Yahoo Finance Are Charlotte schools seeing fewer COVID cases? + NC hospital employees fired for refusing vaccine mandate
Hello, everyone, and happy Monday. This is Kristen, here with a fun activity to start us off today: Can you spot the bug lurking in this photo from Smoky Mountains National Park?
It’s right before your eyes. Let me know if you found it — I had issues locating it at first.
Now, let’s dive into today’s news:
1. Are Charlotte-area schools seeing fewer COVID cases?
Schools saw an initial COVID jump when class returned to session, but many area public school districts are beginning to report fewer cases nearly one month in, as reported by the Observer’s Anna Maria Della Costa.
How is CMS faring?
At Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, the number of new cases among students and staff rose in mid-September but fell slightly this past week, district data show.
Nearly 63% of CMS principals, teachers and staff report they are vaccinated.
CMS began requesting vaccine information from employees on Sept. 20.
As of Friday, 14,112 employees had completed the survey, with 11,950 saying they are fully vaccinated.
CMS, like most public school districts across the state, requires mask wearing indoors.
Across eight counties in the Charlotte region, the number of COVID cases is showing modest improvement, according to a new analysis of district data. Find out more with Della Costa.
In other COVID news: Uptown’s COVID rate has dropped a bit but remains high. View our latest map of cases in Mecklenburg by ZIP code with the Observer’s Devna Bose, Hannah Smoot and Gavin Off.
2. NC hospital system fires employees for refusing vaccine mandate
Novant Health employees have been fired after failing to comply with the hospital system’s vaccination requirement, as reported by the Observer’s Hannah Smoot.
The details:
Last week, the system announced that 375 employees were suspended and given five days to comply with the mandate.
The deadline for that was Friday.
Nearly 200 of those employees complied, spokeswoman Megan Rivers told the Observer.
Fewer than 200 employees remained non-compliant and were fired.
More than 99% of Novant Health’s 35,000-plus employees are now compliant with the mandate. Workers who have the first dose of a two-dose vaccine have until Oct. 15 to get the second dose.
3. Today’s sports dispatch
Check out the latest sports updates, from football to basketball, brought to you by the Observer’s sports team:
Trade for newest cornerback a worthy risk for 3-0 Panthers, who want to win right now, by Scott Fowler
Carolina made a trade Monday with Jacksonville for cornerback C.J. Henderson, who was the No. 9 overall pick in the 2020 draft.
“I think the deal was worth the risk for the Panthers,” Fowler says.
Panthers trade Dan Arnold and get a first-round cornerback. How and why it happened, by Jonathan M. Alexander
Alexander dives in deeper on the Henderson trade.
“The move gives the Panthers depth at cornerback after they lost rookie corner Jaycee Horn to a broken foot in Thursday’s win over Houston,” according to Alexander.
What James Borrego said about LiAngelo Ball not making the Charlotte Hornets roster, by Roderick Boone
LiAngelo Ball, one of LaMelo Ball’s two older brothers, became a Charlotte Hornets’ fan favorite during NBA Summer League, but he’s not on the training camp roster.
“LiAngelo did a good job in summer league, I can say that,” Hornets coach James Borrego said Monday. “As a basketball coach, I think he did a heck of a job in the time we had him there. What happens now in the future with LiAngelo, I don’t have that answer; I’ll leave that to (general manager) Mitch (Kupchak) to discuss and describe as we go.”
Find more of our sports reporting here.
4. Chili, chicken casserole and community keep fueling Lupie’s Cafe 34 years later
Lupie’s Cafe has been a staple for over 30 years.
Situated at the corner of the Chantilly, Elizabeth and Grier Heights neighborhoods, the Charlotte favorite has welcomed a wide range of regulars and newcomers alike who seek out the legendary home-cooked meals like meatloaf and Cincinnati-style chili.
It may not be the hottest, newest thing in the Queen City, but it doesn’t need to be. As CharlotteFive’s Philip Freeman writes, serve good food and treat people right — and 34 years later, you’ll have a line out the door each afternoon.
Read more here about the Charlotte favorite with Freeman.
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