Candidates Crisscrossing The State 

President Donald Trump made a campaign appearance yesterday at the Hickory

Regional Airport. People from throughout Western North Carolina begin lining up

for the rally around 7 Sunday morning; even though the appearance wasn’t set

until 5:30p.m.  By the time the rally got underway around 6:30, the crowds had

grown to tens of thousands.  Estimates of crowd size range from thirty to over  

fifty thousand people.  President Trump wrapped up his speech and went back to

Charlotte for his fourth stop of the day in Rome, Georgia.   Trump made a

campaign stop in Hickory in 2016, also.  Meanwhile both Vice Presidential

candidates were in North Carolina Sunday.  Vice President Mike Pence attended

Sunday services at a church in Boone with Franklin Graham, and Senator Kamala

Harris visited Goldsboro and Fayetteville, where President Trump is planning a

stop today.

Early Voting Turnout

Early voting for the November 3rd general election has ended in North Carolina

with an unprecedented 61.6% of registered voters casting ballots.  Over four and

a half million people have already voted in the state either by one stop voting or

absentee ballot.  In the Catawba Valley area, some 65 percent of registered voters

cast ballots in Caldwell County, while 62.6 percent of Burke County voters have

voted.  67 percent of Alexander County voters cast ballots while 62 percent of

Catawba County voters turned out for early voting.  Iredell County had a 63.6

percent turnout while McDowell had 57.3.  Election day voting begins at 6:30

tomorrow morning and registered voters who have not voted will need to cast

 ballots in their correct precincts.

COVID-19 UPDATE

Caldwell County reported 21 new cases of Covid-19 over the weekend for a

cumulative total of 2 thousand 6 hundred and 17 cases.  Of that number, 1

thousand 7 hundred and 38 have recovered and 20 patients are hospitalized. 

Catawba County also reported 21 new cases yesterday for a cumulative total of 4

thousand 6 hundred and 71, 3 thousand 7 hundred and 84 patients have

recovered and 39 patients are hospitalized. Burke County Public Health on Friday

reported 33 additional positive cases of the virus, for a new county total of

3-thousand-95 positives. 459 cases are active and 8 patients are now hospitalized

with COVID-19. In McDowell County, 11 new cases were reported Friday, for

a new total of 1-thousand-262 positives, with 1 additonal death for a total of 34.

Center Crossing Construction

Construction has begun on Center Crossing, a 50 unit affordable rental

community for seniors near downtown in the City of Hickory.  Center Crossing will

serve seniors aged 55 and older who earn up to 80 percent of the area median

income with some units reserved for those at 40, 50 and 60 percent.  The

development is undertaken by Woda Cooper Companies, Inc   The development is

just a few blocks away from Union Square shopping and dining and is close to

cultural opportunities plus various medical facilities and public offices.