COVID-19 UPDATES

Catawba County added 56 new cases of Covid-19 yesterday bringing the total to

898.  434 patients have recovered and 15 are hospitalized.  Caldwell County had

45 new cases yesterday, but Caldwell County Health said the jump was probably

caused in a delay in reporting from providers which occurred this week.  251

patients have recovered in Caldwell County.  17 are hospitalized; 10 patients are

hospitalized in Caldwell County.  McDowell County added 5 new cases yesterday

for a total of 229.  154 patients are out of quarantine there. Burke County reported

12 new cases Thursday bringing the county's total to 1,060.

Fireworks and Covid-19 Precautions  

The City of Morganton will hold its fireworks show tomorrow, July 4^th at Freedom

Park.  Freedom Park will be closed to the public all day on Saturday, and the gates

to the park will be locked tonight.  Citizens will need to watch the fireworks show

from nearby areas, where they can park and watch the show from their car.  At

this time, when coronavirus cases are rising daily, citizens should remain at their

cars, and not mingle with other groups nearby.  Anyone watching the show must

practice social distancing follow guidelines issued by the CDC and wear a mask if

unable to stay 6 feet from other people.  The fireworks are scheduled to begin at

9:40 p.m.  

New Business in Newton

Campbell Design has relocated their offices to the former Twin City Insurance

Building, 29 South College Avenue in Newton.  The newly renovated building

features a modern, urban design.  The move to Catawba County places Campbell

Design closer to their clients and offers more opportunity to design locally.  The

company has been in business since 1998.


May Unemployment Figures

The May unemployment rate for the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton

Metro area was 15 %. Area county rates include Alexander at 14%,

Avery 9.6%, Burke 13.8%, Caldwell 14.6%, Catawba 16% and McDowell

County 12.1%. Asheville had the highest metro rate in the state at

16.1%, according to figures released Wednesday by the North Carolina

Department of Commerce.

Criminal Court Moved

Beginning on Monday, all District Criminal Courts will take place at

the Burke County Conference Center, located at 2128 South Sterling

Street in Morganton (at the end of the building next to the new Longhorn

Steakhouse). This includes general District Criminal and Infractions

Court Matters. This to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Only individuals

who have court should be present in the room to have their cases

handled. Masks are encouraged and six-feet social distancing is required.

SHP Campaigns

The State Highway Patrol is conducting two annual enforcement campaigns

over the July Fourth holiday weekend. One campaign, entitled Booze It

and Lose It Operation Fire Cracker, involves law enforcement organizations

partnering to enforce various violations to include excessive speeding,

aggressive driving and driving impaired. Another campaign entitled On the

Road, On the Water: Don’t Drink and Drive will also be conducted. Wildlife

Resources Commission’s Law Enforcement Division will join troopers at

various boat ramps to remove impaired motorists from both the roadways

and waterways.

DOT Construction Projects

NCDOT will temporarily suspend most highway construction projects that

cause lane closures to help reduce the anticipated influx of traffic over the

July Fourth Holiday weekend. DOT will reopen closed where possible on

major routes this evening, until Tuesday morning. There are some locations,

however, where the type of construction or the status of the project

requires lane closures to remain in place for safety reasons.