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Community Corner

Vaccine Mandate Blueprint + Storm Power Outages + Owl Attacks

Here's a five-minute guide to everything worth knowing in town today.

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Christina Fullford, Neighbor
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(Patch Media)

Happy National Rum Day,

Today there's some notable court rulings that may have a large impact on our area and surrounding areas, the thunderstorms impacting the triangle, and parents talk COVID as they gear up for back to school. Check out all that, events, and more below.

Today's weather, 8/16: Humid and mostly cloudy throughout the day. High: 84 Low: 73

Here are the top stories in Raleigh today:

  1. UNC schools are looking at Indiana University's vaccine mandate as a possible blueprint for education moving forward. After several students challenged the Indiana University mandate, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett allowed the lower appeals court decision to stand. The appeals court decision essentially told the students that if they don't want to comply with the mandate, they can seek education elsewhere. With the precedent set, the UNC system does not have to fear legal ramifications of making such a decision and the precedent could extend to public schools and corporations. (WNCT9) Many UNC faculty members have been calling for a vaccine mandate among students, faculty, and staff. (CBS17)
  2. The Saturday afternoon thunderstorms brought threat of flash flooding, thousands of power outages, lightning and hail to areas across the triangle. A lightning strike in northwest Raleigh caused a fire around 4:10 pm that damaged a small storage building and box truck. By 5:40 pm there were reported 12,000 power outages in Raleigh, Orange County, and Durham County. There were also reports of quarter-sized hail around RDU airport. (CBS17)
  3. There have been numerous reports of owls swooping down on runners and walkers in Raleigh. Many people have noted it happening in neighborhoods around Fairview Road during morning runs and evening walks. Margaret Boyse recalled the incident that happened to her and said that the owl "felt like something massaging her scalp," but she was not hurt. State Wildlife officials say that they are likely juvenile owls who are still learning what prey looks like and mistake humans for prey. (WRAL)
  4. Saturday hosted several back to school days across the triangle. As parents and students prepare to return to in-person education, they are closely monitoring COVID-19 metrics. One event hosted in Durham had a vaccine clinic on site that encouraged parents and age appropriate children to be vaccinated after getting their backpacks. When abc11 spoke to several mothers from across the triangle, it found that they were optimistic about being able to return to a more traditional education, but fearful of the potential to bring illness home with them. (abc11)
  5. The North Carolina Railroad Co. is now fully owned by the state, but thanks to a court ruling, it will not be subject to the open records laws. On Friday, the State Supreme Court upheld a decision from a lower court of a 2019 lawsuit filed by the Southern Environmental Law Center. The decision was a 5-2 majority opinion stating that "while the state does extract a considerable degree of control over the railroad, it primarily exercises this authority in its capacity as the railroad's sole shareholder rather than its capacity as sovereign." (WNCT9)

Today in Raleigh

Raleigh Patch Notebook

  • For National Rum Day, check out Raleigh Rum Company, local spirits with some awesome rum recipes.
  • NC Art Museum will be hosting a self-care program for parents and caregivers on August 26 as well as in September and October. (WRAL)

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Now you're in the loop and ready to start this Monday. I'll see you back in your inbox tomorrow with another update! If you're loving these newsletters, consider sharing with friends and neighbors. You can send them this link to subscribe.

— CJ Fullford

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Raleigh Daily? You can email me at raleigh@patch.com.

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