WFAE Mourners lit candles in remembrance of Butler High school student Bobby McKeithen, who was killed by another student who brought a gun to school in 2018.
The Mecklenburg County Health Department is moving forward with plans to establish a violence interruption program in hopes of stemming violent crime, especially gun violence, in Charlotte.
Plans for the program have been in the works since January 2020, but its rollout was delayed by the pandemic. The county now says it has selected a national nonprofit called Youth Advocate Programs to implement the program and hire its staff in the coming weeks.
Mecklenburg County s deputy health director, Raynard Washington, says the goal is to hire five to seven full-time violence interrupters plus two caseworkers and initially focus on the Beatties Ford Road and Lasalle Street corridor.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (April 6, 2021) – The City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County on Tuesday announced that Youth Advocate Programs, Inc. (YAP) has been selected as the vendor for Cure Violence implementation. Youth Advocate Programs, Inc. was one of four organizations to submit proposals to the city’s Request for Proposals. The organization has a track record of success in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, and this partnership will allow YAP to continue its good work here in the community. “YAP has been working with the County’s Department of Criminal Justice Services’ Youth Recovery Court and Youth and Family Services since 2019 and has been an invaluable partner to us and the families that they have served,” said Raynard Washington, Mecklenburg County Deputy Health Director. “We are excited to utilize their experience in violence interruption and existing knowledge of our community to better address our residents’ needs.”
COVID vaccine live updates: Here s what to know in North Carolina on April 9 Simone Jasper, The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.)
Apr. 9 We re tracking the most up-to-date information about the coronavirus and vaccines in North Carolina. Check back for updates.
Case count reaches 926,000
At least 926,897 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus and 12,224 have died since March 2020, according to state health officials.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reported 2,087 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, up from 1,380 the day before.
Twenty-three additional coronavirus-related deaths were reported Wednesday. Deaths don t all occur on the day the state reports them, and the state health department revises its daily figures as information becomes available.
Is Mecklenburg County s vaccine rollout accessible to all? wcnc.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wcnc.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The federal government moved in January to quickly vaccine residents of nursing homes.
Mecklenburg County reported Friday that no residents of long-term care facilities died of COVID-19 in the last week.
The county believes that’s the first time that’s happened since the pandemic began nearly a year ago. The health department began tracking deaths in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities separate from so-called “community” deaths in August.
The county’s deputy health director Raynard Washington said he believes the federal government’s early efforts to vaccinate nursing home residents is paying off.
He said deaths are down in the facilities – as well as outbreaks of COVID-19.