COVID Update

Nineteen new cases of COVID-19 in Burke County since Monday as reported by public health officials for a total of 10-thousand-438.

Figures show 145 cases are reported to be active, with currently no hospitalizations in Burke.

Caldwell County reports 13 new cases of the virus for a total of 9-thousand-633.

2 in Caldwell are in the hospital.

Catawba County saw 15 additional COVID cases bringing the county total to 19-thousand-447.

Catawba County has 8 residents still in the hospital.

McDowell County Friday reported 5 new cases for a total of 5-thousand-206.

23 in McDowell remain in quarantine.

Car Thief

An investigation into a reported car theft led McDowell County law enforcement to a Marion woman.

On May 31^st, a Marion resident reported that someone had stolen her 2008 Nissan Altima from a residence on Zebell Road in Nebo.

Evidence led officers to 39-year-old Heather Nichole Taylor of Westwood Chateau Drive.

Taylor was charged with larceny of a motor vehicle and possession of stolen goods.

The vehicle was recovered.

NCHP Presence

We’re officially into the 4^th of July holiday weekend and the NC Highway Patrol is reminding everyone to keep it safe on the road and on the water.

A pair of campaigns urges drivers to look for extra checkpoints on the roadways during the Independence Day weekend.

Operation Firecracker runs through Sunday July 4^th with law enforcement agencies running sobriety checkpoints in all 100 counties to catch drunk drivers and reduce the number of deaths on NC roads.

The state patrol’s Booze It and Lose It campaign that began 26 years ago will run in conjunction with Operation Firecracker.

Law enforcement officials encourage anyone who drinks to not operate a motor vehicle, whether it is a car or a boat.

They say make good decisions to save a life – it could be your own.

So far this year, reports show at least 145 people have died in alcohol and drug-related crashes in NC.