
3. Catawbas to ‘fast-track’ opening part of planned NC casino
On Friday, the Rock Hill-based Catawba Indian Nation announced it will “fast-track” the opening of part of its $273 million North Carolina casino. A “pre-launch” facility for the Kings Mountain Two Kings Casino Resort will open this summer — with 500 slot machines.
The announcement came a day after the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs approved a revenue-sharing agreement reached with North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper in January, as reported by the Observer’s Joe Marusak.
“With the completion of our compact with the State of North Carolina, the Catawba Nation is eager to open the casino as quickly as possible to begin bringing economic benefits and jobs to the state and region,” Catawba Chief Bill Harris said in a statement on Friday.
4. The Hornets may get LaMelo back from injury sooner than expected
Could the star Buzz City rookie be back on the court sooner than expected? Maybe, according to Hornets general manager Mitch Kupchak.
“We don’t know if LaMelo is out for the season or not,” Kupchak said in a conference call with Charlotte media Friday morning. “There is a possibility (of Ball playing again), just based on other players who have had this injury, that maybe he does come back for some portion of the year.”
Kupchak mentioned that the Hornets wouldn’t do anything to put Ball at risk. Read more of this developing story here with the Observer’s Rick Bonnell.
—
That’s all for today, folks. If you don’t already, subscribe to The Charlotte Observer here. If you’re already a subscriber (thanks!), download our iOS or Android app to get connected.
Stay updated with us at charlotteobserver.com, and follow along on Twitter and Instagram to see more from us. Thanks for reading!
Did someone forward this newsletter to you? You can sign up here.
Source link
