High Country Press

April 11, 2020 “HEY JEFF – YOU KNOW WE CAN’T STAY HOME FOREVER, RIGHT?” Let’s talk about how North Carolina gets back to work. And let’s skip the obvious stuff – like hand-washing and staying home if we’re sick. To fully reopen, we’re going to need to know four things: Who’s sick, who’s not, who’s been sick, and who hasn’t.That’s the information that will let us track and control future localized outbreaks (which are inevitable) without requiring wide-scale shutdowns. / Read more…

April 11, 2020  A fourth case of Coronavirus has been confirmed in Mitchell County, NC. The Mitchell County Health Department, part of Toe River Health District, was notified at 4:00 p.m. Friday, April 10th that a Mitchell County resident has tested positive for novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). The individual is in isolation, according to Mitchell County health officials. The Toe River Health District includes Avery, Mitchell and Yancey counties. There have been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Avery or Yancey. By Tim Gardner / Read more…

April 10, 2020 New recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention seem to be released weekly to help the public slow the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. Most recently, the CDC recommended that people should wear a cloth facemask when going outside to prevent the spread of the virus. With medical quality masks already in short supply for the many healthcare workers on the frontline battling the illness, finding the materials and the time to make cloth masks can be a daunting task for a lot of people that do not know the first thing about sewing or working with fabric. That’s where the Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild and Sew Original came to the rescue. “It all started when I was able to get some elastic at a local store so I had all of this elastic to make masks and I thought I can’t do all of this myself so I called some friends in the guild to find out if I had some backing and they said they would do it. Then I sent out an email to all the members and the response was really awesome,” said quilt guild member Susan Payne. By Nathan Ham / Read more…

April 10, 2020  A fourth Ashe County resident has tested positive for COVID-19 (novel coronavirus). This case has known travel history and is recovering at home. The local health department staff have identified close contacts who are in quarantine. The contact investigation continues to identify people who are at highest risk and need to quarantine. AppHealthCare staff are currently partnering with Boone Family Funeral Home to make outreach to close contacts who need to quarantine for 14 days to avoid potential further spread of the virus. AppHealthCare will not be releasing additional information about this case in order to protect patient privacy. Due to the nature of this particular case investigation, AppHealthCare encourages those who attended a funeral service operated by Boone Family Funeral Home or visited this establishment in Ashe County from March 19 through April 2 to contact public health staff by calling the AppHealthCare office in Ashe County / Read more…

April 10, 2020 With social distancing being the new normal and all gyms closed throughout North Carolina, being able to get in a good workout is becoming a challenge during this unprecedented time. Enter the Zumba Queen. Gwen Dhing, owner of Makoto’s Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi Bar, had been actively teaching Zumba classes during the week at the Paul H. Broyhill Wellness Center until the stay-at-home order was issued by Governor Roy Cooper. Dhing, along with other class instructors at the wellness center, decided to change things up a little bit and started offering free classes through Facebook Live streams. “Dance with Gwen” teaches Zumba moves to people in the comfort of their own homes. Gwen and other class instructors will come into the wellness center and set up their phones or tablets for a live video stream on Facebook. By Nathan Ham / Read more…

April 10, 2020 The most recent data from AppHealthCare and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services shows that Watauga County has had 253 tests collected by AppHealthCare and outside agencies, a small total of the 57,645 tests collected across the state. Overall, North Carolina has had 3,908 confirmed cases and 74 deaths as of Friday morning. There are currently 423 people in the hospital with positive COVID-19 tests. So far, 91 of the 100 counties in North Carolina have had a positive test. Ashe County has had three positive tests out of the 43 tests conducted and Alleghany County has had two positive tests out of the 25 tests conducted. / Read more…

April 10, 2020. A look at the recent deed transfers in Watauga County. The information comes courtesy of the Watauga County Register of Deeds. / Read more…

April 10, 2020 In the past few weeks, as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, several local businesses have been forced to close their storefronts or reduce their hours, out of concern for their customers’ safety. Mary Ruthless, owner of Foggy Pine Books on King Street, has been a member of the Boone local business community since 2016. Her cozy bookstore has always been welcoming to students and locals alike, providing a safe atmosphere to curl up and enjoy a good book or gather with friends for one of their unique events. However, she’s recently made the difficult choice to close down the store and switch to online or phone orders only. “The impact has been overwhelmingly negative,” Ruthless said. “The local foot traffic and support of students and tourists was an essential part of our business model and we are genuinely struggling to figure out how to make it work without that support.” By Elly Murray and Finn Halloran / Read more…

April 10, 2020 Today is the final day for all children 18 and under to be provided with the regular meal service along with six additional shelf-stable meals for the week of spring break. The extra meals are available to any children 18 and under at any of Watauga County School’s distribution sites regardless of means or enrollment. “We are encouraging staff and students to take the time with their families and loved ones to enjoy a well-earned break. They’ve put in some incredible work over the past weeks! Our child nutrition staff will not be serving meals over spring break and our facilities will be closed, but we encourage families to come out to any of our meal distribution sites this Friday, April 10 to pick up extra meals for over the break,” said Garrett Price, the director of communication for Watauga County Schools. / Read more…

April 10, 2020 Though impacted like most every industry in the country by the coronavirus pandemic, area REALTORS® conducted business throughout the month of March. Unit sales for the month were slightly lower than a year ago, while unit sales for the first quarter of the year were up. The full economic impact of the pandemic on High Country home sales won’t be realized until the end of April, a full month after North Carolina’s stay-at-home order went into effect. Members of the High Country Association of REALTORS® are continuing to work, though virtual tours and video conferencing have replaced open houses (now canceled) and other traditional buyer/seller interactions. In March, REALTORS® sold 176 homes worth $51.98 million, according to the High Country Multiple Listing Service (MLS). It records all transactions by REALTORS® operating in Alleghany, Ashe, Avery and Watauga counties.   / Read more…

April 10, 2020 The Boone Police Department has been receiving an increased number of reports of thefts from motor vehicles in residential parking areas. Many of these thefts are occurring from vehicles that have been left unsecured. Patrols have been increased, but your vigilance is necessary. The Boone Police Department is asking that you lock your vehicles, and remove valuables or leave them out of sight. If you notice any suspicious activity, please do not hesitate to contact the Boone Police Department for assistance by calling 828-269-6900.   / Read more…

April 10, 2020 Across the United States, as of Thursday afternoon, April 9, the number of people who are confirmed to have coronavirus is 466,969. We are sure more people have the virus who have not been tested. Sadly, 16,632 people have died from coronavirus. For the third day in a row, almost 2000 people died in the United States due to coronavirus. In North Carolina the number of people who are “laboratory-confirmed” to have coronavirus is 3,823. Currently, 398 people are hospitalized with coronavirus. To date, 75 North Carolinians have died from coronavirus. Seven Watauga County residents have tested positive for coronavirus. Three Ashe County residents have tested positive. / Read more…

April 10, 2020 North Carolina is currently under a stay-at-home order issued by Gov. Cooper, in order to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. All NC residents are ordered to Stay-at-Home. We hope that our second homeowners will look forward to traveling back to Blowing Rock once it’s safe to do so. As a reminder, all residents and non-residents of the Town of Blowing Rock that are arriving for overnight stays are ordered, while present in the Town, to self-quarantine for a period of 14 days or until 7 days after symptoms have resolved, whichever is longer, if your arrival was preceded by overnights outside the County.   / Read more…

April 10, 2020  Governor Roy Cooper took action to the address the spread of COVID-19 by issuing stronger social distancing requirements and speeding up the process to get benefits to people out of work through Executive Order No. 131. Three key areas are addressed in Executive Order 131. The first requires retail stores that are still operating to implement new social distancing policies to make shopping safer for customers and employees. The second makes earlier COVID-19 guidelines mandatory for nursing facilities, and recommends other long-term care facilities to do the same. The third area is unemployment benefits, issuing changes that will speed up certain benefit payments to those who are out of work. / Read more…

April 9, 2020  The release of national weekly unemployment insurance (UI) claims data shows that initial claims have continued to climb. North Carolina’s data on initial claims, released by the US Department of Labor today, is reported for the week of March 28th, confirming that more than 172,000 North Carolinians filed for unemployment insurance. Projections of advance claims reported suggest that the week of April 4th saw 137,537 weekly claims for UI across the state. / Read more…

April 9, 2020  The lack of clarity from the N.C. Division of Employment Security on the application process for the federal unemployment program it has been tasked to administer leaves thousands of North Carolinians in the dark. Instead of coming up with concrete timelines and solutions, unemployed North Carolinians are being left hanging for weeks. Now they have to worry about whether they’ll be able to pay their bills. The DES has provided little guidance to individuals seeking federal unemployment benefits, including whether those applicants who were denied state benefits but now qualify for federal benefits would have to reapply and when payouts would begin.. / Read more…

April 9, 2020  A total of 29 local restaurants and food distribution sites served a reported 8,832 meals during the second #KeepBooneHealthy Takeout Tuesday, held on April 7th. An additional 12 sites provided data on meals served this week, leading to a rise of 1,506 meals toward the community total. Including the first Takeout Tuesday on March 31st, a total of 16,158 meals have been distributed by local restaurants and food distribution sites over the last two Tuesdays. The effort was designed to encourage area residents to support local restaurants and food distribution programs during the COVID-19 crisis, while also complying with the directives listed in the State of North Carolina Stay-At-Home order. / Read more…

April 9, 2020  As many school systems have closed for health precautions, there have been numerous stories of parents struggling to find activities to occupy their children, let alone maintain an educational approach to how they spend their days.  The Banner House Museum wants to remind you of our recently completed Heritage Trunk project. Designed as hands-on activity kits for second grade Avery County classrooms, the directions and activity sheets are available to EVERYONE for FREE on the Museum’s website:  See Inside  . / Read more…

April 9, 2020  On Wednesday April 8, Appalachian Regional Healthcare System (ARHS) was notified by AppHealthCare (the health department) that an ARHS employee who had recently traveled has tested positive for COVID-19. The employee did not provide direct patient care, has been in quarantine and is recovering at home. Additionally, ARHS has been working with the health department to identify other staff who may have been in contact with the employee who tested positive. Each of these employees has also self-quarantined. / Read more…

April 9, 2020  From Virginia’s Foxx’s website, her comments on the COVID-19 outbreak. “Since the passage of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, many constituents have asked me what this legislation means for families, workers, and small businesses in North Carolina’s Fifth District. In response, I’ve created an extensive list of resources from congressional committees, government agencies, and verified sources that help break down the many provisions included the CARES Act. This list, along with the COVID-19 resources page featured on my website, is updated weekly with the newest information that you need to know about. What’s more, my offices are standing by to assist you with any questions you may have about COVID-19 resources that are available.” Below is information on the economic impact payment program: / Read more…

April 9, 2020  On Wednesday, the Appalachian District Health Department (AppHealthCare) informed Appalachian State University leadership that an App State student, who is a resident of Ashe County and lives off campus, has tested positive for COVID-19. The case is travel related and is the third case to occur within Ashe County. Read the news release here. The student has not been on campus since March 4, and remains at home, per guidelines established by the State of North Carolina and the Centers for Disease Control. Appalachian State University, AppHealthCare (Appalachian District Health Department) and the North Carolina Division of Public Health continue working together to prevent the spread of COVID-19. / Read more…

April 9, 2020  A third Ashe County resident, who is also an Appalachian State University student, has tested positive for COVID-19 (novel coronavirus), and is recovering at home. The individual has known travel history and has not been on the university campus since March 4. Local health department staff have identified close contacts who are in quarantine, and contact investigation continues to identify people who are at highest risk and need to quarantine. In order to protect patient privacy, additional information about this case will not be released. “We realize that people have many questions about individual cases and we want the community to know we are working diligently to keep the community informed while also protecting patient privacy  / Read more…

April 8, 2020 Next week, Watauga County students and staff will be on spring break from April 13-17. Over the break, the nutrition staff will not be serving daily meals as all school facilities will be closed. WCS has planned ahead for that. This Friday, all children 18 and under who visit one of the sites on Friday will be provided with the regular meal service along with six additional shelf-stable meals for the week of spring break. The extra meals are available to any children 18 and under at any of Watauga County School’s distribution sites regardless of means or enrollment. “We are encouraging staff and students to take the time with their families and loved ones to enjoy a well-earned break. They’ve put in some incredible work over the past weeks! Our child nutrition staff will not be serving meals over spring break and our facilities will be closed, but we encourage families to come out to any of our meal distribution sites this Friday, April 10 to pick up extra meals for over the break,” said Garrett Price, the director of communication for Watauga County Schools. By Nathan Ham / Read more…

April 8, 2020 In an effort to help dine-in restaurants and bars make it through the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, the Boone ABC Board is finalizing the proper procedures necessary to purchase unopened alcohol. “We are trying to figure out exactly how to handle it. We have tentatively voted to do that but we just want to make sure what we are doing is okay with our accountants and the state ABC board,” said Boone ABC board member Charlie Wallin. Wallin says that restaurants and bars can sell back unopened, clean bottles that still have their labels on them that were purchased after January 1, 2020. Those selling their alcohol back to the store should also have their invoice ticket from when they purchased the alcohol. By Nathan Ham / Read more…

April 8, 2020 The $2 Trillion CARES Act was passed by Congress contains additional help for workers who lost jobs because of the coronavirus. It was a federal bill, but the NC Department of Employment Security (DES) is the agency that processes claims and issues checks. In the last three weeks, over 450,000 unemployment claims have been files with DES. Before the CARES Act, the maximum benefit in NC was $350 per week. With the CARES Act in place, additional money is available plus many people who were NOT eligible before will be eligible now for unemployment caused by coronavirus. Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (PUC): This program provides an additional $600 in weekly unemployment insurance benefits paid for weeks after March 29, 2020. The program is slated to end July 31, 2020. DES received Federal guidelines about this program Saturday and is now programming their system to handle these claims and checks. They believe the system will be operational next week. Once the system is in place, individuals who qualify will receive the additional $600/week retroactively. These checks will begin flowing in a couple weeks. / Read more…

April 8, 2020 Appalachian Regional Healthcare System (ARHS) has launched a new telehealth program to ensure patients have safe, convenient access to their providers during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Through telehealth visits, patients can meet with a healthcare provider using a computer or mobile device from the safety of their own homes. Telehealth is most appropriate for routine visits such as simple acute care (sick visits), follow-up, wellness visits, and behavioral health concerns like depression, anxiety or grief. Appalachian Regional Medical Associates providers have been piloting the program and are pleased with the results. Telehealth appointments are available throughout the week during regular office hours. In-person appointments will be alternated with telehealth appointments to limit the number of patients in each office in accordance with social distancing guidelines. “We are incredibly proud of our providers and staff for moving quickly to implement this telehealth program for the benefit of our patients,” said Dr. Danielle Mahaffey, Chief Physician Executive, “They were asked to drastically adapt how they practice medicine, completed training, and began seeing patients within 14 days.” / Read more…

April 8, 2020 Luke Combs fans will have to wait a full calendar year to see him put on a show at Kidd Brewer Stadium. Combs announced on Twitter at noon that the concert originally scheduled for May 2 will be rescheduled for May 1, 2021. “I’m sorry we’re having to do this, but the show at Kidd Brewer Stadium has been rescheduled to May 1, 2021. This was going to be a dream come true and still will be one year later. I will see y’all then,” Combs said. Tickets already purchased for the concert will be honored for next year’s date. Luke Combs is a multi-platinum, award-winning musician from Asheville, NC, who stormed onto the music landscape as one Country’s brightest stars. Combs attended Appalachian State University and got his music start right here in Boone playing local shows. By Nathan Ham / Read more…

April 8, 2020 Due to increased fire risk, the N.C. Forest Service has issued a ban on all open burning and has canceled all burning permits for the following counties in western North Carolina: Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Cabarrus, Caldwell, Catawba, Cherokee, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Iredell, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, Union, Watauga, Wilkes and Yancey. The burning ban went into effect on Friday, April 3, 2020, and will remain in effect until further notice. “With spring wildfire season on us, coupled with the COVID-19 crisis, we don’t need to take any unnecessary chances with the dry weather and fuel conditions that will exist in the western part of our state during the next several days,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “Until we see more greening in western North Carolina, these hazardous forest fire conditions will continue. This open burning ban is a necessary step to protect lives and property.” / Read more…

April 8, 2020 Hatchery-supported trout waters in North Carolina officially opened on Saturday as anglers had a beautiful opening day of the season all across the western part of the state. With the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic in full swing, the North Carolina Wildlife Commission is asking anyone that is out fishing to remember the proper social distancing protocols while they are out on the water. All anglers should maintain six feet between themselves. Hatchery Supported Trout Waters, which are marked by green-and-white signs, have been closed since Feb. 29 so that Commission staff can stock the waters with trout. Staff will continue to stock certain streams through August. Staff will stock many of these waters monthly, although they will stock some heavily fished waters more frequently. Over the six months, staff will stock nearly 767,000 trout — 96 percent of which will average 10 inches in length, with the other 4 percent exceeding 14 inches in length. By Nathan Ham / Read more…

April 8, 2020 Coronavirus (COVID-19) is the main topic of news in Avery County and its commissioners have taken action, and may continue to adopt other measures to try to combat it locally. But they’ve also had other items of county business to address recently, many of which they did so at their regular monthly meeting April 6th. Some of the commissioners and county officials were in the Commission Chambers and at least six feet apart from each other during the meeting and others at remote sites such as their homes or offices. The meeting was streamed live via the Internet on YouTube and could be accessed on the County of Avery web site (averycountync.gov). Barrier, Jr. thanked his fellow county officials and employees as well as all other Avery County Citizens for their efforts in combating COVID-19. He said: “Everyone in the county has worked so hard and took the necessary precautions to stop the spread of the Coronavirus and through our continued efforts we will help defeat it. I deeply appreciate the hard work of so many as we combat this pandemic.” By Tim Gardner / Read more…

April 8, 2020. While most everything in our lives these days seems way off base, there is one thing, at least, that has not changed. Easter Sunday is just hours away — and if nothing else gives us hope, that should do it. For many of us the whole world over, Easter symbolizes one of the most wondrous times of the year as the observance honors the crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Is it easy for me, as a Christian, to relate its significance to the season in which it is always observed. Surely, it’s no coincidence that Easter comes around just as nature springs forth from its dormant state in the dark, damp ground and everything comes back to life once again. While current conditions in our world might put tradition on the back burner — no big gatherings for food and fun with family and friends — we can still observe this special occasion as a time of reflection and renewal. It is my hope that, even amid the chaos and uncertainty, that each of you will be richly blessed during this holy season. Even if we can’t be in physical contact with all those we love, we can be assured that the one who gave His life for us still loves us and cares about our well-being. I have chosen some simple recipes this week for Easter, hoping that those in your home will still be able to enjoy a special time together. By Sherrie Norris / Read more…

April 8, 2020 Across the United States, as of Tuesday afternoon, April 7, the number of people who are confirmed to have coronavirus is 395,277. We are sure more people have the virus who have not been tested. Sadly, 12,784 people have died from coronavirus. Almost 1200, people died because of the virus in the last 24 hours. In North Carolina the number of people who are “laboratory-confirmed” to have coronavirus is 3,257. Currently, 354 people are hospitalized with coronavirus. To date, 53 North Carolinians have died from coronavirus. Seven Watauga County residents have tested positive for coronavirus. A second individual in Ashe County tested positive today. So far, all individuals who tested positive had a travel history or contracted the virus from a person known to have the virus.. / Read more…

April 8, 2020 Officials at Charles A. Cannon Memorial Hospital in Linville are asking for assistance from the community, by way of hand sanitizer, to assist in protecting both patients and health care workers from Coronavirus. The request of hand sanitizer comes at a time when there is a national shortage and the number of COVID-19 patients is rising across the nation, state and region. Cannon officials said the hospital will purchase or replace the hand sanitizer contributions when adequate supplies are available again. Those interested in making donations should contact: Stephanie P. Greer, MBA, Director of Behavioral Health Services at the Appalachian Regional Healthcare System by phone at (828) 737-7636 or email [email protected] Donations are being accepted at the hospital. By Tim Gardner / Read more…

April 8, 2020 Since the launch of the SBA Paycheck Protection Program on Friday, April 3, North Carolina bankers worked through the weekend and around the clock processing Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans for small businesses in their communities. Nationwide, as of Tuesday afternoon, 3,299 banks and other SBA-approved lenders had processed 265,000 applications totaling $71 billion.  “Bankers are working as fast as humanly possible to meet the overwhelming demand for Paycheck Protection Program loans,” said NCBA President & CEO Peter Gwaltney. “North Carolina banks have committed significant resources to originate these loans for small businesses in the communities that they serve. Our member banks are proud to play a role in the administration of this important economic relief program.  / Read more…

April 8, 2020 April 1, 2020 was National Census Day, a key reference date for the 2020 Census that is used to determine who is counted and where in the 2020 Census. National Census Day brought the largest single day response rate in North Carolina (3.2 percent) seen since the Bureau has been reporting self-response rates. Of the 50 states and Washington, DC, North Carolina had the 12th highest ­bump in cumulative response rates due to Census Day, gaining 3.2 percentage points. Internet Census responses accounted for 91 percent of that 3.2 percent increase. Responses on April 2, 2020, which were reported on April 3, 2020, fell to prior daily response levels. The top ten counties that saw the largest bumps from April 1, 2020 to April 2, 2020 were:  / Read more…