GOP RELIEF BILL PUTS SPENDING CAPS ON RENTAL ASSISTANCE: New rules written into a fast-moving spending bill this week will slow down a state rental assistance effort that has already struggled to get money out quickly, the program's director said Thursday. State lawmakers added spending caps for each of North Carolina's 100 counties to a $550 million program meant to help people struggling through the pandemic pay rent and utility bills. This "throws a wrench" into a federally funded program that the state's Office of Recovery and Resiliency has been working to open, office Chief Operating Officer Laura Hogshead said. "If we're having to hold back applicants ... in order to serve other applicants across the state and make sure that County Y has hit its number before we can serve more in County X, it is absolutely going to slow us down," Hogshead said. Republican lawmakers responsible for the new rules said they're meant to ensure equity.
https://www.wral.com/coronavirus/cooper-administration-says-new-rules-in-relief-bill-will-slow-renta...

GROCERY CLERKS AND OTHER FRONT-LINE ESSENTIAL WORKERS ELIGIBLE FOR VACCINE: Frontline essential workers — including grocery store workers, public transit drivers and emergency personnel — will be eligible for the coronavirus vaccine a week ahead of schedule, Gov. Roy Cooper announced Tuesday. The state will then move into Group 4 on March 24, starting with people with high-risk underlying conditions, The News & Observer reported. “Given the current rate of vaccination and increased supply, many frontline workers say they can move to the next phase of vaccinations,” Cooper said during a news conference Teachers and school support staff have been able to get the vaccine since Feb. 24. The remaining frontline workers classified under Group 3 will be eligible starting Wednesday.
https://www.newsobserver.com/news/coronavirus/article249645613.html

COVID 19 POSITIVITY RATES AND HOSPITALIZATIONS ARE DOWN IN NC: At least 858,548 people in North Carolina have tested positive for the coronavirus and 11,212 have died since March, according to state health officials. The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on Saturday reported 2,643 new COVID-19 cases, down from 2,924 reported the day before. At least 1,414 people in North Carolina were reported hospitalized with the coronavirus as of Saturday, down from 1,465 on Friday. Saturday’s total is the lowest reported since mid-November. As of Thursday, the latest date for which data are available, 5.4% of COVID-19 tests came back positive, up from 4.7% on Wednesday. Wednesday was second day in a row the rate was below 5%, which health officials have said is the target rate to control the spread of the virus.
https://www.newsobserver.com/news/coronavirus/article249586673.html

BUDD AND CAWTHORN USE PROXY VOTE TO ATTEND CPAC: Budd introduced a bill last year that would withhold pay from any lawmaker that voted remotely or by proxy, saying at the time that “outsourcing the duty of a member of Congress is unconstitutional and wrong.” In July, Cawthorn, then a candidate for U.S. House, tweeted that Democrats who vote by proxy are “cowards for hiding and not showing up to work.” But on Thursday and Friday this week, Budd and Cawthorn had Rep. Patrick McHenry, another North Carolina Republican, vote on their behalf. Both Budd and Cawthorn used standard language in their letters to the House assigning someone as their proxy, which are required. They both wrote they were “unable to physically attend proceedings in the House Chamber due to the ongoing public health emergency.”
https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article249561758.html

NC BARS CAN NOW SERVE PATRONS INDOORS, AT 30% CAPACITY: For the first time since the beginning of the pandemic nearly one year ago, bars will be able to serve drinks indoors. Starting Friday, Feb. 26, bars can open up inside at 30% capacity. Patrons will still need to stay socially distanced, remaining seated at a table or counter, and will need to wear a mask when not actively eating or drinking. Technically, bars have been open since October 2020, but that only allowed outdoor service and limited capacity to 30%, which in some cases meant only one or two tables. With those limits, many bars remained closed through winter. Bar owners have lobbied for months to reopen and even filed multiple lawsuits against the state, each one unsuccessful. The new alcohol curfew is 11 p.m., pushed back from 9 p.m., where it’s been since December.
https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article249485640.html