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Community Corner

🌱 January 6 Remembrance + Durham Health Leader Indicted

The quickest way to get caught up on the most important things happening today in Durham.

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Christina Fullford, Neighbor
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(Patch)

Happy War on Poverty Day Durham!

First, today's weather:

Cold with plenty of sunshine. High: 40 Low: 25.

Here are the top five stories today in Durham:

  1. The Durham delegation to the State General Assembly held a vigil at the CCB Plaza in downtown on Thursday in remembrance of the January 6 U.S. Capitol attacks. The vigil began with a prayer and included a moment of silence for the lives lost on Janury 6. The vigil concluded with lawmakers emphasizing the need for citizens to vote. (The Chronicle)
  2. One of the newest COVID-19 testing sites had to close Friday, only a day after opening, due to overwhelming crowds. The site will need to move locations in order to accommodate the high demand for testing They have not yet said where they will be relocating to. (CBS17)
  3. The Strong Schools NC Public Health Toolkit was set to be updated Friday to be in line with CDC guidance. Dr. Betsey Tilson stated that they waited to update guidelines until CDC gave clarity on specifics of who will need to be quarantined so the state could be completely in line with their guidance. (abc11)
  4. A Raleigh doctor who helped lead the COVID-19 response with the Durham County Health Department was indicted by a federal grand jury due to Medicare fraud. Dr. Anita Jackson operates ear, nose, and throat offices in rural areas and became the nation's top-paid provider of a special sinus-relief procedure. Federal prosecutors indicted Jackson on 20 counts related to the Medicare fraud scheme. (abc11)
  5. The NC Licensing Board for General Contractors is going to be changing the way it deals with applicants. After questioning regulators regarding the efforts to protect consumers, N.C. Senator Steve Jarvis authored a bill that was signed into law allowing the Licensing Board for General Contractors to conduct criminal background checks on applicants. This change has the potential to protect consumers after many were left with contractors taking payment and leaving work unfinished. (WBTV)

Today in Durham:

From my notebook:

  • This War on Poverty Day, learn more about Durham's Transformation in Ten Initiative to reduce poverty in the city.
  • Today Durham Parks and Rec is hosting W.D. Hill Recreation Center's grand reopening celebration today from 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm.
  • The Durham Main Library will host the ABC11 Together Blood Drive on January 12, appointments are needed to give. (DCo Library)

Loving the Durham Daily? Here are all the ways you can get more involved:

You're officially in the loop for today. See you all tomorrow morning for another update!

— CJ Fullford

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