WATAUGA — Some small, locally owned restaurants in the High Country are concerned that the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, which was signed into law on Friday, March 27, by President Trump, will worsen their financial situations in the long run despite the relief it may im…

BOONE — Health providers in the High Country have varying supplies of personal protective equipment on hand — such as gowns, masks and gloves — for employees as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

Only being able to see her classmates through a computer or phone screen was not how Watauga High School Senior Class President Peyton Cline pictured the latter half of her senior year.

BOONE — While the COVID-19 pandemic has had a minimal effect on the construction of the Watauga Community Recreation Center, County Manager Deron Geouque said it has halted the previously planned opening date for the project.

RALEIGH — N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper announced and signed a new executive order on April 9 that limited stores that are still open to having no more than 20 percent of its fire-code capacity, or five people for every 1,000 square feet, in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19.

BOONE — On Wednesday, April 8, Appalachian Regional Healthcare System was notified by AppHealthCare, the health department for Watauga, Ashe and Alleghany counties, that an ARHS employee who had recently traveled has tested positive for COVID-19.

RALEIGH — AppHealthCare has been working collectively with local partners to secure blocks of rooms at area hotels to use as housing alternatives for people who need to quarantine away from their household members and others — a program that received FEMA approval on April 8.

RALEIGH — Gov. Roy Cooper on April 8 took action to provide more access to health care beds and get more medical workers to respond to the rising demand due the COVID-19 pandemic. He signed Executive Order No. 130, which expands the pool of health care workers and orders essential child care…

JEFFERSON — 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, according to AppHealthCare.

WATAUGA — Watauga County Schools facilities will be closed for spring break from April 13-17, but families are able to pick up extra meals beforehand. 

BOONE — Appalachian Regional Healthcare System has launched a new telehealth program to ensure patients have safe, convenient access to their providers during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

As the threat of COVID-19 hospital equipment shortages worry the country, companies are taking matters into their own hands. Three Boone businesses are using their abilities to make supplies for our community and others across the state and nation.

BOONE — With Watauga County Schools’ spring break scheduled for Monday through Friday, April 13-17, remote learning and meal distribution will cease during that time, school leaders confirmed.

BOONE — As experts try to predict when COVID-19 cases will peak in North Carolina, health officials urge the public to continue practicing social distancing — and one scorecard says Watauga residents are heeding the advice.

NEW YORK — Twenty-two staff from the High Country area were among 90 personnel working at a New York City field hospital in Central Park established by Boone-based Christian relief organization Samaritan’s Purse as of April 2, according to spokesperson Kaitlyn Lahm.

BOONE — AppHealthCare, the regional health department, and Appalachian Regional Healthcare System said April 6 that they are following the guidance for use of cloth masks or face coverings by the general public as recently recommended by the CDC.

RALEIGH — At least 43 North Carolina residents, most 65 or older, have died with the COVID-19 virus, as the confirmed number of cases rose to 2,958, according to the Raleigh News & Observer at 5:45 p.m. Monday, April 6.

WATAUGA — With only a few more months in the 2019-20 fiscal year, local municipalities are having to adjust their budgets to brace for impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic.

RALEIGH — The number of COVID-19 cases in N.C. rose to at least 2,674, with 39 dead, according to the Raleigh News & Observer as of 9:30 p.m. on April 5.

RALEIGH — The number of COVID-19 cases in N.C. rose to 2,542, with 33 dead, according to the Raleigh News & Observer as of 10 p.m. on April 4.

BOONE — Watauga area health agencies have asked for help with supplies, donations and volunteers as the COVID-19 virus continues to spread in North Carolina, and community members are answering the call.

BOONE — Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Watauga County Board of Education will virtually meet on April 6 and will live-stream the meeting for public viewing.

RALEIGH — Chief Justice Cheri Beasley issued an order on April 2 containing seven emergency directives, including postponing court proceedings for a second time to June 1.

RALEIGH — The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in North Carolina rose to 259 as of 11:25 a.m. on April 3, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, and 28 state residents infected with the virus have died as of 10:15 p.m. April 3, according to the Raleigh News…

WATAUGA — As Watauga County enters the month of April with COVID-19-related shutdowns and stay at home orders in effect for the foreseeable future, each municipality is deciding differently how to conduct its April meetings.

WATAUGA — In the first week of N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper’s executive order saying only “essential businesses” could remain open during the COVID-19 pandemic, many local retailers have closed up while restaurants try to remain open and others keep on trudging along.

RALEIGH — As COVID-19 cases and deaths rise in North Carolina, the state is asking the Federal Emergency Management Agency to activate a non-congregant sheltering program, which could mean patients with minor symptoms could be housed in hotels and collegiate dormitories, N.C. Emergency Manag…

HIGH COUNTRY — Lees-McRae College and Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute’s Watauga campus both recently announced extended closures of the schools in response to the COVID-19 health crisis.

RALEIGH — The number of positive tests for COVID-19 in N.C. rose to 2,024 people, with 18 virus-related deaths, including a Wilkes County patient, according to the Raleigh News & Observer as of 10:45 p.m. April 2.

BOONE — An additional Watauga County resident has tested positive for COVID-19, which brings the total positive cases of COVID-19 in Watauga County to seven among residents of the county.

In response to county and state health guidance in North Carolina and Virginia to slow the spread of COVID-19, Blue Ridge Parkway managers announced on April 1 that planned seasonal facility openings and operations originally scheduled to open between before May 1 are now postponed until fur…

BOONE — Times of isolation and uncertainty like the COVID-19 pandemic could potentially exacerbate abuse for those in unhealthy or abusive relationships, according to OASIS Outreach Coordinator Sara Crouch.

BOONE — A sixth Watauga County resident has tested positive for COVID-19, and an additional case is in isolation in the county, AppHealthCare announced March 31.

WATAUGA — Local law enforcement agencies are hoping to educate the public as much as possible about the statewide stay-at-home order before having to enforce it.

RALEIGH — The number people who have tested positive for COVID-19 in North Carolina was up to 1,536 as of 8:45 p.m. Tuesday, March 31, according to the Raleigh News & Observer.

BOONE — Watauga County, along with the towns of Beech Mountain, Blowing Rock, Boone and Seven Devils, announced that effective at 5 p.m. on March 31, "all residents and non-residents of Watauga County arriving for overnight stays are ordered, while present in the county, to self-quarantine f…

RALEIGH — The Raleigh News & Observer reported at least 1,373 positive test results for COVID-19 in North Carolina as of 9:45 p.m. Monday, March 30.

BOONE — Watauga County, in conjunction with the towns of Beech Mountain, Blowing Rock, Boone and Seven Devils, will be closing all playgrounds, recreational courts and picnic shelters, effective Monday, March 30, at noon until further notice.

RALEIGH — The Raleigh News & Observer reported that 1,186 people in North Carolina have tested positive for COVID-19 as of 9:15 p.m. Sunday, March 29.