Friday, July 10, 2020
Coronavirus hospitalizations continue to reach new highs. You no longer need a doctor’s referral to get a coronavirus test. Officials are concerned people aren’t taking the wearing of face masks seriously. And Blackout Day 2020 was this week as a Confederate monument falls in Salisbury. Mike Collins and his guests go through the week's top local stories.
On this week’s Charlotte Talks local news roundup …
North Carolina coronavirus hospitalizations continue to reach new highs this week. North Carolina DHHS says you no longer need a doctor’s referral to get a coronavirus test. The move is intended to make testing easier to track. We’ll give an update on the latest with the pandemic.
Face masks are making headlines all over the region -- Mecklenburg County leaders are concerned that people aren’t taking face masks seriously, and passed stricter mask rules to avoid another lockdown in the county. Meanwhile, Lt. Gov. Dan Forest says face masks “never” work for coronavirus … while in South Carolina, individual cities and towns are beginning to mandate face masks.
Instead of marches or rallies, on Tuesday, people were invited to protest with their wallets. Blackout Day 2020 was this week, an effort to encourage the Black community and allies not to spend money on Tuesday. We’ll talk about the meaning behind the effort and the results.
A Confederate monument was removed from Salisbury this week, as a panel in Gaston County discusses whether a Confederate statue there should be removed. We’ll have an update on the fate of Confederate monuments in our region.
Charlotte City Council is talking about strategies to stop violence and change policing, as Charlotte is on track for another record-breaking year of homicides and violence in the city.
Host Mike Collins is joined by area journalists to take you through those stories and more on the local news roundup on Charlotte Talks.
Guests:
Glenn Burkins, founder and publisher of QCityMetro.com
Nick Ochsner, WBTV’s Chief Investigative reporter
Katie Peralta, senior editor for Charlotte Agenda
Ann Doss Helms, WFAE Education Reporter
